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David said, “I will express my loyalty[a] to Hanun son of Nahash just as his father was loyal[b] to me.” So David sent his servants with a message expressing sympathy over his father’s death.[c] When David’s servants entered the land of the Ammonites, the Ammonite officials said to their lord Hanun, “Do you really think David is trying to honor your father by sending these messengers to express his sympathy?[d] No, David has sent his servants to you to get information about the city and spy on it so they can overthrow it!”[e]

So Hanun seized David’s servants and shaved off half of each one’s beard. He cut the lower part of their robes off so that their buttocks were exposed,[f] and then sent them away.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 10:2 tn Heb “do loyalty.”
  2. 2 Samuel 10:2 tn Heb “did loyalty.”
  3. 2 Samuel 10:2 tn Heb “and David sent to console him by the hand of his servants concerning his father.”
  4. 2 Samuel 10:3 tn Heb “Is David honoring your father in your eyes when he sends to you ones consoling?”
  5. 2 Samuel 10:3 tn Heb “Is it not to explore the city and to spy on it and to overthrow it [that] David has sent his servants to you?”
  6. 2 Samuel 10:4 tn Heb “and he cut their robes in the middle unto their buttocks.”

David thought, “I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash,(A) just as his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent a delegation to express his sympathy to Hanun concerning his father.

When David’s men came to the land of the Ammonites, the Ammonite commanders said to Hanun their lord, “Do you think David is honoring your father by sending envoys to you to express sympathy? Hasn’t David sent them to you only to explore the city and spy it out(B) and overthrow it?” So Hanun seized David’s envoys, shaved off half of each man’s beard,(C) cut off their garments at the buttocks,(D) and sent them away.

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Then said David, I will shew kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father shewed kindness unto me. And David sent to comfort him by the hand of his servants for his father. And David's servants came into the land of the children of Ammon.

And the princes of the children of Ammon said unto Hanun their lord, Thinkest thou that David doth honour thy father, that he hath sent comforters unto thee? hath not David rather sent his servants unto thee, to search the city, and to spy it out, and to overthrow it?

Wherefore Hanun took David's servants, and shaved off the one half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their buttocks, and sent them away.

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