Daily Meditation
3 The God of Israel
said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just,
ruling in the fear of God.
Today’s Reading
2 Samuel
Chapter 23
Now these be the
last words of David
1 Now these be the
last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up
on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel,
said, 2 The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and his word was in my tongue. 3
The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men
must be just, ruling in the fear of God. 4 And he shall be as the light of the
morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender
grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain. 5 Although my
house be not so with God; yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered
in all things, and sure: for this is all my salvation, and all my desire, although
he make it not to grow.
6 But the sons of
Belial shall be all of them as thorns thrust away, because they cannot be taken
with hands: 7 but the man that shall touch them must be fenced with iron and
the staff of a spear; and they shall be utterly burned with fire in the same
place.
8 These be the names
of the mighty men whom David had: The Tachmonite that sat in the seat, chief
among the captains; the same was Adino the Eznite: he lift up his spear against
eight hundred, whom he slew at one time. 9 And after him was Eleazar the son of
Dodo the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David, when they defied the
Philistines that were there gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel
were gone away: 10 he arose, and smote the Philistines until his hand was
weary, and his hand clave unto the sword: and the Lord wrought a great victory
that day; and the people returned after him only to spoil. 11 And after him was
Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered
together into a troop, where was a piece of ground full of lentiles: and the
people fled from the Philistines. 12 But he stood in the midst of the ground,
and defended it, and slew the Philistines: and the Lord wrought a great
victory.
13 And three of the
thirty chief went down, and came to David in the harvest time unto the cave of
Adullam: and the troop of the Philistines pitched in the valley of Rephaim. 14
And David was then in an hold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in
Beth-lehem. 15 And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me drink of
the water of the well of Beth-lehem, which is by the gate! 16 And the three
mighty men brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the
well of Beth-lehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David:
nevertheless he would not drink thereof, but poured it out unto the Lord. 17
And he said, Be it far from me, O Lord, that I should do this: is not this the
blood of the men that went in jeopardy of their lives? therefore he would not
drink it. These things did these three mighty men.
18 And Abishai, the
brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief among three. And he lifted up
his spear against three hundred, and slew them, and had the name among three.
19 Was he not most honourable of three? therefore he was their captain: howbeit
he attained not unto the first three. 20 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the
son of a valiant man, of Kabzeel, who had done many acts, he slew two lionlike
men of Moab: he went down also and slew a lion in the midst of a pit in time of
snow: 21 and he slew an Egyptian, a goodly man: and the Egyptian had a spear in
his hand; but he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of
the Egyptian’s hand, and slew him with his own spear. 22 These things did
Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and had the name among three mighty men. 23 He was
more honourable than the thirty, but he attained not to the first three. And
David set him over his guard.
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