2 Samuel 23

1 Forsothe these ben the laste wordis, whiche Dauid, the sone of Ysai, seide. The man seide, to whom it is ordeyned of Crist, of the God of Jacob, the noble salm makere 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 spiryt of the Lord spak bi me, and his word bi my tunge.

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

3 Dauid seide, God of Israel spak to me, the stronge of Israel, the `iust Lord of men, `is Lord in the drede of God.

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 As the liyt of the morewtid, whanne the sunne risith eerli, is briyt with out cloudis; and as an erbe cometh forth of the erthe bi reynes.

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 And myn hows is not so greet anentis God, that he schulde make with me euerlastynge couenaunt, stidefast and maad strong in alle thingis; for al myn helthe hangith of him, and al the wille `that is, al my desir, goith in to hym, and no thing is therof, that makith not fruyt.

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 Forsothe alle trespassouris schulen be drawun out as thornes, that ben not takun with hondis.

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

7 And if ony man wole touche tho, he schal be armed with irun, and with tre formed in to spere; and the thornes schulen be kyndlid, and schulen be brent `til to nouyt.

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 ben the names of the stronge men of Dauid. Dauid sittith in the chaier, the wiseste prince among thre; he is as a moost tendir worm of tree, that killide eiyte hundrid with o fersnesse.

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 Aftir hym was Eleazar, the sone of his fadirs brother Abohi; among thre stronge men, that weren with Dauid, whanne thei seiden schenschip to Filisteis, and weren gaderid thidir in to batel.

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 And whanne the men of Israel hadden stied, he stood, and smoot Filisties, til his hond failide, and was starke with the swerd. And the Lord made greet helthe in that dai; and the puple that fledde turnedc ayen to drawe awei the spuylis of slayn men.

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 aftir hym was Semma, the sone of Age, of Arari. And Filisteis weren gaderid in the stacioun; forsothe there was a feeld ful of lente; and whanne the puple fledde fro the face of Filisteis,

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 he stood in the myddis of the feeld, and bihelde it; and he smoot Filisteis, and the Lord made greet helthe.

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 Also and thre men yeden doun bifore, that weren princes among thretti, and camen to Dauid in the tyme of reep in to the denne of Odollam. Forsothe the castels of Filisteis weren set in the valei of giauntis.

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 Dauid was in a strong hold; sotheli the stacioun of Filisteis was thanne in Bethleem.

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

15 Therfor Dauid desiride water of the lake, and seide, If ony man wolde yyue to me drynk of watir of the cisterne, which is in Bethleem, bisidis the yate.

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 Therfor thre stronge men braken in to the castels of Filisteis, and drowen watir of the cisterne of Bethleem, that was bisidis the yate, and brouyten to Dauid; and he nolde drinke,

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 but offride it to the Lord, and seide, The Lord be merciful to me, that Y do not this; whether Y schal drynke the blood of these men, that yeden forth, and the perel of soulis? Therfor he nolde drynke. Thre strongeste men diden thes thingis.

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 Also Abisay, brother of Joab, the sone of Saruye, was prince of thre; he it is that reiside his schaft ayens thre hundrid men, whiche he killide; `he was nemid among thre,

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 and was the noblere among thre, and he was the prince of hem; but he cam not to the thre firste men.

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

20 And Banaye, the sone of Joiada, strongeste man of grete werkis, of Capseel, he smoot twei liouns of Moab, `that is, twei knyytis hardi as liouns; and he yede doun, and smoot a lioun in the myddil cisterne in the daies of snow.

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 Also he killide a man of Egipt, a man worthi of spectacle, hauynge a spere in the hond; therfor whanne he hadde come doun with a yerde to that man, bi miyt he wrooth out the spere fro the hond of the man of Egipt, and killide hym with his owne spere.

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 Banaye, sone of Joiada, dide these thingis;

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

23 and he was nemyed among thre stronge men, that weren among the thretti noblere men; netheles he cam not til to the thre. And Dauid made hym a counselour of priuyte to hym silf.

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

24 Asahel, the brother of Joab, was among thretti men; Eleanan, the sone of his fadris brother, of Bethleem; Semma, of Arari;

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

25 Elcha, of Arodi; Helas, of Phelti;

Shammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite,

26 Hira, sone of Aches, of Thecua; Abiezer, of Amatoth;

Helez the Paltite, Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoite,

27 Mobannoy, of Cosathi; Selmon, of Achotes;

Abiezer the Anathothite, Mebunnai the Hushathite,

28 Macharai, of Nethopath;

Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite,

29 Heled, the sone of Baana, and he was of Netophath; Hiray, sone of Rabai, of Gebeeth, of the sones of Beniamyn; Banay, of Effrata;

Heled son of Baanah the Netophathite, Ittai son of Ribai from Gibeah of the Benjamites,

30 Hedday, of the stronde of Gaas;

Benaiah the Pirathonite, Hiddai from the brooks of Gaash,

31 Abiadon, of Arbath; Asmaneth, of Berromy;

Abi-albon the Arbathite, Azmaveth the Barhumite,

32 Eliaba, of Sabony; sones of Assen, Jonathan, and Jasan; Semma, of Herodi;

Eliahba the Shaalbonite, the sons of Jashen, Jonathan

33 Hayam, sone of Sarai, of Zaroth;

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

34 Eliphelech, sone of Saalbai, the sone of Maachati; Heliam, sone of Achitofel, of Gilo;

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

35 Esrai, of Carmele; Pharai, of Arbi;

Hezro the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite,

36 Ygaal, sone of Nathan, of Soba;

Igal son of Nathan of Zobah, Bani the Gadite,

37 Bonny, of Gaddi; Silech, of Ammony; Naarai, of Beroth, the squyer of Joab, the sone of Saruye;

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

38 Haray, of Jethri; Gareb, and he was of Gethri;

Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,

39 Vrye, of Ethei; alle weren seuene and thretti men.

and Uriah the Hittite. There were thirty-seven in all.