1 Chronicles 20:2-3

20:2 David took the crown from the head of their king ¹  and wore it ²  (its weight was a talent ³  of gold and it was set with precious stones). He took a large amount of plunder from the city. 20:3 He removed the city’s residents and made them do hard labor with saws, iron picks, and axes. ⁴  This was his policy ⁵  with all the Ammonite cities. Then David and all the army returned to Jerusalem.

¹ tc The translation follows the MT, which reads “of their king”; the LXX and Vulgate read “of Milcom” (cf. 1 Kgs 11:5). Milcom, also known as Molech, was the god of the Ammonites.

² tn Heb “and it was on the head of David.”

³ sn See the note on the word “talents” in 19:6.

⁴ tc The Hebrew text reads “saws,” but since saws were just mentioned, it is preferable to emend מְגֵרוֹת (mÿgerot, “saws”) to מַגְזְרוֹת (magzÿrot, “axes”).

⁵ tn Heb “and so he would do.”