The Second Book of Samuel

2Sa 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,

2Sa 23:2 The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and His word was in my tongue.

2Sa 23:3 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.

2Sa 23:4 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.

2Sa 23:5 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.

2Sa 23:6 But the sons of Be´-li-al shall be all of them as thorns thrust away, because they cannot be taken with hands:

2Sa 23:7 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.

2Sa 23:8 These be the names of the mighty men whom David had: The Tach´-mo´-nite that sat in the seat, chief among the captains; the same was Ad´-i-no the Ez´-nite: he lift up his spear against eight hundred, whom he slew at one time.

2Sa 23:9 And after him was E-le-a´-zar the son of Dodo the A-ho´-hite, one of the three mighty men with David, when they defied the Phi-lis´-tines that were there gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel were gone away:

2Sa 23:10 He arose, and smote the Phi-lis´tines 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.

2Sa 23:11 And after him was Sham´-mah the son of Ag´-e-e the Ha´-ra-rite. And the Phi-lis´-tines were gathered together into a troop, where was a piece of ground full of lentiles: and the people fled from the Phi-lis´-tines.

2Sa 23:12 But he stood in the midst of the ground, and defended it, and slew the Phi-lis´-tines: and the Lord wrought a great victory.

2Sa 23:13 And three of the thirty chief went down, and came to David in the harvest time unto the cave of A-dul´lam: and the troop of the Phi-lis´-tines pitched in the valley of Reph´-a-im.

2Sa 23:14 And David was then in an hold, and the garrison of the Phi-lis´-tines was then in Beth´–le-hem.

2Sa 23:15 And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Beth´–le-hem, which is by the gate!

2Sa 23:16 And the three mighty men brake through the host of the Philis´-tines, and drew water out of the well of Beth´–le-hem, 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.

2Sa 23:17 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.

2Sa 23:18 And A-bi´-shai, the brother of Jo´-ab, the son of Ze-ru´-iah, was chief among three. And he lifted up his spear against three hundred, and slew them, and had the name among three.

2Sa 23:19 Was he not most honourable of three? therefore he was their captain: howbeit he attained not unto the first three.

2Sa 23:20 And Be-nai´-ah the son of Jehoi´-a-da, the son of a valiant man, of Kab´-ze-el, 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:

2Sa 23:21 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.

2Sa 23:22 These things did Be-nai´-ah the son of Je-hoi´-a-da, and had the name among three mighty men.

2Sa 23:23 He was more honourable than the thirty, but he attained not to the first three. And David set him over his guard.

2Sa 23:24 A´-sa-hel the brother of Jo´-ab was one of the thirty; El-ha´-nan the son of Dodo of Beth´–le-hem,

2Sa 23:25 Sham´-mah the Ha´-rod-ite, El´i-ka the Ha´-rod-ite,

2Sa 23:26 He´-lez the Pal´-tite, I´-ra the son of Ik´-kesh the Te-ko´-ite,

2Sa 23:27 A´-bi-e´-zer the An´-e-tho-thite, Me-bun´-nai the Hu´-shath-ite,

2Sa 23:28 Zal´-mon the A-ho´-hite, Ma´-harai the Ne-toph´-a-thite,

2Sa 23:29 He´-leb the son of Ba´-a-nah, a Ne-toph´-a-thite, It´-tai the son of Ri´bai out of Gib´-e-ah of the children of Benjamin,

2Sa 23:30 Be-nai´-ah the Pir´-a-thon-ite, Hid´-dai of the brooks of Ga´-ash,

2Sa 23:31 Ab´-i-al´-bon the Ar´-bath-ite, Az´-ma-veth the Bar-hu´-mite,

2Sa 23:32 E-li´-ah-ba the Sha-al´-bo-nite, of the sons of Ja´-shen, Jonathan,

2Sa 23:33 Sham´-mah the Ha´-ra-rite, A-hi´-am the son of Sha´-rar the Ha´ra-rite,

2Sa 23:34 E-liph´-e-let the son of A-has´bai, the son of the Ma-ach´-a-thite, E-li´-am the son of A-hith´-o-phel the Gi´-lo-nite,

2Sa 23:35 Hez´-rai the Car´-mel-ite, Pa´-arai the Ar´-bite,

2Sa 23:36 I´-gal the son of Nathan of Zo´bah, Ba´-ni the Gad´-ite,

2Sa 23:37 Ze´-lek the Am´-mon-ite, Na´-harai the Be-e´-roth-ite, armourbearer to Jo´-ab the son of Ze-ru´-iah,

2Sa 23:38 I´-ra an Ith´-rite, Ga´-reb an Ith´-rite,

2Sa 23:39 U-ri´-ah the Hit´-tite: thirty and seven in all.