²⁰ Now Abishai,^[a] the brother of Joab, was chief of the Thirty.^[b] With his spear he fought against three hundred and killed them and won a name^[c] beside the Three.^(A)

⁶ Then David said to Ahimelech the Hittite and to Joab’s brother Abishai son of Zeruiah, “Who will go down with me into the camp to Saul?” Abishai said, “I will go down with you.”^(A)

¹⁶ and their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. The sons of Zeruiah: Abishai, Joab, and Asahel, three.^(A)

¹⁸ Now Abishai son of Zeruiah, the brother of Joab, was chief of the Thirty.^[a] With his spear he fought against three hundred men and killed them and won a name beside the Three.^{(A) 19} He was the most renowned of the Thirty^[b] and became their commander, but he did not attain to the Three.

²⁰ Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a valiant warrior^[c] from Kabzeel, a doer of great deeds; he struck down two sons of Ariel^[d] of Moab. He also went down and killed a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen.^{(B) 21} And he killed an Egyptian, a handsome man. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand, but Benaiah went against him with a staff, snatched the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and killed him with his own spear. ²² Such were the things Benaiah son of Jehoiada did and won a name beside the three warriors. ²³ He was renowned among the Thirty, but he did not attain to the Three. And David put him in charge of his bodyguard.^(C)

²⁴ Among the Thirty were Asahel brother of Joab; Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem;^{(D) 25} Shammah of Harod; Elika of Harod;^{(E) 26} Helez the Paltite; Ira son of Ikkesh of Tekoa; ²⁷ Abiezer of Anathoth; Mebunnai the Hushathite; ²⁸ Zalmon the Ahohite; Maharai of Netophah; ²⁹ Heleb son of Baanah of Netophah; Ittai son of Ribai of Gibeah of the Benjaminites; ³⁰ Benaiah of Pirathon; Hiddai of the wadis of Gaash; ³¹ Abi-albon the Arbathite; Azmaveth of Bahurim;^{[e] 32} Eliahba of Shaalbon; the sons of Jashen: Jonathan ³³ son of^[f] Shammah the Hararite; Ahiam son of Sharar the Hararite; ³⁴ Eliphelet son of Ahasbai of Maacah; Eliam son of Ahithophel the Gilonite; ³⁵ Hezro^[g] of Carmel; Paarai the Arbite; ³⁶ Igal son of Nathan of Zobah; Bani the Gadite; ³⁷ Zelek the Ammonite; Naharai of Beeroth, the armor-bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah; ³⁸ Ira the Ithrite; Gareb the Ithrite;^{(F) 39} Uriah the Hittite—thirty-seven in all.^(G)

¹⁷ But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to his aid and attacked the Philistine and killed him. Then David’s men swore to him, “You shall not go out with us to battle any longer, so that you do not quench the lamp of Israel.”^(A)

⁶ David said to Abishai, “Now Sheba son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom; take your lord’s servants and pursue him, or he will find fortified cities for himself and escape from us.”^(A)

² And David sent forth the army: one third under the command of Joab; one third under the command of Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother; and one third under the command of Ittai the Gittite. The king said to the men, “I myself will also go out with you.”^(A)

³⁰ So Joab and his brother Abishai murdered Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.^(A)

¹⁸ The three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Now Asahel was as swift of foot as a wild gazelle.^(A)