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;

And these [are] the last words of David. Faithful [is] David the son of Jessae, and faithful the man whom the Lord raised up to be the anointed of the God of Jacob, and beautiful [are] the psalms of Israel.

2 The spiryt of the Lord spak bi me, and his word bi my tunge.

The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and his word [was] upon 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 says, A watchman out of Israel spoke to me a parable: I said amongst men, How will you strengthen the fear of the anointed?

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.

And in the morning light of God, let the sun arise in the morning, from the light of which the Lord passed on, and as it were from the rain of the tender grass upon 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.

For my house [is] not so with the Mighty One: for he has made an everlasting covenant with me, ready, guarded at every time; for all my salvation and all my desire [is], that the wicked should not flourish.

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

All these [are] as a thorn thrust forth, for they shall not be taken with the 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.

and a man shall not labour amongst them; and [one shall have] that which is fully armed with iron, and the staff of a spear, an he shall burn them with fire, and they shall be burnt in their shame.

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 the mighty men of David: Jebosthe the Chananite is a captain of the third [part]: Adinon the Asonite, he drew his sword against eight hundred soldiers at once.

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.

And after him Eleanan the son of his uncle, son of Dudi who was amongst the three mighty men with David; and when he defied the Philistines they were gathered there to war, and the men of Israel went up.

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.

He arose an struck the Philistines, until his hand was weary, and his hand clave to the sword: and the Lord wrought a great salvation in that day, and the people rested behind him only to strip [the slain].

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 Samaia the son of Asa the Arachite: and the Philistines were gathered to Theria; and there was there a portion of ground full of lentiles; and the people fled before the Philistines.

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

And he stood firm in the midst of the portion, and rescued it, and struck the Philistines; and the Lord wrought a great deliverance.

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.

And three out of the thirty went down, and came to Cason to David, to the cave of Odollam; and [there was] an army of the Philistines, and they encamped in the valley of Raphain.

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

And David [was] then in the strong hold, and the garrison of the Philistines [was] then in Bethleem.

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.

And David longed, and said, Who will give me water to drink out of the well that is in Bethleem by the gate? now the band of the Philistines [was] then in Bethleem.

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,

And the three mighty men broke through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well that was in Bethleem in the gate: and they took it, and brought it to David, and he would not drink it, but poured it out before 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.

And he said, O Lord, forbid that I should do this, that I should drink of the blood of the men who went at [the risk of] their lives: and he would not drink it. These things did these 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,

And Abessa the brother of Joab the son of Saruia, he [was] chief amongst the three, and he lifted up his spear against three hundred whom he killed; and he had a name amongst three.

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

Of those three [he was] most honourable, and he became a chief over them, but he reached not to the [first] 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 Banaeas the son of Jodae, he was abundant in [mighty] deeds, from Cabeseel, and he struck the two sons of Ariel of Moab: and he went down and struck a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day.

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 struck an Egyptian, a wonderful man, and in the hand of the Egyptian [was] a spear as the side of a ladder; and he went down to him with a staff, and snatched the spear from the Egyptian's hand, and killed him with his own spear.

22 Banaye, sone of Joiada, dide these thingis;

These things did Banaeas the son of Jodae, and he had a name amongst 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 honourable amongst the [second] three, but he reached not to the [first] three: and David made him his reporter. And these [are] the names of King David's mighty men.

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

Asael Joab's brother; he [was] amongst the thirty. Eleanan son of Dudi his uncle in Bethleem.

25 Elcha, of Arodi; Helas, of Phelti;

Saema the Rudaean.

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

Selles the Kelothite: Iras the son of Isca the Thecoite.

27 Mobannoy, of Cosathi; Selmon, of Achotes;

Abiezer the Anothite, of the sons of the Anothite.

28 Macharai, of Nethopath;

Ellon the Aoite; Noere the Netophatite.

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;

Esthai the son of Riba of Gabaeth, son of Benjamin the Ephrathite; Asmoth the Bardiamite; Emasu the Salabonite:

30 Hedday, of the stronde of Gaas;

Adroi of the brooks.

31 Abiadon, of Arbath; Asmaneth, of Berromy;

Gadabiel son of the Arabothaeite.

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

the sons of Asan, Jonathan;

33 Hayam, sone of Sarai, of Zaroth;

Samnan the Arodite; Amnan the son of Arai the Saraurite.

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

Aliphaleth the son of Asbites, the son of the Machachachite; Eliab the son of Achitophel the Gelonite.

35 Esrai, of Carmele; Pharai, of Arbi;

Asarai the Carmelite the son of Uraeoerchi.

36 Ygaal, sone of Nathan, of Soba;

Gaal the son of Nathana. The son of much valour, [the son] of Galaaddi. Elie the Ammanite.

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

Gelore the Bethorite, armour-bearer to Joab, son of Saruia.

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

Iras the Ethirite. Gerab the Ethenite.

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

Urias the Chettite: thirty-seven in all.