David's Military Victories

¹Some time later King David attacked the Philistines again, defeated them, and ended their control over the land.

²Then he defeated the Moabites. He made the prisoners lie down on the ground and put two out of every three of them to death. So the Moabites became his subjects and paid taxes to him.

³Then he defeated the king of the Syrian state of Zobah, Hadadezer son of Rehob, as Hadadezer was on his way to restore his control over the territory by the upper Euphrates River.

⁴David captured seventeen hundred of his cavalry and twenty thousand of his foot soldiers. He kept enough horses for a hundred chariots and crippled all the rest.

⁵When the Syrians of Damascus sent an army to help King Hadadezer, David attacked it and killed twenty-two thousand men.

⁶Then he set up military camps in their territory, and they became his subjects and paid taxes to him. The Lord made David victorious everywhere.

⁷David captured the gold shields carried by Hadadezer's officials and took them to Jerusalem.

⁸He also took a great quantity of bronze from Betah and Berothai, cities ruled by Hadadezer.

⁹King Toi of Hamath heard that David had defeated all of Hadadezer's army.

¹⁰So he sent his son Joram to greet King David and congratulate him for his victory over Hadadezer, against whom Toi had fought many times. Joram took David presents made of gold, silver, and bronze.

¹¹King David dedicated them for use in worship, along with the silver and gold he took from the nations he had conquered—

¹²Edom, Moab, Ammon, Philistia, and Amalek—as well as part of the loot he had taken from Hadadezer.

¹³David became even more famous when he returned from killing eighteen thousand Edomites in Salt Valley.

¹⁴He set up military camps throughout Edom, and the people there became his subjects. The Lord made David victorious everywhere.

¹⁵David ruled over all of Israel and made sure that his people were always treated fairly and justly.

¹⁶Joab, whose mother was Zeruiah, was the commander of the army; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was in charge of the records;

¹⁷Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech son of Abiathar were priests; Seraiah was the court secretary;

¹⁸Benaiah son of Jehoiada was in charge of David's bodyguards; and David's sons were priests.

The Death of King Saul

¹The Philistines fought a battle against the Israelites on Mount Gilboa. Many Israelites were killed there, and the rest of them, including King Saul and his sons, fled.

²But the Philistines caught up with them and killed three of Saul's sons, Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua.

³The fighting was heavy around Saul, and he was hit by enemy arrows and badly wounded.

⁴He said to the young man carrying his weapons, “Draw your sword and kill me, to keep these godless Philistines from gloating over me.” But the young man was too terrified to do it. So Saul took his own sword and threw himself on it.

⁵The young man saw that Saul was dead, so he too threw himself on his sword and died.

⁶So Saul and his three sons all died together, and none of his descendants ever ruled.

⁷When the Israelites who lived in Jezreel Valley heard that the army had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their towns and ran off. Then the Philistines came and occupied them.

⁸The day after the battle the Philistines went to plunder the corpses, and they found the bodies of Saul and his sons lying on Mount Gilboa.

⁹They cut off Saul's head, stripped off his armor, and sent messengers with them throughout Philistia to tell the good news to their idols and to their people.

¹⁰They put his weapons in one of their temples and hung his head in the temple of their god Dagon.

¹¹When the people of Jabesh in Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,

¹²the bravest men went and got the bodies of Saul and his sons and took them to Jabesh. They buried them there under an oak and fasted for seven days.

¹³Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord. He disobeyed the Lord's commands; he tried to find guidance by consulting the spirits of the dead

¹⁴instead of consulting the Lord. So the Lord killed him and gave control of the kingdom to David son of Jesse.

David Becomes King of Israel and Judah

¹All the people of Israel went to David at Hebron and said to him, “We are your own flesh and blood.

²In the past, even when Saul was still our king, you led the people of Israel in battle, and the Lord your God promised you that you would lead his people and be their ruler.”

³So all the leaders of Israel came to King David at Hebron. He made a sacred alliance with them, they anointed him, and he became king of Israel, just as the Lord had promised through Samuel.

⁴King David and all the Israelites went and attacked the city of Jerusalem. It was then known as Jebus, and the Jebusites, the original inhabitants of the land, were still living there.

⁵The Jebusites told David he would never get inside the city, but David captured their fortress of Zion, and it became known as “David's City.”

⁶David said, “The first man to kill a Jebusite will be commander of the army!” Joab, whose mother was Zeruiah, led the attack and became commander.

⁷Because David went to live in the fortress, it came to be called “David's City.”

⁸He rebuilt the city, starting at the place where land was filled in on the east side of the hill, and Joab restored the rest of the city.

⁹David grew stronger and stronger, because the Lord Almighty was with him.

David's Famous Soldiers

¹⁰This is the list of David's famous soldiers. Together with the rest of the people of Israel, they helped him become king, as the Lord had promised, and they kept his kingdom strong.

¹¹First was Jashobeam of the clan of Hachmon, the leader of “The Three.” He fought with his spear against three hundred men and killed them all in one battle.

¹²Next among the famous “Three” was Eleazar son of Dodo, of the clan of Ahoh.

¹³He fought on David's side against the Philistines at the battle of Pas Dammim. He was in a barley field when the Israelites started to run away,

¹⁴so he and his men took a stand in the middle of the field and fought the Philistines. The Lord gave him a great victory.

¹⁵One day three of the thirty leading soldiers went to a rock where David was staying near Adullam Cave, while a band of Philistines was camping in Rephaim Valley.

¹⁶At that time David was on a fortified hill, and a group of Philistines had occupied Bethlehem.

¹⁷David got homesick and said, “How I wish someone would bring me a drink of water from the well by the gate in Bethlehem!”

¹⁸The three famous soldiers forced their way through the Philistine camp, drew some water from the well, and brought it back to David. But he would not drink it; instead he poured it out as an offering to the Lord

¹⁹and said, “I could never drink this! It would be like drinking the blood of these men who risked their lives!” So he refused to drink it. These were the brave deeds of the three famous soldiers.

²⁰Joab's brother Abishai was the leader of “The Famous Thirty.” He fought with his spear against three hundred men and killed them, and became famous among “The Thirty.”

²¹He was the most famous of “The Thirty” and became their leader, but he was not as famous as “The Three.”

²²Benaiah son of Jehoiada from Kabzeel was a famous soldier; he did many brave deeds, including killing two great Moabite warriors. He once went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion.

²³He also killed an Egyptian, a huge man seven and a half feet tall, who was armed with a gigantic spear. Benaiah attacked him with a club, snatched the spear from the Egyptian's hand, and killed him with it.

²⁴Those were the brave deeds of Benaiah, who was one of “The Thirty.”

²⁵He was outstanding among “The Thirty,” but not as famous as “The Three.” David put him in charge of his bodyguard.

^26-47These are the other outstanding soldiers: Asahel, Joab's brother Elhanan son of Dodo from Bethlehem Shammoth from Harod Helez from Pelet Ira son of Ikkesh from Tekoa Abiezer from Anathoth Sibbecai from Hushah Ilai from Ahoh Maharai from Netophah Heled son of Baanah from Netophah Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah in Benjamin Benaiah from Pirathon Hurai from the valleys near Gaash Abiel from Arbah Azmaveth from Bahurum Eliahba from Shaalbon Hashem from Gizon Jonathan son of Shagee from Harar Ahiam son of Sachar from Harar Eliphal son of Ur Hepher from Mecherah Ahijah from Pelon Hezro from Carmel Naarai son of Ezbai Joel brother of Nathan Mibhar son of Hagri Zelek from Ammon Naharai, Joab's armorbearer, from Beeroth Ira and Gareb from Jattir Uriah the Hittite Zabad son of Ahlai Adina son of Shiza (a leading member of the tribe of Reuben, with his own group of thirty soldiers) Hanan son of Maacah Joshaphat from Mithan Uzzia from Ashterah Shamma and Jeiel, sons of Hotham, from Aroer Jediael and Joha, sons of Shimri, from Tiz Eliel from Mahavah Jeribai and Joshaviah, sons of Elnaam Ithmah from Moab Eliel, Obed, and Jaasiel from Zobah

A Prayer for Deliverance

¹You have rejected us, God, and defeated us; you have been angry with us—but now turn back to us.

²You have made the land tremble, and you have cut it open; now heal its wounds, because it is falling apart.

³You have made your people suffer greatly; we stagger around as though we were drunk.

⁴You have warned those who have reverence for you, so that they might escape destruction.

⁵Save us by your might; answer our prayer, so that the people you love may be rescued.

⁶From his sanctuary God has said, “In triumph I will divide Shechem and distribute Sukkoth Valley to my people.

⁷Gilead is mine, and Manasseh too; Ephraim is my helmet and Judah my royal scepter.

⁸But I will use Moab as my washbowl, and I will throw my sandals on Edom, as a sign that I own it. Did the Philistines think they would shout in triumph over me?”

⁹Who, O God, will take me into the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom?

¹⁰Have you really rejected us? Aren't you going to march out with our armies?

¹¹Help us against the enemy; human help is worthless.

¹²With God on our side we will win; he will defeat our enemies.