David’s Last Song
And these are the last words of David: “The utterance of David the son of Jesse, and the utterance of the man raised on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, the pleasant one of the songs of Israel:
The spirit of the LORD has spoken by me, and his word is on my tongue.
The God of Israel has said, the Rock of Israel has spoken to me: One who rules over mankind justly, who rules in the fear of God,
is like the light of morning when the sun rises — a morning without clouds — when from brightness, from rain, grass springs from the earth.
Is not my house so with God? For he has set an everlasting covenant for me, ordered in everything and kept. For all my salvation and all my delight — will he not make it sprout?
But worthlessness — all of them are like thorns thrust away, for they cannot be taken with the hand;
the man who touches them arms himself with iron and the shaft of a spear, and they are burned with fire, utterly, where they lie.”
David’s Mighty Men
These are the names of the mighty men who belonged to David: Josheb-basshebeth the Tahchemonite, head of the Three — he was Adino the Eznite, against eight hundred slain at one time.
And after him, Eleazar the son of Dodo, the son of Ahohi, among the three mighty men with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle, and the men of Israel withdrew.
He rose and struck the Philistines until his hand was weary and his hand clung to the sword; and the LORD worked a great salvation on that day. And the people returned after him — only to strip the slain.
And after him, Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. And the Philistines gathered into a company, where there was a plot of the field full of lentils; and the people fled from before the Philistines.
But he took his stand in the middle of the plot and delivered it, and struck the Philistines; and the LORD worked a great salvation.
And three of the thirty chiefs went down and came at harvest to David, to the cave of Adullam, while a company of Philistines was camped in the Valley of Rephaim.
And David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then at Bethlehem.
And David craved, and said, “Who will give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate?”
And the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines, and drew water from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate, and carried it and brought it to David. But he was not willing to drink it, and he poured it out to the LORD.
And he said, “Far be it from me, O LORD, that I should do this. Is it not the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives?” And he was not willing to drink it. These things the three mighty men did.
And Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah — he was head of the Three. And he wielded his spear against three hundred slain, and he had a name among the Three.
Of the Three he was the most honored, and he became their commander; but to the Three he did not attain.
And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a man of valor, great in deeds, from Kabzeel — he struck down the two sons of Ariel of Moab; and he went down and struck down the lion in the middle of the cistern on a day of snow.
And he struck down an Egyptian man, a man of striking appearance; and in the hand of the Egyptian was a spear, but he went down to him with a staff, and tore the spear from the hand of the Egyptian, and killed him with his own spear.
These things Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did, and he had a name among the three mighty men.
He was honored above the Thirty, but to the Three he did not attain; and David set him over his bodyguard.
Asahel the brother of Joab was among the Thirty; Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem;
Shammah the Harodite; Elika the Harodite;
Helez the Paltite; Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite;
Abiezer the Anathothite; Mebunnai the Hushathite;
Zalmon the Ahohite; Maharai the Netophathite;
Heleb the son of Baanah the Netophathite; Ittai the son of Ribai, from Gibeah of the sons of Benjamin;
Benaiah the Pirathonite; Hiddai from the brooks of Gaash;
Abi-albon the Arbathite; Azmaveth the Barhumite;
Eliahba the Shaalbonite; of the sons of Jashen, Jonathan;
the son of Shammah the Hararite; Ahiam the son of Sharar the Ararite;
Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai, the son of the Maacathite; Eliam the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite;
Hezrai the Carmelite; Paarai the Arbite;
Igal the son of Nathan from Zobah; Bani the Gadite;
Zelek the Ammonite; Naharai the Beerothite, weapon-bearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah;
Ira the Ithrite; Gareb the Ithrite;
Uriah the Hittite — thirty-seven in all.