2 Samuel 23

Jubilee Bible 2000

23 ¶ Now these are the last words of David. David, the son of Jesse, said, and the man who was raised up high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet cantor of Israel, said,

²(The Spirit of the LORD has spoken by me, and his word has been in my tongue.

³The God of Israel dictated unto me, the strong One of Israel spoke): He that rules over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.

⁴And as the light of the morning when the sun rises, of a morning shining forth without clouds, as the shining forth through light rain upon the tender grass of the earth:

⁵shall not my house be so with God, although all my saving health and my desire shall not be produced yet? For he has made an everlasting covenant with me, ordered in all things, and it shall be kept;

⁶but those of Belial shall all be as thorns to be chased away, whom no one takes with the hand;

⁷but the one that desires to touch them must be armed with iron and the staff of a spear, and they are completely burned with fire in their place.

⁸¶ These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: he that sat in the seat of wisdom, chief among the three: Adino, the Eznite, who on one occasion slew eight hundred enemies.

⁹And after him was Eleazar, the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men who were with David, when they defied the Philistines that were there gathered together to battle, and those of Israel were gone away.

¹⁰He arose and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto the sword; and the LORD wrought a great salvation that day, and the people returned after him only to spoil.

¹¹And after him was Shammah, the son of Agee, the Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered together into a community, where was an inheritance of land full of lentils, and the people had fled before the Philistines.

¹²But he stood in the midst of the inheritance and defended it and slew the Philistines, and the LORD wrought a great salvation.

¹³These three, who were of the thirty chief, went down and came to David in the harvest time unto the cave of Adullam, and the camp of the Philistines was pitched in the valley of Rephaim.

¹⁴And David was then in the fortress, and the garrison of the Philistines was in Bethlehem.

¹⁵And David longed and said, Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!

¹⁶Then these three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that was by the gate and took it and brought it to David; nevertheless, he would not drink of it, but poured it out unto the LORD, saying,

¹⁷Be it far from me, O LORD, that I should do this; is not this the blood of the men that went in jeopardy of their lives? And he would not drink it. These three mighty men did this.

¹⁸And Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of three. And he lifted up his spear against three hundred and slew them and had a name among the three.

¹⁹He was the most honourable of the three and captain among them; however, he did not attain unto the first three.

²⁰Then, Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done many acts, slew two lions of Moab; he went down also and slew a lion in the midst of a pit in time of snow.

²¹He also slew an Egyptian, a man of great stature, and the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, but he went down to him with a staff and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand and slew him with his own spear.

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

²³He had more honour than the thirty, but he did not attain to the first three. And David put him in his council.

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

²⁵Shammah of Harodi, Elika of Harodi,

²⁶Helez of Palti, Ira, the son of Ikkesh of Tekoah,

²⁷Abiezer of Anethoth, Mebunnai of Hushath,

²⁸Zalmon of Ahoh, Maharai of Netophath,

²⁹Heleb, the son of Baanah of Netophath, Ittai, the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the sons of Benjamin,

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

³¹Abialbon of Arbath, Azmaveth of Barhum,

³²Eliahba of Shaalbon, Jonathan of the sons of Jashen,

³³Shammah of Harar, Ahiam, the son of Sharar of Harar,