2 Samuel 21

1 And there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David sought the face of Jehovah. And Jehovah said, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he put to death the Gibeonites.2 And the king called the Gibeonites, and said unto them (now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; and the children of Israel had sworn unto them: and Saul sought to slay them in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah);3 and David said unto the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? and wherewith shall I make atonement, that ye may bless the inheritance of Jehovah?4 And the Gibeonites said unto him, It is no matter of silver or gold between us and Saul, or his house; neither is it for us to put any man to death in Israel. And he said, What ye shall say, that will I do for you.5 And they said unto the king, The man that consumed us, and that devised against us, that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the borders of Israel,6 let seven men of his sons be delivered unto us, and we will hang them up unto Jehovah in Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of Jehovah. And the king said, I will give them.

7 But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, because of Jehovah’s oath that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul.8 But the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bare unto Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of Michal the daughter of Saul, whom she bare to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite:9 And he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them in the mountain before Jehovah, and they fell

10 And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth, and spread it for her upon the rock, from the beginning of harvest until water was poured upon them from heaven; and she suffered neither the birds of the heavens to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night.11 And it was told David what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done.

12 And David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabesh-gilead, who had stolen them from the street of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hanged them, in the day that the Philistines slew Saul in Gilboa;13 and he brought up from thence the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son: and they gathered the bones of them that were hanged.14 And they buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the country of Benjamin in Zela, in the sepulchre of Kish his father: and they performed all that the king commanded. And after that God was entreated for the land.

15 And the Philistines had war again with Israel; and David went down, and his servants with him, and fought against the Philistines. And David waxed faint;16 and Ishbibenob, who was of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose spear was three hundred shekels of brass in weight, he being girded with a new sword, thought to have slain David.17 But Abishai the son of Zeruiah succored him, and smote the Philistine, and killed him. Then the men of David sware unto him, saying, Thou shalt go no more out with us to battle, that thou quench not the lamp of Israel.

18 And it came to pass after this, that there was again war with the Philistines at Gob: then Sibbecai the Hushathite slew Saph, who was of the sons of the giant.19 And there was again war with the Philistines at Gob; and Elhanan the son of Jaareoregim the Beth-lehemite slew Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.20 And there was again war at Gath, where was a man of great stature, that had on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, four and twenty in number; and he also was born to the giant.21 And when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimei, David’s brother, slew him.22 These four were born to the giant in Gath; and they fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.

2 Samuel 22

1 And David spake unto Jehovah the words of this song in the day that Jehovah delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul:2 and he said,3 God, my rock, in him will I take refuge;4 I will call upon Jehovah, who is worthy to be praised:5 For the waves of death compassed me;6 The cords of Sheol were round about me;7 In my distress I called upon Jehovah;8 Then the earth shook and trembled,9 There went up a smoke out of his nostrils,10 He bowed the heavens also, and came down;11 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly;12 And he made darkness pavilions round about him,13 At the brightness before him14 Jehovah thundered from heaven,15 And he sent out arrows, and scattered them;16 Then the channels of the sea appeared,17 He sent from on high, he took me;18 He delivered me from my strong enemy,19 They came upon me in the day of my calamity;20 He brought me forth also into a large place;21 Jehovah rewarded me according to my righteousness;22 For I have kept the ways of Jehovah,23 For all his ordinances were before me;24 I was also perfect toward him;25 Therefore hath Jehovah recompensed me according to my righteousness,26 With the merciful thou wilt show thyself merciful;27 With the pure thou wilt show thyself pure;28 And the afflicted people thou wilt save;29 For thou art my lamp, O Jehovah;30 For by thee I run upon a troop;31 As for God, his way is perfect:32 For who is God, save Jehovah?33 God is my strong fortress;34 He maketh his feet like hinds’ feet,35 He teacheth my hands to war,36 Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation;37 Thou hast enlarged my steps under me;38 I have pursued mine enemies, and destroyed them;39 And I have consumed them, and smitten them through, so that they cannot arise:40 For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle;41 Thou hast also made mine enemies turn their backs unto me,42 They looked, but there was none to save;43 Then did I beat them small as the dust of the earth,44 Thou also hast delivered me from the strivings of my people;45 The foreigners shall submit themselves unto me:46 The foreigners shall fade away,47 Jehovah liveth; And blessed be my rock;48 Even the God that executeth vengeance for me,49 And that bringeth me forth from mine enemies:50 Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O Jehovah, among the nations,51 Great deliverance giveth he to his king,

2 Samuel 23

1 Now these are the last words of David.2 The Spirit of Jehovah spake by me,3 The God of Israel said,4 He shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth,5 Verily my house is not so with God;6 But the ungodly shall be all of them as thorns to be thrust away,7 But the man that toucheth them

8 These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-basshebeth a Tahchemonite, chief of the captains; the same was Adino the Eznite, against eight hundred slain at one time.

9 And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodai the son of an Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David, when they defied the Philistines that were there gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel were gone away.10 He arose, and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto the sword; and Jehovah wrought a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to take spoil.

11 And after him was Shammah the son of Agee a Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered together into a troop, where was a plot of ground full of lentils; and the people fled from the Philistines.12 But he stood in the midst of the plot, and defended it, and slew the Philistines; and Jehovah wrought a great victory.

13 And three of the thirty chief men went down, and came to David in the harvest time unto the cave of Adullam; and the troop of the Philistines was encamped in the valley of Rephaim.14 And David was then in the stronghold; and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Beth-lehem.15 And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me water to drink of the well of Beth-lehem, which is by the gate!16 And the three mighty men brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Beth-lehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David: but he would not drink thereof, but poured it out unto Jehovah.17 And he said, Be it far from me, O Jehovah, that I should do this: shall I drink the blood of the men that went in jeopardy of their lives? therefore he would not drink it. These things did the three mighty men.

18 And Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of the three. And he lifted up his spear against three hundred and slew them, and had a name among the three.19 Was he not most honorable of the three? therefore he was made their captain: howbeit he attained not unto the first three.

20 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done mighty deeds, he slew the two sons of Ariel of Moab: he went down also and slew a lion in the midst of a pit in time of snow.21 And he slew an Egyptian, a goodly man: and the Egyptian had a spear in his hand; but he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and slew him with his own spear.22 These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and had a name among the three mighty men.23 He was more honorable than the thirty, but he attained not to the first three. And David set him over his guard.

24 Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty; Elhanan the son of Dodo of Beth-lehem,25 Shammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite,26 Helez the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite,27 Abiezer the Anathothite, Mebunnai the Hushathite,28 Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite,29 Heleb the son of Baanah the Netophathite, Ittai the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the children of Benjamin,30 Benaiah a Pirathonite, Hiddai of the brooks of Gaash.31 Abialbon the Arbathite, Azmaveth the Barhumite,32 Eliahba the Shaalbonite, the sons of Jashen, Jonathan,33 Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam the son of Sharar the Ararite,34 Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai, the son of the Maacathite, Eliam the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite,35 Hezro the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite,36 Igal the son of Nathan of Zobah, Bani the Gadite,37 Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite, armorbearers to Joab the son of Zeruiah,38 Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,39 Uriah the Hittite: thirty and seven in all.