The Philistines again raided the valley.

Adina son of Shiza the Reubenite, leader of the Reubenites and the thirty warriors with him,

The next day they made sacrifices and offered burnt sacrifices to the Lord (1,000 bulls, 1,000 rams, 1,000 lambs), along with their accompanying drink offerings and many other sacrifices for all Israel.

And you did not stop there, O God! You have also spoken about the future of your servant’s family. ¹  You have revealed to me what men long to know, ²  O Lord God.

Each day men came to help David until his army became very large. ¹ 

Now the Philistines had come and raided ¹  the Valley of Rephaim.

Each day there were six Levites posted on the east, four on the north, and four on the south. At the storehouses they were posted in pairs.

Such were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada, who gained fame along with the three elite warriors.

He was with David in Pas Dammim ¹  when the Philistines assembled there for battle. In an area of the field that was full of barley, the army retreated before the Philistines,

So Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord and did not obey the Lord’s instructions; he even tried to conjure up underworld spirits. ¹ 

and his son Beerah, whom King Tiglath-pileser ¹  of Assyria carried into exile. Beerah ²  was the tribal leader of Reuben.

Jahath was the oldest and Zizah the second oldest. Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons, so they were considered one family with one responsibility.

When all the leaders ¹  of Israel came to the king at Hebron, David made an agreement ²  with them in Hebron before the Lord. They anointed ³  David king over Israel, just as the Lord had announced through Samuel. ⁴ 

Abishai the brother of Joab was head of the three ¹  elite warriors. He killed three hundred men with his spear ²  and gained fame along with the three elite warriors. ³ 

David was thirsty and said, “How I wish someone would give me some water to drink ¹  from the cistern in Bethlehem near the city gate!”

All these men were warriors who were ready to march. ¹  They came to Hebron to make David king over all Israel by acclamation; ²  all the rest of the Israelites also were in agreement that David should become king. ³ 

So they marched against Baal Perazim and David defeated them there. David said, “Using me as his instrument, ¹  God has burst out against my enemies like water bursts out.” So that place is called Baal Perazim. ² 

I will become his father and he will become my son. I will never withhold my loyal love from him, as I withheld it from the one who ruled before you. ¹ 

When the Ammonites realized that David was disgusted with them, ¹  Hanun and the Ammonites sent 1,000 talents ²  of silver to hire chariots and charioteers from Aram Naharaim, Aram Maacah, and Zobah. ³ 

David looked up and saw the Lord’s messenger standing between the earth and sky with his sword drawn and in his hand, stretched out over Jerusalem. David and the leaders, covered with sackcloth, threw themselves down with their faces to the ground. ¹