15Again war broke out between the Philistines and Israel, and David and the men with him went down and fought the Philistines; David grew weary, 16and a-Ishbi-benob-a tried to kill David.—He was a descendant of the Raphah;f his bronze spear weighed three hundred shekels and he wore new armor.—17But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to his aid; he attacked the Philistine and killed him. It was then that David’s men declared to him on oath, “You shall not go with us into battle any more, lest you extinguish the lamp of Israel!”
18gAfter this, fighting broke out again with the Philistines, at Gob; that was when Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph, a descendant of the Raphah.f 19Again there was fighting with the Philistines at Gob; and Elhanan son of Jaare-oregimh the Bethlehemite killed Goliath the Gittite, whose spear had a shaft like a weaver’s bar. 20Once again there was fighting, at Gath. There was a a-giant of a man,-a who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in all; he too was descended from the Raphah. 21When he taunted Israel, Jonathan, the son of David’s brother Shimei, killed him. 22Those four were descended from the Raphah in Gath, and they fell by the hands of David and his men.
22 aDavid addressed the words of this song to the LORD, after the LORD had saved him from the hands of all his enemies and from the hands of Saul. 2He said:
O LORD, my crag, my fastness, my deliverer!
3O b-God, the rock-b wherein I take shelter:
My shield, my c-mighty champion,-c my fortress and refuge!
My savior, You who rescue my from violence!
4d-All praise! I called on the LORD,-d
And I was delivered from my enemies.
5For the breakers of Death encompassed me,
The torrents of Beliale terrified me;
6The snares of Sheol encircled me,
The toils of Death engulfed me.
7In my anguish I called on the LORD,
Cried out to my God;
In His Abodef He heard my voice,
My cry entered His ears.
8Then the earth rocked and quaked,
The foundations of heaveng shook—
Rocked by His indignation.
9Smoke went up from His nostrils,
From His mouth came devouring fire;
Live coals blazed forth from Him.
10He bent the sky and came down,
Thick cloud beneath His feet.
11He mounted a cherub and flew;
h-He was seen-h on the wings of the wind.
12He made pavilions of darkness about Him,
Dripping clouds, huge thunderheads;
13In the brilliance before Him
Blazed fiery coals.
14The LORD thundered forth from heaven,
The Most High sent forth His voice;
15He let loose bolts, and scattered them;i
Lightning, and put them to rout.
16The bed of the sea was exposed,
The foundations of the world were laid bare
By the mighty roaring of the LORD,
At the blast of the breath of His nostrils.
17He reached down from on high, He took me,
Drew me out of the mighty waters;j
18He rescued me from my enemy so strong,
From foes too mighty for me.
19They attacked me on my day of calamity,
But the LORD was my stay.
20He brought me out to freedom,
He rescued me because He was pleased with me.
21The LORD rewarded me according to my merit,
He requited the cleanness of my hands.
22For I have kept the ways of the LORD
And have not been guilty before my God;
23I am mindful of all His rules
And have not departed from His laws.
24I have been blameless before Him,
And have guarded myself against sinning—
25And the LORD has requited my merit,
According to my purity in His sight.
26With the loyal You deal loyally;
With the blameless hero,k blamelessly.
27With the pure You act in purity,
And with the perverse You are wily.
28To humble folk You give victory,
l-And You look with scorn on the haughty.-l
29You, O LORD, are my lamp;
The LORD lights up my darkness.
30With You, I can rush a barrier,m
With my God, I can scale a wall.
31The way of God is perfect,
The word of the LORD is pure.
He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.
32Yea, who is a god except the LORD,
Who is a rock except God—
33The God, n-my mighty stronghold,-n
Who kepto my path secure;
34Who made my legs like a deer’s,
And set me firm on theP heights;
35Who trained my hands for battle,
So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze!
36You have granted me the shield of Your protection
q-And Your providence has made me great.-q
37You have let me stride on freely,
And my feet have not slipped.
38I pursued my enemies and wiped them out,
I did not turn back till I destroyed them.
39I destroyed them, I struck them down;
They rose no more, they lay at my feet.
40You have girt me with strength for battle,
Brought low my foes before me,
41Made my enemies turn tail before me,
My foes—and I wiped them out.
42They looked,r but there was none to deliver;
To the LORD, but He answered them not.
43I pounded them like dust of the earth,
Stamped, crushed them like dirt of the streets.
44You have rescued me from the strife of peoples,s
t-Kept me to be-t a ruler of nations;
Peoples I knew not must serve me.
45Aliens have cringed before me,
Paid me homage at the mere report of me.
46Aliens have lost courage
q-And come trembling out of their fastnesses.-q
47The LORD lives! Blessed is my rock!
Exalted be God, the rock
Who gives me victory;
48The God who has vindicated me
And made peoples subject to me,
49Rescued me from my enemies,
Raised me clear of my foes,
Saved me from lawless men!
50For this I sing Your praise among the nations
And hymn Your name:
51u-Tower of victory-u to His king,
Who deals graciously with His anointed,
With David and his offspring evermore.
23 These are the last words of David:
aThe utterance of David son of Jesse,
The utterance of the man b-set on high,-b
The anointed of the God of Jacob,
c-The favorite of the songs of Israel:-c
2The spirit of the LORD has spoken through me,
His message is on my tongue;
3The God of Israel has spoken,
The Rock of Israel said concerning me:
“He who rules men justly,
He who rules ind awe of God
4Is like the light of morning at sunrise,
A morning without clouds—
e-Through sunshine and rain
[Bringing]-e vegetation out of the earth.”
5Is not my House established before God?
For He has granted me an eternal pact,
Drawn up in full and secured.
Will He not cause all my success
And [my] every desire to blossom?
6But the wicked shall all
Be raked aside like thorns;
For no one will take them in his hand.
7Whoever touches them
Must arm himself with iron
And the shaft of a spear;
And they must be burned up on the spot.
8These are the namesf of David’s warriors: Josheb-basshebeth, a Tahchemonite, the chief officer—he is Adino the Eznite; g-[he wielded his spear]-g against eight hundred h-and slew them-h on one occasion.
9Next to him was Eleazar son of Dodo son of Ahohi. He was one of the three warriors with David when they defied the Philistines gathered there for battle. The Israelite soldiers retreated, 10but he held his ground. He struck down Philistines until his arm grew tired and his hand stuck to his sword; and the LORD wrought a great victory that day. Then the troops came back to him—but only to strip [the slain].
11Next to him was Shammah son of Age the Ararite. The Philistines had gathered e-in force-e where there was a plot of ground full of lentils; and the troops fled from the Philistines. 12But [Shammah] took his stand in the middle of the plot and defended it, and he routed the Philistines. Thus the LORD wrought a great victory.
13e-Once, during the harvest,-e three of the thirty chiefs went down to David at the cavei of Adullam, while a force of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. 14David was then in the stronghold,i and a Philistine garrison was then at Bethlehem. 15David felt a craving and said, “If only I could get a drink of water from the cistern which is by the gate of Bethlehem!” 16So the three warriors got through the Philistine camp and drew water from the cistern which is by the gate of Bethlehem, and they carried it back. But when they brought it to David he would not drink it, and he poured it out as a libation to the LORD. 17For he said, “The LORD forbid that I should do this! Can [I drink]j the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives?” So he would not drink it. Such were the exploits of the three warriors.
18Abishai, the brother of Joab son of Zeruiah, was head of k-another three.-k He once wielded his spear against three hundred h-and slew them.-h 19He won a name among the three;l since he was the most highly regarded among the three,l he became their leader. However, he did not attain to the three.
20Benaiah son of Jehoiada, from Kabzeel, was m-a brave soldier-m who performed great deeds. He killed the two e-[sons] of Ariel of Moab.-e Once, on a snowy day, he went down into a
