[1] Then all Israel gathered together to David at Hebron, and said,
"Behold, we are your bone and flesh. [2] In times past, even when Saul was
king, it was you that led out and brought in Israel; and the LORD your God
said to you, `You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be
prince over my people Israel.'" [3] So all the elders of Israel came to the
king at Hebron; and David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the
LORD, and they anointed David king over Israel, according to the word of
the LORD by Samuel. [4] And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, that is
Jebus, where the Jeb'usites were, the inhabitants of the land. [5] The
inhabitants of Jebus said to David, "You will not come in here."
Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion, that is, the city of David.
[6] David said, "Whoever shall smite the Jeb'usites first shall be chief
and commander." And Jo'ab the son of Zeru'iah went up first, so he became
chief. [7] And David dwelt in the stronghold; therefore it was called the
city of David. [8] And he built the city round about from the Millo in
complete circuit; and Jo'ab repaired the rest of the city. [9] And David
became greater and greater, for the LORD of hosts was with him. [10] Now
these are the chiefs of David's mighty men, who gave him strong support in
his kingdom, together with all Israel, to make him king, according to the
word of the LORD concerning Israel. [11] This is an account of David's
mighty men: Jasho'be-am, a Hach'monite, was chief of the three; he wielded
his spear against three hundred whom he slew at one time. [12] And next to
him among the three mighty men was Elea'zar the son of Dodo, the Aho'hite.
[13] He was with David at Pas-dam'mim when the Philistines were gathered
there for battle. There was a plot of ground full of barley, and the men
fled from the Philistines. [14] But he took his stand in the midst of the
plot, and defended it, and slew the Philistines; and the LORD saved them by
a great victory. [15] Three of the thirty chief men went down to the rock
to David at the cave of Adullam, when the army of Philistines was encamped
in the valley of Reph'aim. [16] David was then in the stronghold; and the
garrison of the Philistines was then at Bethlehem. [17] And David said
longingly, "O that some one would give me water to drink from the well of
Bethlehem which is by the gate!" [18] Then the three mighty men broke
through the camp of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of
Bethlehem which was by the gate, and took and brought it to David. But
David would not drink of it; he poured it out to the LORD, [19] and said,
"Far be it from me before my God that I should do this. Shall I drink the
lifeblood of these men? For at the risk of their lives they brought it."
Therefore he would not drink it. These things did the three mighty men.
[20] Now Abi'shai, the brother of Jo'ab, was chief of the thirty. And he
wielded his spear against three hundred men and slew them, and won a name
beside the three. [21] He was the most renowned of the thirty, and became
their commander; but he did not attain to the three. [22] And Benai'ah the
son of Jehoi'ada was a valiant man of Kabzeel, a doer of great deeds; he
smote two ariels of Moab. He also went down and slew a lion in a pit on a
day when snow had fallen. [23] And he slew an Egyptian, a man of great
stature, five cubits tall. The Egyptian had in his hand a spear like a
weaver's beam; but Benai'ah went down to him with a staff, and snatched the
spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and slew him with his own spear. [24]
These things did Benai'ah the son of Jehoi'ada, and won a name beside the
three mighty men. [25] He was renowned among the thirty, but he did not
attain to the three. And David set him over his bodyguard. [26] The mighty
men of the armies were As'ahel the brother of Jo'ab, Elha'nan the son of
Dodo of Bethlehem, [27] Shammoth of Harod, Helez the Pel'onite, [28] Ira
the son of Ikkesh of Teko'a, Abi-e'zer of An'athoth, [29] Sib'becai the
Hu'shathite, I'lai the Aho'hite, [30] Ma'harai of Netoph'ah, Heled the son
of Ba'anah of Netoph'ah, [31] Ithai the son of Ribai of Gib'e-ah of the
Benjaminites, Benai'ah of Pira'thon, [32] Hurai of the brooks of Ga'ash,
Abi'el the Ar'bathite, [33] Az'maveth of Baha'rum, Eli'ahba of Sha-al'bon,
[34] Hashem the Gi'zonite, Jonathan the son of Shagee the Har'arite, [35]
Ahi'am the son of Sachar the Har'arite, Eli'phal the son of Ur, [36] Hepher
the Meche'rathite, Ahi'jah the Pel'onite, [37] Hezro of Carmel, Na'arai the
son of Ezbai, [38] Jo'el the brother of Nathan, Mibhar the son of Hagri,
[39] Zelek the Ammonite, Na'harai of Be-er'oth, the armor-bearer of Jo'ab
the son of Zeru'iah, [40] Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, [41] Uri'ah
the Hittite, Zabad the son of Ahlai, [42] Ad'ina the son of Shiza the
Reubenite, a leader of the Reubenites, and thirty with him, [43] Hanan the
son of Ma'acah, and Josh'aphat the Mithnite, [44] Uzzi'a the Ash'terathite,
Shama and Je-i'el the sons of Hotham the Aro'erite, [45] Jedi'a-el the son
of Shimri, and Joha his brother, the Tizite, [46] Eli'el the Ma'havite, and
Jer'ibai, and Joshavi'ah, the sons of El'na-am, and Ithmah the Mo'abite,
[47] Eli'el, and Obed, and Ja-asi'el the Mezo'ba-ite.