The Ammonite troops came out and got ready to fight in front of the gate to their city. The Arameans from Zobah and Rehob and the soldiers from Tob and Maacah formed a separate group in the nearby fields.
Then David said to Abishai and all his soldiers: My own son is trying to kill me! Why shouldn't this man from the tribe of Benjamin want me dead even more? Let him curse all he wants. Perhaps the LORD did tell him to curse me.
When Asa heard about this, he took the silver and gold from his palace and from the LORD's temple. He gave it to some of his officials and sent them to Damascus with this message for King Benhadad of Syria:
The Ammonites realized they had made David furious. So they paid thirty-four thousand kilogrammes of silver to hire chariot troops from Mesopotamia and from the Syrian kingdoms of Maacah and Zobah.
Years ago the LORD sent Jeremiah with a message about a promise for the people of Israel. Then in the first year that Cyrus was king of Persia, the LORD kept his promise by telling Cyrus to send this official message to all parts of his kingdom:
Sennacherib, now listen to me, the LORD. I planned all this long ago. And you don't even know that I alone am the one who decided that you would do these things. I let you make ruins of fortified cities.
You will attack my people like a storm cloud that covers their land. I will let you invade my country Israel, so that every nation on earth will know that I, the LORD, am holy.