CHAPTER 23
1 Forsooth these be the last words, which David, the son of Jesse, said. The words that the man said, to whom it is ordained of Christ, of the God of Jacob, the noble psalm-maker of Israel;
2 The spirit of the Lord spake by me, and his word by my tongue.
3 David said, God of Israel spake to me, the strong help of Israel, the just [or rightwise] Lord of men, is Lord in the dread of God.
4 As the light of the morrowtide, when the sun riseth early, is bright without clouds; and as an herb cometh forth of the earth by rains.
5 And mine house is not so great with God, that he should make with me everlasting covenant, steadfast and made strong in all things; for all mine health is of him, and all my will, that is, all my desire, goeth into him, and nothing is thereof, that maketh not fruit.
6 Forsooth all trespassers shall be drawn out as thorns, that be not taken with hands.
7 And if any man will touch those [or them], he shall be armed with iron, and with a piece of wood formed into a spear; and the thorns shall be kindled, and shall be burnt till to nought.
8 These be the names of the strong men of David. David sitteth in the chair, the wisest prince among the three; he is as a most tender worm of a tree, that killed eight hundred with one fierceness.
9 After him was Eleazar, the son of his father’s brother, Ahohite; he was among [the] three strong men, that were with David, when they said shame to the Philistines, and were gathered thither into battle. And when the men of Israel had gone up,
10 he/Eleazar stood in battle, when his fellows went aback, and smote the Philistines, till that his hand failed, and was stark with or fixed to the sword. And the Lord made great health or victory in that day; and the people that fled turned again, to draw away the spoils of [the] slain men.
11 And after him was Shammah, the son of Agee, of Hararites. And Philistines were gathered in the station; and there was a field full of lentils, or vetches; and when the people of Israel[had] fled from the face of Philistines,
12 he stood in the midst of the field, and beheld it, for he defended the field; and he smote the Philistines, and the Lord made there [a] great health.
13 Also and three men went down before, that were princes among the thirty, and came to David in the time of reaping into the den of Adullam. And the tents of Philistines were set in the valley of giants.
14 And David was in a stronghold; and the station of Philistines was then in Bethlehem.
15 Then David desired water of the well, and said, If any man would give to me drink of the water of the cistern, which is in Bethlehem, beside the gate.
16 Therefore the three strong men brake into the tents of Philistines, and drew water of the cistern of Beth-lehem, that was beside the gate, and they brought it to David; and he would not drink, but offered it to the Lord,
17 and said, The Lord be merciful to me, that I do not this; whether I shall drink the blood of these men, that went forth, and the peril of their lives? Therefore he would not drink. The Three full strong men did these things.
18 Also Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was prince of [the] three; he it is that raised his spear against three hundred men, which he killed; he was named among [the] three,
19 and was the nobler among the three, and he was the prince of them; but he came not to the three first men.
20 And Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, the strongest man of great works, of Kabzeel, he smote [the] two lions of Moab, that is, two knights hardy as lions or two strong hardy knights; and he went down, and smote a lion in the middle of a cistern in the days of snow.
21 Also he killed a man of Egypt, a man worthy of beholding, having a spear in his hand; and so when he had gone down with a rod to that man, by might he wrung out the spear from the hand of the man of Egypt, and killed him with his own spear.
22 Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, did these things; and he was named among [the] three strong men,
23 that were among the thirty nobler men; nevertheless he came not to the first three. And David made him a counsellor of private to himself.
24 Asahel, the brother of Joah, was among the thirty men; Elhanan, the son of his father’s brother, of Bethlehem;
25 Shammah, of Harodites; Elika, of Harodites;
26 Helez, of Paltites; Ira, the son of Ikkesh, of Tekoa;
27 Abiezer, of Anathoth; Mebunnai, of Hushathites;
28 Zalmon, of Ahohites; Maharai, of Netophah;
29 Heleb, the son of Baanah, and he was of Netophah; Ittai, the son of Ribai, of Gibeah, of the sons of Benjamin;
30 Benaiah, of Pirathon; Hiddai, of the strand [or stream] of Gaash;
31 Abialbon, of Arabah; Azmaveth, of Barhumites;
32 Eliahba, of Shaalbonites; the sons of Jashen, Jonathan, and Jashen;
33 Shammah, of Hararites; Ahiam, the son of Sharar, of Hararites;
34 Eliphelet, the son of Ahasbai, the son of Maachathite; Eliam, the son of Ahithophel, of Giloh;
35 Hezrai, of Carmel; Paarai, of Arbites;
36 Igal, the son of Nathan, of Zobah; Bani, of Gadites;
37 Zelek, of Ammonites; Nahari, of Beeroth, the squire of Joab, the son of Zeruiah;
38 Ira, of Ithrites; Gareb, and he was of Ithrites;
39 Uriah of Hittites; all these were seven and thirty men.