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¹ Then all Israel gathered them selues to Dauid vnto Hebron, saying:² Beholde, we be thy bones, and thy fleshe: And moreouer in tyme past, euen when Saul was king, thou leddest Israel out & in: And the Lorde thy God sayde vnto thee, Thou shalt feede my people Israel, and thou shalt be captayne ouer my people Israel.³ Therefore came all the elders of Israel to the king to Hebron, and Dauid made a couenaunt with them in Hebro before the Lorde: And they annoynted Dauid king ouer Israel according to the worde of the Lorde, by the hande of Samuel.⁴ And Dauid and all Israel went to Hierusalem (which is Iebus, where as were the Iebusites, the inhabiters of the lande.)⁵ And the inhabiters of Iebus sayde to Dauid: Thou commest not in here. Neuerthelesse, Dauid wan the castel of Sion: which is called the citie of Dauid.⁶ And Dauid sayde: Whosoeuer smyteth the Iebusites first, shalbe the principall captayne, and a lorde. So Ioab the sonne of Zaruia went first vp, and was made the chiefe captayne.⁷ And Dauid dwelt in the castell [Sion] and therefore they called it the citie of Dauid.⁸ And he built the citie on euery syde, euen from Millo round about: and Ioab repaired the rest of the citie.⁹ And Dauid prospered & waxed great, & the Lorde of hoastes was with him.

¹⁰ These are the principall men of power whom Dauid had, and that claue to him in his kingdome with all Israel to make him king, according to the word of the Lorde ouer Israel.¹¹ And this is the number of the mightie men whom Dauid had: Iosobeam the sonne of Hachmoni the chiefe among thirtie: he lift vp his speare against three hundred, and wounded [them] at one tyme.¹² After him was Eleazar his vncles sonne an Ahothite, which was one of the three mightiest:¹³ He was with Dauid at Pasdammim, and there the Philistines were gathered together to battaile: And there was there a parcell of grounde full of barly, and the people fled before the Philistines.¹⁴ And they stept foorth into the middest of the fielde, and saued it, and slue the Philistines, and the Lorde gaue a great victorie.¹⁵ And the three of the thirtie chiefe captaynes went to a rocke to Dauid, into the caue Adullam: And the hoast of the Philistines abode in the valley of Rephaim.¹⁶ And when Dauid was in the holde, the Philistines watch was at Bethlehem that same tyme.¹⁷ And Dauid longed, and sayde: Oh that one woulde geue me drinke of the water of the well that is at the gate at Bethlehem.¹⁸ And the three brake through the hoast of the Philistines, and drewe water out of the wel that was by ye gate at Bethlehem, and toke it and brought it to Dauid: Neuerthelesse, Dauid woulde not drinke of it, but rather offered it to the Lorde,¹⁹ And sayd: my God forbyd it me that I shoulde do this thing: Shall I drinke the blood of these men, that haue put their liues in ieoperdie? for with the ieoperdie of their liues they brought it: therefore he would not drinke it. And this did these three mightiest.²⁰ And Abisai the brother of Ioab, he also was captayne among three: For he lyft vp his speare against three hundred, and wounded them, and had a name among the three:²¹ Yea among three, he was more honorable then the two, for he was their captayne: Howbeit, he attayned not to the [first] three.²² Banaia ye sonne of Iehoiada, the sonne of a very strong man, which had done many actes, of Cabzeel: he slue two strong [lions] of Moab, & went downe and slue a lion in a pit in time of snowe.²³ And he slue an Egyptian, whose stature was euen fiue cubites long, and in the Egyptians hand was a speare lyke a weauers beame: And the other went downe to him with a waster, & plucked the speare out of the Egyptians hand, and slue him with his owne speare.²⁴ Such thinges did Banaia the sonne of Iehoiada, and had the name among the three mightiest,²⁵ And was honorable among thirtie: but attayned not vnto the [first] three: And Dauid made him of his counsaile.²⁶ The other men of armes were these: Asahel the brother of Ioab, Elhanan his vncles sonne, of Bethlehem:²⁷ Samoth the Harodite, Helez the Pelonite,²⁸ Ira the sonne of Ickes the Thekoite, Abieser the Anatothite,²⁹ Sibbecai the Husathite, Ilai the Ahohite,³⁰ Maharai the Nepthophathite, Heled the sonne of Baana the Nethophathite,³¹ Ithai the sonne of Ribai of Gibea [that pertayued] to the children of Beniamin, Benaia the Phirathonite,³² Hurai of the riuers of Gaas, Abiel the Arbathite,³³ Azmaueth the Baharumite, Elihaba the Salabonite.³⁴ The sonnes of Hassem the Gezonite: Ionathan the sonne of Sage an Hararite,³⁵ Ahiam the sonne of Sacar the Hararite, Eliphal the sonne of Ur.³⁶ Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahia the Pelonite,³⁷ Hezro the Carmelite, Naari the sonne of Ezbai,³⁸ Ioel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar the sonne of Hagari,³⁹ Zelec the Ammonite, Naharai a Berothite the bearer of the harnesse of Ioab the sonne of Zaruia,⁴⁰ Ira the Iethrite, and Gareb a Iethrite,⁴¹ Uria the Hethite, and Zahad the sonne of Ahlai,⁴² Adina the sonne of Sisa a Rubenite a captaine of the Rubenites, and thirtie with him.⁴³ Hanan the sonne of Maacah, and Iosaphat a Mithanite,⁴⁴ Uzzia an Astherathite, Sama & Iehiel the sonnes of Hothan an Aroerite:⁴⁵ Iediel the sonne of Zimri, and Ioha his brother a Thosaite,⁴⁶ Eliel a Mahauite, Ieribai and Iosaia the sonnes of Elnaam, and Iithma a Moabite,⁴⁷ Eliel and Obed, and Iasiel a Mesobaite.