1 Chronicles 19
Open in the reader1Some time later, Serpent king of the children of Kindred died and was succeeded by his son.
2And Beloved said, “I will show kindness to Favored son of Serpent, because his father showed kindness to me.” So Beloved sent messengers to console Favored concerning his father. But when Beloved’s servants arrived in the land of the children of Kindred to console him,
3the princes of the children of Kindred said to Favored, “Just because Beloved has sent you comforters, do you really believe he is showing respect for your father? Have not his servants come to you to explore the land, spy it out, and overthrow it?”
4So Favored took Beloved’s servants, shaved their beards, cut off their garments at the hips, and sent them away.
5When someone came and told Beloved about his men, he sent messengers to meet them, since the men had been thoroughly humiliated. The king told them, “Stay in Moon until your beards have grown back, and then return.”
6When the children of Kindred realized that they had become a stench to Beloved, Favored and the children of Kindred sent a thousand talents of silver to hire for themselves chariots and horsemen from Aram-of-Two-Rivers, Highland-maacah, and Station.
7So they hired for themselves thirty-two thousand chariots, as well as the king of Pressed-Down with his troops, who came and camped near Waters-of-Quietude while the children of Kindred were mustered from their cities and marched out for battle.
8On hearing this, Beloved sent He-Who-Is-Father and the entire army of mighty men.
9The children of Kindred marched out and arrayed themselves for battle at the entrance to the city, while the kings who had come stayed by themselves in the open country.
10When He-Who-Is-Father saw the battle lines before him and behind him, he selected some of the best men of Strives-with-God and arrayed them against the Highlandeans.
11And he placed the rest of the troops under the command of his brother My-Father-Is-a-Gift, who arrayed them against the children of Kindred.
12“If the children of Highland are too strong for me,” said He-Who-Is-Father, “then you will come to my rescue. And if the children of Kindred 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 He-Who-Is do what is good in His sight.”
14So He-Who-Is-Father and his troops advanced to fight the children of Highland, who fled before him.
15When the children of Kindred saw that the children of Highland had fled, they too fled before He-Who-Is-Father’s brother My-Father-Is-a-Gift, and they entered the city. So He-Who-Is-Father went back to Foundation-of-Peace.
16When the children of Highland saw that they had been defeated by Strives-with-God, they sent messengers to bring more children of Highland from beyond the Euphrates, with Poured the commander of Hadad-Helps’s army leading them.
17When this was reported to Beloved, he gathered all Strives-with-God, crossed the Descender, advanced toward the children of Highland, and arrayed for battle against them. When Beloved lined up to engage them in battle, they fought against him.
18But the children of Highland fled before Strives-with-God, and Beloved killed seven thousand of their charioteers and forty thousand foot soldiers. He also killed Poured the commander of their army.
19When Hadad-Helps’s subjects saw that they had been defeated by Strives-with-God, they made peace with Beloved and became subject to him. So the children of Highland were unwilling to help the children of Kindred anymore.