1. Then all Israel gathered themselves to David unto Hebron, saying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh.
2. In times past, even when Saul was king, it was thou 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 prince over my people Israel.
3. So all the elders of Israel came 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 the hand of Samuel.
4. And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem (the same is Jebus); and the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, were there.
5. And the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, Thou shalt not come in hither. Nevertheless David took the strong hold of Zion; the same is the city of David.
6. And David said, Whosoever smiteth the Jebusites first shall be chief and captain. And Joab the son of Zeruiah went up first, and was made chief.
7. And David dwelt in the strong hold; therefore they called it the city of David.
8. And he built the city round about, from Millo even round about: and Joab repaired the rest of the city.
9. And David waxed greater and greater; for the LORD of hosts was with him.
10. Now these are the chief of the mighty men whom David had, who shewed themselves strong with him in his kingdom, together 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, the son of a Hachmonite, the chief of the thirty; he lifted up his spear against three hundred and slew them at one time.
12. And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, who was one of the three mighty men.
13. He was with David at Pasdammim, and there the Philistines were gathered together to battle, where was a plot of ground full of barley; and the people fled from before the Philistines.
14. And they stood in the midst of the plot, and defended it, and slew the Philistines; and the LORD saved them by a great victory.
15. And three of the thirty chief went down to the rock to David, into the cave of Adullam; and the host of the Philistines were encamped in the valley of Rephaim.
16. And David was then in the hold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Beth-lehem.