1 Chronicles 11:1-25 ▼

1 And all Israel came together to David at Hebron, saying, “Behold, we are your bone and your flesh.

2 Even in time past, even before, even when Saul was king, you were the one who led out and brought in Israel. And YHWH your God said to you, ‘You shall shepherd My people Israel, and you shall be ruler over My people Israel.’”

3 And all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the face of YHWH. And they anointed David king over Israel, according to the word of YHWH by Samuel.

4 And David went, and all Israel, to Jerusalem, that is, Jebus, and there were the Jebusite, those dwelling in the land.

5 And those dwelling in Jebus said to David, “You shall not come in here.” And David took the stronghold of Zion (that is, the City of David).

6 And David said, “Whoever strikes the Jebusite first shall be head and chief.” And Joab son of Zeruiah went up first, and he became head.

7 And David dwelt in the stronghold; upon thus they called it the City of David.

8 And he built the city around it, from the Millo and to the surrounding area, and Joab repaired the rest of the city.

9 And David went, going on and becoming great, and YHWH of Hosts was with him.

10 And these were the heads of the mighty who were unto David, who strengthened themselves with him in his kingdom, with all Israel, to make him king according to the word of YHWH concerning Israel.

11 And these are the numbers of the mighty men whom David had: Jashobeam son of a Hachmonite, chief of the captains; he lifted up his spear against three hundred, whom he wounded at one time.

12 And after him was Eleazar son of Dodo the Ahohite—he was among the three mighty men.

13 He was with David at Pas-dammim, and the Philistines were gathered there for battle. And a portion of ground there was full of barley, and the people fled from the Philistines.

14 And they stationed themselves in the midst of the portion, and snatched it up, and struck the Philistines. And YHWH brought about a great victory.

15 And three of the thirty chief men went down to the rock to David, into the cave of Adullam; and the camp of the Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim.

16 And David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem.

17 And David longed and said, “Who will give me a drink of water from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!”

18 And the Three broke through the camp of the Philistines, and they drew water from the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate, and they lifted it and brought it to David. And David would not drink it, and he poured it out to YHWH,

19 and he said, “Far be it from me, my God, that I should do this; shall I drink the blood of these men with their lives? For with their lives they brought it.” And he would not drink it. These things were done by the three mighty men.

20 And Abishai the brother of Joab, he was chief of the Three, and He wielded his spear against three hundred, killed them, and won a name among the three.

21 He was doubly honored above the three, and he became captain unto them. And to the Three he did not attain.

22 Benaiah was the son of Jehoiada, the son of a man of valor, of great deeds, from Kabzeel: He struck down two champions of Moab, and He went down and killed the lion in the midst of a pit on the day of the snow.

23 And he killed an Egyptian, a man of measure five by the cubit, and in the hand of the Egyptian was a spear like a weavers’ beam. And he went down to him with a staff and wrested the spear from the hand of the Egyptian, and he killed him with his own spear.

24 These things Benaiah son of Jehoiada did, and to him was a name among the three mighty men.

25 Indeed he was more honored than the thirty, and to the three he did not attain. And David set him over his guard.