9. David continued to grow greater, and the Lord All-Powerful was with him.
10. This is a list of the leaders over David’s special soldiers. These heroes became very powerful with David in his kingdom. They and all the Israelites supported David and made him king, just as the Lord had promised.
11. This is a list of David’s special soldiers: Jashobeam the Hacmonite was the leader of the king’s special forces. Jashobeam used his spear to kill 300 men at one time.
12. Next there was Eleazar son of Dodai from Ahoah. Eleazar was one of the Three Heroes.
13. Eleazar was with David at Pasdammim. The Philistines had come to that place to fight a war. There was a field full of barley there. The Israelites ran away from the Philistines.
14. But the Three Heroes stood there in that field and defended it. They defeated the Philistines. The Lord gave the Israelites a great victory.
15. Once David was at the cave of Adullam, and three of the Thirty Heroes went down to meet him by a rock near the cave. At the same time the Philistine army was camped in the Valley of Rephaim.
16. Another time David was in the fortress, and a group of Philistine soldiers was stationed in Bethlehem.
17. David was thirsty for some water from his hometown, so he said, “Oh, if only I could have some water from that well by the gate in Bethlehem.”
18. So the Three Heroes fought their way through the Philistine army and got some water from the well near the city gate in Bethlehem. They took it to David, but he refused to drink it. He poured it on the ground as an offering to the Lord.
19. David said, “God, I cannot drink this water. It would be like drinking the blood of the men who risked their lives to get this water for me.” That is why David refused to drink the water. The Three Heroes did many brave things like that.
20. Joab’s brother, Abishai, was the leader of the Three Heroes. Abishai used his spear against 300 enemies and killed them. He was as famous as the Three Heroes.
21. Abishai was even more famous than the Three Heroes. He became their leader, even though he was not one of the Three Heroes.
22. Then there was Benaiah son of Jehoiada, from Kabzeel. He was the son of a powerful man. Benaiah did many brave things. He killed two of the best soldiers in Moab. One day when it was snowing, Benaiah went down into a hole in the ground and killed a lion.