Chapter 23

David’s Last Song

1 Now these are the last words of David.

David the son of Jesse declares,

aThe man who was raised on high declares,

bThe anointed of the God of Jacob,

And the sweet psalmist of Israel,

2 “aThe Spirit of the Lord spoke by me,

And His word was on my tongue.

3 “The God of Israel said,

aThe Rock of Israel spoke to me,

‘bHe who rules over men righteously,

cWho rules in the fear of God,

4 aIs as the light of the morning when the sun rises,

A morning without clouds,

When the tender grass springs out of the earth,

Through sunshine after rain.’

5 “Truly is not my house so with God?

For aHe has made an everlasting covenant with me,

Ordered in all things, and secured;

For all my salvation and all my desire,

Will He not indeed make it grow?

6 “aBut the worthless, every one of them will be thrust away like thorns,

Because they cannot be taken in hand;

7 But the man who touches them

Must be 1armed with iron and the shaft of a spear,

And athey will be completely burned with fire in their 2place.”

His Mighty Men

8 aThese are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-basshebeth a Tahchemonite, chief of the 1captains, he was called Adino the Eznite, because of eight hundred slain by him at one time;

9 and after him was Eleazar the son of aDodo the bAhohite, one of the three mighty men with David when they 1defied the Philistines who were gathered there to battle and the men of Israel had 2withdrawn.

10 aHe arose and struck the Philistines until his hand was weary and 1clung to the sword, and bthe Lord brought about a great 2victory that day; and the people returned after him only to strip the slain.

11 Now after him was Shammah the son of Agee a aHararite. And the Philistines were gathered 1into a troop where there was a plot of ground full of lentils, and the people fled from the Philistines.

12 But he took his stand in the midst of the plot, defended it and struck the Philistines; and athe Lord brought about a great 1victory.

13 Then three of the thirty chief men went down and came to David in the harvest time to the acave of Adullam, while the troop of the Philistines was camping in bthe valley of Rephaim.

14 David was then ain the stronghold, while the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem.

15 aDavid had a craving and said, “Oh that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem which is by the gate!”

16 aSo the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines, and drew water from the well of Bethlehem which was by the gate, and took it and brought it to David. Nevertheless he would not drink it, but bpoured it out to the Lord;

17 and he said, “Be it far from me, O Lord, that I should do this. aShall I drink the blood of the men who went in jeopardy of their lives?” Therefore he would not drink it. These things the three mighty men did.

18 aAbishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was bchief of the 1thirty. And he swung his spear against three hundred 2and killed them, and had a name as well as the three.

19 He was most honored of the thirty, therefore he became their commander; however, he did not attain to the three.

20 Then aBenaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of bKabzeel, who had done mighty deeds, 1killed the 2two sons of Ariel of Moab. He also went down and killed a lion in the middle of a pit on a snowy day.

21 He 1killed an Egyptian, 2an impressive man. Now the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, but he went down to him with a club and snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear.

22 These things aBenaiah the son of Jehoiada did, and had a name as well as the three mighty men.

23 He was honored among the thirty, but he did not attain to the three. And David appointed him over his guard.

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

25 aShammah the bHarodite, Elika the Harodite,

26 Helez the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkesh the aTekoite,

27 Abiezer the aAnathothite, Mebunnai the Hushathite,

28 Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the aNetophathite,

29 aHeleb the son of Baanah the Netophathite, Ittai the son of Ribai of bGibeah of the sons of Benjamin,

30 Benaiah a aPirathonite, Hiddai of the brooks of bGaash,

31 Abi-albon the Arbathite, Azmaveth the aBarhumite,

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

33 aShammah the Hararite, Ahiam the son of Sharar the Ararite,

34 Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai, the son of athe Maacathite, bEliam the son of cAhithophel the Gilonite,

35 aHezro the bCarmelite, Paarai the Arbite,

36 Igal the son of Nathan of aZobah, Bani the Gadite,

37 Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the aBeerothite, armor bearers of Joab the son of Zeruiah,

38 Ira the aIthrite, Gareb the Ithrite,

39 aUriah the Hittite; thirty-seven in all.