¹Then all Israel gathered themselves to David to Hebron , saying, “Behold , we are your bone and your flesh .

²In times past , even when Saul was king , it was you who led out and brought in Israel . 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 to Hebron ; and David made a covenant with them in Hebron before the LORD . They anointed David king over Israel , according to the LORD ’s word by Samuel .

⁴David and all Israel went to Jerusalem (also called Jebus ); and the Jebusites , the inhabitants of the land, were there .

⁵The inhabitants of Jebus said to David , “You will not come in here !” Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion . The same is David ’s city .

⁶David had said, “Whoever strikes the Jebusites first shall be chief and captain .” Joab the son of Zeruiah went up first , and was made chief .

⁷David lived in the stronghold ; therefore they called it David ’s city .

⁸He built the city all around , from Millo even around ; and Joab repaired the rest of the city .

⁹David grew greater and greater , for the LORD of Armies was with him .

¹⁰Now these are the chief of the mighty men whom David had , who showed themselves strong with him in his kingdom , together with all Israel , to make him king , according to the LORD ’s word concerning Israel .

¹¹This is the number of the mighty men whom David had : Jashobeam , the son of a Hachmonite , the chief of the thirty ; he lifted up his spear against three hundred and killed them at one time .

¹²After him was Eleazar the son of Dodo , the Ahohite, who was one of the three mighty men .

¹³He was with David at Pasdammim , and there the Philistines were gathered together to battle , where there was a plot of ground full of barley ; and the people fled from before the Philistines .

¹⁴They stood in the middle of the plot , defended it , and killed the Philistines ; and the LORD saved them by a great victory .

¹⁵Three of the thirty chief men went down to the rock to David , into the cave of Adullam ; and the army of the Philistines were encamped in the valley of Rephaim .

¹⁶David was then in the stronghold , and the garrison of the Philistines was in Bethlehem at that time.

¹⁷David longed, and said, “Oh , that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem , which is by the gate !”

¹⁸The three broke through the army of the Philistines , and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate , took it , and brought it to David ; but David would not drink any of it , but poured it out to the LORD ,

¹⁹and said, “My God forbid me , that I should do this ! Shall I drink the blood of these men who have put their lives in jeopardy ?” For they risked their lives to bring it . Therefore he would not drink it . The three mighty men did these things .

²⁰Abishai, the brother of Joab , was chief of the three ; for he lifted up his spear against three hundred and killed them , and had a name amongst the three .

²¹Of the three , he was more honourable than the two , and was made their captain ; however he wasn’t included in the three .

²²Benaiah the son of Jehoiada , the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel , who had done mighty deeds , killed the two sons of Ariel of Moab . He also went down and killed a lion in the middle of a pit on a snowy day .

²³He killed an Egyptian , a man of great stature , five cubits high. In the Egyptian ’s hand was a spear like a weaver’s beam ; and he went down to him with a staff , plucked the spear out of the Egyptian ’s hand , and killed him with his own spear .[#11:23 A cubit is the length from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow on a man’s arm, or about 18 inches or 46 centimetres. Therefore this Egyptian was about 7 feet and 6 inches or 2.28 metres tall.]

²⁴Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did these things and had a name amongst the three mighty men .

²⁵Behold , he was more honourable than the thirty , but he didn’t attain to the three ; and David set him over his guard .

²⁶The mighty men of the armies also include Asahel the brother of Joab , Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem ,

²⁷Shammoth the Harorite , Helez the Pelonite ,

²⁸Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite , Abiezer the Anathothite ,

²⁹Sibbecai the Hushathite , Ilai the Ahohite,

³⁰Maharai the Netophathite , Heled the son of Baanah the Netophathite ,

³¹Ithai the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the children of Benjamin , Benaiah the Pirathonite ,

³²Hurai of the brooks of Gaash , Abiel the Arbathite ,

³³Azmaveth the Baharumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite ,

³⁴the sons of Hashem the Gizonite , Jonathan the son of Shagee the Hararite ,

³⁵Ahiam the son of Sacar the Hararite , Eliphal the son of Ur,

³⁶Hepher the Mecherathite , Ahijah the Pelonite ,

³⁷Hezro the Carmelite , Naarai the son of Ezbai,

³⁸Joel the brother of Nathan , Mibhar the son of Hagri ,

³⁹Zelek the Ammonite , Naharai the Berothite (the armour bearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah ),

⁴⁰Ira the Ithrite , Gareb the Ithrite ,

⁴¹Uriah the Hittite , Zabad the son of Ahlai,

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

⁴³Hanan the son of Maacah , Joshaphat the Mithnite ,

⁴⁴Uzzia the Ashterathite , Shama and Jeiel the sons of Hotham the Aroerite ,

⁴⁵Jediael the 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, Obed , and Jaasiel the Mezobaite .