Chronological
Chapter 5
David as King of Israel.[a] 1 Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said: “Listen to us. We are your own flesh and blood. 2 In former days, when Saul was our king, you were the one who led the Israelites on their campaigns and brought them back. Moreover, the Lord said to you: ‘You shall be the shepherd of my people Israel and be the ruler of Israel.’ ” 3 Then all the elders of Israel came to David, the king of Hebron, and David made a covenant with them there before the Lord. After this they anointed David as king of Israel.
4 David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for forty years. 5 In Hebron he reigned over Judah for seven years and six months, and then in Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah for thirty-three years.
Capture of Zion. 6 Then the king and his men marched to Jerusalem to attack the Jebusites who inhabited the land. These people said to David: “You will never come in here. Even the blind and the lame will stop you in your tracks.” In this way they showed their contempt for David and his forces.
7 [b]Despite their boast, David did take the stronghold of Zion, which is now known as the City of David. 8 David had said on that day: “All those who are eager to attack the Jebusites must scale the water shaft to attack the lame and the blind, the bitter enemies of David.” Therefore, it is said: “The blind and the lame shall not enter the palace.”
9 David then took up residence in the stronghold and called it the City of David. After that, he constructed a wall around it from the Millo[c] inward. 10 David steadily continued to grow more powerful, for the Lord, the God of hosts, was with him.
Chapter 11
David Becomes King.[a] 1 All of Israel gathered before David in Hebron and they said, “Behold, we are your bone and your flesh. 2 Moreover, in times past, even when Saul was the king, you led Israel out and brought them in. The Lord, your God, said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel. You will be the ruler of my people Israel.’ ” 3 When all of the elders of Israel came to the king in Hebron, he made a covenant before the Lord with them at Hebron. They anointed David as king over Israel, fulfilling the word of the Lord that had been spoken by Samuel.
David Conquers Jerusalem. 4 David and all of Israel went to Jerusalem, that is, Jebus. The Jebusites were the inhabitants of that land. 5 The inhabitants of Jebus said to David, “You will never enter.” Nevertheless, David captured the citadel of Zion, that is, the City of David. 6 David had said, “Whoever leads the attack on the Jebusites will be the commander-in-chief.” Joab, the son of Zeruiah, led it so he became the commander.
7 David lived in the citadel, and thus it was called the City of David. 8 He built up the city around it, from Millo to the surrounding walls. Joab repaired the rest of the city. 9 David’s power grew and grew, for the Lord of hosts was with him.
10 David’s Brave Warriors. These were the leaders of David’s brave warriors. They made him and his kingdom strong, with all of Israel making him king, according to the word of the Lord about Israel. 11 [b]This is the list of David’s brave warriors: Ishbaal, a Hachmonite, was the leader of the captains. He raised up his spear against three hundred men at one time and he slew them.
12 After him there was Eleazar, the son of Dodo, who was one of the three mighty men. 13 He was with David at Pas-dammim when the Philistines gathered there for battle. It was a field that was planted with barley, and the people fled before the Philistines. 14 They took their stand in the middle of the field. They defended it and slew the Philistines, for the Lord brought about a great deliverance.
15 Now three of the thirty captains came down to the cave of Adullam to be with David, while the army of the Philistines was camped in the Valley of Rephaim. 16 David was in the stronghold, and there was a Philistine outpost in Bethlehem. 17 David longed for water so he said, “Oh that you would give me some water to drink from the well that is at the gate of Bethlehem.” 18 The Three broke through the lines of the Philistine army and drew water from the well at the gate to Bethlehem. They took it and brought it to David, but David would not drink it. He poured it out before the Lord. 19 He said, “Far be it from me, my God, that I should do such a thing, that I would drink the blood of these men, for they risked their lives to bring it back.” Therefore, he would not drink it.
These are the deeds of the Three brave warriors. 20 Abishai, the brother of Joab, was the leader of the Three. He raised up his spear against three hundred men and he slew them. He was the most famous of the Three. 21 He was twice as honored as the Three, for he was their captain, even though he was not one of the Three.
22 Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, was a brave warrior who performed many deeds. He was from Kabzeel. He slew two of Moab’s mightiest men. He also descended into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. 23 He also slew a very tall Egyptian who was five cubits tall. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand that was as big as a weaver’s beam. He attacked him with his staff, and he snatched the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand and slew him with his own spear. 24 These were the deeds of Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada. He was as famous as the Three Brave Warriors. 25 He was more greatly honored than any of the Thirty,[c] but he did not belong to the Three. David assigned him to be in charge of his bodyguard.
26 The brave warriors were: Asahel, the brother of Joab; Elhanan, the son of Dodo from Bethlehem; 27 Shammoth the Harorite; Helez the Pelonite; 28 Ira, the son of Ikkesh from Tekoa; Abiezer from 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 from Gibeah in Benjamin; Benaiah the Pirathonite; 32 Hurai, from the Wadi 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; 40 Ira the Ithrite; Gareb the Ithrite; 41 Uriah the Hittite; Zabad, the son of Ahlai; 42 Adina, the son of Shiza the Reubenite, who was the leader of the Reubenites and the Thirty with him; 43 Hanan, the son of Maacah; Joshaphat the Mithnite; 44 Uzzia the Ashterathite; Shama and Jeiel, the sons of Hotham the Aroerite; 45 Jediael, the son of Shimri; 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.
Chapter 12
David’s First Followers. 1 These were the men who came to David while he was at Ziklag, a fugitive from Saul, the son of Kish. They were the brave warriors who helped him in battle. 2 They were armed with bows, and they could sling stones or shoot arrows from a bow with their right hand or their left. They were kinsmen of Saul from Benjamin.
3 Ahiezer was their leader, and then Joash, who were the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite. There were Jeziel and Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth; Beracah; Jehu the Anathothite; 4 Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a brave warrior from among the Thirty and the leader of the Thirty; Jeremiah; Jahaziel; Johanan; Jozabad the Gederathite; 5 Eluzai; Jerimoth; Bealiah; Shemariah; Shephatiah the Haruphite; 6 Elkanah; Isshiah; Azarel; Joezer; Jashobeam the Korahite; 7 and Joelah and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham from Gedor.
8 Some Gadites joined David in the wilderness. They were brave men, warriors ready for battle, able to handle the shield and the spear. Their faces were as fierce as the faces of lions, and they were as swift as gazelles upon the mountains. 9 Ezer was the first; Obadiah was the second; Eliab was the third; 10 Mishmannah was the fourth; Jeremiah was the fifth; 11 Attai was the sixth; Eliel was the seventh; 12 Johanan was the eighth; Elzabad was the ninth; 13 Jeremiah the tenth; and Machbannai the eleventh. 14 These Gadites were captains of the army. The weakest of them was worth a hundred, the strongest was worth a thousand. 15 They were crossing over the Jordan during the first month when it was overflowing its banks, and they put to flight everyone who was living in the valleys to the east and the west.
16 Some other Benjaminites and Judahites also went out to David in his stronghold. 17 David went out to meet them and he said to them, “If you have come to me in peace, to help me, then your heart will be one with my heart. But if you are here to betray me to my enemies even though my hands are innocent, may the God of our fathers see it and rebuke you.”
18 The Spirit then came upon Amasai, the leader of the captains, and he said,
“We are yours, David.
We will be with you, O son of Jesse.
May it go well with you,
and may it go well with those who help you,
for your God will help you.”
David received them and made them captains of his raiding parties.
19 Some men from Manasseh went over to David when he went to the Philistines to fight against Saul. He, however, did not help them because the lords of the Philistines had discussed it and sent him away saying, “It would cost us our heads if he were to defect to his master Saul.”
20 These were the men of Manasseh who went over to him in Ziklag: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai. They were captains of the thousands in Manasseh. 21 They helped David fight against the raiding parties, and they were brave warriors, all of them captains of the army.
22 From that time on, more men would arrive daily to help David until he had a large army, like an army of God.[d]
23 Assembly at Hebron. These are the numbers of the bands of those who came to David in Hebron ready for battle. They turned Saul’s kingdom over to him, according to the word of the Lord.
24 From Judah, there were six thousand, eight hundred men bearing shield and spear, ready for battle. 25 From Simeon there were seven thousand, one hundred brave warriors, ready for battle. 26 From Levi there were four thousand, six hundred men. 27 These included Jehoiada, the leader of the Aaronites, and with him there were three thousand, seven hundred men. 28 There was Zadok, a young man who was a brave warrior, with twenty-two captains from his father’s household. 29 From Benjamin, Saul’s kinsmen, there were three thousand men, most of whom had remained faithful to the house of Saul until then. 30 From Ephraim there were twenty thousand, eight hundred brave warriors who were famous in their ancestral clans. 31 There were eighteen thousand men from one-half of the tribe of Manasseh. They were designated by name to go and make David king. 32 From Issachar there were two hundred leaders with their brethren under them. They understood well the time and what Israel should do.[e] 33 From Zebulun there were fifty thousand experienced fighters ready to go into battle. They had every different type of weapon, and they were of undivided loyalty. 34 From Naphtali there were one thousand captains along with thirty-seven thousand men armed with shield and spear. 35 From Dan there were twenty-eight thousand, six hundred men, ready for battle. 36 From Asher there were forty thousand experienced fighters ready for battle. 37 From the eastern side of the Jordan, there were one hundred and twenty thousand men armed with every different type of weapon from Reuben, Gad, and one-half of the tribe of Manasseh.
38 All of these were well-trained fighting men. They came to Hebron for they wholeheartedly wanted to make David king over all of Israel. The rest of Israel was in agreement to make David king.[f] 39 They spent three days eating and drinking with David (for their brethren had provided provisions for them). 40 Their neighbors from as far away as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali brought food on their donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen: plentiful supplies of flour, fig cakes, raisin cakes, wine, oil, oxen, and sheep, for joy had spread throughout Israel.
Copyright © 2019 by Catholic Book Publishing Corp. All rights reserved.