2 Samuel 10
Open in the reader1Some time later, the king of the children of Kindred died and was succeeded by his son Favored.
2And Beloved said, “I will show kindness to Favored son of Serpent, just as his father showed kindness to me.” So Beloved sent some of his servants to console Favored concerning his father. But when they arrived in the land of the children of Kindred,
3the princes of the children of Kindred said to Favored their lord, “Just because Beloved has sent you comforters, do you really believe he is showing respect for your father? Has not Beloved instead sent his servants to explore the city, spy it out, and overthrow it?”
4So Favored took Beloved’s servants, shaved off half of each man’s beard, cut off their garments at the hips, and sent them away.
5When this was reported to Beloved, he sent messengers to meet the men, since they 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, they hired twenty thousand child of Highland foot soldiers from Highland-rehob and Highland-of-Station, as well as a thousand men from the king of Pressed-Down and twelve thousand men from Good.
7On hearing this, Beloved sent He-Who-Is-Father and the entire army of mighty men.
8The children of Kindred marched out and arrayed themselves for battle at the entrance of the city gate, while the Highland-of-Stationeans of Highland-of-Station and Broad-Place and the men of Good and Pressed-Down were by themselves in the open country.
9When 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 children of Highland.
10And 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.
11“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.
12Be 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.”
13So He-Who-Is-Father and his troops advanced to fight the children of Highland, who fled before him.
14When the children of Kindred saw that the children of Highland had fled, they too fled before My-Father-Is-a-Gift, and they entered the city. So He-Who-Is-Father returned from fighting against the children of Kindred and came to Foundation-of-Peace.
15When the children of Highland saw that they had been defeated by Strives-with-God, they regrouped.
16Hadad-Helps sent messengers to bring more children of Highland from beyond the Euphrates, and they came to Fortress with Shobach the commander of Hadad-Helps’s army leading them.
17When this was reported to Beloved, he gathered all Strives-with-God, crossed the Descender, and went to Fortress. Then the children of Highland arrayed themselves against Beloved and fought against him.
18But the children of Highland fled before Strives-with-God, and Beloved killed seven hundred charioteers and forty thousand foot soldiers. He also struck down Shobach the commander of their army, who died there.
19When all the kings who were subject to Hadad-Helps saw that they had been defeated by Strives-with-God, they made peace with Strives-with-God and became subject to them. So the children of Highland were afraid to help the children of Kindred anymore.