2 Samuel 23:1–12

Now these be the last words of David.

aDavid the son of Jesse said,

bAnd the man who was raised up on high,

cThe anointed of the God of Jacob,

And the sweet psalmist of Israel, said,

2  dThe Spirit of the Lord spake by me,

And his word was in my tongue.

3  The God of Israel said,

eThe Rock of Israel spake to me,

||He that ruleth over men must be just,

Ruling fin the fear of God.

4  And he shall be as the light of the morning, when gthe 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;

hYet 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 ihe make it not to grow.

6  But the sons of jBelial 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 kthe staff of a spear;

And they shall be utterly burned with fire in the same place.

8 lThese be the names of the mighty men whom David had: ||The Tachmonite that sat in the seat, chief among mthe 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 nEleazar the son of Dodo the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David, when othey 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 pvictory that day; and the people returned after him only to spoil. 11 And after him was qShammah 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 pvictory.