1 And these [are] the last words of David. Faithful [is] David the son of Jessæ, and faithful the man whom the Lord raised up to be the anointed of the God of Jacob, and beautiful [are] the psalms of Israel. 2 The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and his word [was] upon my tongue. 3 The God of Israel says, A watchman out of Israel spoke to me a parable: I said among men, How will ye strengthen the fear of the anointed? 4 And in the morning light of God, let the sun arise in the morning, from the light of which the Lord passed on, and as it were from the rain of the tender grass upon the earth. 5 For my house [is] not so with the Mighty One: for he has made an everlasting covenant with me, ready, guarded at every time; for all my salvation and all my desire [is], that the wicked should not flourish. 6 All these [are] as a thorn thrust forth, for they shall not be taken with the hand, 7 and a man shall not labour among them; and [one shall have] that which is fully armed with iron, and the staff of a spear, and he shall burn them with fire, and they shall be burnt in their shame. 8 These [are] the names of the mighty men of David: Jebosthe the Chananite is a captain of the third [part]: Adinon the Asonite, he drew his sword against eight hundred soldiers at once. 9 And after him Eleanan the son of his uncle, son of Dudi who was among the three mighty men with David; and when he defied the Philistines they were gathered there to war, and the men of Israel went up. 10 He arose and smote the Philistines, until his hand was weary, and his hand clave to the sword: and the Lord wrought a great salvation in that day, and the people rested behind him only to strip [the slain]. 11 And after him Samaia the son of Asa the Arachite: and the Philistines were gathered to Theria; and there was there a portion of ground full of lentiles; and the people fled before the Philistines. 12 And he stood firm in the midst of the portion, and rescued it, and smote the Philistines; and the Lord wrought a great deliverance. 13 And three out of the thirty went down, and came to Cason to David, to the cave of Odollam; and [there was] an army of the Philistines, and they encamped in the valley of Raphain. 14 And David [was] then in the strong hold, and the garrison of the Philistines [was] then in Bethleem. 15 And David longed, and said, Who will give me water to drink out of the well that is in Bethleem by the gate? now the band of the Philistines [was] then in Bethleem. 16 And the three mighty men broke through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well that was in Bethleem in the gate: and they took it, and brought it to David, and he would not drink it, but poured it out before the Lord. 17 And he said, O Lord, forbid that I should do this, that I should drink the blood of the men who went at [the risk of] their lives: and he would not drink it. These things did these three mighty men. 18 And Abessa the brother of Joab the son of Saruia, he [was] chief among the three, and he lifted up his spear against three hundred whom he slew; and he had a name among three. 19 Of those three [he was] most honourable, and he became a chief over them, but he reached not to the [first] three. 20 And Banæas the son of Jodae, he was abundant in [mighty] deeds, from Cabeseel, and he smote the two sons of Ariel of Moab: and he went down and smote a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day. 21 He smote an Egyptian, a wonderful man, and in the hand of the Egyptian [was] a spear as the side of a ladder; and he went down to him with a staff, and snatched the spear from the Egyptian's hand, and slew him with his own spear. 22 These things did Banæas the son of Jodae, and he had a name among the three mighty men. 23 He was honourable among the [second] three, but he reached not to the [first] three: and David made him his reporter. And these [are] the names of king David's mighty men. 24 Asael Joab's brother; he [was] among the thirty. Eleanan son of Dudi his uncle in Bethleem. 25 Sæma the Rudæan. 26 Selles the Kelothite: Iras the son of Isca the Thecoite. 27 Abiezer the Anothite, of the sons of the Anothite. 28 Ellon the Aoite; Noëre the Netophatite. 29 Esthai the son of Riba of Gabaeth, son of Benjamin the Ephrathite; Asmoth the Bardiamite; Emasu the Salabonite: 32 the sons of Asan, Jonathan; 33 Samnan the Arodite; Amnan the son of Arai the Saraurite. 34 Aliphaleth the son of Asbites, the son of the Machachachite; Eliab the son of Achitophel the Gelonite. 35 Asarai the Carmelite the son of Uræoerchi. 36 Gaal the son of Nathana. The son of much valour, [the son] of Galaaddi. 37 Elie the Ammanite. 37a Adroi of the brooks. 37b Gadabiel son of the Arabothæite. 37c Gelore the Bethorite, armour-bearer to Joab, son of Saruia. 38 Iras the Ethirite. Gerab the Ethenite. 39 Urias the Chettite: thirty-seven in all.
2 Samuel · Brenton's English Septuagint
2 Samuel 23 Brenton's English Septuagint
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Notes on this text (2)
- Square brackets mark words Brenton supplied for English sense.
- Old Testament only (no New Testament). First printed 1844; the 1851 edition added the deuterocanonical books.
There are no verses 30–31 in this translation; the other verses keep their usual numbers.
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Abiezer
Abiezer the Anathothite, listed among the Thirty.
Cited in the guide: 2 Samuel 23:27; 1 Chronicles 11:28; 1 Chronicles 27:12
David
The shepherd who became Israel's greatest king and a man after God's own heart.
Cited in the guide: 1 Sam. 16 - 1 Kings 2; 2 Sam. 7; 1 Chron. 2:15; Matt. 1:6
Jonathan
Jonathan son of Shammah the Hararite, listed among the Thirty.
Cited in the guide: 2 Samuel 23:32
Cross references (39)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 1 Samuel 16:12–13; Psalm 89:20; 2 Samuel 7:8–9; Psalm 78:70–71; Colossians 3:16
- 2 2 Peter 1:21; Matthew 22:43; Mark 12:36; Acts 2:25–31; Hebrews 3:7–8
- 3 Deuteronomy 32:4; Exodus 18:21; 2 Samuel 22:32; Psalm 72:2; Hebrews 1:8
- 4 Judges 5:31; Psalm 72:6; Psalm 89:36; Hosea 6:5; Malachi 4:2
- 5 Isaiah 55:3; Isaiah 9:6–7; 2 Samuel 7:14–16; Jeremiah 32:40; Psalm 89:28–29
- 6 Deuteronomy 13:13; Isaiah 33:12; Ezekiel 2:6; 2 Samuel 20:1; Genesis 3:18
- 7 Hebrews 6:8; 2 Thessalonians 2:8; 2 Thessalonians 1:8; 2 Samuel 22:8–10; Luke 19:27
- 8 1 Chronicles 11:11–47; 1 Chronicles 27:2; 1 Chronicles 27:32
- 9 1 Chronicles 27:4; 1 Chronicles 11:12–14; 1 Samuel 17:26; Numbers 23:7–8; 1 Samuel 17:10
- 10 1 Samuel 19:5; 1 Samuel 11:13; Isaiah 53:12; Joshua 10:42; Joshua 11:8
- 11 1 Chronicles 11:27; 1 Chronicles 11:13–14; 2 Samuel 23:33
- 12 Proverbs 21:31; 2 Samuel 23:10; Psalm 3:8; Psalm 44:2
- 13 2 Samuel 5:18; 1 Samuel 22:1; 1 Chronicles 14:9; Joshua 12:15; Joshua 15:35
- 14 1 Samuel 22:4–5; 1 Samuel 13:4; 1 Samuel 10:5; 1 Chronicles 12:16; 1 Samuel 22:1
- 15 John 4:14; Psalm 42:1–2; Isaiah 44:3; John 4:10; Isaiah 41:17
- 16 Genesis 35:14; 2 Corinthians 5:14; 1 Samuel 7:6; Philippians 2:17; Numbers 28:7
- 17 Leviticus 17:10; Mark 14:24; 1 Samuel 2:30; Judges 5:18; 1 Kings 21:3
- 18 2 Samuel 10:10; 2 Samuel 10:14; 1 Chronicles 11:20–21; 2 Samuel 18:2; 2 Samuel 20:10
- 19 Matthew 13:8; Matthew 13:23; 2 Samuel 23:13; 2 Samuel 23:16; 1 Chronicles 11:25
- 20 Joshua 15:21; 2 Samuel 20:23; 2 Samuel 8:18; 1 Chronicles 11:22–24; 1 Samuel 17:34–37
- 21 Colossians 2:15; 1 Chronicles 11:23; 1 Samuel 17:51
- 23 1 Chronicles 27:6; 2 Samuel 20:23; 1 Samuel 22:14; 2 Samuel 8:8
- 24 2 Samuel 2:18; 1 Chronicles 27:7; 1 Chronicles 11:26
- 25 1 Chronicles 11:27–28; Judges 7:1
- 26 2 Samuel 14:2; 1 Chronicles 27:9–10; 1 Chronicles 11:27–28
- 27 Joshua 21:18; 1 Chronicles 27:12; 1 Chronicles 11:28; 1 Chronicles 11:19
- 28 1 Chronicles 27:13; 2 Kings 25:23; 1 Chronicles 11:30
- 29 1 Chronicles 27:15; Joshua 18:28; 1 Chronicles 11:30–31
- 32 1 Chronicles 11:34
- 33 1 Chronicles 11:27; 2 Samuel 23:11; 1 Chronicles 11:35
- 34 2 Samuel 11:3; 2 Samuel 15:12; 2 Samuel 10:6; 2 Samuel 10:8; 1 Chronicles 27:33–34
- 35 1 Chronicles 11:37; Joshua 15:55
- 36 2 Samuel 8:3; 1 Chronicles 11:38
- 37 2 Samuel 4:2; 1 Chronicles 11:39; 1 Chronicles 11:37
- 38 1 Chronicles 2:53; 2 Samuel 20:26; 1 Chronicles 11:40
- 39 2 Samuel 11:3; Matthew 1:6; 2 Samuel 12:9; 1 Kings 15:5; 2 Samuel 11:6–27
- 37a 2 Samuel 4:2; 1 Chronicles 11:39; 1 Chronicles 11:37
- 37b 2 Samuel 4:2; 1 Chronicles 11:39; 1 Chronicles 11:37
- 37c 2 Samuel 4:2; 1 Chronicles 11:39; 1 Chronicles 11:37
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
I know, too, that Esau was deceived by a longing for lentiles, and that David took blame to himself for desiring water, and that our King was tempted not by flesh but bread.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 1 (1886)
… for Samuel and David, we have it plainly in the Books of the Kingdoms, how by the Holy Ghost they prophesied themselves, and were rulers of the prophets;--and Samuel was called the Seer; and David says distinctly, The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and in the Psalms, And take not thy Holy Spirit from me, and again, …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)
David indeed was, as we know, a holy prophet, king of Israel, son of Jesse: but because out of his seed there came for our salvation after the flesh the Lord Jesus Christ, often under that name He is figured, and David instead of Christ is in a figure set down, because of the origin of the Flesh of the …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)