1 Chronicles 10–12

The Death of King Saul

10The Philistines fought a battle against the Israelites on Mount Gilboa. Many Israelites were killed there, and the rest of them, including King Saul and his sons, fled. ²But the Philistines caught up with them and killed three of Saul’s sons, Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua. ³The fighting was heavy round Saul, and he was hit by enemy arrows and badly wounded. ⁴He said to the young man carrying his weapons, “Draw your sword and kill me, to keep these godless Philistines from gloating over me.” But the young man was too terrified to do it. So Saul took his own sword and threw himself on it. ⁵The young man saw that Saul was dead, so he too threw himself on his sword and died. ⁶So Saul and his three sons all died together and none of his descendants ever ruled. ⁷When the Israelites who lived in the Valley of Jezreel heard that the army had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their towns and ran off. Then the Philistines came and occupied them.

⁸The day after the battle, the Philistines went to plunder the corpses, and they found the bodies of Saul and his sons lying on Mount Gilboa. ⁹They cut off Saul’s head, stripped off his armour, and sent messengers with them throughout Philistia to tell the good news to their idols and to their people. ¹⁰They put his weapons in one of their temples and hung his head in the temple of their god Dagon. ¹¹When the people of Jabesh in Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, ¹²the bravest men went and fetched the bodies of Saul and his sons and took them to Jabesh. They buried them there under an oak and fasted for seven days.

^13*Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord. He disobeyed the Lord’s commands; he tried to find guidance by consulting the spirits of the dead ¹⁴instead of consulting the Lord. So the Lord killed him and gave control of the kingdom to David son of Jesse.

David Becomes King of Israel and Judah

11All the people of Israel went to David at Hebron and said to him, “We are your own flesh and blood. ²In the past, even when Saul was still our king, you led the people of Israel in battle, and the Lord your God promised you that you would lead his people and be their ruler.” ³So all the leaders of Israel came to King David at Hebron. He made a sacred alliance with them, they anointed him, and he became king of Israel, just as the Lord had promised through Samuel.

^4*King David and all the Israelites went and attacked the city of Jerusalem. It was then known as Jebus, and the Jebusites, the original inhabitants of the land, were still living there. ⁵The Jebusites told David he would never get inside the city, but David captured their fortress of Zion, and it became known as “David’s City”. ⁶David said, “The first man to kill a Jebusite will be commander of the army!” Joab, whose mother was Zeruiah, led the attack and became commander. ⁷Because David went to live in the fortress, it came to be called “David’s City”. ⁸He rebuilt the city, starting at the place where land was filled in on the east side of the hill, and Joab restored the rest of the city. ⁹David grew stronger and stronger, because the Lord Almighty was with him.

David’s Famous Soldiers

¹⁰This is the list of David’s famous soldiers. Together with the rest of the people of Israel, they helped him to become king, as the Lord had promised, and they kept his kingdom strong.

¹¹First was Jashobeam of the clan of Hachmon, the leader of “The Three”.^f He fought with his spear against 300 men and killed them all in one battle. ¹²Next among the famous “Three” was Eleazar son of Dodo, of the clan of Ahoh. ¹³He fought on David’s side against the Philistines at the battle of Pas Dammim. He was in a barley field when the Israelites started to run away, ¹⁴so he and his men made a stand in the middle of the field and fought the Philistines. The Lord gave him a great victory.

¹⁵One day three of the 30 leading soldiers went to a rock where David was staying near the cave of Adullam, while a band of Philistines was camping in the Valley of Rephaim. ¹⁶At that time David was on a fortified hill, and a group of Philistines had occupied Bethlehem. ¹⁷David got homesick and said, “How I wish someone would bring me a drink of water from the well by the gate in Bethlehem!” ¹⁸The three famous soldiers forced their way through the Philistine camp, drew some water from the well, and brought it back to David. But he would not drink it; instead he poured it out as an offering to the Lord ¹⁹and said, “I could never drink this! It would be like drinking the blood of these men who risked their lives!” So he refused to drink it. These were the brave deeds of the three famous soldiers.

²⁰Joab’s brother Abishai was the leader of “The Famous Thirty”.^g He fought with his spear against 300 men and killed them, and became famous among “The Thirty”.^{h 21}He was the most famous of “The Thirty”ⁱ and became their leader, but he was not as famous as “The Three”.

²²Benaiah son of Jehoiada from Kabzeel was a famous soldier; he did many brave deeds, including killing two great Moabite warriors. He once went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. ²³He also killed an Egyptian, a huge man over 2 metres tall, who was armed with a gigantic spear. Benaiah attacked him with a club, snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand, and killed him with it. ²⁴Those were the brave deeds of Benaiah, who was one of “The Thirty”.^{j 25}He was outstanding among “The Thirty”, but not as famous as “The Three”. David put him in charge of his bodyguard.

²⁶These are the other outstanding soldiers:

Asahel, Joab’s brother;

Elhanan son of Dodo from Bethlehem;

²⁷Shammoth from Harod;

Helez from Pelet;

²⁸Ira son of Ikkesh from Tekoa;

Abiezer from Anathoth;

²⁹Sibbecai from Hushah;

Ilai from Ahoh;

³⁰Maharai from Netophah;

Heled son of Baanah from Netophah;

³¹Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah in Benjamin;

Benaiah from Pirathon;

³²Hurai from the valleys near Gaash;

Abiel from Arbah;

³³Azmaveth from Bahurum;

Eliahba from Shaalbon;

³⁴Hashem^k from Gizon;

Jonathan son of Shagee from Harar;

³⁵Ahiam son of Sachar from Harar;

Eliphal son of Ur;

³⁶Hepher from Mecherah;

Ahijah from Pelon;

³⁷Hezro from Carmel;

Naarai son of Ezbai;

³⁸Joel brother of Nathan;

Mibhar son of Hagri;

³⁹Zelek from Ammon;

Naharai, Joab’s armour-bearer, from Beeroth;

⁴⁰Ira and Gareb from Jattir;

⁴¹Uriah the Hittite;

Zabad son of Ahlai;

⁴²Adina son of Shiza (a leading member of the tribe of Reuben, with his own group of 30 soldiers);

⁴³Hanan son of Maacah;

Joshaphat from Mithan;

⁴⁴Uzzia from Ashterah;

Shamma and Jeiel, sons of Hotham, from Aroer;

⁴⁵Jediael and Joha, sons of Shimri, from Tiz;

⁴⁶Eliel from Mahavah;

Jeribai and Joshaviah, sons of Elnaam;

Ithmah from Moab;

⁴⁷Eliel, Obed, and Jaasiel from Zobah.^l

David’s Early Followers from the Tribe of Benjamin

12David was living in Ziklag, where he had gone to escape from King Saul. There he was joined by many experienced, reliable soldiers, ²members of the tribe of Benjamin, to which Saul belonged. They could shoot arrows and sling stones either right-handed or left-handed. ³They were under the command of Ahiezer and Joash, sons of Shemaah, from Gibeah.

These were the soldiers:

Jeziel and Pelet, sons of Azmaveth;

Beracah and Jehu from Anathoth;

⁴Ishmaiah from Gibeon, a famous soldier and one of the leaders of “The Thirty”;

Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johannan, and Jozabad, from Gederah;

⁵Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, and Shephatiah, from Hariph;

⁶Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, of the clan of Korah;

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

David’s Followers from the Tribe of Gad

⁸These are the names of the famous, experienced soldiers from the tribe of Gad who joined David’s troops when he was at the desert fort. They were experts with shields and spears, as fierce-looking as lions and as quick as mountain deer. ^9–13They were ranked in the following order: Ezer, Obadiah, Eliab, Mishmannah, Jeremiah, Attai, Eliel, Johanan, Elzabad, Jeremiah, and Machbannai.

¹⁴Some of these men from the tribe of Gad were senior officers in command of a thousand men, and others were junior officers in command of a hundred. ¹⁵In the first month of one year, the time when the River Jordan overflowed its banks, they crossed the river, scattering the people who lived in the valleys both east and west of the river.

Followers from Benjamin and Judah

¹⁶Once a group of men from the tribes of Benjamin and Judah went out to the fort where David was. ¹⁷David went to meet them and said, “If you are coming as friends to help me, you are welcome here. Join us! But if you intend to betray me to my enemies, even though I have not tried to hurt you, the God of our ancestors will know it and punish you.”

¹⁸God’s spirit took control of one of them, Amasai, who later became the commander of “The Thirty”, and he called out,

“David son of Jesse, we are yours!

Success to you and those who help you!

God is on your side.”

David welcomed them and made them officers in his army.

Followers from Manasseh

¹⁹Some soldiers from the tribe of Manasseh went over to David’s side when he was marching out with the Philistines to fight King Saul. Actually he did not help the Philistines, for their kings were afraid that he would betray them to his former master Saul, so they sent him back to Ziklag. ²⁰These are the soldiers from Manasseh who went over to David’s side when he was returning: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai. In Manasseh they had all commanded units of a thousand men. ²¹They served David as officers over his troops,^m because they were all outstanding soldiers. Later they were officers in the Israelite army. ²²Almost every day new men joined David’s forces, so that his army was soon enormous.

List of David’s Forces

²³When David was at Hebron, many trained soldiers joined his army to help make him king in place of Saul, as the Lord had promised. Their numbers were as follows:

²⁴Judah: 6,800…