2 Samuel 23
1NOW these were the last words of David:
Faithful is David the son of Jessai,
And faithful the man whom the Lord hath set
Over the anointed of the God of Jacob.
And sweet are the psalms of Israel.
2The Spirit of the Lord hath spoken by me,
And His word was upon my tongue.
3The God of Israel saith to me:
A watchman of Israel hath spoken a proverb.
I said as a man,
How can you strengthen the fear of an anointed one?
4With the light of the God of the morning!
Let the Sun rise in the morning betimes.
Is not the Lord gone forth with splendour?
Yes, like the spring of grass on the earth after rain;
5For is not my house thus with the Almighty?
For He hath made with me an everlasting covenant,
Kept ready for every occasion;
Because this is all my safety, and all my desire,
That the transgressor may not flourish.
6All such are like rejected thorns.
Because they cannot be handled,
7Nor can a man labour among them;
Therefore pure iron, and the staff of a spear,
Shall cause them to burn with fire,
And they shall be burned to their shame.
8These are the names of David’s worthies: Jebosthe, the Chananite, a chief of the third rank, who is also called Adinon, the Asonite. This man drew his sword against eight hundred warriors at one time.
9And after him Eleanon (the son of a man who married his brother’s wife to raise up seed for his brother), the son of Dudi, one of the three worthies with David. When he challenged the Philistines, and they had assembled for battle, and the men of Israel had gone up,
10he arose and made a slaughter among the Philistines, till his hand was tired, and glued to his sword, and the Lord wrought a great deliverance that day, and the people went after him only to spoil.
11And next to him was Samaias, son of Asa, the Aruchite. When the Philistines had assembled to forage, where there was a piece of ground full of lentils, and the people fled before the Philistines;
12he stood like a pillar in the middle of the field, and defended it, and smote the Philistines, and the Lord wrought a great deliverance.
13These three went down from the thirty, and came to David at Kason, to the cave of Odollam, when an army of the Philistines was encamped in the valley of Raphain.
14Now David was then in the fortress, and there was a garrison of the Philistines then at Bethlehem.
15And David longed and said, Oh that I had some water to drink out of the well which is at Bethlehem—that by the gate!
16Upon which these three worthies, notwithstanding the garrison of the Philistines then at Bethlehem, broke through the camp of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well at Bethlehem, by the gate. But when they got it, and came to David, he would not drink it, but poured it out as a libation to the Lord,
17and said, Lord forbid that I should do this. Shall I drink the blood of these men, who have gone at the risk of their lives? So he would not drink it. These exploits were performed by these three men.
18Now Abessa, the brother of Joab, son of Saruia, was a chief among the three. He also lifted up his spear against three hundred men, though he was wounded. So he had a name among the three;
19and being higher in rank than any of the three, he became their chief, though he did not come up to those three.
20Banaias also, son of Jodae, of Kabeseel, was a man renowned for exploits. He smote the two sons of Ariel, the Moabite. He went down also, and smote a lion in the midst of the pit on a snowy day.
21He smote also an Egyptian, a man of great stature. Though the Egyptian had in his hand a spear like the side of a ladder, he went down to him with a staff, and wresting the spear out of the hand of the Egyptian, he killed him with his own spear.
22These exploits Banaias son of Jodae performed, and had a name among the three worthies.
23He was higher in rank than any of the three, though he did not come up to the [first] three. And David appointed him counsellor.
24These also were the names of king David’s yeomen: Asael, the brother of Joab, he was among the thirty; Eleanon, son of Dudi, who married his brother’s wife at Bethlehem;
25Saima the Rudite;
26Selles the Kelothite; Iras, the son of Iska the Thekoite;
27Abiezer the Anothite; another of the sons of the Anothites;
28Ellon, the Aoite; Neere, the Netophatite;
29Esthai, son of Riba of Gabaeth; the son of Benjamin the Ephrathite; Asmoth the Bardiamite; Emasu the Salabonite;
32the sons of Asan; Jonathan;
33Samnan, the Aradite; Amnan, son of Arai the Saraouite;
34Aliphaleth, son of Asbites; the son of the Machachite; Eliab, son of Achitophel the Gelonite;
35Asarai, the Karmelite; the son of Ouraioerchi;
36Gaal, son of Nathana; the valourous son of Galaaddi; Elie the Ammonite;
30Adroi of the brooks;
31Gadabiel, son of the Arabothite;
37Gelore, the Bethorite, the armour-bearer of Joab; the son of Saruia;
38Iras the Etherite; Gerab the Ethinite;
39Ourias, the Chettite. They were thirty-seven in all.