2Sa 23:8-39, 1Ch 11:10-12:40 | ESV | STEP | These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-basshebeth a Tahchemonite ; he was chief of the three . He wielded his spear against eight hundred whom he killed at one time .

8 ^aThese are the names of the mighty men whom David had: ^bJosheb-basshebeth a Tahchemonite; he was chief of the three. ^{▼▼Or of the captains} He wielded his spear ^{▼▼Compare 1 Chronicles 11:11; the meaning of the Hebrew expression is uncertain} against eight hundred whom he killed at one time.

9 And next to him among the three mighty men was Eleazar the son of ^eDodo, son of ^fAhohi. He was with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle, and the men of Israel withdrew. 10 He rose and struck down the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clung to the sword. And the Lord brought about a great victory that day, and the men returned after him only to strip the slain.

11 And next to him was Shammah, the son of Agee the ^gHararite. The Philistines gathered together at Lehi, where there was a plot of ground full of lentils, and the men fled from the Philistines. 12 But he took his stand in the midst of the plot and defended it and struck down the Philistines, and the Lord worked a great victory.

13 And three of the thirty chief men went down and came about harvest time to David at the ^hcave of Adullam, when a band of Philistines was encamped ⁱin the Valley of Rephaim. 14 David was then ^jin the stronghold, and ^kthe garrison of the Philistines was then at Bethlehem. 15 And David said longingly, “Oh, that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate!” 16 Then the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate and carried and brought it to David. But he would not drink of it. He poured it out to the Lord 17 and said, “Far be it from me, O Lord, that I should do this. Shall I drink ^lthe blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives?” Therefore he would not drink it. These things the three mighty men did.

18 Now Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of the thirty. ^{▼▼Two Hebrew manuscripts, Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts three} And he wielded his spear against three hundred men ^{▼▼Or slain ones} and killed them and won a name beside the three. 19 He was the most renowned of the thirty ^{▼▼Compare 1 Chronicles 11:25; Hebrew Was he the most renowned of the three?} and became their commander, but he did not attain to ^pthe three.

20 And ^qBenaiah the son of Jehoiada was a valiant man ^{▼▼Or the son of Ishhai} of ^sKabzeel, a doer of great deeds. He struck down two ariels ^{▼▼The meaning of the word ariel is unknown} of Moab. He also went down and struck down a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen. 21 And he struck down an Egyptian, a handsome man. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand, but Benaiah went down to him with a staff and snatched the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear. 22 These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and won a name beside the three mighty men. 23 He was renowned among the thirty, but he did not attain to the three. And David set him over his bodyguard.

24 ^uAsahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty; Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, 25 ^vShammah of Harod, Elika of Harod, 26 Helez the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkesh ^wof Tekoa, 27 Abiezer ^xof Anathoth, Mebunnai ^ythe Hushathite, 28 Zalmon ^zthe Ahohite, Maharai ^aaof Netophah, 29 Heleb the son of Baanah ^abof Netophah, Ittai the son of Ribai of ^acGibeah of the people of Benjamin, 30 Benaiah ^adof Pirathon, Hiddai of the brooks of ^aeGaash, 31 Abi-albon the Arbathite, Azmaveth of ^afBahurim, 32 Eliahba the Shaalbonite, the sons of Jashen, Jonathan, 33 ^agShammah the Hararite, Ahiam the son of Sharar the Hararite, 34 Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai ^ahof Maacah, ^aiEliam the son of ^ajAhithophel the Gilonite, 35 Hezro ^{▼▼Or Hezrai} ^alof Carmel, Paarai the Arbite, 36 Igal the son of Nathan ^amof Zobah, Bani the Gadite, 37 Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai ^anof Beeroth, the armor-bearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah, 38 ^aoIra the ^apIthrite, Gareb the Ithrite, 39 ^aqUriah the Hittite: thirty-seven in all.

1 Chronicles 11:10-47

David’s Mighty Men

10 ^arNow these are the chiefs of David’s mighty men, who gave him strong support in his kingdom, together with all Israel, to make him king, ^asaccording to the word of the Lord concerning Israel. 11 This is an account of David’s mighty men: ^atJashobeam, a ^auHachmonite, was ^avchief of the three. ^{▼▼Compare 2 Samuel 23:8; Hebrew thirty, or captains} He wielded his spear against 300 whom he killed at one time.

12 And next to him among the three mighty men was Eleazar the son of ^axDodo, the Ahohite. 13 He was with David at Pas-dammim ^aywhen the Philistines were gathered there for battle. There was a plot of ground full of barley, and the men fled from the Philistines. 14 But he took his ^{▼▼Compare 2 Samuel 23:12; Hebrew they . . . their} stand in the midst of the plot and defended it and killed the Philistines. And the Lord saved them by a great victory.

15 Three of the thirty chief men went down to the rock to David at the cave of Adullam, when the army of Philistines was encamped in the ^baValley of Rephaim. 16 David was then in the stronghold, and the ^bbgarrison of the Philistines was then at Bethlehem. 17 And David said longingly, “Oh that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate!” 18 Then the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate and took it and brought it to David. But David would not drink it. He poured it out to the Lord 19 and said, “Far be it from me before my God that I should do this. Shall I drink the lifeblood of these men? For at the risk of their lives they brought it.” Therefore he would not drink it. These things did the three mighty men.

20 Now Abishai, the brother of Joab, was chief of the thirty. ^{▼▼Syriac; Hebrew three} And he wielded his spear against 300 men and killed them and won a name beside the three. 21 He was the most renowned ^{▼▼Compare 2 Samuel 23:19; Hebrew more renowned among the two} of the thirty ^{▼▼Syriac; Hebrew three} and became their commander, but he did not attain to the three.

22 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was a valiant man ^{▼▼Syriac; Hebrew the son of a valiant man} of Kabzeel, a doer of great deeds. He struck down two heroes of Moab. He also went down and struck down a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen. 23 And he struck down an Egyptian, a man of great stature, five cubits ^{▼▼A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters} tall. The Egyptian had in his hand a spear ^bhlike a weaver’s beam, but Benaiah went down to him with a staff and snatched the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear. 24 These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and won a name beside the three mighty men. 25 He was renowned among the thirty, but he did not attain to the three. And David set him over his bodyguard.

26 The mighty men were ^biAsahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, 27 Shammoth of Harod, ^{▼▼Compare 2 Samuel 23:25; Hebrew the Harorite} Helez the Pelonite, 28 Ira the son of Ikkesh of Tekoa, Abiezer of Anathoth, 29 Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite, 30 Maharai of Netophah, Heled the son of Baanah of Netophah, 31 Ithai the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the people of Benjamin, Benaiah of Pirathon, 32 Hurai of the brooks of Gaash, Abiel the Arbathite, 33 Azmaveth of Baharum, Eliahba the Shaalbonite, 34 Hashem ^{▼▼Compare Septuagint and 2 Samuel 23:32; Hebrew the sons of Hashem} the Gizonite, Jonathan the son of Shagee the Hararite, 35 Ahiam the son of Sachar the Hararite, Eliphal the son of Ur, 36 Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite, 37 Hezro of Carmel, Naarai the son of Ezbai, 38 Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar the son of ^blHagri, 39 Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai of Beeroth, the armor-bearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah, 40 Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, 41 Uriah the Hittite, ^bmZabad the son of Ahlai, 42 Adina the son of Shiza the Reubenite, a leader of the Reubenites, and thirty with him, 43 Hanan the son of Maacah, and Joshaphat the Mithnite, 44 Uzzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Jeiel the sons of Hotham the Aroerite, 45 Jediael the son of Shimri, and Joha his brother, the Tizite, 46 Eliel the Mahavite, and Jeribai, and Joshaviah, the sons of Elnaam, and Ithmah the Moabite, 47 Eliel, and Obed, and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.

1 Chronicles 12

The Mighty Men Join David

1 ^bnNow these are the men who came to David at Ziklag, while he could not move about freely because of Saul the son of Kish. And they were among the mighty men who helped him in war. 2 They ^bowere bowmen and could shoot arrows and sling stones with either the right or the ^bpleft hand; they were Benjaminites, ^bqSaul’s kinsmen. 3 The chief was Ahiezer, then Joash, both sons of Shemaah of ^brGibeah; also Jeziel and Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth; Beracah, Jehu of ^bsAnathoth, 4 Ishmaiah of ^btGibeon, a mighty man among the thirty and a leader over the thirty; Jeremiah, ^{▼▼Hebrew verse 5} Jahaziel, Johanan, Jozabad of Gederah, 5 Eluzai, ^{▼▼Hebrew verse 6} Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, Shephatiah the Haruphite; 6 Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, the ^bwKorahites; 7 And Joelah and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham of Gedor.

8 From the Gadites there went over to David at the stronghold in the wilderness mighty and experienced warriors, expert with shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions and who were ^bxswift as gazelles upon the mountains: 9 Ezer the chief, Obadiah second, Eliab third, 10 Mishmannah fourth, Jeremiah fifth, 11 Attai sixth, Eliel seventh, 12 Johanan eighth, Elzabad ninth, 13 Jeremiah tenth, Machbannai eleventh. 14 These Gadites were officers of the army; the least was a ^bymatch for a hundred men and the greatest for a thousand. 15 These are the men who crossed the Jordan in the first month, when it was ^bzoverflowing all its banks, and put to flight all those in the valleys, to the east and to the west.

16 And some of the men of Benjamin and Judah came to the stronghold to David. 17 David went out to meet them and said to them, “If you have come to me in friendship to help me, my heart will be joined to you; but if to betray me to my adversaries, although there is no wrong in my hands, then may the God of our fathers see and rebuke you.” 18 Then ^cathe Spirit clothed ^cbAmasai, chief of the thirty, and he said,

“We are yours, O David,
and with you, O son of Jesse!
^ccPeace, peace to you,
and peace to your helpers!
For your God helps you.”
Then David received them and made them officers of his troops.

19 Some of the men of Manasseh deserted to David ^cdwhen he came with the Philistines for the battle against Saul. (Yet he did not help them, for the rulers of the Philistines took counsel and sent him away, saying, ^ce“At peril to our heads he will desert to his master Saul.”) 20 As he went to Ziklag, these men of Manasseh deserted to him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, chiefs of thousands in Manasseh. 21 They helped David against ^cfthe band of raiders, for they were all mighty men of valor and were commanders in the army. 22 For from day to day men came to David to help him, until there was a great army, like an army of God.

23 These are the numbers of the divisions of the armed troops ^cgwho came to David in Hebron ^chto turn the kingdom of Saul over to him, ^ciaccording to the word of the Lord. 24 The men of Judah bearing shield and spear were 6,800 armed troops. 25 Of the Simeonites, mighty men of valor for war, 7,100. 26 Of the Levites 4,600. 27 The prince Jehoiada, of the house of Aaron, and with him 3,700. 28 ^cjZadok, a young man mighty in valor, and twenty-two commanders from his own fathers’ house. 29 Of the Benjaminites, ^ckthe kinsmen of Saul, 3,000, of whom the ^clmajority had to that point kept their allegiance to the house of Saul. 30 Of the Ephraimites 20,800, mighty men of valor, famous men in their fathers’ houses. 31 Of the half-tribe of Manasseh 18,000, who were ^cmexpressly named to come and make David king. 32 Of Issachar, men who ^cnhad understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, 200 chiefs, and all their kinsmen under their command. 33 Of Zebulun 50,000 seasoned troops, ^coequipped for battle with all the weapons of war, to help David ^{▼▼Septuagint; Hebrew lacks David} with ^cqsingleness of purpose. 34 Of Naphtali 1,000 commanders with whom were 37,000 men armed with shield and spear. 35 Of the Danites 28,600 men equipped for battle. 36 Of ^crAsher 40,000 ^csseasoned troops ^ctready for battle. 37 Of the Reubenites and Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh from beyond the Jordan, 120,000 men armed with all the weapons of war.

38 All these, men of war, arrayed in battle order, came to Hebron with ^cua whole heart to make David king over all Israel. Likewise, all the rest of Israel were of a ^cvsingle mind to make David king. 39 And they were there with David for three days, eating and drinking, for their brothers had made preparation for them. 40 And also their relatives, from as far as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, came bringing food on donkeys and on camels and on mules and on oxen, abundant provisions of flour, ^cwcakes of figs, clusters of raisins, and wine and oil, oxen and sheep, for there was joy in Israel.