David’s Conquests and Mephibosheth

A little while after this, he decided that he ought to make war on the Philistines and not allow any idleness or laziness in his government, so that it might turn out as God had foretold to him: that when he had overthrown his enemies, he would leave his descendants to reign in peace afterward. So he called his army together again, and when he had ordered them to be ready and prepared for war, and thought that everything in his army was in good order, he set out from Jerusalem and came against the Philistines. When he had beaten them in battle, and had cut off a great part of their country and added it to the country of the Hebrews, he turned the war against the Moabites; and when he had beaten them in battle, he destroyed two parts of their army and took the remaining part captive and laid a tribute on them, to be paid every year. He then made war on Hadadezer, the son of Rehob, king of Sophene. When he had joined battle with him at the Euphrates River, he destroyed about twenty thousand of his foot soldiers and about five thousand of his horsemen. He also took a thousand of his chariots, destroyed most of them, and ordered that no more than a hundred should be kept. [a]

Now when Hadad, king of Damascus and of Syria, heard that David was fighting against Hadadezer, who was his friend, he came to his help with a powerful army, hoping to rescue him. But when he had joined battle with David at the Euphrates River, he failed in his purpose and lost a great number of his soldiers in the battle; for twenty thousand of Hadad’s army were killed, and all the rest fled. Nicolaus of Damascus also mentions this king in the fourth book of his Histories, where he speaks as follows: “A long while after these things had happened, there was a man of that country named Hadad, who had become very powerful. He reigned over Damascus and the other parts of Syria, except Phoenicia. He made war against David, the king of Judea, and tried his fortune in many battles, and particularly in the last battle at the Euphrates, in which he was beaten. He seemed to have been the most excellent of all their kings in strength and courage.” Besides this, he says of his descendants that they succeeded one another in his kingdom and in his name, where he speaks thus: “When Hadad was dead, his descendants reigned for ten generations, each of his successors receiving from his father both his dominion and this name of his, as the Ptolemies did in Egypt. But the third was the most powerful of them all, and he wished to avenge the defeat his forefather had suffered; so he made an expedition against the Jews and laid waste the country that is now called Samaria.” Nor did he stray from the truth; for this is the Hadad who made the expedition against Samaria in the reign of Ahab, king of Israel, of whom we will speak in the proper place. [d]

Now when David had marched against Damascus and the other parts of Syria and had brought it all into subjection, had placed garrisons in the country and had appointed that they should pay tribute, he returned home. He also dedicated to God at Jerusalem the golden quivers and the complete armor that Hadad’s guards used to wear. These Shishak, the king of Egypt, took away when he fought with David’s grandson Rehoboam, along with a great deal of other wealth that he carried out of Jerusalem. But these things will be explained in their proper places later. As for the king of the Hebrews, he was helped by God, who gave him great success in his wars, and he marched against the best cities of Hadadezer, Betah and Machen, took them by force and plundered them. In them was found a very great quantity of gold and silver, besides that kind of bronze which is said to be more valuable than gold. Of this bronze Solomon made the large vessel called the Sea, and those finely wrought basins, when he built the temple for God. [h]

But when the king of Hamath was told of Hadadezer’s ill success and had heard of the destruction of his army, he was afraid for himself and resolved to make a league of friendship and good faith with David before David came against him. So he sent his son Hadoram to him, declared that he owed him thanks for fighting against Hadadezer, who was his enemy, and made a league with him of mutual help and friendship. He also sent him presents, vessels of ancient workmanship of gold, of silver and of bronze. When David had made this league of mutual help with Toi (for that was the name of the king of Hamath) and had received the presents he sent him, he sent his son away with the respect due on both sides. Then David brought the presents Toi had sent, together with the rest of the gold and silver he had taken from the cities and from the nations he had subdued, and dedicated them to God. Nor did God give him victory and success only when he went into battle himself and led his own army. He also gave victory over the Idumeans to Abishai, the brother of Joab the general of his forces, and through him to David, when David sent him with an army into Idumea; for Abishai destroyed eighteen thousand of them in the battle. After this the king placed garrisons throughout all Idumea and received the tribute of the country and of every head among them. Now David was just by nature and gave his judgments with an eye to the truth. He had Joab as the general of his whole army, and he made Jehoshaphat, the son of Ahilud, recorder. He also appointed Zadok, of the family of Phinehas, to be high priest together with Abiathar, for he was his friend. He also made Seisan the scribe, and gave the command of his bodyguard to Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada. His elder sons were close about his person and had the care of it too. [k]

He also remembered the covenants and the oaths he had made with Jonathan, the son of Saul, and the friendship and affection Jonathan had had for him; for besides all the other excellent qualities with which he was endowed, he was also exceedingly mindful of those who had at any time done him good. So he gave orders that inquiry be made whether any of Jonathan’s line were living, to whom he might repay the close friendship Jonathan had shown him, for which he was still in his debt. And when one of Saul’s freedmen was brought to him, who knew which of Saul’s family were still living, he asked him whether he could tell him of anyone belonging to Jonathan who was now alive and could receive a return for the benefits he had received from Jonathan. He said that a son of his was left, whose name was Mephibosheth, but that he was lame in his feet; for when his nurse heard that the child’s father and grandfather had fallen in the battle, she snatched him up and fled, and let him fall from her shoulders, and his feet were lamed. So when he had learned where and by whom the boy had been brought up, he sent messengers to Machir, to the city of Lo-debar, for it was with him that the son of Jonathan had been brought up, and sent for him to come to him. When Mephibosheth came to the king, he fell on his face and bowed down to him; but David encouraged him, told him to take heart and expect better times. He gave him his father’s house and all the estate that his grandfather Saul had possessed, and told him to come and eat with him at his own table and never be absent from that table a single day. And when the young man had bowed down to him for his words and the gifts given him, David called for Ziba and told him that he had given the young man his father’s house and all Saul’s estate. He also ordered Ziba to farm his land and look after it all, to bring the profits to Jerusalem, and to bring the young man to David’s table every day. And he gave Mephibosheth Ziba himself and his sons, who were fifteen in number, and his servants, who were twenty in number. When the king had made these arrangements, and Ziba had bowed down to him and promised to do all he had been told, he went his way. So this son of Jonathan lived at Jerusalem and ate at the king’s table, and was given all the care that a son could claim. He also had a son of his own, whom he named Mica. [o]