1David besejrede efterhånden filistrene fuldstændigt og undertvang dem ved at indtage deres hovedstad, Gat, og de omliggende landsbyer. (2.Sam 8,1)2Han besejrede også moabitterne og gjorde dem til sine skattepligtige undersåtter.3Kong Hadadezer af Zoba forsøgte at generobre sit gamle territorium syd for Eufratfloden.[1] Men David besejrede hans hær og forfulgte den helt til Hamat.[2]4Ved den lejlighed erobrede David 1000 stridsvogne og tog 7000 ryttere og 20.000 fodfolk til fange. Han skar haserne over på samtlige heste bortset fra 100 af dem.5Da aramæerne rykkede ud fra Damaskus for at hjælpe Hadadezer, huggede David 22.000 af dem ned.6I Damaskusområdet udstationerede han flere garnisoner og indlemmede aramæerne blandt sine skattepligtige undersåtter. Herren gav David sejr over alle hans fjender.7David beslaglagde alle de guldskjolde, som kong Hadadezers officerer havde brugt, og førte dem til Jerusalem8sammen med en stor ladning bronze fra Hadadezers byer Tibat og Kun. Det var blandt andet det bronze, kong Salomon senere brugte til at få lavet „bronzehavet” ved templet samt søjlerne og de forskellige bronzeredskaber.9Da kong Tou af Hamat hørte om Davids triumf over Hadadezers hær,10sendte han sin søn Hadoram af sted for at lykønske ham. Hadadezer og Tou var nemlig ærkefjender. Hadoram forærede David mange gaver af guld, sølv og bronze,11og David indviede dem til Herren sammen med det guld og sølv, han havde taget i krigsbytte fra edomitterne, moabitterne, ammonitterne, filistrene og amalekitterne.12I Saltdalen slog Abishaj, Zerujas søn, en edomitisk hær på 18.000 mand,13hvorefter han etablerede en række garnisoner i Edom, så edomitterne kom under Davids herredømme. Således gav Herren David sejr, hvor som helst han kom frem.
Davids embedsmænd
14David var en retfærdig konge i Israel, og han gav alle en fair behandling. (2.Sam 8,15)15Joab var øverstbefalende for hæren; Joshafat, Ahiluds søn, var kongens øverste embedsmand med ansvar for arkiverne;16Zadok, Ahitubs søn, og Ahimelek, Ebjatars søn, var de ledende præster; Shavsha var statssekretær;17Benaja, Jojadas søn, var chef for livgarden; og Davids egne sønner var ledere ved kongens side.
1After this David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and he took Gath and its villages out of the hand of the Philistines. (2.Sam 8,1)2And he defeated Moab, and the Moabites became servants to David and brought tribute.3David also defeated Hadadezer king of Zobah-Hamath, as he went to set up his monument[1] at the river Euphrates. (2.Sam 8,3; 1.Kong 8,65)4And David took from him 1,000 chariots, 7,000 horsemen, and 20,000 foot soldiers. And David hamstrung all the chariot horses, but left enough for 100 chariots. (2.Sam 8,4)5And when the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David struck down 22,000 men of the Syrians. (1.Krøn 19,6)6Then David put garrisons[2] in Syria of Damascus, and the Syrians became servants to David and brought tribute. And the Lord gave victory to David[3] wherever he went.7And David took the shields of gold that were carried by the servants of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem.8And from Tibhath and from Cun, cities of Hadadezer, David took a large amount of bronze. With it Solomon made the bronze sea and the pillars and the vessels of bronze. (2.Sam 8,8; 1.Kong 7,15; 1.Kong 7,23; 2.Krøn 4,12; 2.Krøn 4,15)9When Tou king of Hamath heard that David had defeated the whole army of Hadadezer, king of Zobah, (2.Sam 8,9; 1.Krøn 18,5)10he sent his son Hadoram to King David, to ask about his health and to bless him because he had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him; for Hadadezer had often been at war with Tou. And he sent all sorts of articles of gold, of silver, and of bronze. (2.Sam 8,10; 1.Krøn 18,3)11These also King David dedicated to the Lord, together with the silver and gold that he had carried off from all the nations, from Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, and Amalek. (2.Sam 8,12)12And Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, killed 18,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt. (1.Sam 26,6; 2.Sam 8,13)13Then he put garrisons in Edom, and all the Edomites became David’s servants. And the Lord gave victory to David wherever he went.
David’s Administration
14So David reigned over all Israel, and he administered justice and equity to all his people.15And Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army; and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder; (1.Krøn 11,6)16and Zadok the son of Ahitub and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar were priests; and Shavsha was secretary; (2.Sam 8,17; 2.Sam 20,25; 1.Kong 4,3; 1.Krøn 24,3; 1.Krøn 24,6)17and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David’s sons were the chief officials in the service of the king. (2.Sam 8,18)