4
So Hanun took David's servants, shaved off half their beards, cut off their clothes halfway up, at their buttocks, and then sent them away.
5
On hearing how they had been treated, David sent a delegation to meet them, because the men had been deeply humiliated. The king said, "Stay in Yericho until your beards have grown back, and then return."
6
Aware that they were utterly abhorrent to David, the people of 'Amon sent and hired 20,000 Aram foot soldiers from Beit-Rechov and Tzovah, the king of Ma'akhah with 1,000 men, and 12,000 soldiers from Tov.
7
When David heard of it, he sent Yo'av with his entire army of trained soldiers.
8
The army of 'Amon came out and went into battle formation at the entrance to the city gate; the men of Aram from Tzovah and Rechov and the men of Tov and Ma'akhah were by themselves in the open countryside.
9
When Yo'av saw that he would be fighting on two fronts, ahead and behind, he chose the best troops of Isra'el to deploy against Aram;
10
while the rest of the army he put under the command of Avishai his brother to deploy against the army of 'Amon.
11
He said, "If Aram is too strong for me, you help me; but if the army of 'Amon is too strong for you, then I will come and help you.
12
Take courage, and let's be strong for the sake of our people and the cities of our God. May ADONAI do what seems good to him."
13
So Yo'av and the people with him went to battle Aram, and they fled before him.
14
When the people of 'Amon saw that Aram had fled, they likewise fled before Avishai and retreated into the city. Yo'av returned from the people of 'Amon and went to Yerushalayim.