2 Samuel 23

Matthew^{(i) 1} These be the last saynges of Dauid. Dauid the sonne of Isai said: And the man is lyfte vp on hye; the anointed of the God of Iacob and pleasaunt Psalmist of Israel sayde, ² the spyryt of the Lord spake in me, and his wordes were on my tonge. ³ The God of Israel spake vnto me, and the strength of Israel sayde, he that beareth rule ouer men, he that ruleth iustly in the feare of God. ⁴ And he shalbe as the mornynge lyght, when the sunne shyneth in a mornynge in whyche are no cloudes to lette the bryghtnesse, and as the grasse of the earthe is by the vertue of the raygne. ⁵ And is not myne house so with God? in that he hath made wyth me an euerlastyng couenaunt perfecte in all poyntes: and in that he shall fulfyll all that is healthe some vnto me, and all my desyres therto. ⁶ When the vnthriftye men are all of them as thornes taken out of their places, whiche can not be taken with handes: ⁷ But the man that shal touch them, muste be armed wyth yron on a longe helue. And then shall they be burnt with fyre to syt therby. ⁸ These be the names of the myghty men that were about Dauid Ioseb of Sebeth the Thachmonite, fyrst of thre, otherwyse called Adino the Azonite, whiche slue .viij. hundred at one tyme. ⁹ And nexte to hym Eleazar the sonne of Dodi the sonne of Ahohi, one of the thre princypall that were with Dauid, which when they defyed the Philistines that were there gathered together in battell (and the men of Israel were gone vp) ¹⁰ arose and layed on the Philistines vntil his hande aked and claue vnto the swerde. And the Lorde made a great victory the same day. And the people returned and went after him onely to spoile. ¹¹ After him was Sema the sonne of Ageh the Hararite, (whiche when the Philistines were gathered together in Lahaia where was a parcell of lande full of ryce, and the people were fled for feare of the Philistines) ¹² stode in the middes of the sayde grounde, and defended it & slue the Philistines. And the Lorde gaue hym a great vyctory. ¹³ And these thre of the thirtye of the Lordes went doune and came to Dauid in the haruest tyme vnto the caue Odolom. And the Host of the Philistines had pytched in the valeye of Geauntes. ¹⁴ And Dauid was then in an hold. And the Soudioures of the Philistines were then in Bethlehem. ¹⁵ And Dauid longed and sayde: Oh, that I had of the water that is in the wel in the gate of Bethlehem for to drynke. ¹⁶ And anone the thre mightie brake thorow the Hoste of the Philistines and fet water out of the well of Bethlehem that was in the gate, and toke, and brought it to Dauid. Neuerthelesse he woulde no dryncke therof, but offered it vnto the Lorde ¹⁷ and sayde: the Lorde forbyd that I shoulde do so, shoulde I dryncke the bloude of men that were in ieopardy of their lyues? & so he woulde not dryncke it. These thinges dyd these thre mighty men. ¹⁸ Then Abisai the brother of Ioab, the sonne of Zaruiah, he was a captayne ouer the thre, and he lift vs his speare agaynst the hundred and slue them, & was named with the thre. ¹⁹ For he was nobler man then the thre and was their capitayne. How be it he attayneth not vnto those thre in actes. ²⁰ Then Banaiah the sonne of Iehoiada the sonne of a lusty man valiant in actes of Kabzeel, he slue two lyons of Moab. He went doune and slue a lion in a pit in time of snow. ²¹ And he slue an Egiptian a goodly man which had a speare in his hand. And Banaiah went doune to him with a staffe, and plucked the speare out of the Egipcians hande, and slue him with his owne speare. ²² Suche thinges did Banaiah the sonne of Iehoiad ²³ and was the noblest of thirtie. But not like to anye of the thre in factes of warre. And Dauid made him of his counsel. ²⁴ Asahel the brother of Ioab was one of the thirtye. Then Elehanan the sonne of Dodo of Bethlehem: ²⁵ Semah the Harodite: Elica the Harodite: ²⁶ Helez the Paltite: Ira the sonne of Akes the Thekoite: ²⁷ Abiezer of Anathoth: Mobonai the Husathite: ²⁸ Zelmon an Ahohite: Maharai the Netophathite: ²⁹ Heleb the sonne of Baanah an Netophathite: Ithai the sonne of Ribai of Gabaah a citie of the chyldren of Beniamin: ³⁰ Banaiah the Pharathonite: Hedai of the riuer of Gaas: ³¹ Abialbon the Arbathite: Asmaueth the Berhomite: ³² Elihaba a Salabonite: Of the sonnes of Iasen Ionathas: ³³ Semah the Harorite: Ahiam the sonne of Sarar an Ararite: ³⁴ Eliphelet the sonne of Aasbai the sonne of a Maachathite: Eliam the sonne of Ahithophel the Gilonite: ³⁵ Hezrai the Carmelite. Pharai the Arbite: ³⁶ Igaal the sonne of Nathan of Zobah: Bani the Gadite: ³⁷ Zelec an Amonite: Naharai a Berathite the harnesbearer of Ioab the sonne of Zaruiah: ³⁸ Ira the Iethrite: Gareb the Iethrite ³⁹ Vriah the Hethithe: in all thirthy and seuen.