1 Chronicles 12

¹Now these are the men who came to David at Ziklag, while he could not move about freely because of Saul the son of Kish; and they were among the mighty men who helped him in war. ²They were bowmen, and could shoot arrows and sling stones with either the right or the left hand; they were Benjaminites, Saul’s kinsmen. ³The chief was Ahi-eʹzer, then Joʹash, both sons of Shemaʹah of Gibʹe-ah; also Jeʹzi-el and Pelet the sons of Azʹmaveth; Berʹacah, Jehu of Anʹathoth, ⁴Ishmaʹiah of Gibeon, a mighty man among the thirty and a leader over the thirty; Jeremiah, Jahaʹziel, Johaʹnan, Joʹzabad of Gedeʹrah, ⁵Eluʹzai, Jerʹimoth, Bealiʹah, Shemariʹah, Shephatiʹah the Harʹuphite; ⁶Elkaʹnah, Isshiʹah, Azʹarel, Jo-eʹzer, and Jashoʹbe-am, the Koʹrahites; ⁷And Joeʹlah and Zebadiʹah, the sons of Jeroʹham of Gedor.

⁸From the Gadites there went over to David at the stronghold in the wilderness mighty and experienced warriors, expert with shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and who were swift as gazelles upon the mountains: ⁹Ezer the chief, Obadiʹah second, Eliʹab third, ¹⁰Mishmanʹnah fourth, Jeremiah fifth, ¹¹Attai sixth, Eliʹel seventh, ¹²Johaʹnan eighth, Elzaʹbad ninth, ¹³Jeremiah tenth, Machʹbannai eleventh. ¹⁴These Gadites were officers of the army, the lesser over a hundred and the greater over a thousand. ¹⁵These are the men who crossed the Jordan in the first month, when it was overflowing all its banks, and put to flight all those in the valleys, to the east and to the west.

¹⁶And some of the men of Benjamin and Judah came to the stronghold to David. ¹⁷David went out to meet them and said to them, “If you have come to me in friendship to help me, my heart will be knit to you; but if to betray me to my adversaries, although there is no wrong in my hands, then may the God of our fathers see and rebuke you.” ¹⁸Then the Spirit came upon Amaʹsai, chief of the thirty, and he said,

“We are yours, O David;

and with you, O son of Jesse!

Peace, peace to you,

and peace to your helpers!

For your God helps you.”

Then David received them, and made them officers of his troops.

¹⁹Some of the men of Manasʹseh deserted to David when he came with the Philistines for the battle against Saul. (Yet he did not help them, for the rulers of the Philistines took counsel and sent him away, saying, “At peril to our heads he will desert to his master Saul.”) ²⁰As he went to Ziklag these men of Manasʹseh deserted to him: Adnah, Joʹzabad, Jediʹa-el, Michael, Joʹzabad, Eliʹhu, and Zilʹlethai, chiefs of thousands in Manasʹseh. ²¹They helped David against the band of raiders; for they were all mighty men of valor, and were commanders in the army. ²²For from day to day men kept coming to David to help him, until there was a great army, like an army of God.

²³These are the numbers of the divisions of the armed troops, who came to David in Hebron, to turn the kingdom of Saul over to him, according to the word of the Lord. ²⁴The men of Judah bearing shield and spear were six thousand eight hundred armed troops. ²⁵Of the Simeonites, mighty men of valor for war, seven thousand one hundred. ²⁶Of the Levites four thousand six hundred. ²⁷The prince Jehoiʹada, of the house of Aaron, and with him three thousand seven hundred. ²⁸Zadok, a young man mighty in valor, and twenty-two commanders from his own fathers’ house. ²⁹Of the Benjaminites, the kinsmen of Saul, three thousand, of whom the majority had hitherto kept their allegiance to the house of Saul. ³⁰Of the Eʹphraimites twenty thousand eight hundred, mighty men of valor, famous men in their fathers’ houses. ³¹Of the half-tribe of Manasʹseh eighteen thousand, who were expressly named to come and make David king. ³²Of Isʹsachar men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, two hundred chiefs, and all their kinsmen under their command. ³³Of Zebʹulun fifty thousand seasoned troops, equipped for battle with all the weapons of war, to help David with singleness of purpose. ³⁴Of Naphʹtali a thousand commanders with whom were thirty-seven thousand men armed with shield and spear. ³⁵Of the Danites twenty-eight thousand six hundred men equipped for battle. ³⁶Of Asher forty thousand seasoned troops ready for battle. ³⁷Of the Reubenites and Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasʹseh from beyond the Jordan, one hundred and twenty thousand men armed with all the weapons of war.

³⁸All these, men of war, arrayed in battle order, came to Hebron with full intent to make David king over all Israel; likewise all the rest of Israel were of a single mind to make David king. ³⁹And they were there with David for three days, eating and drinking, for their brethren had made preparation for them. ⁴⁰And also their neighbors, from as far as Isʹsachar and Zebʹulun and Naphʹtali, came bringing food on asses and on camels and on mules and on oxen, abundant provisions of meal, cakes of figs, clusters of raisins, and wine and oil, oxen and sheep, for there was joy in Israel.