David Defeats the Ammonites
1In the course of time, Nahash king of the Ammonites died, and his son succeeded him as king. 2David thought, “I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent a delegation to express his sympathy to Hanun concerning his father.
When David’s envoys came to Hanun in the land of the Ammonites to express sympathy to him, 3the Ammonite commanders said to Hanun, “Do you think David is honoring your father by sending envoys to you to express sympathy? Haven’t his envoys come to you only to explore and spy out the country and overthrow it?” 4So Hanun seized David’s envoys, shaved them, cut off their garments at the buttocks, and sent them away.
5When someone came and told David about the men, he sent messengers to meet them, for they were greatly humiliated. The king said, “Stay at Jericho till your beards have grown, and then come back.”
6When the Ammonites realized that they had become obnoxious to David, Hanun and the Ammonites sent a thousand talents19:6 That is, about 38 tons or about 34 metric tons of silver to hire chariots and charioteers from Aram Naharaim,19:6 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia Aram Maakah and Zobah. 7They hired thirty-two thousand chariots and charioteers, as well as the king of Maakah with his troops, who came and camped near Medeba, while the Ammonites were mustered from their towns and moved out for battle.
8On hearing this, David sent Joab out with the entire army of fighting men. 9The Ammonites came out and drew up in battle formation at the entrance to their city, while the kings who had come were by themselves in the open country.
10Joab saw that there were battle lines in front of him and behind him; so he selected some of the best troops in Israel and deployed them against the Arameans. 11He put the rest of the men under the command of Abishai his brother, and they were deployed against the Ammonites. 12Joab said, “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you are to rescue me; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will rescue you. 13Be strong, and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The Lord will do what is good in his sight.”
14Then Joab and the troops with him advanced to fight the Arameans, and they fled before him. 15When the Ammonites realized that the Arameans were fleeing, they too fled before his brother Abishai and went inside the city. So Joab went back to Jerusalem.
16After the Arameans saw that they had been routed by Israel, they sent messengers and had Arameans brought from beyond the Euphrates River, with Shophak the commander of Hadadezer’s army leading them.
17When David was told of this, he gathered all Israel and crossed the Jordan; he advanced against them and formed his battle lines opposite them. David formed his lines to meet the Arameans in battle, and they fought against him. 18But they fled before Israel, and David killed seven thousand of their charioteers and forty thousand of their foot soldiers. He also killed Shophak the commander of their army.
19When the vassals of Hadadezer saw that they had been routed by Israel, they made peace with David and became subject to him.
So the Arameans were not willing to 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。」他便派使臣去安慰喪父的哈嫩。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，不過是要探聽虛實，想摧毀這地方。」 4哈嫩便把大衛的臣僕抓起來，剃去他們的鬍鬚，從臀部割去他們下半身的衣服，然後放走他們。 5消息傳到大衛那裡，他就派人去迎接他們，因為他們倍受羞辱。王告訴他們留在耶利哥，等鬍鬚長好了再回來。
6哈嫩及其他亞捫人知道得罪了大衛，就派人用六十八萬兩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匯集在一起，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約押見自己腹背受敵，就從以色列軍中挑選一些精兵列陣迎戰亞蘭人， 11把餘下的軍兵交給他的兄弟亞比篩帶領，列陣迎戰亞捫人。 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你要剛強，我們要為我們的人民和我們上帝的城邑奮勇作戰。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亞捫人見亞蘭人敗逃，便也從亞比篩面前逃回城去。約押便回師耶路撒冷。
16亞蘭人見自己敗給以色列人，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，去攻打亞蘭人，列陣與他們交戰。 18亞蘭人在以色列人面前敗逃，大衛殺了他們七千名戰車兵、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給以色列人，便向大衛求和，臣服於他。從此，亞蘭人不願再支援亞捫人了。
