2 Samuel 23:1-10 ▼

1 Now these are the last words of David. David the son of Jesse declares, The man who was raised on high declares, The anointed of the God of Jacob, And the sweet psalmist of Israel,

2 “The Spirit of the LORD spoke by me, And His word was on my tongue.

3 “The God of Israel, The Rock of Israel spoke to me, ‘He who rules over men righteously, Who rules in the fear of God,

4 Is like the morning light when the sun rises, A morning without clouds, When the fresh grass springs out of the earth Through sunshine after rain.’

5 “Truly is not my house so [blessed] with God? For He has made an everlasting covenant with me, Ordered in all things, and secured. For will He not cause to grow and prosper All my salvation and my every wish? Will He not make it grow and prosper?

6 “But the wicked and worthless are all to be thrown away like thorns, Because they cannot be taken with the hand;

7 But the man who touches them Must be armed with iron and the shaft of a spear, And they are utterly burned and consumed by fire in their place.”

8 These are the names of the mighty men (warriors) whom David had: Josheb-basshebeth, a Tahchemonite, chief of the captains, also called Adino the Eznite (spear) because of the eight hundred men killed [by him] at one time.

9 Next to him was Eleazar the son of Dodo the son of Ahohi. He was one of the three mighty men with David when they taunted and defied the Philistines assembled there for battle, and the men of Israel had gone.

10 Eleazar stood up and struck down the Philistines until his hand was weary and clung to the sword. The LORD brought about a great victory that day; the people returned after him only to take the spoil [of the slain].