1 Chronicles 12:1-22

Lexham English Bible

David and His Mighty Men at Ziklag

12 Now these are the ones who came to David at Ziklag while he was still shut up because of Saul,^[a] the son of Kish. And they were the mighty warriors helping with the war. ² They were armed with the bow, able to shoot right-handed or left-handed, slinging stones or shooting arrows with the bow; they were kinsmen of Saul from Benjamin. ³ The leader was Ahiezer, then Jehoash, sons of Shemaah the Gibeonite; Jeiel and Pelet, sons of Azmaveth; Beracah; Jehu the Anathothite; ⁴ Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty warrior among the thirty who was over the thirty;^[b] Jeremiah; Jahaziel; Johanan; Jozabad the Gederathite; ^5 [c] Eluzai; Jerimoth; Bealiah; Shemariah; Shephatiah the Hariphite; ⁶ Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam the Korahites; ⁷ Joelah and Zebadiah, sons of Jeroham from the Gedor.

⁸ And from the Gadites, valiant mighty warriors, soldiers fit for war,^[d] expert with shield and spear, defected to David at the fortress toward the wilderness. And they had faces like lions^[e] and were 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 Jehonan eighth, Elzabad ninth, ¹³ Jeremiah tenth, Macbannai eleventh. ¹⁴ These were the sons of Gad, leaders of the army. The smallest one was as a hundred, and the greatest as a thousand. ¹⁵ These were they who crossed the Jordan in the first month, when it was filled over its banks. And they put to flight all who were in the valley to the east and to the west.

¹⁶ And some of the sons of Benjamin and from Judah came to the fortress, to David. ¹⁷ And David went out to meet them^[f] and answered and said to them, “If you come in peace to me, to help me, my heart will be joined with you,^[g] but if you come to betray me to my adversaries, although there is no wrong on my hands, may the God of our fathers see and pass judgment.” ¹⁸ Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, chief of the thirty who said:

So David appointed them as heads of the troops.

¹⁹ And some Manassites deserted to David when he came with the Philistines to the battle against Saul, but he did not help them, for the rulers of the Philistines sent him away upon counsel, saying, “He will desert to his master Saul at the cost of our heads.” ²⁰ When he went to Ziklag some Manassites deserted to him: Adnah, Jehozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, heads of the thousands that were for Manasseh. ²¹ And they themselves helped David against the troops, for all of them were mighty men of strength and were commanders in the army. ²² Day in and day out^[h] they came to David to help him until there was a great army, like the army of God.