David’s Messengers Disgraced

¹Some time later, Nahash king of the Ammonites died and was succeeded by his son.

²And David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me.”So David sent messengers to console Hanun concerning his father. But when David’s servants arrived in the land of the Ammonites to console him,

³the princes of the Ammonites said to Hanun, “Just because David has sent you comforters, do you really believe he is showing respect for your father? Have not his servants come to you to explore the land, spy it out, and overthrow it?”

⁴So Hanun took David’s servants, shaved their beards, cut off their garments at the hips, and sent them away.

⁵When someone came and told David about his men, he sent messengers to meet them, since the men had been thoroughly humiliated. The king told them, “Stay in Jericho until your beards have grown back, and then return.”

⁶When the Ammonites realized that they had become a stench to David, Hanun and the Ammonites sent a thousand talents of silverto hire for themselves chariots and horsemen from Aram-naharaim,Aram-maacah, and Zobah.

⁷So they hired for themselves thirty-two thousand chariots, as well as the king of Maacah with his troops, who came and camped near Medeba while the Ammonites were mustered from their cities and marched out for battle.

⁸On hearing this, David sent Joab and the entire army of mighty men.

⁹The Ammonites marched out and arrayed themselves for battle at the entrance to the city, while the kings who had come stayed by themselves in the open country.

David Defeats Ammon and Aram

¹⁰When Joab saw the battle lines before him and behind him, he selected some of the best men of Israel and arrayed them against the Arameans.

¹¹And he placed the rest of the troops under the command of his brother Abishai, who arrayed them against the Ammonites.

¹²“If the Arameans are too strong for me,” said Joab, “then you will come to my rescue. And if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come to your rescue.

¹³Be strong and let us fight bravely for our people and for the cities of our God. May the LORD do what is good in His sight.”

¹⁴So Joab and his troops advanced to fight the Arameans, who fled before him.

¹⁵When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans had fled, they too fled before Joab’s brother Abishai, and they entered the city. So Joab went back to Jerusalem.

¹⁶When the Arameans saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they sent messengers to bring more Arameans from beyond the Euphrates,with Shophachthe commander of Hadadezer’s army leading them.

¹⁷When this was reported to David, he gathered all Israel, crossed the Jordan, advanced toward the Arameans, and arrayed for battle against them. When David lined up to engage them in battle, they fought against him.

¹⁸But the Arameans fled before Israel, and David killed seven thousand of their charioteers and forty thousand foot soldiers. He also killed Shophach the commander of their army.

¹⁹When Hadadezer’s subjects saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with David and became subject to him. So the Arameans were unwilling to help the Ammonites anymore.

David’s Messengers Disgraced

¹Some time later, the king of the Ammonites died and was succeeded by his son Hanun.

²And David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me.”So David sent some of his servants to console Hanun concerning his father. But when they arrived in the land of the Ammonites,

³the princes of the Ammonites said to Hanun their lord, “Just because David has sent you comforters, do you really believe he is showing respect for your father? Has not David instead sent his servants to explore the city, spy it out, and overthrow it?”

⁴So Hanun took David’s servants, shaved off half of each man’s beard, cut off their garments at the hips, and sent them away.

⁵When this was reported to David, he sent messengers to meet the men, since they had been thoroughly humiliated. The king told them, “Stay in Jericho until your beards have grown back, and then return.”

⁶When the Ammonites realized that they had become a stench to David, they hired twenty thousand Aramean foot soldiers from Beth-rehob and Zoba, as well as a thousand men from the king of Maacah and twelve thousand men from Tob.

⁷On hearing this, David sent Joab and the entire army of mighty men.

⁸The Ammonites marched out and arrayed themselves for battle at the entrance of the city gate, while the Arameans of Zobah and Rehob and the men of Tob and Maacah were by themselves in the open country.

David Defeats Ammon and Aram

⁹When Joab saw the battle lines before him and behind him, he selected some of the best men of Israel and arrayed them against the Arameans.

¹⁰And he placed the rest of the troops under the command of his brother Abishai, who arrayed them against the Ammonites.

¹¹“If the Arameans are too strong for me,” said Joab, “then you will come to my rescue. And if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come to your rescue.

¹²Be strong and let us fight bravely for our people and for the cities of our God. May the LORD do what is good in His sight.”

¹³So Joab and his troops advanced to fight the Arameans, who fled before him.

¹⁴When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans had fled, they too fled before Abishai, and they entered the city. So Joab returned from fighting against the Ammonites and came to Jerusalem.

¹⁵When the Arameans saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they regrouped.

¹⁶Hadadezer sent messengers to bring more Arameans from beyond the Euphrates,and they came to Helam with Shobachthe commander of Hadadezer’s army leading them.

¹⁷When this was reported to David, he gathered all Israel, crossed the Jordan, and went to Helam. Then the Arameans arrayed themselves against David and fought against him.

¹⁸But the Arameans fled before Israel, and David killed seven hundred charioteers and forty thousand foot soldiers.He also struck down Shobach the commander of their army, who died there.

¹⁹When all the kings who were subject to Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel and became subject to them. So the Arameans were afraid to help the Ammonites anymore.

Ben-hadad Attacks Samaria

¹Now Ben-hadad king of Aram assembled his entire army. Accompanied by thirty-two kings with their horses and chariots, he marched up, besieged Samaria, and waged war against it.

²Then he sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel,

³saying, “This is what Ben-hadad says:‘Your silver and gold are mine, and your best wives and children are mine!’”

⁴And the king of Israel replied, “Just as you say, my lord the king: I am yours, along with all that I have.”

⁵The messengers came back and said, “This is what Ben-hadad says: ‘I have sent to you to demand your silver, your gold, your wives, and your children.

⁶But about this time tomorrow I will send my servants to search your palace and the houses of your servants. They will seize and carry away all that is precious to you.’”

⁷Then the king of Israel summoned all the elders of the land and said, “Please take note and see that this man is looking for trouble, for when he demanded my wives, my children, my silver, and my gold, I did not deny him.”

⁸And the elders and the people all said, “Do not listen to him or consent to his terms.”

⁹So Ahab answered the messengers of Ben-hadad, “Tell my lord the king, ‘All that you demanded of your servant the first time I will do, but this thing I cannot do.’”So the messengers departed and relayed the message to Ben-hadad.

¹⁰Then Ben-hadad sent another message to Ahab: “May the gods deal with me, and ever so severely, if enough dust remains of Samaria for each of my men to have a handful.”

¹¹And the king of Israel replied, “Tell him: ‘The one putting on his armor should not boast like one taking it off.’”

¹²Ben-hadad received this message while he and the kings were drinking in their tents,and he said to his servants, “Take your positions.” So they stationed themselves against the city.

Ahab Defeats Ben-hadad

¹³Meanwhile a prophet approached Ahab king of Israel and declared, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Do you see this entire great army? Behold, I will deliver it into your hand this very day, and you will know that I am the LORD.’”

¹⁴“By whom?” Ahab asked.And the prophet replied, “This is what the LORD says: ‘By the young officers of the district governors.’”“Who will start the battle?” asked Ahab.“You will,” answered the prophet.

¹⁵So Ahab assembled the young officers of the district governors, and there were 232 men. And after them, he assembled the rest of the Israelite troops, 7,000 in all.

¹⁶They marched out at noon while Ben-hadad and the 32 kings allied with him were in their tents getting drunk.

¹⁷And the young officers of the district governors marched out first.Now Ben-hadad had sent out scouts, who reported to him, “Men are marching out of Samaria.”

¹⁸“If they have marched out in peace,” he said, “take them alive. Even if they have marched out for war, take them alive.”

¹⁹Meanwhile, these young officers of the district governors marched out of the city, with the army behind them,

²⁰and each one struck down his opponent. So the Arameans fled, with the Israelites in pursuit. But Ben-hadad king of Aram escaped on horseback with the cavalry.

²¹Then the king of Israel marched out and attacked the horses and chariots, inflicting a great slaughter on the Arameans.

²²Afterward, the prophet approached the king of Israel and said, “Go and strengthen your position, and take note what you must do, for in the springthe king of Aram will come up against you.”

²³Meanwhile, the servants of the king of Aram said to him, “Their gods are gods of the hills. That is why they prevailed over us. Instead, we should fight them on the plains; surely then we will prevail.

²⁴So do this: Dismiss all the kings from their positions and replace them with other officers.

²⁵And you must raise an army like the one you have lost—horse for horse and chariot for chariot—so we can fight the Israelites on the plain, where we will surely prevail.”And the king approved their plan and acted accordingly.

Another War with Ben-hadad

²⁶In the spring, Ben-hadad mobilized the Arameans and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel.

²⁷The Israelites also mobilized, gathered supplies, and marched out to meet them.The Israelites camped before them like two small flocks of goats, while the Arameans covered the countryside.

²⁸Then the man of God approached the king of Israel and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Because the Arameans have said that the LORD is a god of the hills and not of the valleys, I will deliver all this great army into your hand. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’”

²⁹For seven days the armies camped opposite each other, and on the seventh day the battle ensued, and the Israelites struck down the Arameans—a hundred thousand foot soldiers in one day.

³⁰The rest of them fled into the city of Aphek, where the wall fell on twenty-seven thousand of the remaining men. Ben-hadad also fled to the city and hid in an inner room.

Ahab Spares Ben-hadad

³¹Then the servants of Ben-hadad said to him, “Look now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful. Let us go out to the king of Israel with sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our heads. Perhaps he will spare your life.”

³²So with sackcloth around their waists and ropes around their heads, they went to the king of Israel and said, “Your servant Ben-hadad says, ‘Please spare my life.’”And the king answered, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.”

³³Now the men were looking for a sign of hope, and they quickly grasped at this word and replied, “Yes, your brother Ben-hadad.”“Go and get him!” said the king.Then Ben-hadad came out, and Ahab had him come up into his chariot.

³⁴Ben-hadad said to him, “I will restore the cities my father took from your father; you may set up your own marketplaces in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria.”“By this treatyI release you,” Ahab replied. So he made a treaty with him and sent him away.

A Prophet Reproves Ahab

³⁵Meanwhile, by the word of the LORD, one of the sons of the prophets said to his companion, “Strike me, please!”But the man refused to strike him.

³⁶Then the prophet said to him, “Because you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, as soon as you depart from me a lion will kill you.”And when he left, a lion found him and killed him.

³⁷Then the prophet found another man and said, “Strike me, please!”So the man struck him and wounded him,

³⁸and the prophet went and waited on the road for the king, disguising himself with a bandage over his eyes.

³⁹As the king passed by, he cried out to the king: “Your servant had marched out into the middle of the battle, when suddenly a man came over with a captive and told me, ‘Guard this man! If he goes missing for any reason, your life will be exchanged for his life, or you will weigh out a talent of silver.’

⁴⁰But while your servant was busy here and there, the man disappeared.”And the king of Israel said to him, “So shall your judgment be; you have pronounced it on yourself.”

⁴¹Then the prophet quickly removed the bandage from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets.

⁴²And the prophet said to the king, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Because you have let slip from your hand the man I had devoted to destruction,your life will be exchanged for his life, and your people for his people.’”

⁴³Sullen and angry, the king of Israel went home to Samaria.

Into Your Hands I Commit My Spirit

¹In You, O LORD, I have taken refuge;let me never be put to shame;save me by Your righteousness.

²Incline Your ear to me;come quickly to my rescue.Be my rock of refuge,the stronghold of my deliverance.

³For You are my rock and my fortress;lead me and guide me for the sake of Your name.

⁴You free me from the net laid out for me,for You are my refuge.

⁵Into Your hands I commit my spirit;You have redeemed me, O LORD, God of truth.

⁶I hatethose who cling to worthless idols,but in the LORD I trust.

⁷I will be glad and rejoice in Your loving devotion,for You have seen my affliction;You have known the anguish of my soul.

⁸You have not delivered me to the enemy;You have set my feet in the open.

⁹Be merciful to me, O LORD,for I am in distress;my eyes fail from sorrow,my soul and body as well.

¹⁰For my life is consumed with griefand my years with groaning;my iniquity has drained my strength,and my bones are wasting away.

¹¹Among all my enemies I am a disgrace,and among my neighbors even more.I am dreaded by my friends—they flee when they see me on the street.

¹²I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind.I am like a broken vessel.

¹³For I hear the slander of many;there is terror on every side.They conspire against meand plot to take my life.

¹⁴But I trust in You, O LORD;I say, “You are my God.”

¹⁵My times are in Your hands;deliver me from my enemiesand from those who pursue me.

¹⁶Make Your face shine on Your servant;save me by Your loving devotion.

¹⁷O LORD, let me not be ashamed,for I have called on You.Let the wicked be put to shame;let them lie silent in Sheol.

¹⁸May lying lips be silenced—lips that speak with arrogance against the righteous,full of pride and contempt.

¹⁹How great is Your goodnesswhich You have laid up for those who fear You,which You have bestowed before the sons of menon those who take refuge in You!

²⁰You hide them in the secret place of Your presencefrom the schemes of men.You conceal them in Your shelterfrom accusing tongues.

²¹Blessed be the LORD,for He has shown me His loving devotionin a city under siege.

²²In my alarm I said,“I am cut off from Your sight!”But You heard my plea for mercywhen I called to You for help.

²³Love the LORD, all His saints.The LORD preserves the faithful,but fully repays the arrogant.

²⁴Be strong and courageous,all you who hope in the LORD.