KJ3 Literal Translation
2 Samuel 23
David, in his last words, professes his faith in Jehovah's promises. David's mighty men.
1And these are the last words of David, a saying of David the son of Jesse, and a statement of the man raised on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet singer of Israel:
2The Spirit of Jehovah has spoken by me, and His Word is on my tongue.
3The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke to me: One ruling over a righteous man, who rules in the fear of God,
4is as the light of the morning, as the sun shines; a morning without clouds; through shining after rain the tender grass sprouts from the earth.
5For is not my house so with God? For He has made an everlasting covenant with me, ordered in all things, and sure; for all my salvation, and all my desire, will He not make it grow?
6As to the ungodly, all of them shall be as a thorn driven away; for they cannot be taken by the hand;
7but the man who shall touch them must be armed with iron and the shaft of a spear; they shall be utterly burned with fire in their place.
8These are the names of the mighty who were called to David: he who sat in the seat of the Tachmonite, chief of the captains; he was called Adino the Eznite, because of the eight hundred he wounded at one time.
9And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the son of the Ahohi; He was of the three mighty men with David when they taunted the Philistines, when they were gathered there to battle; and the men of Israel went up;
10he rose up and struck the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clung to the sword. And Jehovah worked a great salvation on that day, and the people went back after him only to plunder.
11And after him was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. And the Philistines had gathered into a company, and there was a plot of the field full of lentils, and the people had fled before the Philistines.
12And he set himself in the midst of the plot, and saved it, and struck the Philistines. And Jehovah worked out a great salvation.
13And three of the thirty head men went down and came to the harvest, to David, to the cave of Adullam. And the company of the Philistines was camping in the Valley of the Giants.
14And David was then in a stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem.
15And David longed, and said, Who shall give me drink, water from the well of Bethlehem which is by the gate?
16And the three mighty ones broke through the camp of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem beside the gate, and took it up, and brought it to David. But he was not willing to drink it, and poured it out to Jehovah;
17and he said, Far be it from me, O Jehovah, to do this; is it not the blood of the men who went with their lives? And he was not willing to drink it. The three mighty ones did these things.
18And Abishai the son of Zeruiah, the brother of Joab, was the head of three. And he raised up his spear against three hundred, and wounded them. And to him was a name among the three.
19With honor he was honored more than the three. And he was the commander to them, but he did not come to the first three.
20And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada from Kabzeel, a son of a mighty man, great in deeds; he struck two lionlike men of Moab. And he went down and struck a lion in the middle of a pit in a day of snow.
21And he struck an Egyptian, a man of form; and a spear was in the Egyptian's hand; and he went down to him with a staff and tore away the spear from the Egyptian's hand, and killed him with his own spear.
22Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did these things, and had a name among three mighty ones.
23He was more honored than the thirty, but he did not come to the first three. And David set him over his guard.
24Asahel the brother of Joab was of the thirty; Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem;
25Shammah of Harodite; Elika of Harod;
26Helez the Paltite; Ira the son of Ikkesh, of Tekoa;
27Abiezer of Anathoth; Mebunnai of Hushath;
28Zalmon of Ahoah; Maharai of Netophath;
29Heleb the son of Baanah, of Netophath; Ittai the son of Ribai out of Gibeah, of the sons of Benjamin;
30Benaiah of Pirathon; Hiddai of the torrent of Gaash;
31Abialbon of Beth-arabah; Azmaveth of Barhum;
32Eliahba of Shaalbim, of the sons of Jashen, Jonathan;
33Shammah of Harar Ahiam the son of Sharar, of Harar;
34Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai, the son of Maachah; Eliam the son of Ahithophel, of Gilon;
35Hezrai of Carmel; Paarai of Arab;
36Igal the son of Nathan of Zobah; Bani of Gad;
37Zelek of Ammon; Naharai of Beeroth, armor-bearer to Joab the son of Zeruiah;
38Ira the Ithrite; Gareb, an Ithrite;
39Uriah the Hittite; thirty-seven in all.
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