1 Chronicles 11
New King James Version
David Made King over All Israel(A)
11 Then (B)all Israel came together to David at Hebron, saying, “Indeed we are your bone and your flesh. 2 Also, in time past, even when Saul was king, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them in; and the Lord your (C)God said to you, ‘You shall (D)shepherd My people Israel, and be ruler over My people Israel.’ ” 3 Therefore all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord. And (E)they anointed David king over Israel, according to the word of the Lord [a]by (F)Samuel.
The City of David(G)
4 And David and all Israel (H)went to Jerusalem, which is Jebus, (I)where the Jebusites were, the inhabitants of the land. 5 But the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, “You shall not come in here!” Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion (that is, the City of David). 6 Now David said, “Whoever attacks the Jebusites first shall be [b]chief and captain.” And Joab the son of Zeruiah went up first, and became chief. 7 Then David dwelt in the stronghold; therefore they called it [c]the City of David. 8 And he built the city around it, from [d]the Millo to the surrounding area. Joab [e]repaired the rest of the city. 9 So David (J)went on and became great, and the Lord of hosts was with (K)him.
The Mighty Men of David(L)
10 Now (M)these were the heads of the mighty men whom David had, who strengthened themselves with him in his kingdom, with all Israel, to make him king, according to (N)the word of the Lord concerning Israel.
11 And this is the number of the mighty men whom David had: (O)Jashobeam the son of a Hachmonite, (P)chief of [f]the captains; he had lifted up his spear against three hundred, killed by him at one time.
12 After him was Eleazar the son of (Q)Dodo, the Ahohite, who was one of the three mighty men. 13 He was with David at [g]Pasdammim. Now there the Philistines were gathered for battle, and there was a piece of ground full of barley. So the people fled from the Philistines. 14 But they [h]stationed themselves in the middle of that field, defended it, and killed the Philistines. So the Lord brought about a great victory.
15 Now three of the thirty chief men (R)went down to the rock to David, into the cave of Adullam; and the army of the Philistines encamped (S)in the Valley of [i]Rephaim. 16 David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. 17 And David said with longing, “Oh, that someone would give me a drink of water from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!” 18 So the three broke through the camp of the Philistines, drew water from the well of Bethlehem that 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, “Far be it from me, O my God, that I should do this! Shall I drink the blood of these men who have put their lives in jeopardy? For at the risk of their lives they brought it.” Therefore he would not drink it. These things were done by the three mighty men.
20 (T)Abishai the brother of Joab was chief of another [j]three. He had lifted up his spear against three hundred men, killed them, and won a name among these three. 21 (U)Of the three he was more honored than the other two men. Therefore he became their captain. However he did not attain to the first three.
22 Benaiah was the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man from Kabzeel, who [k]had done many deeds. (V)He had killed two lion-like heroes of Moab. He also had gone down and killed a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day. 23 And he killed an Egyptian, a man of great height, [l]five cubits tall. In the Egyptian’s hand there was a spear like a weaver’s beam; and he went down to him with a staff, wrested the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and killed him with his own spear. 24 These things Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did, and won a name among three mighty men. 25 Indeed he was more honored than the thirty, but he did not attain to the first three. And David appointed him over his guard.
26 Also the mighty warriors were (W)Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, 27 [m]Shammoth the Harorite, (X)Helez the [n]Pelonite, 28 (Y)Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, (Z)Abiezer the Anathothite, 29 [o]Sibbechai the Hushathite, [p]Ilai the Ahohite, 30 (AA)Maharai the Netophathite, [q]Heled the son of Baanah the Netophathite, 31 [r]Ithai the son of Ribai of Gibeah, of the sons of Benjamin, (AB)Benaiah the Pirathonite, 32 [s]Hurai of the brooks of Gaash, [t]Abiel the Arbathite, 33 Azmaveth the [u]Baharumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite, 34 the sons of [v]Hashem the Gizonite, Jonathan the son of Shageh the Hararite, 35 Ahiam the son of [w]Sacar the Hararite, [x]Eliphal the son of [y]Ur, 36 Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite, 37 [z]Hezro the Carmelite, [aa]Naarai the son of Ezbai, 38 Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar the son of Hagri, 39 Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the [ab]Berothite (the armorbearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah), 40 Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, 41 (AC)Uriah the Hittite, [ac]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 Maachah, 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, Jeribai and Joshaviah the sons of Elnaam, Ithmah the Moabite, 47 Eliel, Obed, and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.
Footnotes
- 1 Chronicles 11:3 Lit. by the hand of Samuel
- 1 Chronicles 11:6 Lit. head
- 1 Chronicles 11:7 Zion, 2 Sam. 5:7
- 1 Chronicles 11:8 Lit. The Landfill
- 1 Chronicles 11:8 Lit. revived
- 1 Chronicles 11:11 So with Qr.; Kt., LXX, Vg. the thirty (cf. 2 Sam. 23:8)
- 1 Chronicles 11:13 Ephes Dammim, 1 Sam. 17:1
- 1 Chronicles 11:14 Lit. took their stand
- 1 Chronicles 11:15 Lit. Giants
- 1 Chronicles 11:20 So with MT, LXX, Vg.; Syr. thirty
- 1 Chronicles 11:22 was great in deeds
- 1 Chronicles 11:23 About 7 1⁄2 feet
- 1 Chronicles 11:27 Shammah the Harodite, 2 Sam. 23:25
- 1 Chronicles 11:27 Paltite, 2 Sam. 23:26
- 1 Chronicles 11:29 Mebunnai, 2 Sam. 23:27
- 1 Chronicles 11:29 Zalmon, 2 Sam. 23:28
- 1 Chronicles 11:30 Heleb, 2 Sam. 23:29, or Heldai, 1 Chr. 27:15
- 1 Chronicles 11:31 Ittai, 2 Sam. 23:29
- 1 Chronicles 11:32 Hiddai, 2 Sam. 23:30
- 1 Chronicles 11:32 Abi-Albon, 2 Sam. 23:31
- 1 Chronicles 11:33 Barhumite, 2 Sam. 23:31
- 1 Chronicles 11:34 Jashen, 2 Sam. 23:32
- 1 Chronicles 11:35 Sharar, 2 Sam. 23:33
- 1 Chronicles 11:35 Eliphelet, 2 Sam. 23:34
- 1 Chronicles 11:35 Ahasbai, 2 Sam. 23:34
- 1 Chronicles 11:37 Hezrai, 2 Sam. 23:38
- 1 Chronicles 11:37 Paarai the Arbite, 2 Sam. 23:35
- 1 Chronicles 11:39 Beerothite, 2 Sam. 23:37
- 1 Chronicles 11:41 The last sixteen are not added in 2 Sam. 23.
1 Chronicles 11
English Standard Version
David Anointed King
11 (A)Then all Israel gathered together to David at Hebron and said, “Behold, we are your bone and flesh. 2 In times past, even when Saul was king, it was you who led out and brought in Israel. And the Lord your God said to you, (B)‘You shall be shepherd of 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 at Hebron before the Lord. And they anointed David king over Israel, (C)according to the word of the Lord by Samuel.
David Takes Jerusalem
4 And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, (D)that is, Jebus, where the Jebusites were, (E)the inhabitants of the land. 5 The inhabitants of Jebus said to David, “You will not come in here.” Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion, that is, the city of David. 6 David said, “Whoever strikes the Jebusites first (F)shall be chief and commander.” And Joab the son of Zeruiah went up first, so he became chief. 7 And David lived in the stronghold; therefore it was called the city of David. 8 And he built the city all around from the Millo in complete circuit, and Joab repaired the rest of the city. 9 And David (G)became greater and greater, for the Lord of hosts was with him.
David's Mighty Men
10 (H)Now these are the chiefs of David's mighty men, 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 This is an account of David's mighty men: (J)Jashobeam, a (K)Hachmonite, was (L)chief of the three.[a] He wielded his spear against 300 whom he killed at one time.
12 And next to him among the three mighty men was Eleazar the son of (M)Dodo, the Ahohite. 13 He was with David at Pas-dammim (N)when the Philistines were gathered there for battle. There was a plot of ground full of barley, and the men fled from the Philistines. 14 But he took his[b] stand in the midst of the plot and defended it and killed the Philistines. And the Lord saved them by a great victory.
15 Three of the thirty chief men went down to the rock to David at the cave of Adullam, when the army of Philistines was encamped in the (O)Valley of Rephaim. 16 David was then in the stronghold, and the (P)garrison of the Philistines was then at Bethlehem. 17 And David said longingly, “Oh that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate!” 18 Then the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate and took it and brought it to David. But David would not drink it. He poured it out to the Lord 19 and said, “Far be it from me before my God that I should do this. Shall I drink the lifeblood of these men? For at the risk of their lives they brought it.” Therefore he would not drink it. These things did the three mighty men.
20 Now Abishai, the brother of Joab, was chief of the thirty.[c] And he wielded his spear against 300 men and killed them and won a name beside the three. 21 He was the most renowned[d] of the thirty[e] and became their commander, but he did not attain to the three.
22 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was a valiant man[f] of Kabzeel, a doer of great deeds. He struck down two heroes of Moab. He also went down and struck down a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen. 23 And he struck down an Egyptian, a man of great stature, five cubits[g] tall. The Egyptian had in his hand a spear (Q)like a weaver's beam, but Benaiah went down to him with a staff and snatched the spear out of the Egyptian's hand and killed him with his own spear. 24 These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and won a name beside the three mighty men. 25 He was renowned among the thirty, but he did not attain to the three. And David set him over his bodyguard.
26 The mighty men were (R)Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, 27 Shammoth of Harod,[h] Helez the Pelonite, 28 Ira the son of Ikkesh of Tekoa, Abiezer of Anathoth, 29 Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite, 30 Maharai of Netophah, Heled the son of Baanah of Netophah, 31 Ithai the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the people of Benjamin, Benaiah of Pirathon, 32 Hurai of the brooks of Gaash, Abiel the Arbathite, 33 Azmaveth of Baharum, Eliahba the Shaalbonite, 34 Hashem[i] the Gizonite, Jonathan the son of Shagee the Hararite, 35 Ahiam the son of Sachar the Hararite, Eliphal the son of Ur, 36 Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite, 37 Hezro of Carmel, Naarai the son of Ezbai, 38 Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar the son of (S)Hagri, 39 Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai of Beeroth, the armor-bearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah, 40 Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, 41 Uriah the Hittite, (T)Zabad the son of Ahlai, 42 Adina the son of Shiza the Reubenite, a leader 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.
Footnotes
- 1 Chronicles 11:11 Compare 2 Samuel 23:8; Hebrew thirty, or captains
- 1 Chronicles 11:14 Compare 2 Samuel 23:12; Hebrew they… their
- 1 Chronicles 11:20 Syriac; Hebrew three
- 1 Chronicles 11:21 Compare 2 Samuel 23:19; Hebrew more renowned among the two
- 1 Chronicles 11:21 Syriac; Hebrew three
- 1 Chronicles 11:22 Syriac; Hebrew the son of a valiant man
- 1 Chronicles 11:23 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters
- 1 Chronicles 11:27 Compare 2 Samuel 23:25; Hebrew the Harorite
- 1 Chronicles 11:34 Compare Septuagint and 2 Samuel 23:32; Hebrew the sons of Hashem
1 Chronicles 11
International Children’s Bible
David Becomes King
11 All the people of Israel came to David at the town of Hebron. They said, “We are your people. 2 Even when Saul was king, you were the man who led Israel in battle. The Lord your God spoke to you. He said, ‘David, you will be the shepherd of my people, the people of Israel. You will become their leader.’”
3 All the elders of Israel came to King David at Hebron. He made an agreement with them before the Lord in Hebron. The leaders poured olive oil on David to appoint him king over Israel. The Lord had promised this would happen. He had made this promise through Samuel.
David Defeats Jerusalem
4 David and all the Israelites went to the city of Jerusalem. At that time Jerusalem was called Jebus. The people living there were named Jebusites. 5 They said to David, “You can’t get inside our city.” But David captured their strong city of Jerusalem, the City of David.
6 David had said, “The person who leads the attack against the Jebusites will become the commander over all my army.” Joab son of Zeruiah led the attack. So he became the commander of the army.
7 Then David made his home in the strong, walled city. That is why it was named the City of David. 8 David rebuilt the city. He started where the land was filled in and went to the wall that was around the city. Joab repaired the other parts of the city. 9 David became more and more powerful. And the Lord of heaven’s armies was with him.
David’s Mighty Warriors
10 This is a list of the leaders over David’s warriors. These warriors helped make David’s kingdom strong. All the people of Israel also supported David’s kingdom. These heroes and all the people of Israel made David king. This happened as the Lord had promised.
11 This is a list of David’s warriors:
Jashobeam was from the Hacmonite people. He was the leader of the Three,[a] David’s most powerful soldiers. He used his spear to fight 300 men at one time. And he killed them all.
12 Next was Eleazar. He was one of the Three. Eleazar was Dodai’s son. Dodai was from the Ahohite people. 13 Eleazar was with David at Pas-Dammim. The Philistines came there to fight the Israelites. There was a field of barley at that place. The Israelites ran away from the Philistines. 14 But they stopped in the middle of that field and fought the Philistines. And they killed the Philistines. The Lord gave Israel a great victory.
15 Three of the 30 leaders went to David. He was at the rock by the cave near Adullam. At the same time a group from the Philistine army was camped in the Valley of Rephaim.
16 David was in a protected place at that time. The Philistine army was staying in the town of Bethlehem. 17 David had a strong desire for some water. He said, “Oh, I wish someone would get me water from the well near the city gate of Bethlehem!” 18 So the Three fought their way through the Philistine army. And they took water out of the well near the city gate in Bethlehem. Then they took it back to David. But he refused to drink it. He poured it out before the Lord. 19 David said, “May God keep me from drinking this water! It would be like drinking the blood of the men who risked their lives to bring me this water.” So David refused to drink it.
These were the brave things the Three did.
20 Abishai brother of Joab was the leader of the Three. Abishai fought 300 men with his spear and killed them. He became as famous as the Three. 21 He was more honored than the Three. He became their commander even though he was not one of them.
22 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a brave fighter from Kabzeel. Benaiah did many brave things. He killed two of the best warriors from Moab. He also went down into a pit when it was snowing. There he killed a lion. 23 Benaiah also killed an Egyptian who was about seven and a half feet tall. The Egyptian had a spear as large as a weaver’s rod. Benaiah had a club. But he grabbed the spear from the Egyptian’s hand. And he used the Egyptian’s own spear to kill him. 24 These were the things Benaiah son of Jehoiada did. Benaiah became as famous as the Three. 25 He received more honor than the Thirty, David’s most powerful soldiers. But he did not become a member of the Three. David chose Benaiah to be the leader of his bodyguards.
26 These were also mighty warriors:
Asahel brother of Joab;
Elhanan son of Dodo from Bethlehem;
27 Shammoth from the Harorites;
Helez from the Pelonites;
28 Ira son of Ikkesh from Tekoa;
Abiezer from the Anathothites;
29 Sibbecai from the Hushathites;
Ilai from the Ahohites;
30 Maharai from the Netophathites;
Heled son of Baanah from the Netophathites;
31 Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah in Benjamin.
Benaiah from the Pirathonites;
32 Hurai from the ravines of Gaash;
Abiel from the Arbathites;
33 Azmaveth from the Baharumites;
Eliahba from the Shaalbonites;
34 the sons of Hashem from the Gizonites;
Jonathan son of Shagee from the Hararites;
35 Ahiam son of Sacar from the Hararites;
Eliphal son of Ur;
36 Hepher from the Mekerathites;
Ahijah from the Pelonites;
37 Hezro from the Carmelites;
Naarai son of Ezbai;
38 Joel brother of Nathan;
Mibhar son of Hagri;
39 Zelek from the Ammonites;
Naharai, from the Berothites, the officer who carried the armor for Joab son of Zeruiah;
40 Ira from the Ithrites;
Gareb from the Ithrites;
41 Uriah from the Hittites;
Zabad son of Ahlai;
42 Adina son of Shiza the Reubenite, who was the leader of the Reubenites, and his 30 soldiers;
43 Hanan son of Maacah;
Joshaphat from the Mithnites;
44 Uzzia from the Ashterathites;
Shama and Jeiel sons of Hotham from the Aroer;
45 Jediael son of Shimri;
Joha, Jediael’s brother, from the Tizites;
46 Eliel from the Mahavites;
Jeribai and Joshaviah, Elnaam’s sons;
Ithmah from the Moabites;
47 Eliel, Obed and Jaasiel from the Mezobaites.
Footnotes
- 11:11 Three Or maybe “Thirty.” These were David’s most powerful soldiers. See 2 Samuel 23:8.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.