All Israel gathers at Hebron and makes David king. He captures Jerusalem and makes it his capital. The chapter lists David's mighty men and some of their exploits.
1 Then all Israel gathered themselves to David unto Hebron , saying , Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh .
2 And 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 .
3 Therefore 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 .
4 And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem , which is Jebus ; where the Jebusites were, the inhabitants of the land .
5 And 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 .
6 And David said , Whosoever smiteth the Jebusites first shall be chief and captain . So Joab the son of Zeruiah went first up , and was chief .
7 And David dwelt in the castle ; therefore they called it the city of David .
8 And he built the city round about , even from Millo round about : and Joab repaired the rest of the city .
9 So David waxed greater and greater : for the LORD of hosts was with him.
10 These 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 .
11 And 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 .
12 And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo , the Ahohite , who was one of the three mighties .
13 He 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 .
14 And 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 .
15 Now 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 .
16 And David was then in the hold , and the Philistines ' garrison was then at Bethlehem .
17 And David longed , and said , Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem , that is at the gate !
18 And 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 And 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 .
20 And 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 .
21 Of the three , he was more honourable than the two ; for he was their captain : howbeit he attained not to the first three .
22 Benaiah 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 .
23 And 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 .
24 These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada , and had the name among the three mighties .
25 Behold , he was honourable among the thirty , but attained not to the first three : and David set him over his guard .
26 Also the valiant men of the armies were, Asahel the brother of Joab , Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem ,
27 Shammoth the Harorite , Helez the Pelonite ,
28 Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite , Abiezer the Antothite ,
29 Sibbecai the Hushathite , Ilai the Ahohite ,
30 Maharai the Netophathite , Heled the son of Baanah the Netophathite ,
31 Ithai the son of Ribai of Gibeah , that pertained to the children of Benjamin , Benaiah the Pirathonite ,
32 Hurai of the brooks of Gaash , Abiel the Arbathite ,
33 Azmaveth the Baharumite , Eliahba the Shaalbonite ,
34 The sons of Hashem the Gizonite , Jonathan the son of Shage the Hararite ,
35 Ahiam the son of Sacar the Hararite , Eliphal the son of Ur ,
36 Hepher the Mecherathite , Ahijah the Pelonite ,
37 Hezro the Carmelite , Naarai the son of Ezbai ,
38 Joel the brother of Nathan , Mibhar the son of Haggeri ,
39 Zelek the Ammonite , Naharai the Berothite , the armourbearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah ,
40 Ira the Ithrite , Gareb the Ithrite ,
41 Uriah the Hittite , Zabad the son of Ahlai ,
42 Adina the son of Shiza the Reubenite , a captain of the Reubenites , and thirty with him,
43 Hanan the son of Maachah , and Joshaphat the Mithnite ,
44 Uzzia the Ashterathite , Shama and Jehiel the sons of Hothan the Aroerite ,
45 Jediael the son of Shimri , and Joha his brother , the Tizite ,
46 Eliel the Mahavite , and Jeribai , and Joshaviah , the sons of Elnaam , and Ithmah the Moabite ,
47 Eliel , and Obed , and Jasiel the Mesobaite .