The Message

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    <div class="book bk2SA">
        <div class="chapter ch10" data-usfm="2SA.10">
            <div class="label">10</div><div class="p"><span class="content">  </span><span class="verse v1 v2" data-usfm="2SA.10.1+2SA.10.2"><span class="label">1-2a</span><span class="content"> Sometime after this, the king of the Ammonites died and Hanun, his son, succeeded him as king. David said, &#8220;I&#8217;d like to show some kindness to Hanun, the son of Nahash&#8212;treat him as well and as kindly as his father treated me.&#8221; So David sent Hanun condolences regarding his father.</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v1 v2" data-usfm="2SA.10.1+2SA.10.2"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v2 v3" data-usfm="2SA.10.2+2SA.10.3"><span class="label">2b-3</span><span class="content"> But when David&#8217;s servants got to the land of the Ammonites, the Ammonite leaders warned Hanun, their head delegate, &#8220;Do you for a minute suppose that David is honoring your father by sending you comforters? Don&#8217;t you think it&#8217;s because he wants to snoop around the city and size it up that David has sent his emissaries to you?&#8221;</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v2 v3" data-usfm="2SA.10.2+2SA.10.3"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v4" data-usfm="2SA.10.4"><span class="label">4</span><span class="content">So Hanun seized David&#8217;s men, shaved off half their beards, cut off their robes halfway up their buttocks, and sent them packing.</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v4" data-usfm="2SA.10.4"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v5" data-usfm="2SA.10.5"><span class="label">5</span><span class="content">When all this was reported to David, he sent someone to meet them, for they were seriously humiliated. The king told them, &#8220;Stay in Jericho until your beards grow out. Only then come back.&#8221;</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v5" data-usfm="2SA.10.5"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v6" data-usfm="2SA.10.6"><span class="label">6</span><span class="content">When it dawned on the Ammonites that as far as David was concerned they stunk to high heaven, they hired Aramean soldiers from Beth-Rehob and Zobah&#8212;twenty thousand infantry&#8212;and a thousand men from the king of Maacah, and twelve thousand men from Tob.</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v6" data-usfm="2SA.10.6"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v7" data-usfm="2SA.10.7"><span class="label">7</span><span class="content">When David heard of this, he dispatched Joab with his strongest fighters in full force.</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v7" data-usfm="2SA.10.7"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v8 v9 v10 v11 v12" data-usfm="2SA.10.8+2SA.10.9+2SA.10.10+2SA.10.11+2SA.10.12"><span class="label">8-12</span><span class="content">The Ammonites marched out and arranged themselves in battle formation at the city gate. The Arameans of Zobah and Rehob and the men of Tob and Maacah took up a position out in the open fields. When Joab saw that he had two fronts to fight, before and behind, he took his pick of the best of Israel and deployed them to confront the Arameans. The rest of the army he put under the command of Abishai, his brother, and deployed them to confront the Ammonites. Then he said, &#8220;If the Arameans are too much for me, you help me. And if the Ammonites prove too much for you, I&#8217;ll come and help you. Courage! We&#8217;ll fight tooth and nail for our people and for the cities of our God. And </span><span class="nd"><span class="content">God</span></span><span class="content"> will do whatever he sees needs doing!&#8221;</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v8 v9 v10 v11 v12" data-usfm="2SA.10.8+2SA.10.9+2SA.10.10+2SA.10.11+2SA.10.12"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v13 v14" data-usfm="2SA.10.13+2SA.10.14"><span class="label">13-14</span><span class="content">But when Joab and his soldiers moved in to fight the Arameans, they ran off in full retreat. Then the Ammonites, seeing the Arameans run for dear life, took to their heels from Abishai and went into the city.</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v13 v14" data-usfm="2SA.10.13+2SA.10.14"><span class="content">So Joab left off fighting the Ammonites and returned to Jerusalem.</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v13 v14" data-usfm="2SA.10.13+2SA.10.14"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v15 v16 v17" data-usfm="2SA.10.15+2SA.10.16+2SA.10.17"><span class="label">15-17a</span><span class="content"> When the Arameans saw how badly they&#8217;d been beaten by Israel, they picked up the pieces and regrouped. Hadadezer sent for the Arameans who were across the River. They came to Helam. Shobach, commander of Hadadezer&#8217;s army, led them. All this was reported to David.</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v15 v16 v17" data-usfm="2SA.10.15+2SA.10.16+2SA.10.17"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v17 v18 v19" data-usfm="2SA.10.17+2SA.10.18+2SA.10.19"><span class="label">17b-19</span><span class="content"> So David mustered Israel, crossed the Jordan, and came to Helam. The Arameans went into battle formation, ready for David, and the fight was on. But the Arameans again scattered before Israel. David killed seven hundred chariot drivers and forty thousand cavalry. And he mortally wounded Shobach, the army commander, who died on the battlefield. When all the kings who were vassals of Hadadezer saw that they had been routed by Israel, they made peace and became Israel&#8217;s vassals. The Arameans were afraid to help the Ammonites ever again.</span></span></div>
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Sometime after this, the king of the Ammonites died and Hanun, his son, succeeded him as king. David said, “I’d like to show some kindness to Hanun, the son of Nahash—treat him as well and as kindly as his father treated me.” So David sent Hanun condolences regarding his father.
But when David’s servants got to the land of the Ammonites, the Ammonite leaders warned Hanun, their head delegate, “Do you for a minute suppose that David is honoring your father by sending you comforters? Don’t you think it’s because he wants to snoop around the city and size it up that David has sent his emissaries to you?”
So Hanun seized David’s men, shaved off half their beards, cut off their robes halfway up their buttocks, and sent them packing.
When all this was reported to David, he sent someone to meet them, for they were seriously humiliated. The king told them, “Stay in Jericho until your beards grow out. Only then come back.”
When it dawned on the Ammonites that as far as David was concerned they stunk to high heaven, they hired Aramean soldiers from Beth-Rehob and Zobah—twenty thousand infantry—and a thousand men from the king of Maacah, and twelve thousand men from Tob.
When David heard of this, he dispatched Joab with his strongest fighters in full force.
The Ammonites marched out and arranged themselves in battle formation at the city gate. The Arameans of Zobah and Rehob and the men of Tob and Maacah took up a position out in the open fields. When Joab saw that he had two fronts to fight, before and behind, he took his pick of the best of Israel and deployed them to confront the Arameans. The rest of the army he put under the command of Abishai, his brother, and deployed them to confront the Ammonites. Then he said, “If the Arameans are too much for me, you help me. And if the Ammonites prove too much for you, I’ll come and help you. Courage! We’ll fight tooth and nail for our people and for the cities of our God. And GOD will do whatever he sees needs doing!”
But when Joab and his soldiers moved in to fight the Arameans, they ran off in full retreat. Then the Ammonites, seeing the Arameans run for dear life, took to their heels from Abishai and went into the city.
So Joab left off fighting the Ammonites and returned to Jerusalem.
When the Arameans saw how badly they’d been beaten by Israel, they picked up the pieces and regrouped. Hadadezer sent for the Arameans who were across the River. They came to Helam. Shobach, commander of Hadadezer’s army, led them. All this was reported to David.
So David mustered Israel, crossed the Jordan, and came to Helam. The Arameans went into battle formation, ready for David, and the fight was on. But the Arameans again scattered before Israel. David killed seven hundred chariot drivers and forty thousand cavalry. And he mortally wounded Shobach, the army commander, who died on the battlefield. When all the kings who were vassals of Hadadezer saw that they had been routed by Israel, they made peace and became Israel’s vassals. The Arameans were afraid to help the Ammonites ever again.

Listen to 2 Samuel 10