David Defeats Ammon and Aram

Joab sees Israel surrounded and divides the army between himself and Abishai. He calls for courage on behalf of the people and the cities of God, leaves the result with the LORD, and the enemy lines collapse.

W¹⁰hen Joab saw the battle lines before him and behind him, he selected some of the best men of Israel and arrayed them against the Arameans. ¹¹And he placed the rest of the troops under the command of his brother Abishai, who arrayed them against the Ammonites. ¹²“If the Arameans are too strong for me,” said Joab, “then you will come to my rescue. And if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come to your rescue. ¹³Be strong and let us fight bravely for our people and for the cities of our God. May the LORD do what is good in His sight.” ¹⁴So Joab and his troops advanced to fight the Arameans, who fled before him. ¹⁵When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans had fled, they too fled before Joab’s brother Abishai, and they entered the city. So Joab went back to Jerusalem.

The Arameans gather more troops from beyond the Euphrates, but David leads all Israel across the Jordan to meet them. Israel defeats them decisively, killing their commander and forcing peace, so Aram no longer helps Ammon.

¹⁶When the Arameans saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they sent messengers to bring more Arameans from beyond the Euphrates, with Shophach the commander of Hadadezer’s army leading them. ¹⁷When this was reported to David, he gathered all Israel, crossed the Jordan, advanced toward the Arameans, and arrayed for battle against them. When David lined up to engage them in battle, they fought against him. ¹⁸But the Arameans fled before Israel, and David killed seven thousand of their charioteers and forty thousand foot soldiers. He also killed Shophach the commander of their army. ¹⁹When Hadadezer’s subjects saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with David and became subject to him. So the Arameans were unwilling to help the Ammonites anymore.