Holy Bible Aionian Edition® ~ English---British-English-Septuagint-2012 ~ 2-Samuel Chapter 23

< Kings II 23 >

1 And these [are] the last words of David. Faithful [is] David the son of Jessae, and faithful the man whom the Lord raised up to be the anointed of the God of Jacob, and beautiful [are] the psalms of Israel.

These are the last words of David: “The oracle of David son of Jesse, the oracle of the man raised on high, the one anointed by the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel:

2 The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and his word [was] upon my tongue.

The Spirit of the LORD spoke through me; His word was on my tongue.

3 The God of Israel says, A watchman out of Israel spoke to me a parable: I said amongst men, How will you strengthen the fear of the anointed?

The God of Israel spoke; the Rock of Israel said to me, ‘He who rules the people with justice, who rules in the fear of God,

4 And in the morning light of God, let the sun arise in the morning, from the light of which the Lord passed on, and as it were from the rain of the tender grass upon the earth.

is like the light of the morning at sunrise of a cloudless dawn, the glistening after the rain on the sprouting grass of the earth.’

5 For my house [is] not so with the Mighty One: for he has made an everlasting covenant with me, ready, guarded at every time; for all my salvation and all my desire [is], that the wicked should not flourish.

Is not my house right with God? For He has established with me an everlasting covenant, ordered and secured in every part. Will He not bring about my full salvation and my every desire?

6 All these [are] as a thorn thrust forth, for they shall not be taken with the hand,

But the worthless are all like thorns raked aside, for they can never be gathered by hand.

7 and a man shall not labour amongst them; and [one shall have] that which is fully armed with iron, and the staff of a spear, an he shall burn them with fire, and they shall be burnt in their shame.

The man who touches them must be armed with iron or with the shaft of a spear. The fire burns them to ashes in the place where they lie.”

8 These [are] the names of the mighty men of David: Jebosthe the Chananite is a captain of the third [part]: Adinon the Asonite, he drew his sword against eight hundred soldiers at once.

These are the names of David’s mighty men: Josheb-basshebeth the Tahchemonite was chief of the Three. He wielded his spear against eight hundred men, whom he killed at one time.

9 And after him Eleanan the son of his uncle, son of Dudi who was amongst the three mighty men with David; and when he defied the Philistines they were gathered there to war, and the men of Israel went up.

Next in command was Eleazar son of Dodo the Ahohite. As one of the three mighty men, he went with David to taunt the Philistines who had gathered for battle at Pas-dammim. The men of Israel retreated,

10 He arose an struck the Philistines, until his hand was weary, and his hand clave to the sword: and the Lord wrought a great salvation in that day, and the people rested behind him only to strip [the slain].

but Eleazar stood his ground and struck the Philistines until his hand grew weary and stuck to his sword. The LORD brought about a great victory that day. Then the troops returned to him, but only to plunder the dead.

11 And after him Samaia the son of Asa the Arachite: and the Philistines were gathered to Theria; and there was there a portion of ground full of lentiles; and the people fled before the Philistines.

And after him was Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. When the Philistines had banded together near a field full of lentils, Israel’s troops fled from them.

12 And he stood firm in the midst of the portion, and rescued it, and struck the Philistines; and the Lord wrought a great deliverance.

But Shammah took his stand in the middle of the field, defended it, and struck down the Philistines. So the LORD brought about a great victory.

13 And three out of the thirty went down, and came to Cason to David, to the cave of Odollam; and [there was] an army of the Philistines, and they encamped in the valley of Raphain.

At harvest time, three of the thirty chief men went down to David at the cave of Adullam, while a company of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim.

14 And David [was] then in the strong hold, and the garrison of the Philistines [was] then in Bethleem.

At that time David was in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was at Bethlehem.

15 And David longed, and said, Who will give me water to drink out of the well that is in Bethleem by the gate? now the band of the Philistines [was] then in Bethleem.

David longed for water and said, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!”

16 And the three mighty men broke through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well that was in Bethleem in the gate: and they took it, and brought it to David, and he would not drink it, but poured it out before the Lord.

So the three mighty men broke through the Philistine camp, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem, and brought it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out to the LORD,

17 And he said, O Lord, forbid that I should do this, that I should drink of the blood of the men who went at [the risk of] their lives: and he would not drink it. These things did these three mighty men.

saying, “Far be it from me, O LORD, to do this! Is this not the blood of the men who risked their lives?” So he refused to drink it. Such were the exploits of the three mighty men.

18 And Abessa the brother of Joab the son of Saruia, he [was] chief amongst the three, and he lifted up his spear against three hundred whom he killed; and he had a name amongst three.

Now Abishai, the brother of Joab and son of Zeruiah, was chief of the Three, and he lifted his spear against three hundred men, killed them, and won a name along with the Three.

19 Of those three [he was] most honourable, and he became a chief over them, but he reached not to the [first] three.

Was he not more honored than the Three? And he became their commander, even though he was not included among the Three.

20 And Banaeas the son of Jodae, he was abundant in [mighty] deeds, from Cabeseel, and he struck the two sons of Ariel of Moab: and he went down and struck a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day.

And Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a man of valor from Kabzeel, a man of many exploits. He struck down two champions of Moab, and on a snowy day he went down into a pit and killed a lion.

21 He struck an Egyptian, a wonderful man, and in the hand of the Egyptian [was] a spear as the side of a ladder; and he went down to him with a staff, and snatched the spear from the Egyptian's hand, and killed him with his own spear.

He also killed an Egyptian, a huge man. Although the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club, snatched the spear from his hand, and killed the Egyptian with his own spear.

22 These things did Banaeas the son of Jodae, and he had a name amongst the three mighty men.

These were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada, who won a name alongside the three mighty men.

23 He was honourable amongst the [second] three, but he reached not to the [first] three: and David made him his reporter. And these [are] the names of King David's mighty men.

He was most honored among the Thirty, but he did not become one of the Three. And David appointed him over his guard.

24 Asael Joab's brother; he [was] amongst the thirty. Eleanan son of Dudi his uncle in Bethleem.

Now these were members of the Thirty: Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem,

25 Saema the Rudaean.

Shammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite,

26 Selles the Kelothite: Iras the son of Isca the Thecoite.

Helez the Paltite, Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoite,

27 Abiezer the Anothite, of the sons of the Anothite.

Abiezer the Anathothite, Mebunnai the Hushathite,

28 Ellon the Aoite; Noere the Netophatite.

Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite,

29 Esthai the son of Riba of Gabaeth, son of Benjamin the Ephrathite; Asmoth the Bardiamite; Emasu the Salabonite: