People of Jerusalem

9 So all Israel was enrolled by genealogies; and they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel. And Judah was carried away into exile to Babylon because of their unfaithfulness [to God].

² Now the first [of the returned exiles] who lived [again] in their possessions in their cities were Israel, the priests, the Levites, and the Nethinim (temple servants). ³ Some of the sons (people) of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh lived in Jerusalem: ⁴ Uthai the son of Ammihud, the son of Omri, the son of Imri, the son of Bani, of the sons of Perez the son of Judah. ⁵ From the Shilonites: Asaiah the firstborn and his sons. ⁶ From the sons of Zerah: Jeuel and their relatives, 690 [of them]. ⁷ From the sons of Benjamin: Sallu the son of Meshullam, the son of Hodaviah, the son of Hassenuah; ⁸ Ibneiah the son of Jeroham, Elah the son of Uzzi, the son of Michri, and Meshullam son of Shephatiah, the son of Reuel, the son of Ibnijah; ⁹ and their relatives according to their generations, 956. All these men were heads of fathers’ households according to their fathers’ houses.

¹⁰ Of the priests: Jedaiah, Jehoiarib, Jachin, ¹¹ Azariah the son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, the chief officer of the house of God; ¹² and Adaiah the son of Jeroham, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malchijah; Maasai the son of Adiel, the son of Jahzerah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Meshillemith, the son of Immer; ¹³ and their relatives, heads of their fathers’ households, 1,760—very able men for the work of the service of the house of God.

¹⁴ Of the Levites: Shemaiah the son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, of the sons of Merari; ¹⁵ and Bakbakkar, Heresh, Galal, and Mattaniah son of Mica, the son of Zichri, the son of Asaph; ¹⁶ and Obadiah the son of Shemaiah, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun, and Berechiah the son of Asa, the son of Elkanah, who lived in the villages of the Netophathites [near Jerusalem].

¹⁷ The gatekeepers were: Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, Ahiman, and their relatives (Shallum the chief ¹⁸ who until now was assigned to the king’s gate on the east side) they were the gatekeepers for the camp of the Levites. ¹⁹ Shallum the son of Kore, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, and his relatives of his father’s house, the Korahites, were in charge of the work of the service, doorkeepers of the Tent; and their fathers had been in charge of the camp of the Lord, keepers of the entrance. ²⁰ Phinehas the son of Eleazar was ruler over them in times past, and the Lord was with him. ²¹ Zechariah son of Meshelemiah was gatekeeper at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. ²² All those chosen to be gatekeepers at the thresholds were 212. They were enrolled by their genealogies in their villages [around Jerusalem], these men [whose grandfathers] David and Samuel the seer had appointed to their official duty. ²³ So they and their sons were in charge of the gates of the house of the Lord, that is, the house of the tabernacle, as guards. ²⁴ The gatekeepers were stationed on the four sides —on the east, west, north, and south. ²⁵ Their relatives in their villages were to come in every seven days from time to time to be with them; ²⁶ for these Levites, the four chief gatekeepers, had an official duty, and were in charge of the chambers and treasuries of the house of God. ²⁷ They spent the night around the house of God, for the [night] watch was theirs, and they were in charge of opening the house morning after morning.

²⁸ Now some of them were in charge of the serving utensils, being required to count them when they brought them in or took them out. ²⁹ Some of them also were appointed over the furniture and over all the [sacred] utensils of the sanctuary, as well as over the fine flour and the wine and the [olive] oil and the frankincense and the spices. ³⁰ Other sons of the priests prepared the mixture of spices. ³¹ Mattithiah, one of the Levites, the firstborn of Shallum the Korahite, was responsible for the things baked in pans. ³² Some of their Kohathite relatives were in charge of the showbread to prepare it every Sabbath.

³³ Now these are the singers, heads of the fathers’ households of the Levites, living in the temple chambers, free from other service because they were on duty day and night. ³⁴ These were heads of fathers’ households of the Levites according to their generations, chief men, who lived in Jerusalem.

Ancestry and Descendants of Saul

³⁵ Jeiel the father of Gibeon lived in Gibeon, and his wife’s name was Maacah, ³⁶ and his firstborn son was Abdon, then Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab, ³⁷ Gedor, Ahio, Zechariah, and Mikloth. ³⁸ Mikloth became the father of Shimeam. They also lived with their relatives in Jerusalem, opposite their other relatives. ³⁹ Ner became the father of Kish, and Kish became the father of [King] Saul, and Saul became the father of Jonathan, Malchi-shua, Abinadab, and Esh-baal. ⁴⁰ The son of Jonathan was Merib-baal (Mephibosheth); Merib-baal became the father of Micah. ⁴¹ The sons of Micah: Pithon, Melech, Tahrea [and Ahaz]. ⁴² Ahaz became the father of Jarah, and Jarah became the father of Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri; and Zimri became the father of Moza, ⁴³ Moza became the father of Binea and Rephaiah his son, Eleasah his son, Azel his son. ⁴⁴ Azel had six sons, and these are their names: Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan. These were the sons of Azel.

Defeat and Death of Saul and His Sons

10 Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from them and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. ² The Philistines followed closely after Saul and his sons and overtook them, and the Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul. ³ The battle became heavy against Saul, and the archers found him; and he was [mortally] wounded by the archers. ⁴ Then Saul said to his armor bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through with it, otherwise these uncircumcised [Philistines] will come and abuse and humiliate me.” But his armor bearer would not, for he was terrified. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it. ⁵ When his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword and died. ⁶ So Saul died with his three sons and all those of his house died together.

⁷ When all the men of Israel who were in the valley saw that the army had fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled; and the Philistines came and lived in them.

⁸ It came about the next day, when the Philistines came to strip (plunder) the slain, that they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. ⁹ So they stripped Saul and took his head and his armor and sent messengers around the land of the Philistines to bring the good news to their ^[a]idols and to the people. ¹⁰ They put Saul’s armor in the house of their gods and nailed up his head in the house (temple) of Dagon.

Jabesh-gilead’s Tribute to Saul

¹¹ When all Jabesh-gilead heard about everything that the Philistines had done to Saul, ¹² all the brave men arose, took away the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons and brought them to Jabesh, and they buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh; then they fasted seven days.^(A)

¹³ So Saul died for his ^[b]trespass which he committed against the Lord, for his failure to keep the word of the Lord; and also because he consulted a medium [regarding a spirit of the dead], to inquire of her, ¹⁴ and did not inquire of the Lord [instead]. Therefore the Lord killed him and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.^(B)

David Made King over All Israel

11 ^[c]Then all Israel gathered to David at Hebron, saying, “Behold, we are your bone and your flesh.^{(C) 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, ‘You shall shepherd My people Israel, and you shall be prince and leader over My people Israel.’” ³ So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and David made a covenant (solemn agreement) with them there before the Lord; and they anointed him king over Israel, in accordance with the word of the Lord through Samuel.^(D)

Jerusalem, Capital City

⁴ Then David and all Israel went to Jerusalem (that is Jebus); and the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, were there. ⁵ Then the Jebusites said to David, “You shall not come in here.” But David captured the stronghold of Zion (that is, the City of David). ⁶ Now David said, “Whoever strikes down a Jebusite first shall be chief and commander.” Joab the son of Zeruiah [David’s half sister] went up first, and so he was made chief. ⁷ Then David lived in the stronghold; so it was called the City of David. ⁸ He built the city around it, from the Millo (fortification) to the surrounding area; and Joab repaired the rest of the [old Jebusite] city. ⁹ David became greater and greater, for the Lord of hosts was with him.

David’s Mighty Men

¹⁰ Now these are the chiefs of David’s mighty men, who strongly supported him in his kingdom, together with all Israel, to make him king, in accordance with the word of the Lord concerning Israel. ¹¹ This is the list of David’s mighty men: Jashobeam, the son of a Hachmonite, the chief of the thirty [heroes]. He lifted up his spear against three hundred whom he killed at one time.

¹² Next to him [in rank] was Eleazar the son of Dodo the Ahohite, who was one of the three mighty men. ¹³ He was with David at Pasdammim [where David had killed Goliath] and there the Philistines were gathered together for battle, and there was a plot of ground full of barley; and the people [of Israel] fled before the Philistines. ¹⁴ But they took their stand in the midst of that plot and defended it, and killed the Philistines; and the Lord rescued them by a great victory.^(E)

¹⁵ Three of the thirty chief men went down to the rock to David, into the cave of Adullam, while the army of the Philistines was camped in the Valley of Rephaim. ¹⁶ David was then in the stronghold, while the garrison of the Philistines was in Bethlehem. ¹⁷ David had a craving and said, “Oh that someone would give me a drink of water from the well of Bethlehem, which is next to the gate!” ¹⁸ Then the three [mighty men] broke through the camp of the Philistines and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem which was next to the gate, and brought it to David. But David would not drink it; he poured it out to the Lord [as an offering]; ¹⁹ and he said, “Far be it from me before my God that I would do this thing! Shall I drink the blood of these men who have put their lives in jeopardy? For they brought it at the risk of their lives.” So he would not drink it. These things the three mighty men did.

²⁰ Abishai the brother of Joab was chief of the [other] ^[d]three, and he lifted up his spear against three hundred and killed them, and he had a name as well as the three. ²¹ Of the three in the second [rank] he was the most honored and became their captain; however, he did not attain to the first three [Jashobeam, Eleazar, and Shammah].

²² Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a courageous man of Kabzeel who had done great things, killed the two sons of Ariel of Moab. Also he went down and killed a lion in a pit on a snowy day. ²³ He killed an Egyptian also, a man of great stature, five ^[e]cubits tall. In the Egyptian’s hand was a spear like a weaver’s beam, and Benaiah went down to him with [only] a staff (rod) and grabbed 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 as well as the three mighty men. ²⁵ He was honored among the thirty, but he did not attain to [the rank of] the [first] three. 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 Shammoth the Harorite, Helez the Pelonite, ²⁸ Ira the son of Ikkesh of Tekoa, Abiezer of Anathoth, ²⁹ Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite, ³⁰ Maharai the Netophathite, Heled the son of Baanah the Netophathite, ³¹ Ithai the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the Benjamites, Benaiah the Pirathonite, ³² Hurai of the brooks of Gaash, Abiel the Arbathite, ³³ Azmaveth the Baharumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite, ³⁴ the sons of Hashem the Gizonite, Jonathan the son of Shagee the Hararite, ³⁵ Ahiam the son of Sacar the Hararite, Eliphal the son of Ur, ³⁶ Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite, ³⁷ Hezro the Carmelite, 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 [David’s half sister], ⁴⁰ Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, ⁴¹ Uriah the Hittite [Bathsheba’s husband], Zabad the son of Ahlai, ⁴² Adina the son of Shiza the Reubenite, a chief of the Reubenites, and thirty [heroes] 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, Jeribai and Joshaviah the sons of Elnaam, Ithmah the Moabite, ⁴⁷ Eliel and Obed and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.