Then all Israel gathered themselves to David unto Hebron, saying, Behold, we [are] thy bone and thy flesh (11:1)

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 (11:2)

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 (11:3)

And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, which [is] Jebus; where the Jebusites [were], the inhabitants of the land (11:4)

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 (11:5)

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 (11:6)

And David dwelt in the castle; therefore they called it the city of David (11:7)

And he built the city round about, even from Millo round about: and Joab repaired the rest of the city (11:8)

So David waxed greater and greater: for the Lord of hosts [was] with him (11:9)

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 (11:10)

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 (11:11)

And after him [was] Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, who [was one] of the three mighties (11:12)

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 (11:13)

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 (11:14)

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 (11:15)

And David [was] then in the hold, and the Philistines' garrison [was] then at Bethlehem (11:16)

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! (11:17)

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, (11:18)

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 (11:19)

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 (11:20)

Of the three, he was more honourable than the two; for he was their captain: howbeit he attained not to the [first] three (11:21)

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 (11:22)

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 (11:23)

These [things] did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and had the name among the three mighties (11:24)

Behold, he was honourable among the thirty, but attained not to the [first] three: and David set him over his guard (11:25)

Also the valiant men of the armies [were], Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, (11:26)

Shammoth the Harorite, Helez the Pelonite, (11:27)

Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, Abiezer the Antothite, (11:28)

Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite, (11:29)

Maharai the Netophathite, Heled the son of Baanah the Netophathite, (11:30)

Ithai the son of Ribai of Gibeah, [that pertained] to the children of Benjamin, Benaiah the Pirathonite, (11:31)

Hurai of the brooks of Gaash, Abiel the Arbathite, (11:32)

Azmaveth the Baharumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite, (11:33)

The sons of Hashem the Gizonite, Jonathan the son of Shage the Hararite, (11:34)

Ahiam the son of Sacar the Hararite, Eliphal the son of Ur, (11:35)

Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite, (11:36)

Hezro the Carmelite, Naarai the son of Ezbai, (11:37)

Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar the son of Haggeri, (11:38)

Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Berothite, the armourbearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah, (11:39)

Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, (11:40)

Uriah the Hittite, Zabad the son of Ahlai, (11:41)

Adina the son of Shiza the Reubenite, a captain of the Reubenites, and thirty with him, (11:42)

Hanan the son of Maachah, and Joshaphat the Mithnite, (11:43)

Uzzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Jehiel the sons of Hothan the Aroerite, (11:44)

Jediael the son of Shimri, and Joha his brother, the Tizite, (11:45)

Eliel the Mahavite, and Jeribai, and Joshaviah, the sons of Elnaam, and Ithmah the Moabite, (11:46)

Eliel, and Obed, and Jasiel the Mesobaite (11:47)

Get Next Chapter