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^(C1)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a warrior of Kabzeel, mighty in deeds, struck and killed the ^(F1)two sons of Ariel of Moab. He also went down and struck and killed a lion inside a pit on a snowy day.

And he killed an Egyptian, a man of great stature ^(F1)five cubits tall. Now in the Egyptian's hand was ^(C1)a spear like a weaver's beam, but he went down to him with a club and snatched the spear from the Egyptian's hand and killed him with his own spear.

Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did these things, and had a name ^(F1)as well as the three mighty men.

Behold, he was honored among the thirty, but he did not attain the reputation of the first three; and David appointed him over his bodyguard.

Now the mighty men of the armies were Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem,

^(F1)Shammoth the Harorite, Helez the ^(F2)Pelonite,

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

^(F1)Sibbecai the Hushathite, ^(F2)Ilai the Ahohite,

Maharai the Netophathite, ^(F1)Heled the son of Baanah the Netophathite,

Ithai the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the sons of Benjamin, Benaiah the Pirathonite,

^(F1)Hurai of the brooks of Gaash, ^(F2)Abiel the Arbathite,

Azmaveth the Baharumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite,

the sons of ^(F1)Hashem the Gizonite, Jonathan the son of Shagee the Hararite,

Ahiam the son of ^(F1)Sacar the Hararite, ^(F2)Eliphal the son of Ur,

Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite,

Hezro the Carmelite, ^(F1)Naarai the son of Ezbai,

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

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

Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,

Uriah the Hittite, Zabad the son of Ahlai,

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

Hanan the son of Maacah and Joshaphat the Mithnite,

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

Jediael the son of Shimri and his brother Joha the Tizite,

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

Eliel, Obed, and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.

^(C1)Now these are the men who came to David at Ziklag, while he was still restricted because of Saul the son of Kish; and they were among the mighty men who helped him in war.

They were equipped with bows, ^(C1)using both the right hand and the left to sling stones and shoot arrows with the bow; ^(C2)they were Saul's kinsmen from Benjamin.

The chief was Ahiezer, then Joash, the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite; and Jeziel and Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth, and Beracah, and Jehu the Anathothite,

and Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the thirty, and in charge of the thirty. ^(F1)Then Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, Jozabad the Gederathite,

^(F1)Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, Shephatiah the Haruphite,

Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, Jashobeam, the Korahites,

and Joelah and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham of Gedor.

From the Gadites valiant mighty men went over to David at the stronghold in the wilderness, men trained for war who could handle a large shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and ^(C1)they were as swift as the gazelles on the mountains.

Ezer was the first, Obadiah the second, 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 Machbannai, the eleventh.

These men from the sons of Gad were ^(F1)captains of the army; ^(C1)the one who was least was equal to a hundred, and the greatest, to a thousand.

^(C1)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, to the east and to the west.

Then some of the sons of Benjamin and Judah came to the stronghold to David.

David went out to meet them, and said to them, "If you come peacefully to help me, my heart shall be united with you; but if to betray me to my enemies, since there is no ^(F1)wrong in my hands, may the God of our fathers look on it and decide."

Then ^(C1)the Spirit ^(F1)covered ^(C2)Amasai like clothing, the chief of the thirty; and he said, "We are yours, David, And are with you, son of Jesse! ^(C3)Peace, peace to you, And peace to him who helps you; Indeed, your God helps you!" Then David received them and made them ^(F2)captains of the troops.

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^(C1)From Manasseh some also defected to David when he was about to go to battle with the Philistines against Saul. But they did not help them, because the governors of the Philistines sent him away after consultation, saying, "At the cost of our heads he might defect to his master Saul."

As he was going to Ziklag, men from Manasseh defected to him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, ^(F1)captains of thousands who belonged to Manasseh.

They helped David against ^(C1)the band of raiders, for they were all valiant mighty men, and were captains in the army.

For day by day men came to David to help him, until there was a great army ^(C1)like the army of God.

Now these are the numbers of the ^(F1)divisions equipped for war, ^(C1)who came to David at Hebron, ^(C2)to turn the kingdom of Saul to him, ^(C3)according to the ^(F2)word of the LORD.

The sons of Judah who carried shield and spear numbered 6,800, equipped for war.

From the sons of Simeon, valiant mighty men of war, 7,100.

From the sons of Levi, 4,600.

Now Jehoiada was the leader of the house of Aaron, and with him were 3,700,

also ^(C1)Zadok, a young valiant mighty man, and from his father's house, twenty-two captains.

From the sons of Benjamin, ^(C1)Saul's kinsmen, three thousand; for until now ^(C2)the majority of them had kept their allegiance to the house of Saul.

From the sons of Ephraim 20,800, valiant mighty men, famous men in their fathers' households.

From the half-tribe of Manasseh eighteen thousand, who were designated by name to come and make David king.

From the sons of Issachar, ^(C1)men who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their kinsmen were at their command.

From Zebulun, there were fifty thousand who went out in the army, who could draw up in battle formation with all kinds of weapons of war and helped David ^(F1)with ^(C1)an undivided heart.

From Naphtali there were a thousand captains, and with them thirty-seven thousand with shield and spear.

From the Danites who could draw up in battle formation, there were 28,600.

From Asher there were forty thousand who went out in the army to draw up in battle formation.

From the other side of the Jordan, from the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, there were 120,000 with all kinds of weapons of war for the battle.

All of these, being men of war who helped in battle formation, came to Hebron with ^(C1)a perfect heart to make David king over all Israel; and all the rest of Israel also were of one mind to make David king.

They were there with David for three days, eating and drinking, for their kinsmen had prepared for them.

Moreover, those who were near to them, as far as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali, ^(C1)brought food on donkeys, camels, mules, and on oxen, great quantities of flour cakes, fig cakes and bunches of raisins, wine, oil, oxen, and sheep. There was joy indeed in Israel.

Then David consulted with the captains of the thousands and the hundreds, with every leader.

David said to all the assembly of Israel, "If it seems good to you, and if it is from the LORD our God, ^(F1)let us send word everywhere to our kinsmen who remain in all the land of Israel, and to the priests and Levites who are with them in their cities with pasture lands, that they meet with us;

and ^(F1)let us bring back the ark of our God to us, ^(C1)since we did not seek it in the days of Saul."

Then all the assembly said that they would do so, for ^(F1)this was right in the eyes of all the people.

^(C1)So David assembled all Israel together, from the Shihor of Egypt to the entrance of Hamath, ^(C2)to bring the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim.

^(C1)David and all Israel went up to ^(C2)Baalah, that is, to Kiriath-jearim, which belongs to Judah, to bring up from there the ark of God, the LORD ^(C3)who is enthroned above the cherubim, where His name is called.

And they ^(F1)carried the ark of God on a new cart from ^(C1)the house of Abinadab, and Uzza and Ahio drove the cart.

David and all Israel were celebrating before God with all their might, ^(C1)with songs and with lyres, harps, tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets.

When they came to ^(C1)the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzza put out his hand to hold the ark, because the oxen nearly overturned it.

But the anger of the LORD burned against Uzza, so He struck him ^(C1)because he had put out his hand toward the ark; ^(C2)and he died there before God.

Then David became angry because ^(F1)of the LORD'S outburst against Uzza; and he called that place ^(F2)Perez-uzza as it is to this day.

David was afraid of God that day, saying, "How can I bring the ark of God home to me?"

So David did not take the ark with him to the city of David, but took it aside ^(C1)to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite.

And the ark of God remained with the family of Obed-edom in his house for three months; and ^(C1)the LORD blessed the family of Obed-edom and all that he had.

^(C1)Now Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David with cedar trees, masons, and carpenters, to build a house for him.

And David realized that the LORD had established him as king over Israel, and that his kingdom was highly exalted, for the sake of His people Israel.

Then David took more wives in Jerusalem, and David fathered more sons and daughters.

^(C1)These are the names of the children ^(F1)born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon,

Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet,

Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia,

Elishama, Beeliada, and Eliphelet.

When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over all Israel, all the Philistines went up in search of David; and David heard about it and went out against them.

Now the Philistines had come and ^(C1)carried out a raid in the Valley of Rephaim.

David inquired of God, saying, "Shall I go up against the Philistines? And will You hand them over to me?" Then the LORD said to him, "Go up, for I will hand them over to you."

So they came up to Baal-perazim, and David ^(F1)defeated them there; and David said, "God has broken through my enemies by my hand, like the breakthrough of waters." Therefore they named that place ^(F2)Baal-perazim.

They abandoned their gods there; so David gave the order and they were burned with fire.

The Philistines carried out ^(C1)yet another raid in the valley.

David inquired again of God, and God said to him, "You shall not go up after them; circle around ^(F1)behind them and come at them in front of the baka-shrubs.

"When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the baka-shrubs, then you shall go out to battle, for God will have gone out before you to strike the army of the Philistines."

David did just as God had commanded him, and they defeated the army of the Philistines from ^(F1)Gibeon even as far as Gezer.

Then the fame of David spread in all the lands; and ^(C1)the LORD brought the fear of him on all the nations.

Now David built houses for himself in the city of David; and he prepared a place for the ark of God and ^(C1)pitched a tent for it.

Then David said, "^(C1)No one is to carry the ark of God except the Levites; for the LORD chose them to carry the ark of the LORD and to serve Him forever."

And ^(C1)David assembled all Israel at Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the LORD ^(C2)to its place which he had prepared for it.

David gathered together the sons of Aaron and ^(C1)the Levites:

of the sons of Kohath, Uriel the chief, and 120 of his relatives;

of the sons of Merari, Asaiah the chief, and 220 of his relatives;

of the sons of Gershom, Joel the chief, and 130 of his relatives;

of the sons of Elizaphan, Shemaiah the chief, and two hundred of his relatives;

of the sons of Hebron, Eliel the chief, and eighty of his relatives;

of the sons of Uzziel, Amminadab the chief, and 112 of his relatives.

Then David called for the priests ^(C1)Zadok and ^(C2)Abiathar, and for the Levites, for Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab;

and he said to them, "You are the heads of the fathers' households of the Levites; ^(C1)consecrate yourselves, you and your relatives, so that you may bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel ^(C2)to the place that I have prepared for it.

"^(C1)Because you did not carry it at the first, the LORD our God made an outburst against us, since we did not seek Him according to the ordinance."

^(C1)So the priests and the Levites consecrated themselves to bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel.

The sons of ^(C1)the Levites carried the ark of God on their shoulders with the poles on them, just as Moses had commanded in accordance with the word of the LORD.

Then David spoke to the chiefs of the Levites ^(C1)to appoint their relatives as the singers, with musical instruments, harps, lyres, and cymbals, playing to raise sounds of joy.

So ^(C1)the Levites appointed Heman the son of Joel, and from his relatives, Asaph the son of Berechiah; and from the sons of Merari their relatives, Ethan the son of Kushaiah,

and with them their relatives of the second rank, Zechariah, ^(F1)Ben, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-edom, and Jeiel, the gatekeepers.

So the singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, were appointed to sound aloud cymbals of bronze;

and Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah, with harps tuned to ^(F1)alamoth;

and Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah, to lead with lyres tuned to ^(F1)the sheminith.

Chenaniah, chief of the Levites, was in charge of the singing; he gave instruction in singing because he was skillful.

Berechiah and Elkanah were gatekeepers for the ark.

Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer, the priests, ^(C1)blew the trumpets before the ark of God. Obed-edom and Jehiah also were gatekeepers for the ark.

^(C1)So it was David, with the elders of Israel and the captains of thousands, who went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD from ^(C2)the house of Obed-edom with joy.

Because God was helping the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD, they sacrificed ^(C1)seven bulls and seven rams.

Now David was clothed with a robe of fine linen with all the Levites who were carrying the ark, and the singers, and Chenaniah the leader of the singing with the singers. ^(C1)David also wore an ephod of linen.

So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting, and with the sound of the horn, with trumpets, with loud-sounding cymbals, with harps, and lyres.

When the ark of the covenant of the LORD came to the city of David, ^(C1)Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David dancing and celebrating; and she despised him in her heart.