1 Chronicles 10–12

The Death of Saul and His Sons

10Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and every Israelite fled away from before the Philistines. And they fell slain upon Mount Gilboa. ²And the Philistines overtook^a Saul and his sons. And the Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malki-Shua, the sons of Saul. ³And the battle was heavy against Saul, and the archers^b found him, and he was wounded by the archers.^{c 4}And Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and deal harshly with me.” But his armor-bearer was not willing, because he was very afraid. Then Saul took the sword and fell upon it. ⁵When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon the sword, and he died. ⁶So Saul died. And his three sons and all his house died together. ⁷And when all the men of Israel who were in the valley saw that they^d had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled. Then the Philistines came and dwelled in them. ⁸And it happened that on the next day when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. ⁹And they stripped him and took his head and his weapons, and they sent them throughout the land of the Philistines to bring news to their idols and the nation. ¹⁰And they put his weapons in the temple of their gods, and they fastened his skull to the temple of Dagon. ¹¹When all Jabesh-Gilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul, ¹²every strong man arose and took the dead body of Saul and the dead bodies of his sons and brought them to Jabesh. And they buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh and fasted seven days. ¹³So Saul died on account of his sin which he had sinned against Yahweh concerning the command of Yahweh that he did not keep. He also consulted a medium to seek guidance. ¹⁴But he did not seek Yahweh. So Yahweh put him to death and turned over the kingship to David, the son of Jesse.

The Anointing of David as King

11Then all Israel gathered to David in Hebron, saying, “Look—we are your flesh and bones. ²For some time now,^a even when Saul was king, you were the one who led the army of Israel in battle.^b And Yahweh your God said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel and will be leader over my people Israel.’ ” ³Then all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and David made a covenant with them at Hebron in the presence of Yahweh. And they anointed David as king over Israel according to the word of Yahweh by the hand of Samuel. ⁴And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem (that is Jebus). And the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, were there. ⁵And the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, “You will not enter here.” But David captured the stronghold of Zion; that is, the city of David. ⁶Then David said, “Whoever strikes the Jebusites first will be chief and commander.” And Joab the son of Zeruiah went up first and became chief. ⁷And David lived in the fortress. Therefore they called it the city of David. ⁸And he built the city all around from the Millo and up to the circuit. And Joab restored the remainder of the city. ⁹And David became greater and greater.^c And Yahweh of hosts was with him.

David’s Mighty Men

¹⁰Now these are the chiefs of the mighty men who were for David, who gave him strong support in his kingdom, together with all Israel to make him king according to the word of Yahweh concerning Israel. ¹¹And this is the numbering of the mighty warriors who were for David: Jashobeam son of Hachmoni was chief of the three. He himself raised his spear against three hundred whom he killed on one occasion.

¹²And after him was Eleazar son of Dodo the Ahohite. He was among the three mighty warriors. ¹³He himself was with David at Pas-Dammim when the Philistines were gathered there for the battle. And there was a plot of the field filled with barley, and the people fled before the Philistines. ¹⁴But they took their stand in the middle of the plot and defended it. And they killed the Philistines. And Yahweh saved them with a great victory.

¹⁵And three of the thirty chiefs went down toward the rock to David at the cave of Adullam when the army of the Philistines was encamped in the valley of Rephaim. ¹⁶And David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. ¹⁷And David had a craving, and he said, “Who could give me a drink of water from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate!” ¹⁸Then the three broke through into the camp of the Philistines and drew water from the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate and brought it and came to David. But David would not drink it and poured it out before Yahweh. ¹⁹And he said, “Far be it from me that I would do this before my God. Shall I drink the lifeblood of these men? For at the risk of their lives^d they brought it.” And he was not willing to drink it. These things the three mighty men did.

²⁰Now Abishai the brother of Joab was himself the head of the three.^e And he roused himself with his spear against three hundred whom he killed and made a name for himself^f among the three. ²¹He was twice as renowned^g among the three^h and was their commander. But he did not attain to the three. ²²And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was a strong manⁱ from Kabzeel, one who did great deeds. He himself struck down two sons of Ariel of Moab. And he himself went down and struck down a lion within a pit on a snowy day. ²³And he himself struck down an Egyptian man, a large man five cubits tall. And in the hand of the Egyptian was a spear like a weaver’s beam. But he went down to him with a club and seized the spear from the hand of the Egyptian and killed him with his own spear. ²⁴These things Benaiah son of Jehoiada did and had a name among the three mighty warriors. ²⁵He himself was certainly distinguished among the thirty, but he did not attain to the three. And David appointed him over his bodyguard.

²⁶Now the mighty warriors of the troops were Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan the son of Dodo from Bethlehem, ²⁷Shammoth the Harorite, Helez the Pelonite, ²⁸Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, Abiezer the Anathothite, ²⁹Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite, ³⁰Maharai the Netophathite, Heled the son of Baanah the Netophathite, ³¹Ittai the son of Ribai from Gibeah of the people of Benjamin, Benaiah the Pirathonite, ³²Hurai of the valleys of Gaash, Abiel the Arbathite, ³³Azmaveth the Baharumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite, ³⁴the sons of Hashem the Gizonite, Jehonathan the son of Shagee the Hararite, ³⁵Ahiam the son of Sacar the Hararite, Eliphal the son of Ur, ³⁶Hepher the Mekerathite, Ahijah the Pelonite, ³⁷Hezro the Carmelite, Naari the son of Ezbai, ³⁸Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar the son of Hagri, ³⁹Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite, the bearer of the weapons of Joab the son of Zeruiah, ⁴⁰Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, ⁴¹Uriah the Hittite, Zabad the son of Ahlai, ⁴²Adina the son of Shiza the Reubenite, a leader of the Reubenites, and thirty with him, ⁴³Hanan the son of Maacah, Jehoshaphat the Mithnite, ⁴⁴Uzzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Jeiel the sons of Hotham the Aroerite, ⁴⁵Jediael the son of Shimri and Joha his brother the Tizite, ⁴⁶Eliel the Mahavite, Jeribai and Joshaviah the sons of Elnaam, Ithmah the Moabite, ⁴⁷Eliel, Obed, and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.

David and His Mighty Men at Ziklag

12Now these are the ones who came to David at Ziklag while he was still shut up because of Saul,^a the son of Kish. And they were the mighty warriors helping with the war. ²They were armed with the bow, able to shoot right-handed or left-handed, slinging stones or shooting arrows with the bow; they were kinsmen of Saul from Benjamin. ³The leader was Ahiezer, then Jehoash, sons of Shemaah the Gibeonite; Jeiel and Pelet, sons of Azmaveth; Beracah; Jehu the Anathothite; ⁴Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty warrior among the thirty who was over the thirty;^b Jeremiah; Jahaziel; Johanan; Jozabad the Gederathite; ^5c Eluzai; Jerimoth; Bealiah; Shemariah; Shephatiah the Hariphite; ⁶Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam the Korahites; ⁷Joelah and Zebadiah, sons of Jeroham from the Gedor.

⁸And from the Gadites, valiant mighty warriors, soldiers fit for war,^d expert with shield and spear, defected to David at the fortress toward the wilderness. And they had faces like lions^e and were swift as gazelles upon the mountains. ⁹Ezer the chief, Obadiah second, Eliab third, ¹⁰Mishmannah fourth, Jeremiah fifth, ¹¹Attai sixth, Eliel seventh, ¹²Jehonan eighth, Elzabad ninth, ¹³Jeremiah tenth, Macbannai eleventh. ¹⁴These were the sons of Gad, leaders of the army. The smallest one was as a hundred, and the greatest as a thousand. ¹⁵These were they who crossed the Jordan in the first month, when it was filled over all its banks. And they put to flight all who were in the valley to the east and to the west.

¹⁶And some of the sons of Benjamin and from Judah came to the fortress, to David. ¹⁷And David went out to meet them^f and answered and said to them, “If you come in peace to me, to help me, my heart will be joined with you,^g but if you come to betray me to my adversaries, although there is no wrong on my hands, may the God of our fathers see and pass judgment.” ¹⁸Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, chief of the thirty who said:

“We are yours, O David!

And we are with you, O son of Jesse!

Peace! Peace to you, and peace to those who help you,

for your God helps you.”

So David appointed them as heads of the troops.

¹⁹And some Manassites deserted to David when he came with the Philistines to the battle against Saul, but he did not help them, for the rulers of the Philistines sent him away upon counsel, saying, “He will desert to his master Saul at the cost of our heads.” ²⁰When he went to Ziklag some Manassites deserted to him: Adnah, Jehozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, heads of the thousands that were…