The Growth of David’s Army^(A)

12 Now ^(B)these were the men who came to David at ^(C)Ziklag while he was still a fugitive from Saul the son of Kish; and they were among the mighty men, helpers in the war, ² armed with bows, using both the right hand and ^(D)the left in hurling stones and shooting arrows with the bow. They were of Benjamin, Saul’s brethren.

³ The chief was Ahiezer, then Joash, the sons of ^[a]Shemaah the Gibeathite; Jeziel and Pelet the sons of Azmaveth; Berachah, and Jehu the Anathothite; ⁴ Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the thirty, and over the thirty; Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, and Jozabad the Gederathite; ⁵ Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, and Shephatiah the Haruphite; ⁶ Elkanah, Jisshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, the Korahites; ⁷ and Joelah and Zebadiah the sons of Jeroham of Gedor.

⁸ Some Gadites ^[b]joined David at the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for battle, who could handle shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were ^(E)as swift as gazelles on the mountains: ⁹ 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, and Machbanai the eleventh. ¹⁴ These were from the sons of Gad, captains of the army; the least was over a hundred, and the greatest was over a ^(F)thousand. ¹⁵ These are the ones who crossed the Jordan in the first month, when it had overflowed all its ^(G)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 David at the stronghold. ¹⁷ And David went out ^[c]to meet them, and answered and said to them, “If you have come peaceably to me to help me, my heart will 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 and bring judgment.” ¹⁸ Then the Spirit ^[e]came upon ^(H)Amasai, chief of the captains, and he said:

So David received them, and made them captains of the troop.

¹⁹ And some from Manasseh defected to David ^(I)when he was going with the Philistines to battle against Saul; but they did not help them, for the lords of the Philistines sent him away by agreement, saying, ^(J)“He may defect to his master Saul and endanger our heads.” ²⁰ When he went to Ziklag, those of Manasseh who defected to him were Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, captains of the thousands who were from Manasseh. ²¹ And they helped David against ^(K)the bands of raiders, for they were all mighty men of valor, and they were captains in the army. ²² For at that time they came to David day by day to help him, until it was a great army, ^(L)like the army of God.