Pillage and Plunder
- David keeps up his military campaigns against Israel's enemies, and gets on a hot winning streak.
- He defeats the Philistines, taking the city of Metheg-ammah from them, and defeats the Moabites, leaving those he doesn't execute to pay tribute to him.
- Further, David wins a stunning surprise victory against King Hadadezer of Zobah, who was in the middle or restoring a monument to himself, when David's troops swept in and captured tons of horsemen, soldiers, and chariot horses.
- The Arameans of Damascus sweep in to try to help Hadadezer, but David annihilates twenty two thousand of them and reduces the rest of them to paying him tribute.
- He captures gold shields from Hadadezer's dead soldiers, and steals lots of bronze from different towns, God supporting him all the while.
Dudes with the Same Enemies = Pals
- The victory over Hadadezer pleases one of Hadadezer's old rivals, King Toi of Hamath, who sends his son, Joram, to bring silver, gold, and bronze to David.
- David dedicates these and all the precious metals he's plundered to God.
- Also, he crushes the Edomites, stations garrisons of his own troops in Edom, and makes them pay him tribute—all with God's continued and much appreciated support.
- The text then lists David's important officials: Joab is now the head of the army, Zadok and Ahimelech are important priests, as are a good number of David's sons (other less important positions are listed, too).