1. Then all Israel gathered themselves to David to 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 to 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, Whoever smiteth the Jebusites first shall be chief and captain. So Joab the son of Zeruiah went up first, and was chief.
7. And David dwelt in the castle; therefore they called it, The city of David.
8. And he built the city around, even from Millo around: and Joab repaired the rest of the city.
9. So David became 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 a Hachmonite, the chief of the captains: he lifted 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 Pas-dammim, and there the Philistines were gathered 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 Beth-lehem.
17. And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Beth-lehem, that is at the gate!
18. And the three broke through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Beth-lehem, 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 his spear against three hundred, he slew them, and had a name among the three.