1 Chronicles 19

1 And it was after thus and he died Nahash [the] king of [the] people of Ammon and he reigned son his in place of him.

Some time later, Nahash, the king of the Ammon people-group, died. Then his son Hanun became their king.

2 And he said David I will do loyalty - with Hanun [the] son of Nahash for he did father his with me loyalty and he sent David messengers to comfort him on father his and they came [the] servants of David into [the] land of [the] people of Ammon to Hanun to comfort him.

[When] David [heard about that, he] thought [to himself], “Nahash was kind to me, so I will be kind to his son.” So David sent some officials there, to tell Hanun that he was sorry to hear that Hanun’s father [had died]. But when David’s officials came to Hanun in the land where the Ammon people-group lived,

3 And they said [the] officials of [the] people of Ammon to Hanun ¿ [is] honoring David father your in view your for he has sent to you comforters ¿ not in order to explore and to overthrow and to spy out the land have they come servants his to you.

the leaders of the Ammon people-group said to Hanun, “Do you think that it is really to honor your father that King David is sending these men to say that he is sorry that your father died? [We think that] his men have come to (look around/spy) our city in order to determine how his [army] can conquer us.”

4 And he took Hanun [the] servants of David and he shaved them and he cut off robes their in the middle to the buttock[s] and he sent away them.

Hanun [believed what they said, so he commanded some soldiers to] seize the officials whom David had sent, and shave off their beards, and [insult them by] cutting off the lower part of their robes, and then send them away. [So his soldiers did that].

5 And people went and they told to David on the men and he sent to meet them for they were the men humiliated exceedingly and he said the king remain at Jericho until that it will grow back beard your and you will return.

The officials were greatly humiliated/ashamed. When David found out about what had happened to his officials, he sent some messengers to them to tell them, “Stay at Jericho until your beards have grown again, and then return home.”

6 And they saw [the] people of Ammon that they had made themselves odious with David and he sent Hanun and [the] people of Ammon one thousand talent[s] of silver to hire for themselves from Aram Naharaim and from Aram Maacah and from Zobah chariotry and horsemen.

Then the [leaders of the] Ammon people-group realized that they had greatly insulted [IDM] David. So Hanun and some of his officials sent about (37,000 pounds/34,000 kg.) of silver to hire chariots and chariot-drivers from [the] Aram-Naharaim, Aram-Maacah and Zobah [regions of Syria northeast of Israel].

7 And they hired for themselves two and thirty thousand chariot[s] and [the] king of Maacah and people his and they came and they encamped before Medeba and [the] people of Ammon they gathered from cities their and they came for battle.

They hired 32,000 chariots and chariot-drivers, as well as the king of [the] Maacah [region] and his army. They came and set up their tents near Medeba [town in Moab region]. The soldiers from the Ammon people-group also marched out and (stood in their positions/arranged themselves for battle) [at the entrance to their capital city, Rabbah].

8 And he heard David and he sent Joab and all [the] army the warriors.

When David heard about that, he sent Joab and all his army.

9 And they went out [the] people of Ammon and they deployed battle [the] entrance of the city and the kings who they had come to alone them [were] in the open country.

The soldiers of the Ammon people-group came out of their city and lined up for battle at the entrance to [their capital city, Rabbah]. Meanwhile, the other kings who had come [with their armies] stood in their positions in the open fields.

10 And he saw Joab that it was [the] face of the battle against him face and back and he chose from every chosen [man] in Israel and he deployed to meet Aram.

Joab saw that there were groups of enemy soldiers in front of his troops and behind his troops. So he selected some of the best Israeli troops and put them in positions to fight against the soldiers of Syria.

11 And [the] rest of the people he put in [the] hand of Abishai brother his and they deployed to meet [the] people of Ammon.

He appointed his [older] brother Abishai to be the commander of his other soldiers and he told them to (stand in their positions/arrange themselves) in front of [the army of] the Ammon people-group.

12 And he said if it will be [too] strong for me Aram and you will become for me deliverance. And if [the] people of Ammon they will be [too] strong for you and I will deliver you.

Joab said to them, “If the soldiers from Syria are too strong for us to defeat them, then your soldiers must come and help us. But if the soldiers from the Ammon people-group are too strong for you to defeat them, then my soldiers will come and help your men.

13 Be strong so let us show ourselves strong for people our and for [the] cities of God our and Yahweh the good in view his he will do.

We must be strong/courageous, and fight hard to [defend] our people and our cities (that belong to/where we worship) our God. I will pray that Yahweh will do what he considers to be good.”

14 And he drew near Joab and the people which [was] with him before Aram for battle and they fled from before him.

So Joab and his troops [advanced to] fight the army of Syria, and the soldiers from Syria ran away from them.

15 And [the] people of Ammon they saw that it had fled Aram and they fled also they from before Abishai brother his and they went the city towards and he went Joab Jerusalem.

And when the soldiers of the Ammon people-group saw that the soldiers from Syria were running away, they also started to run away from Abishai and his army, and they retreated back inside the city. So Joab [and his army] returned to Jerusalem.

16 And it saw Aram that they had been defeated before Israel and they sent messengers and they brought out Aram which [was] from [the] other side of the river and Shophach [the] commander of [the] army of Hadadezer [was] before them.

After [the leaders of the army of] Syria realized that they had been defeated by [the army of] Israel, they sent messengers to [another part of Syria on] the east side of the [Euphrates] river, and brought troops from there [to the battle area], with Shophach, the commander of Hadadezer’s army, leading them.

17 And it was told to David and he gathered all Israel and he passed over the Jordan and he came to them and he deployed against them and he deployed David to meet Aram battle and they fought with him.

When David heard about that, he gathered all the Israeli soldiers, and they crossed the Jordan [River]. They advanced and took their battle positions to attack the army of Syria.

18 And it fled Aram from to before Israel and he killed David of Aram seven thousand charioteer[s] and forty thousand man on foot and Shophach [the] commander of the army he killed.

But the army of Syria ran away from the soldiers of Israel. However, David’s soldiers killed 7,000 of their chariot-drivers and 40,000 other soldiers. They also killed Shophach, their army commander.

19 And they saw [the] servants of Hadadezer that they had been defeated before Israel and they made peace with David and they served him and not it was willing Aram to deliver [the] people of Ammon again.

When the kings who had been ruled by Hadadezer realized that they had been defeated by the Israeli army, they made peace with David, and agreed to allow him to rule them. So the rulers of Syria did not want to help the rulers of the Ammon people-group any more.