1After this, the King of the children of Ammon dyed, and Hanun his sonne reigned in his steade. 2Then said David, I will shew kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father shewed kindness unto me. And David sent to comfort him by the hand of his servants for his father. And David's servants came into the land of the children of Ammon. 3And the princes of the children of Ammon said unto Hanun their lord, Thinkest thou that David doth honour thy father, that he hath sent comforters unto thee? hath not David [rather] sent his servants unto thee, to search the city, and to spy it out, and to overthrow it? 4Wherefore Hanun tooke Dauids seruants, and shaued off the halfe of their beard, & cut off their garments in the middle, euen to their buttockes, and sent them away. 5When it was told vnto Dauid, he sent to meete them (for the men were exceedingly ashamed) and the King sayde, Tary at Iericho, vntill your beards be growen, then returne. 6And when the children of Ammon saw that they stank before David, the children of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians of Bethrehob, and the Syrians of Zoba, twenty thousand footmen, and of king Maacah a thousand men, and of Ishtob twelve thousand men. 7And when Dauid heard of it, he sent Ioab, and all the hoste of the strong men. 8And the children of Ammon came out, and put the battle in array at the entering in of the gate: and the Syrians of Zoba, and of Rehob, and Ishtob, and Maacah, [were] by themselves in the field. 9When Ioab saw that the front of the battel was against him before and behinde, he chose of all the choyse of Israel, and put them in aray against the Aramites. 10And the rest of the people hee deliuered into the hande of Abishai his brother, that hee might put them in aray against the children of Ammon. 11And he sayde, If the Aramites be stronger then I, thou shalt helpe me, and if the children of Ammon be too strong for thee, I will come and succour thee. 12Be of good courage, and let us play the men for our people, and for the cities of our God: and the LORD do that which seemeth him good. 13Then Ioab, and the people that was with him, ioyned in battel with the Aramites, who fled before him. 14And when the children of Ammon sawe that the Aramites fled, they fled also before Abishai, & entred into the citie. so Ioab returned fro the children of Ammon, and came to Ierusalem. 15And when the Aramites sawe that they were smitten before Israel, they gathered them together. 16And Hadarezer sent, and brought out the Aramites that were beyond the Riuer: and they came to Helam, and Shobach the captaine of the hoste of Hadarezer went before them. 17And when it was told David, he gathered all Israel together, and passed over Jordan, and came to Helam. And the Syrians set themselves in array against David, and fought with him. 18And the Syrians fled before Israel; and David slew [the men of] seven hundred chariots of the Syrians, and forty thousand horsemen, and smote Shobach the captain of their host, who died there. 19And when all the Kings, that were seruants to Hadarezer, saw that they fell before Israel, they made peace with Israel, and serued them; the Aramites feared to helpe the children of Ammon any more.