1After this, David attacked the Philistines and brought them under his control. He took Gath and its towns out of the hands of the Philistines.
3David attacked Hadarezer king of Zobah, as far as Hamath, while Hadarezer was going to set up his rule by the river Euphrates.
4David took from him a thousand chariots, seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand foot soldiers. David cut the leg tendons of all the chariot horses, but he kept enough of them for a hundred chariots.
5When the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadarezer king of Zobah, David killed twenty-two thousand of the Syrians.
6Then David placed soldiers in Syria of Damascus. The Syrians became David's servants and brought him gifts. So the LORD kept David safe wherever he went.
7David took the gold shields that belonged to the servants of Hadarezer, and brought them to Jerusalem.
8From Tibhath and from Chun, cities of Hadarezer, David also brought a great deal of bronze. With it Solomon made the bronze sea, the pillars, and the bronze vessels.
9Tou king of Hamath heard that David had struck down the whole army of Hadarezer king of Zobah.
10So he sent his son Hadoram to King David, to greet him and to wish him joy, because he had fought against Hadarezer and defeated him. (Hadarezer had been at war with Tou.) Hadoram brought with him all kinds of vessels of gold, silver and bronze.
11King David set these apart for the LORD too, along with the silver and the gold that he had brought from all these nations: from Edom, from Moab, from the children of Ammon, from the Philistines, and from Amalek.
12Also Abishai the son of Zeruiah killed eighteen thousand of the Edomites in the Valley of Salt.
13He placed soldiers in Edom, and all the Edomites became David's servants. So the LORD kept David safe wherever he went.
14So David ruled over all Israel, and he did what was right and just for all his people.
15Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army, and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud kept the records.
16Zadok the son of Ahitub and Abimelech the son of Abiathar were the priests, and Shavsha was the scribe.
17Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and David's sons were chief officials at the king's side.