1David, the son of Jesse, was a man whom God caused to become great. He was appointed to become king by the God whom Jacob worshiped. He wrote beautiful songs for the Israeli people. This is the last song that he wrote:
2The Spirit of Yahweh tells me what to say; the message that I speak MTY comes from him.
3God, the one whom we Israeli people worship, has spoken; the one who protects us Israeli people said to me, “Kings who rule people justly have an awesome respect for me, God.
4They are like the sun that shines at dawn and causes the grass to sprout/sparkle after the rain ends.”
5And truly, that is how God will surely bless my family RHQ because he made an agreement with me that will endure forever, an agreement in which he promises that no part of it will ever be changed. He will surely cause me to prosper RHQ, and he will always help me, and that is all that I desire.
6But he will get rid of godless/evil people like SIM people throw away thorns that injure people if they try to pick them up with their hands.
7Someone who wants to get rid of thornbushes does not grab them; he uses an iron shovel or a spear to dig them out and then he burns them completely.
8These are the names of David's three greatest warriors. The first was Esh-Baal, whose other name was Jashobeam, from the Hachmon clan (OR, the son of Hachmon). He was the leader of the three men. One time he fought against 800 enemies and killed them all with his spear.
9The second/next one of the three greatest warriors was Eleazar, who was the son of Dodo from the clan of Ahoh. One day he was with David when they defied/challenged the soldiers of Philistia who had gathered for the battle. The other Israeli soldiers retreated,
10but Eleazar stood there and fought the soldiers of Philistia until his arm became very tired, with the result that his hand cramped and he could not stop gripping his sword. Yahweh won a great victory on that day. And afterwards the other Israeli soldiers returned to where Eleazar was, and stripped off the armor from the men whom he had killed.
11The third one of the greatest warriors was Shammah, the son of Agee from the clan/town of Harar. One time the Philistia soldiers gathered at Lehi town, where there was a field full of lentils/peas that they wanted to steal. The other Israeli soldiers ran away from the Philistia troops,
12but Shammah stood there in the field and did not let the Philistia soldiers steal the crops, and killed them. Yahweh won a great victory on that day.
13Altogether there were 30 special warriors among David's soldiers. Once, when it was almost time to harvest the crops, three of those 30 men went down to Adullam Cave, where David was staying. A group of men from the Philistia army had set up their tents in Rephaim Valley near Jerusalem.
14David and his soldiers were in the cave because it was safe there, and another group of Philistia soldiers was occupying Bethlehem.
15One day David very much wanted some water to drink, and said “I wish that someone would bring me some water from the well near the gate at Bethlehem!”
16So his three greatest warriors forced their way through the camp of Philistia soldiers and drew some water from the well, and brought it to David. But he would not drink it. Instead, he poured it out on the ground as an offering to Yahweh.
17He said, “Yahweh, it would certainly not be right for me to drink this water! That would be like RHQ drinking the blood of these men who were willing/ready to die for me!” So he refused to drink it. That was one of the things that those three great warriors did.
2 Samuel 23
2 Samuel 23:1-17