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23 And these are the numbers of the chiefs of those prepared for the army who came to David at Hebron to turn the kingdom of Saul over to him according to the word of Yahweh. 24 The sons of Judah bearing shield and spear: six thousand eight hundred armed troops. 25 From the men of Simeon, mighty warriors of strength for war: seven thousand one hundred. 26 From the Levites: four thousand six hundred. 27 Jehoiada the chief officer of the house of Aaron, and with him, three thousand seven hundred. 28 And Zadok, a young man, a mighty warrior of strength, and the house of his father: twenty-two commanders. 29 From the men of Benjamin, kinsmen of Saul, three thousand, and even still[a] the majority of them remained loyal[b] to the house of Saul. 30 And from the men of Ephraim: twenty thousand eight hundred mighty warriors of strength, famous men in the house of their fathers. 31 And from the half-tribe of Manasseh: eighteen thousand who were designated by name to come to make David king. 32 And from the men of Issachar: men who were skilled in understanding the times[c] to know what Israel should do. Their chiefs were two hundred, and all their kinsmen were under their command. 33 From Zebulun, those who went out armed, equipped for battle with all the weapons of war: fifty thousand to help David with singleness of purpose.[d] 34 From Naphtali: one thousand commanders; and those with them with shield and spear: thirty-seven thousand. 35 From the Danites, those equipped for battle: twenty-eight thousand six hundred. 36 And from Asher, those who went out armed and prepared for battle: forty thousand. 37 And from beyond the Jordan, from the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, with all their weapons of war for battle: one hundred and twenty thousand. 38 All these were men of war arrayed in battle line with a whole heart.[e] They came to Hebron to make David king over all Israel. Likewise, all the rest of Israel had one heart to make David king. 39 And they were there with David three days, eating and drinking, for their kinsmen were prepared for them. 40 And also their relatives, as far as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, brought food on donkeys, on camels, on mules, and on oxen—provisions of flour, cakes of figs, raisin cakes, wine and oil, cattle and sheep in abundance, for there was great joy in Israel.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 12:29 Literally “and even they”
  2. 1 Chronicles 12:29 Literally “keeping the responsibility”
  3. 1 Chronicles 12:32 Literally “men who knew the understanding of the times”
  4. 1 Chronicles 12:33 Literally “with not heart and heart”
  5. 1 Chronicles 12:38 Literally “with heart well”

David’s Soldiers in Hebron

23 The numbers of the armed troops who came to David at Hebron to turn Saul’s kingdom over to him,(A) according to the Lord’s word,(B) were as follows:

24 From the Judahites: 6,800 armed troops bearing shields and spears.

25 From the Simeonites: 7,100 valiant warriors ready for war.

26 From the Levites: 4,600 27 in addition to Jehoiada, leader of the house of Aaron, with 3,700 men; 28 and Zadok,(C) a young valiant warrior, with 22 commanders from his ancestral family.[a]

29 From the Benjaminites, the relatives of Saul:(D) 3,000 (up to that time the majority of the Benjaminites maintained their allegiance to the house of Saul).

30 From the Ephraimites: 20,800 valiant warriors who were famous men in their ancestral families.[b]

31 From half the tribe of Manasseh: 18,000 designated by name to come and make David king.

32 From the Issacharites, who understood the times(E) and knew what Israel should do: 200 chiefs with all their relatives under their command.

33 From Zebulun: 50,000 who could serve in the army, trained for battle with all kinds of weapons of war, with one purpose(F) to help David.[c]

34 From Naphtali: 1,000 commanders accompanied by 37,000 men with shield and spear.

35 From the Danites: 28,600 trained for battle.

36 From Asher: 40,000 who could serve in the army, trained for battle.

37 From across the Jordan—from the Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh: 120,000 men equipped with all the military weapons of war.

38 All these warriors, lined up in battle formation, came to Hebron wholeheartedly determined to make David king over all Israel. All the rest of Israel was also of one mind to make David king.(G) 39 They spent three days there eating and drinking with David, for their relatives had provided for them. 40 In addition, their neighbors from as far away as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali came and brought food on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen—abundant provisions of flour, fig cakes, raisins, wine and oil, herds, and flocks.(H) Indeed, there was joy in Israel.

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Footnotes

  1. 12:28 Lit the house of his father
  2. 12:30 Lit the house of their fathers
  3. 12:33 LXX; MT omits David