Study Desk

The Philistines^(a) fought against Israel, and Israel's men fled from them and were killed on Mount Gilboa.

The Philistines pursued Saul and his sons and killed Saul's sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua.

When the battle intensified against Saul, the archers found him and severely wounded him.

Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, "Draw your sword and run me through with it, or these uncircumcised men will come and torture me!" But his armor-bearer wouldn't do it because he was terrified. Then Saul took his sword and fell on it.

When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his own sword and died.

So Saul and his three sons died—his whole house died together.

When all the men of Israel in the valley saw that the army had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled. So the Philistines came and settled in them.

The next day when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his sons dead on Mount Gilboa.

They stripped Saul, cut off his head, took his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to spread the good news to their idols and their people.

Then they put his armor in the temple of their gods and hung his skull in the temple of Dagon.^(b)

When all Jabesh-gilead heard of everything the Philistines had done to Saul,

all their brave men set out and retrieved the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons and brought them to Jabesh. They buried their bones under the oak^[a] in Jabesh^(c) and fasted seven days.

Saul died for his unfaithfulness to the Lord because he did not keep the Lord 's word.^(d) He even consulted a medium for guidance,^(e)

but he did not inquire of the Lord . So the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.^(f)

All Israel^(a) came together to David at Hebron and said, "Here we are, your own flesh and blood.^[a]

Even when Saul was king, you led us out to battle and brought us back. The Lord your God also said to you, ‘You will shepherd My people Israel and be ruler over My people Israel.'"

So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron. David made a covenant with them at Hebron in the Lord 's presence, and they anointed David king over Israel, in keeping with the Lord 's word through Samuel.^(b)

David^(c) and all Israel marched to Jerusalem (that is, Jebus^(d)); the Jebusites who inhabited the land were there.

The inhabitants of Jebus said to David, "You will never get in here." Yet David did capture the stronghold of Zion, that is, the city of David.

David said, "Whoever is the first to kill a Jebusite will become chief commander." Joab^(e) son of Zeruiah went up first, so he became the chief.

Then David took up residence in the stronghold; therefore, it was called the city of David.

He built up the city all the way around, from the supporting terraces to the surrounding parts, and Joab restored the rest of the city.

David steadily grew more powerful,^(f) and the Lord of Hosts was with him.

The following were the chiefs of David's warriors who, together with all Israel, strongly supported him in his reign to make him king according to the Lord 's word about Israel.^(g)

This^(h) is the list of David's warriors: Jashobeam son of Hachmoni was chief⁽ⁱ⁾ of the Thirty;^[b] he wielded his spear against 300 and killed them at one time.

After him, Eleazar son of Dodo^(j) the Ahohite was one of the three warriors.

He was with David at Pas-dammim when the Philistines had gathered there for battle. There was a portion of a field full of barley, where the troops had fled from the Philistines.^(k)

But Eleazar and David^[c] took their stand in the middle of the field and defended it. They killed the Philistines, and the Lord gave them a great victory.

Three of the 30 chief men went down to David, to the rock at the cave of Adullam,^(l) while the Philistine army was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim.^(m)

At that time David was in the stronghold,⁽ⁿ⁾ and a Philistine garrison^(o) was at Bethlehem.

David was extremely thirsty^[d] and said, "If only someone would bring me water to drink from the well at the city gate of Bethlehem!"

So the Three broke through the Philistine camp and drew water from the well at the gate of Bethlehem. They brought it back to David, but he refused to drink it. Instead, he poured it out to the Lord .

David said, "I would never do such a thing in the presence of God! How can I drink the blood of these men who risked their lives?" For they brought it at the risk of their lives. So he would not drink it. Such were the exploits of the three warriors.

Abishai,^(p) Joab's brother, was the leader of the Three.^[e] He raised his spear against 300 men and killed them, gaining a reputation among the Three.

He was more honored than the Three and became their commander even though he did not become one of the Three.

Benaiah son of Jehoiada^(q) was the son of a brave man^[f] from Kabzeel, a man of many exploits. Benaiah killed two sons of Ariel of Moab,^[g] and he went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion.

He also killed an Egyptian who was seven and a half feet tall.^[h] Even though the Egyptian had a spear in his hand like a weaver's beam,^(r) Benaiah went down to him with a club, snatched the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and then killed him with his own spear.

These were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada, who had a reputation among the three warriors.

He was the most honored of the Thirty, but he did not become one of the Three. David put him in charge of his bodyguard.

The fighting men^(s) were: Joab's brother Asahel,^(t) Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem,

Shammoth the Harorite, Helez the Pelonite,

Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, Abiezer the Anathothite,

Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite,

Maharai the Netophathite, Heled son of Baanah the Netophathite,

Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah of the Benjaminites, Benaiah the Pirathonite,

Hurai from the wadis of Gaash, Abiel the Arbathite,

Azmaveth the Baharumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite,

the sons of^[i](u) Hashem the Gizonite, Jonathan son of Shagee the Hararite,

Ahiam son of Sachar the Hararite, Eliphal son of Ur,

Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite,

Hezro the Carmelite, Naarai son of Ezbai,

Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar son of Hagri,

Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite, the armor-bearer for Joab son of Zeruiah,

Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,

Uriah the Hittite, Zabad son of Ahlai,

Adina son of Shiza the Reubenite, chief of the Reubenites, and 30 with him,

Hanan son of Maacah, Joshaphat the Mithnite,

Uzzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Jeiel the sons of Hotham the Aroerite,

Jediael son of Shimri and his brother Joha the Tizite,

Eliel the Mahavite, Jeribai and Joshaviah, the sons of Elnaam, Ithmah the Moabite,

Eliel, Obed, and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.