1 Chronicles 11:10–41

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,