2 Samuel 22; 2 Samuel 23; 2 Samuel 24

2 Samuel 22

1 And David spoke to the Lord the words of this canticle, in the day that the Lord delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul,

2 And he said: The Lord is my rock, and my strength, and my saviour.

3 God is my strong one, in him will I trust: my shield, and the horn of my salvation: he lifteth me up, and is my refuge: my saviour, thou wilt deliver me from iniquity.

4 I will call on the Lord who is worthy to be praised: and I shall be saved from my enemies.

5 For the pangs of death have surrounded me: the floods of Belial have made me afraid.

6 The cords of hell compassed me: the snares of death prevented me.

7 In my distress I will call upon the Lord, and I will cry to my God: and he will hear my voice out of his temple, and my cry shall come to his ears.

8 The earth shook and trembled, the foundations of the mountains were moved, and shaken, because he was angry with them.

9 A smoke went up from his nostrils, and a devouring fire out of his mouth: coals were kindled by it.

10 He bowed the heavens, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.

11 And he rode upon the cherubims, and flew: and slid upon the wings of the wind.

12 He made darkness a covering round about him: dropping waters out of the clouds of the heavens.

13 By the brightness before him, the coals of fire were kindled.

14 The Lord shall thunder from heaven: and the most high shall give forth his voice.

15 He shot arrows and scattered them: lightning, and consumed them.

16 And the overflowings of the sea appeared, and the foundations of the world were laid open at the rebuke of the Lord, at the blast of the spirit of his wrath.

17 He sent from on high, and took me, and drew me out of many waters.

18 He delivered me from my most mighty enemy, and from them that hated me: for they were too strong for me.

19 He prevented me in the day of my affliction, and the Lord became my stay.

20 And he brought me forth into a large place, he delivered me, because I pleased him.

21 The Lord will reward me according to my justice: and according to the cleanness of my hands he will render to me.

22 Because I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God.

23 For all his judgments are in my sight: and his precepts I have not removed from me.

24 And I shall be perfect with him: and shall keep myself from my iniquity.

25 And the Lord will recompense me according to my justice: and according to the cleanness of my hands in the sight of his eyes.

26 With the holy one thou wilt be holy: and with the valiant perfect.

27 With the elect thou wilt be elect: and with the perverse thou wilt be perverted.

28 And the poor people thou wilt save: and with thy eyes thou shalt humble the haughty.

29 For thou art my lamp O Lord: and thou, O Lord, wilt enlighten my darkness.

30 For in thee I will run girded: in my God I will leap over the wall.

31 God, his way is immaculate, the word of the Lord is tried by fire: he is the shield of all that trust in him.

32 Who is God but the Lord: and who is strong but our God?

33 God who hath girded me with strength, and made my way perfect.

34 Making my feet like the feet of harts, and setting me upon my high places.

35 He teacheth my hands to war: and maketh my arms like a bow of brass.

36 Thou hast given me the shield of my salvation: and thy mildness hath multiplied me.

37 Thou shalt enlarge my steps under me: and my ankles shall not fail.

38 I will pursue after my enemies, and crush them: and will not return again till I consume them.

39 I will consume them and break them in pieces, so that they shall not rise: they shall fall under my feet.

40 Thou hast girded me with strength to battle: thou hast made them that resisted me to bow under me.

41 My enemies thou hast made to turn their back to me: them that hated me, and I shall destroy them.

42 They shall cry, and there shall be none to save: to the Lord, and he shall not hear them.

43 I shall beat them as small as the dust of the earth: I shall crush them and spread them abroad like the mire of the streets.

44 Thou wilt save me from the contradictions of my people: thou wilt keep me to be the head of the Gentiles: the people which I know not, shall serve me,

45 The sons of the stranger will resist me, at the hearing of the ear they will obey me.

46 The strangers are melted away, and shall be straitened in their distresses.

47 The Lord liveth, and my God is blessed: and the strong God of my salvation shall be exalted:

48 God who giveth me revenge, and bringest down people under me,

49 Who bringest me forth from my enemies, and liftest me up from them that resist me: from the wicked man thou shalt deliver me.

50 Therefore will I give thanks to thee, O Lord, among the Gentiles, and will sing to thy name.

51 Giving great salvation to his king, and shewing mercy to David his anointed, and to his seed for ever.

2 Samuel 23

1 Now these are David’s last words. David the son of Isai said: The man to whom it was appointed concerning the Christ of the God of Jacob, the excellent psalmist of Israel said:

2 The spirit of the Lord hath spoken by me and his word by my tongue.

3 The God of Israel said to me, the strong one of Israel spoke, the ruler of men, the just ruler in the fear of God.

4 As the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, shineth in the morning without clouds, and as the grass springeth out of the earth by rain

5 Neither is my house so great with God, that he should make with me an eternal covenant, firm in all things and assured. For he is all my salvation, and all my will: neither is there ought thereof that springeth not up.

6 But transgressors shall all of them be plucked up as thorns: which are not taken away with hands.

7 And if a man will touch them, he must be armed with iron and with the staff of a lance: but they shall be set on fire and burnt to nothing.

8 These are the names of the valiant men of David: Jesbaham sitting in the chair was the wisest chief among the three, he was like the most tender little worm of the wood, who killed eight hundred men at one onset.

9 After him was Eleazar the son of Dodo the Ahohite, one of the three valiant men that were with David when they defied the Philistines, and they were there gathered together to battle.

10 And when the men of Israel were gone away, he stood and smote the Philistines till his hand was weary, and grew stiff with the sword: and the Lord wrought a great victory that day: and the people that were fled away, returned to take spoils of them that were slain.

11 And after him was Semma the son of Age of Arari. And the Philistines were gathered together in a troop: for there was a field full of lentils. And when the people were fled from the face of the Philistines,

12 He stood in the midst of the field, and defended it, and defeated the Philistines: and the Lord gave a great victory.

13 Moreover also before this the three who were princes among the thirty, went down and came to David in the harvest time into the cave of Odollam: and the camp of the Philistines was in the valley of the giants.

14 And David was then in a hold: and there was a garrison of the Philistines then in Bethlehem

15 And David longed, and said: O that some man would get me a drink of the water out of the cistern, that is in Bethlehem, by the gate.

16 And the three valiant men broke through the camp of the Philistines, and drew water out of the cistern of Bethlehem, that was by the gate, and brought it to David: but he would not drink, but offered it to the Lord,

17 Saying: The Lord be merciful to me, that I may not do this: shall I drink the blood of these men that went, and the peril of their lives? therefore he would not drink. These things did these three mighty men.

18 Abisai also the brother of Joab, the son of Sarvia, was chief among three: and he lifted up his spear against three hundred whom he slew, and he was renowned among the three,

19 And the noblest of three, and was their chief, but to the three first he attained not

20 And Banaias the son of Joiada a most valiant man, of great deeds, of Cabseel: he slew the two lions of Moab, and he went down, and slew a lion in the midst of a pit, in the time of snow.

21 He also slew an Egyptian, a man worthy to be a sight, having a spear in his hand: but he went down to him with a rod, and forced the spear out of the hand of the Egyptian, and slew him with his own spear

22 These things did Banaias the son of Joiada.

23 And he was renowned among the three valiant men, who were the most honourable among the thirty: but he attained not to the first three: and David made him of his privy council.

24 Asael the brother of Joab was one of the thirty, Elehanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem.

25 Semma of Harodi, Elica of Harodi,

26 Heles of Phalti, Hira the son of Acces of Thecua,

27 Abiezer of Anathoth, Mobonnai of Husati,

28 Selmon the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite,

29 Heled the son of Baana, also a Netophathite, Ithai the son of Ribai of Gabaath of the children of Benjamin,

30 Banaia the Pharathonite, Heddai of the torrent Gaas,

31 Abialbon the Arbathite, Azmaveth of Beromi,

32 Eliaba of Salaboni. The sons of Jassen, Jonathan,

33 Semma of Orori, Aliam the son of Sarar the Arorite,

34 Eliphelet the son of Aasbai the son of Machati, Eliam the son of Achitophel the Gelonite,

35 Hesrai of Carmel, Pharai of Arbi,

36 Igaal the son of Nathan of Soba, Bonni of Gadi

37 Selec of Ammoni, Naharai the Berothite, armourbearer of Joab the son of Sarvia,

38 Ira the Jethrite, Gareb also a Jethrite

39 Urias the Hethite, thirty and seven in all.

2 Samuel 24

1 And the anger of the Lord was again kindled against Israel, and stirred up David among them, saying: Go, number Israel and Juda.

2 And the king said to Joab the general of his army: Go through all the tribes of Israel from Dan to Bersabee, and number ye the people that I may know the number of them.

3 And Joab said to the king: The Lord thy God increase thy people, and make them as many more as they are now, and again multiply them a hundredfold in the sight of my lord the king: but what meaneth my lord the king by this kind of thing?

4 But the king’s words prevailed over the words of Joab, and of the captains of the army: and Joab, and the captains of the soldiers went out from the presence of the king, to number the people of Israel.

5 And when they had passed the Jordan, they came to Aroer to the right side of the city, which is in the vale of Gad.

6 And by Jazer they passed into Galaad, and to the lower land of Hodsi, and they came into the woodlands of Dan. And going about by Sidon,

7 They passed near the walls of Tyre, and all the land of the Hevite, and the Chanaanite, and they came to the south of Juda into Bersabee:

8 And having gone through the whole land, after nine months and twenty days, they came to Jerusalem.

9 And Joab gave up the sum of the number of the people to the king, and there were found of Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men that drew the sword: and of Juda five hundred thousand fighting men.

10 But David’s heart struck him, after the people were numbered: and David said to the Lord: I have sinned very much in what I have done: but I pray thee, O Lord, to take away the iniquity of thy servant, because I have done exceeding foolishly.

11 And David arose in the morning, and the word of the Lord came to Gad the prophet and the seer of David, saying:

12 Go, and say to David: Thus saith the Lord: I give thee thy choice of three things, choose one of them which thou wilt, that I may do it to thee.

13 And when Gad was come to David, he told him, saying: Either seven years of famine shall come to thee in thy land: or thou shalt flee three months before thy adversaries, and they shall pursue thee: or for three days there shall be a pestilence in thy land. Now therefore deliberate, and see what answer I shall return to him that sent me.

14 And David said to Gad: I am in a great strait: but it is better that I should fall into the hands of the Lord (for his mercies are many) than into the hands of men.

15 And the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel, from the morning unto the time appointed, and there died of the people from Dan to Bersabee seventy thousand men.

16 And when the angel of the Lord had stretched out his hand over Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord had pity on the affliction, and said to the angel that slew the people: It is enough: now hold thy hand. And the angel of the Lord was by the thrashingfloor of Areuna the Jebusite.

17 And David said to the Lord, when he saw the angel striking the people: It is I; I am he that have sinned, I have done wickedly: these that are the sheep, what have they done? let thy hand, I beseech thee, be turned against me, and against my father’s house.

18 And Gad came to David that day, and said: Go up, and build an altar to the Lord in the thrashingfloor of Areuna the Jebusite.

19 And David went up according to the word of Gad which the Lord had commanded him.

20 And Areuna looked, and saw the king and his servants coming towards him:

21 And going out he worshipped the king, bowing with his face to the earth, and said: Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant? And David said to him: To buy the thrashingfloor of thee, and build an altar to the Lord, that the plague, which rageth among the people, may cease.

22 And Areuna said to David: Let my lord the king take, and offer, as it seemeth good to him: thou hast here oxen for a holocaust, and the wain, and the yokes of the oxen for wood.

23 All these things Areuna as a king gave to the king: and Areuna said to the king: The Lord thy God receive thy vow.

24 And the king answered him, and said: Nay, but I will buy it of thee, at a price, and I will not offer to the Lord my God holocausts free cost. So David bought the floor, and the oxen, for fifty sicles of silver:

25 And David built there an altar to the Lord, and offered holocausts and peace offerings: and the Lord became merciful to the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.