| New Living Translation | King James Bible |
| 1Then all Israel gathered before David at Hebron and told him, “We are your own flesh and blood. | 1Then all Israel gathered themselves to David unto Hebron, saying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh. |
| 2In the past, even when Saul was king, you were the one who really led the forces of Israel. And the LORD your God told you, ‘You will be the shepherd of my people Israel. You will be the leader of my people Israel.’” | 2And moreover in time past, even when Saul was king, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: and the LORD thy God said unto thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be ruler over my people Israel. |
| 3So there at Hebron, David made a covenant before the LORD with all the elders of Israel. And they anointed him king of Israel, just as the LORD had promised through Samuel. David Captures Jerusalem | 3Therefore came all the elders of Israel to the king to Hebron; and David made a covenant with them in Hebron before the LORD; and they anointed David king over Israel, according to the word of the LORD by Samuel. |
| 4Then David and all Israel went to Jerusalem (or Jebus, as it used to be called), where the Jebusites, the original inhabitants of the land, were living. | 4And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, which is Jebus; where the Jebusites were, the inhabitants of the land. |
| 5The people of Jebus taunted David, saying, “You’ll never get in here!” But David captured the fortress of Zion, which is now called the City of David. | 5And the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, Thou shalt not come hither. Nevertheless David took the castle of Zion, which is the city of David. |
| 6David had said to his troops, “Whoever is first to attack the Jebusites will become the commander of my armies!” And Joab, the son of David’s sister Zeruiah, was first to attack, so he became the commander of David’s armies. | 6And David said, Whosoever smiteth the Jebusites first shall be chief and captain. So Joab the son of Zeruiah went first up, and was chief. |
| 7David made the fortress his home, and that is why it is called the City of David. | 7And David dwelt in the castle; therefore they called it the city of David. |
| 8He extended the city from the supporting terraces to the surrounding area, while Joab rebuilt the rest of Jerusalem. | 8And he built the city round about, even from Millo round about: and Joab repaired the rest of the city. |
| 9And David became more and more powerful, because the LORD of Heaven’s Armies was with him. David’s Mightiest Warriors | 9So David waxed greater and greater: for the LORD of hosts was with him. |
| 10These are the leaders of David’s mighty warriors. Together with all Israel, they decided to make David their king, just as the LORD had promised concerning Israel. | 10These also are the chief of the mighty men whom David had, who strengthened themselves with him in his kingdom, and with all Israel, to make him king, according to the word of the LORD concerning Israel. |
| 11Here is the record of David’s mightiest warriors: The first was Jashobeam the Hacmonite, who was leader of the Three—the mightiest warriors among David’s men. He once used his spear to kill 300 enemy warriors in a single battle. | 11And this is the number of the mighty men whom David had; Jashobeam, an Hachmonite, the chief of the captains: he lifted up his spear against three hundred slain by him at one time. |
| 12Next in rank among the Three was Eleazar son of Dodai, a descendant of Ahoah. | 12And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, who was one of the three mighties. |
| 13He was with David when the Philistines gathered for battle at Pas-dammim and attacked the Israelites in a field full of barley. The Israelite army fled, | 13He was with David at Pasdammim, and there the Philistines were gathered together to battle, where was a parcel of ground full of barley; and the people fled from before the Philistines. |
| 14but Eleazar and David held their ground in the middle of the field and beat back the Philistines. So the LORD saved them by giving them a great victory. | 14And they set themselves in the midst of that parcel, and delivered it, and slew the Philistines; and the LORD saved them by a great deliverance. |
| 15Once when David was at the rock near the cave of Adullam, the Philistine army was camped in the valley of Rephaim. The Three (who were among the Thirty—an elite group among David’s fighting men) went down to meet him there. | 15Now three of the thirty captains went down to the rock to David, into the cave of Adullam; and the host of the Philistines encamped in the valley of Rephaim. |
| 16David was staying in the stronghold at the time, and a Philistine detachment had occupied the town of Bethlehem. | 16And David was then in the hold, and the Philistines' garrison was then at Bethlehem. |
| 17David remarked longingly to his men, “Oh, how I would love some of that good water from the well by the gate in Bethlehem.” | 17And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, that is at the gate! |
| 18So the Three broke through the Philistine lines, drew some water from the well by the gate in Bethlehem, and brought it back to David. But David refused to drink it. Instead, he poured it out as an offering to the LORD. | 18And the three brake through the host 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 of it, but poured it out to the LORD, |
| 19“God forbid that I should drink this!” he exclaimed. “This water is as precious as the blood of these men who risked their lives to bring it to me.” So David did not drink it. These are examples of the exploits of the Three. David’s Thirty Mighty Men | 19And said, My God forbid it me, that I should do this thing: shall I drink the blood of these men that have put their lives in jeopardy? for with the jeopardy of their lives they brought it. Therefore he would not drink it. These things did these three mightiest. |
| 20Abishai, the brother of Joab, was the leader of the Thirty. He once used his spear to kill 300 enemy warriors in a single battle. It was by such feats that he became as famous as the Three. | 20And Abishai the brother of Joab, he was chief of the three: for lifting up his spear against three hundred, he slew them, and had a name among the three. |
| 21Abishai was the most famous of the Thirty and was their commander, though he was not one of the Three. | 21Of the three, he was more honourable than the two; for he was their captain: howbeit he attained not to the first three. |
| 22There was also Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant warrior from Kabzeel. He did many heroic deeds, which included killing two champions of Moab. Another time, on a snowy day, he chased a lion down into a pit and killed it. | 22Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done many acts; he slew two lionlike men of Moab: also he went down and slew a lion in a pit in a snowy day. |
| 23Once, armed only with a club, he killed an Egyptian warrior who was 7 1/2 feet tall and who was armed with a spear as thick as a weaver’s beam. Benaiah wrenched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with it. | 23And he slew an Egyptian, a man of great stature, five cubits high; and in the Egyptian's hand was a spear like a weaver's beam; and he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and slew him with his own spear. |
| 24Deeds like these made Benaiah as famous as the three mightiest warriors. | 24These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and had the name among the three mighties. |
| 25He was more honored than the other members of the Thirty, though he was not one of the Three. And David made him captain of his bodyguard. | 25Behold, he was honourable among the thirty, but attained not to the first three: and David set him over his guard. |
| 26David’s mighty warriors also included: Asahel, Joab’s brother; Elhanan son of Dodo from Bethlehem; | 26Also the valiant men of the armies were, Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, |
| 27Shammah from Harod; Helez from Pelon; | 27Shammoth the Harorite, Helez the Pelonite, |
| 28Ira son of Ikkesh from Tekoa; Abiezer from Anathoth; | 28Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, Abiezer the Antothite, |
| 29Sibbecai from Hushah; Zalmon from Ahoah; | 29Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite, |
| 30Maharai from Netophah; Heled son of Baanah from Netophah; | 30Maharai the Netophathite, Heled the son of Baanah the Netophathite, |
| 31Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah (in the land of Benjamin); Benaiah from Pirathon; | 31Ithai the son of Ribai of Gibeah, that pertained to the children of Benjamin, Benaiah the Pirathonite, |
| 32Hurai from near Nahale-gaash ; Abi-albon from Arabah; | 32Hurai of the brooks of Gaash, Abiel the Arbathite, |
| 33Azmaveth from Bahurim ; Eliahba from Shaalbon; | 33Azmaveth the Baharumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite, |
| 34the sons of Jashen from Gizon; Jonathan son of Shagee from Harar; | 34The sons of Hashem the Gizonite, Jonathan the son of Shage the Hararite, |
| 35Ahiam son of Sharar from Harar; Eliphal son of Ur; | 35Ahiam the son of Sacar the Hararite, Eliphal the son of Ur, |
| 36Hepher from Mekerah; Ahijah from Pelon; | 36Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite, |
| 37Hezro from Carmel; Paarai son of Ezbai; | 37Hezro the Carmelite, Naarai the son of Ezbai, |
| 38Joel, the brother of Nathan; Mibhar son of Hagri; | 38Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar the son of Haggeri, |
| 39Zelek from Ammon; Naharai from Beeroth, the armor bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah; | 39Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Berothite, the armourbearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah, |
| 40Ira from Jattir; Gareb from Jattir; | 40Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, |
| 41Uriah the Hittite; Zabad son of Ahlai; | 41Uriah the Hittite, Zabad the son of Ahlai, |
| 42Adina son of Shiza, the Reubenite leader who had thirty men with him; | 42Adina the son of Shiza the Reubenite, a captain of the Reubenites, and thirty with him, |
| 43Hanan son of Maacah; Joshaphat from Mithna; | 43Hanan the son of Maachah, and Joshaphat the Mithnite, |
| 44Uzzia from Ashtaroth; Shama and Jeiel, the sons of Hotham, from Aroer; | 44Uzzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Jehiel the sons of Hothan the Aroerite, |
| 45Jediael son of Shimri; Joha, his brother, from Tiz; | 45Jediael the son of Shimri, and Joha his brother, the Tizite, |
| 46Eliel from Mahavah; Jeribai and Joshaviah, the sons of Elnaam; Ithmah from Moab; | 46Eliel the Mahavite, and Jeribai, and Joshaviah, the sons of Elnaam, and Ithmah the Moabite, |
| 47Eliel and Obed; Jaasiel from Zobah. | 47Eliel, and Obed, and Jasiel the Mesobaite. |
| Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. | King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com. |
|
