David’s Messengers Disgraced
(1 Chronicles 19:1–9)

1After this, the king of the children of Ammon dyed, and Hanon his sonne raigned in his steade. 2Then saide Dauid: I will shewe kindnesse vnto Hanon the sonne of Nahas, as his father shewed kindnesse vnto me. And Dauid sent to comfort him by the hand of his seruauntes, ouer his father: And Dauids seruauntes came in to the land of the children of Ammon. 3And the princes of the children of Ammon sayde vnto Hanon their lorde: Thinkest thou that Dauid doth honor thy father, that he hath sent comfortours to thee? Hath not Dauid rather sent his seruauntes vnto thee, to searche the citie, and to spie it out, and to ouerthrowe it? 4Wherefore Hanon toke Dauids seruauntes, and shaued of the one halfe of their beardes, & cut of their garmetes in the middle, euen hard to the buttockes of them, and sent them away. 5When they tolde it vnto Dauid, he sent to meete them (for they were men exceedingly ashamed) and the king said: Tary at Iericho vntill your beardes be growen, and then returne.

6And when the children of Ammon sawe that they stancke in the sight of Dauid, they sent & hyred the Syrians of the house of Rehob, and the Syrians of Zoba 20 thousand footemen, and of king Maacha a thousand men, and of Istob twelue thousand men. 7And when Dauid heard of it, he sent Ioab and all the hoast of strong men. 8And the children of Ammon came out, and put their armie in aray at the entring in of the gate: and the Syrians of Zoba, of Rehob, Istob, and Maacha, were by them selues in the fielde.

David Defeats Ammon and Aram
(1 Chronicles 19:10–19)

9Whe Ioab sawe that the front of the battaile was against him before and behinde, he chose of all the choyse of Israel, and put them in aray against the Syrians. 10And the rest of the people he deliuered into the hand of Abisai his brother, that he might put them in aray against the children of Ammon. 11And he saide: If the Syrians be stronger then I, thou shalt helpe me: But if the children of Ammon be to strong for thee, I will come and succour thee. 12Therefore quite thee lyke a man, and let vs be valiaunt for our people and for the cities of our God: And the Lorde do that which is good in his owne eyes. 13And Ioab proceeded foorth, & the people that was with him, to fight against the Syrians: but they fled before him. 14And when the children of Ammon sawe that the Syrians were fled, then fled they also before Abisai, and entred into the citie: And so Ioab returned from the children of Ammon, and came to Hierusalem.

15And whe the Syrians saw that they were smitten before Israel, they gathered them together. 16And Hadarezer sent, and brought out the Syrians that were beyond the ryuer, and they came to Helam: & Zoba the captayne of the hoast of Hadarezer went hefore them. 17And when it was shewed Dauid, he gathered al Israel together, & passed ouer Iordane, and came to Helam: And the Syrians set them selues in aray against Dauid, and fought with him. 18And the Syrians fled before Israel, and Dauid destroyed seuen hundred charets of the Syrians, & fourtie thousand horsemen, and smote Zoba the captaine of their hoast, which also dyed there. 19And when all the kinges that were seruauntes to Hadarezer, saw that they fel before Israel, they made peace with Israel, and serued them: and so the Syrians feared to helpe the children of Ammon any more.