Old Testament · 2 Samuel

2 Samuel 23

David’s Last Song

1Now these are the last words of David. The utterance of David son of Jesse, and the utterance of the man set up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the pleasant one of the songs of Israel:

2The spirit^a of the LORD spoke by me, and His word was upon my tongue.
3The God of Israel said, to me spoke the Rock of Israel: One ruling over man^b, a righteous one, ruling in the fear of God,
4And as the light of morning, when the sun rises, a morning without clouds; from brightness, from rain, tender grass from the earth.
5For is not my house so with God? For an everlasting covenant^c He has set for me, ordered in all and kept; for all my salvation and all my desire — will He not make it grow?
6But the worthless one, like a thorn thrust away are all of them; for not with the hand can they be taken;
7And the man^d who would touch them fills his hand with iron and the shaft of a spear; and with fire they shall be utterly burned in their place.

David’s Mighty Men

(1 Chronicles 11:10–47)

8These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-basshebeth a Tahkemonite, chief of the captains; he is Adino the Eznite — against eight hundred slain at one time.

9And after him Eleazar son of Dodo, son of an Ahohite, among the three mighty men with David, when they defied the Philistines gathered there for the battle, and the men of Israel went up. 10He arose and struck down the Philistines until his hand grew weary, and his hand clung to the sword; and the LORD wrought a great deliverance on that day, and the people returned after him only to strip the slain.

11And after him Shammah son of Age the Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered into a troop^e, and there was there a plot of the field full of lentils; and the people fled from before the Philistines. 12And he stationed himself in the midst of the plot and delivered it, and struck the Philistines; and the LORD wrought a great deliverance.

13And three of the thirty chief went down and came at the harvest to David, to the cave of Adullam; and a troop of the Philistines was encamped in the valley of Rephaim. 14And David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Beth-lehem. 15And David longed and said: Who will give me water to drink from the well of Beth-lehem that is by the gate?

16And the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines and drew water from the well of Beth-lehem that is by the gate, and carried it and brought it to David; but he would not drink it, and poured it out to the LORD. 17And he said: Far be it from me, O LORD, that I should do this; is it the blood of the men who went at the risk of their souls^f? And he would not drink it. These things did the three mighty men.

18And Abishai, brother of Joab, son of Zeruiah — he was chief of the three; and he wielded his spear against three hundred slain, and he had a name among the three. 19Of the three, was he not the most honored? And he became their commander, but to the three he did not attain.

20And Benaiah son of Jehoiada, son of a valiant man of many deeds, from Kabzeel; he struck the two ariels of Moab, and he went down and struck the lion in the midst of the pit on the day of the snow. 21And he struck down the Egyptian man, a man of appearance; and in the hand of the Egyptian was a spear; but he went down to him with a staff, and snatched the spear from the hand of the Egyptian, and killed him with his own spear. 22These things did Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he had a name among the three mighty men. 23Of the thirty he was honored, but to the three he did not attain; and David set him over his guard.

24Asahel brother of Joab was among the thirty; Elhanan son of Dodo of Beth-lehem;

25Shammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite;

26Helez the Paltite, Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoite;

27Abiezer the Anathothite, Mebunnai the Hushathite;

28Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite;

29Heleb son of Baanah the Netophathite, Ittai son of Ribai of Gibeah of the children of Benjamin;

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

31Abi-albon the Arbathite, Azmaveth the Barhumite;

32Eliahba the Shaalbonite, of the sons of Jashen, Jonathan; 33Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam son of Sharar the Ararite;

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

35Hezrai the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite;

36Igal son of Nathan of Zobah, Bani the Gadite;

37Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite, bearer of the weapons of Joab son of Zeruiah;

38Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite;

39Uriah the Hittite — thirty and seven in all.