THE AMMONITES DISHONOR DAVID’S MEN

Now it happened afterwards, that Nahash the king of the sons of Ammon died, and his son became king in his place.2 So David said, “I will show lovingkindness to Hanun the son of Nahash, because his father showed lovingkindness to me.” So David sent messengers to comfort him concerning his father. And David’s servants came into the land of the sons of Ammon to Hanun to comfort him.3 But the princes of the sons of Ammon said to Hanun, “In your eyes, is David honoring your father because he has sent comforters to you? Have not his servants come to you to search and to overthrow and to spy out the land?”4 So Hanun took David’s servants and shaved them and cut off their garments in the middle as far as their hips, and sent them away.5 Then certain persons went and told David about the men. And he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly dishonored. And the king said, “Stay at Jericho until your beards grow, and then return.”6 Then the sons of Ammon saw that they had made themselves odious to David. So Hanun and the sons of Ammon sent 1,000 talents of silver to hire for themselves chariots and horsemen from Mesopotamia, from Aram-maacah, and from Zobah.7 So they hired for themselves 32,000 chariots, and the king of Maacah and his people, who came and camped before Medeba. And the sons of Ammon gathered together from their cities and came to battle.8 Then David heard of it, and he sent Joab and all the army, the mighty men.9 And the sons of Ammon came out and arranged themselves for battle at the entrance of the city. But the kings who had come were by themselves in the field.