1 Chronicles 12:1-22

Revised Standard Version

David’s Followers in the Wilderness

12 Now 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. ² They were bowmen, and could shoot arrows and sling stones with either the right or the left hand; they were Benjaminites, Saul’s kinsmen. ³ The chief was Ahi-e′zer, then Jo′ash, both sons of Shema′ah of Gib′e-ah; also Je′zi-el and Pelet the sons of Az′maveth; Ber′acah, Jehu of An′athoth, ⁴ Ishma′iah of Gibeon, a mighty man among the thirty and a leader over the thirty; Jeremiah,^[a] Jaha′ziel, Joha′nan, Jo′zabad of Gede′rah, ⁵ Elu′zai,^[b] Jer′imoth, Beali′ah, Shemari′ah, Shephati′ah the Har′uphite; ⁶ Elka′nah, Isshi′ah, Az′arel, Jo-e′zer, and Jasho′be-am, the Ko′rahites; ⁷ And Joe′lah and Zebadi′ah, the sons of Jero′ham of Gedor.

⁸ From 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: ⁹ Ezer the chief, Obadi′ah second, Eli′ab third, ¹⁰ Mishman′nah fourth, Jeremiah fifth, ¹¹ Attai sixth, Eli′el seventh, ¹² Joha′nan eighth, Elza′bad ninth, ¹³ Jeremiah tenth, Mach′bannai eleventh. ¹⁴ These Gadites were officers of the army, the lesser over a hundred and the greater over a thousand. ¹⁵ These 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.

¹⁶ And some of the men of Benjamin and Judah came to the stronghold to David. ¹⁷ David 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.” ¹⁸ Then the Spirit came upon Ama′sai, chief of the thirty, and he said,

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

¹⁹ Some of the men of Manas′seh 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.”) ²⁰ As he went to Ziklag these men of Manas′seh deserted to him: Adnah, Jo′zabad, Jedi′a-el, Michael, Jo′zabad, Eli′hu, and Zil′lethai, chiefs of thousands in Manas′seh. ²¹ They helped David against the band of raiders;^[c] for they were all mighty men of valor, and were commanders in the army. ²² For from day to day men kept coming to David to help him, until there was a great army, like an army of God.