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:

Forsothe these ben the laste wordis, whiche Dauid, the sone of Ysai, seide. The man seide, to whom it is ordeyned of Crist, of the God of Jacob, the noble salm makere of Israel;

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

The spiryt of the Lord spak bi me, and his word bi my tunge.

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,

Dauid seide, God of Israel spak to me, the stronge of Israel, the `iust Lord of men, `is Lord in the drede 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.

As the liyt of the morewtid, whanne the sunne risith eerli, is briyt with out cloudis; and as an erbe cometh forth of the erthe bi reynes.

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?

And myn hows is not so greet anentis God, that he schulde make with me euerlastynge couenaunt, stidefast and maad strong in alle thingis; for al myn helthe hangith of him, and al the wille `that is, al my desir, goith in to hym, and no thing is therof, that makith not fruyt.

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

Forsothe alle trespassouris schulen be drawun out as thornes, that ben not takun with hondis.

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 ony man wole touche tho, he schal be armed with irun, and with tre formed in to spere; and the thornes schulen be kyndlid, and schulen be brent `til to nouyt.

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 ben the names of the stronge men of Dauid. Dauid sittith in the chaier, the wiseste prince among thre; he is as a moost tendir worm of tree, that killide eiyte hundrid with o fersnesse.

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;

Aftir hym was Eleazar, the sone of his fadirs brother Abohi; among thre stronge men, that weren with Dauid, whanne thei seiden schenschip to Filisteis, and weren gaderid thidir in to batel.

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 whanne the men of Israel hadden stied, he stood, and smoot Filisties, til his hond failide, and was starke with the swerd. And the Lord made greet helthe in that dai; and the puple that fledde turnedc ayen to drawe awei the spuylis of slayn men.

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 aftir hym was Semma, the sone of Age, of Arari. And Filisteis weren gaderid in the stacioun; forsothe there was a feeld ful of lente; and whanne the puple fledde fro the face of Filisteis,

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 in the myddis of the feeld, and bihelde it; and he smoot Filisteis, and the Lord made greet helthe.

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;

Also and thre men yeden doun bifore, that weren princes among thretti, and camen to Dauid in the tyme of reep in to the denne of Odollam. Forsothe the castels of Filisteis weren set in the valei of giauntis.

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

And Dauid was in a strong hold; sotheli the stacioun of Filisteis was thanne in Bethleem.

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

Therfor Dauid desiride water of the lake, and seide, If ony man wolde yyue to me drynk of watir of the cisterne, which is in Bethleem, bisidis the yate.

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,

Therfor thre stronge men braken in to the castels of Filisteis, and drowen watir of the cisterne of Bethleem, that was bisidis the yate, and brouyten to Dauid; and he nolde drinke,

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.

but offride it to the Lord, and seide, The Lord be merciful to me, that Y do not this; whether Y schal drynke the blood of these men, that yeden forth, and the perel of soulis? Therfor he nolde drynke. Thre strongeste men diden thes thingis.

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 Abisay, brother of Joab, the sone of Saruye, was prince of thre; he it is that reiside his schaft ayens thre hundrid men, whiche he killide; `he was nemid among thre,

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

and was the noblere among thre, and he was the prince of hem; but he cam not to the thre firste men.

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 Banaye, the sone of Joiada, strongeste man of grete werkis, of Capseel, he smoot twei liouns of Moab, `that is, twei knyytis hardi as liouns; and he yede doun, and smoot a lioun in the myddil cisterne in the daies 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.

Also he killide a man of Egipt, a man worthi of spectacle, hauynge a spere in the hond; therfor whanne he hadde come doun with a yerde to that man, bi miyt he wrooth out the spere fro the hond of the man of Egipt, and killide hym with his owne spere.

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

Banaye, sone of Joiada, dide these thingis;

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 nemyed among thre stronge men, that weren among the thretti noblere men; netheles he cam not til to the thre. And Dauid made hym a counselour of priuyte to hym silf.

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

Asahel, the brother of Joab, was among thretti men; Eleanan, the sone of his fadris brother, of Bethleem; Semma, of Arari;

25 Shammah, the Harodite; Elika, the Harodite;

Elcha, of Arodi; Helas, of Phelti;

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

Hira, sone of Aches, of Thecua; Abiezer, of Amatoth;

27 Abiezer, the Anathothite, Mebunnai, the Hushathite;

Mobannoy, of Cosathi; Selmon, of Achotes;

28 Zalmon, the Ahohite, Maharai, the Netophathite;

Macharai, of Nethopath;

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

Heled, the sone of Baana, and he was of Netophath; Hiray, sone of Rabai, of Gebeeth, of the sones of Beniamyn; Banay, of Effrata;

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

Hedday, of the stronde of Gaas;

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

Abiadon, of Arbath; Asmaneth, of Berromy;

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

Eliaba, of Sabony; sones of Assen, Jonathan, and Jasan; Semma, of Herodi;

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

Hayam, sone of Sarai, of Zaroth;

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

Eliphelech, sone of Saalbai, the sone of Maachati; Heliam, sone of Achitofel, of Gilo;

35 Hezro, the Carmelite, Paarai, the Arbite;

Esrai, of Carmele; Pharai, of Arbi;

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

Ygaal, sone of Nathan, of Soba;

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

Bonny, of Gaddi; Silech, of Ammony; Naarai, of Beroth, the squyer of Joab, the sone of Saruye;

38 Ira, the Ithrite, Gareb, the Ithrite;

Haray, of Jethri; Gareb, and he was of Gethri;

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

Vrye, of Ethei; alle weren seuene and thretti men.