1 Chronicles 18:1-6 ▼

1 AND after these things it came to pass that David smote the Philistines and destroyed them, and took the power from the hand of the Philistines, and took Gath and the small villages that were round about it out of the hand of the Philistines. Chronicles 191 NOW it came to pass after this that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon died, and his son Hanun reigned in his stead.

2 And he smote Moab; and the Moabites became David's servants and brought tribute. And David said, I will show kindness to Hanun the son of Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me. So David sent messengers to comfort him concerning his father. So David's servants came into the land of the children of Ammon to Hanun to comfort him.

3 Then David slew Hadarezer the king of Nisibin, as he went to establish his dominion by the river Euphrates. But the princes of the children of Ammon said to Hanun their lord, Do you think that David really did honor your father when he was alive and that he has truly sent comforters to you? It is for the purpose of spying the city and knowing the entrances and the exits that David has sent his servants to us.

4 And David took from him a thousand chariots and seven thousand horsemen, and David hamstrung all the chariot horses, but reserved of them a hundred chariots. So Hanun took David's servants and shaved half of their beards and half of their heads and cut off their garments in the midst as far as their buttocks, and sent them away.

5 And when the Edomites and the Arameans of Damascus came to help Hadarezer king of Nisibin, David slew of the Edomites twenty-two thousand men. And when they had told David, he sent men to meet them, for the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said to them, Remain at Jericho until your beards have grown, and then return.

6 Then David appointed governors in Damascus, and the Arameans became David's servants and brought tribute. Thus the LORD preserved David wheresoever he went. And when the children of Ammon saw that they had made themselves odious to David's servants, Hanun and the children of Ammon sent a thousand talents of silver to hire for themselves chariots and horsemen from Aram-nahrin, from Haran, from Nisibin, and from Edom.