Chapter 20
1 In the spring of the year when kings go out to war, Joab led the army out, and he laid waste the land of the Ammonites. They came and besieged Rabbah while David stayed in Jerusalem. Joab defeated Rabbah and destroyed it.
2 David took away their king’s crown. It weighed one golden talent, and there were precious stones on it. It was set upon David’s head. He also took away much spoil.
3 He also took away the people who were in it. He put them to work with saws, iron picks, and axes. David did this to all of the Ammonite cities. David and all the people then returned to Jerusalem.
Battle with the Philistines. 4 Sometime after this, there was a war with the Philistines at Gezer. This was when Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Sippai, who was one of the Rephaim. They were subdued.
5 There was another war with the Philistines, and Elhanan, the son of Jair, killed Lahmi, the brother of Goliath the Gittite. The staff of his spear was as large was a weaver’s beam.
6 There was war again at Gath where there was an enormous man who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four fingers and toes in all. He was a Rephaim. 7 He taunted Israel, and Jonathan, the son of Shimea, David’s brother, killed him. 8 These were born to the Rephaim in Gath, and they fell at David’s hand and those of his servants.
