Study Desk

he went and got the bones of Saul and of his son Jonathan from the people of Jabesh in Gilead. (They had stolen them from the public square in Beth Shan, where the Philistines had hanged the bodies on the day they killed Saul on Mount Gilboa.)

There was another war between the Philistines and Israel, and David and his men went and fought the Philistines. During one of the battles David grew tired.

These four were descendants of the giants of Gath, and they were killed by David and his men.

When the Lord saved David from Saul and his other enemies, David sang this song to the Lord :

In my trouble I called to the Lord ; I called to my God for help. In his temple he heard my voice; he listened to my cry for help.

Smoke poured out of his nostrils, a consuming flame and burning coals from his mouth.

He tore the sky open and came down, with a dark cloud under his feet.

He flew swiftly on his winged creature; he traveled on the wings of the wind.

He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies; with flashes of lightning he sent them running.

The floor of the ocean was laid bare, and the foundations of the earth were uncovered when the Lord rebuked his enemies and roared at them in anger.

I have observed all his laws; I have not disobeyed his commands.

This God—how perfect are his deeds, how dependable his words! He is like a shield for all who seek his protection.

God gives great victories to his king; he shows constant love to the one he has chosen, to David and his descendants forever.

The spirit of the Lord speaks through me; his message is on my lips.

These are the names of David's famous soldiers: the first was Josheb Basshebeth from Tachemon, who was the leader of "The Three"; he fought with his spear against eight hundred men and killed them all in one battle.

but he stood his ground and fought the Philistines until his hand was so cramped that he could not let go of his sword. The Lord won a great victory that day. After it was over, the Israelites returned to where Eleazar was and stripped the armor from the dead.

but Shammah stood his ground in the field, defended it, and killed the Philistines. The Lord won a great victory that day.

Joab's brother Abishai (their mother was Zeruiah) was the leader of "The Famous Thirty." He fought with his spear against three hundred men and killed them, and became famous among "The Thirty."

He also killed an Egyptian, a huge man who was armed with a spear. Benaiah attacked him with his club, snatched the spear from the Egyptian's hand, and killed him with it.

He was outstanding among them, but was not as famous as "The Three." David put him in charge of his bodyguard.