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2 Samuel 23-24
American Standard Version

23 Now these are the last words of David.

David the son of Jesse saith,
And the man who was raised on high saith,
The anointed of the God of Jacob,
And [a]the sweet psalmist of Israel:
2 The Spirit of Jehovah spake [b]by me,
And his word was upon my tongue.
3 The God of Israel said,
The Rock of Israel spake to me:
[c]One that ruleth over men [d]righteously,
That ruleth in the fear of God,
4 He shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth,
A morning without clouds,
When the tender grass springeth out of the earth,
Through clear shining after rain.
5 [e]Verily my house is not so with God;
Yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant,
Ordered in all things, and sure:
For it is all my salvation, and all my desire,
Although he maketh it not to grow.
6 But [f]the ungodly shall be all of them as thorns to be thrust away,
Because they cannot be taken with the hand;
7 But the man that toucheth them
Must be [g]armed with iron and the staff of a spear:
And they shall be utterly burned with fire in their place.

8 These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: [h]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 [i]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 [j]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 [k]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 [l]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 [m]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 [n]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 [o]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 [p]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 Abi-albon 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 [q]Hezro the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite, 36 Igal the son of Nathan of Zobah, Bani the Gadite, 37 Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite, [r]armorbearers to Joab the son of Zeruiah, 38 Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, 39 Uriah the Hittite: thirty and seven in all.

24 And again the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them, saying, Go, number Israel and Judah. 2 And the king said to Joab the captain of the host, who was with him, Go now to and fro through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, and number ye the people, that I may know the sum of the people. 3 And Joab said unto the king, Now Jehovah thy God add unto the people, how many soever they may be, a hundredfold; and may the eyes of my lord the king see it: but why doth my lord the king delight in this thing? 4 Notwithstanding, the king’s word prevailed against Joab, and against the captains of the host. And Joab and the captains of the host went out from the presence of the king, to number the people of Israel. 5 And they passed over the Jordan, and encamped in Aroer, on the right side of the city that is in the middle of the valley [s]of Gad, and unto Jazer: 6 then they came to Gilead, and to the land of Tahtim-hodshi; and they came to Dan-jaan, and round about to Sidon, 7 and came to the stronghold of Tyre, and to all the cities of the Hivites, and of the Canaanites; and they went out to the south of Judah, at Beer-sheba. 8 So when they had gone to and fro through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. 9 And Joab gave up the sum of the numbering of the people unto the king: and there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men that drew the sword; and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.

10 And David’s heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David said unto Jehovah, I have sinned greatly in that which I have done: but now, O Jehovah, put away, I beseech thee, the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly. 11 And when David rose up in the morning, the word of Jehovah came unto the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying, 12 Go and speak unto David, Thus saith Jehovah, I [t]offer thee three things: choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee. 13 So Gad came to David, and told him, and said unto him, Shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land? or wilt thou flee three months before thy foes while they pursue thee? or shall there be three days’ pestilence in thy land? now advise thee, and consider what answer I shall return to him that sent me. 14 And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let us fall now into the hand of Jehovah; for his mercies are [u]great; and let me not fall into the hand of man.

15 So Jehovah sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed; and there died of the people from Dan even to Beer-sheba seventy thousand men. 16 And when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, Jehovah repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed the people, It is enough; now stay thy hand. And the angel of Jehovah was by the threshing-floor of [v]Araunah the Jebusite. 17 And David spake unto Jehovah when he saw the angel that smote the people, and said, Lo, I have sinned, and I have done perversely; but these sheep, what have they done? let thy hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father’s house.

18 And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, Go up, rear an altar unto Jehovah in the threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite. 19 And David went up according to the saying of Gad, as Jehovah commanded. 20 And Araunah looked forth, and saw the king and his servants [w]coming on toward him: and Araunah went out, and bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground. 21 And Araunah said, Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, To buy the threshing-floor of thee, to build an altar unto Jehovah, that the plague may be stayed from the people. 22 And Araunah said unto David, Let my lord the king take and offer up what seemeth good unto him: behold, the oxen for the burnt-offering, and the threshing instruments and the yokes of the oxen for the wood: 23 [x]all this, O king, doth Araunah give unto the king. And Araunah said unto the king, Jehovah thy God accept thee. 24 And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will verily buy it of thee at a price; neither will I offer burnt-offerings unto Jehovah my God which cost me nothing. So David bought the threshing-floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 25 And David built there an altar unto Jehovah, and offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings. So Jehovah was entreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 23:1 Hebrew pleasant in the psalms of Israel.
  2. 2 Samuel 23:2 Or, in
  3. 2 Samuel 23:3 Or, There shall be one . . . and it shall be as etc.
  4. 2 Samuel 23:3 Hebrew a righteous one.
  5. 2 Samuel 23:5 Or, For is not my house so with God? for he . . . for all my salvation, and all my desire, will he not make it to grow?
  6. 2 Samuel 23:6 Hebrew Belial, that is, worthlessness.
  7. 2 Samuel 23:7 Hebrew filled.
  8. 2 Samuel 23:8 In 1 Chr. 11:11, Jashobeam. The Hebrew of this verse is obscure.
  9. 2 Samuel 23:9 Hebrew went up.
  10. 2 Samuel 23:10 Hebrew salvation.
  11. 2 Samuel 23:11 Or, for foraging
  12. 2 Samuel 23:12 Hebrew salvation.
  13. 2 Samuel 23:17 Hebrew with their lives.
  14. 2 Samuel 23:18 Hebrew slain.
  15. 2 Samuel 23:20 According to another reading, Ish-hai.
  16. 2 Samuel 23:23 Or, council
  17. 2 Samuel 23:35 Or, Hezrai
  18. 2 Samuel 23:37 Another reading is, armorbearer.
  19. 2 Samuel 24:5 Or, toward
  20. 2 Samuel 24:12 Or, lay upon
  21. 2 Samuel 24:14 Or, many
  22. 2 Samuel 24:16 Or, Ornah. In 1 Chr. 21:15, Ornan
  23. 2 Samuel 24:20 Or, passing over
  24. 2 Samuel 24:23 Or, all this did Araunah the king give etc.
Listen to 2 Samuel 23-24
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2 Samuel 23-24
New International Version

David’s Last Words

23 These are the last words of David:

“The inspired utterance of David son of Jesse,
    the utterance of the man exalted(A) by the Most High,
the man anointed(B) by the God of Jacob,
    the hero of Israel’s songs:

2 “The Spirit(C) of the Lord spoke through me;
    his word was on my tongue.
3 The God of Israel spoke,
    the Rock(D) of Israel said to me:
‘When one rules over people in righteousness,(E)
    when he rules in the fear(F) of God,(G)
4 he is like the light(H) of morning(I) at sunrise(J)
    on a cloudless morning,
like the brightness after rain(K)
    that brings grass from the earth.’

5 “If my house were not right with God,
    surely he would not have made with me an everlasting covenant,(L)
    arranged and secured in every part;
surely he would not bring to fruition my salvation
    and grant me my every desire.
6 But evil men are all to be cast aside like thorns,(M)
    which are not gathered with the hand.
7 Whoever touches thorns
    uses a tool of iron or the shaft of a spear;
    they are burned up where they lie.”

David’s Mighty Warriors(N)

8 These are the names of David’s mighty warriors:(O)

Josheb-Basshebeth,[a](P) a Tahkemonite,[b] was chief of the Three; he raised his spear against eight hundred men, whom he killed[c] in one encounter.

9 Next to him was Eleazar son of Dodai(Q) the Ahohite.(R) As one of the three mighty warriors, he was with David when they taunted the Philistines gathered at Pas Dammim[d] for battle. Then the Israelites retreated, 10 but Eleazar stood his ground and struck down the Philistines till his hand grew tired and froze to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day. The troops returned to Eleazar, but only to strip the dead.

11 Next to him was Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. When the Philistines banded together at a place where there was a field full of lentils, Israel’s troops fled from them. 12 But Shammah took his stand in the middle of the field. He defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the Lord brought about a great victory.

13 During harvest time, three of the thirty chief warriors came down to David at the cave of Adullam,(S) while a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim.(T) 14 At that time David was in the stronghold,(U) and the Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem.(V) 15 David longed for water and said, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!” 16 So the three mighty warriors broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured(W) it out before the Lord. 17 “Far be it from me, Lord, to do this!” he said. “Is it not the blood(X) of men who went at the risk of their lives?” And David would not drink it.

Such were the exploits of the three mighty warriors.

18 Abishai(Y) the brother of Joab son of Zeruiah was chief of the Three.[e] He raised his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed, and so he became as famous as the Three. 19 Was he not held in greater honor than the Three? He became their commander, even though he was not included among them.

20 Benaiah(Z) son of Jehoiada, a valiant fighter from Kabzeel,(AA) performed great exploits. He struck down Moab’s two mightiest warriors. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. 21 And he struck down a huge Egyptian. Although the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club. He snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear. 22 Such were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada; he too was as famous as the three mighty warriors. 23 He was held in greater honor than any of the Thirty, but he was not included among the Three. And David put him in charge of his bodyguard.

24 Among the Thirty were:

Asahel(AB) the brother of Joab,

Elhanan son of Dodo from Bethlehem,

25 Shammah the Harodite,(AC)

Elika the Harodite,

26 Helez(AD) the Paltite,

Ira(AE) son of Ikkesh from Tekoa,

27 Abiezer(AF) from Anathoth,(AG)

Sibbekai[f] the Hushathite,

28 Zalmon the Ahohite,

Maharai(AH) the Netophathite,(AI)

29 Heled[g](AJ) son of Baanah the Netophathite,

Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah(AK) in Benjamin,

30 Benaiah the Pirathonite,(AL)

Hiddai[h] from the ravines of Gaash,(AM)

31 Abi-Albon the Arbathite,

Azmaveth the Barhumite,(AN)

32 Eliahba the Shaalbonite,

the sons of Jashen,

Jonathan 33 son of[i] Shammah the Hararite,

Ahiam son of Sharar[j] the Hararite,

34 Eliphelet son of Ahasbai the Maakathite,(AO)

Eliam(AP) son of Ahithophel(AQ) the Gilonite,

35 Hezro the Carmelite,(AR)

Paarai the Arbite,

36 Igal son of Nathan from Zobah,(AS)

the son of Hagri,[k]

37 Zelek the Ammonite,

Naharai the Beerothite,(AT) the armor-bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah,

38 Ira the Ithrite,(AU)

Gareb the Ithrite

39 and Uriah(AV) the Hittite.

There were thirty-seven in all.

David Enrolls the Fighting Men(AW)

24 Again(AX) the anger of the Lord burned against Israel,(AY) and he incited David against them, saying, “Go and take a census of(AZ) Israel and Judah.”

2 So the king said to Joab(BA) and the army commanders[l] with him, “Go throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba(BB) and enroll(BC) the fighting men, so that I may know how many there are.”

3 But Joab(BD) replied to the king, “May the Lord your God multiply the troops a hundred times over,(BE) and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king want to do such a thing?”

4 The king’s word, however, overruled Joab and the army commanders; so they left the presence of the king to enroll the fighting men of Israel.

5 After crossing the Jordan, they camped near Aroer,(BF) south of the town in the gorge, and then went through Gad and on to Jazer.(BG) 6 They went to Gilead and the region of Tahtim Hodshi, and on to Dan Jaan and around toward Sidon.(BH) 7 Then they went toward the fortress of Tyre(BI) and all the towns of the Hivites(BJ) and Canaanites. Finally, they went on to Beersheba(BK) in the Negev(BL) of Judah.

8 After they had gone through the entire land, they came back to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.

9 Joab reported the number of the fighting men to the king: In Israel there were eight hundred thousand able-bodied men who could handle a sword, and in Judah five hundred thousand.(BM)

10 David was conscience-stricken(BN) after he had counted the fighting men, and he said to the Lord, “I have sinned(BO) greatly in what I have done. Now, Lord, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.(BP)”

11 Before David got up the next morning, the word of the Lord had come to Gad(BQ) the prophet, David’s seer:(BR) 12 “Go and tell David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you.’”

13 So Gad went to David and said to him, “Shall there come on you three[m] years of famine(BS) in your land? Or three months of fleeing from your enemies while they pursue you? Or three days of plague(BT) in your land? Now then, think it over and decide how I should answer the one who sent me.”

14 David said to Gad, “I am in deep distress. Let us fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy(BU) is great; but do not let me fall into human hands.”

15 So the Lord sent a plague on Israel from that morning until the end of the time designated, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died.(BV) 16 When the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord relented(BW) concerning the disaster and said to the angel who was afflicting the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand.” The angel of the Lord(BX) was then at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

17 When David saw the angel who was striking down the people, he said to the Lord, “I have sinned; I, the shepherd,[n] have done wrong. These are but sheep.(BY) What have they done?(BZ) Let your hand fall on me and my family.”(CA)

David Builds an Altar(CB)

18 On that day Gad went to David and said to him, “Go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah(CC) the Jebusite.” 19 So David went up, as the Lord had commanded through Gad. 20 When Araunah looked and saw the king and his officials coming toward him, he went out and bowed down before the king with his face to the ground.

21 Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?”

“To buy your threshing floor,” David answered, “so I can build an altar to the Lord, that the plague on the people may be stopped.”(CD)

22 Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take whatever he wishes and offer it up. Here are oxen(CE) for the burnt offering, and here are threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood. 23 Your Majesty, Araunah[o] gives(CF) all this to the king.” Araunah also said to him, “May the Lord your God accept you.”

24 But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”(CG)

So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels[p](CH) of silver for them. 25 David built an altar(CI) to the Lord there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the Lord answered his prayer(CJ) in behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 23:8 Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts suggest Ish-Bosheth, that is, Esh-Baal (see also 1 Chron. 11:11 Jashobeam).
  2. 2 Samuel 23:8 Probably a variant of Hakmonite (see 1 Chron. 11:11)
  3. 2 Samuel 23:8 Some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 1 Chron. 11:11); Hebrew and other Septuagint manuscripts Three; it was Adino the Eznite who killed eight hundred men
  4. 2 Samuel 23:9 See 1 Chron. 11:13; Hebrew gathered there.
  5. 2 Samuel 23:18 Most Hebrew manuscripts (see also 1 Chron. 11:20); two Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac Thirty
  6. 2 Samuel 23:27 Some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 21:18; 1 Chron. 11:29); Hebrew Mebunnai
  7. 2 Samuel 23:29 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Vulgate (see also 1 Chron. 11:30); most Hebrew manuscripts Heleb
  8. 2 Samuel 23:30 Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 1 Chron. 11:32) Hurai
  9. 2 Samuel 23:33 Some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 1 Chron. 11:34); Hebrew does not have son of.
  10. 2 Samuel 23:33 Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 1 Chron. 11:35) Sakar
  11. 2 Samuel 23:36 Some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 1 Chron. 11:38); Hebrew Haggadi
  12. 2 Samuel 24:2 Septuagint (see also verse 4 and 1 Chron. 21:2); Hebrew Joab the army commander
  13. 2 Samuel 24:13 Septuagint (see also 1 Chron. 21:12); Hebrew seven
  14. 2 Samuel 24:17 Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint; Masoretic Text does not have the shepherd.
  15. 2 Samuel 24:23 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts King Araunah
  16. 2 Samuel 24:24 That is, about 1 1/4 pounds or about 575 grams
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