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
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.
Now Abishai, the brother of Joab, was chief of the thirty. And he wielded his spear against 300 men and killed them and won a name beside the three.
He was the most renowned of the thirty and became their commander, but he did not attain to the three.
And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was 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.
And he struck down an Egyptian, a man of great stature, five cubits tall. The Egyptian had in his hand a spear like 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.
These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and won a name beside the three mighty men.
He was renowned among the thirty, but he did not attain to the three. And David set him over his bodyguard.
The mighty men were Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem,
Shammoth of Harod, Helez the Pelonite,
Ira the son of Ikkesh of Tekoa, Abiezer of Anathoth,
Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite,
Maharai of Netophah, Heled the son of Baanah of Netophah,
Ithai the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the people of Benjamin, Benaiah of Pirathon,
Hurai of the brooks of Gaash, Abiel the Arbathite,
Azmaveth of Baharum, Eliahba the Shaalbonite,
Hashem the Gizonite, Jonathan the son of Shagee the Hararite,
Ahiam the son of Sachar the Hararite, Eliphal the son of Ur,
Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite,
Hezro of Carmel, Naarai the son of Ezbai,
Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar the son of Hagri,
Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai of Beeroth, 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 leader 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.
Now 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.
They were bowmen and could shoot arrows and sling stones with either the right or the left hand; they were Benjaminites, Saul's kinsmen.
The chief was Ahiezer, then Joash, both sons of Shemaah of Gibeah; also Jeziel and Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth; Beracah, Jehu of Anathoth,
Ishmaiah of Gibeon, a mighty man among the thirty and a leader over the thirty; Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, Jozabad of Gederah,
Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, Shephatiah the Haruphite;
Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, the Korahites;
And Joelah and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham of Gedor.
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 swift as gazelles upon the mountains:
Ezer the chief, Obadiah second, Eliab third,
These Gadites were officers of the army; the least was a match for a hundred men and the greatest for a thousand.
These are the men who crossed the Jordan in the first month, when it was overflowing all its banks, and put to flight all those in the valleys, to the east and to the west.
And some of the men of Benjamin and Judah came to the stronghold to David.
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.”
Then the Spirit clothed Amasai, chief of the thirty, and he said, “We are yours, O David, and with you, O son of Jesse! Peace, peace to you, and peace to your helpers! For your God helps you.” Then David received them and made them officers of his troops.
Some of the men of Manasseh deserted to David when 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, “At peril to our heads he will desert to his master Saul.”)
They helped David against the band of raiders, for they were all mighty men of valor and were commanders in the army.
These are the numbers of the divisions of the armed troops who came to David in Hebron to turn the kingdom of Saul over to him, according to the word of the Lord.
The men of Judah bearing shield and spear were 6,800 armed troops.
Of the Simeonites, mighty men of valor for war, 7,100.
Of the Levites 4,600.
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