1 Chronicles 11:11–31

¹¹The first of David’s fighting men was Jashobeam, son of Hachmon, the leader of the three.^bHe used his spear to kill 300 men on one occasion. ¹²Next in rank to him was Eleazar, another one of the three fighting men. He was the son of Dodo and grandson of Aho. ¹³Eleazar was with David at Pas Dammim when the Philistines gathered there for battle. There was a field of ripe barley. When the troops fled from the Philistines, ¹⁴they stood in the middle of the field and defended it by killing Philistines. So the Lord saved ⸤them⸥ with an impressive victory. ¹⁵Once three of the thirty leading men went down to David’s rock at the cave of Adullam when the army of the Philistines was camping in the valley of Rephaim. ¹⁶While David was in the fortified camp, Philistine troops were in Bethlehem. 

¹⁷David was thirsty and said, “I wish I could have a drink of water from the cistern at the city gate of Bethlehem.” ¹⁸So the three burst into the Philistine camp and drew water from the cistern. They brought it to David, but he refused to drink it. He poured it out ⸤as an offering⸥ to the Lord ¹⁹and said, “It’s unthinkable that I would do this, God. Should I drink the blood of these men who risked their lives? They had to risk their lives to get this water.” So he refused to drink it. 

These are the things which the three fighting men did. 

David’s Thirty Fighting Men—2 Samuel 23:18–39

²⁰Joab’s brother Abishai was the leader of the thirty. He used his spear to kill 300 men, but he was not one of the three, ²¹although he was honored more than they were. So he became their captain but didn’t become a member of the three. 

²²Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, was from Kabzeel and was a brave man who did many things. He killed two distinguished soldiers from Moab. He also went into a cistern and killed a lion on the day it snowed. ²³He killed an eight-foot-tall Egyptian. The Egyptian had a spear like a weaver’s beam in his hand. But Benaiah went to him with a club, grabbed the spear away from him, and killed him with it. ²⁴These are the things that Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, did. He was as famous as the three fighting men. ²⁵He was honored more than the thirty, but he was not a member of the three. David put him in charge of his bodyguards. 

²⁶The distinguished fighting men were 

Joab’s brother Asahel, 

Elhanan (son of Dodo) from Bethlehem, 

²⁷Shammoth from Harod, 

Helez the Pelonite, 

²⁸Ira (son of Ikkesh) from Tekoa, 

Abiezer from Anathoth, 

²⁹Sibbecai (son of Hushai), 

Ilai (descendant of Ahohi), 

³⁰Maharai from Netophah, 

Heled (son of Baanah) from Netophah, 

³¹Ithai (son of Ribai) from Gibeah in Benjamin, 

Benaiah from Pirathon,