 CHAPTER XXIII Now these be the last words of David. And the man who was raised up on high, The anointed of the God of Jacob, And the sweet psalmist of Israel said, The spirit of the Lord spake by me, And his word was in my tongue. The God of Israel said, The rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, Ruling in the fear of God. And he shall be as the light of the morning, When the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds, As the tender grass springing out of the earth By clear shining after rain. Although my house be not so with God, Yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, Ordered in all things and sure, For this is all my salvation and all my desire, Although he may get not to grow. But the sons of Belial shall be all of them As thorns thrust away, because they cannot be taken with hands. But the man that shall touch them must be fenced with iron and the staff of a spear, And they shall be utterly burned with fire in the same place. These be the names of the mighty men whom David had, The Tefmanite that sat in the seat, Chief among the captains. The same was Adino the Esnite. He lift up his spear against eight hundred, Whom he slew at one time. And after him was Eliezer, the son of Dode the Ahoheit, 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. He arose and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, And his hand clave unto the sword, And the Lord wrought a great victory that day, And the people returned after him only to spoil. And after him was Shama, the son of Agi, the Harorite, And the Philistines were gathered together into a troop, Where was a piece of ground full of lentils, And the people fled from the Philistines. But he stood in the midst of the ground and defended it, And slew the Philistines, And the Lord wrought a great victory. And three of the thirty chief went down and came to David in the harvest time Unto the cave of Adelum, And the troop of the Philistines pitched in the valley of Refaim. And David was then in an hold, And the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. And David longed and said, Oh, that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, Which is by the gate. And the three mighty men break through the host of the Philistines, And drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, That was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David. Nevertheless, he would not drink thereof, But poured it out unto the Lord. And he said, Be it far from me, O Lord, that I should do this. Is not this the blood of the men that went in jeopardy of their lives? Therefore he would not drink it. These things did these three mighty men. And Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruayel, Was chief among three, And he lifted up his spear against three hundred, And slew them, and had the name among three. Was he not most honorable of three? Therefore he was their captain, How be it he attained not unto the first three. And Benaiah, the son of Jehoira, The son of a valiant man, Of Kabzil, who had done many acts, He slew two line like men of Moab. He went down also, and slew a line In the midst of a pit in time of snow. 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. These things did Benaiah, the son of Jehoira, And had the name among three mighty men. He was honorable more than the thirty, But he attained not to the first three, And David set him over his guard. And Asahel, the brother of Joab, was one of the thirty. Alhanan, the son of Dodo of Bethlehem. Shama, the herodite. Alika, the herodite. Hellas, the paltite. Ira, the son of Ikesh, the techoite. Abiza, the anethothite. Mebunai, the hushethite. Zalmon, the ahoite. Mahara, the nettothite. Hele, the son of Bana, a nettothite. Itai, the son of Ribeye, Adavgibiye, of the children of Benjamin. Bunai, the pyrethonite. Hidai, of the brooks of Ghash. Abilbon, the arbothite. Aznavet, the bahumite. Alaiba, the shalbunite of the sons of Jashon, Jonathan. Shama, the herorite. Ahem, the son of Shara, the herorite. Alifelet, the son of Ahazbi. The son of the Markothite. Eliam, the son of Ahithophel, the gillonite. Hezra, the camalite. Parai, the arbite. Aigor, the son of Nathan, of Zoba. Berni, the gadite. Zelec, the ammonite. Nahari, the birothite. Armabirah, to Joab, the son of Ziraia. Ira, an ithite. Garab, an ithrite. Uriah, the hittite. Thirty and seven in all. And again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah. For the king said to Joab, the captain of the host, which was with him, Go now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan, even to Bishiba, and number ye the people, that I may know the number of the people. And Joab said unto the king, Now the Lord thy God add unto the people, How many soever they be, and hundredfold, And that the eyes of my Lord the king may see it. But why doth my Lord the king delight in this thing? 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. And they passed over Jordan, and pitched in Uruah, on the right side of the city, that lieth in the midst of the river of Gad, and towards Jazer. Then they came to Gilead, and to the land of Tatem Hodji, and they came to Danjan, and about to Zidon, 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, even to Bishiba. So when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days, and Joab gave up the sum of the number 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. And David's heart smirked him after that he had numbered the people, and David said unto the Lord, I have sinned greatly in that I have done, and now I beseech thee, O Lord, take away the iniquity of thy servant, for I have done very foolishly. For when David was up in the morning, the word of the Lord came unto the prophet Gad, David's ear, saying, Go and say unto David, thus sayeth the Lord, I offer thee three things, choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee. 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 thine enemies, while they pursue thee, or that there be three days pestilence in thy land? Now advise, and see what answer I shall return to him that sent me. And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait, let us fall now into the hand of the Lord, for his mercies are great, and let me not fall into the hand of man. So the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed, and there died of the people from Dan even to Besheba, seventy thousand men. And when the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed the people, it is enough, stay now thine hand. And the angel of the Lord was by the threshing place of Arona, the Jebusite. And David spoke unto the Lord when he saw the angel that smote the people, and said, Lo, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Let thine hand I pray thee be against me and against my father's house. And Gad came that day to David and said unto him, Go up, rear and alter unto the Lord in the threshing floor of Arona, the Jebusite. And David, according to the saying of Gad, went up as the Lord commanded. And Arona looked and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him. And Arona went out and bowed himself before the king on his face upon the ground. And Arona said, Wherefore is my Lord the king come to a servant? And David said, To buy the threshing floor of thee to build an altar unto the Lord that the plague may be staged from the people. And Arona said unto David, Let my Lord the king take and offer up what seemeth good unto him. Behold, here be oxen for burnt sacrifice and threshing instruments and other instruments of the oxen for wood. All these things did Arona as a king give unto the king. And Arona said unto the king, The Lord thy God accept thee. And the king said unto Arona, Nay, but I will surely buy it of thee at a price. Neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. And David built there an altar unto the Lord and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord was entreated for the land and the plague was staged from Israel. End of chapter 24 End of second Samuel