1 Chronicles 19
1 Some time later, Nahash, the king of the Ammon people-group, died. Then his son Hanun became their king.
此後，亞捫人的王拿轄死了，他兒子接續他作王。
2 [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,
大衛說：「我要照哈嫩的父親拿轄厚待我的恩典厚待哈嫩。」於是大衛差遣使者為他喪父安慰他。大衛的臣僕到了亞捫人的境內見哈嫩，要安慰他，
3 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.”
但亞捫人的首領對哈嫩說：「大衛差人來安慰你，你想他是尊敬你父親嗎？他的臣僕來見你不是為詳察窺探、傾覆這地嗎？」
4 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].
哈嫩便將大衛臣僕的鬍鬚剃去一半，又割斷他們下半截的衣服，使他們露出下體，打發他們回去。
5 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.”
有人將臣僕所遇的事告訴大衛，他就差人去迎接他們，因為他們甚覺羞恥；告訴他們說：「可以住在耶利哥，等到鬍鬚長起再回來。」
6 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].
亞捫人知道大衛憎惡他們，哈嫩和亞捫人就打發人拿一千他連得銀子，從美索不達米亞、亞蘭、瑪迦、瑣巴雇戰車和馬兵，
7 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].
於是雇了三萬二千輛戰車和瑪迦王並他的軍兵；他們來安營在米底巴前。亞捫人也從他們的城裏出來，聚集交戰。
8 When David heard about that, he sent Joab and all his army.
大衛聽見了，就差派約押統帶勇猛的全軍出去。
9 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.
亞捫人出來在城門前擺陣，所來的諸王另在郊野擺陣。
10 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.
約押看見敵人在他前後擺陣，就從以色列軍中挑選精兵，使他們對着亞蘭人擺陣；
11 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.
其餘的兵交與他兄弟亞比篩，對着亞捫人擺陣。
12 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.
約押對亞比篩說：「亞蘭人若強過我，你就來幫助我；亞捫人若強過你，我就去幫助你。
13 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.”
我們都當剛強，為本國的民和上帝的城邑作大丈夫，願耶和華憑他的意旨而行。」
14 So Joab and his troops [advanced to] fight the army of Syria, and the soldiers from Syria ran away from them.
於是約押和跟隨他的人前進攻打亞蘭人；亞蘭人在約押面前逃跑。
15 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.
亞捫人見亞蘭人逃跑，他們也在約押的兄弟亞比篩面前逃跑進城。約押就回耶路撒冷去了。
16 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.
亞蘭人見自己被以色列人打敗，就打發使者將大河那邊的亞蘭人調來，哈大利謝的將軍朔法率領他們。
17 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.
有人告訴大衛，他就聚集以色列眾人過約旦河，來到亞蘭人那裏，迎着他們擺陣。大衛既擺陣攻擊亞蘭人，亞蘭人就與他打仗。
18 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.
亞蘭人在以色列人面前逃跑。大衛殺了亞蘭七千輛戰車的人，四萬步兵，又殺了亞蘭的將軍朔法。
19 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.
屬哈大利謝的諸王見自己被以色列人打敗，就與大衛和好，歸服他。於是亞蘭人不敢再幫助亞捫人了。
