SHEMU’ĔL 2-23

1 And these are the last words of Dawiḏ, the saying of Dawiḏ son of Yishai, the saying of the man raised up on high, the anointed of the Elohim of Ya’aqoḇ, and the sweet singer of Yisra’ĕl:

2 “The Ruaḥ of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 has spoken through me,
And His Word is on my tongue.

3 “The Elohim of Yisra’ĕl said,
The Rock of Yisra’ĕl spoke to me,
‘One who rules over man righteously,

4 “Who rules in the reverence of  Elohim,
Is like the light of the morning when the sun rises,
A morning without clouds,
Tender grass from the earth
From sunshine, from rain.’

5 “For is not my house so with Ĕl?
For He has made an everlasting
Covenant with me,
Ordered in all, and guarded.
For all my deliverance and all desire,
Shall He not make it send forth a Branch?

6 “But the worthless are all as thorns thrust away,
For they are not taken with hands,

7 “But the man who touches them
Uses iron or the shaft of a spear,
And with fire they are burned up in place.”

8 These are the names of the mighty men whom Dawiḏ had: Yoshĕḇ Bashsheḇeth the Taḥkemonite, chief among the officers, he was Aḏino the Etsnite, for eight hundred slain at one time.

9 And after him was El’azar son of Doḏo, the Aḥoḥite, one of the three mighty men with Dawiḏ when they taunted the Pelishtites who were gathered there for battle, and the men of Yisra’ĕl had gone up.

10 He arose and smote the Pelishtites until his hand was weary, but his hand clung to the sword, so 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 brought about a great deliverance that day. And the people returned after him only to plunder.

11 And after him was Shammah son of Aḡĕ the Hararite. And the Pelishtites had gathered into a company where there was a plot of ground covered with lentils, and the people fled from the Pelishtites.

12 But he took his stand in the middle of the field, and delivered it, and smote the Pelishtites, and 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 wrought a great deliverance.

13 And three of the thirty chief men went down at harvest time and came to Dawiḏ at the cave of Aḏullam, while the army of Pelishtites encamped in the Valley of Repha’im.

14 And Dawiḏ was then in the stronghold, while a watch-post of the Pelishtites was then in Bĕyth Leḥem.

15 And Dawiḏ longed and said, “Oh that someone would give me a drink of the water from the well of Bĕyth Leḥem, which is by the gate!”

16 And the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Pelishtites, and drew water from the well of Bĕyth Leḥem that was by the gate, and took it and brought it to Dawiḏ. But he would not drink it, but poured it out to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄.

17 And he said, “Far be it from me, O 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, to do this – the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives!” So he would not drink it. This is what the three mighty men did.

18 And Aḇishai the brother of Yo’aḇ, son of Tseruyah, was chief of another three. And he lifted his spear against three hundred men whom he slew, and had a name among these three.

19 Was he not the most esteemed of three? And he became their commander, but he did not come to the first three.

20 And Benayahu was the son of Yahoyaḏa, son of a brave man from Qaḇtse’ĕl, great in deeds. He smote two lion-like men of Mo’aḇ. And he went down and smote a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day.

21 And he smote a Mitsrite, an impressive man. And the Mitsrite had a spear in his hand, so he went down to him with a staff, wrenched the spear out of the Mitsrite’s hand, and slew him with, his own spear.

22 This is what Benayahu son of Yahoyaḏa did, and had a name among three mighty men.

23 He was more esteemed than the thirty, but he did not come to the first three. And Dawiḏ put him over his guard.

24 Asah’ĕl the brother of Yo’aḇ was one of the thirty; Elḥanan son of Doḏo of Bĕyth Leḥem,

25 Shammah the Ḥaroḏite, Eliqa the Ḥaroḏite,

26 Ḥelets the Paltite, Ira son of Iqqĕsh the Teqowite,

27 Aḇi’ezer the Anethothite, Meḇunnai the Ḥushathite,

28 Tsalmon the Aḥoḥite, Maharai the Netophathite,

29 Ḥĕleḇ son of Ba’anah the Netophathite, Ittai son of Riḇai from Giḇ’ah of the children of Binyamin,

30 Benayahu the Pirathonite, Hiddai from the wadis of Ga’ash,

31 Aḇi-Alḇon the Arbathite, Azmaweth the Barḥumite,

32 Elyaḥba the Sha’albonite of the sons of Yashĕn, Yahonathan,

33 Shammah the Hararite, Aḥyam son of Sharar the Hararite,

34 Eliphelet son of Aḥasbai, son of the Ma’aḵathite, Eliyam son of Aḥithophel the Gilonite,

35 Ḥetsrai the Karmelite, Pa’arai the Arbite,

36 Yiḡ’al son of Nathan of Tsoḇah, Bani the Gaḏite,

37 Tseleq the Ammonite, Naḥarai the Be’ĕrothite, armour-bearer of Yo’aḇ son of Tseruyah,

38 Ira the Yithrite, Garĕḇ the Yithrite,

39 and Uriyah the Ḥittite – thirty-seven in all.