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1All Israel joined David at Hebron and said, “Look, we are your very flesh and blood![#tn Heb “look, your bone and your flesh [are] we.”]
2In the past, even when Saul was king, you were Israel’s commanding general. The Lord your God said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel; you will rule over my people Israel.’”[#tn Heb “you were the one who led out and the one who brought in Israel.”]
3When all the leaders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, David made an agreement with them in Hebron before the Lord . They anointed David king over Israel, just as the Lord had announced through Samuel.[#tn Heb “elders.”; #tn Or “covenant.”; #tn Or “They poured olive oil on David to designate him as king.”; #tn Heb “according to the word of the Lord by the hand of Samuel.”]
4David and the whole Israelite army advanced to Jerusalem (that is, Jebus). (The Jebusites, the land’s original inhabitants, lived there.)[#tn Heb “all Israel.”; #sn Jebus was an older name for the city of Jerusalem (cf. Josh 15:8; Judg 1:21).map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.; #tn Heb “and there [were] the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land.”]
5The residents of Jebus said to David, “You cannot invade this place!” But David captured the fortress of Zion (that is, the City of David).
6David said, “Whoever attacks the Jebusites first will become commanding general!” So Joab son of Zeruiah attacked first and became commander.[#sn Verse 6 inserts into the narrative parenthetical information about Joab’s role in the conquest of the city. Verse 7 then picks up where v. 5 left off.; #tn Or perhaps “strikes down.”; #tn Heb “head and officer.”; #tn Heb “went up.”; #tn Heb “head.”]
7David lived in the fortress; for this reason it is called the City of David.
8He built up the city around it, from the terrace to the surrounding walls; Joab restored the rest of the city.[#tn Heb “to that which surrounds.” On the referent here as “the surrounding walls,” see HALOT 740 s.v. סָבִיב.]
9David’s power steadily grew, for the Lord who commands armies was with him.[#tn Heb “and David went, going and becoming great, and the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, Lord of hosts] was with him.”]
10These were the leaders of David’s warriors who helped establish and stabilize his rule over all Israel, in accordance with the Lord ’s word.[#tn Heb “and these were the heads of the warriors who were David’s, who held strongly with him in his kingdom and with all Israel to make him king, according to the word of the Lord, over Israel.”]
11This is the list of David’s warriors:[#tn Heb “and these are the number of the warriors who were David’s.”]
Jashobeam, a Hacmonite, was head of the officers. He killed three hundred men with his spear in a single battle.
12Next in command was Eleazar son of Dodo the Ahohite. He was one of the three elite warriors.[#tn Heb “after him.”]
13He was with David in Pas Dammim when the Philistines assembled there for battle. In an area of the field that was full of barley, the army retreated before the Philistines,[#tc Some read here “Ephes Dammim.” See 1 Sam 17:1.]
14but then they made a stand in the middle of that area. They defended it and defeated the Philistines; the Lord gave them a great victory.[#tn Heb “delivered it.”; #tn Heb “and the Lord delivered [with] a great deliverance.”]
15Three of the thirty leaders went down to David at the rocky cliff at the cave of Adullam, while a Philistine force was camped in the Valley of Rephaim.
16David was in the stronghold at the time, while a Philistine garrison was in Bethlehem.[#map For location see Map5-B1; Map7-E2; Map8-E2; Map10-B4.]
17David was thirsty and said, “How I wish someone would give me some water to drink from the cistern in Bethlehem near the city gate!”[#tn Heb “Who will give me water to drink?” On the rhetorical use of מִי (mi) here, see BDB 566 s.v. f.]
18So the three elite warriors broke through the Philistine forces and drew some water from the cistern in Bethlehem near the city gate. They carried it back to David, but David refused to drink it. He poured it out as a drink offering to the Lord[#tn Heb “the three,” referring to the three elite warriors mentioned in v. 12.]
19and said, “God forbid that I should do this! Should I drink the blood of these men who risked their lives?” Because they risked their lives to bring it to him, he refused to drink it. Such were the exploits of the three elite warriors.[#tn Heb “Far be it to me from my God from doing this.”; #tn Heb “with their lives.” The same expression occurs later in this verse.; #tn Heb “These things the three warriors did.”]
20Abishai the brother of Joab was head of the three elite warriors. He killed three hundred men with his spear and gained fame along with the three elite warriors.[#tc The Syriac reads “thirty” here and at the beginning of v. 21; this reading is followed by some English translations (cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV, NLT).; #tn Heb “he was wielding his spear against three hundred, [who were] slain.”; #tn Heb “and to him [reading with the Qere] there was a name among the three.”]
21From the three he was given double honor and he became their officer, even though he was not one of them.[#tn Or “more than.”; #tn Heb “of the three.”]
22Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a brave warrior from Kabzeel who performed great exploits. He struck down the two sons of Ariel of Moab; he also went down and killed a lion inside a cistern on a snowy day.[#tc Heb “the two of Ariel, Moab.” The precise meaning of אֲרִיאֵל (’ari’el) is uncertain; some read “warrior.” The present translation assumes that the word is a proper name and that בְּנֵי (bÿney, “sons of”) has accidentally dropped from the text by homoioarcton (note the preceding שְׁנֵי, shÿney).]
23He even killed an Egyptian who was seven and a half feet tall. The Egyptian had a spear as big as the crossbeam of a weaver’s loom; Benaiah attacked him with a club. He grabbed the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear.[#tn Heb “five cubits.” Assuming a length of 18 inches for the standard cubit, this individual would be 7.5 feet (2.3 m) tall.; #tn Heb “went down to.”]
24Such were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada, who gained fame along with the three elite warriors.
25He received honor from the thirty warriors, though he was not one of the three elite warriors. David put him in charge of his bodyguard.[#tn Or “more than.”]
26The mighty warriors were:
Asahel the brother of Joab,
Elhanan son of Dodo, from Bethlehem,
27Shammoth the Harorite,[#tn The parallel text of 2 Sam 23:25 has the variant spelling of “Shammah.”]
Helez the Pelonite,
28Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoite,
Abiezer the Anathothite,
29Sibbekai the Hushathite,[#tn In 2 Sam 23:27 this individual’s name is given as “Mebunnai.”]
Ilai the Ahohite,
30Maharai the Netophathite,
Heled son of Baanah the Netophathite,
31Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah in Benjaminite territory,[#tn The parallel text of 2 Sam 23:29 has the variant spelling “Ittai.”]
Benaiah the Pirathonite,
32Hurai from the valleys of Gaash,[#tn The parallel text of 2 Sam 23:28 has the variant spelling “Hiddai.”]
Abiel the Arbathite,
33Azmaveth the Baharumite,[#tn The parallel text of 2 Sam 23:31 has the variant spelling “Barhumite.”]
Eliahba the Shaalbonite,
34the sons of Hashem the Gizonite,[#tn In 2 Sam 23:32 this individual’s name is given as “Jashen.”]
Jonathan son of Shageh the Hararite,
35Ahiam son of Sakar the Hararite,[#tn In 2 Sam 23:33 this individual’s name is given as “Sharar.”]
Eliphal son of Ur,
36Hepher the Mekerathite,
Ahijah the Pelonite,
37Hezro the Carmelite,[#tn The parallel text of 2 Sam 23:35 has the variant spelling “Hezrai.”]
Naarai son of Ezbai,
38Joel the brother of Nathan,[#tn The parallel text of 2 Sam 23:36 has the variant “Igal son of Nathan from Zobah.”]
Mibhar son of Hagri,
39Zelek the Ammonite,
Naharai the Beerothite, the armor-bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah,
40Ira the Ithrite,
Gareb the Ithrite,
41Uriah the Hittite,
Zabad son of Achli,
42Adina son of Shiza the Reubenite, leader of the Reubenites and the thirty warriors with him,
43Hanan son of Maacah,
Joshaphat the Mithnite,
44Uzzia the Ashterathite,
Shama and Jeiel, the sons of Hotham the Aroerite,
45Jediael 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.