David’s army won many victories

1Some time later, David’s army attacked the Philistia army and defeated them. They took control over the entire Philistia area.

2David’s army also defeated the army of the Moab people-group. David forced their soldiers to lie down on the ground close to each other. His men killed two out of every three of them. The other Moab people were forced to accept David as their ruler, and they were forced to give to him every year the payment/tax that he demanded.

3David’s army also defeated the army of Hadadezer, the son of Rehob, who ruled the state of Zobah in Syria. That happened when David went to rule again over the area at the upper part of the Euphrates River.

4David’s army captured 1,700 of Hadadezer’s soldiers who rode on horses, and 20,000 of his other soldiers. They also crippled/hamstrung most of the horses that pulled the chariots, but they left/spared enough horses to pull 100 chariots.

5When the army of Syria came from Damascus city to help King Hadadezer’s army, David’s soldiers killed 22,000 of them.

6Then David stationed ◄groups of his soldiers/army camps► in their area, and the people of Syria were forced to accept David as their ruler, and to give to David’s government every year the payment/tax that he demanded. And Yahweh enabled David’s army to win victories wherever they went.

7David’s soldiers took the gold shields that were carried by Hadadezer’s officials, and brought them to Jerusalem.

8They also brought to Jerusalem a lot of bronze that they found in Betah and Berothai, two cities that King Hadadezer had previously ruled.

9When Toi, the king of the Hamath city in Syria, heard that David’s army had defeated the entire army of King Hadadezer,

10he sent his son Joram to greet King David and to ◄congratulate him/say that he was happy► about his army defeating Hadadezer’s army, which Toi’s army had fought many times. Joram brought to David many items/gifts made from gold, silver, and bronze.

11King David dedicated all those items to Yahweh. He also dedicated the silver and gold which his army had taken from the nations that they had conquered.

12They had taken items from the Edom people-group and the Moab people-group, from the Ammon people-group, from the Philistia people, and from the descendants of Amalek, as well as from the people that Hadadezer previously ruled.

13When David returned after defeating the armies of Syria, he became more famous because his army killed 18,000 soldiers from the Edom people-group in the Salt Valley near the Dead Sea.

14David stationed ◄groups of his soldiers/army camps► throughout the Edom area, and forced the people there to accept him as their king. Yahweh enabled David’s army to win battles wherever they went.

15David ruled over all the Israeli people, and he always did for them what was fair and just.

16Joab was the army commander; Jehoshaphat, the son of Ahilud, was the man who reported to the people everything that David decided that they should do;

17Zadok the son of Ahitub and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar were the priests; Seraiah was the official secretary;

18Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was the commander of ◄David’s bodyguards/the men who protected the king►; and David’s sons were priests (OR, his administrators/advisors).