2 Samuel 8

1 And it came to pass, after this, that David smote the Philistines, and subdued them, —and David took the bridle of the metropolis, out of the hand of the Philistines.

Some time later, David’s army attacked the Philistia [army] and defeated them. They took control over the entire Philistia area.

2 And he smote Moab, and measured them with the line casting, them down to the ground, and be measured with two lines to put to death, and with one full line to keep alive, —so the Moabites became David’s, as servants, bringing gifts.

David’s army also defeated the army of the Moab people-group. David forced their soldiers to lie down on the ground [close to each other]. His men killed two out of every three of them. The [other] Moab people [were forced to] accept David as their ruler, and they were forced to give to him [every year the] payment/tax [that he demanded].

3 And David smote Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah, —when he went to lay his hand on the River Euphrates.

David’s army also defeated [the army of] Hadadezer, the son of Rehob, who ruled [the state of] Zobah [in Syria]. That happened when David went to rule again over the area at [the upper part of] the Euphrates River.

4 And David captured from him, a thousand and seven hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen, —and David destroyed all the chariots, but reserved of them, a hundred chariots.

David’s army captured 1,700 of Hadadezer’s soldiers who rode on horses, and 20,000 of his other soldiers. They also crippled/hamstrung most of the horses that pulled the chariots, but they left/spared enough horses to [pull] 100 chariots.

5 And, when the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer, king of Zobah, David smote of the Syrians, twenty-two thousand men.

When [the army of] Syria came from Damascus [city] to help King Hadadezer’s [army], David’s soldiers killed 22,000 of them.

6 Then David put garrisons in Syria of Damascus, and the Syrians became David’s, as servants bringing gifts, —and so Yahweh gave victory unto David, whithersoever he went.

Then David stationed (groups of his soldiers/army camps) in their area, and the people of Syria were forced to accept David as their ruler, and to give to David’s government [every year] the payment/tax that he demanded. And Yahweh enabled David’s [army] to win victories wherever they went.

7 And David took the shields of gold which had come to the servants of Hadadezer, —and brought them to Jerusalem;

David’s soldiers took the gold shields that were carried by Hadadezer’s officials, and brought them to Jerusalem.

8 also, from Betah and from Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, did King David take bronze, exceeding much.

They also brought [to Jerusalem] a lot of bronze [that they found] in Betah and Berothai, two cities that King Hadadezer [had previously] ruled.

9 And, when Tou king of Hamath heard that David had smitten all the forces of Hadadezer,

When Toi, the king of the Hamath [city in Syria], heard that David’s [army] had defeated the entire army of King Hadadezer,

10 then Tou sent Hadoram his son unto King David, to ask after his welfare, and to bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer and had smitten him, for Hadadezer had had wars with Tou, —and, in his hand, were vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and vessels of bronze.

he sent his son Joram to greet King David and to (congratulate him/say that he was happy) about his army defeating Hadadezer’s army, which Toi’s [army] had fought many times. Joram brought to David many items/gifts made from gold, silver, and bronze.

11 Them also, did King David hallow unto Yahweh, —with the silver and the gold which he had hallowed from all the nations which he had subdued:

King David dedicated all those items to Yahweh. He also dedicated the silver and gold which his army had taken from the nations that they had conquered.

12 from Syria, and from Moab, and from the sons of Ammon, and from the Philistines, and from Amalek, —and from the spoil of Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah.

They had taken items from the Edom people-group and the Moab people-group, from the Ammon people-group, from the Philistia people, and from [the descendants of] Amalek, as well as from the people that Hadadezer [previously] ruled.

13 And David made a name, when he returned from his smiting of the Syrians in the valley of salt, —eighteen thousand.

When David returned [after defeating the armies of Syria], he became more famous because his army killed 18,000 soldiers from the Edom people-group in the Salt Valley [near the Dead Sea].

14 And he put, in Edom, garrisons, throughout all Edom, put be garrisons, and so it was that all Edom became servants unto David, —and Yahweh gave victory unto David, whithersoever he went.

David stationed (groups of his soldiers/army camps) throughout the Edom area, and forced the people there to accept him as their king. Yahweh enabled David’s [army] to win battles wherever they went.

15 And David reigned over all Israel, —and so it was that David used to execute justice and righteousness for all his people;

David ruled over all the Israeli people, and he always did for them what was fair and just.

16 and, Joab, son of Zeruiah, was over the army, —and, Jehoshaphat, son of Ahilud, was remembrancer.

Joab was the army commander; Jehoshaphat, the son of Ahilud, was the man who reported to the people everything that David decided that they should do;

17 And, Zadok, son of Ahitub, and Abimelech, son of Abiathar, were priests, —and, Seraiah, was scribe;

Zadok the son of Ahitub and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar were the priests; Seraiah was the official secretary;

18 and, Benaiah, son of Jehoiadah, was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites, —and, the sons of David, became, chief rulers.

Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was the commander of (David’s bodyguards/the men who protected the king); and David’s sons were priests (OR, his administrators/advisors).