< 1 Chronicles 18 >

1 And it came about after this that David made an attack on the Philistines and overcame them, and took Gath with its daughter-towns out of the hands of the Philistines.
Some time later, David’s [army] attacked the army of Philistia and defeated them. They captured Gath [city] and the surrounding villages.
2 And he overcame Moab, and the Moabites became his servants and gave him offerings.
His [army] also defeated [the army of] the Moab [people-group]. The people were forced to accept David as their ruler, and also to pay money [each year to David’s government, in order that David’s army would protect them].
3 Then David overcame Hadadezer, king of Zobah, near Hamath, when he was going to make his power seen by the river Euphrates.
David’s [army] also fought against [the army of] Hadadezer, the king of [the] Zobah [region in Syria] near Hamath [city], when Hadadezer was trying to establish control over the area near the Euphrates River.
4 And David took from him a thousand war-carriages and seven thousand horsemen and twenty thousand footmen: and he had the leg-muscles of all the horses cut, keeping only enough of them for a hundred war-carriages.
David’s [army] captured 1,000 of Hadadezer’s chariots, 7,000 chariot-drivers, and 20,000 soldiers. They hamstrung/crippled most of their horses; there were only 100 horses that they did not cripple.
5 And when the Aramaeans of Damascus came to the help of Hadadezer, king of Zobah, David put to the sword twenty-two thousand Aramaeans.
When the army of Syria came from Damascus [city] to help Hadadezer’s [army], David’s soldiers killed 22,000 of them.
6 Then David put armed forces in Damascus, and the Aramaeans became his servants and gave him offerings. And the Lord made David overcome wherever he went.
Then David stationed groups of his soldiers in Damascus, and the people of Syria were forced to accept David as their ruler, and to pay to David’s government [each year] the payment/tax that he demanded. And Yahweh enabled David’s [army] to win battles everywhere they went.
7 And the gold body-covers of the servants of Hadadezer, David took to Jerusalem.
David soldiers took the gold shields that were carried by the officers of Hadadezer’s [army] and brought them to Jerusalem.
8 And from Tibhath and from Cun, towns of Hadadezer, David took a great store of brass, of which Solomon made the great brass water-vessel and the brass pillars and vessels.
They also brought from Tebah (OR, Tibhath) and Cun, two towns that belonged to Hadadezer, a lot of bronze, which [David’s son] Solomon [later] used to make the huge bronze basin and the pillars and other bronze items [for the temple].
9 Now when Tou, king of Hamath, had news that David had overcome all the army of Hadadezer, king of Zobah,
When Tou, the king of Hamath [city in Syria], heard that David’s [army] had defeated the entire army of King Hadadezer,
10 He sent his son Hadoram to King David, to give him words of peace and blessing, because he had overcome Hadadezer in the fight, for Hadadezer had been at war with Tou; and he gave him all sorts of vessels of gold and silver and brass.
he sent his son Hadoram to King David, to greet him and (congratulate him/tell him that he was happy) about his defeating Hadadezer’s army, which had been fighting [the army of] Tou. Hadoram brought to David many items/gifts made of gold, silver, and bronze.
11 These King David made holy to the Lord, together with the silver and gold he had taken from all nations; from Edom and Moab and from the children of Ammon and from the Philistines and from Amalek.
King David dedicated those things to Yahweh, like he had done with the silver and gold that his soldiers had taken from [the] Edom and Moab [people-groups], and from the Ammon people-group and from the people of Philistia, and from [the descendants of] Amalek.
12 And when he came back from putting to the sword eighteen thousand of the Edomites in the Valley of Salt,
[One of David’s army commanders, ] Abishai, whose mother was Zeruiah, went with his army and killed 18,000 soldiers from Edom in the Salt Valley.
13 David put armed forces in all the towns of Edom; and all the Edomites became servants to David. The Lord made David overcome wherever he went.
Then David stationed groups of his soldiers there in Edom, and the people of Edom were forced to accept David as their king and to pay money to David’s government [every year]. And Yahweh enabled David’s [army] to win battles wherever they went.
14 So David was king over all Israel, judging and giving right decisions for all his people.
David ruled over all the Israeli people, and he always did for them what was just and fair.
15 And Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of the army; and Jehoshaphat, son of Ahilud, was keeper of the records.
Zeruiah’s son Joab was the chief army commander. Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was the record-keeper.
16 And Zadok, the son of Ahitub; and Ahimelech, the son of Abiathar, were priests; and Shavsha was the scribe;
Zadok the son of Ahitub and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar were the Supreme Priests. Shavsha was the official secretary.
17 And Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and the sons of David were chief of those whose places were at the king's side.
Benaiah the son of Jehoiada ruled over the Kereth and Peleth groups [who were David’s bodyguards]. And David’s sons were his most important officials.

< 1 Chronicles 18 >