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; (These be the last words which David, the son of Jesse, said. The words that the man to whom it was ordained to be the anointed of the God of Jacob, the noble psalm-maker of Israel, yea, the last words that he said;)
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 Lord of men, is Lord in the dread of God. (The God of Israel spoke, the Strong One of Israel said to me, The lord, or the leader, of men should be just, ruling in the fear of God.)
4 As the light of the morrowtide, when the sun riseth early, (and) is bright without clouds; and as an herb cometh forth of the earth by rains. (He is like the morning light, when the sun riseth early, and it is bright without clouds; and like a herb that cometh forth out of the ground after the rain.)
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*. (And though my house is not so great before God, yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, steadfast and strong in all things; for all my salvation is from him, and all my desire is for him, and there is nothing of it, that maketh not fruit.)
6 Forsooth all trespassers shall be drawn out as thorns, that be not taken with hands. (And all trespassers shall be drawn out like thorns, which cannot be picked, or touched, by hand.)
7 And if any man will touch those, he shall be armed with iron, and with a (piece of) wood formed into a spear; and (then) 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. (These be the names of David’s strong men. The Hachmonite sitteth in the chair, he is the wise leader of The Three, or The first, Jashobeam, the son of Hachmoni, was the leader of The Three; he raised up his spear against eight hundred men, and killed all of them at one time.)
9 After him was Eleazar, the son of his father’s brother, (the) 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, (After him was Eleazar, the son of Dodo, the Ahohite; he was one of The Three, who were with David, when they said shame to, or taunted, the Philistines, and were gathered there in battle. And when the men of Israel had gone away,)
10 he/Eleazar stood in battle, when his fellows went aback, and smote the Philistines, till that his hand failed, and was stark with the sword. And the Lord made great health in that day; and the people that fled turned again, to draw away the spoils of [the] slain men. (Eleazar stood his ground in the battle, while his fellows fled, and he struck down the Philistines, until his hand failed, and was fixed, or frozen, to the sword. And the Lord gave great victory that day; and the people who had fled returned to take away the spoils from the dead.)
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, (And the third member of The Three was Shammah, the son of Agee, of the Hararites. And when the Philistines were gathered at Lehi; and there was a field full of lentils; and the people of Israel had fled from before the 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. (he stood there in the midst of the field, and held it, and he defended that field; and he struck down the Philistines, and the Lord gave a great victory there.)
13 Also and three men went down before, that were princes among (the) thirty, and came to David in the time of reap(ing) into the den of Adullam. And the tents of Philistines were set in the valley of giants. (And three of The Thirty came down at the beginning of the harvest to join David at the cave of Adullam. And the Philistines’ tents were pitched in the Rephaim Valley.)
14 And David was in a stronghold; and the station of Philistines was then in Bethlehem. (And David was in a stronghold; and a Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem.)
15 Then David desired water of the well (or Then David desired water out of the cistern), and said, (O!) If any man would give to me (a) drink of the water (out) 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 Bethlehem, that was beside the gate, and they brought it to David; and he would not drink, but offered it to the Lord, (And so The Three broke into the camp of the Philistines, and drew water out of the cistern of Bethlehem, that was beside the gate, and they brought it to David; but he would not drink it, 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. (and said, May the Lord be merciful to me, so that I do not do this; for should I drink the blood of these men, who went down there, risking their own lives? And so he would not drink it. The Three 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, (And Abishai, Joab’s brother, the son of Zeruiah, was the leader of The Thirty; it was he who raised up his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed;he had the famous name among The Thirty,)
19 and was the nobler among (the) three, and he was the prince of them; but he came not to the three first men. (yea, he was the most famous of The Thirty, and he was their leader; but he did not come up to, or rival, The Three.)
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 /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. (And he killed an Egyptian man, a man worthy of beholding, who had a spear in his hand; for he had gone down to that man with a staff, and by might he wrung the spear out of the hand of the Egyptian, and then killed him with his own spear.)
22 Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, did these things; and he was named among [the] three strong men (or and he had a famous name among The Thirty),
23 that were among the thirty nobler men; nevertheless he came not (up) to the first three. And David made him a counsellor of private to himself. (indeed some said he was the most famous of The Thirty; nevertheless he came not up to, or rivaled, The Three. And David made him his personal counsellor or the head of his bodyguard.)
24 Asahel, the brother of Joah, was among the thirty men; Elhanan, the son of his father’s brother, of Bethlehem; (And other members of The Thirty; Asahel, Joah’s brother; and Elhanan, the son of Dodo, of Bethlehem;)
25 Shammah, of Harodites; Elika, of Harodites;
26 Helez, of Paltites; Ira, the son of Ikkesh, of Tekoa; (Helez, of Pelet; Ira, the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite;)
27 Abiezer, of Anathoth (or Abiezer the Anethothite); 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 of Gaash;
31 Abialbon, of Arabah; Azmaveth, of Barhumites;
32 Eliahba, of Shaalbonites; the sons of Jashen, Jonathan, and Jashen; (Eliahba, of Shaalbon; the sons of Jashen; Jonathan;/Eliahba, of Shaalbon; Hashem the Gizonite;)
33 Shammah, of Hararites; Ahiam, the son of Sharar, of Hararites; (Jonathan, the son of Shammah the Hararite; Ahiam, the son of Sharar the Hararite;)
34 Eliphelet, the son of Ahasbai, the son of (the) 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 (or in all, there were thirty-seven famous fighting men).
* CHAPTER 23:5 And this is done, when all thing that cometh forth of the will, either of advisement, is done into the glory of God.