CHAP. XIX.

1 Dauids messengers sent to comfort Hanun the sonne of Nahash, are villanously intreated. 6 The Ammonites strengthened by the Syrians, are ouercome by Ioab and Abishai. 16 Shophach making a new supply of the Syrians, is slaine by Dauid.

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¹ Now it came to passe after this, that Nahash the King of the children of Ammon dyed, & his sonne reigned in his stead.¹

² And Dauid sayde, I will shewe kindnesse vnto Hanun the sonne of Nahash, because his father shewed kindnesse to mee. And Dauid sent messengers to comfort him concerning his father. So the seruants of Dauid came into the land of the children of Ammon, to Hanun, to comfort him.

³ But the Princes of the children of Ammon sayde to Hanun, Thinkest thou that Dauid doeth honour thy father, that he hath sent comforters vnto thee? Are not his seruants come vnto thee for to search, and to ouerthrow, and to spie out the land?³

⁴ Wherefore Hanun tooke Dauids seruants, and shaued them, and cut off their garments in the middest, hard by their buttockes, and sent them away.

⁵ Then there went certeine, and told Dauid, how the men were serued, and hee sent to meet them (for the men were greatly ashamed) and the King sayde, Tary at Iericho vntill your beards be growen, and then returne.

⁶ ¶ And when the children of Ammon sawe, that they had made themselues odious to Dauid; Hanun and the children of Ammon sent a thousand talents of siluer, to hire them charets and horsemen out of Mesopotamia, and out of Syria-Maachah, and out of Zobah.⁶

⁷ So they hired thirtie and two thousand charets, and the king of Maachah and his people, who came and pitched before Medeba. And the children of Ammon gathered themselues together from their cities, and came to battaile.

⁸ And when Dauid heard of it, hee sent Ioab, and all the host of the mightie men.

⁹ And the children of Ammon came out, and put the battell in aray before the gate of the citie, and the kings that were come, were by themselues in the field.

¹⁰ Now when Ioab saw that the battell was set against him, before and behinde: hee chose out of all the choice of Israel, and put them in aray against the Syrians.¹⁰

¹¹ And the rest of the people hee deliuered vnto the hand of Abishai his brother, and they set themselues in aray against the children of Ammon.¹¹

¹² And he said, If the Syrians bee too strong for me, then thou shalt helpe me: but if the children of Ammon be too strong for thee, then I wil helpe thee.

¹³ Be of good courage, and let vs behaue our selues valiantly for our people, and for the Cities of our God: and let the Lord do that which is good in his sight.

¹⁴ So Ioab and the people that were with him, drew nigh before the Syrians, vnto the battell; and they fled before him.

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¹⁵ And when the children of Ammon saw that the Syrians were fled, they likewise fled before Abishai his brother, and entred into the city. Then Ioab came to Ierusalem.

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¹⁶ ¶ And when the Syrians saw that they were put to the worse before Israel, they sent messengers, and drew forth the Syrians, that were beyond the Riuer: and Shophach the captaine of the hoste of Hadarezer, went before them.¹⁶

¹⁷ And it was tolde Dauid, and hee gathered all Israel, and passed ouer Iordane, and came vpon them, and set the battell in aray against them: so when Dauid had put the battell in aray against the Syrians, they fought with him.

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¹⁸ But the Syrians fled before Israel, and Dauid slew of the Syrians seuen thousand men, which fought in charets, and fourty thousand footmen, and killed Shophach the captaine of the hoste.

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¹⁹ And when the seruants of Hadarezer saw that they were put to the worse before Israel, they made peace with Dauid, and became his seruants: neither would the Syrians helpe the children of Ammon any more.

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