10:2. And David said: I will shew kindness to Hanon the son of Daas, as
his father shewed kindness to me. So David sent his servants to comfort
him for the death of his father. But when the servants of David were
come into the land of the children of Ammon,

10:3. The princes of the children of Ammon said to Hanon their lord:
Thinkest thou that for the honour of thy father, David hath sent
comforters to thee, and hath not David rather sent his servants to thee
to search, and spy into the city, and overthrow it?

10:4. Wherefore Hanon took the servants of David, and shaved off the one
half of their beards, and cut away half of their garments even to the
buttocks, and sent them away.

10:5. When this was told David, he sent to meet them: for the men were
sadly put to confusion, and David commanded them, saying: Stay at
Jericho, till your beards be grown, and then return.

10:6. And the children of Ammon seeing that they had done an injury to
David, sent and hired the Syrians of Rohob, and the Syrians of Soba,
twenty thousand footmen, and of the king of Maacha a thousand men, and
of Istob twelve thousand men.

10:7. And when David heard this, he sent Joab and the whole army of
warriors.

10:8. And the children of Ammon came out, and set their men in array at
the entering in of the gate: but the Syrians of Soba, and of Rohob, and
of Istob, and of Maacha were by themselves in the field.

10:9. Then Joab seeing that the battle was prepared against him, both
before and behind, chose of all the choice men of Israel, and put them
in array against the Syrians:

10:10. And the rest of the people he delivered to Abisai his brother,
who set them in array against the children of Ammon.

10:11. And Joab said: If the Syrians are too strong for me, then thou
shalt help me, but if the children of Ammon are too strong for thee,
then I will help thee.

10:12. Be of good courage, and let us fight for our people, and for the
city of our God: and the Lord will do what is good in his sight.

10:13. And Joab and the people that were with him, began to fight
against the Syrians: and they immediately fled before him.

10:14. And the children of Ammon seeing that the Syrians were fled, they
fled also before Abisai, and entered into the city: and Joab returned
from the children of Ammon, and came to Jerusalem.

10:15. Then the Syrians seeing that they had fallen before Israel,
gathered themselves together.

10:16. And Adarezer se