| Chapter
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 lentils:
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 honorable 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 honorable
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, Nahari 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. |
