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11
David Anointed King
11:1Then all Israel gathered together to David at Hebron and said, “Behold, we are your bone and flesh. 2In times past, even when Saul was king, it was you who 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.’” 3So 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.
David Takes Jerusalem
4And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, that is Jebus, where the Jebusites were, the inhabitants of the land. 5The 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. 6David said, “Whoever strikes the Jebusites first shall be chief and commander.” And Joab the son of Zeruiah went up first, so he became chief. 7And David lived in the stronghold; therefore it was called the city of David. 8And he built the city all around from the Millo in complete circuit, and Joab repaired the rest of the city. 9And David became greater and greater, for the Lord of hosts was with him.
David’s Mighty Men
10Now 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. 11This is an account of David’s mighty men: Jashobeam, a Hachmonite, was chief of the three.[1] He wielded his spear against 300 whom he killed at one time.
12And next to him among the three mighty men was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite. 13He was with David at Pas-dammim when the Philistines were gathered there for battle. There was a plot of ground full of barley, and the men fled from the Philistines. 14But he took his[2] stand in the midst of the plot and defended it and killed the Philistines. And the Lord saved them by a great victory.
15Three 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 Rephaim. 16David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then at Bethlehem. 17And David said longingly, “Oh that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate!” 18Then the three mighty men broke through the camp 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 it. He poured it out to the Lord 19and 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.
20Now Abishai, the brother of Joab, was chief of the thirty.[3] And he wielded his spear against 300 men and killed them and won a name beside the three. 21He was the most renowned[4] of the thirty[5] and became their commander, but he did not attain to the three.
22And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was a valiant man[6] of Kabzeel, a doer of great deeds. He struck down two heroes of Moab. He also went down and struck down a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen. 23And he struck down an Egyptian, a man of great stature, five cubits[7] tall. The Egyptian had in his hand a spear like a weaver’s beam, but Benaiah went down to him with a staff and snatched the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear. 24These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and won a name beside the three mighty men. 25He was renowned among the thirty, but he did not attain to the three. And David set him over his bodyguard.
26The mighty men were Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, 27Shammoth of Harod,[8] Helez the Pelonite, 28Ira the son of Ikkesh of Tekoa, Abiezer of Anathoth, 29Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite, 30Maharai of Netophah, Heled the son of Baanah of Netophah, 31Ithai the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the people of Benjamin, Benaiah of Pirathon, 32Hurai of the brooks of Gaash, Abiel the Arbathite, 33Azmaveth of Baharum, Eliahba the Shaalbonite, 34Hashem[9] the Gizonite, Jonathan the son of Shagee the Hararite, 35Ahiam the son of Sachar the Hararite, Eliphal the son of Ur, 36Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite, 37Hezro of Carmel, Naarai the son of Ezbai, 38Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar the son of Hagri, 39Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai of Beeroth, the armor-bearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah, 40Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, 41Uriah the Hittite, Zabad the son of Ahlai, 42Adina the son of Shiza the Reubenite, a leader of the Reubenites, and thirty with him, 43Hanan the son of Maacah, and 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, and Jeribai, and Joshaviah, the sons of Elnaam, and Ithmah the Moabite, 47Eliel, and Obed, and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.
[1] Compare 2 Samuel 23:8; Hebrew thirty, or captains [2] Compare 2 Samuel 23:12; Hebrew they . . . their [3] Syriac; Hebrew three [4] Compare 2 Samuel 23:19; Hebrew more renowned among the two [5] Syriac; Hebrew three [6] Syriac; Hebrew the son of a valiant man [7] A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters [8] Compare 2 Samuel 23:25; Hebrew the Harorite [9] Compare Septuagint and 2 Samuel 23:32; Hebrew the sons of Hashem
12 The Mighty Men Join David
12:1 Now these are the men who came to David at Ziklag, while he could not move about freely because of Saul the son of Kish. And they were among the mighty men who helped him in war. 2They were bowmen and could shoot arrows and sling stones with either the right or the left hand; they were Benjaminites, Saul’s kinsmen. 3The chief was Ahiezer, then Joash, both sons of Shemaah of Gibeah; also Jeziel and Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth; Beracah, Jehu of Anathoth, 4Ishmaiah of Gibeon, a mighty man among the thirty and a leader over the thirty; Jeremiah,[10] Jahaziel, Johanan, Jozabad of Gederah, 5Eluzai,[11] Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, Shephatiah the Haruphite; 6Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, the Korahites; 7And Joelah and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham of Gedor.
8From the Gadites there went over to David at the stronghold in the wilderness mighty and experienced warriors, expert with shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions and who were swift as gazelles upon the mountains: 9Ezer the chief, Obadiah second, Eliab third, 10Mishmannah fourth, Jeremiah fifth, 11Attai sixth, Eliel seventh, 12Johanan eighth, Elzabad ninth, 13Jeremiah tenth, Machbannai eleventh. 14These Gadites were officers of the army; the least was a match for a hundred men and the greatest for a thousand. 15These are the men who crossed the Jordan in the first month, when it was overflowing all its banks, and put to flight all those in the valleys, to the east and to the west.
16And some of the men of Benjamin and Judah came to the stronghold to David. 17David went out to meet them and said to them, “If you have come to me in friendship to help me, my heart will be joined to you; but if to betray me to my adversaries, although there is no wrong in my hands, then may the God of our fathers see and rebuke you.” 18Then the Spirit clothed Amasai, chief of the thirty, and he said,
“We are yours, O David, and with you, O son of Jesse! Peace, peace to you, and peace to your helpers! For your God helps you.” Then David received them and made them officers of his troops.
19Some of the men of Manasseh deserted to David when he came with the Philistines for the battle against Saul. (Yet he did not help them, for the rulers of the Philistines took counsel and sent him away, saying, “At peril to our heads he will desert to his master Saul.”) 20As he went to Ziklag, these men of Manasseh deserted to him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, chiefs of thousands in Manasseh. 21They helped David against the band of raiders, for they were all mighty men of valor and were commanders in the army. 22For from day to day men came to David to help him, until there was a great army, like an army of God.
23These are the numbers of the divisions of the armed troops who came to David in Hebron to turn the kingdom of Saul over to him, according to the word of the Lord. 24The men of Judah bearing shield and spear were 6,800 armed troops. 25Of the Simeonites, mighty men of valor for war, 7,100. 26Of the Levites 4,600. 27The prince Jehoiada, of the house of Aaron, and with him 3,700. 28Zadok, a young man mighty in valor, and twenty-two commanders from his own fathers’ house. 29Of the Benjaminites, the kinsmen of Saul, 3,000, of whom the majority had to that point kept their allegiance to the house of Saul. 30Of the Ephraimites 20,800, mighty men of valor, famous men in their fathers’ houses. 31Of the half-tribe of Manasseh 18,000, who were expressly named to come and make David king. 32Of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, 200 chiefs, and all their kinsmen under their command. 33Of Zebulun 50,000 seasoned troops, equipped for battle with all the weapons of war, to help David[12] with singleness of purpose. 34Of Naphtali 1,000 commanders with whom were 37,000 men armed with shield and spear. 35Of the Danites 28,600 men equipped for battle. 36Of Asher 40,000 seasoned troops ready for battle. 37Of the Reubenites and Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh from beyond the Jordan, 120,000 men armed with all the weapons of war.
38All these, men of war, arrayed in battle order, came to Hebron with full intent to make David king over all Israel. Likewise, all the rest of Israel were of a single mind to make David king. 39And they were there with David for three days, eating and drinking, for their brothers had made preparation for them. 40And also their relatives, from as far as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, came bringing food on donkeys and on camels and on mules and on oxen, abundant provisions of flour, cakes of figs, clusters of raisins, and wine and oil, oxen and sheep, for there was joy in Israel.
[10] Hebrew verse 5 [11] Hebrew verse 6 [12] Septuagint; Hebrew lacks David
