2 Samuel 23

1 Now, these, are the last words of David, —The oracle of David, son of Jesse, Yea the oracle of The man raised up on high, The Anointed of the God of Jacob, the Delight of the Songs of Israel:

Now these are the last words of David: David the son of Jesse saith, And the man who was raised up on high, The anointed of the God of Jacob, And the sweet psalmist of Israel saith,

2 The Spirit of Yahweh, spake in me, —And, his word, was on my tongue;

The Spirit of Jehovah spoke by me, And his word was on my tongue.

3 Said the God of Israel, Unto me, spake the Rock of Israel: —One Ruling over Men, A Righteous One, ruling in the reverence of God,

The God of Israel said, The Rock of Israel spoke to me, The ruler among men shall be just, Ruling in the fear of God;

4 Is even as the light of the morning when ariseth the sun, —A morning, without clouds, [As] from brightness, [and] from rain, the fresh shoots out of the earth.

And [he shall be] as the light of the morning, [like] the rising of the sun, A morning without clouds; [When] from the sunshine, after rain, The green grass springeth from the earth.

5 When, not so, was my house with GOD, Then, a covenant age-abiding, he appointed me, Ordered in all things and guarded, Now that it is all my salvation and all my desire, Will he not make it shoot forth?

Although my house be not so before God, Yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, Ordered in every way and sure; For [this is] all my salvation, and every desire, Although he make [it] not to grow.

6 But, as for the abandoned, like thorns to be tossed away are they all, —For, not with the hand, can they be taken;

But [the sons] of Belial [are] all of them as thorns thrust away, Because they cannot be taken with hands;

7 But, the man that would touch them, Must fence himself with iron, and the shaft of a spear, —Then, with fire, shall they be, consumed, on the spot!

And the man that will touch them provideth himself 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 men, who belonged to David, —The president a Tachmonite head of the charioteers, the same, was Adino the Eznite, for eight hundred, slain at one time.

These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Joseb-Bassebeth, Tachkemonite the chief of the captains: he was Adino the Eznite; he [fought] against eight hundred, slain [by him] at one time.

9 And, after him, Eleazar son of Dodo, son of Ahohi, —in the hero-class of mighty men, with David, when they reproached the Philistines, they were gathered together there to battle, but the men of Israel had gone up;

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

10 he, however, arose and smote among the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto his sword, so Yahweh wrought a great victory on that day, —the people, coming back after him, only to strip the slain.

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

11 And, after him, Shammah son of Agee, the Hararite, —and, when the Philistines were gathered together into a troop, there being at hand an allotment of field-land full of lentils, but, the people, having fled from the face of the Philistines,

And after him, Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite: the Philistines were gathered into a troop, and there was there a plot of ground full of lentils, and the people had fled before the Philistines;

12 then took he his stand in the midst of the allotment, and defended it, and smote the Philistines, —and Yahweh wrought a great victory.

and he stood in the midst of the plot and delivered it, and smote the Philistines, and Jehovah wrought a great deliverance.

13 And three of the thirty chiefs descended, and came in, towards harvest, unto David, unto the cave of Adullam, —although, a troop of Philistines, were encamped in the vale of Rephaim;

And three of the thirty chiefs went down, and came to David in the harvest time to the cave of Adullam, when the troop of the Philistines was encamped in the valley of Rephaim.

14 and, David, then was in a stronghold, —and, a garrison of Philistines, was then in Bethlehem.

And David was then in the stronghold; and the Philistines' garrison was then at Bethlehem.

15 And David longed, and said, —Who will give me to drink water out of the well of Bethlehem, that is within the gate?

And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me to drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, which is in the gate!

16 And the three mighty men brake through the camp of Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that was within the gate, and bare it, and brought it in unto David, —yet would he not drink, but poured it out unto Yahweh,

And the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, which is in the gate, and took it, and brought it to David; however he would not drink of it, but poured it out to Jehovah.

17 and said—Be it far from me, O Yahweh, that I should do this! is it not the blood of the men who went with their lives [in their hands]? So he would not drink it. These things, did the three mighty men.

And he said, Be it far from me, Jehovah, that I should do this thing! is it not the blood of the men that went at the risk 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, was chief of three, in that he brandished his spear against three hundred whom he slew; and, he, had a name among three.

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

19 Was he not most honourable, of the three, and so became their captain? Nevertheless, unto the three, he attained not.

Was he not most honourable of three? and he was their captain; but he did not attain to the [first] three.

20 Benaiah also, son of Jehoiadah, son of an active man, hero of many a deed, a man of Kabzeel, he, smote the two sons of Ariel of Moab, he, also went down and smote a lion in the midst of a pit, on a day of snow;

And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, son of a valiant man, great in exploits, of Kabzeel: he it was that smote two lions of Moab; and he went down and smote a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day.

21 he, also smote an Egyptian, who was of valiant bearing, and, in the hand of the Egyptian, was a spear, but he went down unto him with a staff, —and wrested the spear out of the hand of the Egyptian, and slew him with his own spear.

He also smote the Egyptian, an imposing man: and the Egyptian had a spear in his hand; and 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 These things, did Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and, he, had a name among three mighty men.

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

23 He was the most honourable, of thirty, although, unto the three, he attained no, —so David added him to his council.

He was honoured above the thirty, but he did not attain to the [first] three. And David set him in his council.

24 Asahel, brother of Joab, was among the thirty, —Elhanan, son of Dodo, of Bethlehem;

Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty; Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem,

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 Anathothite, 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, of 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, a Pirathonite, Hiddai, of the torrents 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, of the sons of Jashen, Jonathan,

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

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

34 Eliphelet, son of Ahasbai, son of the Maacathite. Eliam, son of Ahithophel, the Gilonite.

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

35 Hezro, the Carmelite, Paarai, the Arbite;

Hezrai the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite,

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

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

37 Zelek, the Ammonite, —Naharai, the Beerothite, armour bearers to Joab son of Zeruiah;

Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite, the armour-bearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah,

38 Ira, the Ithrite, Gareb, the Ithrite;

Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,

39 Uriah, the Hittite, In all, thirty and seven.

Uriah the Hittite: thirty-seven in all.