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2 Samuel 23
Evangelical Heritage Version

The Last Words of David

23 These are the last words of David,

the oracle[a] of David, the son of Jesse,

the oracle of the man raised up high,

the man anointed by the God of Jacob,

the pleasant singer of Israel’s songs.

2 The Spirit of the Lord speaks by me.
His word is on my tongue.
3 The God of Israel has spoken.
To me the Rock of Israel has said,
“The one who rules over people with righteousness,
who rules in the fear of God,
4 he is like the light of the morning when the sun rises,
like a morning without clouds,
like brightness after rain, which produces grass from the earth.”

5 But my house is not like this with God.[b]
Nevertheless, he has made an everlasting covenant with me,
    completely ordered and secure.
Certainly he will make it spring up for my salvation, to fulfill my desires.[c]
6 Worthless, wicked men are all like thorns to be thrown away.
No one even picks them up with his hand.
7 Anyone who touches them uses an iron tool or the shaft of a spear.
They are completely burned up in the fire, right where they are.

David’s Elite Warriors

8 These are the names of the elite warriors of David:

Jashobeam[d] son of Hakmon was leader among the Three.[e] He lifted up his spear and killed eight hundred[f] at once.[g]

9 After him came Eleazar son of Dodo, the Ahohite. As one of the three elite warriors, he was with David when they defied the Philistines gathered there[h] for battle. The men of Israel retreated, 10 but he took a stand and struck down the Philistines until his hand got tired and froze to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory on that day. The people of the army returned to Eleazar but only to strip the fallen.

11 After him came Shamma son of Agee, the Hararite. The Philistines were gathered at Lehi. In that location there was a parcel of land full of lentils. The people fled from the Philistines, 12 but Shamma took his stand in the middle of that parcel of ground and defended it. He struck down the Philistines, and the Lord brought about a great victory.

13 Three of the Thirty went down and came to David at the Cave of Adullam at the time of the grain harvest. A band of Philistines was camping in the Valley of Rephaim. 14 David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was in Bethlehem. 15 David expressed a deep craving, “Who will give me water to drink from the well[i] of Bethlehem, which is by the gate?” 16 So the three elite warriors broke through the camp of the Philistines and drew water from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate. They took it and brought it to David, but he was not willing to drink it, so he poured it out to the Lord. 17 He said, “May I be cursed, Lord, if I would do this. This is the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives!” He would not drink it. These are the things the three elite warriors did.

18 Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was the leader of the Thirty.[j] He wielded his spear against three hundred, all of whom were killed. His reputation equaled that of[k] the Three. 19 In fact, he was praised more than the Three, and he became their commander, but he did not belong to the Three.

20 Benaiah son of Jehoiada, an energetic warrior from Kabze’el, performed great deeds. He struck the two Lions of God[l] from Moab. He also went down and killed a lion in the middle of a cistern on a snowy day. 21 He killed an impressive Egyptian, who was armed with a spear. Benaiah went down against him with a staff, snatched the spear from the hand of the Egyptian, and killed him with his own spear. 22 These were the accomplishments of Benaiah son of Jehoiada. His reputation equaled that of the Three. 23 He was praised more than the Thirty, but he did not belong to the Three. David placed him over his bodyguard.

24 Among the Thirty were:

Asahel, the brother of Joab,
Elhanan son of Dodo from Bethlehem,
25 Shammah the Harodite,[m]
Elika the Harodite,
26 Helez the Paltite,[n]
Ira son of Ikkesh from Tekoa,
27 Abiezer from Anathoth,
Mebunnai[o] the Hushathite,
28 Zalmon[p] the Ahohite,
Maharai the Netophathite,
29 Heleb[q] son of Ba’anah the Netophathite,
Ittai son of Ribai from Gibeah in Benjamin,
30 Benaiah a Pirathonite,
Hiddai[r] from the ravines of Ga’ash,
31 Abi-Albon[s] the Arbathite,
Azmaveth the Barhumite,[t]
32 Eliahba the Sha’albonite,
the sons of Jashen,[u]
Jehonathan, 33 Shammah the Hararite,
Ahiam son of Sharar[v] the Ararite,
34 Eliphelet son of Ahasbai[w]
the son of the Ma’akathite,[x]
Eliam son of Ahithophel the Gilonite,[y]
35 Hezro the Carmelite,
Pa’arai the Arbite,[z]
36 Igal son of Nathan from Zobah,[aa]
Bani the Gadite,[ab]
37 Zelek the Ammonite,
Naharai of Be’eroth, the armor bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah,
38 Ira the Ithrite,
Gareb the Ithrite,
39 Uriah the Hittite.

In all there were thirty-seven.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 23:1 Or declaration
  2. 2 Samuel 23:5 Many translations convert this line to a question: Isn’t my house like this with God? It seems best to leave it as a confession of the unworthiness of David and his dynasty.
  3. 2 Samuel 23:5 The verse is difficult.
  4. 2 Samuel 23:8 Greek variant Ishbaal
  5. 2 Samuel 23:8 Or the Thirty or the officers
  6. 2 Samuel 23:8 The parallel text in 1 Chronicles 11:11 reads three hundred.
  7. 2 Samuel 23:8 The translation of this verse follows the example of Luther, who harmonized the text of 2 Samuel 23 with the parallel in 1 Chronicles 11. The Hebrew of 2 Samuel 23 seems to read: the one sitting in the seat (Yosheb-basshebeth), the Tahchemonite, the head of the Three. It was Adino the Eznite against eight hundred pierced through at one time.
  8. 2 Samuel 23:9 The parallel in 1 Chronicles 11:13 identifies the location as Pas Dammim.
  9. 2 Samuel 23:15 Or cistern
  10. 2 Samuel 23:18 Variant the Three
  11. 2 Samuel 23:18 Or was highly regarded among
  12. 2 Samuel 23:20 The Hebrew word ariel seems to be made up of two words, lion and God. It seems to refer to some type of elite warriors, analogous to Navy Seals.
  13. 2 Samuel 23:25 Variant Harorite. In Hebrew script the letters r and d look very much alike.
  14. 2 Samuel 23:26 Variant the Pelonite. The relationship between Paltite and Pelonite is unclear, but Helez the Pelonite also appears in 1 Chronicles 27:10.
  15. 2 Samuel 23:27 Elsewhere called Sibbekai or Sibunni. All these words look very similar in Hebrew script. The reading Sibbekai the Hushathite is supported by 1 Chronicles 27:11.
  16. 2 Samuel 23:28 Also called Ilai in 1 Chronicles 11:29. The relationship of the names Zalmon and Ilai is unclear.
  17. 2 Samuel 23:29 Also called Heled in 1 Chronicles 11:30
  18. 2 Samuel 23:30 Also called Hurai in 1 Chronicles 11:32. The words look similar in Hebrew script.
  19. 2 Samuel 23:31 Also called Abiel in 1 Chronicles 11:32. The relationship of Abiel and Abi-Albon is unclear.
  20. 2 Samuel 23:31 Also called Baharumite in 1 Chronicles 11:33 with the transposition of two letters.
  21. 2 Samuel 23:32 There may be some personal names missing from this line, unless they are on the next line. The parallel text in 1 Chronicles does not solve the problem. The relationship of the sons of Jashen and the sons of Hashem the Gizonite in 1 Chronicles is unclear. Some have suggested that sons of should be omitted in both cases, leaving two names, Jashen and Hashem the Gizonite. An alternative would be to supply names before sons of. The same problem is present in the comparison of Jehonathan Shammah the Hararite with Jonathan son of Shagee the Hararite in 1 Chronicles 11. It is uncertain if this is one name or two.
  22. 2 Samuel 23:33 Or Sakar in 1 Chronicles 11:35
  23. 2 Samuel 23:34 The parallel in 1 Chronicles 11:35 reads Eliphal son of Ur. It is unclear why the patronymics (father’s names) are so different.
  24. 2 Samuel 23:34 There seems to be a name omitted from the list here. The parallel in 1 Chronicles 11:36 reads Hepher the Mekerathite.
  25. 2 Samuel 23:34 The parallel in 1 Chronicles 11:36 has a different name here, Ahijah the Pelonite.
  26. 2 Samuel 23:35 The parallel in 1 Chronicles 11:37 reads Na’arai son of Ezbai. The names look similar in Hebrew script.
  27. 2 Samuel 23:36 The parallel in 1 Chronicles 11:38 reads Joel, the brother of Nathan.
  28. 2 Samuel 23:36 The parallel in 1 Chronicles 11:38 reads Mibhar son of Hagri.
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