After some time had passed, the king of the Ammonites died, and his son Hanun became king in his place. When David heard of it, he decided to show kindness to Hanun, remembering the goodwill that Hanun's father, Nahash, had once shown him. David sent a delegation of his servants to the land of the Ammonites to express sympathy and comfort Hanun over his father's death.
When David's men arrived, the Ammonite nobles spoke to Hanun and stirred suspicion in his heart. They questioned David's intentions, suggesting that the men were not there to comfort him but to spy on the city, gather information, and prepare for its destruction. Their words took root in Hanun's mind.
Acting on this suspicion, Hanun seized David's servants. He humiliated them by shaving off half of each man's beard and cutting their garments in the middle, exposing them. Then he sent them away in disgrace.
When David was told what had happened, he understood the depth of their shame. He sent messengers to meet the men and instructed them to remain in Jericho until their beards had grown back, so they would not have to return in humiliation.
The Ammonites soon realized that they had deeply offended David. Fearing retaliation, they hired soldiers to strengthen themselves for war. They gathered twenty thousand Aramean foot soldiers from Beth Rehob and Zobah, along with a thousand men from the king of Maacah and twelve thousand men from Tob.
When David heard this, he sent Joab out with the entire army of Israel's fighting men. The Ammonites positioned themselves for battle at the entrance of their city gate, while the Arameans of Zobah and Rehob, together with the men of Tob and Maacah, took their positions in the open countryside.
Joab saw that the enemy had surrounded them, with battle lines both in front and behind. He chose some of Israel's best troops and deployed them against the Arameans. The remaining soldiers he placed under the command of his brother Abishai, positioning them against the Ammonites.
Before the fighting began, Joab spoke to Abishai. He said that if the Arameans proved too strong, Abishai should come to his aid, and if the Ammonites were too strong, he would come to rescue him.
He urged courage, reminding them that they were fighting for their people and for the cities of their God, and that the Lord would do what was good in His sight.
Joab and his men advanced against the Arameans, and the Arameans fled before them. When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans were running, they too fled from Abishai and retreated into the city. Joab then withdrew from the Ammonites and returned to Jerusalem.
After their defeat, the Arameans regrouped. Hadadezer called in additional Aramean forces from beyond the River and brought them to Helam, with Shobach, the commander of his army, leading them.
When David was informed of this, he gathered all Israel, crossed the Jordan, and marched to Helam. The Arameans formed their battle lines to face David and fought against him. But they fled before Israel.
David struck down seven hundred charioteers and forty thousand foot soldiers, and Shobach, the commander of their army, was killed in the battle.
When the kings who were subject to Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with the Israelites and became subject to them. From that time on, the Arameans were afraid to help the Ammonites anymore.