1After this, Nahash the king of the Ammonites died, and his son became king in his place.
2David said, "I will show kindness to Hanun the son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me." So David sent messengers to comfort him about his father. David's servants came into the land of the Ammonites, to Hanun, to comfort him.
3But the leaders of the Ammonites said to Hanun, "Do you think David is honouring your father by sending men to comfort you? Have not his servants come to you to search the land, and to overthrow it, and to spy it out?"
4So Hanun took David's servants and shaved them. He cut their clothes off in the middle, right up to their buttocks, and sent them away.
5Then some men went and told David how these men had been treated. He sent messengers to meet them, for the men were deeply ashamed. The king said, "Stay at Jericho until your beards have grown, and then come back."
6When the Ammonites saw that they had made themselves hateful to David, Hanun and the Ammonites sent a thousand talents of silver to hire chariots and horsemen from Mesopotamia, and from Syriamaachah, and from Zobah.
7So they hired thirty-two thousand chariots, and the king of Maachah and his people. They came and camped in front of Medeba. The Ammonites also gathered together from their cities and came out to battle.
9The Ammonites came out and drew up their battle line in front of the city gate. The kings who had come stood by themselves in the open field.
10When Joab saw that the battle was set against him both in front and behind, he chose some of the best men of Israel and drew them up against the Syrians.
11The rest of the people he put under the command of his brother Abishai, and they drew up their line against the Ammonites.
12Joab said, "If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you must help me. But if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will help you."
13"Be brave. Let us fight bravely for our people and for the cities of our God. And let the LORD do what seems good to him."
14So Joab and the people with him came near to the Syrians for the battle, and the Syrians fled before him.
15When the Ammonites saw that the Syrians had fled, they also fled before Abishai, Joab's brother, and went into the city. Then Joab came to Jerusalem.
16When the Syrians saw that they had been beaten by Israel, they sent messengers and brought out the Syrians who lived beyond the river. Shophach the commander of Hadarezer's army led them.
17David was told of it. He gathered all Israel, crossed the Jordan, came to them, and drew up his battle line against them. When David had set the battle in line against the Syrians, they fought with him.
18But the Syrians fled before Israel. David killed seven thousand Syrian charioteers and forty thousand foot soldiers, and he killed Shophach the commander of the army.
19When the servants of Hadarezer saw that they had been beaten by Israel, they made peace with David and became his servants. The Syrians would not help the Ammonites any more.