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2 Samuel 22:21-23:23
Contemporary English Version
2 Samuel 22:21-23:23
Contemporary English Version
21 You are good to me, Lord,
because I do right,
and you reward me
because I am innocent.
22 I do what you want
and never turn to do evil.
23 I keep your laws in mind
and never turn away
from your teachings.
24 I obey you completely
and guard against sin.
25 You have been good to me
because I do right;
you have rewarded me
for being innocent
by your standards.
26 You are always loyal
to your loyal people,
and you are faithful
to the faithful.
27 With all who are sincere
you are sincere,
but you treat the unfaithful
as their deeds deserve.
28 You rescue the humble,
but you look for ways
to put down the proud.
29 Our Lord and God,
you are my lamp.
You turn darkness to light.
30 You help me defeat armies
and capture cities.
31 Your way is perfect, Lord,
and your word is correct.
You are a shield for those
who run to you for help.
32 You alone are God!
Only you are a mighty rock.[a]
33 You are my strong fortress,
and you set me free.
34 (A) You make my feet run as fast
as those of a deer,
and you help me stand
on the mountains.
35 You teach my hands to fight
and my arms to use
a bow of bronze.
36 You alone are my shield,
and by coming to help me,
you have made me famous.
37 You clear the way for me,
and now I won't stumble.
38 I kept chasing my enemies
until I caught them
and destroyed them.
39 I destroyed them!
I stuck my sword
through my enemies,
and they were crushed
under my feet.
40 You helped me win victories
and forced my attackers
to fall victim to me.
41 You made my enemies run,
and I killed them.
42 They cried out for help,
but no one saved them;
they called out to you,
but there was no answer.
43 I ground them to dust,
and I squashed them
like mud in the streets.
44 You rescued me
from my stubborn people
and made me the leader
of foreign nations,
who are now my slaves.
45 They obey and come crawling.
46 They have lost all courage
and from their fortresses
they come trembling.
47 You are the living Lord!
I will praise you!
You are a mighty rock.[b]
I will honor you
for keeping me safe.
48 You took revenge for me,
and you put nations
in my power.
49 You protected me
from violent enemies,
and you made me much greater
than all of them.
50 (B) I will praise you, Lord,
and I will honor you
among the nations.
51 You give glorious victories
to your chosen king.
Your faithful love for David
and for his descendants
will never end.
David's Last Words
23 These are the last words of David the son of Jesse.
The God of Jacob chose David
and made him a great king.
The Mighty God of Israel
loved him.[c]
When God told him to speak,
David said:
2 The Spirit of the Lord
has told me what to say.
3 Our Mighty Rock,[d]
the God of Jacob, told me,
“A ruler who obeys God
and does right
4 is like the sunrise
on a cloudless day,
or like rain that sparkles
on the grass.”[e]
5 I have ruled this way,
and God will never break
his promise to me.
God's promise is complete
and unchanging;
he will always help me
and give me what I hope for.
6 But evil people are pulled up
like thornbushes.
They are not dug up by hand,
7 but with a sharp spear
and are burned on the spot.
The Three Warriors
(1 Chronicles 11.10-19)
8 These are the names of David's warriors:
Ishbosheth[f] the son of Hachmon[g] was the leader of the Three Warriors.[h] In one battle, he killed 800 men with his spear.[i]
9 The next one of the Three Warriors was Eleazar the son of Dodo the Ahohite. One time when the Philistines were at war with Israel, he and David dared the Philistines to fight them. Every one of the Israelite soldiers turned and ran, 10 except Eleazar. He killed Philistines until his hand was cramped, and he couldn't let go of his sword. When Eleazar finished, all the Israelite troops had to do was come back and take the enemies' weapons and armor. The Lord gave Israel a great victory that day.
11 Next was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. One time the Philistines brought their army together to destroy a crop of peas growing in a field near Lehi. The rest of Israel's soldiers ran away from the Philistines, 12 but Shammah stood in the middle of the field and killed the Philistines. The crops were saved, and the Lord gave Israel a great victory.
13 One year at harvest time, the Three Warriors[j] went to meet David at Adullam Cave.[k] The Philistine army had set up camp in Rephaim Valley 14 and had taken over Bethlehem. David was in his fortress, 15 and he was very thirsty. He said, “I wish I had a drink from the well by the gate at Bethlehem.”
16 The Three Warriors[l] sneaked into the Philistine camp and got some water from the well near Bethlehem's gate. But after they brought the water back to David, he refused to drink it. Instead, he poured it out as a sacrifice 17 and said to the Lord, “I can't drink this water! It's like the blood of these men who risked their lives to get it for me.”
The Three Warriors did these brave deeds.
The Thirty Warriors
(1 Chronicles 11.20-47)
18 Joab's brother Abishai was the leader of the Thirty Warriors,[m] and in one battle he killed 300 men with his spear. He was as famous as the Three Warriors 19 and certainly just as famous as the rest of the Thirty Warriors. He was the commander of the Thirty Warriors, but he still did not become one of the Three Warriors.
20 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was a brave man from Kabzeel who did some amazing things. He killed two of Moab's best fighters,[n] and on a snowy day he went down into a pit and killed a lion. 21 Another time, he killed an Egyptian, as big as a giant.[o] The Egyptian was armed with a spear, but Benaiah only had a club. Benaiah grabbed the spear from the Egyptian and killed him with it. 22-23 Benaiah did these things. He never became one of the Three Warriors, but he was just as famous as they were and certainly just as famous as the rest of the Thirty Warriors. David made him the leader of his bodyguard.
Footnotes
- 22.32 mighty rock: See the note at 22.2.
- 22.47 mighty rock: See the note at 22.2.
- 23.1 The Mighty … him: Or “He wrote Israel's favorite songs.”
- 23.3 Mighty Rock: See the note at 22.2.
- 23.4 sparkles … grass: Or “makes the grass grow.”
- 23.8 Ishbosheth: Hebrew “Josheb Bashebeth,” which seems to be another spelling of Ishbosheth. See the note at 2.8, although this is a different Ishbosheth.
- 23.8 the son of Hachmon: Or “the Tahchemonite” (see 1 Chronicles 11.11).
- 23.8 the Three Warriors: The most honored group of warriors. They may have been part of the Thirty Warriors. “Three” and “thirty” are spelled almost the same in Hebrew, so there is some confusion in the manuscripts as to which group is being talked about in some places in the following lists.
- 23.8 with … spear: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text (see 1 Chronicles 11.11).
- 23.13 the Three Warriors: Or “three warriors.” Hebrew “three of the thirty most important.”
- 23.13 Adullam Cave: This may have happened during the time that David was an outlaw (see 1 Samuel 22.1-6).
- 23.16 the Three Warriors: Or “three warriors.”
- 23.18 the Thirty Warriors: The second most honored group of warriors. They may have also been officers in the army (see the note at 23.8).
- 23.20 Moab's best fighters: Or “big lions in Moab;” one ancient translation “sons of Ariel from Moab.”
- 23.21 Egyptian … giant: First Chronicles 11.23; in this verse the Hebrew text has “good-looking Egyptian.”
2 Samuel 22:21-23:23
New International Version
2 Samuel 22:21-23:23
New International Version
21 “The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness;(A)
according to the cleanness(B) of my hands(C) he has rewarded me.
22 For I have kept(D) the ways of the Lord;
I am not guilty of turning from my God.
23 All his laws are before me;(E)
I have not turned(F) away from his decrees.
24 I have been blameless(G) before him
and have kept myself from sin.
25 The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,(H)
according to my cleanness[a] in his sight.
26 “To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
27 to the pure(I) you show yourself pure,
but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.(J)
28 You save the humble,(K)
but your eyes are on the haughty(L) to bring them low.(M)
29 You, Lord, are my lamp;(N)
the Lord turns my darkness into light.
30 With your help I can advance against a troop[b];
with my God I can scale a wall.
31 “As for God, his way is perfect:(O)
The Lord’s word is flawless;(P)
he shields(Q) all who take refuge in him.
32 For who is God besides the Lord?
And who is the Rock(R) except our God?(S)
33 It is God who arms me with strength[c]
and keeps my way secure.
34 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;(T)
he causes me to stand on the heights.(U)
35 He trains my hands(V) for battle;
my arms can bend a bow(W) of bronze.
36 You make your saving help my shield;(X)
your help has made[d] me great.
37 You provide a broad path(Y) for my feet,
so that my ankles do not give way.
38 “I pursued my enemies and crushed them;
I did not turn back till they were destroyed.
39 I crushed(Z) them completely, and they could not rise;
they fell beneath my feet.
40 You armed me with strength for battle;
you humbled my adversaries before me.(AA)
41 You made my enemies turn their backs(AB) in flight,
and I destroyed my foes.
42 They cried for help,(AC) but there was no one to save them—(AD)
to the Lord, but he did not answer.(AE)
43 I beat them as fine as the dust(AF) of the earth;
I pounded and trampled(AG) them like mud(AH) in the streets.
44 “You have delivered(AI) me from the attacks of the peoples;
you have preserved(AJ) me as the head of nations.
People(AK) I did not know now serve me,
45 foreigners cower(AL) before me;
as soon as they hear of me, they obey me.(AM)
46 They all lose heart;
they come trembling[e](AN) from their strongholds.
47 “The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock!
Exalted(AO) be my God, the Rock, my Savior!(AP)
48 He is the God who avenges(AQ) me,(AR)
who puts the nations under me,
49 who sets me free from my enemies.(AS)
You exalted me(AT) above my foes;
from a violent man you rescued me.
50 Therefore I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
I will sing the praises(AU) of your name.(AV)
51 “He gives his king great victories;(AW)
he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed,(AX)
to David(AY) and his descendants forever.”(AZ)
David’s Last Words
23 These are the last words of David:
“The inspired utterance of David son of Jesse,
the utterance of the man exalted(BA) by the Most High,
the man anointed(BB) by the God of Jacob,
the hero of Israel’s songs:
2 “The Spirit(BC) of the Lord spoke through me;
his word was on my tongue.
3 The God of Israel spoke,
the Rock(BD) of Israel said to me:
‘When one rules over people in righteousness,(BE)
when he rules in the fear(BF) of God,(BG)
4 he is like the light(BH) of morning(BI) at sunrise(BJ)
on a cloudless morning,
like the brightness after rain(BK)
that brings grass from the earth.’
5 “If my house were not right with God,
surely he would not have made with me an everlasting covenant,(BL)
arranged and secured in every part;
surely he would not bring to fruition my salvation
and grant me my every desire.
6 But evil men are all to be cast aside like thorns,(BM)
which are not gathered with the hand.
7 Whoever touches thorns
uses a tool of iron or the shaft of a spear;
they are burned up where they lie.”
David’s Mighty Warriors(BN)
8 These are the names of David’s mighty warriors:(BO)
Josheb-Basshebeth,[f](BP) a Tahkemonite,[g] was chief of the Three; he raised his spear against eight hundred men, whom he killed[h] in one encounter.
9 Next to him was Eleazar son of Dodai(BQ) the Ahohite.(BR) As one of the three mighty warriors, he was with David when they taunted the Philistines gathered at Pas Dammim[i] for battle. Then the Israelites retreated, 10 but Eleazar stood his ground and struck down the Philistines till his hand grew tired and froze to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day. The troops returned to Eleazar, but only to strip the dead.
11 Next to him was Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. When the Philistines banded together at a place where there was a field full of lentils, Israel’s troops fled from them. 12 But Shammah took his stand in the middle of the field. He defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the Lord brought about a great victory.
13 During harvest time, three of the thirty chief warriors came down to David at the cave of Adullam,(BS) while a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim.(BT) 14 At that time David was in the stronghold,(BU) and the Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem.(BV) 15 David longed for water and said, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!” 16 So the three mighty warriors broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured(BW) it out before the Lord. 17 “Far be it from me, Lord, to do this!” he said. “Is it not the blood(BX) of men who went at the risk of their lives?” And David would not drink it.
Such were the exploits of the three mighty warriors.
18 Abishai(BY) the brother of Joab son of Zeruiah was chief of the Three.[j] He raised his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed, and so he became as famous as the Three. 19 Was he not held in greater honor than the Three? He became their commander, even though he was not included among them.
20 Benaiah(BZ) son of Jehoiada, a valiant fighter from Kabzeel,(CA) performed great exploits. He struck down Moab’s two mightiest warriors. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. 21 And he struck down a huge Egyptian. Although the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club. He snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear. 22 Such were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada; he too was as famous as the three mighty warriors. 23 He was held in greater honor than any of the Thirty, but he was not included among the Three. And David put him in charge of his bodyguard.
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 22:25 Hebrew; Septuagint and Vulgate (see also Psalm 18:24) to the cleanness of my hands
- 2 Samuel 22:30 Or can run through a barricade
- 2 Samuel 22:33 Dead Sea Scrolls, some Septuagint manuscripts, Vulgate and Syriac (see also Psalm 18:32); Masoretic Text who is my strong refuge
- 2 Samuel 22:36 Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text shield; / you stoop down to make
- 2 Samuel 22:46 Some Septuagint manuscripts and Vulgate (see also Psalm 18:45); Masoretic Text they arm themselves
- 2 Samuel 23:8 Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts suggest Ish-Bosheth, that is, Esh-Baal (see also 1 Chron. 11:11 Jashobeam).
- 2 Samuel 23:8 Probably a variant of Hakmonite (see 1 Chron. 11:11)
- 2 Samuel 23:8 Some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 1 Chron. 11:11); Hebrew and other Septuagint manuscripts Three; it was Adino the Eznite who killed eight hundred men
- 2 Samuel 23:9 See 1 Chron. 11:13; Hebrew gathered there.
- 2 Samuel 23:18 Most Hebrew manuscripts (see also 1 Chron. 11:20); two Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac Thirty
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