2 Samuel 10

10 ¹ Some time later, the king of the Ammonites died, and his son Hanun became king in his place. ² David said, "I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me." So David sent his servants to console him over the loss of his father. But when David's servants came to the land of the Ammonites,

³ the Ammonite commanders said to Hanun their lord, "Do you really think David is honoring your father by sending you men to console you? Hasn't David sent his servants to you to explore the city, spy on it, and overthrow it?"

⁴ So Hanun seized David's servants, shaved off half of each man's beard, cut off their garments at the hips, and sent them away.

⁵ When David was told, he sent messengers to meet them, for the men were deeply humiliated. The king said, "Stay in Jericho until your beards have grown back, and then return."

⁶ When the Ammonites realized they had become a stench to David, they sent and hired the Arameans of Beth-rehob and the Arameans of Zobah—twenty thousand foot soldiers—along with the king of Maacah with a thousand men, and the men of Tob with twelve thousand men.

⁷ On hearing this, David sent Joab with the entire army of fighting men. ⁸ The Ammonites marched out and drew up in battle formation at the entrance of the city gate, while the Arameans of Zobah and Rehob and the men of Tob and Maacah drew up separately in the open field.

David Defeats Ammon and Aram

⁹ Joab saw that the battle lines faced him both in front and behind, so he picked some of the best troops of Israel and deployed them against the Arameans. ¹⁰ The rest of the men he put under the command of his brother Abishai, who deployed them against the Ammonites. ¹¹ Joab said, "If the Arameans are too strong for me, then come to my rescue; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come to rescue you. ¹² Be strong, and let's be courageous for our people and for the cities of our Father. And may he do as he sees fit."

¹³ Then Joab and the troops with him advanced to fight the Arameans, and they fled before him. ¹⁴ When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans were fleeing, they too fled before Abishai and retreated into the city. So Joab turned back from fighting the Ammonites and came to Jerusalem.

¹⁵ When the Arameans saw that they had been routed by Israel, they regrouped. ¹⁶ Hadadezer sent for the Arameans who were beyond the Euphrates River; they came to Helam, with Shobach the commander of Hadadezer's army leading them.

¹⁷ When David was told of this, he gathered all Israel, crossed the Jordan, and came to Helam. The Arameans drew up in formation to meet David and fought against him. ¹⁸ But the Arameans fled before Israel, and David killed seven hundred of their charioteers and forty thousand of their horsemen. He also struck down Shobach the commander of their army, and he died there. ¹⁹ When all the kings who were subject to Hadadezer saw that they had been routed by Israel, they made peace with Israel and became subject to them. So the Arameans were afraid to help the Ammonites anymore.