2 Samuel 8
1 After this it came about that David attacked the Philistines and defeated them. So David took Metheg Ammah from the control 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 Then he defeated Moab and measured their men with a line by making them lie down on the ground. He measured off two lines to put to death, and one full line to keep alive. So the Moabites became servants to David and began to pay him tribute.
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 David then defeated Hadadezer son of Rehob, the king of Zobah, as Hadadezer was traveling to recover his rule by the Euphrates River.
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 David captured from him 1,700 chariots and twenty thousand footmen. David hamstrung all the chariot horses, but reserved enough of them for 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 When the Arameans of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David killed twenty-two thousand Aramean 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 Aram of Damascus, and the Arameans became servants to him and brought him tribute. Yahweh gave victory to David wherever 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 David took the golden shields that were on Hadadezer's servants 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 From Tebah and Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, King David took very much bronze.
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 When Tou, king of Hamath, heard that David had defeated all the army 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 Tou sent Hadoram his son to King David to greet him and to bless him, because David had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him, and because Hadadezer had waged war against Tou. Hadoram brought with himself objects of silver, gold, and 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 King David set aside these objects to Yahweh, together with the silver and gold from all the nations that he conquered—
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 Aram, Moab, the people of Ammon, the Philistines, and Amalek, along with all of the plundered goods of Hadadezer son of Rehob, the 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 David's name was well known when he returned from conquering the Arameans in the Valley of Salt, with their eighteen thousand men.
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 He placed garrisons throughout all of Edom, and all the Edomites became servants to him. Yahweh gave victory to David wherever 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 David reigned over all Israel, and he administered justice and righteousness to all his people.
David ruled over all the Israeli people, and he always did for them what was fair and just.
16 Joab son of Zeruiah was the commander of the army, and Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was recorder.
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 Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech 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 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was in charge of the Kerethites and Pelethites, and David's sons were the chief officials at the king's hand.
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).
