UST 2 SAM Chapter 8

◄ 2 SAM 8 ► ║ ═ ©

8 Some time later, David and his army defeated the Philistine army. They captured Metheg Ammah and made the Philistines subject to the Israelites.

2 David and his army also defeated the Moabite army. Afterwards, David forced their soldiers to lie down on the ground close to each other in a long line. His soldiers went down the line and measured two lengths of a rope. They killed all of the Moabite soldiers in that part of the line. Then they measured one length of that rope and let the Moabite soldiers in that part of the line live. They continued to do this all the way down the line. The rest of the Moabites had to accept David as their ruler. Every year they had to give him the payment that he demanded.

3 David’s army also defeated the army of Hadadezer son of Rehob, who ruled the region of Zobah in Aram. That happened when Hadadezer led his army out to try to regain power over his territory, which bordered the Euphrates River. 4 David’s army captured 1,700 of Hadadezer’s soldiers who were chariot drivers, and they also captured 20,000 footsoldiers. They crippled most of the horses that had pulled chariots. But they spared 100 of the horses for their own use.

5 Then an army of Arameans from the kingdom whose capital was the city of Damascus came to help King Hadadezer’s army. But David’s soldiers killed 22,000 of those Arameans. 6 Then David stationed groups of his soldiers in that kingdom. Those Arameans had to accept David as their ruler. Every year they had to give him the payment that he demanded. Each time David led his soldiers into battle, Yahweh enabled them to win victories over their enemies.

7 Some of Hadadezer’s soldiers had carried shields that had a plating of gold. King David’s soldiers captured those shields and brought them to Jerusalem. 8 They also brought to Jerusalem large quantities of bronze from Betah and Berothai, two cities in Hadadezer’s kingdom.

9 When Toi, the king of the city of Hamath, heard that David’s army had defeated the entire army of King Hadadezer, 10 he sent his son Joram to make a peace treaty with King David and to congratulate him for defeating Hadadezer’s army. Toi congratulated David because Hadadezer’s army had fought many times against his own army. Joram brought David many articles of gold, silver, and bronze as gifts.

11 King David dedicated all those items to Yahweh, just as he had dedicated the silver and gold that his army had captured from the nations they had conquered. 12 They had taken valuable items from the Arameans, Moabites, Ammonites, Philistines, and Amalekites. They had also captured many valuable items from Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah.

13 David became even more famous after his army killed 18,000 Aramean soldiers in a battle in the Valley of Salt.

14 David stationed groups of his soldiers throughout the region of Edom. The Edomites had to accept him as their king. Each time David led his soldiers into battle, Yahweh enabled them to win victories over their enemies.

15 So David ruled over all the Israelite people. As king, he decided the people’s cases, and he judged them fairly. 16 Joab son of Zeruiah was the army commander. Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud, was the man who reported to the people everything that David decided that they should do. 17 Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech son of Abiathar were the priests. Seraiah was the official secretary. 18 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was the commander of David’s elite corps of bodyguards. David’s sons were his advisors.

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UST 2 SAM Chapter 8

UST 2 SAM Chapter 8