1 Chronicles 11–12: All Israel Crowns David, and the Roll of the Mighty

Then all Israel came together to David at Hebron and said, “Here we are, your own flesh and blood. Even in times past, while Saul was king, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them back. And the LORD your God said, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will be ruler over them.’ ”

So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, where David made a covenant with them before the LORD. And they anointed him king over Israel, according to the word of the LORD through Samuel.

Then David and all the Israelites marched to Jerusalem (that is, Jebus), where the Jebusites inhabited the land.

The people of Jebus said to David, “You will never get in here.”

Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion (that is, the City of David).

Now David had said, “Whoever is the first to strike down a Jebusite will become chief commander.”

And Joab son of Zeruiah went up first, and he became the chief.

So David took up residence in the fortress; that is why it was called the City of David. He built up the city around it, from the supporting terraces to the surrounding wall, while Joab restored the rest of the city.

And David became greater and greater, for the LORD of Hosts was with him.

Now these were the chiefs of David’s mighty men, who, together with all Israel, bolstered and strengthened his kingdom, according to the word of the LORD concerning Israel. This is the list of David’s mighty men:

Jashobeam son of Hachmoni was chief of the officers; he wielded his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed at one time.

Next in command was Eleazar son of Dodo the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men. He was with David at Pas-dammim when the Philistines gathered there for battle. At the place with a field full of barley, the troops fled from the Philistines. But Eleazar and David stationed themselves in the middle of the field and defended it. They struck down the Philistines, and the LORD brought about a great victory.

Three of the thirty chief men went down to David, to the rock at the cave of Adullam, while a company of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. At that time David was in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was at Bethlehem. David longed for water and said, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!”

So the Three broke through the Philistine camp, drew water from the well at the gate of Bethlehem, and brought it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out to the LORD, saying, “Far be it from me, my God, to do this! How can I drink the blood of these men who risked their lives?” Because they had brought it at the risk of their lives, David refused to drink it.

Such were the exploits of the three mighty men.

Now Abishai, the brother of Joab, was chief of the Three, and he lifted his spear against three hundred men, killed them, and won a name along with the Three. He was doubly honored above the Three, and he became their commander, even though he was not included among the Three.

And Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a man of valor from Kabzeel, a man of many exploits. He struck down two champions of Moab, and on a snowy day he went down into a pit and killed a lion. He also killed an Egyptian, a huge man five cubits tall. Although the Egyptian had a spear like a weaver’s beam in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club, snatched the spear from his hand, and killed the Egyptian with his own spear. These were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada, who won a name alongside the three mighty men. He was most honored among the Thirty, but he did not become one of the Three. And David appointed him over his guard.

Now these were the mighty men:

Asahel the brother of Joab,
Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem,
Shammoth the Harorite,
Helez the Pelonite,
Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoite,
Abiezer the Anathothite,
Sibbecai the Hushathite,
Ilai the Ahohite,
Maharai the Netophathite,
Heled son of Baanah the Netophathite,
Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah of the Benjamites,
Benaiah the Pirathonite,
Hurai from the brooks of Gaash,
Abiel the Arbathite,
Azmaveth the Baharumite,
Eliahba the Shaalbonite,
the sons of Hashem the Gizonite,
Jonathan son of Shagee the Hararite,
Ahiam son of Sachar the Hararite,
Eliphal son of Ur,
Hepher the Mecherathite,
Ahijah the Pelonite,
Hezro the Carmelite,
Naarai son of Ezbai,
Joel the brother of Nathan,
Mibhar son of Hagri,
Zelek the Ammonite,
Naharai the Beerothite, the armor-bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah,
Ira the Ithrite,
Gareb the Ithrite,
Uriah the Hittite,
Zabad son of Ahlai,
Adina son of Shiza the Reubenite, chief of the Reubenites, and the thirty with him,
Hanan son of Maacah,
Joshaphat the Mithnite,
Uzzia the Ashterathite,
Shama and Jeiel the sons of Hotham the Aroerite,
Jediael son of Shimri and his brother Joha the Tizite,
Eliel the Mahavite,
Jeribai and Joshaviah, the sons of Elnaam,
Ithmah the Moabite,
Eliel, Obed, and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.

Now these were the men who came to David at Ziklag, while he was still banished from the presence of Saul son of Kish (they were among the mighty men who helped him in battle; they were archers using both the right and left hands to sling stones and shoot arrows; and they were Saul’s kinsmen from Benjamin):

Ahiezer their chief and Joash, who were the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite;
Jeziel and Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth;
Beracah;
Jehu the Anathothite;
Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the Thirty and a leader over the Thirty;
Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, and Jozabad the Gederathite;
Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, and Shephatiah the Haruphite;
Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, who were Korahites;
and Joelah and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham from Gedor.

Some Gadites defected to David at his stronghold in the desert. They were mighty men of valor, trained for battle, experts with the shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions and who were as swift as gazelles on the mountains:

Ezer the chief, Obadiah the second in command, Eliab the third, Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth, Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh, Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth, Jeremiah the tenth, and Machbanai the eleventh.

These Gadites were army commanders, the least of whom was a match for a hundred, and the greatest for a thousand.

These are the ones who crossed the Jordan in the first month when it was overflowing all its banks, and they put to flight all those in the valleys, both to the east and to the west.

Other Benjamites and some men from Judah also came to David in his stronghold. And David went out to meet them, saying, “If you have come to me in peace to help me, my heart will be united with you; but if you have come to betray me to my enemies when my hands are free of violence, may the God of our fathers see it and judge you.”

Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, the chief of the Thirty, and he said:

So David received them and made them leaders of his troops.

Some from Manasseh defected to David when he went with the Philistines to fight against Saul. (They did not help the Philistines because the Philistine rulers consulted and sent David away, saying, “It will cost us our heads if he defects to his master Saul.”) When David went to Ziklag, these men of Manasseh defected to him:

Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, chiefs of thousands in Manasseh.

They helped David against the raiders, for they were all mighty men of valor and commanders in the army.

For at that time men came to David day after day to help him, until he had a great army, like the army of God.

Now these are the numbers of men armed for battle who came to David at Hebron to turn Saul’s kingdom over to him, in accordance with the word of the LORD:

From Judah: 6,800 armed troops bearing shields and spears.

From Simeon: 7,100 mighty men of valor, ready for battle.

From Levi: 4,600, including Jehoiada, leader of the house of Aaron, with 3,700 men, and Zadok, a mighty young man of valor, with 22 commanders from his own family.

From Benjamin, the kinsmen of Saul: 3,000, most of whom had remained loyal to the house of Saul up to that time.

From Ephraim: 20,800 mighty men of valor, famous among their own clans.

From the half-tribe of Manasseh: 18,000 designated by name to come and make David king.

From Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do: 200 chiefs with all their kinsmen at their command.

From Zebulun: 50,000 fit for service, trained for battle with all kinds of weapons of war, who with one purpose were devoted to David.

From Naphtali: 1,000 commanders, accompanied by 37,000 men with shield and spear.

From Dan: 28,600 prepared for battle.

From Asher: 40,000 fit for service, prepared for battle.

And from east of the Jordan, from Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh there: 120,000 armed with every kind of weapon of war.

All these men of war, arrayed for battle, came to Hebron fully determined to make David king over all Israel. And all the rest of the Israelites were of one mind to make David king.

They spent three days there eating and drinking with David, for their relatives had provided for them. And their neighbors from as far away as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali came bringing food on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen—abundant supplies of flour, fig cakes and raisin cakes, wine and oil, oxen and sheep. Indeed, there was joy in Israel.