2 Samuel 23

Bishops(i) 1 These also be the last wordes of Dauid: Dauid the sonne of Isai said: and ye man which was ordayned the annoynted of the God of Iacob and the sweete Psalmist of Israel, sayde 2 The spirite of the Lorde spake by me, and his word was in my tongue 3 The God of Israel spake to me, euen the most mightie of Israel sayde: A ruler ouer men being iust, ruling in ye feare of God 4 And as the morning lyght when the sunne is vp, a morning in which are no cloudes, [so shal my house be, but not] as the grasse of the earth is by bryghtnesse and rayne 5 For so shal not my house be with God: For he hath made with me an euerlasting couenaunt, perfect and sure in all poyntes: and this is truly all my health, and all my desyre, that it growe, but not as grasse 6 But the vngodly man, shall be as a thorne cleane pluckt vp, which can not be taken with handes 7 But the man that shall touche them, must be defenced with iron, or with the shaft of a speare, and they shalbe burnt with fire in the same place 8 These be the names of the mightie men whom Dauid had: One that sate in the seate of wisedome, being chiefest among the princes, was Adino of Ezni, he slue eyght hundred at one tyme 9 After him was Eliazar the sonne of Dodo the sonne of Ahohi, one of the three worthies with Dauid, which defyed the Philistines that were there gathered together to battaile, when the men of Israel were gone vp 10 He arose and layed on the Philistines, vntill his hand was weery, and claue vnto the sword: And the Lorde gaue great victory the same day, and the people returned after him, only to spoyle 11 After him was Samma the sonne of Age the Hararite: & the Philistines gathered together besyde a towne, where was a parcell of land full of lentils, and the people fled from the Philistines 12 But he stoode in ye middest of the groud, and defended it, & slue the Philistines: and the Lorde gaue great victorie 13 These three (which were of the thirtie chiefe captaines) went downe to Dauid in the haruest tyme vnto the caue Adullam: and the hoast of the Philistines pytched in the valley of giauntes 14 And Dauid was then in an houlde, and the souldiers of ye Philistines were in Bethlehem 15 And Dauid longed, & saide: Oh that I had of the water that is in the wel by the gate of Bethlehem for to drynke 16 And the three mightie brake through the hoast of the Philistines, & drue water out of the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate, and toke and brought it to Dauid: Neuerthelesse he would not drinke thereof, but powred it vnto the Lorde 17 And saide, The Lorde forbyd that I should do so: Is not this the blood of the men that went in ieoperdie of theyr lyues? & therefore he would not drinke it. And these thinges did these three mightie men 18 Abisai the brother of Ioab the sonne of Zaruia, was chiefe among the three, & he lyft vp his speare against three hundred, and slue them, & had the name among the three 19 For he was most excellent of the three, and was their captayne: Howbeit he attayned not vnto [the first] three 20 And Banaiah the sonne of Iehoida the sonne of a mightie man, valiaunt in actes, of Rabzeel, slue two strog men of Moab: He went downe also, and slue a lion in the middest of a pit in time of snowe 21 And he slue an Egyptian a goodly bigge man, and the Egyptian had a speare in his hand: But he went downe to him with a staffe, and plucked the speare out of the Egyptians hand, and slue him with his owne speare 22 These thinges did Banaiah ye sonne of Iehoida, and had the name among the three worthies 23 He was honorable among thirtie, but he attayned not to [the first] three: And Dauid made him of his counsel 24 Asahel the brother of Ioab, was one of the thirtie: Elhanan the sonne of Dodo, of Bethlehem 25 Samma the Harodite, Elica the Harodite 26 Helez the Paltite, Ira the sonne of Acces the Thecoite 27 Abiezer of Anathoth, Mebunnai ye Husathite 28 Zelmon an Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite 29 Heleb the sonne of Baanah an Netophatite, Ithai the sonne of Ribai out of Gibea of the children of Beniamin 30 Banaiah the Pirathonite, Heddai of the ryuer of Gaas 31 Abialbon the Arbathite, Asmaueth the Barhumite 32 Eliahba a Saalbonite: of the sonnes of Iasen, Ionathan 33 Samma the Hararite, Ahiam ye sonne of Sarar an Hararite 34 Eliphelet ye sonne of Aasbai the sonne of Maachathi, Eliam the sonne of Ahithophel the Gilonite 35 Hezrai the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite 36 Igal the sonne of Nathan of Zoba, Bani the Gadite 37 Zelec the Ammonite, Naharai the Berothite, which was the harnesse bearer of Ioab the sonne of Zaruia 38 Ira the Iethrite, Gareb ye Iethrite 39 Aria the Hethite: thirtie and seuen in all