1 Chronicles 11:9-25

New American Standard Bible

^9 (A)And David became greater and greater, for the Lord of armies was with him.

David’s Mighty Men

^10 (B)Now these are the heads of the mighty men whom David had, who remained faithful to him in his kingdom, together with all Israel, to make him king, ^(C)in accordance with the word of the Lord concerning Israel. ¹¹ These constitute the list of David’s mighty men: ^(D)Jashobeam, the son of a Hachmonite, ^(E)the chief of the thirty; he wielded his spear against three hundred ^[a]whom he killed at one time.

¹² After him was Eleazar the son of ^(F)Dodo, the Ahohite, who was ^[b]one of the three mighty men. ¹³ He was with David at ^[c]Pas-dammim ^(G)when the Philistines were gathered together there to battle, and there was a plot of land full of barley; and the people fled from the Philistines. ¹⁴ But they took their stand in the midst of the plot and defended it, and defeated the Philistines; and the Lord saved them with a great ^[d]victory.

¹⁵ Now three of the thirty chief men went down to the rock to David, into the cave of Adullam, while ^(H)the army of the Philistines was camping in the Valley of Rephaim. ¹⁶ David was then in the stronghold, while ^(I)the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. ¹⁷ And 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; however, David would not drink it, but poured it out to the Lord; ¹⁹ and he said, “Far be it from me before my God that I would do this. Shall I drink the blood of these men who went ^[e]at the risk of their lives? For they brought it at the risk of their lives.” Therefore he would not drink it. The three mighty men did these things.

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

^22 (J)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a warrior of Kabzeel, mighty in deeds, struck and killed the ^[k]two sons of Ariel of Moab. He also went down and struck and killed a lion inside a pit on a snowy day. ²³ And he killed an Egyptian, a man of great stature ^[l]five cubits tall. Now in the Egyptian’s hand was ^(K)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 killed him with his own spear. ²⁴ Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did these things, and had a name ^[m]as well as the three mighty men. ²⁵ Behold, he was honored among the thirty, but he did not attain the reputation of the first three; and David appointed him over his bodyguard.