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time later the king of the Ammonites died, and his son Hanun became king in his place. 2 David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent a delegation of emissaries to console Hanun concerning his father.
However when David’s men came to the land of the Ammonites, 3 the Ammonite leaders said to Hanun their lord, “Do you really believe that David is honouring your father by sending men with a message of condolence to you? Instead, hasn’t David sent them to you to search the city, spy it out, and overthrow it?” 4 So Hanun seized David’s men, shaved off half their beards, cut off their garments in the middle at their buttocks, and sent them away.
5 When David was told about this, he sent messengers to meet the men, for they were terribly embarrassed. The king said, “Remain at Jericho until your beards have regrown, and then come back.”
6 When the Ammonites realised that they had become repulsive to David, they hired twenty thousand foot soldiers from that Arameans of Beth-rehob and Zobah, as well as a thousand men from the king of Maacah, and twelve thousand men from Tob.
7 When David heard about this, he sent out Joab and the entire army of fighting men. 8 The Ammonites marched out and lined up in battle formation at the entrance to their city gate, while the Arameans of Zobah and Rehob and the men of Tob and Maacah were by themselves out across the open ground.
9 Joab saw that there were battle lines in front of him and behind him, so he chose some of the picked men of Israel, and arrayed them against the Arameans. 10 He put the rest of the troops under the command of Abishai his brother and he deployed them against the Ammonites. 11 Joab said, “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you will help me; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come and help you. 12 Be strong, and let us be courageous for the sake of our people and for the cities of our God. The Lord will do what is good in His eyes.”
13 So Joab and all his troops advanced to fight in battle against the Arameans, but the Arameans fled before him. 14 When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans were fleeing, they also fled before Abishai and went inside the city. So Joab broke off the attack against the Ammonites and went to Jerusalem.
15 When the Arameans saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they regrouped. 16 Hadarezer sent for Arameans who were beyond the River, and they came to Helam with Shobach the commander of Hadarezer’s army leading them.
17 When David was told of this, he gathered all Israel together, and crossed over the Jordan and went to Helam. The Arameans lined up in their battle formations to meet David and fought against him. 18 But the Arameans fled before Israel, and David killed seven hundred of their charioteers and forty thousand of their horsemen. He also struck down Shobach the commander of their army, who died there. 19 When all the vassal king of Hadarezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel and became their vassals.
So the Arameans were afraid to help the Ammonites anymore.