Kings II 23
1 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.
Now these are the last words of David. David, the son of Jesse, says, the man who was lifted up on high, the man on whom the God of Jacob put the holy oil, the loved one of Israel's songs, says:
2 The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and his word [was] upon my tongue.
The spirit of the Lord had voice through me, his word was on 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?
The God of Israel said, the word of the Rock of Israel came to me: When an upright king is ruling over men, when he is ruling in the fear of God,
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.
It is as the light of the morning, when the sun comes up, a morning without clouds; making young grass come to life from 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.
For is not my house so with God? For he has made with me an eternal agreement, ordered in all things and certain: as for all my salvation and all my desire, will he not give it increase?
6 All these [are] as a thorn thrust forth, for they shall not be taken with the hand,
But the evil-doers, all of them, will be like thorns to be pushed away, because they may not be gripped in 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, an he shall burn them with fire, and they shall be burnt in their shame.
But anyone touching them has to be armed with iron and the rod of a spear; and they will be burned with fire, every one of them.
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.
These are the names of David's men of war: Ishbaal the Hachmonite, chief of the three; his axe was lifted up against eight hundred put to death at one time.
9 And after him Eleanan the son of his uncle, son of Dudi who was among 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.
After him was Eleazar, the son of Dodai the Ahohite, one of the three great fighters, who was with David in Pas-dammim when the Philistines came together there for the fight; and when the men of Israel had gone in flight,
10 He arose an 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 rested behind him only to strip [the slain].
He was with David and went on fighting the Philistines till his hand became tired and stiff from gripping his sword: and that day the Lord gave a great salvation, and the people came back after him only to take the goods of the Philistines.
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.
After him was Shammah, the son of Ela the Hararite. And the Philistines came together in Lehi, where there was a bit of land full of seed; and the people went in flight from 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.
But he kept his place in the middle of the bit of land, and kept back their attack and overcame the Philistines: and the Lord gave a great salvation.
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.
And three of the thirty went down at the start of the grain-cutting, and they came to David at the strong place of Adullam; and the band of Philistines had taken up their position in the valley of Rephaim.
14 And David [was] then in the strong hold, and the garrison of the Philistines [was] then in Bethleem.
And at that time David had taken cover in the strong place, and an armed force of the Philistines was in Beth-lehem.
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.
And David, moved by a strong desire, said, If only someone would give me a drink of water from the water-hole of Beth-lehem, by the doorway into the town!
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.
And the three men, forcing their way through the Philistine army, got water from the water-hole of Beth-lehem, by the doorway into the town, and took it back to David: but he would not take it, but, draining it out, made an offering of it to the Lord.
17 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.
And he said, Far be it from me, O Lord, to do this; how may I take as my drink the life-blood of men who have put their lives in danger? So he would not take it. These things did the three great men of war.
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.
And Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of the thirty. He put to death three hundred with his spear, and he got for himself a name among the thirty.
19 Of those three [he was] most honourable, and he became a chief over them, but he reached not to the [first] three.
Was he not the noblest of the thirty? so he was made their captain: but he was not equal to the first three.
20 And Banaeas 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.
And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, a fighting man of Kabzeel, had done great acts; he put to death the two sons of Ariel of Moab: he went down into a hole and put a lion to death in time of snow:
21 He smote 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 slew him with his own spear.
And he made an attack on an Egyptian, a tall man: and the Egyptian had a spear in his hand; but he went down to him with a stick, and pulling the spear out of the hands of the Egyptian, put him to death with that same spear.
22 These things did Banaeas the son of Jodae, and he had a name among the three mighty men.
These were the acts of Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, who had a great name among the thirty men of war.
23 He was honourable among 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.
He was honoured over the rest of the thirty, but he was not equal to the first three. And David put him over the fighting men who kept him safe.
24 Asael Joab's brother; he [was] among the thirty. Eleanan son of Dudi his uncle in Bethleem.
Asahel, the brother of Joab, was one of the thirty; and Elhanan, the son of Dodai, of Beth-lehem,
25 Saema the Rudaean.
Shammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite,
26 Selles the Kelothite: Iras the son of Isca the Thecoite.
Helez the Paltite, Ira, the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite,
27 Abiezer the Anothite, of the sons of the Anothite.
Abiezer the Anathothite, Sibbecai the Hushathite,
28 Ellon the Aoite; Noere the Netophatite.
Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite,
29 Esthai the son of Riba of Gabaeth, son of Benjamin the Ephrathite; Asmoth the Bardiamite; Emasu the Salabonite:
Heldai, the son of Baanah the Netophathite, Ittai, the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the children of Benjamin,
30 Adroi of the brooks.
Benaiah the Pirathonite, Hiddai of the valleys of Gaash,
31 Gadabiel son of the Arabothaeite.
Abiel the Arbathite, Azmaveth of Bahurim,
32 the sons of Asan, Jonathan;
Eliahba the Shaalbonite, Jashen the Gunite,
33 Samnan the Arodite; Amnan the son of Arai the Saraurite.
Jonathan, the son of Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam, the son of Sharar the Hararite,
34 Aliphaleth the son of Asbites, the son of the Machachachite; Eliab the son of Achitophel the Gelonite.
Eliphelet, the son of Ahasbai the Maacathite, Eliam, the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite,
35 Asarai the Carmelite the son of Uraeoerchi.
Hezrai the Carmelite, Paarai the Archite,
36 Gaal the son of Nathana. The son of much valour, [the son] of Galaaddi. Elie the Ammanite.
Igal, the son of Nathan of Zobah, Bani the Gadite,
37 Gelore the Bethorite, armour-bearer to Joab, son of Saruia.
Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite, who had the care of the arms of Joab, son of Zeruiah,
38 Iras the Ethirite. Gerab the Ethenite.
Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,
39 Urias the Chettite: thirty-seven in all.
Uriah the Hittite: thirty-seven in number.
