²⁶ When David reached Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah, who were his friends, saying, “Here is a gift^(A) for you from the plunder of the Lord’s enemies.”

²⁷ And let this gift,^(A) which your servant has brought to my lord, be given to the men who follow you.

⁵ So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers^(A) to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. Then it will be ready as a generous gift,^(B) not as one grudgingly given.^(C)

Warriors Join David

12 These were the men who came to David at Ziklag,^(A) while he was banished from the presence of Saul son of Kish (they were among the warriors who helped him in battle; ² they were armed with bows and were able to shoot arrows or to sling stones right-handed or left-handed;^(B) they were relatives of Saul^(C) from the tribe of Benjamin):

⁸ Some Gadites^(F) defected to David at his stronghold in the wilderness. They were brave warriors, ready for battle and able to handle the shield and spear. Their faces were the faces of lions,^(G) and they were as swift as gazelles^(H) in the mountains.

¹⁴ These Gadites were army commanders; the least was a match for a hundred,^(I) and the greatest for a thousand.^{(J) 15} It was they who crossed the Jordan in the first month when it was overflowing all its banks,^(K) and they put to flight everyone living in the valleys, to the east and to the west.

¹⁵ Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God^(A). He stood before him and said, “Now I know^(B) that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. So please accept a gift^(C) from your servant.”