1 Chronicles 12–14

DAVID’S FIRST SUPPORTERS

12The following were the men who came to David at Ziklag while he was still banned from the presence of Saul son of Kish.^f They were among the warriors who helped him in battle. ²They were archers who could use either the right or left hand, both to sling stones and shoot arrows from a bow.^g They were Saul’s relatives^h from Benjamin:

³Their chief was Ahiezer son of Shemaah the Gibeathite.

Then there was his brother Joash;

Jeziel and Pelet sons of Azmaveth;

Beracah, Jehu the Anathothite;

⁴Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a warrior among the Thirty and a leader over the Thirty;

Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, Jozabad the Gederathite;

⁵Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, Shephatiah the Haruphite;

⁶Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, the Korahites;

⁷and Joelah and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham from Gedor.

⁸Some Gadites defected to David at his stronghold in the desert. They were valiant warriors, trained for battle, expert with shield and spear. Their faces were like the faces of lions, and they were as swift as gazelles on the mountains.ⁱ

⁹Ezer was the chief, Obadiah second, Eliab third,

¹⁰Mishmannah fourth, Jeremiah fifth,

¹¹Attai sixth, Eliel seventh,

¹²Johanan eighth, Elzabad ninth,

¹³Jeremiah tenth, and Machbannai eleventh.

¹⁴These Gadites were army commanders; the least of them was a match for a hundred, and the greatest of them for a thousand.^{a 15}These are the men who crossed the Jordan in the first month^A when it was overflowing all its banks,^b and put to flight all those in the valleys to the east and to the west.

¹⁶Other Benjaminites and men from Judah also went to David at the stronghold.^{c 17}David went out to meet them and said to them, “If you have come in peace to help me, my heart will be united with you, but if you have come to betray me to my enemies even though my hands have done no wrong, may the God of our ancestors look on it and judge.”

¹⁸Then the Spirit enveloped^d Amasai,^e chief of the Thirty, and he said:

We are yours, David,

we are with you, son of Jesse!

Peace, peace to you,

and peace to him who helps you,^f

for your God helps you.

So David received them and made them leaders of his troops.

¹⁹Some Manassites defected to David when he went with the Philistines to fight against Saul. However, they did not help the Philistines because the Philistine rulers sent David away after a discussion. They said, “It will be our heads if he defects to his master Saul.”^{g 20}When David went to Ziklag, some men from Manasseh defected to him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, chiefs of thousands in Manasseh. ²¹They helped David against the raiders,^h for they were all valiant warriors and commanders in the army. ²²At that time, men came day after day to help David until there was a great army, like an army of God.^Ci

DAVID’S SOLDIERS IN HEBRON

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

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

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

²⁶From the Levites: 4,600 ²⁷in addition to Jehoiada, leader of the house of Aaron, with 3,700 men; ²⁸and Zadok,^l a young valiant warrior, with 22 commanders from his father’s family.^A

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

³⁰From the Ephraimites: 20,800 valiant warriors who were famous men in their ancestral families.^B

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

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

³³From Zebulun: 50,000 who could serve in the army, trained for battle with all kinds of weapons of war, with one purpose^o to help David.^C

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

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

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

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

³⁸All 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.^{p 39}They spent three days there eating and drinking with David, for their relatives had provided for them. ⁴⁰In 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.^q Indeed, there was joy in Israel.

DAVID AND THE ARK

13David consulted with all his leaders, the commanders of hundreds and of thousands. ²Then he said to the whole assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you, and if this is from the Lord our God, let’s spread out and send the message to the rest of our relatives in all the districts of Israel, including the priests and Levites in their cities with pasturelands,^a that they should gather together with us. ³Then let’s bring back the ark of our God, for we did not inquire of him^Db in Saul’s days.” ⁴Since the proposal seemed right to all the people, the whole assembly agreed to do it.

⁵So David assembled all Israel,^c from the Shihor of Egypt to the entrance of Hamath,^Ed to bring the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim.^{e 6}David^f and all Israel went to Baalah^g (that is, Kiriath-jearim that belongs to Judah) to take from there the ark of God, which bears the name of the Lord who is enthroned between the cherubim.^{h 7}At Abinadab’s houseⁱ they set the ark of God on a new cart. Uzzah and Ahio^A were guiding the cart.

⁸David and all Israel were dancing with all their might before God with songs and with lyres, harps, tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets.^{j 9}When they came to Chidon’s threshing floor,^k Uzzah reached out to hold the ark because the oxen had stumbled. ¹⁰Then the Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah, and he struck him dead because he had reached out to the ark.^l So he died there in the presence of God.^m

¹¹David was angry because of the Lord’s outburst against Uzzah, so he named that place Outburst Against Uzzah,^B as it is still named today. ¹²David feared God that day and said, “How can I ever bring the ark of God to me?” ¹³So David did not bring the ark of God home^C to the city of David; instead, he diverted it to the house of Obed-edom of Gath.^{n 14}The ark of God remained with Obed-edom’s family in his house for three months, and the Lord blessed his family and all that he had.

GOD’S BLESSING ON DAVID

14King Hiram of Tyre sent envoys to David,^o along with cedar logs, stonemasons, and carpenters to build a palace for him. ²Then David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel and that his kingdom had been exalted for the sake of his people Israel.

³David took more wives in Jerusalem, and he became the father of more sons and daughters. ⁴These^p are the names of the children born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, ⁵Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet, ⁶Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, ⁷Elishama, Beeliada, and Eliphelet.

⁸When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over all Israel, they all went in search of David; when David heard of this, he went out to face them. ⁹Now the Philistines had come and raided in Rephaim Valley,^{q 10}so David inquired of God, “Should I attack the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?”

The Lord replied, “Attack, and I will hand them over to you.”

¹¹So the Israelites went up to Baal-perazim, and David defeated the Philistines there. Then David said, “Like a bursting flood, God has used me to burst out against my enemies.” Therefore, they named that place The Lord Bursts Out.^{D 12}The Philistines abandoned their idols there, and David ordered that they be burned in the fire.

¹³Once again the Philistines raided in the valley. ¹⁴So David again inquired of God, and God answered him, “Do not pursue them directly. Circle around them and attack them opposite the balsam trees. ¹⁵When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then go out to battle, for God will have gone out ahead of you to strike down the army of the Philistines.” ¹⁶So David did as God commanded him, and they struck down the Philistine army from Gibeon to Gezer. ¹⁷Then David’s fame spread throughout the lands, and the Lord caused all the nations to be terrified of him.^r