2Sa 8 | EE | STEP | Some time after that, David fought and he won a fight with the Philistines. They stopped fighting and he took from them power over their capital city.

2 Samuel 8

David wins more fights

1 Some time after that, David fought and he won a fight with the Philistines. They stopped fighting and he took from them power over their capital city. ^{▼▼8:1 This story carries on from the end of chapter 5.}

2 He also won a fight with the Moabites. He caused equal groups of them to lie down on the ground. His soldiers killed the Moabites in 2 groups out of every 3 groups. But they did not kill the other men. So those Moabites became David’s servants and they began to pay taxes to him.

3 Also David fought Hadadezer, Rehob’s son, king of Zobah. This was because Hadadezer had tried to have power again over the land next to the Euphrates River. 4 David took from him 1700 riders of horses and 20,000 soldiers who walked. He kept 100 of the chariot horses. And he cut the legs of the other horses so that they could not run.

5 The Syrians from Damascus sent an army to help Hadadezer, the king of Zobah. And David killed 22,000 out of the Syrian men. 6 David put soldiers to live among the Syrian people in Damascus. And the people there became his servants and they brought taxes to him. The LORD caused David to win all his fights in every place that he went to.

7 Hadadezer’s officers had shields of gold, so David took the shields to Jerusalem. 8 Tebah and Berothai were Hadadezer’s towns and David took a lot of bronze from them.

9 Then people told Toi, the king of Hamath, that David had won the fight with all Hadadezer’s army. 10 Hadadezer had fought against Toi. So Toi sent his son, Joram to tell David what a good thing he had done. And he wanted to ask for peace with David. Joram brought David things of gold, silver and bronze.

11 David took these things and he gave them to the LORD. He had done that with all the silver and gold that he had taken from other nations. That included all the nations that David had beaten. 12 He had won fights with Edom, Moab and the Ammonites, and with the Philistines and the Amalekites. He also gave the LORD things that he had taken from Rehob’s son Hadadezer, king of Zobah.

13 David went to the Valley of Salt. There, his army beat 18,000 men from Edom. Many people knew about that. 14 He put soldiers’ camps in every part of the country of Edom. David ruled everyone who lived in Edom. The LORD kept David safe in every place that he went to.

David’s officers

15 David ruled over all Israel. He did everything that was right and good for his people. 16 Zeruiah’s son, Joab was over the army. And Ahilud’s son, Jehoshaphat recorded the important things that happened. 17 Ahitub’s son Zadok and Abiathar’s son Ahimelech were priests and Seraiah wrote things for David. 18 Jehoiada’s son Benaiah was leader of the two groups of men who kept David safe. And David’s sons helped him to rule.