David’s victories, and his chief officers.

¹ Now after these things, it happened that David struck the Philistines, and he humbled them. And David took the bridle of tribute from the hand of the Philistines.

² And he struck Moab, and he measured them with a line, leveling them to the ground. Now he measured with two lines, one to kill, and one to keep alive. And Moab was made to serve David under tribute.

³ And David struck Hadadezer, the son of Rehob, the king of Zobah, when he set out to rule over the river Euphrates.

⁴ And from his troops, David seized one thousand seven hundred horsemen and twenty thousand foot soldiers. And he cut the sinew of the leg in all the chariot horses. But he left aside enough of them for one hundred chariots.

⁵ And the Syrians of Damascus arrived, so that they might bring reinforcements to Hadadezer, the king of Zobah. And David struck down twenty-two thousand men of the Syrians.

⁶ And David positioned a garrison in Syria of Damascus. And Syria served David under tribute. And the Lord assisted David in all things whatsoever that he set out to accomplish.

⁷ And David took the armbands of gold, which the servants of Hadadezer had, and he brought them to Jerusalem.

⁸ And from Betah and Beeroth, cities of Hadadezer, king David took an exceedingly great amount of brass.

⁹ Then Toi, the king of Hamath, heard that David had struck down the entire strength of Hadadezer.

¹⁰ And so, Toi sent his son Joram to king David, so that he might greet him with congratulations, and give thanks, because he had fought against Hadadezer and had struck him down. For indeed, Toi was the enemy of Hadadezer. And in his hand were vessels of gold, and vessels of silver, and vessels of brass.

¹¹ And king David also sanctified these things to the Lord, with the silver and gold that he had sanctified from all the peoples whom he had subdued:

¹² from Syria, and Moab, and the sons Ammon, and the Philistines, and Amalek, and from the best spoils of Hadadezer, the son of Rehob, the king of Zobah.

¹³ David also made a name for himself when he returned from seizing Syria, in the Valley of the Salt Pits, having cut down eighteen thousand.

¹⁴ And he positioned guards in Edom, and he stationed a garrison. And all of Edom was made to serve David. And the Lord assisted David in all things whatsoever that he set out to accomplish.

¹⁵ And David reigned over all of Israel. And David accomplished judgment and justice with all his people.

¹⁶ Now Joab, the son Zeruiah, was over the army. And Jehoshaphat, the son of Ahilud, was the keeper of records.¹

1. 8:16Recorder: Or chancellor.(Challoner)

¹⁷ And Zadok, the son of Ahitub, and Ahimelech, the son of Abiathar, were the priests. And Seraiah was the scribe.¹

1. 8:17Scribe: Or secretary.(Challoner)

¹⁸ And Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, was over the Cherethites and Pelethites. But the sons of David were priests.¹²

1. 8:18The Cerethi and Phelethi: The king’s guards.(Challoner)
2. 8:18Princes: Literally priests. (Cohen) So called, by a title of honour, and not from exercising the priestly functions.(Challoner)