The First Book of the Chronicles

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- Chapter 12 -

David went to the city of Ziklag to escape from King Saul. While he was there, many warriors came and joined him, and they helped him when he fought battles.

They carried bows and arrows. They were able to shoot arrows and to sling stones. They could use either their right arms or their left arms to do that. They were relatives of Saul from the tribe of Benjamin.

Their leader was Ahiezer. Next in command was Joash. They were both sons of Shemaah from the city of Gibeah. These are the names of some of those warriors: Jeziel and Pelet, sons of Azmaveth; Berakah; Jehu from the city of Anathoth;

Ishmaiah from the city of Gibeon, who was the leader of the thirty greatest warriors; Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, and Jozabad from the city of Gederah;

Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, and Shephatiah from the city of Haruph;

Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer and Jashobeam, who were descendants of Korah;

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

Some men from the tribe of Gad east of the Jordan River joined David when he was at his fortress in the caves in the desert. They were brave warriors who were trained for fighting battles and able to use shields and spears well. They were as fierce as lions, and they could run as fast as deer on the hills.

Ezer was their leader. Next in command was Obadiah. Next was Eliab.

Next was Mishmannah. Next was Jeremiah.

Next was Attai. Next was Eliel.

Next was Johanan. Next was Elzabad.

Next was another man whose name was Jeremiah. The last was Macbannai.

Those men from the tribe of Gad were all army officers. Some of them commanded one thousand soldiers, and some of them commanded one hundred soldiers.

They crossed to the west side of the Jordan River during March, at the time of the year when the river was flooded. They chased from there all the people who lived in the valleys on both sides of the river.

Some other men from the tribe of Benjamin and from Judah also came to David in his fortress.

David went out of the cave to meet them and said to them, “If you have come peacefully to help me, I am eager to have to join with me. But if you have come to enable my enemies to capture me, even though I have not done anything to harm you, I hope that the God whom our ancestors worshiped will see it and condemn you.”

Then God’s Spirit came on Amasai, who was the leader of the thirty greatest warriors, and he said, “David, we want to be with you; you who are the son of Jesse, we will join you. We know that things will go very well for you and for those who are with you, because your God is helping you.” So David welcomed those men, and he appointed them to be leaders of his soldiers.

Some men from the tribe of Manasseh also joined David when he went with the soldiers of Philistia to fight against Saul’s army. But David and his men did not really help the army of Philistia. After the leaders of Philistia talked about David and his soldiers, they sent David away. They said, “If David joins his master Saul again, we will all be killed.”

When David went to Ziklag, these were the men from the tribe of Manasseh who went with him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, another man whose name was Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai. Each of them had been a commander of one thousand men in Saul’s army.

They were all brave soldiers, and they helped David to fight against the groups of men who roamed throughout the country, robbing people. So those men became commanders in David’s army.

Every day more men joined David’s men, and his army became large, like the army of God.

David’s Army Grows at Hebron

These are the numbers of soldiers who were ready for battle who joined David at the city of Hebron. They came to help him to become the king of Israel instead of Saul, as Yahweh had promised would happen.

There were 6,800 men from Judah, who carried shields and spears.

There were 7,100 men from the tribe of Simeon. They were all strong warriors trained to fight battles.

There were 4,600 men from the tribe of Levi.

Jehoiada, who was a leader descended from Aaron, was in that group of descendants of Levi, and there were 3,700 men with him.

Zadok, a strong young soldier, was also in that group, and there were 22 other leaders from his clan who came with him.

There were three thousand men from the tribe of Benjamin who were Saul’s relatives. Most of them had previously wanted one of Saul’s descendants to be the king.

There were 20,800 men from the tribe of Ephraim who were all brave warriors and trained for fighting battles and famous in their own clans.

There were eighteen thousand men from the half of the tribe of Manasseh that lived west of the Jordan River. They were all chosen to go and help David become the king.

There were two hundred men who were leaders from the tribe of Issachar along with their relatives. They always knew what the Israelites should do, and they knew the right time to do it. Their relatives were with them, commanded by their leaders.

There were fifty-five thousand men from the tribe of Zebulun. They were all experienced warriors and knew how to use all kinds of weapons well. They were completely loyal to David.

There were one thousand officers from the tribe of Naphtali. With them were thirty-seven thousand soldiers, each carrying shields and spears.

There were 28,600 soldiers from the tribe of Dan, all trained to fight battles.

There were forty-seven thousand experienced soldiers from the tribe of Asher, all trained to fight battles.

There were also 120,000 soldiers from the area east of the Jordan River who joined David. They were from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the eastern half of the tribe of Manasseh. They had all kinds of weapons.

All those men were soldiers who volunteered to be in David’s army. They came to Hebron wanting very much to enable David to be the king of all of the Israelite people.

The men spent three days there with David, eating and drinking, because their families had given them food to take with them.

Also, their fellow Israelites came from as far away as the area where the tribes of Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali lived, bringing food on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen. They brought a lot of flour, fig cakes, raisins, wine, olive oil, cattle and sheep. And throughout Israel, the people were very joyful.

Now these are those who came to David to Ziklag while he was a fugitive from Saul the son of Kish. They were among the mighty men, his helpers in war.

They were armed with bows, and could use both the right hand and the left in slinging stones and in shooting arrows from the bow. They were of Saul’s relatives of the tribe of Benjamin.

The chief was Ahiezer, then Joash, the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite; Jeziel and Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth; Beracah; Jehu the Anathothite;

Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the thirty and a leader of the thirty; Jeremiah; Jahaziel; Johanan; Jozabad the Gederathite;

Eluzai; Jerimoth; Bealiah; Shemariah; Shephatiah the Haruphite;

Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, the Korahites;

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

Some Gadites joined David in the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for war, who could handle shield and spear; whose faces were like the faces of lions, and they were as swift as the gazelles on the mountains:

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

Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth,

Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh,

Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth,

Jeremiah the tenth, and Machbannai the eleventh.

These of the sons of Gad were captains of the army. He who was least was equal to one hundred, and the greatest to one thousand.

These are those who went over the Jordan in the first month, when it had overflowed all its banks; and they put to flight all who lived in the valleys, both toward the east and toward the west.

Some of the children of Benjamin and Judah came to the stronghold to David.

David went out to meet them, and answered them, “If you have come peaceably to me to help me, my heart will be united with you; but if you have come to betray me to my adversaries, since there is no wrong in my hands, may the God of our fathers see this and rebuke it.”

Then the Spirit came on Amasai, who was chief of the thirty, and he said, “We are yours, David, and on your side, you son of Jesse. Peace, peace be to you, and peace be to your helpers; for your God helps you.” Then David received them and made them captains of the band.

Some of Manasseh also joined David when he came with the Philistines against Saul to battle, but they didn’t help them, for the lords of the Philistines sent him away after consultation, saying, “He will desert to his master Saul to the jeopardy of our heads.”

As he went to Ziklag, some from Manasseh joined him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, captains of thousands who were of Manasseh.

They helped David against the band of raiders, for they were all mighty men of valor and were captains in the army.

For from day to day men came to David to help him, until there was a great army, like God’s army.

David’s Army Grows at Hebron

These are the numbers of the heads of those who were armed for war, who came to David to Hebron to turn the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the LORD’s word.

The children of Judah who bore shield and spear were six thousand eight hundred, armed for war.

Of the children of Simeon, mighty men of valor for the war: seven thousand one hundred.

Of the children of Levi: four thousand six hundred.

Jehoiada was the leader of the household of Aaron; and with him were three thousand seven hundred,

and Zadok, a young man mighty of valor, and of his father’s house twenty-two captains.

Of the children of Benjamin, Saul’s relatives: three thousand, for until then, the greatest part of them had kept their allegiance to Saul’s house.

Of the children of Ephraim: twenty thousand eight hundred, mighty men of valor, famous men in their fathers’ houses.

Of the half-tribe of Manasseh: eighteen thousand, who were mentioned by name, to come and make David king.

Of the children of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, their heads were two hundred; and all their brothers were at their command.

Of Zebulun, such as were able to go out in the army, who could set the battle in array with all kinds of instruments of war: fifty thousand who could command and were not of double heart.

Of Naphtali: one thousand captains, and with them with shield and spear thirty-seven thousand.

Of the Danites who could set the battle in array: twenty-eight thousand six hundred.

Of Asher, such as were able to go out in the army, who could set the battle in array: forty thousand.

On the other side of the Jordan, of the Reubenites, the Gadites, and of the half-tribe of Manasseh, with all kinds of instruments of war for the battle: one hundred twenty thousand.

All these were men of war who could order the battle array, and came with a perfect heart to Hebron to make David king over all Israel; and all the rest also of Israel were of one heart to make David king.

They were there with David three days, eating and drinking; for their brothers had supplied provisions for them.

Moreover those who were near to them, as far as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali, brought bread on donkeys, on camels, on mules, and on oxen: supplies of flour, cakes of figs, clusters of raisins, wine, oil, cattle, and sheep in abundance; for there was joy in Israel.