1 Chronicles 12
English Standard Version
The Mighty Men Join David
12 (A)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 (B)were bowmen and could shoot arrows and sling stones with either the right or the (C)left hand; they were Benjaminites, (D)Saul's kinsmen. 3 The chief was Ahiezer, then Joash, both sons of Shemaah of (E)Gibeah; also Jeziel and Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth; Beracah, Jehu of (F)Anathoth, 4 Ishmaiah of (G)Gibeon, a mighty man among the thirty and a leader over the thirty; Jeremiah,[a] Jahaziel, Johanan, Jozabad of Gederah, 5 Eluzai,[b] Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, Shephatiah the Haruphite; 6 Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, the (H)Korahites; 7 And Joelah and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham 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 (I)swift as gazelles upon the mountains: 9 Ezer the chief, Obadiah second, Eliab third, 10 Mishmannah fourth, Jeremiah fifth, 11 Attai sixth, Eliel seventh, 12 Johanan eighth, Elzabad ninth, 13 Jeremiah tenth, Machbannai eleventh. 14 These Gadites were officers of the army; the least was a (J)match for a hundred men and the greatest for a thousand. 15 These are the men who crossed the Jordan in the first month, when it was (K)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 joined 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 (L)the Spirit clothed (M)Amasai, chief of the thirty, and he said,
“We are yours, O David,
and with you, O son of Jesse!
(N)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.
19 Some of the men of Manasseh deserted to David (O)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, (P)“At peril to our heads he will desert to his master Saul.”) 20 As he went to Ziklag, these men of Manasseh deserted to him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, chiefs of thousands in Manasseh. 21 They helped David against (Q)the band of raiders, for they were all mighty men of valor and were commanders in the army. 22 For from day to day men came to David to help him, until there was a great army, like an army of God.
23 These are the numbers of the divisions of the armed troops (R)who came to David in Hebron (S)to turn the kingdom of Saul over to him, (T)according to the word of the Lord. 24 The men of Judah bearing shield and spear were 6,800 armed troops. 25 Of the Simeonites, mighty men of valor for war, 7,100. 26 Of the Levites 4,600. 27 The prince Jehoiada, of the house of Aaron, and with him 3,700. 28 (U)Zadok, a young man mighty in valor, and twenty-two commanders from his own fathers' house. 29 Of the Benjaminites, (V)the kinsmen of Saul, 3,000, of whom the (W)majority had to that point kept their allegiance to the house of Saul. 30 Of the Ephraimites 20,800, mighty men of valor, famous men in their fathers' houses. 31 Of the half-tribe of Manasseh 18,000, who were (X)expressly named to come and make David king. 32 Of Issachar, men who (Y)had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, 200 chiefs, and all their kinsmen under their command. 33 Of Zebulun 50,000 seasoned troops, (Z)equipped for battle with all the weapons of war, to help David[c] with (AA)singleness of purpose. 34 Of Naphtali 1,000 commanders with whom were 37,000 men armed with shield and spear. 35 Of the Danites 28,600 men equipped for battle. 36 Of (AB)Asher 40,000 (AC)seasoned troops (AD)ready for battle. 37 Of the Reubenites and Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh from beyond the Jordan, 120,000 men armed with all the weapons of war.
38 All these, men of war, arrayed in battle order, came to Hebron with (AE)a whole heart to make David king over all Israel. Likewise, all the rest of Israel were of a (AF)single mind to make David king. 39 And they were there with David for three days, eating and drinking, for their brothers had made preparation for them. 40 And also their relatives, from as far as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, came bringing food on donkeys and on camels and on mules and on oxen, abundant provisions of flour, (AG)cakes of figs, clusters of raisins, and wine and oil, oxen and sheep, for there was joy in Israel.
Footnotes
- 1 Chronicles 12:4 Hebrew verse 5
- 1 Chronicles 12:5 Hebrew verse 6
- 1 Chronicles 12:33 Septuagint; Hebrew lacks David
1 Chronicles 12
New American Standard Bible
David’s Supporters in Ziklag
12 (A)Now these are the men who came to David at Ziklag, while he was still restricted because of Saul the son of Kish; and they were among the mighty men who helped him in war. 2 They were equipped with bows, (B)using both the right hand and the left to sling stones and shoot arrows with the bow; (C)they were Saul’s kinsmen from Benjamin. 3 The chief was Ahiezer, then Joash, the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite; and Jeziel and Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth, and Beracah, and Jehu the Anathothite, 4 and Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the thirty, and in charge of the thirty. [a]Then Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, Jozabad the Gederathite, 5 [b]Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, Shephatiah the Haruphite, 6 Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, Jashobeam, the Korahites, 7 and Joelah and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham of Gedor.
8 From the Gadites valiant mighty men went over to David at the stronghold in the wilderness, men trained for war who could handle a large shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and (D)they were as swift as the gazelles on the mountains. 9 Ezer was 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, and Machbannai, the eleventh. 14 These men from the sons of Gad were [c]captains of the army; (E)the one who was least was equal to a hundred, and the greatest, to a thousand. 15 (F)These are the ones who crossed the Jordan in the first month, when it was overflowing all its banks, and they put to flight all those in the valleys, to the east and to the west.
16 Then some of the sons of Benjamin and Judah came to the stronghold to David. 17 David went out to meet them, and said to them, “If you come peacefully to help me, my heart shall be united with you; but if to betray me to my enemies, since there is no [d]wrong in my hands, may the God of our fathers look on it and decide.” 18 Then (G)the Spirit [e]covered (H)Amasai like clothing, the chief of the thirty; and he said,
“We are yours, David,
And are with you, son of Jesse!
(I)Peace, peace to you,
And peace to him who helps you;
Indeed, your God helps you!”
Then David received them and made them [f]captains of the troops.
19 (J)From Manasseh some also defected to David when he was about to go to battle with the Philistines against Saul. But they did not help them, because the governors of the Philistines sent him away after consultation, saying, “At the cost of our heads he might defect to his master Saul.” 20 As he was going to Ziklag, men from Manasseh defected to him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, [g]captains of thousands who belonged to Manasseh. 21 They helped David against (K)the band of raiders, for they were all valiant mighty men, and were captains in the army. 22 For day by day men came to David to help him, until there was a great army (L)like the army of God.
Supporters Gathered at Hebron
23 Now these are the numbers of the [h]divisions equipped for war, (M)who came to David at Hebron, (N)to turn the kingdom of Saul to him, (O)according to the [i]word of the Lord. 24 The sons of Judah who carried shield and spear numbered 6,800, equipped for war. 25 From the sons of Simeon, valiant mighty men of war, 7,100. 26 From the sons of Levi, 4,600. 27 Now Jehoiada was the leader of the house of Aaron, and with him were 3,700, 28 also (P)Zadok, a young valiant mighty man, and from his father’s house, twenty-two captains. 29 From the sons of Benjamin, (Q)Saul’s kinsmen, three thousand; for until now (R)the majority of them had kept their allegiance to the house of Saul. 30 From the sons of Ephraim 20,800, valiant mighty men, famous men in their fathers’ households. 31 From the half-tribe of Manasseh eighteen thousand, who were designated by name to come and make David king. 32 From the sons of Issachar, (S)men who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their kinsmen were at their command. 33 From Zebulun, there were fifty thousand who went out in the army, who could draw up in battle formation with all kinds of weapons of war and helped David [j]with (T)an undivided heart. 34 From Naphtali there were a thousand captains, and with them thirty-seven thousand with shield and spear. 35 From the Danites who could draw up in battle formation, there were 28,600. 36 From Asher there were forty thousand who went out in the army to draw up in battle formation. 37 From the other side of the Jordan, from the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, there were 120,000 with all kinds of weapons of war for the battle.
38 All of these, being men of war who helped in battle formation, came to Hebron with (U)a perfect heart to make David king over all Israel; and all the rest of Israel also were of one mind to make David king. 39 They were there with David for three days, eating and drinking, for their kinsmen had prepared for them. 40 Moreover, those who were near to them, as far as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali, (V)brought food on donkeys, camels, mules, and on oxen, great quantities of flour cakes, fig cakes and bunches of raisins, wine, oil, oxen, and sheep. There was joy indeed in Israel.
Footnotes
- 1 Chronicles 12:4 In Heb the beginning of v 5, making 41 vv in this ch
- 1 Chronicles 12:5 V 6 in Heb
- 1 Chronicles 12:14 Or chiefs
- 1 Chronicles 12:17 Lit violence
- 1 Chronicles 12:18 Lit clothed
- 1 Chronicles 12:18 Or commanders
- 1 Chronicles 12:20 Or chiefs
- 1 Chronicles 12:23 Lit heads
- 1 Chronicles 12:23 Lit mouth
- 1 Chronicles 12:33 Lit not heart and heart
1 Chronicles 12
Names of God Bible
The Men Who Helped David Become King
12 These are the men who came to David at Ziklag when he was banished by Saul, son of Kish. They were among the soldiers who went into battle with David. 2 They were armed with bows and could sling stones or shoot arrows with either their right or their left hands. They were Saul’s relatives, from the tribe of Benjamin. 3 Ahiezer was the leader, then Joash (they were the sons of Shemaah from Gibeah), Azmaveth’s sons Jeziel and Pelet, Beracah and Jehu from Anathoth, 4 Ishmaiah from Gibeon (one of the thirty fighting men and one of their leaders),[a] Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, and Jozabad from Gederah, 5 Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, and Shephatiah from Haruph, 6 Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam (Korah’s descendants), 7 and Joelah and Zebadiah, Jeroham’s sons from Gedor.
8 Some men left Gad to join David at the fortified camp in the desert. They were warriors, trained soldiers, able to fight with shields and spears. They looked like lions and were as fast as gazelles on the hills. 9 Ezer was the first of these soldiers. The second was Obadiah. The third was Eliab. 10 The fourth was Mishmannah. The fifth was Jeremiah. 11 The sixth was Attai. The seventh was Eliel. 12 The eighth was Johanan. The ninth was Elzabad. 13 The tenth was Jeremiah. The eleventh was Machbannai. 14 These descendants of Gad were army officers. The least able one was in command of 100 men, and the best one was in command of 1,000. 15 In the first month of the year, these men crossed the Jordan River when it was flooding its banks. They chased away all the people in the valleys to the east and west.
16 Some of the men of Benjamin and Judah came to David at the fortified camp. 17 David went to meet them. He told them, “If you’ve come to help me as friends would, then you may join me. But if you’ve come to betray me to my enemies, even though I haven’t committed a crime, may the Elohim of our ancestors see this and judge you.”
18 Then the Ruach gave Amasai, the leader of the thirty, the strength to say,
“We are yours, David.
We are with you, son of Jesse.
Success, success to you!
Success to those who help you,
because your Elohim is helping you.”
So David welcomed them and made them officers over his troops.
19 Some men from Manasseh had deserted Saul’s army to join David when he went with the Philistines to attack Saul. (However, David didn’t help the Philistines because their rulers sent him away after considering the matter. They said, “It will cost us our heads when he deserts and joins his master Saul.”) 20 When David went to Ziklag, these men from Manasseh deserted to join him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai. Each one was an officer over 1,000 men in Manasseh. 21 They helped David fight raiding parties because they were all warriors, commanders in the army. 22 From day to day, men came to help David until he had an army as large as Elohim’s army.
23 These are the numbers of the men equipped for war. The men joined David at Hebron to turn Saul’s kingship over to David, as Yahweh had said.
24 From Judah’s descendants there were 6,800 men equipped for war. They carried shields and spears.
25 From Simeon’s descendants there were 7,100 warriors.
26 From Levi’s descendants there were 4,600 27 as well as Jehoiada (leader of Aaron’s families). With him there were 3,700 men, 28 and Zadok, a young warrior from whose family came 22 officers.
29 From Benjamin’s descendants, Saul’s relatives, there were 3,000 men, though most of them remained loyal to Saul’s family. 30 From Ephraim’s descendants there were 20,800 warriors who were famous among their families.
31 From half of the tribe of Manasseh there were 18,000 who had been designated by name to make David king.
32 From Issachar’s descendants there were 200 leaders who understood the times and knew what Israel should do. Their relatives were under their command.
33 From Zebulun there were 50,000 experienced soldiers. They were equipped for battle with every kind of weapon. Their loyalty was unquestioned.[b]
34 From Naphtali there were 1,000 commanders. With them were 37,000 who fought with shields and spears.
35 From Dan there were 28,600 ready for battle.
36 From Asher there were 40,000 experienced soldiers ready for battle.
37 From the east side of the Jordan River, from Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, there were 120,000 soldiers ready to fight with all kinds of weapons.
38 All of these soldiers, who were prepared for battle, came with a single purpose to Hebron—to make David king of all Israel. The rest of Israel also had agreed to make David king. 39 They ate and drank with David for three days because their relatives in Judah had provided enough for them. 40 Also, their neighbors as far as the territories of Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali brought food on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen. There was plenty of flour, fig cakes, raisins, wine, olive oil, cattle, and sheep, because Israel was celebrating.
Footnotes
- 1 Chronicles 12:4 1 Chronicles 12:4b–40 in English Bibles is 1 Chronicles 12:5–41 in the Hebrew Bible.
- 1 Chronicles 12:33 Hebrew meaning of this sentence uncertain.
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The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.