1. These are the last words of David:“David, the son of Jesse, speaks—David, the man who was raised up so high,David, the man anointed by the God of Jacob,David, the sweet psalmist of Israel.
2. “The Spirit of the lord speaks through me;his words are upon my tongue.
3. The God of Israel spoke.The Rock of Israel said to me:‘The one who rules righteously,who rules in the fear of God,
4. is like the light of morning at sunrise,like a morning without clouds,like the gleaming of the sunon new grass after rain.’
5. “Is it not my family God has chosen?Yes, he has made an everlasting covenant with me.His agreement is arranged and guaranteed in every detail.He will ensure my safety and success.
6. But the godless are like thorns to be thrown away,for they tear the hand that touches them.
7. One must use iron tools to chop them down;they will be totally consumed by fire.”
8. These are the names of David’s mightiest warriors. The first was Jashobeam the Hacmonite, who was leader of the Three—the three mightiest warriors among David’s men. He once used his spear to kill 800 enemy warriors in a single battle.
9. Next in rank among the Three was Eleazar son of Dodai, a descendant of Ahoah. Once Eleazar and David stood together against the Philistines when the entire Israelite army had fled.
10. He killed Philistines until his hand was too tired to lift his sword, and the lord gave him a great victory that day. The rest of the army did not return until it was time to collect the plunder!
11. Next in rank was Shammah son of Agee from Harar. One time the Philistines gathered at Lehi and attacked the Israelites in a field full of lentils. The Israelite army fled,
12. but Shammah held his ground in the middle of the field and beat back the Philistines. So the lord brought about a great victory.
13. Once during the harvest, when David was at the cave of Adullam, the Philistine army was camped in the valley of Rephaim. The Three (who were among the Thirty—an elite group among David’s fighting men) went down to meet him there.