David Defeats the Ammonites and the Syrians
(1 Chronicles 19.1-19)1 Some time later King Nahash of Ammon died, and his son Hanun became king. 2 King David said, “I must show loyal friendship to Hanun, as his father Nahash did to me.” So David sent messengers to express his sympathy.
When they arrived in Ammon, 3 the Ammonite leaders said to the king, “Do you think that it is in your father's honor that David has sent these men to express sympathy to you? Of course not! He has sent them here as spies to explore the city, so that he can conquer us!”
4 Hanun seized David's messengers, shaved off one side of their beards, cut off their clothes at the hips, and sent them away. 5 They were too ashamed to return home. When David heard about what had happened, he sent word for them to stay in Jericho and not return until their beards had grown again.
6 The Ammonites realized that they had made David their enemy, so they hired twenty thousand Syrian soldiers from Bethrehob and Zobah, twelve thousand men from Tob, and the king of Maacah with a thousand men. 7 David heard of it and sent Joab against them with the whole army. 8 The Ammonites marched out and took up their position at the entrance to Rabbah, their capital city, while the others, both the Syrians and the men from Tob and Maacah, took up their position in the open countryside.
9 Joab saw that the enemy troops would attack him in front and from the rear, so he chose the best of Israel's soldiers and put them in position facing the Syrians. 10 He placed the rest of his troops under the command of his brother Abishai, who put them in position facing the Ammonites. 11 Joab said to him, “If you see that the Syrians are defeating me, come and help me, and if the Ammonites are defeating you, I will go and help you. 12 Be strong and courageous! Let's fight hard for our people and for the cities of our God. And may the Lord's will be done!”
13 Joab and his men advanced to attack, and the Syrians fled. 14 When the Ammonites saw the Syrians running away, they fled from Abishai and retreated into the city. Then Joab turned back from fighting the Ammonites and went back to Jerusalem.
15 The Syrians realized that they had been defeated by the Israelites, and so they called all their troops together. 16 King Hadadezer sent for the Syrians who were on the east side of the Euphrates River, and they came to Helam under the command of Shobach, commander of the army of King Hadadezer of Zobah. 17 When David heard of it, he gathered the Israelite troops, crossed the Jordan River, and marched to Helam, where the Syrians took up their position facing him. The fighting began, 18 and the Israelites drove the Syrian army back. David and his men killed seven hundred Syrian chariot drivers and forty thousand cavalry, and they wounded Shobach, the enemy commander, who died on the battlefield. 19 When the kings who were subject to Hadadezer realized that they had been defeated by the Israelites, they made peace with them and became their subjects. And the Syrians were afraid to help the Ammonites any more.
Dafite unokunda Baamoni ne Basiriya
(1 Zwiyitikalo 19:1-19)1 Kwakati shule kwa ikoku, mambo we Baamoni kafa, ngono nkololo uwe Hanuni kan'gala thaka. 2 Dafite kabe eti, “Ndowothamila Hanuni nkololo wa Nahashi buthu, sekwa tate babe bakandithamila buthu.” Ndizo Dafite katuma batumwa kunomila mu bumo gugwe kunfumidza ngekwa tate babe.
Kwakati bamilili ba Dafite baswika mu shango ye Baamoni, 3 batungamili be Baamoni bakadwa Hanuni tetshi wabo bakati, “Apa mokumbula kuti Dafite unoteta tate benyu, ngotumila batumwa kuwomila kumuli kene? Apa aazobatumila kuwoshola nzi bali shodzi kuti baukulile kene?”
4 Ndizo Hanuni kabe ebhata batumwa ba Dafite, ebatesela ndedu lushaya gumwe gwe mmwe ne mmwe wabo, ebe etjeka zwiambalo zwabo kuma muthunji, ebe ebatata. 5 Kwakati Dafite abudziwa ngekwako, katuma batumwa kunobashanganidza, ngobe bakabe balengudzika kwazo. Mambo bakabadwa bakati, “Mugale ku Jerikho kuswikila ndedu dzenyu dzikula ndizo mukobuya.”
6 Kwakati Baamoni batjibona kuti bazwigwisanya na Dafite, bakatapa babhayani be makumbo bali zwiwulu zwili makumi mabili (20 000) be Baaramu kudwa ku Bhetirehobhu ne Baaramu be Zoba, na Mambo we Maakha ana balume bali tjiwulu (1 000), nenge balume bali zwiwulu zwili gumi lina kubili (12 000) banodwa ku Tobi. 7 Kwakati Dafite ehwa ikoku, katuma Joabu ne goko lose le babhayani. 8 Baamoni bakabhuda bakama bali mu ndongoloso ye ngwa pa nkoba we nzi wabo, koga Baaramu be Zoba ne be Rehobu ne balume be Tobi ne Maaka bakabe bali kupoga ku shango.
9 Kukati Joabu ebona kuti ngwa yankomba mbeli na shule, kashalula bamwe be babhayani banogalikabgwe, kabalingisanya ne Baaramu. 10 Bamwe balume bakasala kabalonga mu maboko Abishayi nnung'una uwe kube pasi kukwe, kabalingisanya ne Baamoni. 11 Kabe endwa eti, “Ha Baaramu bangandikulila, unowozha kuwondibhatsha, ngono ha Baamoni bangakukulila, ndowozha kuwokubhatsha. 12 Ube ne tjilopa, tigwe takasima tigwila bathu bedu ne mizi ye Ndzimu wedu, Yahwe ngabathame tjabanobona tjakabalulwamila.”
13 Ndizo Joabu ne baakabe anabo bakasedzela mu ngwa kugwa ne Baaramu, Baaramu bakantizha. 14 Kwakati Baamoni bebona Baaramu betizha naibobo bakatizha Abishayi bakangina mu nzi. Ndizo Joabu kabgwilila ku Jerusalema. 15 Shule kwe Baaramu basinobona kuti bakundiwa ne Baiziraela bakazwikubunganya. 16 Hadadezeri kadusa hwi kudana Baaramu bakabe bali seli kwe Gwizi gwe Yufuratesi, ngono bakazha ku Helamu, Shobaki nlauli we babhayani ba Hadadezeri akabatungamilila. 17 Kwakati Dafite ebudziwa ngekwako, kakubunganya Baiziraela bose, bakatjuluka Jorodani bakayenda ku Helamu. Baaramu bakazwilulwamisila ngwa bakashanganidza Dafite kugwa naye. 18 Koga Baaramu bakamadzuka betizha Baiziraela, Dafite kabulaya bayendisi be koloyi dze ngwa bali mazana ali kutendeka (700) ne babhayani be makumbo bali zwiwulu zwili makumi manna (40 000), bakaloba bakakubadza Shobaki nlauli we ngwa yabo, kafila ipapo. 19 Kwakati bomambo bose bakabe bali makulukota a Hadadezeri bebona kuti bakundiwa nge Iziraela, bakathama tjidumilano nabo bakabe balanda babo. Ndizo Baaramu bakatja bakasitjafe babhatsha Baamoni kakale.