Psalms 68:30

¹²Many bulls have surrounded me. Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me. ¹³They open their mouths wide against me, lions tearing prey and roaring.

¹⁰You have broken Rahab in pieces, like one of the slain. You have scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.

²²For I delight in God’s law after the inward person,

³Speak and say, ‘The Lord GOD says: “Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great monster that lies in the middle of his rivers, that has said, ‘My river is my own, and I have made it for myself.’

¹After this, David struck the Philistines and subdued them; and David took the bridle of the mother city out of the hand of the Philistines. ²He defeated Moab, and measured them with the line, making them to lie down on the ground; and he measured two lines to put to death, and one full line to keep alive. The Moabites became servants to David, and brought tribute.

³David also struck Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, as he went to recover his dominion at the River. ⁴David took from him one thousand seven hundred horsemen and twenty thousand footmen. David hamstrung the chariot horses, but reserved enough of them for one hundred chariots. ⁵When the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David struck twenty two thousand men of the Syrians. ⁶Then David put garrisons in Syria of Damascus; and the Syrians became servants to David, and brought tribute. The LORD gave victory to David wherever he went. ⁷David took the shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadadezer, and brought them to Jerusalem. ⁸From Betah and from Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, King David took a great quantity of bronze.

⁹When Toi king of Hamath heard that David had struck all the army of Hadadezer, ¹⁰then Toi sent Joram his son to King David to greet him and to bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer and struck him; for Hadadezer had wars with Toi. Joram brought with him vessels of silver, vessels of gold, and vessels of bronze. ¹¹King David also dedicated these to the LORD, with the silver and gold that he dedicated of all the nations which he subdued— ¹²of Syria, of Moab, of the children of Ammon, of the Philistines, of Amalek, and of the plunder of Hadadezer, son of Rehob, king of Zobah.

¹³David earned a reputation when he returned from striking down eighteen thousand men of the Syrians in the Valley of Salt. ¹⁴He put garrisons in Edom. Throughout all Edom, he put garrisons, and all the Edomites became servants to David. The LORD gave victory to David wherever he went.

¹⁵David reigned over all Israel; and David executed justice and righteousness for all his people. ¹⁶Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army, Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder, ¹⁷Zadok the son of Ahitub and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar were priests, Seraiah was scribe, ¹⁸Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David’s sons were chief ministers.

²¹He lies under the lotus trees, in the covert of the reed, and the marsh.

¹¹“Because you are glad, because you rejoice, O you who plunder my heritage, because you are wanton as a heifer that treads out the grain, and neigh as strong horses,

⁴⁴As soon as they hear of me they shall obey me. The foreigners shall submit themselves to me.

⁷I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war.

¹After this, the king of the children of Ammon died, and Hanun his son reigned in his place. ²David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent by his servants to comfort him concerning his father. David’s servants came into the land of the children of Ammon.

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

⁴So Hanun took David’s servants, shaved off one half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their buttocks, and sent them away. ⁵When they told David this, he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly ashamed. The king said, “Wait at Jericho until your beards have grown, and then return.”

⁶When the children of Ammon saw that they had become odious to David, the children of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians of Beth Rehob and the Syrians of Zobah, twenty thousand footmen, and the king of Maacah with one thousand men, and the men of Tob twelve thousand men. ⁷When David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the army of the mighty men. ⁸The children of Ammon came out, and put the battle in array at the entrance of the gate. The Syrians of Zobah and of Rehob and the men of Tob and Maacah were by themselves in the field. ⁹Now 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. ¹⁰The rest of the people he committed into the hand of Abishai his brother; and he put them in array against the children of Ammon. ¹¹He said, “If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the children of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will come and help you. ¹²Be courageous, and let’s be strong for our people and for the cities of our God; and may the LORD do what seems good to him.” ¹³So Joab and the people who were with him came near to the battle against the Syrians, and they fled before him. ¹⁴When the children of Ammon saw that the Syrians had fled, they likewise fled before Abishai, and entered into the city. Then Joab returned from the children of Ammon and came to Jerusalem.

¹⁵When the Syrians saw that they were defeated by Israel, they gathered themselves together. ¹⁶Hadadezer sent and brought out the Syrians who were beyond the River; and they came to Helam, with Shobach the captain of the army of Hadadezer at their head. ¹⁷David was told that; and he gathered all Israel together, passed over the Jordan, and came to Helam. The Syrians set themselves in array against David and fought with him. ¹⁸The Syrians fled before Israel; and David killed seven hundred charioteers of the Syrians and forty thousand horsemen, and struck Shobach the captain of their army, so that he died there. ¹⁹When all the kings who were servants to Hadadezer saw that they were defeated before Israel, they made peace with Israel and served them. So the Syrians were afraid to help the children of Ammon any more.