1 Chronicles 11

David Made King Over All Israel

11Then ^aall Israel came together to David at Hebron, saying, “Indeed we are your bone and your flesh. ²Also, 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.’ ” ³Therefore 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

⁴And David and all Israel ^fwent to Jerusalem, which is Jebus, ^gwhere the Jebusites were, the inhabitants of the land. ⁵But 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). ⁶Now David said, “Whoever attacks the Jebusites first shall be ²chief and captain.” And Joab the son of Zeruiah went up first, and became chief. ⁷Then David dwelt in the stronghold; therefore they called it ³the City of David. ⁸And he built the city around it, from ⁴the Millo to the surrounding area. Joab ⁵repaired the rest of the city. ⁹So David ^hwent on and became great, and the Lord of hosts was with ⁱhim.

The Mighty Men of David

¹⁰Now ^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.

¹¹And 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.

¹²After him was Eleazar the son of ⁿDodo, the Ahohite, who was one of the three mighty men. ¹³He 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. ¹⁴But they ⁸stationed themselves in the middle of that field, defended it, and killed the Philistines. So the Lord brought about a great victory.

¹⁵Now 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. ¹⁶David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. ¹⁷And David said with longing, “Oh, that someone would give me a drink of water from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!” ¹⁸So 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. ¹⁹And 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.

^20qAbishai 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. ^21rOf 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.

²²Benaiah 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. ²³And 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. ²⁴These things Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did, and won a name among three mighty men. ²⁵Indeed he was more honored than the thirty, but he did not attain to the first three. And David appointed him over his guard.

²⁶Also the mighty warriors were ^tAsahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, ²⁷⁴Shammoth the Harorite, ^uHelez the ⁵Pelonite, ^28vIra the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, ^wAbiezer the Anathothite, ²⁹⁶Sibbechai the Hushathite, ⁷Ilai the Ahohite, ^30xMaharai the Netophathite, ⁸Heled the son of Baanah the Netophathite, ³¹⁹Ithai the son of Ribai of Gibeah, of the sons of Benjamin, ^yBenaiah the Pirathonite, ³²¹Hurai of the brooks of Gaash, ²Abiel the Arbathite, ³³Azmaveth the ³Baharumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite, ³⁴the sons of ⁴Hashem the Gizonite, Jonathan the son of Shageh the Hararite, ³⁵Ahiam the son of ⁵Sacar the Hararite, ⁶Eliphal the son of ⁷Ur, ³⁶Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite, ³⁷⁸Hezro the Carmelite, ⁹Naarai the son of Ezbai, ³⁸Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar the son of Hagri, ³⁹Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the ¹Berothite (the armorbearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah), ⁴⁰Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, ^41zUriah the Hittite, ²Zabad the son of Ahlai, ⁴²Adina the son of Shiza the Reubenite (a chief of the Reubenites) and thirty with him, ⁴³Hanan the son of Maachah, 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, Jeribai and Joshaviah the sons of Elnaam, Ithmah the Moabite, ⁴⁷Eliel, Obed, and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.