^11:1All Israel joined David at Hebron and said, “Look, we are your very flesh and blood!¹^11:2In the past, even when Saul was king, you were Israel’s commanding general.² The Lord your God said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel; you will rule over my people Israel.’ ” ^11:3When all the leaders³ of Israel came to the king at Hebron, David made an agreement⁴ with them in Hebron before the Lord. They anointed⁵ David king over Israel, just as the Lord had announced through Samuel.⁶

David Conquers Jerusalem

^11:4David and the whole Israelite army⁷ advanced to Jerusalem (that is, Jebus).⁸ (The Jebusites, the land’s original inhabitants, lived there.)⁹^11:5The residents of Jebus said to David, “You cannot invade this place!” But David captured the fortress of Zion (that is, the City of David). ^11:6¹⁰ David said, “Whoever attacks¹¹ the Jebusites first will become commanding general!”¹² So Joab son of Zeruiah attacked¹³ first and became commander.¹⁴^11:7David lived in the fortress; for this reason it is called the City of David. ^11:8He built up the city around it, from the terrace to the surrounding walls;¹⁵ Joab restored the rest of the city. ^11:9David’s power steadily grew, for the Lord who commands armies was with him.¹⁶

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Footnotes

1 Heb “look, your bone and your flesh [are] we.”
2 Heb “you were the one who led out and the one who brought in Israel.”
3 Heb “elders.”
4 Or “covenant.”
5 Or “They poured olive oil on David to designate him as king.”
6 Heb “according to the word of the Lord by the hand of Samuel.”
7 Heb “all Israel.”
8 Jebus was an older name for the city of Jerusalem (cf. Josh 15:8; Judg 1:21). For location see ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .
9 Heb “and there [were] the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land.”
10 Verse 6 inserts into the narrative parenthetical information about Joab’s role in the conquest of the city. Verse 7 then picks up where v. 5 left off.
11 Or perhaps “strikes down.”
12 Heb “head and officer.”
13 Heb “went up.”
14 Heb “head.”
15 Heb “to that which surrounds.” On the referent here as “the surrounding walls,” see סָבִיב.
16 Heb “and David went, going and becoming great, and the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, Lord of hosts] was with him.”