1. Nahash was king of the Ammonites. When Nahash died, his son became the new king.
2. Then David said, “Nahash was kind to me, so I will be kind to Hanun, Nahash’s son.” So David sent messengers to comfort Hanun about the death of his father. David’s messengers went to the country of Ammon to comfort Hanun.
3. But the Ammonite leaders said to Hanun, “Don’t be fooled. David didn’t really send these men to comfort you or to honor your dead father! No, David sent his servants to spy on you and your land. He really wants to destroy your country!”
4. So Hanun arrested David’s servants and cut off their beards. Hanun also cut their clothes off at the hip and sent them away.
5. David’s men were too embarrassed to go home. Some people went to David and told him what happened to his men. So King David sent this message to his men: “Stay in the town of Jericho until your beards grow again. Then you can come back home.”
6. The Ammonites saw they had caused themselves to become hated enemies of David. Then Hanun and the Ammonites used 75,000 pounds of silver to buy chariots and chariot drivers from Mesopotamia. They also got chariots and chariot drivers from the towns of Maacah and Zobah in Aram.
7. The Ammonites bought 32,000 chariots. They also paid the king of Maacah and his army to come and help them. The king of Maacah and his people came and set up a camp near the town of Medeba. The Ammonites themselves came out of their towns and got ready for battle.
8. David heard that the Ammonites were getting ready for war. So he sent Joab and the whole army of Israel to fight the Ammonites.
9. The Ammonites came out and got ready for battle. They were near the city gate. The kings who had come to help stayed out in the fields by themselves.