2 Samuel 23
David’s Last Song
1Now these are the last words of David. David the son of Jesse declares,aThe man who was raised on high declares,
bThe anointed of the God of Jacob,
And the sweet psalmist of Israel,
2 c“The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me,
And His word was on my tongue.
3“The God of Israel said,
dThe Rock of Israel spoke to me,
‘ eHe who rules over men righteously,
fWho rules in the fear of God,
4 gIs as the light of the morning when the sun rises,
A morning without clouds,
When the tender grass springs out of the earth,
Through sunshine after rain.’
5“Truly is not my house so with God?
For hHe has made an everlasting covenant with me,
Ordered in all things, and secured;
For all my salvation and all my desire,
Will He not indeed make it grow?
6 i“But the worthless, every one of them will be thrust away like thorns,
Because they cannot be taken in hand;
7But the man who touches them
Must be ▼
▼ Lit filled
armed with iron and the shaft of a spear,And kthey will be completely burned with fire in their ▼
▼ Lit sitting
place.”His Mighty Men
8 mThese are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-basshebeth a Tahchemonite, chief of the ▼▼ Or three
captains, he was called Adino the Eznite, because of eight hundred slain by him at one time; 9and after him was Eleazar the son of oDodo the pAhohite, one of the three mighty men with David when they ▼▼ Lit reproached
defied the Philistines who were gathered there to battle and the men of Israel had ▼▼ Lit gone up
withdrawn. 10 sHe arose and struck the Philistines until his hand was weary and ▼▼ Lit his hand clung
clung to the sword, and uthe Lord brought about a great ▼▼ Lit salvation
victory that day; and the people returned after him only to strip the slain. 11Now after him was Shammah the son of Agee a wHararite. And the Philistines were gathered ▼▼ Possibly, at Lehi
into a troop where there was a plot of ground full of lentils, and the people fled from the Philistines. 12But he took his stand in the midst of the plot, defended it and struck the Philistines; and ythe Lord brought about a great ▼▼ Lit salvation
victory. 13Then three of the thirty chief men went down and came to David in the harvest time to the aacave of Adullam, while the troop of the Philistines was camping in abthe valley of Rephaim. 14David was then acin the stronghold, while the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. 15 adDavid had a craving and said, “Oh that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem which is by the gate!” 16 aeSo the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines, and drew water from the well of Bethlehem which was by the gate, and took it and brought it to David. Nevertheless he would not drink it, but afpoured it out to the Lord; 17and he said, “Be it far from me, O Lord, that I should do this. ag Shall I drink the blood of the men who went in jeopardy of their lives?” Therefore he would not drink it. These things the three mighty men did. 18 ahAbishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was aichief of the ▼▼ So two Heb mss and Syriac; M.T. three
thirty. And he swung his spear against three hundred ▼▼ Lit slain ones
and killed them, and had a name as well as the three. 19He was most honored of the thirty, therefore he became their commander; however, he did not attain to the three. 20Then alBenaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of amKabzeel, who had done mighty deeds, ▼▼ Lit smote
killed the ▼▼ Or two lion-like heroes
two sons of Ariel of Moab. He also went down and killed a lion in the middle of a pit on a snowy day. 21He ▼▼ Lit smote
killed an Egyptian, ▼▼ Lit a man of appearance
an impressive man. Now the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, but he went down to him with a club and snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear. 22These things arBenaiah the son of Jehoiada did, and had a name as well as the three mighty men. 23He was honored among the thirty, but he did not attain to the three. And David appointed him over his guard. 24 asAsahel the brother of Joab was among the thirty; Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, 25 atShammah the auHarodite, Elika the Harodite, 26Helez the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkesh the avTekoite, 27Abiezer the awAnathothite, Mebunnai the Hushathite, 28Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the axNetophathite, 29 ayHeleb the son of Baanah the Netophathite, Ittai the son of Ribai of azGibeah of the sons of Benjamin, 30Benaiah a baPirathonite, Hiddai of the brooks of bbGaash, 31Abi-albon the Arbathite, Azmaveth the bcBarhumite, 32Eliahba the bdShaalbonite, the sons of Jashen, Jonathan, 33 beShammah the Hararite, Ahiam the son of Sharar the Ararite, 34Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai, the son of bfthe Maacathite, bgEliam the son of bhAhithophel the Gilonite, 35 biHezro the bjCarmelite, Paarai the Arbite, 36Igal the son of Nathan of bkZobah, Bani the Gadite, 37Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the blBeerothite, armor bearers of Joab the son of Zeruiah, 38Ira the bmIthrite, Gareb the Ithrite, 39 bnUriah the Hittite; thirty-seven in all.
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