[3] And David went into his house at Jerusalem: and the king took the ten women his concubines, whom he had left to keep the house, and he put them in a place of custody, and maintained them, and went not in to them; and they were kept living as widows, till the day of their death.
[4] And the king said to Amessai, Call to me the men of Juda for three days, and do thou be present here. [5] And Amessai went to call Juda, and delayed beyond the time which David appointed him. [6] And David said to Amessai, Now shall Sabee the son of Bochori do us more harm than Abessalom: now then take thou with thee the servants of thy lord, and follow after him, lest he find for himself strong cities, so will he blind our eyes. [7] And there went out after him Amessai and the men of Joab, and the Cherethites, and the Phelethites, and all the mighty men: and they went out from Jerusalem to pursue after Sabee the son of Bochori.
[8] And they were by the great stone that is in Gabaon: and Amessai went in before them: and Joab had upon him a military cloak over his apparel, and over it he was girded with a dagger fastened upon his loins in its scabbard: and the dagger came out, it even came out and fell.
[9] And Joab said to Amessai, Art thou in health, my brother? and the right hand of Joab took hold of the beard of Amessai to kiss him. [10] And Amessai observed not the dagger that was in the hand of Joab: and Joab smote him with it on the loins, and his bowels were shed out upon the ground, and he did not repeat the blow, and he died: and Joab and Abessai his brother pursued after Sabee the son of Bochori. [11] And there stood over him one of the servants of Joab, and said, Who is he that is for Joab, and who is on the side of David following Joab? [12] And Amessai was weltering in blood in the midst of the way. And a man saw that all the people stood still; and he removed Amessai out of the path into a field, and he cast a garment upon him, because he saw every one that came to him standing still. [13] And when he was quickly removed from the road, every man of Israel passed after Joab to pursue after Sabee the son of Bochori.
[14] And he went through all the tribes of Israel to Abel, and to Bethmacha; and all in Charri too were assembled, and followed after him. [15] And they came and besieged him in Abel and Phermacha: and they raised a mound against the city and it stood close to the wall; and all the people with Joab proposed to throw down the wall. [16] And a wise woman cried from the wall, and said, Hear, hear; say, I pray ye, to Joab, Draw near hither, and I will speak to him.
[17] And he drew nigh to her, and the woman said to him, Art thou Joab? and he said, I am. And she said to him, Hear the words of thy handmaid; and Joab said, I do hear. [18] And she spoke, saying, Of old time they said thus, Surely one was asked in Abel, and Dan, whether the faithful in Israel failed in what they purposed; they will surely ask in Abel, even in like manner, whether they have failed. [19] I am a peaceable one of the strong ones in Israel; but thou seekest to destroy a city and a mother city in Israel: why dost thou seek to ruin the inheritance of the Lord? [20] And Joab answered and said, Far be it, far be it from me, that I should ruin or destroy. [21] Is not the case thus, that a man of mount Ephraim, Sabee, son of Bochori by name, has even lifted up his hand against king David? Give him only to me, and I will depart from the city. And the woman said to Joab, Behold, his head shall be thrown to thee over the wall.
[22] And the woman went in to all the people, and she spoke to all the city in her wisdom; and they took off the head of Sabee the son of Bochori; and took it away and threw it to Joab: and he blew the trumpet, and the people separated from the city away from him, every man to his tent: and Joab returned to Jerusalem to the king.
[23] And Joab was over all the forces of Israel: and Banaias the son of Jodae was over the Cherethites and over the Phelethites. [24] And Adoniram was over the tribute: and Josaphath the son of Achiluth was recorder. [25] And Susa was scribe: and Sadoc and Abiathar were priests. [26] Moreover Iras the son of Iarin was priest to David.
Chapter 21
[1] And there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David sought the face of the Lord. And the Lord said, There is guilt upon Saul and his house because of his bloody murder, whereby he slew the Gabaonites. [2] And King David called the Gabaonites, and said to them; — (now the Gabaonites are not the children of Israel, but are of the remnant of the Amorite, and the children of Israel had sworn to them: but Saul sought to smite them in his zeal for the children of Israel and Juda.)
[3] And David said to the Gabaonites, What shall I do to you? and wherewithal shall I make atonement, that ye may bless the inheritance of the Lord? [4] And the Gabaonites said to him, We have no question about silver or gold with Saul and with his house; and there is no man for us to put to death in Israel. [5] And he said, What say ye? speak, and I will do it for you. And they said to the king, The man who would have made an end of us, and persecuted us, who plotted against us to destroy us, let us utterly destroy him, so that he shall have no standing in all the coasts of Israel. [6] Let one give us seven men of his sons, and let us hang them up in the sun to the Lord in Gabaon of Saul, as chosen out for the Lord. And the king said, I will give them.
[7] But the king spared Memphibosthe son of Jonathan the son of Saul, because of the oath of the Lord that was between them, even between David and Jonathan the son of Saul.
[8] And the king took the two sons of Respha the daughter of Aia, whom she bore to Saul, Hermonoi and Memphibosthe, and the five sons of Michol daughter of Saul, whom she bore to Esdriel son of Berzelli the Moulathite. [9] And he gave them into the hand of the Gabaonites, and they hanged them up to the sun in the mountain before the lord: and they fell, even the seven together: moreover they were put to death in the days of harvest at the commencement, in the beginning of barley-harvest. [10] And Respha the daughter of Aia took sackcloth, and fixed it for herself on the rock in the beginning of barley harvest, until water dropped upon them out of heaven: and she did not suffer the birds of the air to rest upon them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night.
[11] And it was told David what Respha the daughter of Aia the concubine of Saul had done, [and they were faint, and Dan, the son of Joa of the offspring of the giants overtook them.] [12] And David went and took the bones of Saul, and the bones of Jonathan his son, from the men of the sons of Jabis Galaad, who stole them from the street of Baethsan; for the Philistines set them there in the day in which the Philistines smote Saul in Gelbue. [13] And he carried up thence the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son, and gathered the bones of them that had been hanged. [14] And they buried the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son, and the bones of them that had been hanged, in the land of Benjamin in the hill, in the sepulchre of Cis his father; and they did all things that the king commanded: and after this God hearkened to the prayers of the land.
[15] And there was yet war between the Philistines and Israel: and David went down and his servants with him, and they fought with the Philistines, and David went. [16] And Jesbi, who was of the progeny of Rapha, and the head of whose spear was three hundred shekels of brass in weight, who also was girt with a club, even he thought to smite David. [17] And Abessa the son of Saruia helped him and smote the Philistine, and slew him. Then the men of David swore, saying, Thou shalt not any longer go out with us to battle, and thou shalt not quench the lamp of Israel.
[18] And after this there was a battle again with the Philistines in Geth: then Sebocha the Astatothite slew Seph of the progeny of Rapha.
[19] And there was a battle in Rom with the Philistines; and Eleanan son of Ariorgim the Bethleemite slew Goliath the Gittite; and the staff of his spear was as a weaver’s beam. [20] And there was yet a battle in Geth: and there was a man of stature, and the fingers of his hands and the toes of his feet were six on each, four and twenty in number: and he also was born to Rapha. [21] And he defied Israel, and Jonathan son of Semei brother of David, smote him.
[22] These four were born descendants of the giants in Geth, the family of Rapha; and they fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of h
is servants.
Chapter 22
[1] And David spoke to the Lord the words of this song, in the day in which the Lord rescued him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul. [2] And the song was thus: O Lord, my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer, [3] my God; he shall be to me my guard, I will trust in him: he is my protector, and the horn of my salvation, my helper, and my sure refuge; thou shalt save me from the unjust man.
[4] I will call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised, and I shall be saved from my enemies. [5] For the troubles of death compassed me, the floods of iniquity amazed me: [6] the pangs of death surrounded me, the agonies of death prevented me. [7] When I am afflicted I will call upon the Lord, and will cry to my God, and he shall hear my voice out of his temple, and my cry shalt come into his ears.
[8] And the earth was troubled and quaked, and the foundations of heaven were confounded and torn asunder, because the Lord was wroth with them. [9] There went up a smoke in his wrath, and fire out of his mouth devours: coals were kindled at it. [10] And he bowed the heavens, and came down, and there was darkness under his feet. [11] And he rode upon the cherubs and did fly, and was seen upon the wings of the wind. [12] And he made darkness his hiding-place; his tabernacle round about him was the darkness of waters, he condensed it with the clouds of the air. [13] At the brightness before him coals of fire were kindled. [14] The Lord thundered out of heaven, and the Most High uttered his voice. [15] And he sent forth arrows, and scattered them, and he flashed lightning, and dismayed them. [16] And the channels of the sea were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered, at the rebuke of the Lord, at the blast of the breath of his anger. [17] He sent from above and took me; he drew me out of many waters. [18] He delivered me from my strong enemies, from them that hated me, for they were stronger than I.
[19] The days of my affliction prevented me; but the Lord was my stay. [20] And he brought me into a wide place, and rescued me, because he delighted in me. [21] And the Lord recompensed me according to my righteousness; even according to the purity of my hands did he recompense me. [22] Because, I kept the ways of the Lord, and did not wickedly depart from my God. [23] For all his judgments and his ordinances were before me: I departed not from them. [24] And I shall be blameless before him, and will keep myself from my iniquity. [25] And the Lord will recompense me according to my righteousness, and according to the purity of my hands in his eye-sight.
[26] With the holy thou wilt be holy, and with the perfect man thou will be perfect, [27] and with the excellent thou wilt be excellent, and with the froward thou will be froward. [28] And thou wilt save the poor people, and wilt bring down the eyes of the haughty. [29] For thou, Lord, art my lamp, and the Lord shall shine forth to me in my darkness. [30] For by thee shall I run as a girded man, and by my God shall I leap over a wall.
[31] As for the Mighty One, his way is blameless: the word of the Lord is strong and tried in the fire: he is a protector to all that put their trust in him. [32] Who is strong, but the Lord? and who will be a Creator except our God? [33] It is the Mighty One who strengthens me with might, and has prepared my way without fault. [34] He makes my feet like hart’s feet, and sets me upon the high places. [35] He teaches my hands to war, and has broken a brazen bow by my arm. [36] And thou hast given me the shield of my salvation, and thy propitious dealing has increased me, [37] so as to make room under me for my going, and my legs did not totter.
[38] I will pursue my enemies, and will utterly destroy them; and I will not turn again till I have consumed them. [39] And I will crush them, and they shall not rise; and they shall fall under my feet. [40] And thou shalt strengthen me with power for the war; thou shalt cause them that rise up against me to bow down under me. [41] And thou hast caused mine enemies to flee before me, even them that hated me, and thou hast slain them. [42] They shall cry, and there shall be no helper; to the Lord, but he hearkens not to them. [43] And I ground them as the dust of the earth, I beat them small as the mire of the streets. [44] And thou shalt deliver me from the striving of the peoples, thou shalt keep me to be the head of the Gentiles: a people which I knew not served me. [45] The strange children feigned obedience to me; they hearkened to me as soon as they heard. [46] The strange children shall be cast away, and shall be overthrown out of their hiding places.
[47] The Lord lives, and blessed be my guardian, and my God, my strong keeper, shall be exalted. [48] The Lord who avenges me is strong, chastening the nations under me, [49] and bringing me out from my enemies: and thou shalt set me on high from among those that rise up against me: thou shalt deliver me from the violent man. [50] Therefore will I confess to thee, O Lord, among the Gentiles, and sing to thy name. [51] He magnifies the salvation of his king, and works mercy for his anointed, even for David and for his seed for ever.
Chapter 23
[1] And these are the last words of David.
Faithful is David the son of Jessae, and faithful the man whom the Lord raised up to be the anointed of the God of Jacob, and beautiful are the psalms of Israel.
[2] The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and his word was upon my tongue. [3] The God of Israel says, A watchman out of Israel spoke to me a parable: I said among men, How will ye strengthen the fear of the anointed? [4] And in the morning light of God, let the sun arise in the morning, from the light of which the Lord passed on, and as it were from the rain of the tender grass upon the earth. [5] For my house is not so with the Mighty One: for he has made an everlasting covenant with me, ready, guarded at every time; for all my salvation and all my desire is, that the wicked should not flourish. [6] All these are as a thorn thrust forth, for they shall not be taken with the hand, [7] and a man shall not labour among them; and one shall have that which is fully armed with iron, and the staff of a spear, an he shall burn them with fire, and they shall be burnt in their shame.
[8] These are the names of the mighty men of David: Jebosthe the Chananite is a captain of the third part: Adinon the Asonite, he drew his sword against eight hundred soldiers at once. [9] And after him Eleanan the son of his uncle, son of Dudi who was among the three mighty men with David; and when he defied the Philistines they were gathered there to war, and the men of Israel went up. [10] He arose an smote the Philistines, until his hand was weary, and his hand clave to the sword: and the Lord wrought a great salvation in that day, and the people rested behind him only to strip the slain.
[11] And after him Samaia the son of Asa the Arachite: and the Philistines were gathered to Theria; and there was there a portion of ground full of lentiles; and the people fled before the Philistines. [12] And he stood firm in the midst of the portion, and rescued it, and smote the Philistines; and the Lord wrought a great deliverance.
[13] And three out of the thirty went down, and came to Cason to David, to the cave of Odollam; and there was an army of the Philistines, and they encamped in the valley of Raphain. [14] And David was then in the strong hold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethleem. [15] And David longed, and said, Who will give me water to drink out of the well that is in Bethleem by the gate? now the band of the Philistines was then in Bethleem. [16] And the three mighty men broke through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well that was in Bethleem in the gate: and they took it, and brought it to David, and he would not drink it, but poured it out before the Lord. [17] And he said, O Lord, forbid that I should do this, that I should drink of the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives: and he would not drink it. These things did these three mighty men.
[18] And Abessa the brother of Joab the son of Saruia, he was chief among the three, and he lifted up his spear against three hundred whom he slew; and he had a name among three. [19] Of those three he was most honourable, and he became a chief over them, but he reached not to the first three.
[20] And Banaeas the son of Jodae, he was abundant in mighty deeds, from Cabeseel, and he smote the two sons of Ariel of Moab: and he went down and smote a lion in the mid
st of a pit on a snowy day. [21] He smote an Egyptian, a wonderful man, and in the hand of the Egyptian was a spear as the side of a ladder; and he went down to him with a staff, and snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand, and slew him with his own spear. [22] These things did Banaeas the son of Jodae, and he had a name among the three mighty men. [23] He was honourable among the second three, but he reached not to the first three: and David made him his reporter.
And these are the names of King David’s mighty men. [24] Asael Joab’s brother; he was among the thirty. Eleanan son of Dudi his uncle in Bethleem. [25] Saema the Rudaean. [26] Selles the Kelothite: Iras the son of Isca the Thecoite. [27] Abiezer the Anothite, of the sons of the Anothite. [28] Ellon the Aoite; Noere the Netophatite. [29] Esthai the son of Riba of Gabaeth, son of Benjamin the Ephrathite; Asmoth the Bardiamite; Emasu the Salabonite: [30] Adroi of the brooks. [31] Gadabiel son of the Arabothaeite. [32] the sons of Asan, Jonathan; [33] Samnan the Arodite; Amnan the son of Arai the Saraurite. [34] Aliphaleth the son of Asbites, the son of the Machachachite; Eliab the son of Achitophel the Gelonite. [35] Asarai the Carmelite the son of Uraeoerchi. [36] Gaal the son of Nathana. The son of much valour, the son of Galaaddi. Elie the Ammanite. [37] Gelore the Bethorite, armour-bearer to Joab, son of Saruia. [38] Iras the Ethirite. Gerab the Ethenite. [39] Urias the Chettite: thirty-seven in all.
Chapter 24
[1] And the Lord caused his anger to burn forth again in Israel, and Satan stirred up David against them, saying, Go, number Israel and Juda. [2] And the king said to Joab commander of the host, who was with him, Go now through all the tribes of Israel and Juda, from Dan even to Bersabee, and number the people, and I will know the number of the people. [3] And Joab said to the king, Now may the Lord add to the people a hundred-fold as many as they are, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it: but why does my lord the king desire this thing? [4] Nevertheless the word of the king prevailed against Joab an the captains of the host:
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