The Reign of David

Now the P'lishtim pressed their attack on Isra'el; and the men of Isra'el fled before the P'lishtim, leaving their dead on Mount Gilboa.

The P'lishtim pursued Sha'ul; overtook him and his sons; and the P'lishtim killed Y'honatan, Avinadav and Malkishua, the sons of Sha'ul.

The fighting went hard against Sha'ul; then the archers overtook and wounded him, so that he was in agony.

Sha'ul said to his armor-bearer, "Draw your sword and run me through with it. Otherwise, these uncircumcised men will come and make sport of me." But his armor-bearer refused; he was too frightened. So Sha'ul took his sword and fell on it.

When his armor-bearer saw that Sha'ul was dead, he too fell on his own sword and died.

Thus Sha'ul, his three sons and all his household died together.

When all the men of Isra'el who were in the valley saw them fleeing and that Sha'ul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled; then the P'lishtim came and lived in them.

The following day, when the P'lishtim came to strip the dead, they found Sha'ul and his sons lying dead on Mount Gilboa.

They stripped him, then took his head and his armor and sent them all over the territory of the P'lishtim to carry the news to their idols and to the people.

They put his armor in the temple of their gods and fastened his skull to the temple of Dagon.

When everyone in Yavesh-Gil'ad heard all that the P'lishtim had done to Sha'ul,

all their warriors set out, took away the body of Sha'ul and the bodies of his sons, brought them to Yavesh, buried their bones under the pistachio tree in Yavesh and fasted seven days.

So Sha'ul died for the transgression he committed against ADONAI, because of the word of ADONAI that he did not keep and because he sought the counsel of a spirit

instead of consulting ADONAI. Therefore ADONAI put him to death and turned the rulership over to David the son of Yishai.

Then all Isra'el gathered themselves to David in Hevron and said, "Here, we are your own flesh and bone.

In the past, even when Sha'ul was king, it was you who led Isra'el's military campaigns; and ADONAI your God said to you, 'You will shepherd my people Isra'el, and you will be chief over my people Isra'el.'"

So all the leaders of Isra'el came to the king in Hevron; and David made a covenant with them in Hevron in the presence of ADONAI. Then they anointed David king over Isra'el, as ADONAI had said through Sh'mu'el.

David and all Isra'el went to Yerushalayim, also known as Y'vus; and the Y'vusi, the inhabitants of that region, were there.

The inhabitants of Y'vus taunted David by saying, "You won't get in here!" Nevertheless, David captured the stronghold of Tziyon, also known now as the City of David.

David said, "Whoever attacks the Y'vusi first will be commander-in-chief." Yo'av the son of Tz'ruyah attacked first and was made commander.

David lived in the stronghold; therefore they called it the City of David.

David built up the city around it, starting at the Millo [earth rampart] and going on around; while Yo'av repaired the rest of the city.

David grew greater and greater, because ADONAI-Tzva'ot was with him.

These are David's chief warriors, who, under his rulership, joined forces with him and with all Isra'el to make him king, as ADONAI had said concerning Isra'el;

here is the list of David's warrior-heroes: Yashov'am son of a Hakhmoni, the chief officer; he is the one who raised his spear against 300 men and killed them in a single encounter.