¹⁸ On the seventh day the child died. David’s attendants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they thought, “While the child was still living, he wouldn’t listen to us when we spoke to him. How can we now tell him the child is dead? He may do something desperate.”

¹⁹ David noticed that his attendants were whispering among themselves, and he realized the child was dead. “Is the child dead?” he asked.

“Yes,” they replied, “he is dead.”

²⁰ Then David got up from the ground. After he had washed,^(A) put on lotions and changed his clothes,^(B) he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. Then he went to his own house, and at his request they served him food, and he ate.

²¹ His attendants asked him, “Why are you acting this way? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept,^(C) but now that the child is dead, you get up and eat!”

²² He answered, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, ‘Who knows?^(D) The Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live.’^{(E) 23} But now that he is dead, why should I go on fasting? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him,^(F) but he will not return to me.”^(G)

²⁴ Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba,^(H) and he went to her and made love to her. She gave birth to a son, and they named him Solomon.^(I) The Lord loved him; ²⁵ and because the Lord loved him, he sent word through Nathan the prophet to name him Jedidiah.^[a](J)

²⁶ Meanwhile Joab fought against Rabbah^(K) of the Ammonites and captured the royal citadel. ²⁷ Joab then sent messengers to David, saying, “I have fought against Rabbah and taken its water supply. ²⁸ Now muster the rest of the troops and besiege the city and capture it. Otherwise I will take the city, and it will be named after me.”

²⁹ So David mustered the entire army and went to Rabbah, and attacked and captured it. ³⁰ David took the crown^(L) from their king’s^[b] head, and it was placed on his own head. It weighed a talent^[c] of gold, and it was set with precious stones. David took a great quantity of plunder from the city ³¹ and brought out the people who were there, consigning them to labor with saws and with iron picks and axes, and he made them work at brickmaking.^[d] David did this to all the Ammonite^(M) towns. Then he and his entire army returned to Jerusalem.

² David also defeated the Moabites.^(A) He made them lie down on the ground and measured them off with a length of cord. Every two lengths of them were put to death, and the third length was allowed to live. So the Moabites became subject to David and brought him tribute.^(B)

³ Moreover, David defeated Hadadezer^(C) son of Rehob, king of Zobah,^(D) when he went to restore his monument at^[a] the Euphrates^(E) River. ⁴ David captured a thousand of his chariots, seven thousand charioteers^[b] and twenty thousand foot soldiers. He hamstrung^(F) all but a hundred of the chariot horses.

⁵ When the Arameans of Damascus^(G) came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David struck down twenty-two thousand of them. ⁶ He put garrisons^(H) in the Aramean kingdom of Damascus, and the Arameans became subject^(I) to him and brought tribute. The Lord gave David victory wherever he went.^(J)

⁷ David took the gold shields^(K) that belonged to the officers of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem. ⁸ From Tebah^[c] and Berothai,^(L) towns that belonged to Hadadezer, King David took a great quantity of bronze.

⁹ When Tou^[d] king of Hamath^(M) heard that David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer,^{(N) 10} he sent his son Joram^[e] to King David to greet him and congratulate him on his victory in battle over Hadadezer, who had been at war with Tou. Joram brought with him articles of silver, of gold and of bronze.

¹¹ King David dedicated^(O) these articles to the Lord, as he had done with the silver and gold from all the nations he had subdued: ¹² Edom^[f](P) and Moab,^(Q) the Ammonites^(R) and the Philistines,^(S) and Amalek.^(T) He also dedicated the plunder taken from Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah.