David Becomes King of Israel and Judah

11 Then all Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “See, we are your bone and your flesh. ² In times past, even when Saul was king, you were the one who led out and brought in Israel. The Lord your God said to you, ‘You will be the shepherd of My people Israel. And you will be king over My people Israel.’” ³ So all the leaders of Israel came to the king at Hebron. And David made an agreement with them in Hebron before the Lord. Then they poured oil on David to be the king of Israel, just as the Lord had said through Samuel. ⁴ David and all Israel went to Jerusalem (that is, Jebus). And the Jebusites, the people of the land, were there. ⁵ The people of Jebus said to David, “You will not come in here.” But David took the strong-place of Zion (that is, the city of David). ⁶ Now David had said, “Whoever kills a Jebusite first will be captain and leader.” Joab the son of Zeruiah went up first, so he became captain. ⁷ Then David lived in the strong-place. So it was called the city of David. ⁸ He built the city all around, from the Millo and then around. And Joab built the rest of the city up again. ⁹ David became greater and greater, for the Lord of All was with him.

David’s Strong Men

¹⁰ These are the leaders of David’s strong men. They gave him much help in his nation, together with all Israel, to make him king. It was just as the Lord had said would happen with Israel. ¹¹ These are the names of David’s strong men. There was Jashobeam the son of Hachmonite, the head of the thirty. He killed 300 men with his spear at one time. ¹² Then there was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite. He was one of the three powerful soldiers. ¹³ He was with David at Pasdammim when the Philistines were gathered there to battle, where there was a piece of ground full of grain. And the people ran away from the Philistines. ¹⁴ But he and his men stood on the piece of ground and fought for it, and killed the Philistines. The Lord saved them by His great power.

¹⁵ Three of the thirty leaders went down to the rock and into the cave of Adullam where David was staying. The Philistine army was staying in the valley of Rephaim. ¹⁶ David was in a strong-place, while the Philistine soldiers had their place in Bethlehem. ¹⁷ David had a strong desire. He said, “O, if only someone would give me water to drink from the well by the gate of Bethlehem!” ¹⁸ So the three men broke through the Philistine army. They took water from the well by the gate of Bethlehem, and brought it to David. But David would not drink it. He poured it out to the Lord, ¹⁹ and said, “Far be it from me that I should do this before my God. Should I drink the blood of these men? For they put their lives in danger to bring it.” So he would not drink it. These things are what the three powerful soldiers did.

²⁰ As for Abishai the brother of Joab, he was the head of the thirty. He fought and killed 300 men with his spear. And his name became well-known like the three. ²¹ He was the best known of the thirty. But he was not as important as the three.

²² Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a powerful soldier from Kabzeel, did great things. He killed the two sons of Ariel of Moab. He went down and killed a lion inside a deep hole on a day when there was snow. ²³ And he killed an Egyptian who was very tall, five cubits tall. The Egyptian held a spear as big as the cross-piece of a cloth-maker. But Benaiah went down to him with a heavy stick and took the spear from the Egyptian’s hand. Then he killed him with his own spear. ²⁴ These are the things Benaiah the son of Johoiada did. His name was well-known like the three powerful soldiers. ²⁵ He was respected among the thirty. But he was not as important as the three. David chose him to be the head of his house soldiers.

²⁶ The strong men of the armies were Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, ²⁷ Shammoth the Harorite, and Helez the Pelonite. ²⁸ And there were Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, Abiezer the Anathothite, ²⁹ Sibbecai the Hushathite, and Ilai the Ahohite. ³⁰ There were Maharai the Netophathite, Heled the son of Baanah the Netophathite, ³¹ Ithai the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the sons of Benjamin, and Benaiah the Pirathonite. ³² There were Hurai of the rivers of Gaash, Abiel the Arbathite, ³³ Azmaveth the Baharumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite, ³⁴ the sons of Hashem the Gizonite. There were Jonathan the son of Shagee the Hararite, ³⁵ Ahiam the son of Sachar the Hararite, Eliphal the son of Ur, ³⁶ Hepher the Mecherathite, and Ahijah the Pelonite. ³⁷ There were Hezro the Carmelite, Naarai the son of Ezbai, ³⁸ Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar the son of Hagri, ³⁹ Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Berothite. Naharai was the one who carried the battle-clothes of Joab the son of Zeruiah. ⁴⁰ There were Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, ⁴¹ Uriah the Hittite, Zabad the son of Ahlai, ⁴² and Adina the son of Shiza the Reubenite. Adina was a leader of the Reubenites, and had thirty men with him. ⁴³ Then there were Hanan the son of Maacah, Joshaphat the Mithnite, ⁴⁴ Uzzia the Ashterathite, and Shama and Jeiel the sons of Hotham the Aroerite. ⁴⁵ There were Jediael the son of Shimri, his brother Joha the Tizite, ⁴⁶ Eliel the Mahavite, and Jeribai and Joshaviah the sons of Elnaam. And there were Ithmah the Moabite, ⁴⁷ Eliel, Obed, and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.