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:

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 Yahweh, spake in me, —And, his word, was on my tongue;

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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, was among the thirty, —Elhanan, son of Dodo, of Bethlehem;

Asahel brother of Joab [is] of the thirty; Elhanan 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 son of Ikkesh the Tekoite,

27 Abiezer, the Anathothite, Mebunnai, the Hushathite;

Abiezer the Annethothite, 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 son of Baanah the Netophathite, Ittai son of Ribai from Gibeah of the sons of Benjamin,

30 Benaiah, a Pirathonite, Hiddai, of the torrents of Gaash;

Benaiah the 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 Hararite, Ahiam son of Sharar the Hararite,

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

Eliphelet son of Ahasbai, son of the Maachathite, Eliam 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 son of Nathan from Zobah, Bani the Gadite,

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

Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite, bearer of the weapons of Joab 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.