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Chapter 10

Saul Takes His Life

1Now the Philistines fought against Israel; the Israelites fled before them, and many fell slain on Mount Gilboa.

2The Philistines pressed hard after Saul and his sons, and they killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malki-Shua.

3The fighting grew fierce around Saul, and when the archers overtook him, they wounded him.

4Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through, or these uncircumcised fellows will come and abuse me.”
But his armor-bearer was terrified and would not do it; so Saul took his own sword and fell on it.

5When the armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died.

6So Saul and his three sons died, and all his house died together.

7When all the Israelites in the valley saw that the army had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their towns and fled. And the Philistines came and occupied them.

8The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.

9They stripped him and took his head and his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news among their idols and their people.

10They put his armor in the temple of their gods and hung up his head in the temple of Dagon.

11When all the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard of everything the Philistines had done to Saul,

12all their valiant men went and took the bodies of Saul and his sons and brought them to Jabesh. Then they buried their bones under the great tree in Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.

13Saul died because he was unfaithful to the LORD; he did not keep the word of the LORD and even consulted a medium for guidance,

14and did not inquire of the LORD. So the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.

Chapter 11

David Becomes King Over Israel

1All Israel came together to David at Hebron and said, “We are your own flesh and blood.

2In the past, even while Saul was king, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the LORD your God said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.’”

3When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, he made a compact with them at Hebron before the LORD, and they anointed David king over Israel, as the LORD had promised through Samuel.

David Conquers Jerusalem

4David and all the Israelites marched to Jerusalem (that is, Jebus). The Jebusites who lived there

5said to David, “You will not get in here.” Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion, the City of David.

6David had said, “Whoever leads the attack on the Jebusites will become commander-in-chief.” Joab son of Zeruiah went up first, and so he received the command.

7David then took up residence in the fortress, and so it was called the City of David.

8He built up the city around it, from the supporting terracesOr the Millo to the surrounding wall, while Joab restored the rest of the city.

9And David became more and more powerful, because the LORD Almighty was with him.

David's Mighty Men

10These were the chiefs of David's mighty men—they, together with all Israel, gave his kingship strong support to extend it over the whole land, as the LORD had promised—

11this is the list of David's mighty men:
Jashobeam,Possibly a variant of Jashob-Baal a Hacmonite, was chief of the officersOr Thirty; some Septuagint manuscripts Three (see also 2 Samuel 23:8); he raised his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed in one encounter.

12Next to him was Eleazar son of Dodai the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men.

13He was with David at Pas Dammim when the Philistines gathered there for battle. At a place where there was a field full of barley, the troops fled from the Philistines.

14But they took their stand in the middle of the field. They defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the LORD brought about a great victory.

15Three of the thirty chiefs came down to David to the rock at the cave of Adullam, while a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim.

16At that time David was in the stronghold, and the Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem.

17David longed for water and said, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!”

18So the Three broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out before the LORD.

19“God forbid that I should do this!” he said. “Should I drink the blood of these men who went at the risk of their lives?” Because they risked their lives to bring it back, David would not drink it.
Such were the exploits of the three mighty men.

20Abishai the brother of Joab was chief of the Three. He raised his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed, and so he became as famous as the Three.

21He was doubly honored above the Three and became their commander, even though he was not included among them.

22Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a valiant fighter from Kabzeel, who performed great exploits. He struck down two of Moab's best men. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion.

23And he struck down an Egyptian who was seven and a half feetHebrew five cubits (about 2.3 meters) tall. Although the Egyptian had a spear like a weaver's rod in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club. He snatched the spear from the Egyptian's hand and killed him with his own spear.

24Such were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada; he too was as famous as the three mighty men.

25He was held in greater honor than any of the Thirty, but he was not included among the Three. And David put him in charge of his bodyguard.

26The mighty men were:
Asahel the brother of Joab,
Elhanan son of Dodo from Bethlehem,

27Shammoth the Harorite,
Helez the Pelonite,

28Ira son of Ikkesh from Tekoa,
Abiezer from Anathoth,

29Sibbecai the Hushathite,
Ilai the Ahohite,

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

31Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah in Benjamin,
Benaiah the Pirathonite,

32Hurai from the ravines of Gaash,
Abiel the Arbathite,

33Azmaveth the Baharumite,
Eliahba the Shaalbonite,

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

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

36Hepher the Mekerathite,
Ahijah the Pelonite,

37Hezro the Carmelite,
Naarai son of Ezbai,

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

39Zelek the Ammonite,
Naharai the Berothite, the armor-bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah,

40Ira the Ithrite,
Gareb the Ithrite,

41Uriah the Hittite,
Zabad son of Ahlai,

42Adina son of Shiza the Reubenite, who was chief of the Reubenites, and the thirty 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,
his brother Joha the Tizite,

46Eliel the Mahavite,
Jeribai and Joshaviah the sons of Elnaam,
Ithmah the Moabite,

47Eliel, Obed and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.

Chapter 12

Warriors Join David

1These were the men who came to David at Ziklag, while he was banished from the presence of Saul son of Kish (they were among the warriors who helped him in battle;

2they were armed with bows and were able to shoot arrows or to sling stones right-handed or left-handed; they were kinsmen of Saul from the tribe of Benjamin):

3Ahiezer their chief and Joash the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite; Jeziel and Pelet the sons of Azmaveth; Beracah, Jehu the Anathothite,

4and Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the Thirty, who was a leader of the Thirty; Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, Jozabad the Gederathite,

5Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah and Shephatiah the Haruphite;

6Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer and Jashobeam the Korahites;

7and Joelah and Zebadiah the sons of Jeroham from Gedor.

8Some Gadites defected to David at his stronghold in the desert. They were brave warriors, ready for battle and able to handle the shield and spear. Their faces were the faces of lions, and they were as swift as gazelles in the mountains.

9Ezer was the chief,
Obadiah the second in command, Eliab the third,

10Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth,

11Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh,

12Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth,

13Jeremiah the tenth and Macbannai the eleventh.

14These Gadites were army commanders; the least was a match for a hundred, and the greatest for a thousand.

15It was they who crossed the Jordan in the first month when it was overflowing all its banks, and they put to flight everyone living in the valleys, to the east and to the west.

16Other Benjamites and some men from Judah also came to David in his stronghold.

17David went out to meet them and said to them, “If you have come to me in peace, to help me, I am ready to have you unite with me. But if you have come to betray me to my enemies when my hands are free from violence, may the God of our fathers see it and judge you.”

18Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, chief of the Thirty, and he said:
“We are yours, O David!
We are with you, O son of Jesse!
Success, success to you,
and success to those who help you,
for your God will help you.”
So David received them and made them leaders of his raiding bands.

19Some of the men of Manasseh defected to David when he went with the Philistines to fight against Saul. (He and his men did not help the Philistines because, after consultation, their rulers sent him away. They said, “It will cost us our heads if he deserts to his master Saul.”)

20When David went to Ziklag, these were the men of Manasseh who defected to him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu and Zillethai, leaders of units of a thousand in Manasseh.

21They helped David against raiding bands, for all of them were brave warriors, and they were commanders in his army.

22Day after day men came to help David, until he had a great army, like the army of God.Or a great and mighty army

Others Join David at Hebron

23These are the numbers of the men armed for battle who came to David at Hebron to turn Saul's kingdom over to him, as the LORD had said:

24men of Judah, carrying shield and spear—6,800 armed for battle;

25men of Simeon, warriors ready for battle—7,100;

26men of Levi—4,600,

27including Jehoiada, leader of the family of Aaron, with 3,700 men,

28and Zadok, a brave young warrior, with 22 officers from his family;

29men of Benjamin, Saul's kinsmen—3,000, most of whom had remained loyal to Saul's house until then;

30men of Ephraim, brave warriors, famous in their own clans—20,800;

31men of half the tribe of Manasseh, designated by name to come and make David king—18,000;

32men of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do—200 chiefs, with all their relatives under their command;

33men of Zebulun, experienced soldiers prepared for battle with every type of weapon, to help David with undivided loyalty—50,000;

34men of Naphtali—1,000 officers, together with 37,000 men carrying shields and spears;

35men of Dan, ready for battle—28,600;

36men of Asher, experienced soldiers prepared for battle—40,000;

37and from east of the Jordan, men of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh, armed with every type of weapon—120,000.

38All these were fighting men who volunteered to serve in the ranks. They came to Hebron fully determined to make David king over all Israel. All the rest of the Israelites were also of one mind to make David king.

39The men spent three days there with David, eating and drinking, for their families had supplied provisions for them.

40Also, their neighbors from as far away as Issachar, Zebulun and Naphtali came bringing food on donkeys, camels, mules and oxen. There were plentiful supplies of flour, fig cakes, raisin cakes, wine, oil, cattle and sheep, for there was joy in Israel.