Tragic End of Saul and His Sons

10 Now athe Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. 2 Then the Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons. And the Philistines killed Jonathan, 1Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul’s sons. 3 The battle became fierce against Saul. The archers hit him, and he was wounded by the archers. 4 Then Saul said to his armorbearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised men come and abuse me.” But his armorbearer would not, for he was greatly afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword and fell on it. 5 And when his armorbearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword and died. 6 So Saul and his three sons died, and all his house died together. 7 And when all the men of Israel who were in the valley saw that they had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook their cities and fled; then the Philistines came and dwelt in them.

8 So it happened the next day, when the Philistines came to 2strip the slain, that they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 9 And they stripped him and took his head and his armor, and sent word throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news in the temple of their idols and among the people. 10 bThen they put his armor in the 3temple of their gods, and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon.

11 And when all Jabesh Gilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 all the cvaliant men arose and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons; and they brought them to dJabesh, and buried their bones under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

13 So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had 4committed against the Lord, ebecause he did not keep the word of the Lord, and also because fhe consulted a medium for guidance. 14 But he did not inquire of the Lord; therefore He killed him, and gturned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.

David Made King Over All Israel

11 Then aall Israel came together to David at Hebron, saying, “Indeed we are your bone and your flesh. 2 Also, in time past, even when Saul was king, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them in; and the Lord your bGod said to you, ‘You shall cshepherd My people Israel, and be ruler over My people Israel.’ ” 3 Therefore all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord. And dthey anointed David king over Israel, according to the word of the Lord 1by eSamuel.

The City of David

4 And David and all Israel fwent to Jerusalem, which is Jebus, gwhere the Jebusites were, the inhabitants of the land. 5 But the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, “You shall not come in here!” Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion (that is, the City of David). 6 Now David said, “Whoever attacks the Jebusites first shall be 2chief and captain.” And Joab the son of Zeruiah went up first, and became chief. 7 Then David dwelt in the stronghold; therefore they called it 3the City of David. 8 And he built the city around it, from 4the Millo to the surrounding area. Joab 5repaired the rest of the city. 9 So David hwent on and became great, and the Lord of hosts was with ihim.

The Mighty Men of David

10 Now jthese were the heads of the mighty men whom David had, who strengthened themselves with him in his kingdom, with all Israel, to make him king, according to kthe word of the Lord concerning Israel.

11 And this is the number of the mighty men whom David had: lJashobeam the son of a Hachmonite, mchief of 6the captains; he had lifted up his spear against three hundred, killed by him at one time.

12 After him was Eleazar the son of nDodo, the Ahohite, who was one of the three mighty men. 13 He was with David at 7Pasdammim. Now there the Philistines were gathered for battle, and there was a piece of ground full of barley. So the people fled from the Philistines. 14 But they 8stationed themselves in the middle of that field, defended it, and killed the Philistines. So the Lord brought about a great victory.

15 Now three of the thirty chief men owent down to the rock to David, into the cave of Adullam; and the army of the Philistines encamped pin the Valley of 9Rephaim. 16 David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. 17 And David said with longing, “Oh, that someone would give me a drink of water from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!” 18 So the three broke through the camp of the Philistines, drew water from the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate, and took it and brought it to David. Nevertheless David would not drink it, but poured it out to the Lord. 19 And he said, “Far be it from me, O my God, that I should do this! Shall I drink the blood of these men who have put their lives in jeopardy? For at the risk of their lives they brought it.” Therefore he would not drink it. These things were done by the three mighty men.

20 qAbishai the brother of Joab was chief of another 1three. He had lifted up his spear against three hundred men, killed them, and won a name among these three. 21 rOf the three he was more honored than the other two men. Therefore he became their captain. However he did not attain to the first three.

22 Benaiah was the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man from Kabzeel, who 2had done many deeds. sHe had killed two lion-like heroes of Moab. He also had gone down and killed a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day. 23 And he killed an Egyptian, a man of great height, 3five cubits tall. In the Egyptian’s hand there was a spear like a weaver’s beam; and he went down to him with a staff, wrested the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and killed him with his own spear. 24 These things Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did, and won a name among three mighty men. 25 Indeed he was more honored than the thirty, but he did not attain to the first three. And David appointed him over his guard.

26 Also the mighty warriors were tAsahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, 27 4Shammoth the Harorite, uHelez the 5Pelonite, 28 vIra the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, wAbiezer the Anathothite, 29 6Sibbechai the Hushathite, 7Ilai the Ahohite, 30 xMaharai the Netophathite, 8Heled the son of Baanah the Netophathite, 31 9Ithai the son of Ribai of Gibeah, of the sons of Benjamin, yBenaiah the Pirathonite, 32 1Hurai of the brooks of Gaash, 2Abiel the Arbathite, 33 Azmaveth the 3Baharumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite, 34 the sons of 4Hashem the Gizonite, Jonathan the son of Shageh the Hararite, 35 Ahiam the son of 5Sacar the Hararite, 6Eliphal the son of 7Ur, 36 Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite, 37 8Hezro the Carmelite, 9Naarai the son of Ezbai, 38 Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar the son of Hagri, 39 Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the 1Berothite (the armorbearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah), 40 Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, 41 zUriah the Hittite, 2Zabad the son of Ahlai, 42 Adina the son of Shiza the Reubenite (a chief of the Reubenites) and thirty with him, 43 Hanan the son of Maachah, Joshaphat the Mithnite, 44 Uzzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Jeiel the sons of Hotham the Aroerite, 45 Jediael the son of Shimri, and Joha his brother, the Tizite, 46 Eliel the Mahavite, Jeribai and Joshaviah the sons of Elnaam, Ithmah the Moabite, 47 Eliel, Obed, and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.

The Growth of David’s Army

12 Now athese were the men who came to David at bZiklag while he was still a fugitive from Saul the son of Kish; and they were among the mighty men, helpers in the war, 2 armed with bows, using both the right hand and cthe left in hurling stones and shooting arrows with the bow. They were of Benjamin, Saul’s brethren.

3 The chief was Ahiezer, then Joash, the sons of 1Shemaah the Gibeathite; Jeziel and Pelet the sons of Azmaveth; Berachah, and Jehu the Anathothite; 4 Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the thirty, and over the thirty; Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, and Jozabad the Gederathite; 5 Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, and Shephatiah the Haruphite; 6 Elkanah, Jisshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, the Korahites; 7 and Joelah and Zebadiah the sons of Jeroham of Gedor.

8 Some Gadites 2joined David at the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for battle, who could handle shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were das swift as gazelles on the mountains: 9 Ezer the first, Obadiah the second, Eliab the third, 10 Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth, 11 Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh, 12 Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth, 13 Jeremiah the tenth, and Machbanai the eleventh. 14 These were from the sons of Gad, captains of the army; the least was over a hundred, and the greatest was over a ethousand. 15 These are the ones who crossed the Jordan in the first month, when it had overflowed all its fbanks; and they put to flight all those in the valleys, to the east and to the west.

16 Then some of the sons of Benjamin and Judah came to David at the stronghold. 17 And David went out 3to meet them, and answered and said to them, “If you have come peaceably to me to help me, my heart will be united with you; but if to betray me to my enemies, since there is no 4wrong in my hands, may the God of our fathers look and bring judgment.” 18 Then the Spirit 5came upon gAmasai, chief of the captains, and he said:

“We are yours, O David;

We are on your side, O son of Jesse!

Peace, peace to you,

And peace to your helpers!

For your God helps you.”

So David received them, and made them captains of the troop.

19 And some from Manasseh defected to David hwhen he was going with the Philistines to battle against Saul; but they did not help them, for the lords of the Philistines sent him away by agreement, saying, i“He may defect to his master Saul and endanger our heads.” 20 When he went to Ziklag, those of Manasseh who defected to him were Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael