The third army commander, assigned the third month, was Benaiah son of Jehoiada the priest. He was the leader of his division, which consisted of 24,000 men.

David did not count the males twenty years old and under, for the Lord had promised to make Israel as numerous as the stars in the sky.

For we are resident foreigners and nomads in your presence, like all our ancestors; ¹  our days are like a shadow on the earth, without security. ² 

O Lord God of our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, maintain the motives of your people and keep them devoted to you. ¹ 

They received divine help in fighting them, and the Hagrites and all their allies were handed over to them. They cried out to God during the battle; he responded to their prayers because they trusted in him. ¹ 

Their property and settlements included Bethel ¹  and its surrounding towns, Naaran to the east, Gezer and its surrounding towns to the west, and Shechem and its surrounding towns as far as Ayyah and its surrounding towns.

All those selected to be gatekeepers at the entrances numbered 212. Their names were recorded in the genealogical records of their settlements. David and Samuel the prophet ¹  had appointed them to their positions. ² 

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. ¹ 

This is the list of David’s warriors: ¹  Jashobeam, a Hacmonite, was head of the officers. ²  He killed three hundred men with his spear in a single battle. ³ 

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,

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.

When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the trees, then attack. ¹  For at that moment the Lord is going before you to strike down the army ²  of the Philistines.”

David was wrapped in a linen robe, as were all the Levites carrying the ark, the musicians, and Kenaniah the supervisor of transport and the musicians; ¹  David also wore a linen ephod. ² 

Now you are willing to bless your servant’s dynasty ¹  so that it may stand permanently before you, for you, O Lord, have blessed it and it will be blessed from now on into the future.” ² 

David seized from him 1,000 chariots, 7,000 charioteers, ¹  and 20,000 infantrymen. David cut the hamstrings of all but a hundred of Hadadezer’s ²  chariot horses. ³ 

When Joab saw that the battle would be fought on two fronts, he chose some of Israel’s best men and deployed them against the Arameans. ¹ 

In a battle in Gath ¹  there was a large man who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot – twenty-four in all! He too was a descendant of Rapha.

David said to Gad, “I am very upset! I prefer to be attacked by the Lord, for his mercy is very great; I do not want to be attacked by men!” ¹ 

From the sons of Jeduthun: ¹  Gedaliah, Zeri, ²  Jeshaiah, ³  Hashabiah, and Mattithiah – six in all, ⁴  under supervision of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied as he played a harp, giving thanks and praise to the Lord.

Azmaveth son of Adiel was in charge of the king’s storehouses; Jonathan son of Uzziah was in charge of the storehouses in the field, in the cities, in the towns, and in the towers.