David’s Last Words

23 Now these are the last words of David.

Thus says David the son of Jesse;
Thus says (A)the man raised up on high,
(B)The anointed of the God of Jacob,
And the sweet psalmist of Israel:

“The(C) Spirit of the Lord spoke by me,
And His word was on my tongue.
The God of Israel said,
(D)The Rock of Israel spoke to me:
‘He who rules over men must be just,
Ruling (E)in the fear of God.
And (F)he shall be like the light of the morning when the sun rises,
A morning without clouds,
Like the tender grass springing out of the earth,
By clear shining after rain.’

“Although my house is not so with God,
(G)Yet He has made with me an everlasting covenant,
Ordered in all things and secure.
For this is all my salvation and all my desire;
Will He not make it increase?
But the sons of rebellion shall all be as thorns thrust away,
Because they cannot be taken with hands.
But the man who touches them
Must be [a]armed with iron and the shaft of a spear,
And they shall be utterly burned with fire in their place.”

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 23:7 Lit. filled

David’s Last Words

23 These are the last words of David:

“The inspired utterance of David son of Jesse,
    the utterance of the man exalted(A) by the Most High,
the man anointed(B) by the God of Jacob,
    the hero of Israel’s songs:

“The Spirit(C) of the Lord spoke through me;
    his word was on my tongue.
The God of Israel spoke,
    the Rock(D) of Israel said to me:
‘When one rules over people in righteousness,(E)
    when he rules in the fear(F) of God,(G)
he is like the light(H) of morning(I) at sunrise(J)
    on a cloudless morning,
like the brightness after rain(K)
    that brings grass from the earth.’

“If my house were not right with God,
    surely he would not have made with me an everlasting covenant,(L)
    arranged and secured in every part;
surely he would not bring to fruition my salvation
    and grant me my every desire.
But evil men are all to be cast aside like thorns,(M)
    which are not gathered with the hand.
Whoever touches thorns
    uses a tool of iron or the shaft of a spear;
    they are burned up where they lie.”

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