1Ch 20 | EE | STEP | Joab and the army went out in the spring. It was the time of the year when kings go out to fight. Joab destroyed the land of the Ammonites and he came to Rabbah. He put his soldiers all round it. But David stayed in Jerusalem. Joab knocked down the buildings in Rabbah and he broke them.

1 Chronicles 20

Joab wins the fight for Rabbah

1 Joab and the army went out in the spring. It was the time of the year when kings go out to fight. Joab destroyed the land of the Ammonites and he came to Rabbah. He put his soldiers all round it. But David stayed in Jerusalem. Joab knocked down the buildings in Rabbah and he broke them. 2 David took the crown from the head of Rabbah’s king. It was heavy and its weight was about 34 kilos (75 pounds). It was a crown of gold and there was a valuable stone in it. David’s men put it on his head. He also took very many good things from the city. 3 He took out the people who were there. And they had to work for him with tools to cut wood and with iron tools and with axes. That is what David did to all the cities in Ammon. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.

The army fights the Philistines

4 Some time after that, they fought the Philistines at Gezer. Sibbecai from Hushah killed a man called Sippai. Sippai was a descendant of the very large people. So Israel beat the Philistines.

5 In another fight with the Philistines, Jair’s son Elhanan killed Lahmi. Lahmi was the brother of Goliath from Gath. And he had a very heavy spear. Its handle was as large as the piece of wood that people use to make cloth.

6 And there was again war at Gath. A very tall man in Gath had 24 fingers and toes. He had 6 fingers on each hand and 6 toes on each foot. He too was a descendant of the very large people. 7 He said that Israel’s soldiers were silly. So Jonathan, son of David’s brother, Shimea killed him.

8 David and his men killed all those descendants of the very large people in Gath.