1Then all Israel gathered themselves to David unto Hebron, saying: ‘Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh. 2In times past, even when Saul was king, it was thou that didst lead out and bring in Israel; and the LORD thy God said unto thee: Thou shalt feed My people Israel, and thou shalt be prince over My people Israel.’ 3So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and David made a covenant with them in Hebron before the LORD; and they anointed David king over Israel, according to the word of the LORD by the hand of Samuel.

4And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem—the same is Jebus—and the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, were there. 5And the inhabitants of Jebus said to David: ‘Thou shalt not come in hither.’ Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion; the same is the city of David. 6And David said: ‘Whosoever smiteth the Jebusites first shall be chief and captain.’ And Joab the son of Zeruiah went up first, and was made chief. 7And David dwelt in the stronghold; therefore they called it the city of David. 8And he built the city round about, from Millo even round about; and Joab repaired the rest of the city. 9And David waxed greater and greater; for the LORD of hosts was with him.

10Now these are the chief of the mighty men whom David had, who held strongly with him in his kingdom, together with all Israel, to make him king, according to the word of the LORD concerning Israel. 11And this is the number of the mighty men whom David had: Jashobeam, the son of a Hachmonite, the chief of the captains; he lifted up his spear against three hundred and slew them at one time.

12And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, who was one of the three mighty men. 13He was with David at Pas-dammim, and there the Philistines were gathered together to battle, where was a plot of ground full of barley; and the people fled from before the Philistines. 14But they stood in the midst of the plot, and defended it, and slew the Philistines; and the LORD saved them by a great victory.

15And three of the thirty chiefs went down to the rock to David, unto the cave of Adullam; and the host of the Philistines were encamped in the valley of Rephaim. 16And David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Beth-lehem. 17And David longed, and said: ‘Oh that one would give me water to drink of the well of Beth-lehem, which is by the gate!’ 18And the three broke through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Beth-lehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David; but David would not drink thereof, but poured it out unto the LORD, 19and said: ‘My God forbid it me, that I should do this; shall I drink the blood of these men that have put their lives in jeopardy? for with the jeopardy of their lives they brought it.’ Therefore he would not drink it. These things did the three mighty men.

20And aAbishai, the brother of Joab, he was chief of the three; for he lifted up his spear against three hundred and slew them, and had a name among the three. 21Of the three in the second rank he was the most honourable, and was made their captain; howbeit he attained not to the first three.

22Beniah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done mighty deeds, he smote the two altar-hearths of Moab; he went down also and slew a lion in the midst of a pit in time of snow. 23And he slew an Egyptian, a man of great stature, five cubits high; and in the Egyptian’s hand was a spear like a weaver’s beam; and he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and slew him with his own spear. 24These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and had a name among the three mighty men. 25Behold, he was more honourable than the thirty, but he attained not to the first three; and David set him over his guard.

26Also the mighty men of valour: Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan the son of Dodo of Beth-lehem; 27Shammoth the Harorite, Helez the Pelonite; 28Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, Abiezer the Anathothite; 29Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite; 30Mahrai the Netophathite, Heled the son of Baanah the Netophathite; 31Ithai the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the children of Benjamin, Benaiah the Pirathonite; 32Hurai of Nahale-gaash, Abiel the Arbathite; 33Azmaveth the Baharumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite; 34the sons of Hashem the Gizonite, Jonathan the son of Shageh the Hararite; 35Ahiam the son of Sacar the Hararite, Eliphal the son of Ur; 36Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite; 37Hezro the Carmelite, Naarai the son of Ezbai; 38Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar the son of Hagri; 39Zelek the Ammonite, Nahrai the Berothite, the armour-bearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah; 40Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite; 41Uriah the Hittite, Zabad the son of Ahlai; 42Adina the son of Shiza the Reubenite, a chief of the Reubenites, and thirty with him; 43Hanan the son of Maacah, and Joshaphat the Mithnite; 44Uzzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Jeiel the sons of Hotham the Aroerite; 45Jediael the son of Shimri, and Joha his brother, the Tizite; 46Eliel the Mahavite, and Jeribai, and Joshaviah, the sons of Elnaam, and Ithmah the Moabite; 47Eliel, and Obed, and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.

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Footnotes:

{fn: a} Heb. Abshai.