1 Chronicles 11:1-18
David Becomes King
11:1 All Israel joined David at Hebron and said, “Look, we are your very flesh and blood!
11:2 In the past, even when Saul was king, you were Israel’s commanding general. The Lord your God said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel; you will rule over my people Israel.’”
11:3 When all the leaders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, David made an agreement with them in Hebron before the Lord. They anointed David king over Israel, just as the Lord had announced through Samuel.
David Conquers Jerusalem
11:4 David and the whole Israelite army advanced to Jerusalem (that is, Jebus). (The Jebusites, the land’s original inhabitants, lived there.)
11:5 The residents of Jebus said to David, “You cannot invade this place!” But David captured the fortress of Zion (that is, the City of David).
11:6 David said, “Whoever attacks the Jebusites first will become commanding general!” So Joab son of Zeruiah attacked first and became commander.
11:7 David lived in the fortress; for this reason it is called the City of David.
11:8 He built up the city around it, from the terrace to the surrounding walls; Joab restored the rest of the city.
11:9 David’s power steadily grew, for the Lord who commands armies was with him.
David’s Warriors
11:10 These were the leaders of David’s warriors who helped establish and stabilize his rule over all Israel, in accordance with the Lord’s word.
11:11 This is the list of David’s warriors:
Jashobeam, a Hacmonite, was head of the officers. He killed three hundred men with his spear in a single battle.
11:12 Next in command was Eleazar son of Dodo the Ahohite. He was one of the three elite warriors.
11:13 He was with David in Pas Dammim when the Philistines assembled there for battle. In an area of the field that was full of barley, the army retreated before the Philistines,
11:14 but then they made a stand in the middle of that area. They defended it and defeated the Philistines; the Lord gave them a great victory.
11:15 Three of the thirty leaders went down to David at the rocky cliff at the cave of Adullam, while a Philistine force was camped in the Valley of Rephaim.
11:16 David was in the stronghold at the time, while a Philistine garrison was in Bethlehem.
11:17 David was thirsty and said, “How I wish someone would give me some water to drink from the cistern in Bethlehem near the city gate!”
11:18 So the three elite warriors broke through the Philistine forces and drew some water from the cistern in Bethlehem near the city gate. They carried it back to David, but David refused to drink it. He poured it out as a drink offering to the Lord