David’s Heroic Warriors

¹¹This is the list of David’s warriors: Jashobeam son of Hachmoni, the chief officer; he wielded his spear against three hundred and slew them all on one occasion. ¹²Next to him was Eleazar son of Dodo, the Ahohite; he was one of the three warriors. ¹³He was with David at Pas Dammim when the Philistines gathered there for battle. There was a plot of ground full of barley there; the troops had fled from the Philistines, ¹⁴but they took their stand in the middle of the plot and defended it, and they routed the Philistines. Thus the Lord wrought a great victory.

¹⁵Three of the thirty chiefs went down to the rock to David, at the cave of Adullam, while a force of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. ¹⁶David was then in the stronghold, and a Philistine garrison was then at Bethlehem. ¹⁷David felt a craving and said, “If only I could get a drink of water from the cistern which is by the gate of Bethlehem!” ¹⁸So the three got through the Philistine camp, and drew water from the cistern which is by the gate of Bethlehem, and they carried it back to David. But David would not drink it, and he poured it out as a libation to the Lord. ¹⁹For he said, “God forbid that I should do this! Can I drink the blood of these men who risked their lives?”—for they had brought it at the risk of their lives, and he would not drink it. Such were the exploits of the three warriors.