1. These are the last words of David: “This message is from David son of Jesse. This message is from the man God made great. He is the king chosen by the God of Jacob, the sweet singer of Israel.
2. The Lord’S Spirit spoke through me. His word was on my tongue.
3. The God of Israel spoke. The Rock of Israel said to me, ‘Whoever rules people fairly, who rules with respect for God,
4. is like the morning light at dawn, like a morning without clouds. He is like sunshine after a rain that makes tender grass grow from the ground.’
5. “God made my family strong and secure. He made an agreement with me forever. God made sure this agreement was good and secure in every way. So surely he will give me every victory. He will give me everything I want!
6. “But evil people are like thorns. People don’t hold thorns. They throw them away.
7. If someone touches them, it hurts like a spear made of wood and iron. Yes, evil people are like thorns. They will be thrown into the fire, and they will be completely burned.”
8. These are the names of David’s special soldiers: Josheb Basshebeth the Tahkemonite was captain of the king’s special forces. He used his spear to kill 800 men at one time.
9. Next, there was Eleazar son of Dodai who was there with David when he challenged the Philistines who had gathered for battle. The Israelites ran away,