David Made King over All Israel

11 ^(A)Then all Israel gathered to David at Hebron ^[a]and said, “Behold, we are your bone and your flesh. ² In times past, even when Saul was king, you were the one who led out and brought in Israel; and the Lord your God said to you, ‘^(B)You shall shepherd My people Israel, and you shall be prince over My people Israel.’” ³ So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and David made a covenant with them in Hebron before the Lord; and ^(C)they anointed David king over Israel, ^(D)according to the word of the Lord through Samuel.

Jerusalem, Capital City

⁴ Then David and all Israel went to Jerusalem (^(E)that is, Jebus); and the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, were there. ⁵ The inhabitants of Jebus said to David, “You shall not enter here.” Nevertheless David captured the stronghold of Zion (that is, the city of David). ⁶ Now David had said, “Whoever strikes down a Jebusite first shall be chief and commander.” ^(F)Joab the son of Zeruiah went up first, so he became chief. ⁷ Then David dwelt in the stronghold; therefore it was called the city of David. ⁸ He ^[b]built the city all around, from the ^[c]Millo even to the surrounding area; and Joab ^[d]repaired the rest of the city. ^9 (G)David became greater and greater, for the Lord of hosts was with him.

David’s Mighty Men

^10 (H)Now these are the heads of the mighty men whom David had, who gave him strong support in his kingdom, together with all Israel, to make him king, ^(I)according to the word of the Lord concerning Israel. ¹¹ These constitute the list of the mighty men whom David had: ^(J)Jashobeam, the son of a Hachmonite, ^(K)the chief of the thirty; he lifted up his spear against three hundred ^[e]whom he killed at one time.

¹² After him was Eleazar the son of ^(L)Dodo, the Ahohite, who was ^[f]one of the three mighty men. ¹³ He was with David at ^[g]Pasdammim ^(M)when the Philistines were gathered together there to battle, and there was a plot of ground full of barley; and the people fled before the Philistines. ¹⁴ They took their stand in the midst of the plot and defended it, and struck down the Philistines; and the Lord saved them by a great ^[h]victory.

¹⁵ Now three of the thirty chief men went down to the rock to David, into the cave of Adullam, while ^(N)the army of the Philistines was camping in the valley of Rephaim. ¹⁶ David was then in the stronghold, while ^(O)the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. ¹⁷ David had a craving and said, “Oh that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!” ¹⁸ So the three broke through the camp of the Philistines and drew water from the well of Bethlehem which was by the gate, and took it and brought it to David; nevertheless David would not drink it, but poured it out to the Lord; ¹⁹ and he said, “Be it far from me before my God that I should do this. Shall I drink the blood of these men who went ^[i]at the risk of their lives? For at the risk of their lives they brought it.” Therefore he would not drink it. These things the three mighty men did.

²⁰ As for ^[j]Abshai the brother of Joab, he was chief of the ^[k]thirty, and he swung his spear against three hundred ^[l]and killed them; and he had a name as well as the ^[m]thirty. ²¹ Of the three in the second rank he was the most honored and became their commander; however, he did not attain to the first three.

^22 (P)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, mighty in deeds, struck down the ^[n]two sons of Ariel of Moab. He also went down and ^[o]killed a lion inside a pit on a snowy day. ²³ He ^[p]killed an Egyptian, a man of great stature five ^[q]cubits tall. Now in the Egyptian’s hand was ^(Q)a spear like a weaver’s beam, but he went down to him with a club and snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and ^[r]killed him with his own spear. ²⁴ These things Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did, and had a name as well as the three mighty men. ²⁵ Behold, he was honored among the thirty, but he did not attain to the three; and David appointed him over his guard.

²⁶ Now the mighty men of the armies were Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, ^27 [s]Shammoth the Harorite, Helez the ^[t]Pelonite, ²⁸ Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, Abiezer the Anathothite, ^29 [u]Sibbecai the Hushathite, ^[v]Ilai the Ahohite, ³⁰ Maharai the Netophathite, ^[w]Heled the son of Baanah the Netophathite, ³¹ Ithai the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the sons of Benjamin, Benaiah the Pirathonite, ^32 [x]Hurai of the brooks of Gaash, ^[y]Abiel the Arbathite, ³³ Azmaveth the Baharumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite, ³⁴ the sons of ^[z]Hashem the Gizonite, Jonathan the son of Shagee the Hararite, ³⁵ Ahiam the son of ^[aa]Sacar the Hararite, ^[ab]Eliphal the son of Ur, ³⁶ Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite, ³⁷ Hezro the Carmelite, ^[ac]Naarai the son of Ezbai, ³⁸ Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar the son of Hagri, ³⁹ Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Berothite, the armor bearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah, ⁴⁰ Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, ⁴¹ Uriah the Hittite, Zabad the son of Ahlai, ⁴² Adina the son of Shiza the Reubenite, a chief of the Reubenites, and thirty with him, ⁴³ Hanan the son of Maacah and Joshaphat the Mithnite, ⁴⁴ Uzzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Jeiel the sons of Hotham the Aroerite, ⁴⁵ Jediael the son of Shimri and Joha his brother, the Tizite, ⁴⁶ Eliel the Mahavite and Jeribai and Joshaviah, the sons of Elnaam, and Ithmah the Moabite, ⁴⁷ Eliel and Obed and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.