1 Chronicles 11:1

¹¹The days that David reigned over Israel were forty years; he reigned seven years in Hebron, and he reigned thirty-three years in Jerusalem.

¹Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and spoke, saying, “Behold, we are your bone and your flesh. ²In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was you who led Israel out and in. The LORD said to you, ‘You will be shepherd of my people Israel, and you will be prince over Israel.’” ³So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them in Hebron before the LORD; and they anointed David king over Israel.

⁴David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. ⁵In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.

⁶The king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who spoke to David, saying, “The blind and the lame will keep you out of here,” thinking, “David can’t come in here.” ⁷Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion. This is David’s city. ⁸David said on that day, “Whoever strikes the Jebusites, let him go up to the watercourse and strike those lame and blind, who are hated by David’s soul.” Therefore they say, “The blind and the lame can’t come into the house.”

⁹David lived in the stronghold, and called it David’s city. David built around from Millo and inward. ¹⁰David grew greater and greater, for the LORD, the God of Armies, was with him. ¹¹Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, with cedar trees, carpenters, and masons; and they built David a house. ¹²David perceived that the LORD had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for his people Israel’s sake.

¹³David took more concubines and wives for himself out of Jerusalem, after he had come from Hebron; and more sons and daughters were born to David. ¹⁴These are the names of those who were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, ¹⁵Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, ¹⁶Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.

¹⁰But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, “As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then you shall say, ‘Absalom is king in Hebron!’”

²³These are the numbers of the heads of those who were armed for war, who came to David to Hebron to turn the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the LORD’s word. ²⁴The children of Judah who bore shield and spear were six thousand eight hundred, armed for war. ²⁵Of the children of Simeon, mighty men of valor for the war: seven thousand one hundred. ²⁶Of the children of Levi: four thousand six hundred. ²⁷Jehoiada was the leader of the household of Aaron; and with him were three thousand seven hundred, ²⁸and Zadok, a young man mighty of valor, and of his father’s house twenty-two captains. ²⁹Of the children of Benjamin, Saul’s relatives: three thousand, for until then, the greatest part of them had kept their allegiance to Saul’s house. ³⁰Of the children of Ephraim: twenty thousand eight hundred, mighty men of valor, famous men in their fathers’ houses. ³¹Of the half-tribe of Manasseh: eighteen thousand, who were mentioned by name, to come and make David king. ³²Of the children of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, their heads were two hundred; and all their brothers were at their command. ³³Of Zebulun, such as were able to go out in the army, who could set the battle in array with all kinds of instruments of war: fifty thousand who could command and were not of double heart. ³⁴Of Naphtali: one thousand captains, and with them with shield and spear thirty-seven thousand. ³⁵Of the Danites who could set the battle in array: twenty-eight thousand six hundred. ³⁶Of Asher, such as were able to go out in the army, who could set the battle in array: forty thousand. ³⁷On the other side of the Jordan, of the Reubenites, the Gadites, and of the half-tribe of Manasseh, with all kinds of instruments of war for the battle: one hundred twenty thousand.

³⁸All these were men of war who could order the battle array, and came with a perfect heart to Hebron to make David king over all Israel; and all the rest also of Israel were of one heart to make David king. ³⁹They were there with David three days, eating and drinking; for their brothers had supplied provisions for them. ⁴⁰Moreover those who were near to them, as far as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali, brought bread on donkeys, on camels, on mules, and on oxen: supplies of flour, cakes of figs, clusters of raisins, wine, oil, cattle, and sheep in abundance; for there was joy in Israel.

²“Please speak in the ears of all the men of Shechem, ‘Is it better for you that all the sons of Jerubbaal, who are seventy persons, rule over you, or that one rule over you?’ Remember also that I am your bone and your flesh.”

¹⁴Laban said to him, “Surely you are my bone and my flesh.” Jacob stayed with him for a month.

¹⁵you shall surely set him whom the LORD your God chooses as king over yourselves. You shall set as king over you one from among your brothers. You may not put a foreigner over you, who is not your brother.

¹²You are my brothers. You are my bone and my flesh. Why then are you the last to bring back the king?’ ¹³Say to Amasa, ‘Aren’t you my bone and my flesh? God do so to me, and more also, if you aren’t captain of the army before me continually instead of Joab.’”

³⁰because we are members of his body, of his flesh and bones.

²²They went up by the South, and came to Hebron; and Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were there. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)