1 Chronicles 11
New American Standard Bible
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 leader 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)in accordance with the word of the Lord through Samuel.
Jerusalem Is the 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 took the mountain stronghold of Zion (that is, the city of David). 6 Now David had said, “Whoever is first to [b]kill a Jebusite shall be chief and commander.” (F)Joab the son of Zeruiah went up first, so he became chief. 7 Then David lived in the stronghold; therefore it was called the city of David. 8 He [c]built the city all around, from the [d]Millo to the surrounding area; and Joab [e]repaired the rest of the city. 9 (G)And David became greater and greater, for the Lord of armies was with him.
David’s Mighty Men
10 (H)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, (I)in accordance with the word of the Lord concerning Israel. 11 These constitute the list of David’s mighty men: (J)Jashobeam, the son of a Hachmonite, (K)the chief of the thirty; he wielded his spear against three hundred [f]whom he killed at one time.
12 After him was Eleazar the son of (L)Dodo, the Ahohite, who was [g]one of the three mighty men. 13 He was with David at [h]Pas-dammim (M)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 [i]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 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 [j]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 [k]Abshai the brother of Joab, he was chief of the [l]thirty, and he wielded his spear against three hundred [m]and killed them; and he had a name [n]as well as the [o]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 (P)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a warrior of Kabzeel, mighty in deeds, struck and killed the [p]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 [q]five 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 killed him with his own spear. 24 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did these things, and had a name [r]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.
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 his brother Joha the Tizite, 46 Eliel the Mahavite, and Jeribai and Joshaviah, the sons of Elnaam, Ithmah the Moabite, 47 Eliel, Obed, and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.
Footnotes
- 1 Chronicles 11:1 Lit saying
- 1 Chronicles 11:6 Lit strike
- 1 Chronicles 11:8 Or fortified
- 1 Chronicles 11:8 I.e., terraced structure
- 1 Chronicles 11:8 Lit revived
- 1 Chronicles 11:11 Lit slain ones
- 1 Chronicles 11:12 Lit among
- 1 Chronicles 11:13 In 1 Sam 17:1, Ephes-dammim
- 1 Chronicles 11:14 Or salvation
- 1 Chronicles 11:19 Lit with their souls
- 1 Chronicles 11:20 In 2 Sam 23:18, Abishai
- 1 Chronicles 11:20 As in Syriac; MT three
- 1 Chronicles 11:20 Lit slain ones
- 1 Chronicles 11:20 Lit among the
- 1 Chronicles 11:20 As in Syriac; MT three
- 1 Chronicles 11:22 Or two lion-like heroes of
- 1 Chronicles 11:23 About 7.5 ft. or 2.3 m
- 1 Chronicles 11:24 Lit among the
- 1 Chronicles 11:27 In 2 Sam 23:25, Shammah the Harodite
- 1 Chronicles 11:27 In 2 Sam 23:26, Paltite
- 1 Chronicles 11:29 In 2 Sam 23:27, Mebunnai
- 1 Chronicles 11:29 In 2 Sam 23:28, Zalmon
- 1 Chronicles 11:30 In 2 Sam 23:29, Heleb
- 1 Chronicles 11:32 In 2 Sam 23:30, Hiddai
- 1 Chronicles 11:32 In 2 Sam 23:31, Abi-albon
- 1 Chronicles 11:34 In 2 Sam 23:32, Jashen
- 1 Chronicles 11:35 In 2 Sam 23:33, Sharar
- 1 Chronicles 11:35 In 2 Sam 23:34, Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai
- 1 Chronicles 11:37 In 2 Sam 23:35, Paarai the Arbite
1 Chronicles 11
Easy-to-Read Version
David Becomes King Over Israel
11 All the Israelites came to David at the town of Hebron. They said to David, “We are your own flesh and blood.[a] 2 In the past you led us in war. You led us even though Saul was the king. The Lord said to you ‘David, you will be the shepherd of my people, the Israelites. You will become the leader over my people.’”
3 All the leaders of Israel came to King David at the town of Hebron. David made an agreement with them in Hebron before the Lord. The leaders anointed David. That made him king over Israel. The Lord had promised through Samuel that this would happen.
David Captures Jerusalem
4 David and all the Israelites went to the city of Jerusalem. Jerusalem was called Jebus at that time. The people living in that city were named Jebusites. They 5 said to David, “You cannot get inside our city.” But David did defeat them. He took over the fortress of Zion, and it became the City of David.
6 David said, “The one who leads the attack on the Jebusites will become the commander over all my army.” So Joab led the attack. He was Zeruiah’s son. Joab became the commander of the army.
7 Then David made his home in the fortress. That is why it is named the City of David. 8 David built the city around the fort. He built it from the Millo to the wall around the city. Joab repaired the other parts of the city. 9 David continued to grow greater, and the Lord All-Powerful was with him.
The Three Heroes
10 This is a list of the leaders over David’s special soldiers. These heroes became very powerful with David in his kingdom. They and all the Israelites supported David and made him king, just as the Lord had promised.
11 This is a list of David’s special soldiers:
Jashobeam the Hacmonite[b] was the leader of the king’s special forces.[c] Jashobeam used his spear to kill 300 men at one time.
12 Next there was Eleazar son of Dodai[d] from Ahoah. Eleazar was one of the Three Heroes.[e] 13 Eleazar was with David at Pasdammim. The Philistines had come to that place to fight a war. There was a field full of barley there. The Israelites ran away from the Philistines. 14 But the Three Heroes stood there in that field and defended it. They defeated the Philistines. The Lord gave the Israelites a great victory.
15 Once David was at the cave of Adullam, and three of the Thirty Heroes[f] went down to meet him by a rock near the cave. At the same time the Philistine army was camped in the Valley of Rephaim.
16 Another time David was in the fortress, and a group of Philistine soldiers was stationed in Bethlehem. 17 David was thirsty for some water from his hometown, so he said, “Oh, if only I could have some water from that well by the gate in Bethlehem.” 18 So the Three Heroes[g] fought their way through the Philistine army and got some water from the well near the city gate in Bethlehem. They took it to David, but he refused to drink it. He poured it on the ground as an offering to the Lord. 19 David said, “God, I cannot drink this water. It would be like drinking the blood of the men who risked their lives to get this water for me.” That is why David refused to drink the water. The Three Heroes did many brave things like that.
Other Brave Soldiers
20 Joab’s brother, Abishai, was the leader of the Three Heroes. Abishai used his spear against 300 enemies and killed them. He was as famous as the Three Heroes. 21 Abishai was even more famous than the Three Heroes.[h] He became their leader, even though he was not one of the Three Heroes.
22 Then there was Benaiah son of Jehoiada, from Kabzeel. He was the son of a powerful man.[i] Benaiah did many brave things. He killed two of the best soldiers in Moab. One day when it was snowing, Benaiah went down into a hole in the ground and killed a lion. 23 And Benaiah killed a big Egyptian soldier. That man was about 7 1/2 feet[j] tall. The Egyptian had a spear that was very large and heavy. It was as big as the pole on a weaver’s loom. Benaiah had only a club. He grabbed the spear in the Egyptian’s hands and took it away from him. Then Benaiah killed the Egyptian with his own spear. 24 Benaiah son of Jehoiada did many brave things like that. He was as famous as the Three Heroes. 25 Benaiah was even more famous than the Thirty Heroes, but he was not one of the Three Heroes. David made Benaiah the leader of his bodyguards.
The Thirty Heroes
26 The following men were among the king’s special forces:
Asahel, Joab’s brother;
Elhanan son of Dodai from Bethlehem;
27 Shammoth the Harodite;
Helez the Pelonite;
28 Ira son of Ikkesh from Tekoa;
Abiezer from Anathoth;
29 Sibbecai the Hushathite;
Ilai from Ahoah;
30 Maharai from Netophah;
Heled son of Baanah from Netophah;
31 Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah in Benjamin;
Benaiah the Pirathonite;
32 Hurai from the Brooks of Gaash;
Abiel the Arbathite;
33 Azmaveth the Baharumite;
Eliahba the Shaalbonite;
34 the sons of Hashem the Gizonite;
Jonathan son of Shagee the Hararite;
35 Ahiam son of Sacar the Hararite;
Eliphal son of Ur;
36 Hepher the Mekerathite;
Ahijah the Pelonite;
37 Hezro the Carmelite;
Naarai son of Ezbai;
38 Joel, Nathan’s brother;
Mibhar son of Hagri;
39 Zelek the Ammonite;
Naharai the officer from Beeroth, who carried the armor for Joab son of Zeruiah;
40 Ira the Ithrite;
Gareb the Ithrite;
41 Uriah the Hittite;
Zabad son of Ahlai;
42 Adina who was the son of Shiza from the tribe of Reuben and was the leader of the tribe and one of the Thirty Heroes;
43 Hanan son of Maacah;
Joshaphat the Mithnite;
44 Uzzia the Ashterathite;
Shama and Jeiel sons of Hotham from Aroer;
45 Jediael son of Shimri
and his brother Joha 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 11:1 We are … blood A way of saying they were David’s relatives.
- 1 Chronicles 11:11 Jashobeam the Hacmonite This is “Josheb Basshebeth the Tahkemonite” in 2 Sam. 23:8.
- 1 Chronicles 11:11 king’s special forces A special group of soldiers who formed three-man squads and went on special missions for the king.
- 1 Chronicles 11:12 Eleazar son of Dodai Or “Eleazar his cousin.”
- 1 Chronicles 11:12 Three Heroes These were David’s three bravest soldiers. Also in verses 18, 20, 24.
- 1 Chronicles 11:15 Thirty Heroes Or “the king’s special forces.” These men were David’s famous group of very brave soldiers. Also in verses 25, 42.
- 1 Chronicles 11:18 Three Heroes These were David’s three bravest soldiers. Also in verses 19-21.
- 1 Chronicles 11:21 Three Heroes Or possibly, “The Thirty Heroes.”
- 1 Chronicles 11:22 powerful man That is, a man from the warrior class ready to protect his people in war.
- 1 Chronicles 11:23 about 7 1/2 feet Literally, “5 short cubits” (2.22 m).
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