Now these are the last words of Dawud1.
Dawud son of Jesse says,
The man who was raised on high says,
The anointed2 of the God3 of Yaqub,
The sweet singer of Israel:
2The Spirit4 of YAHWEH5 spoke by me,
His word was on my tongue.
3The God of Israel said,
The Rock of Israel spoke to me:
One who rules over men righteously,
Who rules in the fear of God,
4He shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun rises,
A morning without clouds,
When the tender grass springs out of the earth,
Through clear shining after rain.
5Most assuredly my house is not so with God;
Yet he has made with me an everlasting covenant,
Ordered in all things, and sure:
For this is all my salvation, and all my desire;
Will he not make it increase?
6But the ungodly shall be all of them as thorns to be thrust away,
Because they cannot be taken with the hand.
7But the man who touches them
Must be armed with iron and the staff of a spear:
They shall be utterly burned with fire in their place.
8These are the names of the mighty men whom Dawud had: Josheb Basshebeth a Tahchemonite, chief of the captains; he was called Adino the Eznite, because he had killed eight hundred men at one time.
9After him was Eleazar son of Dodai the son of an Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with Dawud, when they defied the Philistines who were gathered together for battle, and the men of Israel had retreated. 10He arose, and struck the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand froze to the sword; and YAHWEH worked a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to take spoil.
11After him was Shammah son of Agee a Hararite. The Philistines were gathered together into a troop, where was a plot of ground full of lentils; and the people fled from the Philistines. 12But he stood in the midst of the plot, and defended it, and killed the Philistines; and YAHWEH worked a great victory.
13Three of the thirty chief men went down, and came to Dawud in the harvest time to the cave of Adullam; and the troop of the Philistines was encamped in the valley of Rephaim. 14Dawud was then in the stronghold; and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. 15Dawud longed, and said, “Oh that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!”
16The three mighty men broke through the army of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to Dawud: but he would not drink of it, but poured it out to YAHWEH. 17He said, “Be it far from me, YAHWEH, that I should do this: shall I drink the blood of the men who went in jeopardy of their lives?” Therefore he would not drink it. These things did the three mighty men.
18Abishai, the brother of Joab son of Zeruiah, was chief of the three. He lifted up his spear against three hundred and killed them, and had a name among the three. 19Was he not most honoured of the three? Therefore he was made their captain: however he did not attain to the first three.
20Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done mighty deeds, he killed the two sons of Ariel of Moab: he went down also and killed a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day. 21He killed an Egyptian, a handsome 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 killed him with his own spear. 22These things did Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and had a name among the three mighty men. 23He was more honoured than the thirty, but he did not attain to the first three. Dawud set him over his guard.
24Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty; Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem, 25Shammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite, 26Helez the Paltite, Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, 27Abiezer the Anathothite, Mebunnai the Hushathite, 28Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite, 29Heleb son of Baanah the Netophathite, Ittai son of Ribai of Gibeah of the children of Binyamin, 30Benaiah a Pirathonite, Hiddai of the brooks of Gaash. 31Abialbon the Arbathite, Azmaveth the Barhumite, 32Eliahba the Shaalbonite, the sons of Jashen, Jonathan, 33Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam son of Sharar the Ararite, 34Eliphelet son of Ahasbai, the son of the Maacathite, Eliam son of Ahithophel the Gilonite, 35Hezro the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite, 36Igal son of Nathan of Zobah, Bani the Gadite, 37Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite, armour-bearers to Joab son of Zeruiah, 38Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, 39Uriah the Hittite: thirty-seven in all.
- 23:1 Dawud, this Arabic name is derived from David (Hebrew) and means “Beloved.” ↩︎
- 23:1 anointed, in Hebrew mashiah, which gives rise to the Arabic masih, and the English messiah. In ancient Israel, kings, priests and prophets were anointed with oil to signify their divine appointment to office. All of these anointed individuals point ahead to the ultimate Anointed One or Messiah (AL-MASIH) whose coming God has promised in his holy word. Al-Kitab unanimously points to ‘ISA Ibn Maryam as the only person worthy to bear the title AL-MASIH. He is the one whom God sent into this world to save people from sin, and to usher in God’s Kingdom at his Second Coming. ↩︎
- 23:1 God, in Hebrew elohim, which is related to the Arabic allah. Both words translate correctly as “God,” referring to the one true God. ↩︎
- 23:2 Spirit, or Holy Spirit, or Spirit of God; not an angel, created being, nor an impersonal force, but the uncreated, eternal essence of God himself. The Spirit was present and active at the creation of heaven and earth (see Genesis 1:2). He is also the one who moved the prophets to speak God’s Word to mankind (see 2 Peter 1:21). The Spirit also lives inside of every follower of ‘ISA AL-MASIH, empowering them to live in a way pleasing to God. ↩︎
- 23:2 YAHWEH, God’s personal Name revealed to Prophet Musa in the Taurat, Exodus 3:15: ‘God said moreover to Musa, “You shall tell Bani-Israel this, ‘YAHWEH, the God of your fathers, the God of Ibrahim, the God of Ishaq, and the God of Yaqub, has sent me to you.’ This is my Name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered to all generations.”’ ↩︎