¹It happened after this, that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon died, and his son reigned in his place.

¹Så hendte det at Nahas, Ammons barns konge, døde, og hans sønn blev konge i hans sted.

²David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun the son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent messengers to comfort him concerning his father. David’s servants came into the land of the children of Ammon to Hanun, to comfort him.

²Da sa David: Jeg vil vise Hanun, Nahas' sønn, vennskap, for hans far viste mig vennskap. Og David sendte bud for å trøste ham i hans sorg over faren. Så kom da Davids tjenere til Ammons barns land, til Hanun for å trøste ham.

³But the princes of the children of Ammon said to Hanun, “Do you think that David honors your father, in that he has sent comforters to you? Haven’t his servants come to you to search, to overthrow, and to spy out the land?”

³Da sa Ammons barns høvdinger til Hanun: Tror du det er for å ære din far at David har sendt folk som skal trøste dig? Mon det ikke heller er for å utforske og ødelegge og utspeide landet at hans tjenere er kommet til dig?

⁴So Hanun took David’s servants, and shaved them, and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their buttocks, and sent them away.

⁴Da tok Hanun Davids tjenere og lot dem rake og skar av deres klær midt på like til setet og lot dem så fare.

⁵Then there went certain persons, and told David how the men were served. He sent to meet them; for the men were greatly ashamed. The king said, “Stay at Jericho until your beards have grown, and then return.”

⁵Og det kom nogen og meldte David hvad som hadde hendt hans menn; da sendte han folk som skulde møte dem; for de var grovelig vanæret; og kongen lot si: Bli i Jeriko til eders skjegg er vokset ut igjen, og kom så tilbake!

⁶When the children of Ammon saw that they had made themselves odious to David, Hanun and the children of Ammon sent one thousand talents of silver to hire them chariots and horsemen out of Mesopotamia, and out of Arammaacah, and out of Zobah.

⁶Da nu Ammons barn så at de hadde gjort sig forhatt hos David, sendte Hanun og Ammons barn tusen talenter sølv for å leie sig vogner og hestfolk fra Mesopotamia og fra syrerne i Ma'aka og fra Soba.

⁷So they hired for themselves thirty-two thousand chariots, and the king of Maacah and his people, who came and encamped before Medeba. The children of Ammon gathered themselves together from their cities, and came to battle.

⁷Så leide de sig da to og tretti tusen vogner og kongen i Ma'aka og hans folk, og de kom og leiret sig foran Medba; men også Ammons barn samlet sig fra sine byer og drog ut til strid.

⁸When David heard of it, he sent Joab, and all the army of the mighty men.

⁸Da David hørte dette, sendte han Joab avsted med hele hæren, de krigsvante menn.

⁹The children of Ammon came out, and put the battle in array at the gate of the city: and the kings who had come were by themselves in the field.

⁹Og Ammons barn rykket ut og stilte sig i fylking foran inngangen til byen; men kongene som var kommet dit, stod for sig selv på marken.

¹⁰Now when Joab saw that the battle was set against him before and behind, he chose of all the choice men of Israel, and put them in array against the Syrians.

¹⁰Da Joab så at han hadde fienden mot sig både foran og bak, valgte han ut en del av alt det utvalgte mannskap i Israel og stilte dem op mot syrerne.

¹¹The rest of the people he committed into the hand of Abishai his brother; and they put themselves in array against the children of Ammon.

¹¹Men resten av folket overgav han til sin bror Absai, og de stilte sig i fylking mot Ammons barn.

¹²He said, “If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you are to help me; but if the children of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will help you.

¹²Og han sa: Dersom syrerne blir mig for sterke, skal du komme mig til hjelp, og dersom Ammons barn blir dig for sterke, skal jeg hjelpe dig.

¹³Be courageous, and let us be strong for our people, and for the cities of our God. May Yahweh do that which seems good to him.”

¹³Vær modig, og la oss vise oss modige for vårt folk og for var Guds byer, så lar Herren gjøre hvad. godt er i hans øine!

¹⁴So Joab and the people who were with him drew near before the Syrians to the battle; and they fled before him.

¹⁴Så rykket Joab frem med sine folk til strid mot syrerne, og de flyktet for ham.

¹⁵When the children of Ammon saw that the Syrians had fled, they likewise fled before Abishai his brother, and entered into the city. Then Joab came to Jerusalem.

¹⁵Og da Ammons barn så at syrerne flyktet, så flyktet også de for hans bror Absai og drog sig inn i byen. Da drog Joab tilbake til Jerusalem.

¹⁶When the Syrians saw that they were defeated by Israel, they sent messengers, and drew forth the Syrians who were beyond the River, with Shophach the captain of the army of Hadadezer at their head.

¹⁶Da syrerne så at de var blitt slått av Israel, sendte de bud at de syrere som bodde på hin side av elven*, skulde dra ut; og Sofak, høvdingen over Hadaresers hær, førte dem. / {* Eufrat.}

¹⁷It was told David; and he gathered all Israel together, and passed over the Jordan, and came on them, and set the battle in array against them. So when David had put the battle in array against the Syrians, they fought with him.

¹⁷Da dette blev meldt David, samlet han hele Israel og gikk over Jordan, og da han kom frem til dem, stilte han sig op imot dem - han fylket sin hær mot syrerne, og de stred mot ham.

¹⁸The Syrians fled before Israel; and David killed of the Syrians the men of seven thousand chariots, and forty thousand footmen, and killed Shophach the captain of the army.

¹⁸Men syrerne flyktet for Israel, og David drepte blandt syrerne mannskapet på syv tusen vogner og firti tusen mann fotfolk; også hærføreren Sofak drepte han.

¹⁹When the servants of Hadadezer saw that they were defeated by Israel, they made peace with David, and served him: neither would the Syrians help the children of Ammon any more.

¹⁹Da Hadaresers menn så at de var blitt slått av Israel, gjorde de fred med David og blev hans tjenere; og syrerne vilde ikke mere hjelpe Ammons barn.