1 Some time after this, Nahash king of the children of Ammon died, and his son became king after him.
2 David thought, "I will deal kindly with Hanun son of Nahash, for his father dealt kindly with me." So David sent envoys to comfort him over his father. But when David's servants reached the land of the children of Ammon to comfort Hanun,
3 the leaders of the children of Ammon said to Hanun, "Do you really think David is honoring your father by sending you comforters? Is it not to explore, to overturn, and to spy out the land that his servants have come to you?"
4 Hanun seized David's servants, shaved them, cut their garments off halfway, up to the buttocks, and sent them off.
5 When David was told about the men, he sent people to meet them, for the men were greatly disgraced. The king said, "Remain in Jericho till your beards grow back; then come home."
6 The children of Ammon realized they had made themselves a stench to David, so Hanun and the children of Ammon sent a thousand talents of silver to hire chariots and horsemen for themselves from Aram-naharaim, Aram-maacah, and Zobah.
7 They hired thirty-two thousand chariots, along with the king of Maacah and his army, and these came and camped in front of Medeba. Meanwhile the children of Ammon were mustered from their cities and came out to fight.
8 Hearing this, David sent Joab with the whole army of warriors.
9 The children of Ammon marched out and formed their battle line at the city gate, while the kings who had come stood apart in the open field.
10 Joab saw that the battle lines faced him front and rear, so he picked some of Israel's best men and lined them up to face the Syrians.
11 He put the rest of the troops under the command of his brother Abishai, and they lined up to face the children of Ammon.
12 He said, "If the Syrians prove too strong for me, you come to my rescue; and if the children of Ammon prove too strong for you, I will rescue you.
13 Be strong! Let us be brave for the sake of our people and the cities of our God, and may the LORD do whatever seems good to him."
14 Then Joab and his troops advanced to fight the Syrians, and the Syrians ran from him.
15 And when the children of Ammon saw the Syrians run, they too ran from his brother Abishai and went into the city. So Joab went back to Jerusalem.
16 Seeing that Israel had beaten them, the Syrians sent envoys and called out the Syrians from beyond the River, led by Shophach, commander of Hadadezer's army.
17 David was informed, and he mustered all Israel, crossed the Jordan, and came upon them, drawing up his lines against them. David set his lines in order to meet the Syrians, and they fought him.
18 The Syrians ran from Israel, and David slew seven thousand Syrian chariot crews and forty thousand foot soldiers; he also killed Shophach the army commander.
19 When Hadadezer's servants saw that Israel had beaten them, they made peace with David and became his subjects. After that the Syrians would no longer come to the aid of the children of Ammon.