17And he said, Far be it from me, O Lord, to do this; how may I take as my drink the life-blood of men who have put their lives in danger? So he would not take it. These things did the three great men of war.
18And Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of the thirty. He put to death three hundred with his spear, and he got for himself a name among the thirty.
19Was he not the noblest of the thirty? so he was made their captain: but he was not equal to the first three.
20And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, a fighting man of Kabzeel, had done great acts; he put to death the two sons of Ariel of Moab: he went down into a hole and put a lion to death in time of snow:
21And he made an attack on an Egyptian, a tall man: and the Egyptian had a spear in his hand; but he went down to him with a stick, and pulling the spear out of the hands of the Egyptian, put him to death with that same spear.
22These were the acts of Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, who had a great name among the thirty men of war.
23He was honoured over the rest of the thirty, but he was not equal to the first three. And David put him over the fighting men who kept him safe.