“1 Then all Israel gathered themselves to David unto Hebron, saying,
Behold, we [are] thy bone and thy flesh. 2 And moreover in time past,
even when Saul was king, thou [wast] he that leddest out and broughtest
in Israel: and the LORD thy God said unto thee, Thou shalt feed my
people Israel, and thou shalt be ruler over my people Israel. 3
Therefore came all the elders of Israel to the king to Hebron; and David
made a covenant with them in 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, which [is] Jebus; where the
Jebusites [were], the inhabitants of the land. 5 And the inhabitants of
Jebus said to David, Thou shalt not come hither. Nevertheless David took
the castle of Zion, which [is] the city of David. 6 And David said,
Whosoever smiteth the Jebusites first shall be chief and captain. So
Joab the son of Zeruiah went first up, and was chief. 7 And David dwelt
in the castle; therefore they called it the city of David. 8 And he
built the city round about, even from Millo round about: and Joab
repaired the rest of the city. 9 So David waxed greater and greater: for
the LORD of hosts [was] with him.”
“10 These also [are] the chief of the mighty men whom David had, who
strengthened themselves with him in his kingdom, [and] with all Israel,
to make him king, according to the word of the LORD concerning Israel.
11 And this [is] the number of the mighty men whom David had; Jashobeam,
an Hachmonite, the chief of the captains: he lifted up his spear against
three hundred slain [by him] at one time. 12 And after him [was] Eleazar
the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, who [was one] of the three mighties. 13 He
was with David at Pasdammim, and there the Philistines were gathered
together to battle, where was a parcel of ground full of barley; and the
people fled from before the Philistines. 14 And they set themselves in
the midst of [that] parcel, and delivered it, and slew the Philistines;
and the LORD saved [them] by a great deliverance. 15 Now three of the
thirty captains went down to the rock to David, into the cave of Adullam;
and the host of the Philistines encamped in the valley of Rephaim. 16
And David [was] then in the hold, and the Philistines’ garrison [was]
then at Bethlehem. 17 And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give
me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, that [is] at the gate!
18 And the three brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew
water out of the well of Bethlehem, that [was] by the gate, and took
[it], and brought [it] to David: but David would not drink [of] it, but
poured it out to the LORD, 19 And said, My God forbid it me, that I
should do this thing: shall I drink the blood of these men that have put
their lives in jeopardy? for with [the jeopardy of] their lives they
brought it. Therefore he would not drink it. These things did these
three mightiest. 20 And Abishai the brother of Joab, he was chief of the
three: for lifting up his spear against three hundred, he slew [them],
and had a name among the three. 21 Of the three, he was more honourable
than the two; for he was their captain: howbeit he attained not to the
[first] three. 22 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man
of Kabzeel, who had done many acts; he slew two lionlike men of Moab:
also he went down and slew a lion in a pit in a snowy day. 23 And he
slew an Egyptian, a man of [great] stature, five cubits high; and in the
Egyptian’s hand [was] a spear like a weaver’s beam; and he went down to
him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and
slew him with his own spear. 24 These [things] did Benaiah the son of
Jehoiada, and had the name among the three mighties. 25 Behold, he was
honourable among the thirty, but attained not to the [first] three: and
David set him over his guard. 26 Also the valiant men of the armies
[were], Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan the son of Dodo of
Bethlehem, 27 Shammoth the Harorite, Helez the Pelonite, 28 Ira the son
of Ikkesh the Tekoite, Abiezer the Antothite, 29 Sibbecai the Hushathite,
Ilai the Ahohite, 30 Maharai the Netophathite, Heled the son of Baanah
the Netophathite, 31 Ithai the son of Ribai of Gibeah, [that pertained]
to the children of Benjamin, Benaiah the Pirathonite, 32 Hurai of the
brooks of Gaash, Abiel the Arbathite, 33 Azmaveth the Baharumite,
Eliahba the Shaalbonite, 34 The sons of Hashem the Gizonite, Jonathan
the son of Shage the Hararite, 35 Ahiam the son of Sacar the Hararite,
Eliphal the son of Ur, 36 Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite,
37 Hezro the Carmelite, Naarai the son of Ezbai, 38 Joel the brother of
Nathan, Mibhar the son of Haggeri, 39 Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the
Berothite, the armourbearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah, 40 Ira the
Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, 41 Uriah the Hittite, Zabad the son of Ahlai,
42 Adina the son of Shiza the Reubenite, a captain of the Reubenites,
and thirty with him, 43 Hanan the son of Maachah, and Joshaphat the
Mithnite, 44 Uzzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Jehiel the sons of Hothan
the Aroerite, 45 Jediael the son of Shimri, and Joha his brother, the
Tizite, 46 Eliel the Mahavite, and Jeribai, and Joshaviah, the sons of
Elnaam, and Ithmah the Moabite, 47 Eliel, and Obed, and Jasiel the
Mesobaite.” (1 Chronicles 11:1-47 AV)
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