2 Samuel 23
1 And these
are the last words of David.
Faithful is David the son of Jessæ, 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 Spirit of the Lord spoke by me,
and his word was upon my tongue.
3 The God of Israel says, A watchman
out of Israel spoke to me a parable: I said among men, How will ye strengthen
the fear of the anointed? 4 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 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 All these
are as a thorn thrust forth, for they shall not be
taken with the hand, 7 and a man shall
not labour among them; and one shall have that which
is fully armed with iron, and the staff of a spear, and he shall burn them
with fire, and they shall be burnt in their shame.
8 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 And after him Eleanan the son of his
uncle, son of Dudi who was among the three mighty men with David; and when
aOr, they defied him among the Philistines.he defied the Philistines they were gathered there to war, and the men of
Israel went up. 10 He arose and smote
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
bHeb. returned.rested behind him only to strip the slain.
11 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 And he stood firm in
the midst of the portion, and rescued it, and smote the Philistines; and the
Lord wrought a great deliverance.
13 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 David
was then in the strong hold, and the garrison of the
Philistines was then in Bethleem.
15 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 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 And he said, O Lord, forbid that I
should do this,
cGr. if.that I should drink 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 And Abessa the brother of Joab the
son of Saruia, he was chief among the three, and he
lifted up his spear against three hundred whom he slew; and he had a name
among three. 19 Of those three
he was most honourable, and he became a chief over
them, but he reached not to the first three.
20 And Banæas the son of Jodae, he
was abundant in mighty deeds, from Cabeseel, and he
smote the two sons of Ariel of Moab: and he went down and smote a lion in the
midst of a pit on a snowy day. 21 He
smote an Egyptian,
dGr. a man seen or to be seen.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 slew
him with his own spear. 22 These
things did Banæas the son of Jodae, and he had a name among the three mighty
men. 23 He was honourable among the
second three, but he reached not to the
first three: and David
eGr. appointed him to his hearings.made him his reporter.
And these are the names of king David's mighty men.
24 Asael Joab's brother; he
was among the thirty. Eleanan son of Dudi his uncle
in Bethleem. 25 Sæma the Rudæan.
26 Selles
fOr, the son of Kelothi.the Kelothite: Iras the son of Isca the Thecoite.
27 Abiezer the Anothite, of the sons
of the Anothite. 28 Ellon the Aoite;
Noëre the Netophatite. 29 Esthai the
son of Riba of Gabaeth, son of Benjamin the Ephrathite; Asmoth the Bardiamite;
Emasu the Salabonite: 32 the sons of
Asan, Jonathan; 33 Samnan the
Arodite; Amnan the son of Arai the Saraurite.
34 Aliphaleth the son of Asbites, the
son of the Machachachite; Eliab the son of Achitophel the Gelonite.
35 Asarai the Carmelite the son of
Uræoerchi. 36 Gaal the son of
Nathana. The son of much valour, the son of Galaaddi.
37 Elie the Ammanite.
37a Adroi of the brooks.
37b Gadabiel son of the Arabothæite.
37c Gelore the Bethorite,
armour-bearer to Joab, son of Saruia.
38 Iras the Ethirite. Gerab the
Ethenite. 39 Urias the Chettite:
thirty-seven in all.