1 Chronicles 12

1These are the men who came to David at Ziklag while he was still kept back because of Saul son of Kish; and they were among the mighty warriors, helpers in war.

2They were archers, able to use both the right hand and the left in hurling stones and shooting arrows with the bow; they were from Saul’s brothers, from Benjamin.

3The 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.

4and Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the Thirty and over the Thirty.

5Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, and Jozabad the Gederathite.

6Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariahu, and Shephatiah the Haruphite.

7Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, the Korahites.

8and Joelah and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham from Gedor.

9Some of the Gadites separated themselves to David at the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty warriors, men of the army for battle, able to handle shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and who were as swift as gazelles on the mountains.

10Ezer the chief, Obadiah the second, Eliab the third.

11Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth.

12Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh.

13Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth.

14Jeremiah the tenth, Machbannai the eleventh.

15These were from the sons of Gad, heads of the army; the least was for a hundred, and the greatest for a thousand.

16These are the men 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.

17And some of the sons of Benjamin and Judah came to the stronghold, to David.

18David went out before them and answered and said to them, “If you have come to me in peace to help me, my heart will be united with you; but if you have come to betray me to my enemies, though there is no violence in my hands, may the God of our fathers see and judge.”

19And the Spirit clothed Amasai, chief of the Thirty, and he said, “Yours are we, David, and with you, son of Jesse! Peace, peace to you, and peace to your helpers, for your God helps you.” Then David received them and made them chiefs of the troops.

20Some from Manasseh also defected to David when he came with the Philistines against Saul for battle, though they did not help them, because the lords of the Philistines, after taking counsel, sent him away, saying, “He may defect to his master Saul at the cost of our heads.”

21As he went to Ziklag, some from Manasseh defected to him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, another Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, chiefs of the thousands that belonged to Manasseh.

22And they helped David against the raiding band, for all of them were mighty men of valor, and they became commanders in the army.

23For day by day they came to David to help him, until there was a great camp, like the camp of God.

24And these are the numbers of the heads of the armed troops for war, who came to David at Hebron to turn Saul’s kingdom over to him, according to the word of Yahweh.

25From the sons of Judah, carrying shield and spear, there were 6,800 equipped for battle.

26From the sons of Simeon, mighty men of valor for the army: 7,100.

27From the sons of Levi: 4,600.

28and Jehoiada, the leader of Aaron, and with him three thousand seven hundred.

29And Zadok, a young man mighty in valor, and from his father’s house twenty-two commanders.

30And from the sons of Benjamin, Saul’s brothers, three thousand; until then most of them had been keeping watch over the house of Saul.

31And from the sons of Ephraim, twenty thousand eight hundred mighty men of valor, men of renown according to their fathers’ houses.

32And from the half-tribe of Manasseh, eighteen thousand, who were designated by name, came to make David king.

33From the sons of Issachar, men who understood the times, to know what Israel should do: their chiefs were two hundred, and all their brothers were under their command.

34From Zebulun, fifty thousand men fit for military service, prepared for battle with every kind of weapon of war, to help without a divided heart.

35From Naphtali: 1,000 commanders, and with them 37,000 with shield and spear.

36From Dan, twenty-eight thousand six hundred prepared for battle.

37And from Asher, forty thousand who went out for military service, to array themselves for battle.

38And from beyond the Jordan, from the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, with every kind of military equipment for war, there were one hundred twenty thousand.

39All these were men of war, arrayed for battle, who came to Hebron with a whole heart to make David king over all Israel; and also all the rest of Israel were of one heart to make David king.

40They were there with David for three days, eating and drinking, because their brothers had prepared for them.

41Also those near them, as far as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, were bringing food on donkeys, camels, mules, and cattle: provisions of flour, fig cakes, raisin cakes, wine, oil, cattle, and sheep in abundance, for there was joy in Israel.