וַיְהִי אַחֲרֵי־כֵן וַיָּמָת נָחָשׁ מֶלֶךְ בְּנֵי־עַמּוֹן וַיִּמְלֹךְ בְּנוֹ תַּחְתָּיו

It was after this that Nahash the king of the children of Amon died, and his son reigned in his stead.

וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִיד אֶעֱשֶׂה־חֶסֶד עִם־חָנוּן בֶּן־נָחָשׁ כִּי־עָשָׂה אָבִיו עִמִּי חֶסֶד וַיִּשְׁלַח דָּוִיד מַלְאָכִים לְנַחֲמוֹ עַל־אָבִיו וַיָּבֹאוּ עַבְדֵי דָוִיד אֶל־אֶרֶץ בְּנֵי־עַמּוֹן אֶל־חָנוּן לְנַחֲמוֹ

David said: I will act with kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, because his father acted with kindness to me. Apparently the king of Amon had supported David when he fled from Saul, and had even provided for his brothers. It is also possible that Nahash had sided with David because King Saul had previously waged war against Nahash. David sent messengers to the new king to console him over the death of his father, and David’s servants came to the land of the children of Amon, to Hanun, to pay a courtesy visit and to console him.

וַיֹּאמְרוּ שָׂרֵי בְנֵי־עַמּוֹן לְחָנוּן הַמְכַבֵּד דָּוִיד אֶת־אָבִיךָ בְּעֵינֶיךָ כִּי־שָׁלַח לְךָ מְנַחֲמִים הֲלֹא בַּעֲבוּר לַחְקֹר וְלַהֲפֹךְ וּלְרַגֵּל הָאָרֶץ בָּאוּ עֲבָדָיו אֵלֶיךָ

The princes of the children of Amon said to Hanun: Is David honoring your father in your eyes, as he sent consolers to you? Do you really suppose that David has sent these men in deference to your father? Surely it is in order to examine, to reconnoiter your territory from all perspectives, and to spy out the land, that his servants came to you. They are nothing other than spies, seeking to scrutinize the land and gather information. This delegation of comforters is diplomatic cover for David’s true objectives. Hanun was persuaded by these claims and did not properly investigate the matter.

וַיִּקַּח חָנוּן אֶת־עַבְדֵי דָוִיד וַיְגַלְּחֵם וַיִּכְרֹת אֶת־מַדְוֵיהֶם בַּחֵצִי עַד־הַמִּפְשָׂעָה וַיְשַׁלְּחֵם

Hanun took David’s servants, and shaved them. As detailed elsewhere, he shaved their beards on only one side of the face, which was a clear mark of disgrace. And furthermore he cut their long garments in the middle, until their groin, so that they remained half-naked up to the groin, and sent them away in a most ridiculous and miserable state. This crude treatment of David’s messengers was undoubtedly a message from Amon, with the aim of demeaning David himself.

וַיֵּלְכוּ וַיַּגִּידוּ לְדָוִיד עַל־הָאֲנָשִׁים וַיִּשְׁלַח לִקְרָאתָם כִּי־הָיוּ הָאֲנָשִׁים נִכְלָמִים מְאֹד וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ שְׁבוּ בִירֵחוֹ עַד אֲשֶׁר־יְצַמַּח זְקַנְכֶם וְשַׁבְתֶּם

They went and it was reported to David about the state in which the men had returned. He sent people to meet them, for the men were greatly humiliated about having to travel in that condition from Amon back to their land. The king said: You do not have to return to me immediately. Instead, stay in Jericho until your beards grow, and then return.

וַיִּרְאוּ בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן כִּי הִתְבָּאֲשׁוּ עִם דָּוִיד וַיִּשְׁלַח חָנוּן וּבְנֵי עַמּוֹן אֶלֶף כִּכַּר־כֶּסֶף לִשְׂכֹּר לָהֶם מִן־אֲרַם נַהֲרַיִם וּמִן־אֲרַם מַעֲכָה וּמִצּוֹבָה רֶכֶב וּפָרָשִׁים

The children of Amon saw that they had made themselves odious and contemptible to David, as such an act is a direct challenge and even a declaration of war, and the Amonites knew that David was likely to retaliate. And Hanun and the children of Amon sent one thousand talents of silver to hire for themselves an auxiliary army of chariots and horsemen from Aram Naharayim, from Aram Maakha, and from Tzova, which is also an Aramean state.

וַיִּשְׂכְּרוּ לָהֶם שְׁנַיִם וּשְׁלֹשִׁים אֶלֶף רֶכֶב וְאֶת־מֶלֶךְ מַעֲכָה וְאֶת־עַמּוֹ וַיָּבֹאוּ וַיַּחֲנוּ לִפְנֵי מֵידְבָא וּבְנֵי עַמּוֹן נֶאֶסְפוּ מֵעָרֵיהֶם וַיָּבֹאוּ לַמִּלְחָמָה

They hired for themselves thirty-two thousand chariots, a very large force, with the king of Maakha and his people, and they came and encamped before Medeva, in the land of Amon. The children of Amon gathered from their cities and came to war. They declared a general mobilization and determined a site for the battle, as was customary in those days.

וַיִּשְׁמַע דָּוִיד וַיִּשְׁלַח אֶת־יוֹאָב וְאֵת כָּל־צָבָא הַגִּבּוֹרִים

David heard that the Amonites were gathered for battle, and he sent Yoav and the entire army of the mighty men to war.

וַיֵּצְאוּ בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן וַיַּעַרְכוּ מִלְחָמָה פֶּתַח הָעִיר וְהַמְּלָכִים אֲשֶׁר־בָּאוּ לְבַדָּם בַּשָּׂדֶה

The children of Amon came forth and arrayed for war at the entrance of the city. Apparently, they sought to avoid open conflict on a remote terrain, preferring instead to rely on the fortifications of the city of Rabat Amon. And the kings who came as mercenaries were by themselves in the field, and attacked Yoav’s camp from behind.

וַיַּרְא יוֹאָב כִּי־הָיְתָה פְנֵי הַמִּלְחָמָה אֵלָיו פָּנִים וְאָחוֹר וַיִּבְחַר מִכָּל־בָּחוּר בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל וַיַּעֲרֹךְ לִקְרַאת אֲרָם

Yoav saw that the face of the battle was in front and in back, and that it was necessary to wage war on two fronts, with the Amonites before him and the Arameans behind, and he chose of all the select of Israel, and he arrayed against Aram. Yoav assumed that the Aramean mercenaries were better trained and perhaps more numerous than the Amonites, and he therefore selected his finest warriors under his direct command, and attacked Aram.

וְאֵת יֶתֶר הָעָם נָתַן בְּיַד אַבְשַׁי אָחִיו וַיַּעַרְכוּ לִקְרַאת בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן

The rest of the people he placed into the hand of Avshai his brother, and they arrayed, went to war, against the children of Amon.

וַיֹּאמֶר אִם־תֶּחֱזַק מִמֶּנִּי אֲרָם וְהָיִיתָ לִּי לִתְשׁוּעָה וְאִם־בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן יֶחֶזְקוּ מִמְּךָ וְהוֹשַׁעְתִּיךָ

He said: If the Arameans overpower me in battle, you will be my salvation, and if the children of Amon overpower you, I will save you. Although we are fighting on two fronts, our forces can assist one another. If one is in dire straits, the other can support him with a reserve force. Yoav concluded his speech in a manner befitting a commander on a battlefield:

חֲזַק וְנִתְחַזְּקָה בְּעַד־עַמֵּנוּ וּבְעַד עָרֵי אֱלֹהֵינוּ וַה' הַטּוֹב בְּעֵינָיו יַעֲשֶׂה

Be strong, and let us grow stronger for the sake of our people, and for the sake of the cities of our God; we must be strong and seek to wage war to the best of our abilities, and the Lord will do what is good in His eyes.

וַיִּגַּשׁ יוֹאָב וְהָעָם אֲשֶׁר־עִמּוֹ לִפְנֵי אֲרָם לַמִּלְחָמָה וַיָּנוּסוּ מִפָּנָיו

Yoav and the people who were with him approached Aram to war, and they fled from before him. As a skilled military leader, he was able to rout the large Aramean force, which was apparently less organized than his own.

וּבְנֵי עַמּוֹן רָאוּ כִּי־נָס אֲרָם וַיָּנוּסוּ גַם־הֵם מִפְּנֵי אַבְשַׁי אָחִיו וַיָּבֹאוּ הָעִירָה וַיָּבֹא יוֹאָב יְרוּשָׁלִָם

The children of Amon saw that Aram, upon whom they had been relying for assistance, had fled, and they too fled from before Avshai, his, Yoav’s, brother, and they came into the city. They returned to their fortified city. Then Yoav came back to Jerusalem in order to inform David of the results of the battle and to prepare for future developments.

וַיַּרְא אֲרָם כִּי נִגְּפוּ לִפְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיִּשְׁלְחוּ מַלְאָכִים וַיּוֹצִיאוּ אֶת־אֲרָם אֲשֶׁר מֵעֵבֶר הַנָּהָר וְשׁוֹפַךְ שַׂר־צְבָא הֲדַדְעֶזֶר לִפְנֵיהֶם

Aram saw that it was routed before Israel, and sent messengers. The Arameans knew that David would not forgive them for their alliance with Amon in the battle against Israel, and therefore they readied themselves for another attack, in which they hoped to overpower David, or at least prevent him from attacking them. And they brought out Aram from beyond the River. There was an additional, perhaps even greater Aramean kingdom beyond the Euphrates, and its men, too, were mobilized to wage war with Israel, with Shofakh, or Shobakh in the parallel account, commander of the army of Hadadezer, before them. Apparently, Hadadezer reigned over this Aramean kingdom as well.

וַיֻּגַּד לְדָוִיד וַיֶּאֱסֹף אֶת־כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיַּעֲבֹר הַיַּרְדֵּן וַיָּבֹא אֲלֵהֶם וַיַּעֲרֹךְ אֲלֵהֶם וַיַּעֲרֹךְ דָּוִיד לִקְרַאת אֲרָם מִלְחָמָה וַיִּלָּחֲמוּ עִמּוֹ

It was reported to David, and he gathered all of Israel, and he crossed the Jordan and came to them, and arrayed his forces to fight against them. In order to confront the entire Aramean army, both the troops of the smaller kingdoms on the western side of the Euphrates as well as those from the eastern side, David recruited additional warriors. David arrayed in war against the Arameans and they waged war against him.

וַיָּנָס אֲרָם מִלִּפְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיַּהֲרֹג דָּוִיד מֵאֲרָם שִׁבְעַת אֲלָפִים רֶכֶב וְאַרְבָּעִים אֶלֶף אִישׁ רַגְלִי וְאֵת שׁוֹפַךְ שַׂר־הַצָּבָא הֵמִית

Aram again fled from before Israel, and David killed from Aram seven thousand chariot drivers and forty thousand infantry, and Shofakh, commander of the army, he put to death. It seems that this commander was a very dominant figure, and therefore his death signaled a reversal from which Hadadezer’s men could not easily recover.

וַיִּרְאוּ עַבְדֵי הֲדַדְעֶזֶר כִּי נִגְּפוּ לִפְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיַּשְׁלִימוּ עִם־דָּוִיד וַיַּעַבְדֻהוּ וְלֹא־אָבָה אֲרָם לְהוֹשִׁיעַ אֶת־בְּנֵי־עַמּוֹן עוֹד

The servants of Hadadezer saw that they were routed before Israel, and they made peace with David and served him. David certainly did not conquer the kingdom of Aram of the eastern side of the Euphrates; then again, the Arameans closer to Israel were not fully subjugated to his rule either. Rather, they were under his overall control. Aram was unwilling to save the children of Amon anymore. They decided that this experience sufficed for them, and they reached an agreement of non-belligerence or even capitulation to David.