1 Chronicles 12

12 ¹These are the men who came to David at Ziklag while he was still banned from Saul son of Kish's presence—mighty warriors who helped him in battle. ²Armed with bows, able to sling stones or shoot arrows with right hand or left—Benjaminites, Saul's relatives. ³Ahiezer the chief, then Joash, sons of Shemaah of Gibeah; Jeziel and Pelet, sons of Azmaveth; Beracah; Jehu of Anathoth; ⁴Ishmaiah of Gibeon, a mighty warrior among the thirty, commander over the thirty; Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, Jozabad of Gederah; ⁵Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, and Shephatiah the Haruphite; ⁶Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, the Korahites; ⁷and Joelah and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham of Gedor.

⁸Some Gadites defected to David at the wilderness stronghold—mighty warriors trained for battle, skilled with shield and spear, faces like lions, swift as gazelles on the mountains. ⁹Ezer was the chief, Obadiah second, Eliab third, ¹⁰Mishmannah fourth, Jeremiah fifth, ¹¹Attai sixth, Eliel seventh, ¹²Johanan eighth, Elzabad ninth, ¹³Jeremiah tenth, Machbannai eleventh. ¹⁴These Gadites were army commanders; the least matched 100, and the greatest 1,000. ¹⁵These were the men who crossed the Jordan in the first month, when it overflowed all its banks, and routed everyone in the valleys, east and west.

¹⁶Some of the men of Benjamin and Judah also came to David at the stronghold. ¹⁷David went out to meet them and said to them, "If you have come to me in peace to help me, my heart will join with you; but if to betray me to my enemies, though my hands hold no violence, may the God of our fathers see it and judge you." ¹⁸Then the Spirit of our Father clothed Amasai, chief of the thirty, who said: "We are yours, David! We are with you, son of Jesse! Peace, peace to you, peace to your helpers, for your Father helps you." David received them, making them leaders of his raiders.

¹⁹Some from Manasseh defected to David when he marched with the Philistines against Saul. But David and his men gave the Philistines no help—after consulting, the Philistine rulers sent David away, saying, "He'll defect to his master Saul, costing us our heads." ²⁰Going to Ziklag, these from Manasseh defected to him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, Zillethai—commanders of Manasseh's thousands. ²¹They helped David against the raiders, for all were mighty warriors, and became commanders in his army. ²²Day after day men came to help David, until he had an army as great as our Father's army.

²³These are the counts of men armed for battle who came to David at Hebron to turn Saul's kingdom over to him, just as our Father had said, ²⁴from Judah, carrying shield and spear—6,800 armed for battle; ²⁵from Simeon, mighty warriors ready for battle—7,100; ²⁶from Levi—4,600, ²⁷with Jehoiada, leader of the family of Aaron, and 3,700 with him, ²⁸and Zadok, a brave young warrior, with twenty-two officers from his own family. ²⁹From Benjamin, Saul's relatives—3,000; most had still kept guard for Saul's house, ³⁰from Ephraim—20,800, mighty warriors, famous men in their own families; ³¹from the half-tribe of Manasseh—18,000, designated by name to come and make David king; ³²from Issachar: 200 chiefs who understood the times, knew what Israel should do, with all their relatives at their command. ³³From Zebulun: 50,000 seasoned troops, equipped for battle with every weapon, ready to help David wholeheartedly, ³⁴from Naphtali—1,000 officers, and with them 37,000 men carrying shield and spear; ³⁵from Dan—28,600 men ready for battle; ³⁶from Asher—40,000 seasoned troops ready for battle; ³⁷from east of the Jordan—Reuben, Gad, half the tribe of Manasseh—120,000, armed with every weapon of war.

³⁸All these were warriors in battle formation who came to Hebron wholeheartedly to make David king over all Israel; the rest of Israel too were of one mind to make David king. ³⁹They stayed there three days with David, eating and drinking; their relatives had prepared food for them. ⁴⁰Their neighbors as far as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali brought food by donkey, camel, mule, and ox—flour, fig cakes, raisin cakes, wine, oil, cattle, and sheep in abundance, for there was joy in Israel.