5 Then came all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron and spoke, saying, “Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh.

² Also in time past, when Saul was king over us, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel; and the Lord said to thee, ‘Thou shalt feed My people Israel, and thou shalt be a captain over Israel.’”

³ So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron; and King David made a league with them in Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel.

⁴ David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.

⁵ In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years over all Israel and Judah.

⁶ And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who spoke unto David, saying, “Unless thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither,” thinking, “David cannot come in hither.”

⁷ Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion (the same is the City of David).

⁸ And David said on that day, “Whosoever getteth up through the gutter and smiteth the Jebusites, and the lame and the blind, who are hated in David’s soul, he shall be chief and captain.” Therefore they said, “The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.”

⁹ So David dwelt in the fortress, and called it the City of David. And David built round about from the Millo and inward.

¹⁰ And David went on and grew great, and the Lord God of hosts was with him.

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11 Then all Israel gathered themselves to David at Hebron, saying, “Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh.

² And moreover in times past, even when Saul was king, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel; and the Lord thy God said unto thee, ‘Thou shalt feed My people Israel, and thou shalt be ruler over My people Israel.’”

³ Therefore came all the elders of Israel to the king at Hebron, and David made a covenant with them in Hebron before the Lord. And they anointed David king over Israel, according to the word of the Lord by the hand of Samuel.

⁴ And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, which is Jebus, where the Jebusites were, the inhabitants of the land.

⁵ And the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, “Thou shalt not come hither.” Nevertheless David took the citadel of Zion, which is the City of David.

⁶ And David said, “Whosoever smiteth the Jebusites first shall be chief and captain.” So Joab the son of Zeruiah went first up, and was chief.

⁷ And David dwelt in the citadel; therefore they called it the City of David [that is, Zion].

⁸ And he built the city round about, even from Millo round about; and Joab repaired the rest of the city.

⁹ So David waxed greater and greater; for the Lord of hosts was with him.

¹⁰ These also are the chief of the mighty men whom David had, who held strongly with him in his kingdom, and with all Israel, to make him king according to the word of the Lord concerning Israel.

¹¹ And this is the number of the mighty men whom David had: Jashobeam, a Hachmonite, the chief of the captains; he lifted up his spear against three hundred, slain by him at one time.

¹² And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, who was one of the three mighty men.

¹³ He was with David at Pasdammim. And there the Philistines were gathered together for battle, where there was a parcel of ground full of barley. And the people fled from before the Philistines.

¹⁴ And they set themselves in the midst of that parcel, and delivered it, and slew the Philistines; and the Lord saved them by a great deliverance.

¹⁵ Now three of the thirty captains went down to the rock to David, into the cave of Adullam; and the host of the Philistines encamped in the Valley of Rephaim.

¹⁶ And David was then in his hideout, and the Philistines’ garrison was then at Bethlehem.

¹⁷ And David longed and said, “Oh that one would give me a drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem that is at the gate!”

¹⁸ And the three broke through the host 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 of it, but poured it out to the Lord

¹⁹ and said, “My God forbid me that I should do this thing! Shall I drink the blood of these men, who have put their lives in jeopardy? For with the jeopardy of their lives they brought it.” Therefore he would not drink it. These things did these three mightiest.

²⁰ And Abishai the brother of Joab, he was chief of the three: for lifting up his spear against three hundred, he slew them, and had a name among the three.

²¹ Of the three, he was more honorable than the two, for he was their captain; however he attained not to the first three.

²² Benaiah was the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done many acts: he slew two lionlike men of Moab; also he went down and slew a lion in a pit on a snowy day.

²³ And he slew an Egyptian, a man of great stature, five cubits high. And in the Egyptian’s hand was a spear like a weaver’s beam; and he went down to him with a staff and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and slew him with his own spear.

²⁴ These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and had a name among the three mighties.

²⁵ Behold, he was honorable among the thirty, but attained not to the first three; and David set him over his guard.

²⁶ Also the valiant 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 the Tekoite, Abiezer the Anathothite,

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, who pertained to the children of Benjamin, 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 Shage 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 armorbearer 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 captain of the Reubenites, and thirty with him,

⁴³ Hanan the son of Maachah, 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.

12 Now these are they that came to David at Ziklag, while he yet kept himself hidden because of Saul the son of Kish; and they were among the mighty men, helpers of the war.

² They were armed with bows, and could use both the right hand and the left in hurling stones and shooting arrows out of a bow, even of Saul’s brethren of Benjamin.

³ The chief was Ahiezer, then Joash, the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite; and Jeziel and Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth; and Berachah, and Jehu the Anathothite,

⁴ and Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the thirty, and over the thirty; and Jeremiah, and Jahaziel, and Johanan, and Jozabad the Gederathite;

⁵ Eluzai, and Jerimoth, and Bealiah, and Shemariah, and Shephatiah the Haruphite,

⁶ Elkanah, and Jesiah, and Azareel, and Joezer, and Jashobeam, the Korahites;

⁷ and Joelah and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham of Gedor.

⁸ And of the Gadites there separated themselves unto David into his hideout in the wilderness men of might and men of war fit for the battle, who could handle shield and buckler, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as the roes upon the mountains:

⁹ Ezer the first, Obadiah the second, Eliab the third,

¹⁰ Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth,

¹¹ Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh,

¹² Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth,

¹³ Jeremiah the tenth, Machbanai the eleventh.

¹⁴ These were of the sons of Gad, captains of the host; one of the least was over a hundred, and the greatest over a thousand.

¹⁵ These are the ones who went over the Jordan in the first month, when it had overflown all his banks; and they put to flight all those of the valleys, both toward the east and toward the west.

¹⁶ And there came some of the children of Benjamin and Judah to the hideout unto David.

¹⁷ And David went out to meet them, and answered and said unto them, “If ye have come peaceably unto me to help me, mine heart shall be knit unto you; but if ye have come to betray me to mine enemies, seeing there is no wrong in mine hands, the God of our fathers look thereon and rebuke it.”

¹⁸ Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, who was chief of the captains, and he said, “Thine are we, David, and on thy side, thou son of Jesse. Peace, peace be unto thee, and peace be to thine helpers; for thy God helpeth thee.” Then David received them, and made them captains of the band.

¹⁹ And there fell away some of Manasseh to David when he came with the Philistines against Saul to battle; but they helped them not, for the lords of the Philistines, upon advisement, sent him away, saying, “He will return to his master Saul to the jeopardy of our heads.”

²⁰ As he went to Ziklag there fell to him of Manasseh: Adnah, and Jozabad, and Jediael, and Michael, and Jozabad, and Elihu, and Zillethai, captains of the thousands who were from Manasseh.

²¹ And they helped David against the band of the rovers; for they were all mighty men of valor, and were captains in the host.

²² For at that time day by day they came to David to help him, until it was a great host, like the host of God.

²³ And these are the numbers of the armed groups ready for war, and came to David at Hebron to turn the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the word of the Lord.

²⁴ The children of Judah who bore shield and spear were six thousand and eight hundred, ready, armed for the war.

²⁵ Of the children of Simeon, mighty men of valor for the war, seven thousand and one hundred.

²⁶ Of the children of Levi four thousand and six hundred.

²⁷ And Jehoiada was the leader of the Aaronites, and with him were three thousand and seven hundred;

²⁸ and Zadok, a young man mighty of valor, and from his father’s house twenty and two captains.

²⁹ And of the children of Benjamin, the kindred of Saul, three thousand; for hitherto the greatest part of them had kept the watch of the house of Saul.

³⁰ And of the children of Ephraim twenty thousand and eight hundred, mighty men of valor, famous throughout the house of their fathers.

³¹ And of the halftribe of Manasseh eighteen thousand, who were expressed by name to come and make David king.

³² And of the children of Issachar, who were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their command.

³³ Of Zebulun, such as went forth to battle, expert in war with all instruments of war, fifty thousand who could keep rank; they were not of double heart.

³⁴ And of Naphtali a thousand captains, and with them with shield and spear, thirty and seven thousand.

³⁵ And of the Danites, expert in war, twenty and eight thousand and six hundred.

³⁶ And of Asher, such as went forth to battle, expert in war, forty thousand.

³⁷ And on the other side of the Jordan, of the Reubenites and the Gadites, and of the halftribe of Manasseh, with all manner of instruments of war for the battle, a hundred and twenty thousand.

³⁸ All these men of war, who could keep rank, came with a perfect heart to Hebron to make David king over all Israel; and all the rest also of Israel were of one heart to make David king.

³⁹ And there they were with David three days, eating and drinking, for their brethren had prepared for them.

⁴⁰ Moreover those who were nigh to them, even as far as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, brought bread on asses, and on camels, and on mules, and on oxen, and meat, meal, cakes of figs, and bunches of raisins, and wine, and oil, and oxen, and sheep abundantly; for there was joy in Israel.