King David, Joab, and the Ammonites
And it came to pass after this, that the king of the children of Ammon died, and Hanun his son reigned in his stead. Then said David, I will shew kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father shewed kindness unto me. And David sent to comfort him by the hand of his servants for his father. And David's servants came into the land of the children of Ammon. And the princes of the children of Ammon said unto Hanun their lord, Thinkest thou that David doth honour thy father, that he hath sent comforters unto thee? hath not David rather sent his servants unto thee, to search the city, and to spy it out, and to overthrow it? Wherefore Hanun took David's servants, and shaved off the one half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their buttocks, and sent them away. When they told it unto David, he sent to them, because the men were greatly ashamed: and the king said, Tarry at Jericho until your beards be grown, and then return. And when the when the children of Ammon saw that they stank before David, the children of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians of Beth-rehob, and the Syrians of Zoba, twenty thousand footmen, and of king Maacah a thousand men, of of Ish-tob twelve thousand men. And when David heard of it, he sent Joab, and all the host of the mighty men. And the children of Ammon came out, and put the battle in array at the entering in of the gate: and the Syrians of Zoba, and of Rehob, and Ish-tob, and Maacah, were by themselves in the field. When Joab saw that the front of the battle was against him before and behind, he chose of all the choice men of Israel, and put them in array against the Syrians: and the rest of the people he delivered into the hand of Abishai his brother, that he might put them in array against the children of Ammon. And he said, If the Syrians be too strong for me, then thou shalt help me: but if the children of Ammon be too strong for thee, then I will come and help thee. Be of good courage, and let us play the men for our people, and for the cities of our God: and the LORD do that which seemeth him good. And Joab drew nigh, and the people that were with him, unto the battle against the Syrians: and they fled before him. And when the children of Ammon saw that the Syrians were fled, then fled they also before Abishai, and entered into the city. So Joab returned from the children of Ammon, and came to Jerusalem. And when the Syrians saw that they were smitten before Israel, they gathered themselves together. And Hadarezer sent, and brought out the Syrians that were beyond the river: and they came to Helam; and Shobach the captain of the host of Hadarezer went before them. And when it was told David, he gathered all Israel together, and passed over Jordan, and came to Helam. And the Syrians set themselves in array against David, and fought with him. And the Syrians fled before Israel; and David slew the men of seven hundred chariots of the Syrians, and forty thousand horsemen, and smote Shobach the captain of their host, who died there. And when all the kings that were servants to Hadarezer saw that they were smitten before Israel, they made peace with Israel, and served them. So the Syrians feared to help the children of Ammon any more.-2 Samuel 10:1-19/the complete chapter***David lived in Bethlehem and was from the tribe of Judah, descended from Abraham (Abram the Hebrew) and Sarah (Sarai), Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob (Israel) and his 1st wife Leah, and Jacob and Leah's 4th born son Judah. Saul lived in Gibeah and was from the tribe of Benjamin, descended from Jacob and his 2nd wife Rachel, and Jacob and Rachel's 2nd and last son Benjamin. The Ammonites and Moabites were descendants of Abraham and Sarah's nephew Lot and Lot's daughters. Moab, the son born to Lot and his oldest daughter, was the forefather of the Moabites, and Ben-ammi, the son born to Lot and Lot's youngest daughter, was the forefather of the Ammonites. When Samuel the priest, prophet and judge from the tribe of Jacob and Leah's 3rd born son Levi was elderly, and his sons Joel (Vashni) and Abiah (Abijah) were not obeying the commands of the Lord God, and King Nahash and his Ammonite army were preparing to attack, the Israelite elders demanded that Samuel appoint a king to lead them, and Samuel anointed Saul to reign, according to the command of the Lord God. At least twice, Saul did not obey the commands of the Lord God. While Saul reigned, the Lord God sent Samuel to Bethlehem to anoint David to reign as king. After Saul heard about David's skills, strength, appearance, and favor with the Lord God, Saul demanded that David's father Jesse send David to him, and David began serving as a musician and an armor-bearer for Saul. Amid the Valley of Elah, David killed and beheaded Goliath the gigantic Philistine, and killed more Philistines on the battlefield. David and Jonathan, Saul's son, made a covenant. The Israelite women sang of David higher than they sang of Saul, and Saul was angry. Saul wanted to kill David, and became afraid of David, and sent David on missions to get killed, and commanded others, including Jonathan, to kill David. Saul's daughter Michal was married to David and helped David escape from their home. David's great-grandmother Ruth was a Moabite, and David was on hospitable terms with a Moabite king, and David took his parents to live among the Moabites for safety. David's reputation as a mighty warrior steadily grew, and he became known as a generous benefactor, and acted favorably toward those who treated him well during the years he lived on the run. After the Philistines killed Jonathan and his brothers Malchishua and Abinadab (Ishui?), and Saul's self-inflicted death on the same battlefield, men from the tribe of Judah anointed 30-year-old David, and David began to reign only over the tribe of Judah in the Promised Land, the land that the Lord God promised to give to Abraham, and Issac, and to Jacob, and their descendants. Saul's son Ishbosheth (Eshbaal) ruled over the other Israelite tribes. Sometime after Ishbosheth was murdered, the Israelite elders went to David, and David made a covenant with them. The elders anointed 37-year-old David, and David began to rule over all of the Israelites. When David sent men to express condolences to King Hanun, the Ammonite king, Hanun and the Ammonites treated David's men disgracefully. Afterwards, to prepare for the battle they believed was about to occur, the Ammonites hired the Arameans of Syria, including King Hadadezer (Hadarezer) and his men, to help them defeat Joab, David's nephew and army commander, and the rest of the Israelite army. Over 900 years after Solomon, a son born to David and Bathsheba, became the 3rd king to rule over all of the Israelites, and 70-year-old David died, Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, was born. Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary, a virgin, and Jesus was born in Bethlehem into the tribe of Judah to Mary and her husband Joseph when Mary was a virgin.-Genesis 11:26-50:26, Exodus, Numbers 20:1-29, 27:12-23, Deuteronomy 31:1-30, 32:44-52, 34:1-12, Joshua 1:1-4:24, 23:1-24:33, Judges 1:1-2:23, Ruth, 1 Samuel 1:1-3:21, 8:1-31:13, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings 1:1-2:12, 1 Chronicles 1:1-34, 2:1-17, 3:1-24, 10:1-29:30, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts 1:1-26, 13:1-52
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