19 Some time later, the Amoni King Nahash died and his son Hanun became their king, 2 and David said, “I’ll show loyal commitment to Nahash’s son Hanun, because his father was good to me.” So David sent messengers to comfort him concerning his father’s death. However, when David’s servants entered Amoni territory to comfort Hanun, 3 the Amoni leaders asked their new king, “Do you think that David’s really sending comforters to honour your father? Wouldn’t it be more likely that he sent his servants to explore and spy out the land in order to overthrow you?” 4 So King Hanun took David’s servants and had their beards shaved off, plus he cut off the bottom half of their robes to expose their buttocks, and then he sent them home. 5 Some people quickly informed David what had happened, so he sent messengers to meet the men (because they were very much humiliated) and to tell them, “Stay there in Yeriho (Jericho) until your beards grow out, then return here.”

6 By then, the Amonim realised that they’d greatly insulted King David, so King Hanun and the Amonim sent thirty tonnes of silver to hire chariots and horsemen from Aram-Naharayim, Aram-Ma’akah, and Tsovah. 7 They hired 32,000 chariots, as well as the king of Ma’akah and his army. They all came and set up their camps near Meydeva, plus they were joined by the Amonim themselves coming out of their cities ready for battle.

8 When David heard about that, he sent Yoav (Joab) with the entire army. 9 Then the Amonim marched out and deployed ready for battle at the entrance to their city, while the kings who’d come were over in the countryside with their men.

10 Yoav quickly realised that he’d have to fight on two fronts, so he chose Yisrael’s (Israel’s) best warriors and sent them out to face the Arameans (Syrians), 11 while he sent the remaining men (under the control of his older brother Avishay) out against the Amonim. 12 Yoav told them, “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you can come to rescue me. But if the Amonim start to gain on you, then I’ll come to rescue you. 13 We must be strong and fight hard to defend our people and our cities that belong to our god. Yahweh will do what he considers to be good.”

14 So Yoav advanced his troops to attack the Arameans, but the Arameans fled away from them. 15 When the Amonim saw that the Arameans had fled, they also fled from Avishay and withdrew into the city, so Yoav went back to Yerushalem (Jerusalem).

16 When the Arameans saw that they were defeated by Yisrael, they sent messengers to bring more Arameans from across the Perat (Euphrates) river, led by Shofak, the commander of Hadadezer’s army. 17 When that was reported to David, he gathered all of Yisrael and crossed the Yarden (Jordan). They positioned themselves against the Arameans, who then fought against them. 18 But the Arameans fled away from the Israelis, and David killed seven thousand chariot drivers and forty thousand men on foot, as well as killing Shofak, their army commander. 19 When Hadadezer’s servants saw that Yisrael had defeated them, they made peace with David and became his subjects, so Aram (Syria) wasn’t willing to help the Amonim militarily any more.