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:

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

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!

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.

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

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.

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—

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.

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,

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

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,

14 and David [is] then in a fortress, and the station of the Philistines [is] 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?”

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,

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].

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

25 Shammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite,

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

27 Abiezer the Annethothite, Mebunnai the Hushathite,

28 Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite,

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

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

31 Abi-Albon the Arbathite, Azmaveth the Barhumite,

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

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

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

35 Hezrai the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite,

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

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

38 Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,

39 Uriah the Hittite: thirty-seven in all.