1 Chronicles 11

David’s Anointing as King

11All Israel ^scame together to David at Hebron and said, “Here we are, your own flesh and blood. ^t2Even when Saul was king, you led us out to battle and brought us back. The Lord your God also said to you, ‘You will shepherd My people Israel and be ruler over My people Israel.’ ”

³So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron. David made a covenant with them at Hebron in the Lord’s presence, and they anointed David king over Israel, in keeping with the Lord’s word through Samuel. ^u

David’s Capture of Jerusalem

⁴David ^vand all Israel marched to Jerusalem (that is, Jebus ^w); the Jebusites who inhabited the land were there. ⁵The inhabitants of Jebus said to David, “You will never get in here.” Yet David did capture the stronghold of Zion, that is, the city of David.

⁶David said, “Whoever is the first to kill a Jebusite will become chief commander.” Joab ^xson of Zeruiah went up first, so he became the chief.

⁷Then David took up residence in the stronghold; therefore, it was called the city of David. ⁸He built up the city all the way around, from the supporting terraces to the surrounding parts, and Joab restored the rest of the city. ⁹David steadily grew more powerful, ^yand the Lord of Hosts was with him.

Exploits of David’s Warriors

¹⁰The following were the chiefs of David’s warriors who, together with all Israel, strongly supported him in his reign to make him king according to the Lord’s word about Israel. ^z11This ^ais the list of David’s warriors:

Jashobeam son of Hachmoni was chief ^bof the Thirty; ^che wielded his spear against 300 and killed them at one time.

¹²After him, Eleazar son of Dodo ^dthe Ahohite was one of the three warriors. ¹³He was with David at Pas-dammim when the Philistines had gathered there for battle. There was a portion of a field full of barley, where the troops had fled from the Philistines. ^e14But Eleazar and David ^ftook their stand in the middle of the field and defended it. They killed the Philistines, and the Lord gave them a great victory.

¹⁵Three of the 30 chief men went down to David, to the rock at the cave of Adullam, ^gwhile the Philistine army was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. ^h16At that time David was in the stronghold, ⁱand a Philistine garrison ^jwas at Bethlehem. ¹⁷David was extremely thirsty ^kand said, “If only someone would bring me water to drink from the well at the city gate of Bethlehem!” ¹⁸So the Three broke through the Philistine camp and drew water from the well at the gate of Bethlehem. They brought it back to David, but he refused to drink it. Instead, he poured it out to the Lord. ¹⁹David said, “I would never do such a thing in the presence of God! How can I drink the blood of these men who risked their lives?” For they brought it at the risk of their lives. So he would not drink it. Such were the exploits of the three warriors.

²⁰Abishai, ^lJoab’s brother, was the leader of the Three. ^mHe raised his spear against 300 men and killed them, gaining a reputation among the Three. ²¹He was more honored than the Three and became their commander even though he did not become one of the Three.

²²Benaiah son of Jehoiada ⁿwas the son of a brave man ^ofrom Kabzeel, a man of many exploits. Benaiah killed two sons of Ariel of Moab, ^pand he went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. ²³He also killed an Egyptian who was seven and a half feet tall. ^qEven though the Egyptian had a spear in his hand like a weaver’s beam, ^rBenaiah went down to him with a club, snatched the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and then killed him with his own spear. ²⁴These were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada, who had a reputation among the three warriors. ²⁵He was the most honored of the Thirty, but he did not become one of the Three. David put him in charge of his bodyguard.

²⁶The fighting men ^swere:

Joab’s brother Asahel, ^t

Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem,

²⁷Shammoth the Harorite,

Helez the Pelonite,

²⁸Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoite,

Abiezer the Anathothite,

²⁹Sibbecai the Hushathite,

Ilai the Ahohite,

³⁰Maharai the Netophathite,

Heled son of Baanah the Netophathite,

³¹Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah of the Benjaminites,

Benaiah the Pirathonite,

³²Hurai from the wadis of Gaash,

Abiel the Arbathite,

³³Azmaveth the Baharumite,

Eliahba the Shaalbonite,

³⁴the sons of ^uvHashem the Gizonite,

Jonathan son of Shagee the Hararite,

³⁵Ahiam son of Sachar the Hararite,

Eliphal son of Ur,

³⁶Hepher the Mecherathite,

Ahijah the Pelonite,

³⁷Hezro the Carmelite,

Naarai son of Ezbai,

³⁸Joel the brother of Nathan,

Mibhar son of Hagri,

³⁹Zelek the Ammonite,

Naharai the Beerothite, the armor-bearer for Joab son of Zeruiah,

⁴⁰Ira the Ithrite,

Gareb the Ithrite,

⁴¹Uriah the Hittite,

Zabad son of Ahlai,

⁴²Adina son of Shiza the Reubenite, chief of the Reubenites, and 30 with him,

⁴³Hanan son of Maacah,

Joshaphat the Mithnite,

⁴⁴Uzzia the Ashterathite,

Shama and Jeiel the sons of Hotham the Aroerite,

⁴⁵Jediael son of Shimri and his brother Joha the Tizite,

⁴⁶Eliel the Mahavite,

Jeribai and Joshaviah, the sons of Elnaam,

Ithmah the Moabite,

⁴⁷Eliel, Obed, and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.