1 Chronicles 19

1 Now it came to pass after this, that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon died, and his son reigned in his stead.

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

2 And David said, I will show kindness to Hanun the son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me. And David sent messengers to comfort him concerning his father. So the servants of David came into the land of the children 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 But the princes of the children of Ammon said to Hanun, Thinkest thou that David doth honour thy father, that he hath sent comforters to thee? are not his servants come to thee to search, and to overthrow, and to spy out the land?

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 Therefore Hanun took David’s servants, and shaved them, and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their buttocks, and sent them away.

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 Then there went certain, and told David how the men were served. And he sent to meet them: for the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, Tarry at Jericho until your beards are grown, and then 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 when the children of Ammon saw that they had made themselves odious to David, Hanun and the children of Ammon sent a thousand talents of silver to hire them chariots and horsemen out of Mesopotamia, and out of Syriamaachah, and out of Zobah.

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 So they hired thirty and two thousand chariots, and the king of Maachah and his people; who came and encamped before Medeba. And the children of Ammon gathered themselves together from their cities, and came to 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 when David heard of it, he sent Joab, and all the host of the mighty men.

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

9 And the children of Ammon came out, and put the battle in array before the gate of the city: and the kings that had come were by themselves in the field.

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 Now when Joab saw that the battle was set against him before and behind, he chose from all the best of Israel, and put them in array against the Syrians.

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 delivered to the hand of Abishai his brother, and they set themselves in array against the children 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 the Syrians shall be too strong for me, then thou shalt help me: but if the children of Ammon shall be too strong for thee, then I will help thee.

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 of good courage, and let us behave ourselves valiantly for our people, and for the cities of our God: and let the LORD do that which is good in his sight.

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 So Joab and the people that were with him drew near before the Syrians to the battle; and they fled 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 when the children of Ammon saw that the Syrians had fled, they likewise fled before Abishai his brother, and entered into the city. Then Joab came to 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 when the Syrians saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they sent messengers, and drew forth the Syrians that were beyond the river: and Shophach the captain of the host of Hadarezer went 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 passed over Jordan, and came upon them, and set the battle in array against them. So when David had put the battle in array against the Syrians, 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 But the Syrians fled before Israel; and David slew of the Syrians seven thousand men who fought in chariots, and forty thousand footmen, and killed Shophach the captain of the host.

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 when the servants of Hadarezer saw that they were smote before Israel, they made peace with David, and became his servants: neither would the Syrians help the children of Ammon any more.

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.