David Becomes King of Israel
(2 Samuel 5.1-3)1 Israel's leaders met with David at Hebron and said, “We are your relatives, 2 and we know that you have led our army into battle, even when Saul was still our king. The Lord God has promised that you would rule our country and take care of us like a shepherd. 3 So we have come to crown you king of Israel.”
David made an agreement with the leaders and asked the Lord to be their witness. Then the leaders poured olive oil on David's head to show that he was now king of Israel. This happened just as the Lord's prophet Samuel had said.
David Captures Jerusalem
(2 Samuel 5.6-10)4 Jerusalem was called Jebus at the time, and David led Israel's army to attack the town. 5 The Jebusites said, “You won't be able to get in here!” But David captured the fortress of Mount Zion, which is now called the City of David.
6 David had told his troops, “The first soldier to kill a Jebusite will become my army commander.” And since Joab son of Zeruiah attacked first, he became commander.
7 Later, David moved to the fortress—that's why it's called the City of David. 8 He had the city rebuilt, starting at the landfill on the east side. Meanwhile, Joab supervised the repairs to the rest of the city.
9 David became a great and strong ruler, because the Lord All-Powerful was on his side.
The Three Warriors
(2 Samuel 23.8-17)10 The Lord had promised that David would become king, and so everyone in Israel gave David their support. Certain warriors also helped keep his kingdom strong.
11 The first of these warriors was Jashobeam the son of Hachmoni, the leader of the Three Warriors. In one battle he killed 300 men with his spear.
12 Another one of the Three Warriors was Eleazar son of Dodo the Ahohite. 13 During a battle against the Philistines at Pas-Dammim, all the Israelite soldiers ran away, 14 except Eleazar, who stayed with David. They took their positions in a nearby barley field and defeated the Philistines! The Lord gave Israel a great victory that day.
15 One time the Three Warriors went to meet David among the rocks at Adullam Cave. The Philistine army had set up camp in Rephaim Valley 16 and had taken over Bethlehem. David was in a fortress, 17 and he said, “I'm very thirsty. I wish I had a drink of water from the well by the gate to Bethlehem.”
18 The Three Warriors sneaked through the Philistine camp and got some water from the well near Bethlehem's gate. They took it back to David, but he refused to drink it. Instead, he poured out the water as a sacrifice to the Lord 19 and said, “Drinking this water would be like drinking the blood of these men who risked their lives to get it for me.”
The Three Warriors did these brave deeds.
The Thirty Warriors
(2 Samuel 23.18-39)20 Joab's brother Abishai was the leader of the Thirty Warriors, and in one battle he killed 300 men with his spear. He was just as famous as the Three Warriors 21 and was more famous than the rest of the Thirty Warriors. He was their commander, but he never became one of the Three Warriors.
22 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was a brave man from Kabzeel who did some amazing things. One time he killed two of Moab's best fighters, and one snowy day he went into a pit and killed a lion. 23 Another time he killed an Egyptian who was over two meters tall and was armed with a spear. Benaiah only had a club, so he grabbed the spear from the Egyptian and killed him with it. 24 Benaiah did things like that; he was just as brave as the Three Warriors, 25 even though he never became one of them. And he was certainly as famous as the rest of the Thirty Warriors. So David made him the leader of his own bodyguard.
26-47 Here is a list of the other famous warriors:
Asahel the brother of Joab; Elhanan the son of Dodo from Bethlehem; Shammoth from Haror; Helez from Pelon; Ira the son of Ikkesh from Tekoa; Abiezer from Anathoth; Sibbecai the Hushathite; Ilai the Ahohite; Maharai from Netophah; Heled the son of Baanah from Netophah; Ithai the son of Ribai from Gibeah in Benjamin; Benaiah from Pirathon; Hurai from near the streams on Mount Gaash; Abiel from Arbah; Azmaveth from Baharum; Eliahba from Shaalbon; Hashem the Gizonite; Jonathan the son of Shagee from Harar; Ahiam the son of Sachar the Hararite; Eliphal the son of Ur; Hepher from Mecherah; Ahijah from Pelon; Hezro from Carmel; Naarai the son of Ezbai; Joel the brother of Nathan; Mibhar the son of Hagri; Zelek from Ammon; Naharai from Beeroth who carried Joab's weapons; Ira the Ithrite; Gareb the Ithrite; Uriah the Hittite; Zabad the son of Ahlai; Adina the son of Shiza, a leader in the Reuben tribe, and 30 of his soldiers; Hanan the son of Maacah; Joshaphat from Mithan; Uzzia from Ashterah; Shama and Jeiel the sons of Hotham from Aroer; Jediael and Joha the sons of Shimri from Tiz; Eliel from Mahavah; Jeribai and Joshaviah the sons of Elnaam; Ithmah from Moab; Eliel, Obed, and Jaasiel from Mezobah.
1 Then all Israel gathered themselues to Dauid vnto Hebron, saying, Beholde, we are thy bones and thy flesh. 2 And in time past, euen when Saul was King, thou leddest Israel out and in: and the Lord thy God sayde vnto thee, Thou shalt feede my people Israel, and thou shalt be captaine ouer my people Israel. 3 So came all the Elders of Israel to the King to Hebron, and Dauid made a couenant with them in Hebron before the Lord. And they anoynted Dauid King ouer Israel, according to the word of the Lord by the hand of Samuel. 4 And Dauid and all Israel went to Ierusalem, which is Iebus, where were the Iebusites, the inhabitants of the land. 5 And the inhabitants of Iebus said to Dauid, Thou shalt not come in hither. Neuertheles Dauid tooke the towre of Zion, which is the city of Dauid. 6 And Dauid sayd, Whosoeuer smiteth the Iebusites first, shalbe the chiefe and captaine. So Ioab the sonne of Zeruiah went first vp, and was captaine. 7 And Dauid dwelt in the tower: therefore they called it the citie of Dauid. 8 And he built the citie on euery side, from Millo euen round about, and Ioab repaired the rest of the citie. 9 And Dauid prospered, and grewe: for the Lord of hostes was with him. 10 These also are the chiefe of the valiant men that were with Dauid, and ioyned their force with him in his kingdome with al Israel, to make him King ouer Israel, according to the worde of the Lord. 11 And this is the nomber of the valiant men whome Dauid had, Iashobeam the sonne of Hachmoni, the chiefe among thirtie: he lift vp his speare against three hundreth, whom he slewe at one time. 12 And after him was Eleazar the sonne of Dodo the Ahohite, which was one of the three valiant men. 13 He was with Dauid at Pas-dammim, and there the Philistims were gathered together to battel: and there was a parcell of ground full of barley, and the people fled before the Philistims. 14 And they stood in the middes of the field, and saued it, and slewe the Philistims: so the Lord gaue a great victorie. 15 And three of the thirtie captaines went to a rocke to Dauid, into the caue of Adullam. And the armie of the Philistims camped in the valley of Rephaim. 16 And when Dauid was in the hold, the Philistims garison was at Beth-lehem. 17 And Dauid longed, and said, Oh, that one would giue me to drinke of the water of the well of Beth-lehem that is at the gate. 18 Then these three brake thorowe the hoste of the Philistims, and drewe water out of the well of Beth-lehem that was by the gate, and tooke it and brought it to Dauid: but Dauid would not drinke of it, but powred it for an oblation to the Lord, 19 And said, Let not my God suffer me to do this: should I drinke the blood of these mens liues? for they haue brought it with the ieopardie of their liues: therefore he would not drinke it: these things did these three mightie men. 20 And Abishai the brother of Ioab, he was chiefe of the three, and he lift vp his speare against three hundreth, and slew them, and had the name among the three. 21 Among the three he was more honourable then the two, and he was their captaine: but he attained not vnto the first three. 22 Benaiah the sonne of Iehoiada (the sonne of a valiant man) which had done many actes, and was of Kabzeel, he slewe two strong men of Moab: he went downe also and slewe a lion in the middes of a pit in time of snowe. 23 And he slewe an Egyptian, a man of great stature, euen fiue cubites long, and in the Egyptians hand was a speare like a weauers beame: and he went downe to him with a staffe, and plucked the speare out of the Egyptians hand, and slewe him with his owne speare. 24 These things did Benaiah ye sonne of Iehoiada, and had the name among the three worthies. 25 Behold, he was honourable among thirtie, but he attained not vnto the first three. And Dauid made him of his counsell. 26 These also were valiant men of warre, Asahel the brother of Ioab, Elhanan the sonne of Dodo of Beth-lehem, 27 Shammoth the Harodite, Helez the Pelonite, 28 Ira the sonne of Ikkesh the Tekoite, Abiezer the Antothite, 29 Sibbecai the Husathite, Ilai the Ahohite, 30 Maharai the Netophathite, Heled ye sonne of Baanah the Netophathite, 31 Ithai the sonne of Ribai of Gibeah of the children of Beniamin, Benaiah the Pirathonite, 32 Hurai of the riuers of Gaash, Abiel the Arbathite, 33 Azmaueth the Baharumite, Elihaba the Shaalbonite, 34 The sonnes of Hashem the Gizonite, Ionathan the sonne of Shageh the Harite, 35 Ahiam the sonne of Sacar the Hararite, Eliphal the sonne of Vr, 36 Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahiiah the Pelonite, 37 Hezro the Carmelite, Naarai the sonne of Ezbai, 38 Ioel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar the sonne of Haggeri, 39 Zelek the Ammonite, Nahrai the Berothite, the armour bearer of Ioab, the sonne of Zeruiah, 40 Ira the Ithrite, Garib the Ithrite, 41 Vriah the Hittite, Zabad the sonne of Ahlai, 42 Adina the sonne of Shiza the Reubenite, a captaine of the Reubenites, and thirtie with him, 43 Hanan the sonne of Maachah, and Ioshaphat the Mithnite, 44 Vzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Ieiel the sonnes of Otham the Aroerite, 45 Iediael the sonne of Shimri, and Ioha his brother the Tizite, 46 Eliel the Mahauite, and Ieribai and Ioshauiah the sonnes of Elnaam, and Ithmah the Moabite, 47 Eliel and Obed, and Iaasiel the Mesobaite.