1 Chronicles 10–12

Chapter 10

Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down wounded in mount Gelboe.

²And the Philistines drew near pursuing after Saul, and his sons, and they killed Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Melchisua the sons of Saul.

³And the battle grew hard against Saul and the archers reached him, and wounded him with arrows.

⁴And Saul said to his armourbearer: Draw thy sword, and kill me: lest these uncircumcised come, and mock me. But his armourbearer would not, for he was struck with fear: so Saul took his sword, and fell upon it.

⁵And when his armourbearer saw it, to wit, that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died.

⁶So Saul died, and his three sons, and all his house fell together.

⁷And when the men of Israel, that dwelt in the plains, saw this, they fled: and Saul and his sons being dead, they forsook their cities, and were scattered up and down: and the Philistines came, and dwelt in them.

⁸And the next day the Philistines taking away the spoils of them that were slain, found Saul and his sons lying on mount Gelboe.

⁹And when they had stripped him, and cut off his head, and taken away his armour, they sent it into their land, to be carried about, and shewn in the temples of the idols and to the people.

¹⁰And his armour they dedicated in the temple of their god, and his head they fastened up in the temple of Dagon.

¹¹And when the men of Jabes Galaad had heard this, to wit, all that the Philistines had done to Saul,

¹²All the valiant men of them arose, and took the bodies of Saul and of his sons, and brought them to Jabes, and buried their bones under the oak that was in Jabes, and they fasted seven days.

¹³So Saul died for his iniquities, because he transgressed the commandment of the Lord, which he had commanded, and kept it not: and moreover consulted also a witch,

¹⁴And trusted not in the Lord: therefore he slew him, and transferred his kingdom to David the son of Isai.

Chapter 11

Then all Israel gathered themselves to David in Hebron, saying: We are thy bone, and thy flesh.

²Yesterday also, and the day before when Saul was king, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: for the Lord thy God said to thee: Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be ruler over them.

³So all the ancients of Israel came to the king to Hebron, and David made a covenant with them before the Lord: and they anointed him king over Israel according to the word of the Lord which he spoke in the hand of Samuel.

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

⁵And the inhabitants of Jebus said to David: Thou shalt not come in here. But David took the castle of Sion, which is the city of David.

⁶And he said: Whosoever shall first strike the Jebusites, shall be the head and chief captain. And Joab the son of Sarvia went up first, and was made the general.

⁷And David dwelt in the castle, and therefore it was called the city of David,

⁸And he built the city round about from Mello all round, and Joab built the rest of the city.

⁹And David went on growing and increasing, and the Lord of hosts was with him.

¹⁰These are the chief of the valiant man of David, who helped him to be made king over all Israel, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke to Israel.

¹¹And this is the number of the heroes of David: Jesbaam the son of Hachamoni the chief among the thirty: he lifted up his spear against three hundred wounded by him at one time.

¹²And after him was Eleazar his uncle’s son the Ahohite, who was one of the three mighties.

¹³He was with David in Phesdomim, when the Philistines were gathered to that place to battle: and the field of that country was full of barley, and the people fled from before the Philistines.

¹⁴But these men stood in the midst of the field, and defended it: and they slew the Philistines, and the Lord gave a great deliverance to his people.

¹⁵And three of the thirty captains went down to the rock, wherein David was, to the cave of Odollam, when the Philistines encamped in the valley of Raphaim.

¹⁶And David was in a hold, and the garrison of the Philistines in Bethlehem.

¹⁷And David longed, and said: O that some man would give me water of the cistern of Bethlehem, which is in the gate.

¹⁸And these three broke through the midst of the camp of the Philistines, and drew water out of the cistern of Bethlehem, which was in the gate, and brought it to David to drink: and he would not drink of it, but rather offered it to the Lord,

¹⁹Saying: God forbid that I should do this in the sight of my God, and should drink the blood of these men: for with the danger of their lives they have brought me the water. And therefore he would not drink. These things did the three most valiant.

²⁰And Abisai the brother of Joab, he was chief of three, and he lifted up his spear against three hundred whom he slew, and he was renowned among the three,

²¹And illustrious among the second three, and their captain: but yet he attained not to the first three.

²²Banaias the son of Joiada a most valiant man, of Cabseel, who had done many acts: he slew the two ariels of Moab: and he went down, and killed a lion in the midst of a pit in the time of snow.

²³And he slew an Egyptian, whose stature was of five cubits, and who had a spear like a weaver’s beam: and he went down to him with a staff, and plucked away the spear, that he held in his hand, and slew him with his own spear.

²⁴These things did Banaias the son of Joiada, who was renowned among the three valiant ones,

²⁵And the first among the thirty, but yet to the three he attained not: and David made him of his council.

²⁶Moreover the most valiant men of the army, were Asahel brother of Joab, and Elchanan the son of his uncle of Bethlehem,

²⁷Sammoth an Arorite, Helles a Phalonite,

²⁸Ira the son of Acces a Thecuite, Abiezer an Anathothite,

²⁹Sobbochai a Husathite, Ilai an Ahohite,

³⁰Maharai a Netophathite, Heled the son of Baana a Netophathite,

³¹Ethai the son of Ribai of Gabaath of the sons of Benjamin, Banai a Pharathonite,

³²Hurai of the torrent Gaas, Abiel an Arbathite, Azmoth a Bauramite, Eliaba a Salabonite,

³³The sons of Assem a Gezonite, Jonathan the son of Sage an Ararite,

³⁴Ahiam the son of Sachar an Ararite,

³⁵Eliphal the son of Ur,

³⁶Hepher a Mecherathite, Ahia a Phelonite,

³⁷Hesro a Carmelite, Naarai the son of Azbai,

³⁸Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibahar the son of Agarai.

³⁹Selec an Ammonite, Naharai a Berothite, the armourbearer of Joab the son of Sarvia.

⁴⁰Ira a Jethrite, Gareb a Jethrite,

⁴¹Urias a Hethite, Zabad the son of Oholi,

⁴²Adina the son of Siza a Rubenite the prince of the Rubenites, and thirty with him:

⁴³Hanan the son of Maacha, and Josaphat a Mathanite,

⁴⁴Ozia an Astarothite, Samma, and Jehiel the sons of Hotham an Arorite,

⁴⁵Jedihel the son of Zamri, and Joha his brother a Thosaite,

⁴⁶Eliel a Mahumite, and Jeribai, and Josaia the sons of Elnaim, and Jethma a Moabite, Eliel, and Obed, and Jasiel of Masobia.

Chapter 12

Now these are they that came to David to Siceleg, while he yet fled from Saul the son of Cis, and they were most valiant and excellent warriors,

²Bending the bow, and using either hand in hurling stones with slings, and shooting arrows: of the brethren of Saul of Benjamin.

³The chief was Ahiezer, and Joas, the sons of Samoa of Gabaath, and Jaziel, and Phallet the sons of Azmoth, and Beracha, and Jehu an Anathothite.

⁴And Samaias of Gabaon, the stoutest amongst the thirty and over the thirty; Jeremias, and Jeheziel and Johanan, and Jozabad of Gaderoth;

⁵And Eluzai, and Jerimuth, and Baalia, and Samaria, and Saphatia the Haruphite;

⁶Elcana, and Jesia, and Azareel, and Joezer, and Jesbaam of Carehim:

⁷And Joela, and Zabadia the sons of Jeroham of Gedor.

⁸From Gaddi also there went over to David, when he lay hid in the wilderness most valiant men, and excellent warriors, holding shield and spear: whose faces were like the faces of a lion, and they were swift like the roebucks on the mountains.

⁹Ezer the chief, Obdias the second, Eliab the third,

¹⁰Masmana the fourth, Jeremias the fifth,

¹¹Ethi the sixth, Eliel the seventh,

¹²Johanan the eighth, Elzebad the ninth,

¹³Jerenias the tenth, Machbani the eleventh,

¹⁴These were of the sons of Gad, captains of the army: the least of them was captain over a hundred soldiers, and the greatest over a thousand.

¹⁵These are they who passed over the Jordan in the first month, when it is used to flow over its banks: and they put to flight all that dwelt in the valleys both toward the east and toward the west.

¹⁶And there came also of the men of Benjamin, and of Juda to the hold, in which David abode.

¹⁷And David went out to meet them, and said: If you are come peaceably to me to help me, let my heart be joined to you: but if you plot against me for my enemies whereas I have no iniquity in my hands, let the God of our fathers see, and judge.

¹⁸But the spirit came upon Amasai the chief among thirty, and he said: We are thine, O David, and for thee, O son of Isai: peace, peace be to thee, and peace to thy helpers. For thy God helpeth thee. So David received them, and made them captains of the band.

¹⁹And there were some of Manasses that went over to David, when he came with the Philistines against Saul to fight: but he did not fight with them: because the lords of the Philistines taking counsel sent him back, saying: With the danger of our heads he will return to his master Saul.

²⁰So when he went back to Siceleg, there fled to him of Manasses, Ednas and Jozabad, and Jedihel, and Michael, and Ednas, and Jozabad, and Eliu, and Salathi, captains of thousands in Manasses.

²¹These helped David against the rovers: for they were all most valiant men, and were made commanders in the army.

²²Moreover day by day there came some to David to help him till they became a great number, like the army of God.…