2 Samuel 23

1 Now, these, are the last words of David, —The oracle of David, son of Jesse, Yea the oracle of The man raised up on high, The Anointed of the God of Jacob, the Delight of the Songs of Israel:

These are the last words of David. Now David, the son of Jesse, the man to whom it was appointed concerning the Christ of the God of Jacob, the preeminent psalmist of Israel said:

2 The Spirit of Yahweh, spake in me, —And, his word, was on my tongue;

“The Spirit of the Lord has spoken through me, and his word was spoken through my tongue.

3 Said the God of Israel, Unto me, spake the Rock of Israel: —One Ruling over Men, A Righteous One, ruling in the reverence of God,

The God of Israel spoke to me, the Strong One of Israel spoke, the Ruler of men, the Just Ruler, in the fear of God,

4 Is even as the light of the morning when ariseth the sun, —A morning, without clouds, [As] from brightness, [and] from rain, the fresh shoots out of the earth.

like the first light of the morning as the sun is rising, when a morning without clouds glows red, and like plants springing forth from the earth after a rainfall.

5 When, not so, was my house with GOD, Then, a covenant age-abiding, he appointed me, Ordered in all things and guarded, Now that it is all my salvation and all my desire, Will he not make it shoot forth?

But my house is not so great with God that he should undertake an eternal covenant with me, firm and fortified in all things. For he is the entirety of my salvation and the entirety of my will. And there is nothing of this which will not spring forth.

6 But, as for the abandoned, like thorns to be tossed away are they all, —For, not with the hand, can they be taken;

But all prevaricators shall be plucked out like thorns, yet they are not taken away by hands.

7 But, the man that would touch them, Must fence himself with iron, and the shaft of a spear, —Then, with fire, shall they be, consumed, on the spot!

And if anyone wishes to touch them, he must be armed with iron and a wooden lance. And they shall be set ablaze and burned to nothing.”

8 These, are the names of the mighty men, who belonged to David, —The president a Tachmonite head of the charioteers, the same, was Adino the Eznite, for eight hundred, slain at one time.

These are the names of the valiant of David. Sitting in the chair was the wisest leader among the three; he was like a very tender little worm in a tree, who killed eight hundred men in one attack.

9 And, after him, Eleazar son of Dodo, son of Ahohi, —in the hero-class of mighty men, with David, when they reproached the Philistines, they were gathered together there to battle, but the men of Israel had gone up;

After him, there was Eleazar, the son of his paternal uncle, an Ahohite, who was among the three valiant men who were with David when they chastised the Philistines, and they were gathered together in battle there.

10 he, however, arose and smote among the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto his sword, so Yahweh wrought a great victory on that day, —the people, coming back after him, only to strip the slain.

And when the men of Israel had gone up, he himself stood fast and struck down the Philistines, until his hand grew weak and stiff with the sword. And the Lord wrought a great salvation on that day. And the people who had fled returned to take up the spoils of the slain.

11 And, after him, Shammah son of Agee, the Hararite, —and, when the Philistines were gathered together into a troop, there being at hand an allotment of field-land full of lentils, but, the people, having fled from the face of the Philistines,

And after him, there was Shammah, the son of Agee, from Hara. And the Philistines gathered together at an outpost. For a field full of lentils was in that place. And when the people had fled from the face of the Philistines,

12 then took he his stand in the midst of the allotment, and defended it, and smote the Philistines, —and Yahweh wrought a great victory.

he stood fast in the middle of the field, and it was protected by him. And he struck down the Philistines. And the Lord wrought a great salvation.

13 And three of the thirty chiefs descended, and came in, towards harvest, unto David, unto the cave of Adullam, —although, a troop of Philistines, were encamped in the vale of Rephaim;

And moreover, before this, the three who were leaders among the thirty descended and went to David at harvest time, in the cave of Adullam. But the camp of the Philistines was positioned in the Valley of the giants.

14 and, David, then was in a stronghold, —and, a garrison of Philistines, was then in Bethlehem.

And David was in a stronghold. Moreover, there was a garrison of the Philistines at that time in Bethlehem.

15 And David longed, and said, —Who will give me to drink water out of the well of Bethlehem, that is within the gate?

Then David desired, and he said, “If only someone would give me a drink of the water from the cistern, which is in Bethlehem beside the gate!”

16 And the three mighty men brake through the camp of Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that was within the gate, and bare it, and brought it in unto David, —yet would he not drink, but poured it out unto Yahweh,

Therefore, the three valiant men burst into the encampment of the Philistines, and they drew water from the cistern of Bethlehem, which was beside the gate. And they brought it to David. Yet he was not willing to drink; instead, he poured it out to the Lord,

17 and said—Be it far from me, O Yahweh, that I should do this! is it not the blood of the men who went with their lives [in their hands]? So he would not drink it. These things, did the three mighty men.

saying: “May the Lord be gracious to me, so that I may not do this. Should I drink the blood of these men who have set out to the peril of their own lives?” Therefore, he was not willing to drink. These things were accomplished by these three robust men.

18 And. Abishai brother of Joab son of Zeruiah, he, was chief of three, in that he brandished his spear against three hundred whom he slew; and, he, had a name among three.

Also Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was first among the three. It was he who lifted up his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed. And he was renowned among the three,

19 Was he not most honourable, of the three, and so became their captain? Nevertheless, unto the three, he attained not.

and he was the noblest of the three, and he was their leader. But at first he did not attain to the three.

20 Benaiah also, son of Jehoiadah, son of an active man, hero of many a deed, a man of Kabzeel, he, smote the two sons of Ariel of Moab, he, also went down and smote a lion in the midst of a pit, on a day of snow;

And Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, a very strong man of great deeds, was from Kabzeel. He slew the two lions of Moab, and he descended and slew a lion in the middle of a den, in the days of snow.

21 he, also smote an Egyptian, who was of valiant bearing, and, in the hand of the Egyptian, was a spear, but he went down unto him with a staff, —and wrested the spear out of the hand of the Egyptian, and slew him with his own spear.

He also killed an Egyptian who had a spear in his hand, a man worthy to behold. And yet he had gone down to him with only a staff. And he forced the spear from the hand of the Egyptian, and he killed him with his own spear.

22 These things, did Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and, he, had a name among three mighty men.

Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, accomplished these things.

23 He was the most honourable, of thirty, although, unto the three, he attained no, —so David added him to his council.

And he was renowned among the three robust men, who were the most noble among the thirty. Yet truly, he did not attain to the three, until David made him his secret advisor.

24 Asahel, brother of Joab, was among the thirty, —Elhanan, son of Dodo, of Bethlehem;

Among the thirty were: Asahel, the brother of Joab, Elhanan, the son of his paternal uncle, from Bethlehem,

25 Shammah, the Harodite; Elika, the Harodite;

Shammah from Harod, Elika from Harod,

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

Helez from Palti, Ira, the son of Ikkesh, from Tekoa,

27 Abiezer, the Anathothite, Mebunnai, the Hushathite;

Abiezer from Anathoth, Mebunnai from Hushah,

28 Zalmon, the Ahohite, Maharai, the Netophathite;

Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite,

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

Heleb, the son of Baanah, also himself a Netophathite, Ittai, the son of Ribai, from Gibeah, of the sons of Benjamin,

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

Benaiah the Pirathonite, Hiddai from the Torrent Gaash,

31 Abi-albon, the Arbathite, Azmaveth, the Barhumite;

Abialbon the Arbathite, Azmaveth from Beromi,

32 Eliahba, the Shaalbonite, (Of) the sons of Jashen, Jonathan;

Eliahba from Shaalbon; the sons of Jashen, Jonathan,

33 Shammah, the Hararite, Ahiam, son of Sharar, the Ararite;

Shammah from Orori, Ahiam, the son of Sharar, the Hararite,

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

Eliphelet, the son of Ahasbai, the son of Maacath, Eliam, the son of Ahithophel, the Gilonite,

35 Hezro, the Carmelite, Paarai, the Arbite;

Hezrai from Carmel, Paarai from Arbi,

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

Igal, the son of Nathan, from Zobah, Bani from Gad,

37 Zelek, the Ammonite, —Naharai, the Beerothite, armour bearers to Joab son of Zeruiah;

Zelek from Ammon, Naharai the Beerothite, the armor bearer of Joab, the son of Zeruiah,

38 Ira, the Ithrite, Gareb, the Ithrite;

Ira the Ithrite, Gareb also an Ithrite,

39 Uriah, the Hittite, In all, thirty and seven.

Uriah the Hittite: altogether thirty seven