1 Chronicles 10–12

CHAPTER 10

The Death of Saul and His Sons

^1aNow the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa.

²And the Philistines closely pursued Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down Jonathan and ^1aAbinadab and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul.

³And the battle became heavy against Saul, and the archers ¹hit him; and he was wounded by the archers.

⁴Then Saul said to his armor bearer, “Draw your sword and pierce me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and abuse me.” But his armor bearer was not willing, for he was greatly afraid. ^aSo Saul took his sword and fell on it.

⁵Then his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, so he also fell on his sword and died.

^6aThus Saul died with his three sons, and all those of his house died together.

⁷Then all the men of Israel who were in the valley saw that they had fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead. So they forsook their cities and fled; and the Philistines came and lived in them.

⁸Now it happened on the next day, that the Philistines came to strip the slain, and they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.

^9aSo they stripped him and took his head and his weapons and sent them all around the land of the Philistines, to proclaim the good news to their idols and to the people.

¹⁰And they placed his weapons in the house of their gods and fastened his head in the house of Dagon.

Jabesh-gilead Buries Saul

¹¹Then all Jabesh-gilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul,

^12aso all the valiant men arose and took away the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons and brought them to Jabesh, and they buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh and fasted seven days.

^13aThus Saul died for his unfaithfulness, which he committed against Yahweh, because of the word of Yahweh which he did not keep; and also ^bbecause he asked counsel of a medium, making inquiry of it,

¹⁴and did not inquire of Yahweh. Therefore He put him to death and ^aturned the kingdom to David the son of Jesse.

CHAPTER 11

David Anointed King over All Israel

^1aThen all Israel gathered to David at Hebron ¹and said, “Behold, we are your bone and your flesh.

²“Previously, even when Saul was king, you were the one who led out and brought in Israel; and Yahweh your God said to you, ‘^aYou will shepherd My people Israel, and you will be a ruler over My people Israel.’”

³So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and David cut a covenant with them in Hebron before Yahweh; then ^athey anointed David king over Israel, ^baccording to the word of Yahweh through Samuel.

David Captures Jerusalem

⁴Then David and all Israel went to Jerusalem (^athat is, Jebus); and the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, were there.

⁵Then the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, “You shall not come in here.” Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion, that is, the city of David.

⁶And David said, “Whoever strikes down a Jebusite first shall be chief and commander.” ^aJoab the son of Zeruiah went up first, so he became chief.

⁷Then David lived in the stronghold; therefore it was called the city of David.

⁸And he ¹built the city all around, from the ²Millo even to the surrounding area; and Joab ³repaired the rest of the city.

^9aAnd David became greater and greater, and Yahweh of hosts was with him.

David’s Mighty Men

^10aNow these are the heads of the mighty men whom David had, who gave him strong support in his kingdom, together with all Israel, to make him king, ^baccording to the word of Yahweh concerning Israel.

¹¹These constitute the list of the mighty men whom David had: ^aJashobeam, the son of a Hachmonite, ^bthe chief of the thirty; he lifted up his spear against three hundred ¹slain by him at one time.

¹²And after him was Eleazar the son of ^aDodo, the Ahohite, who was ¹one of the three mighty men.

¹³He was with David at ¹Pasdammim. ^aNow the Philistines had gathered together there to battle, and there was a portion of the field full of barley; and the people fled from before the Philistines.

¹⁴But they took their stand in the midst of that portion and delivered it, and struck down the Philistines. So Yahweh saved them by a great salvation.

¹⁵Then three of the thirty chief men went down to the rock to David, to the cave of Adullam, while ^athe camp of the Philistines was camping in the valley of Rephaim.

¹⁶And David was then in the fortress, while ^athe garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem.

¹⁷Then David had a craving and said, “Oh that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!”

¹⁸So the three broke through the camp of the Philistines and drew water from the well of Bethlehem which was by the gate, and carried it and brought it to David. Nevertheless, David was not willing to drink it, but poured it out to Yahweh;

¹⁹and he said, “Be it far from me before my God that I should do this. Shall I drink the blood of these men who went ¹at the risk of their lives? For at the risk of their lives they brought it.” Therefore he was not willing to drink it. These things the three mighty men did.

²⁰Now ¹Abshai, the brother of Joab, was chief of the ²thirty. And he swung his spear against three hundred ³who were slain by him; and he had a name as well as the ⁴thirty.

²¹Of the three in the second rank he was the most honored and became their commander; however, he did not attain to the first three.

^22aBenaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, mighty in deeds, struck down the ¹two sons of Ariel of Moab. He also went down and struck down a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day.

²³He had also struck down an Egyptian, ¹an impressive man, ²five cubits tall. Now in the Egyptian’s hand was ^aa spear like a weaver’s beam, but he went down to him with a club and snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear.

²⁴These things Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did, and had a name as well as the three mighty men.

²⁵Behold, he was honored among the thirty, but he did not attain to the three. And David appointed him over his guard.

²⁶Now the mighty men of the military forces were Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem,

²⁷¹Shammoth the Harorite, Helez the ²Pelonite,

²⁸Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, Abiezer the Anathothite,

²⁹¹Sibbecai the Hushathite, ²Ilai the Ahohite,

³⁰Maharai the Netophathite, ¹Heled the son of Baanah the Netophathite,

³¹Ithai the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the sons of Benjamin, Benaiah the Pirathonite,

³²¹Hurai of the brooks of Gaash, ²Abiel the Arbathite,

³³Azmaveth the Baharumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite,

³⁴the sons of ¹Hashem the Gizonite, Jonathan the son of Shagee the Hararite,

³⁵Ahiam the son of ¹Sacar the Hararite, ²Eliphal the son of Ur,

³⁶Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite,

³⁷Hezro the Carmelite, ¹Naarai the son of Ezbai,

³⁸Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar the son of Hagri,

³⁹Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Berothite, the armor bearer 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 chief of the Reubenites, and thirty with him,

⁴³Hanan the son of Maacah and Joshaphat 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 and Jeribai and Joshaviah, the sons of Elnaam, and Ithmah the Moabite,

⁴⁷Eliel and Obed and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.

CHAPTER 12

David’s Mighty Men

^1aNow these are the ones who came to David at Ziklag, while he was still restricted because of Saul the son of Kish; and they were among the mighty men who helped him in war.

²They were equipped with bows, ^ausing both the right hand and the left to sling stones and to shoot arrows from the bow; ^bthey were Saul’s relatives from Benjamin.

³The chief was Ahiezer, then Joash, the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite; and Jeziel and Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth, and Beracah and Jehu the Anathothite,

⁴and Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the thirty, and over the thirty. ¹Then Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, Jozabad the Gederathite,

⁵¹Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, Shephatiah the Haruphite,

⁶Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, Jashobeam, the Korahites,

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

⁸From the Gadites, mighty men of valor separated themselves to David in the stronghold in the wilderness, men of war who had gone out for military duty, who could ¹handle large shield and spear, and whose faces were like the faces of lions, and ^athey were as swift as the gazelles on the mountains.

⁹Ezer was the first, Obadiah the second, Eliab the third,

¹⁰Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth,

¹¹Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh,

¹²Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth,

¹³Jeremiah the tenth, Machbannai the eleventh.

¹⁴These of the sons of Gad were chiefs of the army; ^ahe who was least was equal to one hundred and the greatest to one thousand.

^15aThese are the ones who crossed the Jordan in the first month when it was overflowing all its banks and they made all those in the valleys flee, both to the east and to the west.

¹⁶Then some of the sons of Benjamin and Judah came to the stronghold to David.

¹⁷David went out before them, and he answered and said to them, “If you come peacefully to me to help me, my heart shall be united with you; but if to betray me to my adversaries, since there is no violence in my hands, may the God of our fathers look on it and reprove.”

¹⁸And ^athe Spirit clothed ^bAmasai, who was the chief of the thirty, and he said,

“We are yours, O David,

And with you, O son of Jesse!

^cPeace, peace to you,

And peace to him who helps you;

Indeed, your God helps you!”

Then David received them and made them chiefs of the band.

^19aNow from Manasseh also some defected to David when he was about to go to battle with the Philistines against Saul. But they did not help them, for the lords of the Philistines…