23:1 Now these are the last words of David. David the son of Jesse says, And the [noble] man who was raised on high says, The anointed of the God of Jacob, And the sweet psalmist of Israel:
23:2 The Spirit of Yahweh spoke by me, And his word was on my tongue.
23:3 The God of Israel said, The Rock of Israel spoke to me: One who rules over man righteously, Who rules in the fear of God,
23:4 [He will be] as the light of the morning, when the sun rises, A morning without clouds, [When] the tender grass [springs] out of the earth, Through clear shining after rain.
23:5 Truly my house is not so with God; Yet he has made with me an everlasting covenant, Ordered in all things, and sure: For it is all my salvation, and all [my] desire, Although he does not make it to grow.
23:6 But the ungodly will be all of them as thorns to be thrust away, Because they can't be taken with the hand;
23:7 But the man who touches them Must be armed with iron and the staff of a spear: And they will be completely burned with fire in [their] place.
23:8 These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Jishbaal the Hachmonite, [of] the elite troops; the same was Adino the Eznite, against eight hundred slain at one time.
23:9 And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodai the son of an Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David, when they defied the Philistines who were there gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel had gone away.
23:10 He arose, and struck the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand stuck to the sword; and Yahweh wrought a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to take spoil.
23:11 And after him was Shammah the son of Agee a Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered together at Lehi, where there was a plot of ground full of lentils; and the people fled from the Philistines.
23:12 But he stood in the midst of the plot, and defended it, and slew the Philistines; and Yahweh wrought a great victory.
23:13 And three of the elite troops went down, and came to David in the harvest time to the cave of Adullam; and the troop of the Philistines was encamped in the valley of Rephaim.
23:14 And David was then in the stronghold; and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Beth-lehem.
23:15 And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me water to drink of the well of Beth-lehem, which is by the gate!
23:16 And the three mighty men broke through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Beth-lehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David: but he would not drink of it, but poured it out to Yahweh.
23:17 And he said, Be it far from me, O Yahweh, that I should do this: [shall I drink] the blood of the men who went in jeopardy of their souls? Therefore he would not drink it. These things did the three mighty men.
23:18 And Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was [of] the elite troops. And he lifted up his spear against three hundred and slew them, and had a name among the three.
23:19 Was he not most honorable of the thirty? Therefore he was made their captain: nevertheless he didn't attain to the three.
23:20 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a man of valor of Kabzeel, who had done mighty deeds, he slew the two [sons of] Ariel of Moab: he went down also and slew a lion in the midst of a pit in time of snow.
23:21 And he slew a handsome Egyptian: 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.
23:22 These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and had a name among the three mighty men.
23:23 He was more honorable than the thirty, but he didn't attain to the three. And David set him over his guard.
23:24 Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty; Elhanan the son of Dodo of Beth-lehem,
23:25 Shammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite,
23:26 Helez the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite,
23:27 Abiezer the Anathothite, Sabeni the Hushathite,
23:28 Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite,
23:29 Heleb the son of Baanah the Netophathite, Ittai the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the sons of Benjamin,
23:30 Benaiah a Pirathonite, Hiddai of the brooks of Gaash.
23:31 Abialbon the Arbathite, Azmaveth the Barhumite,
23:32 Eliahba the Shaalbonite, Jashen the Gunite, Jonathan
23:33 the son of Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam the son of Sharar the Ararite,
23:34 Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai, the son of the Maacathite, Eliam the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite,
23:35 Hezro the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite,
23:36 Igal the son of Nathan of Zobah, Bani the Gadite,
23:37 Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite, armorbearers to Joab the son of Zeruiah,
23:38 Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,
23:39 Uriah the Hittite: thirty and seven in all.