< Chronicles I 20 >
1 And it came to pass at the return of the year, at the [time of the] going forth of kings [to war], that Joab gathered the whole force of the army, and they ravaged the land of the children of Ammon; and he came and besieged Rabba. But David abode in Jerusalem. And Joab struck Rabba and destroyed it.
[In that region], kings usually went [with their armies] to fight [their enemies] (in the springtime/when the cold season ended). But that year, David [did not do that. Instead, he] stayed in Jerusalem, and he sent [his commander] Joab [to lead the army]. Joab took his troops. They [crossed the Jordan River and] ruined the land of the Ammon people-group. Then they went to Rabbah, [the capital city, ] and surrounded it. David stayed in Jerusalem [for a while. But later he took more troops and went to help] Joab. Their armies attacked Rabbah and destroyed it.
2 And David took the crown of Molchom their king off his head, and the weight of it was found [to be] a talent of gold, and on it were precious stones; and it was [placed] on the head of David: and he brought out the spoils of the city [which were] very great.
Then David took the crown from the head of the king of Rabbah (OR, from the head of their god Milcom) and put it on his own head. It [was very heavy; it] weighed (75 pounds/34 kg.), and it had many very valuable stones [fastened to it]. They also took many other valuable things from the city.
3 And he brought out the people that were in it, and sawed them asunder with saws, and [cut them] with iron axes, and with harrows: and thus David did to all the children of Ammon. And David and all his people returned to Jerusalem.
Then they brought the people out of the city and forced them to [work for their army, ] using saws and iron picks and axes. David’s soldiers did this in all the cities of the Ammon people-group. Then David and all of his army returned to Jerusalem.
4 And it came to pass afterward that there was again war with the Philistines in Gazer: then Sobochai the Sosathite struck Saphut of the sons of the giants, and laid him low.
Later, [David’s army] fought a battle with the army of Philistia, at Gezer [city]. During the battle Sibbecai, from Hushah [clan], killed Sippai, one of the descendants of the Rapha [giants]. So the armies of Philistia were defeated.
5 And there [was] war again with the Philistines; and Eleanan the son of Jair struck Lachmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, and the wood of his spear [was] as a weavers' beam.
In another battle against the soldiers of Philistia, Elhanan, the son of Jair, killed Lahmi, the [younger] brother of [the giant] Goliath from Gath [town], who had a spear which was as thick as a weaver’s rod.
6 And there was again war in Geth, and there was a man of extraordinary size, and his fingers [and toes were] six on each hand and foot, four and twenty; and he was descended from the giants.
There was another battle near Gath. A (huge man/giant) was there who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot. He was descended from [the] Rapha [giants].
7 And he defied Israel, and Jonathan the son of Samaa the brother of David killed him.
When he made fun of the soldiers of Israel, Jonathan, the son of David’s [older] brother Shimea, killed him.
8 These were born to Rapha in Geth; all four were giants, and they fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.
Those were some of the descendants of [the] Rapha [giants] who had lived in Gath, who were killed [MTY] by David and his soldiers.