1 Quando Naás, rei dos amonitas, morreu, seu filho Hanum subiu ao trono.
2 Então David declarou: Vou mostrar boa vontade para com Hanum, por causa da amizade que seu pai revelou para comigo.
3 Mas ao chegarem os embaixadores de David, os conselheiros de Hanum começaram a preveni-lo: Não te convenças que David mandou esta gente por consideração para com o teu pai! Eles vieram mas foi para espiar a terra, a fim de a conquistar!
4 Então Hanum mandou rapar a barba dos embaixadores e cortar-lhes a roupa que traziam até à altura das ancas, o que representava, isso tudo, um insulto. Depois mandou-os embora, no meio de grande vergonha. Ouvindo o que aconteceu, David mandou uma mensagem aos seus enviados, dizendo-lhes para ficarem em Jericó até lhes crescer a barba de novo. Por seu lado Hanum, reconhecendo que tinha feito mal, mandou estipular, do tesouro do seu reino, uma soma de trinta e quatro toneladas de prata para comprar tropas mercenárias, cavalos de guerra e cavaleiros da Mesopotâmia, da Síria, de Maaca e de Zobá. Também alugou trinta e dois mil carros de guerra, bem como o próprio apoio do rei de Maaca, mais todo o seu exército. Estas tropas todas acamparam em Medeba, onde se lhes juntaram as tropas que Hanum recrutou das suas próprias cidades.
8 Perante isto, David mandou contra eles Joabe, comandando os mais valentes guerreiros de Israel. O exército dos amonitas saiu-lhes ao encontro e começou o combate às portas da cidade de Medeba. Entretanto as forças mercenárias aproximaram-se do campo de batalha. Joabe deu-se conta de que tinha inimigos à frente e atrás; dividiu então a sua gente a mandou um grupo atacar os sírios. Outro grupo, sob o comando do seu irmão Abisai, dirigiu-se contra os amonitas.
12 Se os sírios forem mais fortes do que eu, vem ajudar-me, disse Joabe ao irmão; se os amonitas prevalecerem sobre ti, vou eu ajudar-te. Coragem, e actuemos como homens que defendem o povo e as cidades do nosso Deus. E que o Senhor faça o que for melhor.
14 Joabe e os seus homens atacaram os sírios e estes fugiram. Os amonitas, que estavam sob o ataque das tropas de Abisai, viram os sírios a bater em retirada, e escaparam-se para dentro da cidade. E Joabe regressou a Jerusalém.
16 Depois desta derrota, os sírios mandaram vir mais tropas, do oriente do rio Eufrates, conduzidas por Sofaque em pessoa, que era o chefe do exército do rei Hadadezer.
17 Tendo tido conhecimento disto, David mobilizou todo o Israel, atravessou o rio Jordão e ordenou batalha contra as tropas inimigas. Mas os sírios fugiram novamente de David, e este matou sete mil condutores de carros de combate e quarenta mil soldados. Sofaque, o comandante general das tropas sírias, também foi morto. As tropas do rei Hadadezer renderam-se ao rei David e ficaram-lhe sujeitas. Nunca mais os sírios ajudaram os amonitas em guerras.
1 And it came to pass after this, that Nahash the king of the sons of Ammon died, and his son reigned in his stead.
2 And David said, I will show kindness to Hanun the son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me. So David sent messengers to comfort him concerning his father. And David's slaves came into the land of the sons of Ammon to Hanun, to comfort him.
3 But the princes of the sons of Ammon said to Hanun, Do you think that David honors your father, in that he has sent comforters to you? Haven't his slaves come to you to search, and to overthrow, and to spy out the land?
4 So Hanun took David's slaves, and shaved them, and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their buttocks, and sent them away.
5 Then there went certain persons, and told David how the men were served. And he sent to meet them; for the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, Tarry at Jericho until your{+} beards are grown, and then return.
6 And when the sons of Ammon saw that they had made themselves odious to David, Hanun and the sons of Ammon sent a thousand talents of silver to hire themselves chariots and horsemen out of Mesopotamia, and out of Arammaacah, and out of Zobah.
7 So they hired themselves thirty and two thousand chariots, and the king of Maacah and his people, who came and encamped before Medeba. And the sons of Ammon gathered themselves together from their cities, and came to battle.
8 And when David heard of it, he sent Joab, and all the host of the mighty men.
9 And the sons of Ammon came out, and put the battle in array at the gate of the city: and the kings who had come were by themselves in the field.
10 Now when Joab saw that the battle was set against him before and behind, he chose of all the choice men of Israel, and put them in array against the Syrians.
11 And the rest of the people he committed into the hand of Abishai his brother; and they put themselves in array against the sons of Ammon.
12 And he said, If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you will help me; but if the sons of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will help you.
13 Be strong and we will be strengthened for our people, and for the cities of our God: and Yahweh will do that which is good in his eyes.
14 So Joab and the people who were with him drew near before the Syrians to the battle; and they fled before him.
15 And when the sons of Ammon saw that the Syrians had fled, they likewise fled before Abishai his brother, and entered into the city. Then Joab came to Jerusalem.
16 And when the Syrians saw that they were put to the worse before Israel, they sent messengers, and drew forth the Syrians who were beyond the River, with Shophach the captain of the host of Hadarezer at their head.
17 And it was told David; and he gathered all Israel together, and passed over the Jordan, and came upon them, and set the battle in array against them. So when David had put the battle in array against the Syrians, they fought with him.
18 And the Syrians fled before Israel; and David slew of the Syrians [the men of] seven thousand chariots, and forty thousand footmen, and killed Shophach the captain of the host.
19 And when the slaves of Hadarezer saw that they were put to the worse before Israel, they made peace with David, and served him: neither would the Syrians help the sons of Ammon anymore.