19
The Ammonites and Syrians Defeated
1It⚓ happened after this that Nahash the king of the people of Ammon died, and his son reigned in his place.
2Then David 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 concerning his father. And David’s servants came to Hanun in the land of the people of Ammon to comfort him.
3And the princes of the people of Ammon said to Hanun, “Do you think that David really honors your father because he has sent comforters to you? Did his servants not come to you to search and to overthrow and to spy out the land?”
4Therefore Hanun took David’s servants, shaved them, and cut off their garments in the middle, at their ⚓buttocks, and sent them away.
5Then some went and told David about the men; and he sent to meet them, because the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, “Wait at Jericho until your beards have grown, and then return.”
6When the people of Ammon saw that they had made themselves repulsive to David, Hanun and the people of Ammon sent a thousand talents of silver to hire for themselves chariots and horsemen from Mesopotamia, from Syrian Maacah, ⚓and from Zobah.
7So they hired for themselves thirty-two thousand chariots, with the king of Maacah and his people, who came and encamped before Medeba. Also the people of Ammon gathered together from their cities, and came to battle.
8Now when David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the army of the mighty men.
9Then the people of Ammon came out and put themselves in battle array before the gate of the city, and the kings who had come were by themselves in the field.
10When Joab saw that the battle line was against him before and behind, he chose some of Israel’s best and put them in battle array against the Syrians.
11And the rest of the people he put under the command of Abishai his brother, and they set themselves in battle array against the people of Ammon.
12Then he said, “If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the people of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will help you.
13Be of good courage, and let us be strong for our people and for the cities of our God. And may the Lord do what is good in His sight.”
14So Joab and the people who were with him drew near for the battle against the Syrians, and they fled before him.
15When the people of Ammon saw that the Syrians were fleeing, they also fled before Abishai his brother, and entered the city. So Joab went to Jerusalem.
16Now when the Syrians saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they sent messengers and brought the Syrians who were beyond the River, and Shophach the commander of Hadadezer’s army went before them.
17When it was told David, he gathered all Israel, crossed over the Jordan and came upon them, and set up in battle array against them. So when David had set up in battle array against the Syrians, they fought with him.
18Then the Syrians fled before Israel; and David killed seven thousand charioteers and forty thousand foot soldiers of the Syrians, and killed Shophach the commander of the army.
19And when the servants of Hadadezer saw that they were defeated by Israel, they made peace with David and became his servants. So the Syrians were not willing to help the people of Ammon anymore.
19
擊敗亞捫人和亞蘭人
（撒下10．1－19）
1此後，亞捫人的王拿轄死了，他兒子接續他作王。
2大衛說：「哈嫩的父親拿轄怎樣向我施恩，我也要怎樣向哈嫩施恩。」於是大衛派使者為他的父親安慰他。大衛的臣僕到了亞捫人的境內來見哈嫩，要安慰他。
3但亞捫人的領袖對哈嫩說：「大衛派人來安慰你，你看他是要尊敬你父親嗎？他的臣僕來見你，不是為了要窺探偵察，而傾覆這地嗎？」
4哈嫩就抓住大衛的臣僕，剃去他們的鬍鬚，又割斷他們下半截的衣服，露出臀部，然後放了他們。
5他們走了，有人把臣僕所遭遇的事告訴大衛，他就派人去迎接他們，因為這些人覺得很羞恥。王說：「可以住在耶利哥，等到鬍鬚長出來再回來。」
6亞捫人看到大衛憎惡他們，哈嫩和亞捫人就派人拿一千他連得銀子，從美索不達米亞、亞蘭‧瑪迦、瑣巴雇用戰車和騎兵。
7他們雇了三萬二千輛戰車，以及瑪迦王和他的軍兵；這些部隊來安營在米底巴前。亞捫人也從他們的城裏出來，聚集預備作戰。
8大衛聽見了，就派約押和所有勇猛的軍隊出去。
9亞捫人出來，在城門前擺陣，前來的諸王另在郊野擺陣。
10約押看見戰陣對着他前後擺列，就把從以色列所有精兵中挑選出來的，擺陣迎戰亞蘭人。
11他把其餘的兵交在他兄弟亞比篩手裏，他們就擺陣迎戰亞捫人。
12約押說：「亞蘭人若強過我，你就來幫助我；亞捫人若強過你，我就去幫助你。
13你要剛強，我們要為自己的百姓，為我們上帝的城鎮奮勇。願耶和華照他所看為好的去做！」
14於是，約押和跟隨他的士兵前進攻打亞蘭人；亞蘭人在他面前逃跑。
15亞捫人見亞蘭人逃跑，他們也在約押的兄弟亞比篩面前逃跑進城。約押就回耶路撒冷去了。
16亞蘭人見自己被以色列打敗，就派使者把大河那邊的亞蘭人調來，由哈大底謝的將軍朔法在他們前面率領。
17有人告訴大衛，他就聚集以色列眾人過約旦河，來到亞蘭人那裏，迎着他們擺陣。大衛擺陣攻擊亞蘭人，亞蘭人就與他打仗。
18亞蘭人在以色列人面前逃跑。大衛殺了亞蘭七千輛戰車的士兵，四萬步兵，又殺死亞蘭的將軍朔法。
19哈大底謝的臣僕見自己被以色列打敗，就與大衛講和，臣服他。於是亞蘭人不願再幫助亞捫人了。