1 Now these are the last words of David. David, the son of Jesse, says, the man who was lifted up on high, the man on whom the God of Jacob put the holy oil, the loved one of Israel's songs, says:
2 The spirit of the Lord had voice through me, his word was on my tongue.
3 The God of Israel said, the word of the Rock of Israel came to me: When an upright king is ruling over men, when he is ruling in the fear of God,
4 It is as the light of the morning, when the sun comes up, a morning without clouds; making young grass come to life from the earth.
5 For is not my house so with God? For he has made with me an eternal agreement, ordered in all things and certain: as for all my salvation and all my desire, will he not give it increase?
6 But the evil-doers, all of them, will be like thorns to be pushed away, because they may not be gripped in the hand:
7 But anyone touching them has to be armed with iron and the rod of a spear; and they will be burned with fire, every one of them.
8 These are the names of David's men of war: Ishbaal the Hachmonite, chief of the three; his axe was lifted up against eight hundred put to death at one time.
9 After him was Eleazar, the son of Dodai the Ahohite, one of the three great fighters, who was with David in Pas-dammim when the Philistines came together there for the fight; and when the men of Israel had gone in flight,
10 He was with David and went on fighting the Philistines till his hand became tired and stiff from gripping his sword: and that day the Lord gave a great salvation, and the people came back after him only to take the goods of the Philistines.
11 After him was Shammah, the son of Ela the Hararite. And the Philistines came together in Lehi, where there was a bit of land full of seed; and the people went in flight from the Philistines.
12 But he kept his place in the middle of the bit of land, and kept back their attack and overcame the Philistines: and the Lord gave a great salvation.
13 And three of the thirty went down at the start of the grain-cutting, and they came to David at the strong place of Adullam; and the band of Philistines had taken up their position in the valley of Rephaim.
14 And at that time David had taken cover in the strong place, and an armed force of the Philistines was in Beth-lehem.
15 And David, moved by a strong desire, said, If only someone would give me a drink of water from the water-hole of Beth-lehem, by the doorway into the town!
16 And the three men, forcing their way through the Philistine army, got water from the water-hole of Beth-lehem, by the doorway into the town, and took it back to David: but he would not take it, but, draining it out, made an offering of it to the Lord.
17 And he said, Far be it from me, O Lord, to do this; how may I take as my drink the life-blood of men who have put their lives in danger? So he would not take it. These things did the three great men of war.
18 And Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of the thirty. He put to death three hundred with his spear, and he got for himself a name among the thirty.
19 Was he not the noblest of the thirty? so he was made their captain: but he was not equal to the first three.
20 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, a fighting man of Kabzeel, had done great acts; he put to death the two sons of Ariel of Moab: he went down into a hole and put a lion to death in time of snow:
21 And he made an attack on an Egyptian, a tall man: and the Egyptian had a spear in his hand; but he went down to him with a stick, and pulling the spear out of the hands of the Egyptian, put him to death with that same spear.
22 These were the acts of Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, who had a great name among the thirty men of war.
23 He was honoured over the rest of the thirty, but he was not equal to the first three. And David put him over the fighting men who kept him safe.
24 Asahel, the brother of Joab, was one of the thirty; and Elhanan, the son of Dodai, 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, Sibbecai the Hushathite,
28 Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite,
29 Heldai, the son of Baanah the Netophathite, Ittai, the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the children of Benjamin,
30 Benaiah the Pirathonite, Hiddai of the valleys of Gaash,
31 Abiel the Arbathite, Azmaveth of Bahurim,
32 Eliahba the Shaalbonite, Jashen the Gunite,
33 Jonathan, the son of Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam, the son of Sharar the Hararite,
34 Eliphelet, the son of Ahasbai the Maacathite, Eliam, the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite,
35 Hezrai the Carmelite, Paarai the Archite,
36 Igal, the son of Nathan of Zobah, Bani the Gadite,
37 Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite, who had the care of the arms of Joab, son of Zeruiah,
38 Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,
39 Uriah the Hittite: thirty-seven in number.
1 Dette er Davids siste ord: Så sier David, Isais sønn, så sier mannen som høit var satt, Jakobs Guds salvede og Israels liflige sanger:
2 Herrens Ånd taler gjennem mig, og hans ord er på min tunge.
3 Israels Gud har talt, til mig har Israels klippe sagt: Der skal være en hersker over menneskene, en rettferdig, en hersker i gudsfrykt;
4 han skal være lik morgenens lys når solen går op, en morgen uten skyer, når ved solskinn og ved regn gresset spirer frem av jorden.
5 For har ikke mitt hus det således med Gud? En evig pakt har han jo gjort med mig, ordnet i alle deler og trygget; all min frelse og alt hvad ham behager - skulde han ikke la det gro frem?
6 Men de onde, de er alle sammen lik torner som ryddes bort, som folk ikke tar i med hånden,
7 men kommer nogen nær dem, så væbner han sig med jern og spydskaft, og med ild brennes de op der hvor de står.
8 Dette er navnene på Davids helter: Joseb-Bassebet, takmonitten, høvedsmann for drabantene; han svang sin lanse over åtte hundre falne på én gang.
9 Efter ham kom Eleasar, sønn av Dodo, sønn av Ahohi; han var en av de tre helter som var med David da de hånte filistrene som var samlet der til strid. Da så Israels menn drog sig tilbake,
10 reiste han sig og hugg inn på filistrene, til hans hånd blev så trett at den hang fast ved sverdet. Den dag gav Herren dem en stor seier, og da folket vendte om og fulgte ham, hadde de ikke annet å gjøre enn å plyndre de falne.
11 Efter ham kom Samma, sønn av Age, hararitten. Filistrene hadde engang samlet sig til en hel flokk, og der var det et jorde som var fullt av linser. Da nu folket flyktet for filistrene,
12 stilte han sig midt på jordet og berget det og slo filistrene, og Herren gav dem en stor seier.
13 Engang da det led mot høsten, drog tre av de tretti høvdinger ned og kom til David i hulen ved Adullam. Filisterflokken lå i leir i Refa'imdalen.
14 David var dengang selv i borgen, og filistrenes forpost var i Betlehem.
15 Så kom det en brå lyst over David, og han sa: Hvem lar mig få vann å drikke av den brønn som er ved porten i Betlehem?
16 Da brøt de tre helter sig igjennem filistrenes leir og øste vann op av brønnen ved Betlehems port og tok det med sig og kom til David med det; men han vilde ikke drikke det - han øste det ut for Herren.
17 Og han sa: Det være langt fra mig, Herre, å gjøre dette! Skulde jeg drikke de menns blod som gikk avsted med fare for sitt liv? Og han vilde ikke drikke det. Dette gjorde de tre helter.
18 Så var det Abisai, bror til Joab, sønn av Seruja; han var høvedsmann for drabantene. Han svang sitt spyd over tre hundre falne; og han hadde et navn blandt de tre.
19 Fremfor de tretti var han visstnok æret og blev deres høvding; men til de tre nådde han ikke op.
20 Så var det Benaja, sønn av Jojada, som var sønn av en djerv seierrik stridsmann fra Kabse'el; han slo Moabs to løvehelter. En dag det hadde snedd, steg han ned i en brønn og slo ihjel en løve.
21 Likeledes slo han ihjel en egypter, en kjempestor mann; egypteren hadde et spyd i hånden; men han gikk ned mot ham med sin stav og rev spydet ut av hånden på egypteren og drepte ham med hans eget spyd.
22 Dette gjorde Benaja, Jojadas sønn; han hadde et navn blandt de tre helter.
23 Fremfor de tretti var han æret, men til de tre nådde han ikke op. David gav ham plass blandt sine fortrolige rådgivere.
24 Asael, Joabs bror, var blandt de tretti; likeså Elhanan, sønn av Dodo, fra Betlehem,
25 haroditten Samma; haroditten Elika;
26 paltitten Heles; teko'itten Ira, sønn av Ikkes;
27 anatotitten Abieser; husatitten Mebunnai;
28 ahohitten Salmon; netofatitten Maharai;
29 netofatitten Heleb, sønn av Ba'ana; Ittai, sønn av Ribai, fra Gibea i Benjamins stamme;
30 piratonitten Benaja; Hiddai fra Ga'as-dalene;
31 arbatitten Abi-Albon; barhumitten Asmavet;
32 sa'albonitten Eljahba; Bene-Jasen; Jonatan;
33 hararitten Samma; araritten Akiam, sønn av Sarar;
34 Elifelet, sønn av Ahasbai, ma'akatittens sønn; gilonitten Eliam, sønn av Akitofel;
35 karmelitten Hesro; arbitten Pa'arai;
36 Jigal, sønn av Natan, fra Soba; gaditten Bani;
37 ammonitten Selek; be'erotitten Naharai, Joabs, Serujas sønns våbensvenn;
38 jitritten Ira; jitritten Gared;
39 hetitten Uria - i alt syv og tretti.