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^(a)Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa.

The Philistines closely pursued Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down Jonathan, ^[a](b)Abinadab and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul.

The battle became heavy against Saul, and the archers ^[b]overtook him; and he was wounded by the archers.

Then Saul said to his armor bearer, "Draw your sword and thrust me through with it, otherwise these uncircumcised will come and abuse me." But his armor bearer would not, for he was greatly afraid. ^(c)Therefore Saul took his sword and fell on it.

When his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he likewise fell on his sword and died.

^(d)Thus Saul died with his three sons, and all those of his house died together.

When all the men of Israel who were in the valley saw that they had fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook their cities and fled; and the Philistines came and lived in them.

It came about the next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.

^(e)So they stripped him and took his head and his armor and sent messengers around the land of the Philistines to carry the good news to their idols and to the people.

They put his armor in the house of their gods and fastened his head in the house of Dagon.

When all Jabesh-gilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul,

^(f)all the valiant men arose and took away the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons and brought them to Jabesh, and they buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

^(g)So Saul died for his trespass which he committed against the Lord , because of the word of the Lord which he did not keep; and also ^(h)because he asked counsel of a medium, making inquiry of it,

and did not inquire of the Lord . Therefore He killed him and ⁽ⁱ⁾turned the kingdom to David the son of Jesse.

^(a)Then all Israel gathered to David at Hebron ^[a]and said, "Behold, we are your bone and your flesh.

In times past, even when Saul was king, you were the one who led out and brought in Israel; and the Lord your God said to you, ‘^(b)You shall shepherd My people Israel, and you shall be prince over My people Israel.'"

So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and David made a covenant with them in Hebron before the Lord ; and ^(c)they anointed David king over Israel, ^(d)according to the word of the Lord through Samuel.

Then David and all Israel went to Jerusalem (^(e)that is, Jebus); and the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, were there.

The inhabitants of Jebus said to David, "You shall not enter here." Nevertheless David captured the stronghold of Zion (that is, the city of David).

Now David had said, "Whoever strikes down a Jebusite first shall be chief and commander." ^(f)Joab the son of Zeruiah went up first, so he became chief.

Then David dwelt in the stronghold; therefore it was called the city of David.

He ^[b]built the city all around, from the ^[c]Millo even to the surrounding area; and Joab ^[d]repaired the rest of the city.

^(g)David became greater and greater, for the Lord of hosts was with him.

^(h)Now these are the heads of the mighty men whom David had, who gave him strong support in his kingdom, together with all Israel, to make him king, ⁽ⁱ⁾according to the word of the Lord concerning Israel.

These constitute the list of the mighty men whom David had: ^(j)Jashobeam, the son of a Hachmonite, ^(k)the chief of the thirty; he lifted up his spear against three hundred ^[e]whom he killed at one time.

After him was Eleazar the son of ^(l)Dodo, the Ahohite, who was ^[f]one of the three mighty men.

He was with David at ^[g]Pasdammim ^(m)when the Philistines were gathered together there to battle, and there was a plot of ground full of barley; and the people fled before the Philistines.

They took their stand in the midst of the plot and defended it, and struck down the Philistines; and the Lord saved them by a great ^[h]victory.

Now three of the thirty chief men went down to the rock to David, into the cave of Adullam, while ⁽ⁿ⁾the army of the Philistines was camping in the valley of Rephaim.

David was then in the stronghold, while ^(o)the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem.

David had a craving and said, "Oh that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!"

So the three broke through the camp of the Philistines and drew water from the well of Bethlehem which was by the gate, and took it and brought it to David; nevertheless David would not drink it, but poured it out to the Lord ;

and he said, "Be it far from me before my God that I should do this. Shall I drink the blood of these men who went ^[i]at the risk of their lives? For at the risk of their lives they brought it." Therefore he would not drink it. These things the three mighty men did.

As for ^[j]Abshai the brother of Joab, he was chief of the ^[k]thirty, and he swung his spear against three hundred ^[l]and killed them; and he had a name as well as the ^[m]thirty.

Of the three in the second rank he was the most honored and became their commander; however, he did not attain to the first three.

^(p)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, mighty in deeds, struck down the ^[n]two sons of Ariel of Moab. He also went down and ^[o]killed a lion inside a pit on a snowy day.

He ^[p]killed an Egyptian, a man of great stature five ^[q]cubits tall. Now in the Egyptian's hand was ^(q)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 ^[r]killed him with his own spear.

These things Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did, and had a name as well as the three mighty men.

Behold, he was honored among the thirty, but he did not attain to the three; and David appointed him over his guard.

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

^[s]Shammoth the Harorite, Helez the ^[t]Pelonite,

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

^[u]Sibbecai the Hushathite, ^[v]Ilai the Ahohite,

Maharai the Netophathite, ^[w]Heled the son of Baanah the Netophathite,

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

^[x]Hurai of the brooks of Gaash, ^[y]Abiel the Arbathite,

Azmaveth the Baharumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite,

the sons of ^[z]Hashem the Gizonite, Jonathan the son of Shagee the Hararite,

Ahiam the son of ^[aa]Sacar the Hararite, ^[ab]Eliphal the son of Ur,

Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite,

Hezro the Carmelite, ^[ac]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 Joha his brother, the Tizite,

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

Eliel and Obed and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.

^(a)Now these are the ones 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, ^(b)using both the right hand and the left to sling stones and to shoot arrows from the bow; ^(c)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 over the thirty. ^[a]Then Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, Jozabad the Gederathite,

^[b]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 there ^[c]came over to David in the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for war, who could handle shield and spear, and whose faces were like the faces of lions, and ^(d)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, Machbannai the eleventh.

These of the sons of Gad were ^[d]captains of the army; ^(e)he who was least was equal to a hundred and the greatest to a thousand.

^(f)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.

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 me to help me, my heart shall be united with you; but if to betray me to my adversaries, since there is no ^[e]wrong in my hands, may the God of our fathers look on it and decide."

Then ^(g)the Spirit ^[f]came upon ^(h)Amasai, who was the chief of the thirty, and he said, "We are yours, O David, And with you, O son of Jesse! ⁽ⁱ⁾Peace, peace to you, And peace to him who helps you; Indeed, your God helps you!" Then David received them and made them ^[g]captains of the band.

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

As he went to Ziklag there defected to him from Manasseh: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu and Zillethai, ^[h]captains of thousands who belonged to Manasseh.

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

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

Now these are the numbers of the ^[i]divisions equipped for war, ^(m)who came to David at Hebron, ⁽ⁿ⁾to turn the kingdom of Saul to him, ^(o)according to the ^[j]word of the Lord .

The sons of Judah who bore shield and spear were 6,800, equipped for war.

Of the sons of Simeon, mighty men of valor for war, 7,100.

Of the sons of Levi 4,600.

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

also ^(p)Zadok, a young man mighty of valor, and of his father's house twenty-two captains.

Of the sons of Benjamin, ^(q)Saul's kinsmen, 3,000; for until now ^(r)the greatest part of them had kept their allegiance to the house of Saul.

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

Of the half-tribe of Manasseh 18,000, who were designated by name to come and make David king.

Of the sons of Issachar, ^(s)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.

Of Zebulun, there were 50,000 who went out in the army, who could draw up in battle formation with all kinds of weapons of war and helped David ^[k]with ^(t)an undivided heart.

Of Naphtali there were 1,000 captains, and with them 37,000 with shield and spear.

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

Of Asher there were 40,000 who went out in the army to draw up in battle formation.

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

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

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

Moreover those who were near to them, even as far as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, ^(v)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.