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

击败亚扪人和亚兰人

（撒下10．1－19）

¹此后，亚扪人的王拿辖死了，他儿子接续他作王。 ²大卫说：“哈嫩的父亲拿辖怎样向我施恩，我也要怎样向哈嫩施恩。”于是大卫派使者为他的父亲安慰他。大卫的臣仆到了亚扪人的境内来见哈嫩，要安慰他。 ³但亚扪人的领袖对哈嫩说：“大卫派人来安慰你，你看他是要尊敬你父亲吗？他的臣仆来见你，不是为了要窥探侦察，而倾覆这地吗？” ⁴哈嫩就抓住大卫的臣仆，剃去他们的胡须，又割断他们下半截的衣服，露出臀部，然后放了他们。 ⁵他们走了，有人把臣仆所遭遇的事告诉大卫，他就派人去迎接他们，因为这些人觉得很羞耻。王说：“可以住在耶利哥，等到胡须长出来再回来。”
⁶亚扪人看到大卫憎恶他们，哈嫩和亚扪人就派人拿一千他连得银子，从美索不达米亚、亚兰．玛迦、琐巴雇用战车和骑兵。 ⁷他们雇了三万二千辆战车，以及玛迦王和他的军兵；这些部队来安营在米底巴前。亚扪人也从他们的城里出来，聚集预备作战。 ⁸大卫听见了，就派约押和所有勇猛的军队出去。 ⁹亚扪人出来，在城门前摆阵，前来的诸王另在郊野摆阵。
¹⁰约押看见战阵对着他前后摆列，就把从以色列所有精兵中挑选出来的，摆阵迎战亚兰人。 ¹¹他把其余的兵交在他兄弟亚比筛手里，他们就摆阵迎战亚扪人。 ¹²约押说：“亚兰人若强过我，你就来帮助我；亚扪人若强过你，我就去帮助你。 ¹³你要刚强，我们要为自己的百姓，为我们上帝的城镇奋勇。愿耶和华照他所看为好的去做！” ¹⁴于是，约押和跟随他的士兵前进攻打亚兰人；亚兰人在他面前逃跑。 ¹⁵亚扪人见亚兰人逃跑，他们也在约押的兄弟亚比筛面前逃跑进城。约押就回耶路撒冷去了。
¹⁶亚兰人见自己被以色列打败，就派使者把大河那边的亚兰人调来，由哈大底谢的将军朔法在他们前面率领。 ¹⁷有人告诉大卫，他就聚集以色列众人过约旦河，来到亚兰人那里，迎着他们摆阵。大卫摆阵攻击亚兰人，亚兰人就与他打仗。 ¹⁸亚兰人在以色列人面前逃跑。大卫杀了亚兰七千辆战车的士兵，四万步兵，又杀死亚兰的将军朔法。 ¹⁹哈大底谢的臣仆见自己被以色列打败，就与大卫讲和，臣服他。于是亚兰人不愿再帮助亚扪人了。