1 Chronicles 18
1 And it comes to pass after this, that David strikes the Philistines, and humbles them, and takes Gath and its small towns out of the hand 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 strikes Moab, and the Moabites are servants to David, bringing a present.
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 And David strikes Hadarezer king of Zobah, at Hamath, in his going to establish his power by the Euphrates River,
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 captures from him one thousand chariots, and seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen, and David utterly destroys all the chariots, and leaves of them [only] one hundred chariots.
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 Aram of Damascus comes to give help to Hadarezer king of Zobah, and David strikes twenty-two thousand men in Aram,
When the army of Syria came from Damascus [city] to help Hadadezer’s [army], David’s soldiers killed 22,000 of them.
6 and David puts [garrisons] in Aram of Damascus, and the Arameans are for servants to David, carrying a present, and YHWH gives salvation to David wherever he has gone.
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 David takes the shields of gold that have been on the servants of Hadarezer, and brings them 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 Chun, cities of Hadarezer, David has taken very much bronze; with it Solomon has made the bronze sea, and the pillars, and the vessels of bronze.
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 And Tou king of Hamath hears that David has struck the whole force of Hadarezer 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 and he sends his son Hadoram to King David, to ask of him of peace, and to bless him, because that he has fought against Hadarezer and strikes him (for Hadarezer had been a man of wars with Tou); and [with him were] all kinds of vessels, of gold, and silver, and bronze;
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 King David has also sanctified them to YHWH with the silver and the gold that he has taken from all the nations, from Edom, and from Moab, and from the sons 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 Abishai son of Zeruiah has struck Edom in the Valley of Salt—eighteen thousand,
[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 and he puts garrisons in Edom, and all the Edomites are servants to David; and YHWH saves David wherever he has gone.
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 And David reigns over all Israel, and he is doing judgment and righteousness to all his people,
David ruled over all the Israeli people, and he always did for them what was just and fair.
15 and Joab son of Zeruiah [is] over the host, and Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud [is] remembrancer,
Zeruiah’s son Joab was the chief army commander. Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was the record-keeper.
16 and Zadok son of Ahitub and Abimelech son of Abiathar [are] priests, and Shavsha [is] scribe,
Zadok the son of Ahitub and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar were the Supreme Priests. Shavsha was the official secretary.
17 and Benaiah son of Jehoiada [is] over the Cherethite and the Pelethite, and the chief sons of David [are] at the hand of the king.
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.
