David Wins the Battle Over the Ammonites
1Nahash was king of Ammon. After he died, his son became the next king after him. 2David thought, “I’m going to be kind to Hanun. His father Nahash was kind to me.” So David sent messengers to Hanun. He wanted them to tell Hanun how sad he was that Hanun’s father had died. David’s messengers went to the land of Ammon. They told Hanun how sad David was.
3The Ammonite commanders spoke to Hanun. They said, “David has sent messengers to tell you he is sad. They say he wants to honor your father. But the real reason they’ve come is to look the land over. They want to destroy it.” 4So Hanun grabbed David’s messengers. He shaved them. He cut off their clothes just below the waist and left them half naked. Then he sent them away.
5Someone came and told David what had happened to his men. So David sent messengers to them because they were filled with shame. King David said to them, “Stay at Jericho until your beards grow out again. Then come back here.”
6The Ammonites realized that what they had done had made David very angry with them. So Hanun and the Ammonites got 38 tons of silver. They used it to hire chariots and chariot riders from Aram Naharaim, Aram Maakah and Zobah. 7They hired 32,000 chariots and riders. They also hired the king of Maakah and his troops. All of them came out and camped near Medeba. At the same time the Ammonites brought their troops together from their towns. Then they marched out to fight.
8David heard about it. So he sent Joab out with the entire army of Israel’s fighting men. 9The Ammonites marched out. They took up their battle positions at the entrance to their city. The kings who came to help them gathered their troops together in the open country.
10Joab saw that there were lines of soldiers in front of him and behind him. So he chose some of the best troops in Israel. He sent them to march out against the Arameans. 11He put the rest of the men under the command of his brother Abishai. They were sent to march out against the Ammonites. 12Joab said, “Suppose the Arameans are too strong for me. Then you must come and help me. But suppose the Ammonites are too strong for you. Then I’ll come and help you. 13Be strong. Let’s be brave as we fight for our people and the cities of our God. The Lord will do what he thinks is best.”
14Then Joab and the troops with him marched out to attack the Arameans. They ran away from him. 15The Ammonites realized that the Arameans were running away. So they also ran away from Joab’s brother Abishai. They went inside the city. Then Joab went back to Jerusalem.
16The Arameans saw that they had been driven away by Israel. So they sent messengers to get some Arameans from east of the Euphrates River. The Arameans were under the command of Shophak. He was the commander of Hadadezer’s army.
17David was told about it. So he gathered together the whole army of Israel. They went across the Jordan River. David marched out against the Arameans. He lined up his soldiers opposite them. He lined them up to meet the Arameans in battle. The Arameans began to fight against him. 18But then they ran away from Israel. David killed 7,000 of their chariot riders. He killed 40,000 of their soldiers who were on foot. He also killed Shophak, the commander of their army.
19The people who were under the rule of Hadadezer saw that Israel had won the battle over them. So they made a peace treaty with David. They were brought under his rule.
After that, the Arameans wouldn’t help the Ammonites anymore.
大衛擊敗亞捫人和亞蘭人
1後來，亞捫王拿轄死了，他兒子繼位。 2大衛說：「我要恩待拿轄的兒子哈嫩，因為他父親曾經恩待我。」他便派臣僕去安慰喪父的哈嫩。大衛的臣僕來到亞捫境內要安慰哈嫩， 3亞捫的官長卻對哈嫩說：「大衛派人來安慰你，你以為他是來弔唁你父親嗎？他的臣僕來見你不過是來探聽虛實，想征服這地方。」 4哈嫩便把大衛的臣僕抓起來，剃去他們一半鬍子，割去他們下身的衣服，然後放走他們。 5消息傳到大衛那裡，他就派人去迎接他們，告訴他們住在耶利哥，等鬍鬚長好了再回來，因為他們倍覺羞辱。
6哈嫩及其他亞捫人知道得罪了大衛，就派人用三十四噸銀子從美索不達米亞、亞蘭瑪迦和瑣巴招兵買馬， 7雇了三萬二千輛戰車和瑪迦王及其軍隊。他們在米底巴附近紮營，亞捫人也從各城出來準備作戰。 8大衛聽見消息後，就派約押率領全體勇士出戰。 9亞捫人在城門前列陣，來助戰的諸王在郊野列陣。
10約押見自己前後受敵，就從以色列軍中挑選一些精兵迎戰亞蘭人， 11把餘下的軍兵交給他的兄弟亞比篩領導，迎戰亞捫人。 12他對亞比篩說：「倘若我勝不過亞蘭人，你便過來支援我；倘若你勝不過亞捫人，我便過去支援你。 13我們要剛強，為我們的人民和我們上帝的城邑而奮勇作戰。願耶和華成全祂自己的旨意！」 14於是，約押率領軍兵進攻亞蘭人，亞蘭人敗逃。 15見亞蘭人敗逃，亞捫人也逃離亞比篩，退回城中。約押便回師耶路撒冷。
16亞蘭人見自己敗在以色列人手下，就派使者調來幼發拉底河那邊的亞蘭人，由哈大底謝的將軍朔法率領。 17大衛聽到消息後，就召集以色列全軍，渡過約旦河，列陣與亞蘭人交戰。 18他們擊潰了亞蘭人，殺了七千名戰車兵、四萬步兵，還殺了他們的將軍朔法。 19哈大底謝的屬下見自己敗於以色列人，便向大衛求和，臣服於他。從此，亞蘭人不敢再支援亞捫人了。
