2 Samuel 23:8–23

David’s Mighty Men

⁸These are the names of the warriors whom David had: Josheb-basshebeth a Tahchemonite; he was chief of the Three;^a he wielded his spear^b against eight hundred whom he killed at one time.

⁹Next to him among the three warriors was Eleazar son of Dodo son of Ahohi. He was with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle. The Israelites withdrew,^{* 10}but he stood his ground. He struck down the Philistines until his arm grew weary, though his hand clung to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day. Then the people came back to him—but only to strip the dead.^*

¹¹Next to him was Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. The Philistines gathered together at Lehi, where there was a plot of ground full of lentils, and the army fled from the Philistines.^{* 12}But he took his stand in the middle of the plot, defended it, and killed the Philistines, and the Lord brought about a great victory.

¹³Toward the beginning of harvest three of the thirty chiefs went down to join David at the cave of Adullam while a band of Philistines was encamped in the valley of Rephaim.^{* 14}David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then at Bethlehem.^{* 15}David said longingly, “Oh, that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate!” ¹⁶Then the three warriors broke through the camp of the Philistines, drew water from the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate, and brought it to David. But he would not drink of it; he poured it out to the Lord, ¹⁷for he said, “The Lord forbid that I should do this. Can I drink the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives?” Therefore he would not drink it. The three warriors did these things.^*

¹⁸Now Abishai son of Zeruiah, the brother of Joab, was chief of the Thirty.^c With his spear he fought against three hundred men and killed them and won a name beside the Three.^{* 19}He was the most renowned of the Thirty^d and became their commander, but he did not attain to the Three.

²⁰Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a valiant warrior^e from Kabzeel, a doer of great deeds; he struck down two sons of Ariel^f of Moab. He also went down and killed a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen.^{* 21}And he killed an Egyptian, a handsome man. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand, but Benaiah went against him with a staff, snatched the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and killed him with his own spear. ²²Such were the things Benaiah son of Jehoiada did and won a name beside the three warriors. ²³He was renowned among the Thirty, but he did not attain to the Three. And David put him in charge of his bodyguard.^*