1 Chronicles 19
1 And it came to pass after this,
that Naas the king of the children of Ammon died, and
Anan his son reigned in his stead.
2 And David said, I will act kindly
toward Anan the son of Naas, as his father acted kindly towards me. And David
sent messengers to condole with him on the death of his father. So the
servants of David came into the land of the children of Ammon to Anan, to
comfort him. 3 And the chiefs of the
children of Ammon said to Anan, Is it to honour thy father before thee, that
David has sent comforters to thee? Have not his servants come to thee that
they might search the city, and to spy out the land?
4 And Anan took the servants of David,
and shaved them, and cut off the half of their garments as far as their tunic,
and sent them away. 5 And there came
men to report to David concerning the men: and he sent to meet them, for they
were greatly disgraced: and the king said, Dwell in Jericho until your beards
have grown, and return.
6 And the children of Ammon saw that
the people of David were ashamed, and Anan and the children of Ammon sent a
thousand talents of silver to hire for themselves chariots and horsemen out of
Syria of Mesopotamia, and out of Syria Maacha, and from Sobal.
7 And they hired for themselves two
and thirty thousand chariots, and the king of Maacha and his people; and they
came and encamped before Medaba: and the children of Ammon assembled out of
their cities, and came to fight.
8 And David heard, and sent Joab and
all the host of mighty men. 9 And the
children of Ammon came forth, and set themselves in array for battle by the
gate of the city: and the kings that were come forth encamped by themselves in
the plain. 10 And Joab saw that they
were fronting him to fight against him before and
behind, and he chose some out of all the young men of
Israel, and they set themselves in array against the Syrian.
11 And the rest of the people he gave
into the hand of his brother Abesai, and they set themselves in array against
the children of Ammon. 12 And he
said, If the Syrian should prevail against me, then shalt thou deliver me: and
if the children of Ammon should prevail against thee, then will I deliver
thee. 13 Be of good courage, and let
us be strong, for our people, and for the cities of our God: and the Lord
shall do what is good in his eyes.
14 So Joab and the people that were
with him set themselves in battle array against the Syrians, and they fled
from them. 15 And the children of
Ammon saw that the Syrians fled, and they also fled from before Abesai, and
from before Joab his brother, and they came to the city: and Joab came to
Jerusalem.
16 And the Syrian saw that Israel had
defeated him, and he sent messengers, and they brought out the Syrians from
beyond the river; and Sophath the commander-in-chief of the forces of Adraazar
was before them.
17 And it was told David; and he
gathered all Israel, and crossed over Jordan, and came upon them, and set the
battle in array against them. So David set
his army in array to fight against the Syrians, and
they fought against him. 18 And the
Syrians fled from before Israel; and David slew of the Syrians seven thousand
riders in chariots, and forty thousand infantry, and
he slew Sophath the commander-in-chief of the forces.
19 And the servants of Adraazar saw
that they were defeated before Israel, and they made peace with David and
served him: and the Syrians would not any more help the children of Ammon.