David's Military Victories
(1 Chronicles 18.1-17)1 Some time later King David attacked the Philistines again, defeated them, and ended their control over the land.
2 Then he defeated the Moabites. He made the prisoners lie down on the ground and put two out of every three of them to death. So the Moabites became his subjects and paid taxes to him.
3 Then he defeated the king of the Syrian state of Zobah, Hadadezer son of Rehob, as Hadadezer was on his way to restore his control over the territory by the upper Euphrates River. 4 David captured seventeen hundred of his cavalry and twenty thousand of his foot soldiers. He kept enough horses for a hundred chariots and crippled all the rest.
5 When the Syrians of Damascus sent an army to help King Hadadezer, David attacked it and killed twenty-two thousand men. 6 Then he set up military camps in their territory, and they became his subjects and paid taxes to him. The Lord made David victorious everywhere. 7 David captured the gold shields carried by Hadadezer's officials and took them to Jerusalem. 8 He also took a great quantity of bronze from Betah and Berothai, cities ruled by Hadadezer.
9 King Toi of Hamath heard that David had defeated all of Hadadezer's army. 10 So he sent his son Joram to greet King David and congratulate him for his victory over Hadadezer, against whom Toi had fought many times. Joram took David presents made of gold, silver, and bronze. 11 King David dedicated them for use in worship, along with the silver and gold he took from the nations he had conquered— 12 Edom, Moab, Ammon, Philistia, and Amalek—as well as part of the loot he had taken from Hadadezer.
13 David became even more famous when he returned from killing eighteen thousand Edomites in Salt Valley. 14 He set up military camps throughout Edom, and the people there became his subjects. The Lord made David victorious everywhere.
15 David ruled over all of Israel and made sure that his people were always treated fairly and justly. 16 Joab, whose mother was Zeruiah, was the commander of the army; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was in charge of the records; 17 Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech son of Abiathar were priests; Seraiah was the court secretary; 18 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was in charge of David's bodyguards; and David's sons were priests.
A List of David's Victories in War
(1 Chronicles 18.1-13)1 Later, David attacked and badly defeated the Philistines. Israel was now free from their control.
2 David also defeated the Moabites. Then he made their soldiers lie down on the ground, and he measured them off with a rope. He would measure off two lengths of the rope and have those men killed, then he would measure off one length and let those men live. The people of Moab had to accept David as their ruler and pay taxes to him.
3 David set out for the Euphrates River to build a monument there. On his way, he defeated the king of Zobah, whose name was Hadadezer the son of Rehob. 4 In the battle, David captured 1,700 cavalry and 20,000 foot soldiers. He also captured war chariots, but he destroyed all but 100 of them. 5 When troops from the Aramean kingdom of Damascus came to help Hadadezer, David killed 22,000 of them. 6 He left some of his soldiers in Damascus, and the Arameans had to accept David as their ruler and pay taxes to him.
Everywhere David went, the Lord helped him win battles.
7 Hadadezer's officers had carried their arrows in gold cases hung over their shoulders, but David took these cases and brought them to Jerusalem. 8 He also took a lot of bronze from the cities of Betah and Berothai, which had belonged to Hadadezer.
9-10 King Toi of Hamath and King Hadadezer had been enemies. So when Toi heard that David had attacked and defeated Hadadezer's whole army, he sent his son Joram to praise and congratulate David. Joram also brought him gifts made of silver, gold, and bronze. 11 David gave these to the Lord, just as he had done with the silver and gold that he had captured from 12 Edom, Moab, Ammon, Philistia, Amalek, and from King Hadadezer of Zobah.
13 David fought the Edomite army in Salt Valley and killed 18,000 of their soldiers. When he returned, he built a monument. 14 David left soldiers all through Edom, and the people of Edom had to accept him as their ruler.
Wherever David went, the Lord helped him.
A List of David's Officials
(1 Chronicles 18.14-17)15 David ruled all Israel with fairness and justice.
16 Joab the son of Zeruiah was the commander in chief of the army.
Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud kept the government records.
17 Zadok the son of Ahitub, and Abiathar the son of Ahimelech, were the priests.
Seraiah was the secretary.
18 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was the commander of David's bodyguard.
David's sons were priests.