CHAPTER 8
1 And it was done after these things, David smote the Philistines, and made low them; and David took away the bridle of tribute from the hand of Philistines. (And it was done after these things, that David struck the Philistines, and made them low, or conquered them; and David took away Methegammah from the Philistines.)
2 And David smote Moab, and meted them with a cord, and he made them even to the earth; forsooth he meted (them by) two cords, one to slay, and one to quicken. And Moab served David under tribute. (And David struck the Moabites, and he made his captives to lie on the ground, and had them measured with a cord; and for every two cord lengths of men that he killed, one cord length was allowed to live. And then the Moabites paid tribute, or taxes, to David.)
3 And David smote Hadadezer, the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, when he went forth to be lord over the flood Euphrates. (And then David struck Hadadezer, the son of Rehob, the king of Zobah, as he went to recover his land by the Euphrates River.)
4 And when a thousand and seven hundred horsemen of his part were taken, and twenty thousand of footmen, David hocked all [the] drawing beasts in chariots; but David left of those an hundred chariots, that is, the horses of an hundred chariots. (And David took from him, or captured, a thousand and seven hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen, and he hocked all the drawing beasts for the chariots; but he left unharmed the horses for a hundred chariots.)
5 Also Syrians of Damascus came, that it should bear help to Hadadezer, king of Zobah; and David smote of (the) Syrians two and twenty thousand of men. (And the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer; and David struck down twenty-two thousand of the men of Syria.)
6 And David setted a stronghold in Syria of Damascus, and Syria was made serving David under tribute. And the Lord kept David in all things, to whatever things he went forth. (And David set up strongholds in Syria of Damascus, and the Syrians were made to serve David, and to pay tribute, or taxes, to him. And the Lord gave victory to David in all his battles, wherever he went.)
7 And David took golden armours and bands (or And David took the gold arms, or the weapons), which the servants of Hadadezer had, and he brought those into Jerusalem.
8 And of Betah, and of Berothai, (or And from Betah, and Berothai), the cities of Hadadezer, David [the] king took full much brass.
9 Forsooth Toi, king of Hamath, heard that David had smitten all the host of Hadadezer.
10 And Toi sent Joram, his son, to king David, that he should greet him, and thank (him), and do thankings, for he had overcome Hadadezer, and had smitten him; for Toi was enemy of Hadadezer; and vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and vessels of brass were in his hand. (And King Toi sent his son Joram to King David, to greet him, and to congratulate him on his victory, for he had overcome Hadadezer, and had beaten him; for Toi was Hadadezer’s enemy; and his son brought with him vessels of silver, and gold, and brass, for David.)
11 And the same vessels king David hallowed to the Lord, with the silver and gold, which he had hallowed of all heathen men, which he had made subject (And King David dedicated these vessels to the Lord, along with the silver and the gold which he had dedicated from all the heathen whom he had made subject)
12 of Syria, and of Moab, and of the sons of Ammon, and of Philistines, and of Amalek, and of the spoils of Hadadezer, the son of Rehob, king of Zobah.
13 Also David made to him a name, when he turned again when Syria was taken, for eighteen thousand men were slain in the valley, where salt was made, and in Helam, to three and twenty thousand*. (And so David had made a name for himself, by the time he returned after the Syrians were killed, for eighteen thousand men were slain in the Salt Valley, and twenty-two thousand in Helam.)
14 And he setted keepers in Idumea, and ordained [a] stronghold, and all Idumea was made serving to David; and the Lord kept David in all things, to whatever things he went forth. (And he set up strongholds in Edom, or Idumea, and all the Edomites served David; and so the Lord gave victory to David everywhere he went.)
15 And David reigned upon all Israel, and David did doom, and rightwiseness to all his people. (And David reigned over all Israel, and David brought justice, or judgement, and righteousness unto all his people.)
16 And Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was over the host of David; and Jehoshaphat, the son of Ahilud, was recorder; (And Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was the leader ofDavid’s army; and Jehoshaphat, the son of Ahilud, was the officer in charge of the records;)
17 and Zadok, the son of Ahitub, and Ahimelech, the son of Abiathar, were priests; and Seraiah was a scribe (or and Seraiah was the writer).
18 But Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, was over Cherethites and Pelethites, that is, over archers and arrow-blasters; and the sons of David were priests. (And Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, was the leader of the Cherethites and Pelethites,that is, the archers and the arrow-blasters; and David’s sons were priests.)
* CHAPTER 8:13 See 2nd Samuel 10:16-19.