2 Samuel 23:1–17

David’s Last Words

23Here are David’s last words. He said,

“I am David, the son of Jesse. God has given me a message.

The Most High God has greatly honored me.

The God of Jacob anointed me as king.

I am Israel’s singer of songs.

²“The Spirit of the Lord spoke through me.

I spoke his word with my tongue.

³The God of Israel spoke.

The Rock of Israel said to me,

‘A king must rule over people in a way that is right.

He must have respect for me when he rules.

⁴Then he will be like the light of morning at sunrise

when there aren’t any clouds.

He will be like the bright sun after rain

that makes the grass grow on the earth.’

⁵“Isn’t my royal family right with God?

Hasn’t he made a covenant with me that will last forever?

Every part of it was well prepared and made secure.

Won’t he save me completely?

Won’t he give me everything I long for?

⁶But evil people are like thorns that are thrown away.

You can’t pick them up with your hands.

⁷Even if you touch them,

you must use an iron tool or a spear.

Thorns are burned up right where they are.”

David’s Mighty Men

⁸Here are the names of David’s mighty men.

Josheb-Basshebeth was chief of the Three. He was a Tahkemonite. He used his spear against 800 men. He killed all of them at one time.

⁹Next to him was Eleazar. He was one of the three mighty men. He was the son of Dodai, the Ahohite. Eleazar was with David at Pas Dammim. That’s where Israel’s army made fun of the Philistines who were gathered there for battle. Then the men of Israel pulled back.

¹⁰But Eleazar stayed right where he was. He struck the Philistines down until his hand grew tired. But he still held on to his sword. The Lord helped him win a great battle that day. The troops returned to Eleazar. They came back to him only to take what they wanted from the dead bodies.

¹¹Next to him was Shammah, the son of Agee. Shammah was a Hararite. The Philistines gathered together at a place where there was a field full of lentils. Israel’s troops ran away from them.

¹²But Shammah took his stand in the middle of the field. He didn’t let the Philistines capture it. He struck them down. The Lord helped him win a great battle.

¹³David was at the cave of Adullam. During harvest time, three of the 30 chief men came down to him there. A group of Philistines was camped in the Valley of Rephaim. ¹⁴At that time David was in his usual place of safety. Some Philistine troops were stationed at Bethlehem.

¹⁵David longed for water. He said, “I wish someone would get me a drink of water from the well that is near the gate of Bethlehem.”

¹⁶So the three mighty men fought their way past the Philistine guards. They got some water from the well that was near the gate of Bethlehem. They took the water back to David.

But David refused to drink it. Instead, he poured it out as a drink offering to the Lord. ¹⁷“Lord, I would never drink that water!” David said. “It stands for the blood of these men. They put their lives in danger by going to Bethlehem to get it.” So David wouldn’t drink it.

Those were some of the brave things the three mighty men did.