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But the priest Zadok, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and the prophet Nathan, and Shammah[a] and his companions,[b] David’s own warriors, did not side with Adonijah.(A)

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Footnotes

  1. 1.8 Lucianic: Heb Shimei
  2. 1.8 Lucianic: Heb Rei

18 Shimei son of Ela, in Benjamin;(A)

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David’s Mighty Men

These are the names of the warriors whom David had: Josheb-basshebeth a Tahchemonite; he was chief of the Three;[a] he wielded his spear[b] against eight hundred whom he killed at one time.

Next to him among the three warriors was Eleazar son of Dodo son of Ahohi. He was with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle. The Israelites withdrew,(A) 10 but he stood his ground. He struck down the Philistines until his arm grew weary, though his hand clung to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day. Then the people came back to him—but only to strip the dead.(B)

11 Next to him was Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. The Philistines gathered together at Lehi, where there was a plot of ground full of lentils, and the army fled from the Philistines.(C) 12 But he took his stand in the middle of the plot, defended it, and killed the Philistines, and the Lord brought about a great victory.

13 Toward the beginning of harvest three of the thirty chiefs went down to join David at the cave of Adullam while a band of Philistines was encamped in the valley of Rephaim.(D) 14 David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then at Bethlehem.(E) 15 David said longingly, “Oh, that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate!” 16 Then the three warriors broke through the camp of the Philistines, drew water from the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate, and brought it to David. But he would not drink of it; he poured it out to the Lord, 17 for he said, “The Lord forbid that I should do this. Can I drink the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives?” Therefore he would not drink it. The three warriors did these things.(F)

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

20 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a valiant warrior[e] from Kabzeel, a doer of great deeds; he struck down two sons of Ariel[f] of Moab. He also went down and killed a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen.(H) 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.(I)

24 Among the Thirty were Asahel brother of Joab; Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem;(J) 25 Shammah of Harod; Elika of Harod;(K) 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;[g] 32 Eliahba of Shaalbon; the sons of Jashen: Jonathan 33 son of[h] Shammah the Hararite; Ahiam son of Sharar the Hararite; 34 Eliphelet son of Ahasbai of Maacah; Eliam son of Ahithophel the Gilonite; 35 Hezro[i] 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;(L) 39 Uriah the Hittite—thirty-seven in all.(M)

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Footnotes

  1. 23.8 Gk Vg: Meaning of Heb uncertain
  2. 23.8 Meaning of Heb uncertain
  3. 23.18 Heb mss Syr: MT Three
  4. 23.19 Heb ms Syr: Heb Was he the most renowned of the Three?
  5. 23.20 Another reading is the son of Ish-hai
  6. 23.20 Gk: Heb lacks sons of
  7. 23.31 Cn: Heb the Barhumite
  8. 23.33 Gk: Heb lacks son of
  9. 23.35 Another reading is Hezrai

25 Sheva was secretary; Zadok and Abiathar were priests;(A)

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13 the family of the house of Levi by itself and their wives by themselves; the family of the Shimeites by itself and their wives by themselves;

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The Levitical Priests

15 “But the Levitical priests, the descendants of Zadok, who kept the charge of my sanctuary when the people of Israel went astray from me, shall come near to me to minister to me, and they shall attend me to offer me the fat and the blood, says the Lord God.(A)

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The third commander, for the third month, was Benaiah son of the chief priest Jehoiada; in his division were twenty-four thousand. This is the Benaiah who was a mighty man of the Thirty and in command of the Thirty; his son Ammizabad was in charge of his division.[a](A)

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Footnotes

  1. 27.6 Gk Vg: Heb Ammizabad was his division

David’s Mighty Men and Their Exploits

10 Now these are the chiefs of David’s warriors, who gave him strong support in his kingdom, together with all Israel, to make him king, according to the word of the Lord concerning Israel.(A) 11 This is an account of David’s mighty warriors: Jashobeam, son of Hachmoni,[a] was chief of the Three;[b] he wielded his spear against three hundred whom he killed at one time.(B)

12 And next to him among the three warriors was Eleazar son of Dodo, the Ahohite. 13 He was with David at Pas-dammim when the Philistines were gathered there for battle. There was a plot of ground full of barley. Now the people had fled from the Philistines,(C) 14 but he and David took their stand in the middle of the plot, defended it, and killed the Philistines, and the Lord saved them by a great victory.

15 Three of the thirty chiefs went down to the rock to David at the cave of Adullam while the army of Philistines was encamped in the valley of Rephaim.(D) 16 David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then at Bethlehem. 17 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 broke through the camp of the Philistines and drew water from the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate, and they brought it to David. But David would not drink of it; he poured it out to the Lord 19 and said, “My God forbid that I should do this. Can I drink the blood of these men? For at the risk of their lives they brought it.” Therefore he would not drink it. The three warriors did these things.

20 Now Abishai,[c] the brother of Joab, was chief of the Thirty.[d] With his spear he fought against three hundred and killed them and won a name[e] beside the Three.(E) 21 He was the most renowned[f] of the Thirty[g] and became their commander, but he did not attain to the Three.(F)

22 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a valiant man[h] of Kabzeel, a doer of great deeds; he struck down two sons of[i] Ariel of Moab. He also went down and killed a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen.(G) 23 And he killed an Egyptian, a man of great stature, five cubits tall. The Egyptian had in his hand a spear like a weaver’s beam, but Benaiah went against him with a staff, snatched the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and killed him with his own spear.(H) 24 Such were the things Benaiah son of Jehoiada did, and he won a name beside the three warriors. 25 He was renowned among the Thirty, but he did not attain to the Three. And David put him in charge of his bodyguard.

26 The warriors of the armies were Asahel brother of Joab, Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem,(I) 27 Shammoth of Harod,[j] Helez the Pelonite, 28 Ira son of Ikkesh of Tekoa, Abiezer of Anathoth, 29 Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite, 30 Maharai of Netophah, Heled son of Baanah of Netophah, 31 Ithai son of Ribai of Gibeah of the Benjaminites, Benaiah of Pirathon, 32 Hurai of the wadis of Gaash, Abiel the Arbathite, 33 Azmaveth of Bahurim, Eliahba of Shaalbon, 34 Hashem[k] the Gizonite, Jonathan son of Shagee the Hararite, 35 Ahiam son of Sachar the Hararite, Eliphal son of Ur, 36 Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite, 37 Hezro of Carmel, Naarai son of Ezbai, 38 Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar son of Hagri, 39 Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai of Beeroth (the armor-bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah),(J) 40 Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, 41 Uriah the Hittite, Zabad son of Ahlai, 42 Adina son of Shiza the Reubenite, a leader of the Reubenites, and thirty with him, 43 Hanan son of Maacah, and Joshaphat the Mithnite, 44 Uzzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Jeiel sons of Hotham the Aroerite, 45 Jediael son of Shimri and his brother Joha the Tizite, 46 Eliel the Mahavite, and Jeribai and Joshaviah sons of Elnaam, and Ithmah the Moabite, 47 Eliel, and Obed, and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.

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Footnotes

  1. 11.11 Or a Hachmonite
  2. 11.11 Heb Thirty
  3. 11.20 Gk Vg Tg: Heb Abshai
  4. 11.20 Syr: Heb Three
  5. 11.20 Gk Vg Tg Syr: Heb did not attain
  6. 11.21 Heb more renowned among the two
  7. 11.21 Syr: Heb Three
  8. 11.22 Syr: Heb the son of a valiant man
  9. 11.22 Lucianic: Heb lacks sons of
  10. 11.27 Heb the Harorite
  11. 11.34 Compare Gk: Heb the sons of Hashem

35 The king put Benaiah son of Jehoiada over the army in his place, and the king put the priest Zadok in the place of Abiathar.(A)

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12 and the Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor.(A) The rich man had very many flocks and herds, but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb that he had bought. He brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children; it used to eat of his meager fare and drink from his cup and lie in his bosom, and it was like a daughter to him. Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was loath to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him, but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared that for the guest who had come to him.” Then David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man. He said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die;(B) he shall restore the lamb fourfold because he did this thing and because he had no pity.”(C)

Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I anointed you king over Israel, and I rescued you from the hand of Saul;(D) I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your bosom and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah, and if that had been too little, I would have added as much more. Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites.(E) 10 Now, therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, for you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.(F) 11 Thus says the Lord: I will raise up trouble against you from within your own house, and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in broad daylight.(G) 12 For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and in broad daylight.”(H) 13 David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan said to David, “Now the Lord has put away your sin; you shall not die.(I) 14 Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the Lord,[a] the child born to you shall die.”(J) 15 Then Nathan went to his house.

Bathsheba’s Child Dies

The Lord struck the child whom Uriah’s wife bore to David, and it became very ill.(K)

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Footnotes

  1. 12.14 Cn: Heb scorned the enemies of the Lord

17 Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech son of Abiathar were priests; Seraiah was secretary;(A) 18 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over[a] the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David’s sons were priests.(B)

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Footnotes

  1. 8.18 Syr Tg Vg: Heb lacks was over

the king said to the prophet Nathan, “See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent.”(A) Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that you have in mind, for the Lord is with you.”(B)

But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan,

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