Our Father Gives David Every Victory
18 1 After this, David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and he took Gath and its surrounding villages out of the hand of the Philistines.
2 He also defeated Moab, and the Moabites became subject to David and brought him tribute.
3 David also defeated Hadadezer king of Zobah, toward Hamath, as he went to establish his control along the Euphrates River. 4 David captured from him a thousand chariots, seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand foot soldiers. He hamstrung all the chariot horses but kept enough of them for a hundred chariots.
5 When the Arameans of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David struck down twenty-two thousand of them. 6 Then David placed garrisons in Aram of Damascus, and the Arameans became subject to him and brought tribute. And our Father gave David victory wherever he went.
7 David took the gold shields that the servants of Hadadezer had carried, and he brought them to Jerusalem. 8 And from Tibhath and Cun, cities of Hadadezer, David took a great quantity of bronze, with which Solomon later made the bronze Sea, the pillars, and the bronze vessels.
9 When Tou king of Hamath heard that David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer king of Zobah, 10 he sent his son Hadoram to King David to greet and congratulate him for fighting and defeating Hadadezer, since Hadadezer had often been at war with Tou. Hadoram brought all kinds of gold, silver, and bronze articles. 11 King David dedicated these to our Father, along with the silver and gold he had carried off from all the nations: from Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, and Amalek.
12 Abishai son of Zeruiah struck down eighteen thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt. 13 He placed garrisons in Edom, and all the Edomites became subject to David. And our Father gave David victory wherever he went.
David Reigns with Justice and Righteousness
14 So David reigned over all Israel, administering justice and righteousness for all his people. 15 Joab son of Zeruiah commanded the army; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was recorder; 16 Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech son of Abiathar were priests; Shavsha was secretary; 17 Benaiah son of Jehoiada commanded the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David's sons were chief officials at the king's side. 1 1 v17 The Cherethites and Pelethites were David's elite royal bodyguard units, likely professional foreign soldiers.