1 Chronicles 19

All 19 verses in the Clear Bible Translation. Tap a verse to compare the KJV and read what it means.

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1. 1Some time later, Nahash the king of Ammon died, and his son became king after him.
2. 2David said, "I want to show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, because his father was kind to me." So David sent messengers to express his sympathy over his father's death. But when David's servants arrived in the land of Ammon to comfort Hanun,
3. 3the Ammonite leaders said to Hanun, "Do you really think David is honoring your father by sending men to comfort you? Haven't his servants come to search, overthrow, and spy out the land?"
4. 4So Hanun seized David's servants, shaved them, cut their garments at the waist near their buttocks, and sent them away.
5. 5When David learned how his men had been treated, he sent someone to meet them, because they were deeply ashamed. The king told them, "Stay in Jericho until your beards grow back, and then return."
6. 6The Ammonites realized they had made themselves odious to David, so Hanun and the Ammonites sent 1,000 talents of silver to hire chariots and horsemen from Mesopotamia, Aram-maacah, and Zobah.
7. 7They hired 32,000 chariots, and the king of Maachah and his people, who came and camped before Medeba. The children of Ammon gathered themselves together from their cities and came to battle.
8. 8When David heard about it, he sent Joab and all the army of mighty men.
9. 9The Ammonites came out and formed their battle lines at the entrance to the city, while the kings who had come as allies took up separate positions in the open field.
10. 10When Joab saw that the battle was arranged against him both in front and behind, he selected the best soldiers from Israel and positioned them to face the Syrians.
11. 11He placed the rest of the troops under the command of his brother Abishai, and they formed up to face the Ammonites.
12. 12Joab told Abishai, "If the Syrians are too strong for me, come and help me. If the Ammonites are too strong for you, I'll come and help you.
13. 13Be brave, and let us act bravely for our people and for the cities of our God. Let the LORD do what is good in his sight.
14. 14Joab and the people with him advanced against the Syrians, and they fled before him.
15. 15When the Ammonites saw that the Syrians had fled, they also retreated from Abishai and pulled back inside the city. After that, Joab returned to Jerusalem.
16. 16When the Syrians realized they had been defeated by Israel, they sent messengers to call for reinforcements — Syrian forces from beyond the Euphrates River. Shophach, the commander of Hadarezer's army, led them.
17. 17When David got word of this, he assembled all of Israel's forces, crossed the Jordan River, and advanced against them. He drew up his battle lines facing the Syrians, and they engaged him in combat.
18. 18But the Syrians fled before Israel, and David killed seven thousand men who fought in chariots and forty thousand foot soldiers, and he also killed Shophach, the commander of the army.
19. 19When Hadarezer's allies saw that Israel had defeated them, they made peace with David and submitted to his authority. From that point on, the Syrians refused to help the Ammonites ever again.