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12 Now these are they that came to David to Ziklag, while he kept still close because of Saul the son of Kish; and they were among the mighty men who helped him in the conflict;

armed with bows, using both the right hand and the left with stones and with arrows on the bow; [they were] of Saul's brethren of Benjamin:

the chief Ahiezer, and Joash, the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite; and Jeziel, and Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth; and Berachah, and Jehu the Anathothite,

and Jishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the thirty, and over the thirty; and Jeremiah, and Jahaziel, and Johanan, and Jozabad the Gederathite.

Eluzai, and Jerimoth, and Bealiah, and Shemariah, and Shephatiah the Haruphite;

Elkanah, and Jishijah, and Azareel, and Joezer, and Jashobeam, the Korahites;

and Joelah, and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham of Gedor.

And of the Gadites, there separated themselves to David in the stronghold in the wilderness mighty men of valour, men fit for the service of war, armed with shield and spear; whose faces were [like] the faces of lions, and who were swift as the gazelles upon the mountains:

Ezer the first, 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, Machbannai the eleventh.

14 These were of the sons of Gad, captains of the host: one of the least was over a hundred, and the greatest over a thousand.

15 These are they that went over Jordan in the first month, when it overflows all its banks, and they put to flight all [them] of the valleys, toward the east and toward the west.

16 And there came of the children of Benjamin and Judah to the stronghold to David.

17 And David went out to meet them, and answered and said to them, If ye come peaceably to me to help me, my heart shall be knit unto you; but if to betray me to mine enemies, seeing there is no wrong in my hands, the God of our fathers see [it] and rebuke [it].

18 And the Spirit came upon Amasai, the chief of the captains, [and he said,] Thine [are we], David, And with thee, thou son of Jesse: Peace, peace be to thee! And peace be to thy helpers! For thy God helps thee. And David received them, and made them chiefs of bands.

19 And there fell some of Manasseh to David, when he came with the Philistines against Saul to battle: but they helped them not; for the lords of the Philistines upon deliberation sent him away, saying, He will fall to his master Saul at the peril of our heads.

20 As he went away to Ziklag, there fell to him of Manasseh: Adnah, and Jozabad, and Jediael, and Michael, and Jozabad, and Elihu, and Zilthai, captains of the thousands that were of Manasseh.

21 And they helped David in his expeditions; for they were all mighty men of valour, and were captains in the host.

22 For day by day there came [men] to David to help him, until it was a great camp, like the camp of God.

23 And this is the number of the men equipped for military service, who came to David to Hebron, to transfer the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the word of Jehovah.

24 The children of Judah that bore shield and spear were six thousand eight hundred, equipped for military service.

25 Of the children of Simeon, mighty men of valour for war, seven thousand one hundred.

26 Of the children of Levi four thousand six hundred.

27 And Jehoiada the prince of Aaron, and with him were three thousand seven hundred;

28 and Zadok, a valiant young man, and his father's house two and twenty chief men.

29 And of the children of Benjamin, the brethren of Saul, three thousand; but hitherto the greater part of them had adhered to the house of Saul.

30 And of the children of Ephraim twenty thousand eight hundred, mighty men of valour, men of name in their fathers' houses.

31 And of the half tribe of Manasseh eighteen thousand, who were expressed by name, to come and make David king.

32 And of the children of Issachar, who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their bidding.

33 Of Zebulun, such as went forth in the host, armed for war with all weapons of war, fifty thousand, keeping rank without double heart.

34 And of Naphtali a thousand captains, and with them thirty-seven thousand with shield and spear.

35 And of the Danites armed for war twenty-eight thousand six hundred.

36 And of Asher such as went forth in the host, to set themselves in battle array, forty thousand.

37 And from the other side of the Jordan, of the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and of the half tribe of Manasseh, with all manner of weapons of war for battle, a hundred and twenty thousand.

38 All of them men of war, keeping rank in battle array, 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 And there they were with David three days, eating and drinking; for their brethren had prepared for them;

40 and those too that were near them, as far as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, brought food on asses, and on camels, and on mules, and on oxen; provisions of meal, fig-cakes and raisin-cakes, and wine and oil, and oxen and sheep, abundantly; for there was joy in Israel.

Warriors Who Joined David at Ziklag

12 These were the men who joined David in Ziklag, when he was banished[a] from the presence of Saul son of Kish. (They were among the warriors who assisted him in battle. They were armed with bows and could shoot arrows or sling stones right or left-handed. They were fellow tribesmen of Saul from Benjamin.[b]) These were:[c]

Ahiezer, the leader, and Joash, the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite; Jeziel and Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth; Berachah, Jehu the Anathothite,

Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, one of the thirty warriors and their leader, (12:5)[d] Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, Jozabad the Gederathite,

(12:6) Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, Shephatiah the Haruphite,

Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, who were Korahites,

and Joelah and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham from Gedor.

Some of the Gadites joined David at the stronghold in the wilderness. They were warriors who were trained for battle; they carried shields and spears. They were as fierce as lions and could run as quickly as gazelles across the hills.[e] Ezer was the leader, Obadiah the second in command, 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 Gadites were military leaders; the least led a hundred men, the greatest a thousand.[f] 15 They crossed the Jordan River[g] in the first month,[h] when it was overflowing its banks, and routed those living in all the valleys to the east and west.[i]

16 Some from Benjamin and Judah also came to David’s stronghold. 17 David went out to meet them and said,[j] “If you come to me in peace and want to help me, then I will make an alliance with you.[k] But if you come to betray me to my enemies when I have not harmed you,[l] may the God of our ancestors[m] take notice and judge!” 18 But a spirit[n] empowered[o] Amasai, the leader of the group of warriors known as the Thirty, and he said:[p]

“We are yours, O David!

We support[q] you, O son of Jesse!

May you greatly prosper.[r]

May those who help you prosper.[s]

Indeed[t] your God helps you!”

So David accepted them and made them leaders of raiding bands.

19 Some men from Manasseh joined[u] David when he went with the Philistines to fight against Saul. (But in the end they did not help the Philistines because, after taking counsel, the Philistine lords sent David away, saying, “It would be disastrous for us if he deserts to his master Saul.”)[v] 20 When David[w] went to Ziklag, the men of Manasseh who joined him were Adnach, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, leaders of 1,000 soldiers each in the tribe of Manasseh. 21 They helped David fight against raiding bands, for all of them were warriors and leaders in the army. 22 Each day men came to help David until his army became very large.[x]

Support for David in Hebron

23 The following is a record of the armed warriors who came with their leaders and joined David in Hebron in order to make David king in Saul’s place, in accordance with the Lord’s decree:[y]

24 From Judah came 6,800 trained warriors carrying shields and spears.[z]

25 From Simeon there were 7,100 warriors.

26 From Levi there were 4,600. 27 Jehoiada, the leader of Aaron’s descendants, brought 3,700 men with him, 28 along with Zadok, a young warrior, and 22 leaders from his family.

29 From Benjamin, Saul’s tribe,[aa] there were 3,000, most of whom, up to that time, had been loyal to Saul.[ab]

30 From Ephraim there were 20,800 warriors, who had brought fame to their families.[ac]

31 From the half-tribe of Manasseh there were 18,000 who had been designated by name to come and make David king.

32 From Issachar there were 200 leaders and all their relatives at their command—they understood the times and knew what Israel should do.[ad]

33 From Zebulun there were 50,000 warriors who were prepared for battle, equipped with all kinds of weapons, and ready to give their undivided loyalty.[ae]

34 From Naphtali there were 1,000 officers, along with 37,000 men carrying shields and spears.

35 From Dan there were 28,600 men prepared for battle.

36 From Asher there were 40,000 warriors prepared for battle.

37 From the other side of the Jordan, from Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, there were 120,000 men armed with all kinds of weapons.

38 All these men were warriors who were ready to march.[af] They came to Hebron to make David king over all Israel by acclamation;[ag] all the rest of the Israelites also were in agreement that David should become king.[ah] 39 They spent three days feasting[ai] there with David, for their relatives had given them provisions. 40 Also their neighbors, from as far away as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali, were bringing food on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen. There were large supplies of flour, fig cakes, raisins, wine, olive oil, beef, and lamb,[aj] for Israel was celebrating.[ak]

Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 12:1 tn Heb “kept from.”
  2. 1 Chronicles 12:2 tn Heb “ones armed with bow[s], using the right hand and the left hand with stones and with arrows with the bow, from the brothers of Saul from Benjamin.”
  3. 1 Chronicles 12:2 tn The words “These were” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons, because of the length of the intervening material since the beginning of the verse.
  4. 1 Chronicles 12:4 sn In the Hebrew text (BHS) a verse division occurs at this point, and for the remainder of the chapter the verse numbers of the Hebrew Bible differ by one from the English Bible. Thus 1 Chr 12:4b ET = 12:5 HT, and 12:5-40 ET = 12:6-41 HT. Beginning with 13:1 the verse numbers in the ET and HT are again the same.
  5. 1 Chronicles 12:8 tn Heb “warriors, men of battle for war, prepared with shield and spear, and [like] the face of a lion were their faces, and like gazelles on the hills to hurry.”
  6. 1 Chronicles 12:14 tn Heb “one for a hundred the small, and the great for a thousand.” Another option is to translate the preposition ל (lamed) as “against” and to understand this as a hyperbolic reference to their prowess: “the least could stand against a hundred, the greatest against a thousand.”
  7. 1 Chronicles 12:15 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied for clarity.
  8. 1 Chronicles 12:15 sn That is, March-April.
  9. 1 Chronicles 12:15 tn Heb “and they chased all the valleys to the east and to the west.”
  10. 1 Chronicles 12:17 tn Heb “and David went out before them and answered and said to them.”
  11. 1 Chronicles 12:17 tn Heb “there will be to me concerning you a heart for unity.”
  12. 1 Chronicles 12:17 tn Heb “with no violence in my hands.”
  13. 1 Chronicles 12:17 tn Heb “fathers.”
  14. 1 Chronicles 12:18 tn Perhaps “the Spirit,” but the text has simply רוּחַ (ruakh) with no article (suggesting an indefinite reference).
  15. 1 Chronicles 12:18 tn Heb “clothed.”
  16. 1 Chronicles 12:18 tn The words “and he said” are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
  17. 1 Chronicles 12:18 tn Heb “are with.”
  18. 1 Chronicles 12:18 tn Heb “Peace, peace to you.” The Hebrew term שָׁלוֹם (shalom, “peace”) is repeated to emphasize degree.
  19. 1 Chronicles 12:18 tn Heb “and peace to the one who helps you.”
  20. 1 Chronicles 12:18 tn Or “for.”
  21. 1 Chronicles 12:19 tn Heb “fell upon,” here in a good sense.
  22. 1 Chronicles 12:19 tn Heb “and they did not help them for by counsel they sent him away, the lords of the Philistines, saying, ‘With our heads he will fall to his master Saul.’”
  23. 1 Chronicles 12:20 tn Heb “he”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  24. 1 Chronicles 12:22 tn Heb “for at the time of day in a day they were coming to David to help him until [there was] a great camp like the camp of God.” The term אֱלֹהִים (ʾelohim, “God”) is probably used idiomatically here to indicate the superlative.
  25. 1 Chronicles 12:23 tn Heb “these are the numbers of the heads of the forces armed for battle [who] came to David in Hebron to turn over the kingdom of Saul to him according to the mouth of the Lord.”
  26. 1 Chronicles 12:24 tn Heb “the sons of Judah, carrying shield and spear, [were] 6,800 armed for battle.”
  27. 1 Chronicles 12:29 tn Heb “from the sons of Benjamin, the brothers of Saul.”
  28. 1 Chronicles 12:29 tn Heb “and until then, the majority of them were keeping the charge of the house of Saul.”
  29. 1 Chronicles 12:30 tn Heb “men of names for the house of their fathers.”
  30. 1 Chronicles 12:32 tn Heb “from the sons of Issachar, knowers of understanding for times to know what Israel should do, their heads [were] 200, and all their brothers according to their mouth.”
  31. 1 Chronicles 12:33 tn Heb “from Zebulun, those going out for battle, prepared for war with all weapons of war, 50,000, and to help without a heart and a heart.”
  32. 1 Chronicles 12:38 tc Heb “all these [were] men of war, helpers of the battle line.” The present translation assumes an emendation of עֹדְרֵי (ʿodere, “helpers of”) to עֹרְכֵי, (ʿorekhe, “prepared for”).
  33. 1 Chronicles 12:38 tn Heb “with a complete heart they came to Hebron to make David king over all Israel.”
  34. 1 Chronicles 12:38 tn Heb “and also all the rest of Israel [was of] one mind to make David king.”
  35. 1 Chronicles 12:39 tn Heb “eating and drinking.”
  36. 1 Chronicles 12:40 tn Heb “cattle and sheep.”
  37. 1 Chronicles 12:40 tn Heb “for there was joy in Israel.”