2 Samuel 12:26-31·~1 min

The Capture of Rabbah

Joab fights at Rabbah and captures its royal stronghold and water supply. He sends for David to gather the rest of the troops and take the city so the victory will bear David's name.

M²⁶eanwhile, Joab fought against Rabbah of the Ammonites and captured the royal fortress. ²⁷Then Joab sent messengers to David to say, “I have fought against Rabbah and have captured the water supply of the city. ²⁸Now, therefore, assemble the rest of the troops, lay siege to the city, and capture it. Otherwise I will capture the city, and it will be named after me.”

David comes with the troops, captures Rabbah, takes the king's crown and much plunder, and puts the people of the city to labor. Then he and all the troops return to Jerusalem.

²⁹So David assembled all the troops and went to Rabbah; and he fought against it and captured it. ³⁰Then he took the crown from the head of their king. It weighed a talent of gold and was set with precious stones, and it was placed on David’s head. And David took a great amount of plunder from the city. ³¹David brought out the people who were there and put them to work with saws, iron picks, and axes, and he made them work at the brick kilns. He did the same to all the Ammonite cities. Then David and all his troops returned to Jerusalem.

Section summaryThe narrative returns to the Ammonite war as Joab takes the city's strong position and calls David to complete the capture himself. David comes, takes the city and its plunder, and subjects the Ammonite population to forced labor before returning to Jerusalem.

Role in the chapterThis closing section reconnects the chapter to the military setting left in chapter 11. It restores the public narrative of kingship, though now after the private crisis has been named and judged.