Information Retrieved -> 2 Samuel 18 - 23(NLT)

Book Chapter Verse Text
2 Samuel 18 1 David now appointed generals and captains to lead his troops.
2 Samuel 18 2 One-third were placed under Joab, one-third under Joab's brother Abishai son of Zeruiah, and one-third under Ittai the Gittite. The king told his troops, "I am going out with you."
2 Samuel 18 3 But his men objected strongly. "You must not go," they urged. "If we have to turn and run--and even if half of us die--it will make no difference to Absalom's troops; they will be looking only for you. You are worth ten thousand of us, and it is better that you stay here in the city and send us help if we need it."
2 Samuel 18 4 "If you think that's the best plan, I'll do it," the king finally agreed. So he stood at the gate of the city as all the divisions of troops passed by.
2 Samuel 18 5 And the king gave this command to Joab, Abishai, and Ittai: "For my sake, deal gently with young Absalom." And all the troops heard the king give this order to his commanders.
2 Samuel 18 6 So the battle began in the forest of Ephraim,
2 Samuel 18 7 and the Israelite troops were beaten back by David's men. There was a great slaughter, and twenty thousand men laid down their lives that day.
2 Samuel 18 8 The battle raged all across the countryside, and more men died because of the forest than were killed by the sword.
2 Samuel 18 9 During the battle, Absalom came unexpectedly upon some of David's men. He tried to escape on his mule, but as he rode beneath the thick branches of a great oak, his head got caught. His mule kept going and left him dangling in the air.
2 Samuel 18 10 One of David's men saw what had happened and told Joab, "I saw Absalom dangling in a tree."
2 Samuel 18 11 "What?" Joab demanded. "You saw him there and didn't kill him? I would have rewarded you with ten pieces of silver and a hero's belt!"
2 Samuel 18 12 "I wouldn't do it for a thousand pieces of silver, "the man replied. "We all heard the king say to you and Abishai and Ittai, `For my sake, please don't harm young Absalom.'
2 Samuel 18 13 And if I had betrayed the king by killing his son--and the king would certainly find out who did it--you yourself would be the first to abandon me."
2 Samuel 18 14 "Enough of this nonsense," Joab said. Then he took three daggers and plunged them into Absalom's heart as he dangled from the oak still alive.
2 Samuel 18 15 Ten of Joab's young armor bearers then surrounded Absalom and killed him.
2 Samuel 18 16 Then Joab blew the trumpet, and his men returned from chasing the army of Israel.
2 Samuel 18 17 They threw Absalom's body into a deep pit in the forest and piled a great heap of stones over it. And the army of Israel fled to their homes.
2 Samuel 18 18 During his lifetime, Absalom had built a monument to himself in the King's Valley, for he had said, "I have no son to carry on my name." He named the monument after himself, and it is known as Absalom's Monument to this day.
2 Samuel 18 19 Then Zadok's son Ahimaaz said, "Let me run to the king with the good news that the LORD has saved him from his enemy Absalom."
2 Samuel 18 20 "No," Joab told him, "it wouldn't be good news to the king that his son is dead. You can be my messenger some other time, but not today."
2 Samuel 18 21 Then Joab said to a man from Cush, "Go tell the king what you have seen." The man bowed and ran off.
2 Samuel 18 22 But Ahimaaz continued to plead with Joab, "Whatever happens, please let me go, too.Why should you go, my son?" Joab replied. "There will be no reward for you."
2 Samuel 18 23 "Yes, but let me go anyway," he begged. Joab finally said, "All right, go ahead." Then Ahimaaz took a shortcut across the plain of the Jordan and got to Mahanaim ahead of the man from Cush.
2 Samuel 18 24 While David was sitting at the city gate, the watchman climbed to the roof of the gateway by the wall. As he looked, he saw a lone man running toward them.
2 Samuel 18 25 He shouted the news down to David, and the king replied, "If he is alone, he has news." As the messenger came closer,
2 Samuel 18 26 the watchman saw another man running toward them. He shouted down, "Here comes another one!" The king replied, "He also will have news."
2 Samuel 18 27 "The first man runs like Ahimaaz son of Zadok," the watchman said. "He is a good man and comes with good news," the king replied.
2 Samuel 18 28 Then Ahimaaz cried out to the king, "All is well!" He bowed low with his face to the ground and said, "Blessed be the LORD your God, who has handed over the rebels who dared to stand against you."
2 Samuel 18 29 "What about young Absalom?" the king demanded. "Is he all right?" Ahimaaz replied, "When Joab told me to come, there was a lot of commotion. But I didn't know what was happening."
2 Samuel 18 30 "Wait here," the king told him. So Ahimaaz stepped aside.
2 Samuel 18 31 Then the man from Cush arrived and said, "I have good news for my lord the king. Today the LORD has rescued you from all those who rebelled against you."
2 Samuel 18 32 "What about young Absalom?" the king demanded. "Is he all right?" And the Cushite replied, "May all of your enemies, both now and in the future, be as that young man is!"
2 Samuel 18 33 The king was overcome with emotion. He went up to his room over the gateway and burst into tears. And as he went, he cried, "O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I could have died instead of you! O Absalom, my son, my son."
2 Samuel 19 1 Word soon reached Joab that the king was weeping and mourning for Absalom.
2 Samuel 19 2 As the troops heard of the king's deep grief for his son, the joy of that day's victory was turned into deep sadness.
2 Samuel 19 3 They crept back into the city as though they were ashamed and had been beaten in battle.
2 Samuel 19 4 The king covered his face with his hands and kept on weeping, "O my son Absalom! O Absalom, my son, my son!"
2 Samuel 19 5 Then Joab went to the king's room and said to him, "We saved your life today and the lives of your sons, your daughters, and your wives and concubines. Yet you act like this, making us feel ashamed, as though we had done something wrong.
2 Samuel 19 6 You seem to love those who hate you and hate those who love you. You have made it clear today that we mean nothing to you. If Absalom had lived and all of us had died, you would be pleased.
2 Samuel 19 7 Now go out there and congratulate the troops, for I swear by the LORD that if you don't, not a single one of them will remain here tonight. Then you will be worse off than you have ever been."
2 Samuel 19 8 So the king went out and sat at the city gate, and as the news spread throughout the city that he was there, everyone went to him. Meanwhile, the Israelites who supported Absalom had fled to their homes.
2 Samuel 19 9 And throughout the tribes of Israel there was much discussion and argument going on. The people were saying, "The king saved us from our enemies, the Philistines, but Absalom chased him out of the country.
2 Samuel 19 10 Now Absalom, whom we anointed to rule over us, is dead. Let's ask David to come back and be our king again."
2 Samuel 19 11 Then King David sent Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, to say to the leaders of Judah, "Why are you the last ones to reinstate the king? For I have heard that all Israel is ready, and only you are holding out.
2 Samuel 19 12 Yet you are my relatives, my own tribe, my own flesh and blood! Why are you the last ones to welcome me back?"
2 Samuel 19 13 And David told them to tell Amasa, "Since you are my nephew, may God strike me dead if I do not appoint you as commander of my army in place of Joab."
2 Samuel 19 14 Then Amasa convinced all the leaders of Judah, and they responded unanimously. They sent word to the king, "Return to us, and bring back all those who are with you."
2 Samuel 19 15 So the king started back to Jerusalem. And when he arrived at the Jordan River, the people of Judah came to Gilgal to meet him and escort him across the river.
2 Samuel 19 16 Then Shimei son of Gera, the man from Bahurim in Benjamin, hurried across with the men of Judah to welcome King David.
2 Samuel 19 17 A thousand men from the tribe of Benjamin were with him, including Ziba, the servant of Saul, and Ziba's fifteen sons and twenty servants. They rushed down to the Jordan to arrive ahead of the king.
2 Samuel 19 18 They all crossed the ford and worked hard ferrying the king's household across the river, helping them in every way they could. As the king was about to cross the river, Shimei fell down before him.
2 Samuel 19 19 "My lord the king, please forgive me," he pleaded. "Forget the terrible thing I did when you left Jerusalem.
2 Samuel 19 20 I know how much I sinned. That is why I have come here today, the very first person in all Israel to greet you."
2 Samuel 19 21 Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said, "Shimei should die, for he cursed the LORD's anointed king!"
2 Samuel 19 22 "What am I going to do with you sons of Zeruiah!" David exclaimed. "This is not a day for execution but for celebration! I am once again the king of Israel!"
2 Samuel 19 23 Then, turning to Shimei, David vowed, "Your life will be spared."
2 Samuel 19 24 Now Mephibosheth, Saul's grandson, arrived from Jerusalem to meet the king. He had not washed his feet or clothes nor trimmed his beard since the day the king left Jerusalem.
2 Samuel 19 25 "Why didn't you come with me, Mephibosheth?" the king asked him.
2 Samuel 19 26 Mephibosheth replied, "My lord the king, my servant Ziba deceived me. I told him, `Saddle my donkey so that I can go with the king.' For as you know I am crippled.
2 Samuel 19 27 Ziba has slandered me by saying that I refused to come. But I know that you are like an angel of God, so do what you think is best.
2 Samuel 19 28 All my relatives and I could expect only death from you, my lord, but instead you have honored me among those who eat at your own table! So how can I complain?"
2 Samuel 19 29 "All right," David replied. "My decision is that you and Ziba will divide your land equally between you."
2 Samuel 19 30 "Give him all of it," Mephibosheth said. "I am content just to have you back again, my lord!"
2 Samuel 19 31 Barzillai of Gilead now arrived from Rogelim to conduct the king across the Jordan.
2 Samuel 19 32 He was very old, about eighty, and very wealthy. He was the one who had provided food for the king during his stay in Mahanaim.
2 Samuel 19 33 "Come across with me and live in Jerusalem," the king said to Barzillai. "I will take care of you there."
2 Samuel 19 34 "No," he replied, "I am far too old for that.
2 Samuel 19 35 I am eighty years old today, and I can no longer enjoy anything. Food and wine are no longer tasty, and I cannot hear the musicians as they play. I would only be a burden to my lord the king.
2 Samuel 19 36 Just to go across the river with you is all the honor I need!
2 Samuel 19 37 Then let me return again to die in my own town, where my father and mother are buried. But here is my son Kimham. Let him go with you and receive whatever good things you want to give him."
2 Samuel 19 38 "Good," the king agreed. "Kimham will go with me, and I will do for him whatever I would have done for you."
2 Samuel 19 39 So all the people crossed the Jordan with the king. After David had blessed and embraced him, Barzillai returned to his own home.
2 Samuel 19 40 The king then went on to Gilgal, taking Kimham with him. All the army of Judah and half the army of Israel escorted him across the river.
2 Samuel 19 41 But the men of Israel complained to the king that the men of Judah had gotten to do most of the work in helping him cross the Jordan.
2 Samuel 19 42 "Why not?" the men of Judah replied. "The king is one of our own tribe. Why should this make you angry? We have charged him nothing. And he hasn't fed us or even given us gifts!"
2 Samuel 19 43 "But there are ten tribes in Israel," the others replied. "So we have ten times as much right to the king as you do. Why did you treat us with such contempt? Remember, we were the first to speak of bringing him back to be our king again." The argument continued back and forth, and the men of Judah were very harsh in their replies.
2 Samuel 20 1 Then a troublemaker named Sheba son of Bicri, a man from the tribe of Benjamin, blew a trumpet and shouted, "We have nothing to do with David. We want no part of this son of Jesse. Come on, you men of Israel, let's all go home!"
2 Samuel 20 2 So the men of Israel deserted David and followed Sheba. But the men of Judah stayed with their king and escorted him from the Jordan River to Jerusalem.
2 Samuel 20 3 When the king arrived at his palace in Jerusalem, he instructed that the ten concubines he had left to keep house should be placed in seclusion. Their needs were to be cared for, he said, but he would no longer sleep with them. So each of them lived like a widow until she died.
2 Samuel 20 4 Then the king instructed Amasa to mobilize the army of Judah within three days and to report back at that time.
2 Samuel 20 5 So Amasa went out to notify the troops, but it took him longer than the three days he had been given.
2 Samuel 20 6 Then David said to Abishai, "That troublemaker Sheba is going to hurt us more than Absalom did. Quick, take my troops and chase after him before he gets into a fortified city where we can't reach him."
2 Samuel 20 7 So Abishai and Joab set out after Sheba with an elite guard from Joab's army and the king's own bodyguard.
2 Samuel 20 8 As they arrived at the great stone in Gibeon, Amasa met them, coming from the opposite direction. Joab was wearing his uniform with a dagger strapped to his belt. As he stepped forward to greet Amasa, he secretly slipped the dagger from its sheath.
2 Samuel 20 9 "How are you, my cousin?" Joab said and took him by the beard with his right hand as though to kiss him.
2 Samuel 20 10 Amasa didn't notice the dagger in his left hand, and Joab stabbed him in the stomach with it so that his insides gushed out onto the ground. Joab did not need to strike again, and Amasa soon died. Joab and his brother Abishai left him lying there and continued after Sheba.
2 Samuel 20 11 One of Joab's young officers shouted to Amasa's troops, "If you are for Joab and David, come and follow Joab."
2 Samuel 20 12 But Amasa lay in his blood in the middle of the road, and Joab's officer saw that a crowd was gathering around to stare at him. So he pulled him off the road into a field and threw a cloak over him.
2 Samuel 20 13 With Amasa's body out of the way, everyone went on with Joab to capture Sheba.
2 Samuel 20 14 Meanwhile, Sheba had traveled across Israel to mobilize his own clan of Bicri at the city of Abel-beth-maacah.
2 Samuel 20 15 When Joab's forces arrived, they attacked Abel-beth-maacah and built a ramp against the city wall and began battering it down.
2 Samuel 20 16 But a wise woman in the city called out to Joab, "Listen to me, Joab. Come over here so I can talk to you."
2 Samuel 20 17 As he approached, the woman asked, "Are you Joab?I am," he replied. So she said, "Listen carefully to your servant.I'm listening," he said.
2 Samuel 20 18 Then she continued, "There used to be a saying, `If you want to settle an argument, ask advice at the city of Abel.'
2 Samuel 20 19 I am one who is peace loving and faithful in Israel. But you are destroying a loyal city. Why do you want to destroy what belongs to the LORD?"
2 Samuel 20 20 And Joab replied, "Believe me, I don't want to destroy your city!
2 Samuel 20 21 All I want is a man named Sheba son of Bicri from the hill country of Ephraim, who has revolted against King David. If you hand him over to me, we will leave the city in peace.All right," the woman replied, "we will throw his head over the wall to you."
2 Samuel 20 22 Then the woman went to the people with her wise advice, and they cut off Sheba's head and threw it out to Joab. So he blew the trumpet and called his troops back from the attack, and they all returned to their homes. Joab returned to the king at Jerusalem.
2 Samuel 20 23 Joab once again became the commander of David's army. Benaiah son of Jehoiada was commander of the king's bodyguard.
2 Samuel 20 24 Adoniram was in charge of the labor force. Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the royal historian.
2 Samuel 20 25 Sheva was the court secretary. Zadok and Abiathar were the priests.
2 Samuel 20 26 Ira the Jairite was David's personal priest.
2 Samuel 21 1 There was a famine during David's reign that lasted for three years, so David asked the LORD about it. And the LORD said, "The famine has come because Saul and his family are guilty of murdering the Gibeonites."
2 Samuel 21 2 So King David summoned the Gibeonites. They were not part of Israel but were all that was left of the nation of the Amorites. Israel had sworn not to kill them, but Saul, in his zeal, had tried to wipe them out.
2 Samuel 21 3 David asked them, "What can I do for you to make amends? Tell me so that the LORD will bless his people again."
2 Samuel 21 4 "Well, money won't do it," the Gibeonites replied. "And we don't want to see the Israelites executed in revenge.What can I do then?" David asked. "Just tell me and I will do it for you."
2 Samuel 21 5 Then they replied, "It was Saul who planned to destroy us, to keep us from having any place at all in Israel.
2 Samuel 21 6 So let seven of Saul's sons or grandsons be handed over to us, and we will execute them before the LORD at Gibeon, on the mountain of the LORD. All right," the king said, "I will do it."
2 Samuel 21 7 David spared Jonathan's son Mephibosheth, who was Saul's grandson, because of the oath David and Jonathan had sworn before the LORD.
2 Samuel 21 8 But he gave them Saul's two sons Armoni and Mephibosheth, whose mother was Rizpah daughter of Aiah. He also gave them the five sons of Saul's daughter Merab, the wife of Adriel son of Barzillai from Meholah.
2 Samuel 21 9 The men of Gibeon executed them on the mountain before the LORD. So all seven of them died together at the beginning of the barley harvest.
2 Samuel 21 10 Then Rizpah, the mother of two of the men, spread sackcloth on a rock and stayed there the entire harvest season. She prevented vultures from tearing at their bodies during the day and stopped wild animals from eating them at night.
2 Samuel 21 11 When David learned what Rizpah, Saul's concubine, had done,
2 Samuel 21 12 he went to the people of Jabesh-gilead and asked for the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan. (When Saul and Jonathan had died in a battle with the Philistines, it was the people of Jabesh-gilead who had retrieved their bodies from the public square of the Philistine city of Beth-shan.)
2 Samuel 21 13 So David brought the bones of Saul and Jonathan, as well as the bones of the men the Gibeonites had executed.
2 Samuel 21 14 He buried them all in the tomb of Kish, Saul's father, at the town of Zela in the land of Benjamin. After that, God ended the famine in the land of Israel.
2 Samuel 21 15 Once again the Philistines were at war with Israel. And when David and his men were in the thick of battle, David became weak and exhausted.
2 Samuel 21 16 Ishbi-benob was a descendant of the giants; his bronze spearhead weighed more than seven pounds, and he was armed with a new sword. He had cornered David and was about to kill him.
2 Samuel 21 17 But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to his rescue and killed the Philistine. After that, David's men declared, "You are not going out to battle again! Why should we risk snuffing out the light of Israel?"
2 Samuel 21 18 After this, there was another battle against the Philistines at Gob. As they fought, Sibbecai from Hushah killed Saph, another descendant of the giants.
2 Samuel 21 19 In still another battle at Gob, Elhanan son of Jair from Bethlehem killed the brother of Goliath of Gath. The handle of his spear was as thick as a weaver's beam!
2 Samuel 21 20 In another battle with the Philistines at Gath, a huge man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot--a descendant of the giants--
2 Samuel 21 21 defied and taunted Israel. But he was killed by Jonathan, the son of David's brother Shimea.
2 Samuel 21 22 These four Philistines were descended from the giants of Gath, but they were killed by David and his warriors.
2 Samuel 22 1 David sang this song to the LORD after the LORD had rescued him from all his enemies and from Saul.
2 Samuel 22 2 These are the words he sang: "The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior;
2 Samuel 22 3 my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the strength of my salvation, and my stronghold, my high tower, my savior, the one who saves me from violence.
2 Samuel 22 4 I will call on the LORD, who is worthy of praise, for he saves me from my enemies.
2 Samuel 22 5 "The waves of death surrounded me; the floods of destruction swept over me.
2 Samuel 22 6 The grave wrapped its ropes around me; death itself stared me in the face.
2 Samuel 22 7 But in my distress I cried out to the LORD; yes, I called to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry reached his ears.
2 Samuel 22 8 "Then the earth quaked and trembled; the foundations of the heavens shook; they quaked because of his anger.
2 Samuel 22 9 Smoke poured from his nostrils; fierce flames leaped from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him.
2 Samuel 22 10 He opened the heavens and came down; dark storm clouds were beneath his feet.
2 Samuel 22 11 Mounted on a mighty angel, he flew, soaring on the wings of the wind.
2 Samuel 22 12 He shrouded himself in darkness, veiling his approach with dense rain clouds.
2 Samuel 22 13 A great brightness shone before him, and bolts of lightning blazed forth.
2 Samuel 22 14 The LORD thundered from heaven; the Most High gave a mighty shout.
2 Samuel 22 15 He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies; his lightning flashed, and they were confused.
2 Samuel 22 16 Then at the command of the LORD, at the blast of his breath, the bottom of the sea could be seen, and the foundations of the earth were laid bare.
2 Samuel 22 17 "He reached down from heaven and rescued me; he drew me out of deep waters.
2 Samuel 22 18 He delivered me from my powerful enemies, from those who hated me and were too strong for me.
2 Samuel 22 19 They attacked me at a moment when I was weakest, but the LORD upheld me.
2 Samuel 22 20 He led me to a place of safety; he rescued me because he delights in me.
2 Samuel 22 21 The LORD rewarded me for doing right; he compensated me because of my innocence.
2 Samuel 22 22 For I have kept the ways of the LORD; I have not turned from my God to follow evil.
2 Samuel 22 23 For all his laws are constantly before me; I have never abandoned his principles.
2 Samuel 22 24 I am blameless before God; I have kept myself from sin.
2 Samuel 22 25 The LORD rewarded me for doing right, because of my innocence in his sight.
2 Samuel 22 26 "To the faithful you show yourself faithful; to those with integrity you show integrity.
2 Samuel 22 27 To the pure you show yourself pure, but to the wicked you show yourself hostile.
2 Samuel 22 28 You rescue those who are humble, but your eyes are on the proud to humiliate them.
2 Samuel 22 29 O LORD, you are my light; yes, LORD, you light up my darkness.
2 Samuel 22 30 In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall.
2 Samuel 22 31 "As for God, his way is perfect. All the LORD's promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.
2 Samuel 22 32 For who is God except the LORD? Who but our God is a solid rock?
2 Samuel 22 33 God is my strong fortress; he has made my way safe.
2 Samuel 22 34 He makes me as surefooted as a deer, leading me safely along the mountain heights.
2 Samuel 22 35 He prepares me for battle; he strengthens me to draw a bow of bronze.
2 Samuel 22 36 You have given me the shield of your salvation; your help has made me great.
2 Samuel 22 37 You have made a wide path for my feet to keep them from slipping.
2 Samuel 22 38 "I chased my enemies and destroyed them; I did not stop until they were conquered.
2 Samuel 22 39 I consumed them; I struck them down so they could not get up; they fell beneath my feet.
2 Samuel 22 40 You have armed me with strength for the battle; you have subdued my enemies under my feet.
2 Samuel 22 41 You made them turn and run; I have destroyed all who hated me.
2 Samuel 22 42 They called for help, but no one came to rescue them. They cried to the LORD, but he refused to answer them.
2 Samuel 22 43 I ground them as fine as the dust of the earth; I swept them into the gutter like dirt.
2 Samuel 22 44 "You gave me victory over my accusers. You preserved me as the ruler over nations; people I don't even know now serve me.
2 Samuel 22 45 Foreigners cringe before me; as soon as they hear of me, they submit.
2 Samuel 22 46 They all lose their courage and come trembling from their strongholds.
2 Samuel 22 47 "The LORD lives! Blessed be my rock! May God, the rock of my salvation, be exalted!
2 Samuel 22 48 He is the God who pays back those who harm me; he subdues the nations under me
2 Samuel 22 49 and rescues me from my enemies. You hold me safe beyond the reach of my enemies; you save me from violent opponents.
2 Samuel 22 50 For this, O LORD, I will praise you among the nations; I will sing joyfully to your name.
2 Samuel 22 51 You give great victories to your king; you show unfailing love to your anointed, to David and all his descendants forever."
2 Samuel 23 1 These are the last words of David: "David, the son of Jesse, speaks--David, the man to whom God gave such wonderful success, David, the man anointed by the God of Jacob, David, the sweet psalmist of Israel.
2 Samuel 23 2 "The Spirit of the LORD speaks through me; his words are upon my tongue.
2 Samuel 23 3 The God of Israel spoke. The Rock of Israel said to me: `The person who rules righteously, who rules in the fear of God,
2 Samuel 23 4 he is like the light of the morning, like the sunrise bursting forth in a cloudless sky, like the refreshing rains that bring tender grass from the earth.'
2 Samuel 23 5 "It is my family God has chosen! Yes, he has made an everlasting covenant with me. His agreement is eternal, final, sealed. He will constantly look after my safety and success.
2 Samuel 23 6 But the godless are like thorns to be thrown away, for they tear the hand that touches them.
2 Samuel 23 7 One must be armed to chop them down; they will be utterly consumed with fire."
2 Samuel 23 8 These are the names of David's mightiest men. The first was Jashobeam the Hacmonite, who was commander of the Three--the three greatest warriors among David's men. He once used his spear to kill eight hundred enemy warriors in a single battle.
2 Samuel 23 9 Next in rank among the Three was Eleazar son of Dodai, a descendant of Ahoah. Once Eleazar and David stood together against the Philistines when the entire Israelite army had fled.
2 Samuel 23 10 He killed Philistines until his hand was too tired to lift his sword, and the LORD gave him a great victory that day. The rest of the army did not return until it was time to collect the plunder!
2 Samuel 23 11 Next in rank was Shammah son of Agee from Harar. One time the Philistines gathered at Lehi and attacked the Israelites in a field full of lentils. The Israelite army fled,
2 Samuel 23 12 but Shammah held his ground in the middle of the field and beat back the Philistines. So the LORD brought about a great victory.
2 Samuel 23 13 Once during harvesttime, when David was at the cave of Adullam, the Philistine army was camped in the valley of Rephaim. The Three (who were among the Thirty--an elite group among David's fighting men) went down to meet him there.
2 Samuel 23 14 David was staying in the stronghold at the time, and a Philistine detachment had occupied the town of Bethlehem.
2 Samuel 23 15 David remarked longingly to his men, "Oh, how I would love some of that good water from the well in Bethlehem, the one by the gate."
2 Samuel 23 16 So the Three broke through the Philistine lines, drew some water from the well, and brought it back to David. But he refused to drink it. Instead, he poured it out before the LORD.
2 Samuel 23 17 "The LORD forbid that I should drink this!" he exclaimed. "This water is as precious as the blood of these men who risked their lives to bring it to me." So David did not drink it. This is an example of the exploits of the Three.
2 Samuel 23 18 Abishai son of Zeruiah, the brother of Joab, was the leader of the Thirty. He once used his spear to kill three hundred enemy warriors in a single battle. It was by such feats that he became as famous as the Three.
2 Samuel 23 19 Abishai was the most famous of the Thirty and was their commander, though he was not one of the Three.
2 Samuel 23 20 There was also Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant warrior from Kabzeel. He did many heroic deeds, which included killing two of Moab's mightiest warriors. Another time he chased a lion down into a pit. Then, despite the snow and slippery ground, he caught the lion and killed it.
2 Samuel 23 21 Another time, armed only with a club, he killed a great Egyptian warrior who was armed with a spear. Benaiah wrenched the spear from the Egyptian's hand and killed him with it.
2 Samuel 23 22 These are some of the deeds that made Benaiah almost as famous as the Three.
2 Samuel 23 23 He was more honored than the other members of the Thirty, though he was not one of the Three. And David made him commander of his bodyguard.
2 Samuel 23 24 Other members of the Thirty included: Asahel, Joab's brother; Elhanan son of Dodo from Bethlehem;
2 Samuel 23 25 Shammah from Harod; Elika from Harod;
2 Samuel 23 26 Helez from Pelon; Ira son of Ikkesh from Tekoa;
2 Samuel 23 27 Abiezer from Anathoth; Sibbecai from Hushah;
2 Samuel 23 28 Zalmon from Ahoah; Maharai from Netophah;
2 Samuel 23 29 Heled son of Baanah from Netophah; Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah (from the tribe of Benjamin);
2 Samuel 23 30 Benaiah from Pirathon; Hurai from Nahale-gaash;
2 Samuel 23 31 Abi-albon the Arbathite; Azmaveth from Bahurim;
2 Samuel 23 32 Eliahba from Shaalbon; the sons of Jashen;
2 Samuel 23 33 Jonathan son of Shagee from Harar; Ahiam son of Sharar from Harar;
2 Samuel 23 34 Eliphelet son of Ahasbai from Maacah; Eliam son of Ahithophel from Giloh;
2 Samuel 23 35 Hezro from Carmel; Paarai from Arba;
2 Samuel 23 36 Igal son of Nathan from Zobah; Bani from Gad;
2 Samuel 23 37 Zelek from Ammon; Naharai from Beeroth (Joab's armor bearer);
2 Samuel 23 38 Ira from Jattir; Gareb from Jattir;
2 Samuel 23 39 Uriah the Hittite. There were thirty-seven in all.
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