12
1 Now
these are those
who came to
David to Ziklag
while he was
a fugitive from
Saul the son
of Kish. They
were among the
mighty men, his
helpers in war.
2 They
were armed with
bows, and could use both
the right hand
and the left
in slinging stones and
in shooting arrows
from the bow.
They were of
Saul’s relatives of
the tribe of
Benjamin.
3 The
chief was Ahiezer,
then Joash, the
sons of Shemaah
the Gibeathite;
Jeziel and Pelet,
the sons of
Azmaveth; Beracah;
Jehu the
Anathothite;
4 Ishmaiah
the Gibeonite, a
mighty man among
the thirty and
a leader of the
thirty; Jeremiah; Jahaziel; Johanan; Jozabad
the Gederathite;
5 Eluzai; Jerimoth; Bealiah;
Shemariah; Shephatiah the Haruphite;
6 Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel,
Joezer, and Jashobeam,
the Korahites;
7 and Joelah and Zebadiah,
the sons of Jeroham of Gedor.
8 Some Gadites
joined David in the stronghold
in the wilderness,
mighty men
of valor, men trained
for war, who could handle shield
and spear; whose faces
were like the faces
of lions, and they
were as swift as
the gazelles on
the mountains:
9 Ezer the
chief, Obadiah the second, Eliab
the third,
10 Mishmannah
the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth,
11 Attai
the sixth, Eliel the seventh,
12 Johanan
the eighth, Elzabad the ninth,
13 Jeremiah
the tenth, and Machbannai
the eleventh.
14 These of
the sons of Gad were captains
of the army. He who
was least was equal
to one hundred, and
the greatest to one thousand.
15 These are
those who went
over the Jordan in
the first month,
when it
had overflowed all its banks;
and they put to flight
all who lived in
the valleys, both toward
the east and
toward the west.
16 Some
of the children
of Benjamin and Judah
came to
the stronghold to David.
17 David
went out to
meet them,
and answered them, “If
you have
come peaceably to
me to help
me, my heart will
be united with you;
but if you have
come to betray me
to my adversaries,
since there is
no wrong in
my hands, may
the God of
our fathers see this
and rebuke it.”
18 Then
the Spirit came
on Amasai, who
was chief of
the thirty, and he
said, “We
are yours, David,
and on your side,
you son of Jesse.
Peace, peace be
to you, and
peace be to
your helpers; for
your God helps
you.” Then David
received them and
made them captains
of the band.
19 Some
of Manasseh also joined
David when he
came with
the Philistines against Saul
to battle, but
they didn’t help
them, for the lords
of the Philistines
sent him away
after consultation, saying, “He
will desert to his
master Saul to
the jeopardy of
our heads.”
20 As
he went to Ziklag,
some from Manasseh
joined him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael,
Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai,
captains of thousands
who were of
Manasseh.
21 They helped
David against the
band of raiders,
for they were
all mighty men
of valor and were
captains in
the army.
22 For
from day to day
men came to
David to help
him, until there
was a great
army, like God’s
army.
23 These
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.
24 The children
of Judah who bore shield
and spear were six thousand eight
hundred, armed for
war.
25 Of
the children
of Simeon, mighty
men of valor for
the war: seven thousand
one hundred.
26 Of
the children
of Levi: four thousand six hundred.
27 Jehoiada
was the leader of
the household of Aaron;
and with him
were three thousand seven hundred,
28 and Zadok,
a young man mighty
of valor, and of
his father’s house twenty-two
captains.
29 Of
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.
30 Of
the children
of Ephraim: twenty thousand eight hundred,
mighty men
of valor, famous men
in their fathers’
houses.
31 Of
the half-tribe of Manasseh:
eighteen thousand, who
were mentioned by
name, to come
and make David king.
32 Of
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.
33 Of 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.
34 Of Naphtali:
one thousand captains, and
with them
with shield and spear thirty-seven
thousand.
35 Of
the Danites who could set
the battle in array: twenty-eight
thousand six hundred.
36 Of Asher,
such as were able
to go out in
the army, who could
set the battle
in array: forty thousand.
37 On
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.
38 All
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.
39 They
were there with
David three days, eating
and drinking; for
their brothers had supplied
provisions for them.
40 Moreover
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.