2 Samuel 23
1 Now these be the
last words of
David. David the
son of
Jesse said, and the
man who was raised
up on
high, the
anointed of the
God of
Jacob, and the
sweet psalmist of
Israel, said,
2 The
Spirit of the
LORD spake by me, and his
word was in my
tongue. 3 The
God of
Israel said, the
Rock of
Israel spake to me, He that
ruleth over
men must be
just, ruling in the
fear of
God. 4 And he shall be as the
light of the
morning, when the
sun riseth, even a
morning without clouds; as the tender
grass springing out of the
earth by clear
shining after
rain. 5 Although my
house be not so with
God; yet he hath
made with me an
everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and
sure: for this is all my
salvation, and all my
desire, although he make it not to
grow.
6 But the sons of
Belial shall be all of them as
thorns thrust
away, because they cannot be
taken with
hands: 7 But the
man that shall
touch them must be
fenced with
iron and the
staff of a
spear; and they shall be
utterly burned with
fire in the same
place.
8 These be the
names of the mighty
men whom
David had: The
Tachmonite that
sat in the
seat,
chief among the
captains; the same was
Adino the
Eznite: he lift up his spear against
eight hundred, whom he
slew at
one time. 9 And
after him was
Eleazar the
son of
Dodo the
Ahohite, one of the
three mighty
men with
David, when they
defied the
Philistines that were there gathered
together to
battle, and the
men of
Israel were gone
away:
10 He
arose, and
smote the
Philistines until his
hand was
weary, and his
hand clave unto the
sword: and the
LORD wrought a
great victory that
day; and the
people returned after him only to
spoil.
11 And
after him was
Shammah the
son of
Agee the
Hararite. And the
Philistines were gathered
together into a
troop, where was a
piece of
ground full of
lentiles: and the
people fled from the
Philistines. 12 But he
stood in the
midst of the
ground, and
defended it, and
slew the
Philistines: and the
LORD wrought a
great victory. 13 And
three of the
thirty chief went
down, and
came to
David in the harvest
time unto the
cave of
Adullam: and the
troop of the
Philistines pitched in the
valley of
Rephaim. 14 And
David was then in an
hold, and the
garrison of the
Philistines was then in
Bethlehem. 15 And
David longed, and
said, Oh that one would give me
drink of the
water of the
well of
Bethlehem, which is by the
gate! 16 And the
three mighty
men brake
through the
host 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 thereof, but poured it
out unto the
LORD. 17 And he
said, Be 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? therefore he
would not
drink it. These things
did these
three mighty
men. 18 And
Abishai, the
brother of
Joab, the
son of
Zeruiah, was
chief among
three. And he lifted
up his
spear against
three hundred, and
slew them, and had the
name among
three. 19 Was he not most
honourable of
three? therefore he was their
captain: howbeit he
attained not unto the first
three. 20 And
Benaiah the
son of
Jehoiada, the
son of a
valiant man, of
Kabzeel, who had done
many acts, he
slew two lionlike
men of
Moab: he went
down also and
slew a
lion in the
midst of a
pit in
time of
snow: 21 And he
slew an
Egyptian, a
goodly man: 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. 22 These things
did Benaiah the
son of
Jehoiada, and had the
name among
three mighty
men. 23 He was more
honourable than the
thirty, but he
attained not to the first
three. And
David set him over his
guard. 24 Asahel the
brother of
Joab was one of the
thirty; Elhanan the
son of
Dodo of
Bethlehem, 25 Shammah the
Harodite, Elika the
Harodite, 26 Helez the
Paltite, Ira the
son of
Ikkesh the
Tekoite, 27 Abiezer the
Anethothite, Mebunnai the
Hushathite, 28 Zalmon the
Ahohite, Maharai the
Netophathite, 29 Heleb the
son of
Baanah, a
Netophathite, Ittai the
son of
Ribai out of
Gibeah of the
children of
Benjamin, 30 Benaiah the
Pirathonite, Hiddai of the
brooks of
Gaash, 31 Abialbon the
Arbathite, Azmaveth the
Barhumite, 32 Eliahba the
Shaalbonite, of the
sons of
Jashen, Jonathan, 33 Shammah the
Hararite, Ahiam the
son of
Sharar the
Hararite, 34 Eliphelet the
son of
Ahasbai, the
son of the
Maachathite, Eliam the
son of
Ahithophel the
Gilonite, 35 Hezrai the
Carmelite, Paarai the
Arbite, 36 Igal the
son of
Nathan of
Zobah, Bani the
Gadite, 37 Zelek the
Ammonite, Naharai the
Beerothite, armourbearer to
Joab the
son of
Zeruiah, 38 Ira an
Ithrite, Gareb an
Ithrite, 39 Uriah the
Hittite: thirty and
seven in all.