2 Samuel 23
23
David's Last Words
1These are the last words of David the son of Jesse.
The God of Jacob chose David
and made him a great king.
The Mighty God of Israel
loved him.#23.1 The Mighty … him: Or “He wrote Israel's favorite songs.”
When God told him to speak,
David said:
2The Spirit of the Lord
has told me what to say.
3Our Mighty Rock,#23.3 Mighty Rock: See the note at 22.2.
the God of Jacob, told me,
“A ruler who obeys God
and does right
4is like the sunrise
on a cloudless day,
or like rain that sparkles
on the grass.”#23.4 sparkles … grass: Or “makes the grass grow.”
5I have ruled this way,
and God will never break
his promise to me.
God's promise is complete
and unchanging;
he will always help me
and give me what I hope for.
6But evil people are pulled up
like thornbushes.
They are not dug up by hand,
7but with a sharp spear
and are burned on the spot.
The Three Warriors
(1 Chronicles 11.10-19)
8These are the names of David's warriors:
Ishbosheth#23.8 Ishbosheth: Hebrew “Josheb Bashebeth,” which seems to be another spelling of Ishbosheth. See the note at 2.8, although this is a different Ishbosheth. the son of Hachmon#23.8 the son of Hachmon: Or “the Tahchemonite” (see 1 Chronicles 11.11). was the leader of the Three Warriors.#23.8 the Three Warriors: The most honored group of warriors. They may have been part of the Thirty Warriors. “Three” and “thirty” are spelled almost the same in Hebrew, so there is some confusion in the manuscripts as to which group is being talked about in some places in the following lists. In one battle, he killed 800 men with his spear.#23.8 with … spear: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text (see 1 Chronicles 11.11).
9The next one of the Three Warriors was Eleazar the son of Dodo the Ahohite. One time when the Philistines were at war with Israel, he and David dared the Philistines to fight them. Every one of the Israelite soldiers turned and ran, 10except Eleazar. He killed Philistines until his hand was cramped, and he couldn't let go of his sword. When Eleazar finished, all the Israelite troops had to do was come back and take the enemies' weapons and armor. The Lord gave Israel a great victory that day.
11Next was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. One time the Philistines brought their army together to destroy a crop of peas growing in a field near Lehi. The rest of Israel's soldiers ran away from the Philistines, 12but Shammah stood in the middle of the field and killed the Philistines. The crops were saved, and the Lord gave Israel a great victory.
13One year at harvest time, the Three Warriors#23.13 the Three Warriors: Or “three warriors.” Hebrew “three of the thirty most important.” went to meet David at Adullam Cave.#23.13 Adullam Cave: This may have happened during the time that David was an outlaw (see 1 Samuel 22.1-6). The Philistine army had set up camp in Rephaim Valley 14and had taken over Bethlehem. David was in his fortress, 15and he was very thirsty. He said, “I wish I had a drink from the well by the gate at Bethlehem.”
16The Three Warriors#23.16 the Three Warriors: Or “three warriors.” sneaked into the Philistine camp and got some water from the well near Bethlehem's gate. But after they brought the water back to David, he refused to drink it. Instead, he poured it out as a sacrifice 17and said to the Lord, “I can't drink this water! It's like the blood of these men who risked their lives to get it for me.”
The Three Warriors did these brave deeds.
The Thirty Warriors
(1 Chronicles 11.20-47)
18Joab's brother Abishai was the leader of the Thirty Warriors,#23.18 the Thirty Warriors: The second most honored group of warriors. They may have also been officers in the army (see the note at 23.8). and in one battle he killed 300 men with his spear. He was as famous as the Three Warriors 19and certainly just as famous as the rest of the Thirty Warriors. He was the commander of the Thirty Warriors, but he still did not become one of the Three Warriors.
20Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was a brave man from Kabzeel who did some amazing things. He killed two of Moab's best fighters,#23.20 Moab's best fighters: Or “big lions in Moab;” one ancient translation “sons of Ariel from Moab.” and on a snowy day he went down into a pit and killed a lion. 21Another time, he killed an Egyptian, as big as a giant.#23.21 Egyptian … giant: First Chronicles 11.23; in this verse the Hebrew text has “good-looking Egyptian.” The Egyptian was armed with a spear, but Benaiah only had a club. Benaiah grabbed the spear from the Egyptian and killed him with it. 22-23Benaiah did these things. He never became one of the Three Warriors, but he was just as famous as they were and certainly just as famous as the rest of the Thirty Warriors. David made him the leader of his bodyguard.
24-39Some of the Thirty Warriors were:
Asahel the brother of Joab
Elhanan the son of Dodo from Bethlehem
Shammah from Harod
Elika from Harod
Helez the Paltite
Ira the son of Ikkesh from Tekoa
Abiezer from Anathoth
Mebunnai#23.24-39 Mebunnai: Or “Sibbecai” (see 1 Chronicles 11.26-47). the Hushathite
Zalmon the Ahohite
Maharai from Netophah
Heleb the son of Baanah from Netophah
Ittai the son of Ribai from Gibeah of the tribe of Benjamin
Benaiah from Pirathon
Hiddai from the streams on Mount Gaash
Abialbon from Beth-Arabah
Azmaveth from Bahurim#23.24-39 Bahurim: Or “Barhum.”
Eliahba from Shaalbon
Jashen#23.24-39 Jashen: Hebrew “sons of Jashen.”
Jonathan the son of Shammah the Hararite#23.24-39 Jonathan … Hararite: Some manuscripts of one ancient translation (see 1 Chronicles 11.26-47). In the Hebrew text Jonathan and Shammah are separate members of the list.
Ahiam the son of Sharar the Hararite
Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai from Maacah
Eliam the son of Ahithophel from Gilo
Hezro from Carmel
Paarai the Arbite
Igal the son of Nathan from Zobah
Bani the Gadite
Zelek from Ammon
Naharai from Beeroth, who carried the weapons of Joab the son of Zeruiah
Ira the Ithrite
Gareb the Ithrite
Uriah the Hittite
There were 37 in all.
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2 Samuel 23: CEV
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.
2 Samuel 23
23
David’s Last Words
1#2Sa 7:8–9; 1Sa 16:12–13Now these are the last words of David:
The oracle of David the son of Jesse,
the oracle of the man who was raised on high,
the anointed of the God of Jacob,
and the favorite psalmist of Israel:
2#2Pe 1:21; Mt 22:43 The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me,
and His word was on my tongue.
3#2Sa 22:32; Ex 18:21 The God of Israel said,
the Rock of Israel spoke to me:
He who rules over man justly,
who rules in the fear of God,
4#Jdg 5:31; Ps 72:6 is like the light of the morning when the sun rises,
a morning with no clouds,
gleaming after the rain
like grass from the land.
5#Isa 55:3; 9:6–7 Is not my house like this with God?
For He made an everlasting covenant with me,
ordered in all things and secure.
For this is all my salvation and all my desire;
will He not make it flourish?
6But the worthless individual is like a thorn tossed away, all of them,
for they cannot be taken with the hand.
7#Heb 6:8 But the man who touches them
must have an iron implement and the shaft of a spear,
and they must be burned with fire on the spot.
David’s Mighty Warriors
1Ch 11:10–41
8#1Ch 27:2These are the names of the warriors whom David had:
Josheb-Basshebeth, a Tahkemonite, was head of the three.#Or captains, or thirty. Cf. 1Ch 11:11. He was also known as Adino the Eznite, on account of eight hundred slain on one occasion.
9#1Ch 27:4After him was Eleazar the son of Dodai the son of Ahohi. He was among the three warriors with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered together there to fight when the men of Israel withdrew. 10#1Sa 11:13; 19:5He arose and attacked the Philistines until his hand grew weary and stuck to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day, and the people returned only to plunder.
11After him was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. The Philistines had gathered into a troop, where the plot of the field was full of lentils, and the people fled before the Philistines. 12#2Sa 23:10He took his stand in the midst of the plot of land, defended it, and defeated the Philistines. The Lord brought about a great victory.
13#1Sa 22:1; 2Sa 5:18Then three#Text reads thirty, but three has been translated here on the basis of other textual witnesses and Masoretic marginal notation. Cf. 22:16. of the thirty chief men went down and came to David at the cave of Adullam during the harvest. Now the Philistine army was in the Valley of Rephaim. 14#1Sa 22:4–5At that time, David was in the stronghold while the Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem. 15#Jn 4:14David said longingly, “O that someone would give me a drink of water from the well in Bethlehem by the gate!” 16The three warriors breached the Philistine camp and drew up water from the well in Bethlehem by the gate, and they brought it to David. However, he was not willing to drink it, so he poured it out as a drink offering to the Lord. 17#Lev 17:10He said, “Far be it from me, O Lord, to drink this, the blood of the men who risked their lives.” So he was not willing to drink it.
These things the three warriors did.
18#2Sa 10:10; 10:14Now Abishai, the brother of Joab and son of Zeruiah, was chief of the thirty.#Or another three, Cf. 11:20. He wielded his spear against three hundred men and killed them, and won a name beside the three. 19Was he more honored than the three? He became their commander, but he did not attain to the three.
20#Jos 15:21; 2Sa 8:18And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done great acts. He struck down two sons of Ariel of Moab. He also went down and killed a lion in the middle of a pit on a snowy day. 21He struck down an Egyptian, an impressive man. Now the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, but Benaiah went down to him with a staff, seized the spear from the Egyptian, and killed him with his own spear. 22These things Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did and won for himself a name alongside the three. 23He was more honored than the thirty, but he did not attain to the three. So David set him over his bodyguard.
24#2Sa 2:18; 1Ch 27:7Among the thirty were
Asahel the brother of Joab,
Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem,
25Shammah the Harodite,
Elika the Harodite,
26#2Sa 14:2Helez the Paltite,
Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite,
27#Jos 21:18Abiezer the Anathothite,
Mebunnai the Hushathite,
28#2Ki 25:23; 1Ch 27:13Zalmon the Ahohite,
Maharai the Netophathite,
29Heled the son of Baanah the Netophathite,
Ithai the son of Ribai from Gibeah of Benjamin,
30#Jdg 12:15; Jos 24:30Benaiah the Pirathonite,
Hiddai from the brooks of Gaash,
31#2Sa 3:16Abi-Albon the Arbathite,
Azmaveth the Barhumite,
32Eliahba the Shaalbonite,
of the sons of Jashen,
Jonathan,
33Shammah the Hararite,
Ahiam the son of Sharar the Hararite,
34#2Sa 11:3; 15:12Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai, the son of the Maakathite,
Eliam the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite,
35#1Ch 11:37Hezro the Carmelite,
Paarai the Arbite,
36Igal the son of Nathan from Zobah,
the son of Hagri,
37Zelek the Ammonite,
Naharai the Beerothite, the armor bearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah,
38#1Ch 2:53; 2Sa 20:26Ira the Ithrite,
Gareb the Ithrite,
39#2Sa 11:3and Uriah the Hittite.
There were thirty-seven in all.
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