1 King David attacked the Philistines again. He defeated them and ended their control over Methegammah.

2 He defeated the Moabites. He made the prisoners lie down on the ground and put two out of every three of them to death. So the Moabites became his subjects and paid taxes to him.

3 David defeated the king of the Syrian state of Zobah, Hadadezer son of Rehob. Hadadezer was on his way to restore his control over the territory by the upper Euphrates River.

4 David captured seventeen hundred of his cavalry and twenty thousand of his foot soldiers. He kept enough horses for a hundred chariots and crippled hamstrung all the rest.

5 The Syrians of Damascus sent an army to help King Hadadezer. David attacked it and killed twenty-two thousand men.

6 Then he set up military camps in their territory. They became his subjects and paid taxes to him. Jehovah made David victorious everywhere.

7 David captured the gold shields carried by Hadadezer’s officials and took them to Jerusalem.

8 King David also took a large quantity of copper from Betah and Berothai, Hadadezer’s cities.

9 Soon King Toi of Hamath heard that David had defeated Hadadezer’s entire army.

10 He sent his son Joram to greet King David and congratulate him for fighting and defeating Hadadezer. There had often been war between Hadadezer and Toi. Joram brought articles of gold, silver, and copper with him.

11 King David dedicated these articles to Jehovah, along with the silver and gold he dedicated from all the nations he conquered.

12 These nation included: Edom, Moab, Ammon, the Philistines, Amalek, and from the goods taken from Zobah’s King Hadadezer, son of Rehob.

13 David made a name for himself by killing eighteen thousand Edomites in the Dead Sea region as he returned to Jerusalem.

14 He put troops everywhere in Edom. All the Edomites were David’s subjects. Everywhere David went Jehovah gave him victories.

15 So David ruled all Israel. He did what was fair and right for all his people.

16 Joab the son of Zeruiah was the commander in chief of the army. Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud kept the government records.

17 Zadok the son of Ahitub, and Abiathar the son of Ahimelech, were the priests. Seraiah was the secretary.

18 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was the commander of David’s bodyguard. David’s sons were priests.