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.
8 And he built the citie on euery side, from Millo euen round about, and Ioab repaired the rest of the citie.
¶ 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.
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.
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.
25 Behold, he was honourable among thirtie, but he attained not vnto the first three. And Dauid made him of his counsell.