1After this the king of the Ammonites died, and Hanun his son reigned in his place.
2David said, “I will show loyal love to Hanun son of Nahash, just as his father showed loyal love to me.” So David sent by the hand of his servants to console him regarding his father. And David’s servants came to the land of the Ammonites.
3But the officials of the Ammonites said to Hanun their lord, “Is David really honoring your father in your eyes because he has sent consolers to you? Has David not sent his servants to you in order to search out the city, to spy it out, and to overthrow it?”
4So Hanun took David’s servants, shaved off half of each man’s beard, cut off their garments in the middle, up to their buttocks, and sent them away.
5When they told David, he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly humiliated. And the king said, “Stay in Jericho until your beards grow back, then return.”
6When the Ammonites saw that they had become a stench to David, the Ammonites sent and hired Aram of Beth-rehob and Aram of Zobah, twenty thousand foot soldiers, and the king of Maacah with a thousand men, and the men of Tob, twelve thousand men.
7When David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the army, the mighty warriors.
8The Ammonites came out and drew up in battle formation at the entrance of the gate, while Aram of Zobah and Rehob and the men of Tob and Maacah were by themselves in the open field.
9When Joab saw that the battle line faced him both in front and behind, he chose from all the choice men of Israel and drew them up to meet Aram.
10The rest of the people he put under the hand of Abishai his brother, and he drew them up to meet the Ammonites.
11And he said, “If Aram is too strong for me, then you shall be my help; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come to help you.
12Be strong, and let us show ourselves strong for the sake of our people and for the sake of the cities of our God. And may Yahweh do what is good in his eyes.”
13So Joab and the people who were with him drew near for battle against Aram, and they fled before him.
14When the Ammonites saw that Aram had fled, they too fled before Abishai and entered the city. Then Joab turned back from the Ammonites and came to Jerusalem.
15When Aram saw that they had been defeated before Israel, they gathered themselves together.
16Hadadezer sent and brought out the Arameans who were beyond the River, and they came to Helam, with Shobach the commander of Hadadezer’s army at their head.
17When it was told to David, he gathered all Israel, crossed the Jordan, and came to Helam. And Aram drew up in formation to meet David, and they fought with him.
18But Aram fled before Israel, and David killed seven hundred chariots of Aram and forty thousand horsemen; he also struck down Shobach the commander of his army, and he died there.
19When all the kings who were servants of Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated before Israel, they made peace with Israel and became subject to them. So Aram was afraid to help the Ammonites any longer.
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