1After this the king of the children of Ammon died, and his son Hanun became king in his place.
2Then David said, "I will show kindness to Hanun the son of Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me." So David sent his servants to comfort Hanun over his father. And David's servants came into the land of the children of Ammon.
3But the princes of the children of Ammon said to Hanun their lord, "Do you think David is honouring your father, because he has sent men to comfort you? Has not David rather sent his servants to search the city, and to spy it out, and to overthrow it?"
4So Hanun took David's servants and shaved off half of each man's beard. He cut their clothes off in the middle, right up to their buttocks, and sent them away.
5When they told David, he sent men to meet them, because the men were deeply ashamed. The king said, "Stay at Jericho until your beards have grown, and then come back."
6When the children of Ammon saw that David hated them, they sent and hired the Syrians of Bethrehob and the Syrians of Zoba, twenty thousand foot soldiers, and a thousand men from king Maacah, and twelve thousand men from Ishtob.
8The children of Ammon came out and drew up for battle at the entrance of the gate. The Syrians of Zoba and of Rehob, and Ishtob and Maacah, were by themselves out in the field.
9When Joab saw that the battle line was against him both in front and behind, he chose some of the best men of Israel and drew them up against the Syrians.
10The rest of the people he put under the command of his brother Abishai, so that he could draw them up against the children of Ammon.
11And he said, "If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you must help me. But if the children of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will come and help you."
12"Be of good courage. Let us be strong for our people and for the cities of our God, and may the LORD do what seems good to him."
13So Joab came near with the people who were with him to fight the Syrians, and they fled before him.
14When the children of Ammon saw that the Syrians had fled, they also fled before Abishai and went into the city. So Joab turned back from the children of Ammon and came to Jerusalem.
15When the Syrians saw that they had been beaten by Israel, they gathered themselves together again.
16Hadarezer sent and brought out the Syrians who were beyond the river, and they came to Helam. Shobach, the commander of Hadarezer's army, led them.
17When David was told, he gathered all Israel together and crossed the Jordan and came to Helam. The Syrians drew up their lines against David and fought with him.
18The Syrians fled before Israel. David killed the men of seven hundred chariots of the Syrians, and forty thousand horsemen, and he struck down Shobach the commander of their army, who died there.
19When all the kings who served Hadarezer saw that they had been beaten by Israel, they made peace with Israel and served them. So the Syrians were afraid to help the children of Ammon any more.