2 Samuel 23

1 And these [are] the last words of David: “A declaration of David son of Jesse, And a declaration of the man raised up—Concerning the anointed of the God of Jacob, And the sweetness of the songs of Israel:

Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse saith, and the man who was raised on high saith, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel:

2 The Spirit of YHWH has spoken by me, And His word [is] on my tongue.

The spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was upon my tongue.

3 He said—the God of Israel—to me, He spoke—the Rock of Israel: He who is ruling over man [is] righteous, He is ruling in the fear of God.

The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me: One that ruleth over men righteously, that ruleth in the fear of God,

4 And he rises as the light of morning, A morning sun [with] no clouds! By the shining, by the rain, Tender grass of the earth!

[He shall be] as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, a morning without clouds; [when] the tender grass [springeth] out of the earth, through clear shining after rain.

5 For though my house [is] not so with God; So He made a perpetual covenant with me, Arranged in all things, and kept; For all my salvation, and all desire, For He has not caused [it] to spring up.

Verily my house is not so with God; yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for it is all my salvation, and all [my] desire, although he maketh it not to grow.

6 As for the worthless—All of them [are] driven away as a thorn, For they are not taken away by hand;

But the ungodly shall be all of them as thorns to be thrust away, for they cannot be taken with the hand:

7 And the man who comes against them Is filled with iron and the staff of a spear, And they are utterly burned with fire In the cessation.”

But the man that toucheth them must be armed with iron and the staff of a spear; and they shall be utterly burned with fire in [their] place.

8 These [are] the names of the mighty ones whom David has: sitting in the seat [is] the Tachmonite, head of the captains—he [is] Adino, who hardened himself against eight hundred—wounded at one time.

These be the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-basshebeth a Tahchemonite, chief of the captains; the same was Adino the Eznite, against eight hundred slain at one time.

9 And after him [is] Eleazar son of Dodo, son of Ahohi, of the three mighty men with David; in their exposing themselves among the Philistines—they have been gathered there to battle, and the men of Israel go up—

And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodai the son of an Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David, when they defied the Philistines that were there gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel were gone away:

10 he has arisen, and strikes among the Philistines until his hand has been weary, and his hand cleaves to the sword, and YHWH works a great salvation on that day, and the people turn back after him only to strip off.

He arose, and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto the sword: and the LORD wrought a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to spoil.

11 And after him [is] Shammah son of Agee the Hararite, and the Philistines are gathered into a company, and there is a portion of the field full of lentils there, and the people have fled from the presence of the Philistines,

And after him was Shammah the son of Agce a Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered together into a troop, where was a plot of ground full of lentils; and the people fled from the Philistines.

12 and he stations himself in the midst of the portion, and delivers it, and strikes the Philistines, and YHWH works a great salvation.

But he stood in the midst of the plot, and defended it, and slew the Philistines: and the LORD wrought a great victory.

13 And three of the thirty heads go down and come to the harvest, to David, to the cave of Adullam, and the company of the Philistines are encamping in the Valley of Rephaim,

And three of the thirty chief went down, and came to David in the harvest time unto the cave of Adullam; and the troop of the Philistines were encamped in the valley of Rephaim.

14 and David [is] then in a fortress, and the station of the Philistines [is] then in Beth-Lehem,

And David was then in the hold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Beth-lehem.

15 and David longs and says, “Who gives me a drink of the water of the well of Beth-Lehem, which [is] by the gate?”

And David longed and said, Oh that one would give me water to drink of the well of Beth-lehem which is by the gate!

16 And the three mighty ones cleave through the camp of the Philistines, and draw water out of the well of Beth-Lehem, which [is] by the gate, and take [it] up, and bring [it] to David; and he was not willing to drink it, and pours it out to YHWH,

And the three mighty men brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Beth-lehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David: but he would not drink thereof, but poured it out unto the LORD.

17 and says, “Far be it from me, O YHWH, to do this; is it the blood of the men who are going with their lives?” And he was not willing to drink it; the three mighty ones did these [things].

And he said, Be it far from me, O LORD, that I should do this: [shall I drink] the blood of the men that went in jeopardy of their lives? therefore he would not drink it. These things did the three mighty men.

18 And Abishai brother of Joab, son of Zeruiah, he [is] head of three, and he is lifting up his spear against three hundred—wounded, and he has a name among three.

And Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of the three. And he lifted up his spear against three hundred and slew them, and had a name among the three.

19 Is he not the honored of the three? And he becomes their head; and he has not come to the [first] three.

Was he not most honourable of the three? therefore he was made their captain: howbeit he attained not unto the [first] three.

20 And Benaiah son of Jehoiada (son of a man of valor, great in deeds from Kabzeel), has struck two lion-like men of Moab, and he has gone down and struck the lion in the midst of the pit in a day of snow.

And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done mighty deeds, he slew the two [sons of] Ariel of Moab: he went down also and slew a lion in the midst of a pit in time of snow:

21 And he has struck the Egyptian man, a man of appearance, and a spear [is] in the hand of the Egyptian, and he goes down to him with a rod, and takes the spear violently away out of the hand of the Egyptian, and slays him with his own spear.

And he slew an Egyptian, a goodly man: and the Egyptian had a spear in his hand; but he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and slew him with his own spear.

22 Benaiah son of Jehoiada has done these [things], and has a name among the three mighty ones.

These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and had a name among the three mighty men.

23 He is honored more than the thirty, but he did not come to the three; and David sets him over his guard.

He was more honourable than the thirty, but he attained not to the [first] three. And David set him over his guard.

24 Asahel brother of Joab [is] of the thirty; Elhanan son of Dodo of Beth-Lehem,

Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty; Elhanan the son of Dodo of Beth-lehem;

25 Shammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite,

Shammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite;

26 Helez the Paltite, Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoite,

Helez the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite;

27 Abiezer the Annethothite, Mebunnai the Hushathite,

Abiezer the Anathothite, Mebunnai the Hushathite;

28 Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite,

Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite;

29 Heleb son of Baanah the Netophathite, Ittai son of Ribai from Gibeah of the sons of Benjamin,

Heleb the son of Baanah the Netophathite, Ittai the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the children of Benjamin;

30 Benaiah the Pirathonite, Hiddai of the brooks of Gaash,

Benaiah a Pirathonite, Hiddai of the brooks of Gaash;

31 Abi-Albon the Arbathite, Azmaveth the Barhumite,

Abi-albon the Arbathite, Azmaveth the Barhumite;

32 Eliahba the Shaalbonite, of the sons of Jashen, Jonathan,

Eliahba the Shaalbonite, the sons of Jashen, Jonathan;

33 Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam son of Sharar the Hararite,

Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam the son of Sharar the Ararite;

34 Eliphelet son of Ahasbai, son of the Maachathite, Eliam son of Ahithophel the Gilonite,

Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai, the son of the Maacathite, Eliam the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite;

35 Hezrai the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite,

Hezro the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite;

36 Igal son of Nathan from Zobah, Bani the Gadite,

Igal the son of Nathan of Zobah, Bani the Gadite;

37 Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite, bearer of the weapons of Joab son of Zeruiah,

Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite, armourbearers to Joab the son of Zeruiah;

38 Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,

Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite;

39 Uriah the Hittite: thirty-seven in all.

Uriah the Hittite: thirty and seven in all.