1 Chronicles 11

David Anointed King of All Israel

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 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.' " 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.

Jerusalem Captured

4And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, that is Jebus, where the Jeb'usites 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 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. 7And David dwelt in the stronghold; therefore it was called the city of David. 8And he built the city round about from the Millo in complete circuit; and Jo'ab repaired the rest of the city. 9And David became greater and greater, for the Lord of hosts was with him.

David's Mighty Men and Their Exploits

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: Jasho'beam, a Hach'monite, was chief of the three;a he wielded his spear against three hundred whom he slew at one time.

12And next to him among the three mighty men was Elea'zar the son of Dodo, the Aho'hite. 13He 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. 14But heb took hisc stand in the midst of the plot, and defended it, and slew 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 Adul'lam, when the army of Philistines was encamped in the valley of Reph'aim. 16David was then in the stronghold; and the garrison of the Philistines was then at Bethlehem. 17And David said longingly, "O that some one would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem which 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 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, 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 Abi'shai, the brother of Jo'ab, was chief of the thirty.d And he wielded his spear against three hundred men and slew them, and won a name beside the three. 21He was the most renownede of the thirty,f and became their commander; but he did not attain to the three.

22And Bena'iah the son of Jehoi'ada was a valiant mang of Kabzeel, a doer of great deeds; he smote two arielsh of Moab. He also went down and slew a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen. 23And 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 Bena'iah went down to him with a staff, and snatched the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and slew him with his own spear. 24These things did Bena'iah the son of Jehoi'ada, 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 of the armies were As'ahel the brother of Jo'ab, Elha'nan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, 27Shammoth of Harod,i Helez the Pel'onite, 28Ira the son of Ikkesh of Teko'a, Abi-e'zer of An'athoth, 29Sib'becai the Hu'shathite, I'lai the Aho'hite, 30Ma'harai of Neto'phah, Heled the son of Ba'anah of Neto'phah, 31Ithai the son of Ribai of Gib'e-ah of the Benjaminites, Bena'iah of Pir'athon, 32Hurai of the brooks of Ga'ash, Abi'el the Ar'bathite, 33Az'maveth of Baha'rum, Eli'ahba of Sha-al'bon, 34Hashemj the Gi'zonite, Jonathan the son of Shagee the Har'arite, 35Ahi'am the son of Sachar the Har'arite, Eli'phal the son of Ur, 36Hepher the Meche'rathite, Ahi'jah the Pel'onite, 37Hezro of Carmel, Na'arai the son of Ezbai, 38Jo'el the brother of Nathan, Mibhar the son of Hagri, 39Zelek the Ammonite, Na'harai of Be-er'oth, the armor-bearer of Jo'ab the son of Zeru'iah, 40Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, 41Uri'ah the Hittite, Zabad the son of Ahlai, 42Ad'ina the son of Shiza the Reubenite, a leader of the Reubenites, and thirty with him, 43Hanan the son of Ma'acah, and Josh'aphat the Mithnite, 44Uzzi'a the Ash'terathite, Shama and Je-i'el the sons of Hotham the Aro'erite, 45Jedi'a-el the son of Shimri, and Joha his brother, the Tizite, 46Eli'el the Ma'havite, and Jer'ibai, and Joshavi'ah, the sons of El'na-am, and Ithmah the Mo'abite, 47Eli'el, and Obed, and Ja-a'siel the Mezo'ba-ite.