1.David Becomes King Over Israel and Judah

ch11 ¹Then all Israel gathered themselves to David unto Hebron, saying, Behold, we [are] thy bone and thy flesh. ² 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.

³ 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.

⁴ And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, which [is] Jebus; where the Jebusites [were], the inhabitants of the land. ⁵ 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.

⁶ 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. ⁷ And David dwelt in the castle; therefore they called it the city of David. ⁸ And he built the city round about, even from Millo round about: and Joab repaired the rest of the city. ⁹ So David waxed greater and greater: for the LORD of hosts [was] with him.

2. David’s Mighty Men

¹⁰ 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 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. ¹² And after him [was] Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, who [was one] of the three mighties. ¹³ 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. ¹⁴ 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.

¹⁵ 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. ¹⁶ And David [was] then in the hold, and the Philistines' garrison [was] then at Bethlehem. ¹⁷ 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! ¹⁸ 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, ¹⁹ 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.

²⁰ 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. ²¹ Of the three, he was more honourable than the two; for he was their captain: howbeit he attained not to the [first] three. ²² 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. ²³ 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. ²⁴ These [things] did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and had the name among the three mighties. ²⁵ Behold, he was honourable among the thirty, but attained not to the [first] three: and David set him over his guard.

²⁶ Also the valiant men of the armies [were], Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, ²⁷ Shammoth the Harorite, Helez the Pelonite, ²⁸ Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, Abiezer the Antothite, ²⁹ Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite, ³⁰ Maharai the Netophathite, Heled the son of Baanah the Netophathite, ³¹ Ithai the son of Ribai of Gibeah, [that pertained] to the children of Benjamin, Benaiah the Pirathonite, ³² Hurai of the brooks of Gaash, Abiel the Arbathite, ³³ Azmaveth the Baharumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite, ³⁴ The sons of Hashem the Gizonite, Jonathan the son of Shage the Hararite, ³⁵ Ahiam the son of Sacar the Hararite, Eliphal the son of Ur, ³⁶ Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite, ³⁷ Hezro the Carmelite, Naarai the son of Ezbai, ³⁸ Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar the son of Haggeri, ³⁹ Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Berothite, the armourbearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah, ⁴⁰ Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, ⁴¹ Uriah the Hittite, Zabad the son of Ahlai, ⁴² Adina the son of Shiza the Reubenite, a captain of the Reubenites, and thirty with him, ⁴³ Hanan the son of Maachah, and Joshaphat the Mithnite, ⁴⁴ Uzzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Jehiel the sons of Hothan the Aroerite, ⁴⁵ Jediael the son of Shimri, and Joha his brother, the Tizite, ⁴⁶ Eliel the Mahavite, and Jeribai, and Joshaviah, the sons of Elnaam, and Ithmah the Moabite, ⁴⁷ Eliel, and Obed, and Jasiel the Mesobaite.

3. Warriors from the Tribe of Gad

3.1 Benjamite Warriors Who Supported David

ch12 ¹Now these [are] they that came to David to Ziklag, while he yet kept himself close because of Saul the son of Kish: and they [were] among the mighty men, helpers of the war. ² [They were] armed with bows, and could use both the right hand and the left in [hurling] stones and [shooting] arrows out of a bow, [even] of Saul's brethren of Benjamin. ³ The chief [was] Ahiezer, then Joash, the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite; and Jeziel, and Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth; and Berachah, and Jehu the Antothite, ⁴ And Ismaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the thirty, and over the thirty; and Jeremiah, and Jahaziel, and Johanan, and Josabad the Gederathite, ⁵ Eluzai, and Jerimoth, and Bealiah, and Shemariah, and Shephatiah the Haruphite, ⁶ Elkanah, and Jesiah, and Azareel, and Joezer, and Jashobeam, the Korhites, ⁷ And Joelah, and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham of Gedor.




3.2 Gadite Warriors Who Supported David

⁸ And of the Gadites there separated themselves unto David into the hold to the wilderness men of might, [and] men of war [fit] for the battle, that could handle shield and buckler, whose faces [were like] the faces of lions, and [were] as swift as the roes upon the mountains; ⁹ Ezer the first, Obadiah the second, Eliab the third, ¹⁰ Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth, ¹¹ Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh, ¹² Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth, ¹³ Jeremiah the tenth, Machbanai the eleventh. ¹⁴ These [were] of the sons of Gad, captains of the host: one of the least [was] over an hundred, and the greatest over a thousand. ¹⁵ These [are] they that went over Jordan in the first month, when it had overflown all his banks; and they put to flight all [them] of the valleys, [both] toward the east, and toward the west.




3.3 Warriors from Benjamin and Judah Who Joined David

¹⁶ And there came of the children of Benjamin and Judah to the hold unto David. ¹⁷ And David went out to meet them, and answered and said unto them, If ye be come peaceably unto me to help me, mine heart shall be knit unto you: but if [ye be come] to betray me to mine enemies, seeing [there is] no wrong in mine hands, the God of our fathers look [thereon], and rebuke [it]. ¹⁸ Then the spirit came upon Amasai, [who was] chief of the captains, [and he said], Thine [are we], David, and on thy side, thou son of Jesse: peace, peace [be] unto thee, and peace [be] to thine helpers; for thy God helpeth thee. Then David received them, and made them captains of the band.




3.4 Warriors from Manasseh Who Came to David

¹⁹ And there fell [some] of Manasseh to David, when he came with the Philistines against Saul to battle: but they helped them not: for the lords of the Philistines upon advisement sent him away, saying, He will fall to his master Saul to [the jeopardy of] our heads. ²⁰ As he went to Ziklag, there fell to him of Manasseh, Adnah, and Jozabad, and Jediael, and Michael, and Jozabad, and Elihu, and Zilthai, captains of the thousands that [were] of Manasseh. ²¹ And they helped David against the band [of the rovers]: for they [were] all mighty men of valour, and were captains in the host. ²² For at [that] time day by day there came to David to help him, until [it was] a great host, like the host of God.

4. David’s Army

²³ And these [are] the numbers of the bands [that were] ready armed to the war, [and] came to David to Hebron, to turn the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the word of the LORD.

• ²⁴ The children of Judah that bare shield and spear [were] six thousand and eight hundred, ready armed to the war.
• ²⁵ Of the children of Simeon, mighty men of valour for the war, seven thousand and one hundred.
• ²⁶ Of the children of Levi four thousand and six hundred.
• ²⁷ And Jehoiada [was] the leader of the Aaronites, and with him [were] three thousand and seven hundred; ²⁸ And Zadok, a young man mighty of valour, and of his father's house twenty and two captains.
• ²⁹ And of the children of Benjamin, the kindred of Saul, three thousand: for hitherto the greatest part of them had kept the ward of the house of Saul.
• ³⁰ And of the children of Ephraim twenty thousand and eight hundred, mighty men of valour, famous throughout the house of their fathers.
• ³¹ And of the half tribe of Manasseh eighteen thousand, which were expressed by name, to come and make David king.
• ³² And of the children of Issachar, [which were men] that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them [were] two hundred; and all their brethren [were] at their commandment.
• ³³ Of Zebulun, such as went forth to battle, expert in war, with all instruments of war, fifty thousand, which could keep rank: [they were] not of double heart.
• ³⁴ And of Naphtali a thousand captains, and with them with shield and spear thirty and seven thousand.
• ³⁵ And of the Danites expert in war twenty and eight thousand and six hundred.
• ³⁶ And of Asher, such as went forth to battle, expert in war, forty thousand.
• ³⁷ And on the other side of Jordan, of the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and of the half tribe of Manasseh, with all manner of instruments of war for the battle, an hundred and twenty thousand.

³⁸ All these men of war, that could keep rank, came with a perfect heart to Hebron, to make David king over all Israel: and all the rest also of Israel [were] of one heart to make David king. ³⁹ And there they were with David three days, eating and drinking: for their brethren had prepared for them. ⁴⁰ Moreover they that were nigh them, [even] unto Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, brought bread on asses, and on camels, and on mules, and on oxen, [and] meat, meal, cakes of figs, and bunches of raisins, and wine, and oil, and oxen, and sheep abundantly: for [there was] joy in Israel.