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1 CHRONICLES · Trinity Bible Version

1 Chronicles 18

The full text of 1 Chronicles 18 in the Trinity Bible Version — clear modern English, translated from the original Hebrew. Free to read.


All of 1 Chronicles KJV

1 In the course of time, David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and he captured Gath and its surrounding villages from the Philistines.

2 He also defeated Moab, and the Moabites became subject to David and brought tribute.

3 Moreover, David defeated Hadadezer king of Zobah, in the vicinity of Hamath, when Hadadezer went to establish his control along the Euphrates River.

4 David captured a thousand of his chariots, seven thousand charioteers, and twenty thousand foot soldiers. He hamstrung all but a hundred of the chariot horses, keeping enough for a hundred chariots.

5 When the Arameans of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David struck down twenty-two thousand of them.

6 He put garrisons in the Aramean kingdom of Damascus, and the Arameans became subject to him and brought tribute. The LORD gave David victory wherever he went.

7 David took the gold shields carried by the officers of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem.

8 From Tibhath and Cun, towns that belonged to Hadadezer, David took a great quantity of bronze, which Solomon used to make the bronze Sea, the pillars, and the bronze articles.

9 When Tou king of Hamath heard that David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer king of Zobah,

10 he sent his son Hadoram to King David to greet him and to congratulate him on his victory in battle over Hadadezer, for Hadadezer had been at war with Tou. Hadoram brought all kinds of gold, silver and bronze articles.

11 King David dedicated these articles to the LORD, as he had done with the silver and gold he had taken from all these nations: Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, and Amalek.

12 Abishai son of Zeruiah struck down eighteen thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.

13 He put garrisons in Edom, and all the Edomites became subject to David. The LORD gave David victory wherever he went.

14 David reigned over all Israel, doing what was just and right for all his people.

15 Joab son of Zeruiah was over the army; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was recorder;

16 Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelek son of Abiathar were priests; Shavsha was secretary;

17 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and Pelethites; and David's sons were chief officials at the king's side.

Translation notes (5)
  1. 1 Chronicles 18:1a The parallel account in 2 Samuel 8:1 reads מֶתֶג הָאַמָּה (metheg ha-ammah), 'the bridle of the forearm,' where the Masoretic Text here has גַּת וּבְנוֹתֶיהָ (Gath uvenotheha), 'Gath and its surrounding villages.' The meaning of the Hebrew in Samuel is uncertain, but the reading in Chronicles is geographically specific.
  2. 1 Chronicles 18:3a The Hebrew לְהַצִּיב יָדוֹ (lᵉhatsiv yado) literally means 'to set up his hand' or 'to establish his monument,' implying a show of power or control.
  3. 1 Chronicles 18:4a The parallel in 2 Samuel 8:4 reads one thousand seven hundred horsemen, whereas the Masoretic Text of Chronicles counts a thousand chariots and seven thousand charioteers; the Septuagint of 2 Samuel agrees with Chronicles. The verb ye'aqqer, 'he hamstrung', describes cutting the leg tendons of captured horses to deny an enemy their military use.
  4. 1 Chronicles 18:12a The parallel account in 2 Samuel 8:13 attributes this victory to David, while the superscription of Psalm 60 credits Joab with striking twelve thousand. The accounts are commonly harmonized by noting that a king was credited with the deeds of his commanders; Abishai, son of David's sister Zeruiah, likely led the engagement under Joab's overall command.
  5. 1 Chronicles 18:16a The Masoretic Text here reads Avimelekh, but the parallel in 2 Samuel 8:17, other Hebrew manuscripts, and the ancient versions support Ahimelek. In both passages the filiation runs 'Ahimelek son of Abiathar', the reverse of 1 Samuel 22:20, where Abiathar is the son of Ahimelech; the priest named here is best understood as Abiathar's son, named after his grandfather.

About this translation

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