¹Now these are they that came to David to Ziklag, while he kept still close because of Saul the son of Kish; and they were among the mighty men who helped him in the conflict; ²armed with bows, using both the right hand and the left with stones and with arrows on the bow; they were of Saul’s brethren of Benjamin: ³the chief Ahiezer, and Joash, the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite; and Jeziel, and Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth; and Berachah, and Jehu the Anathothite, ⁴and Jishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the thirty, and over the thirty; and Jeremiah, and Jahaziel, and Johanan, and Jozabad the Gederathite. ⁵Eluzai, and Jerimoth, and Bealiah, and Shemariah, and Shephatiah the Haruphite; ⁶Elkanah, and Jishijah, and Azareel, and Joezer, and Jashobeam, the Korahites; ⁷and Joelah, and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham of Gedor. ⁸And of the Gadites, there separated themselves to David in the stronghold in the wilderness mighty men of valour, men fit for the service of war, armed with shield and spear; whose faces were like the faces of lions, and who were swift as the gazelles upon the mountains: ⁹Ezer the first, Obadiah the second, Eliab the third, ¹⁰Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth, ¹¹Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh, ¹²Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth, ¹³Jeremiah the tenth, Machbannai the eleventh. ¹⁴These were of the sons of Gad, captains of the host: one of the least was over a hundred, and the greatest over a thousand. ¹⁵These are they that went over Jordan in the first month, when it overflows all its banks, and they put to flight all them of the valleys, toward the east and toward the west. ¹⁶And there came of the children of Benjamin and Judah to the stronghold to David. ¹⁷And David went out to meet them, and answered and said to them, If ye come peaceably to me to help me, my heart shall be knit unto you; but if to betray me to mine enemies, seeing there is no wrong in my hands, the God of our fathers see it and rebuke it. ¹⁸And the Spirit came upon Amasai, the chief of the captains, and he said, Thine are we, David, And with thee, thou son of Jesse: Peace, peace be to thee! And peace be to thy helpers! For thy God helps thee. And David received them, and made them chiefs of bands. ¹⁹And there fell some of Manasseh to David, when he came with the Philistines against Saul to battle: but they helped them not; for the lords of the Philistines upon deliberation sent him away, saying, He will fall to his master Saul at the peril of our heads. ²⁰As he went away to Ziklag, there fell to him of Manasseh: Adnah, and Jozabad, and Jediael, and Michael, and Jozabad, and Elihu, and Zilthai, captains of the thousands that were of Manasseh. ²¹And they helped David in his expeditions; for they were all mighty men of valour, and were captains in the host. ²²For day by day there came men to David to help him, until it was a great camp, like the camp of God.

²³And this is the number of the men equipped for military service, who came to David to Hebron, to transfer the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the word of Jehovah. ²⁴The children of Judah that bore shield and spear were six thousand eight hundred, equipped for military service. ²⁵Of the children of Simeon, mighty men of valour for war, seven thousand one hundred. ²⁶Of the children of Levi four thousand six hundred. ²⁷And Jehoiada the prince of Aaron, and with him were three thousand seven hundred; ²⁸and Zadok, a valiant young man, and his father’s house two and twenty chief men. ²⁹And of the children of Benjamin, the brethren of Saul, three thousand; but hitherto the greater part of them had adhered to the house of Saul. ³⁰And of the children of Ephraim twenty thousand eight hundred, mighty men of valour, men of name in their fathers’ houses. ³¹And of the half tribe of Manasseh eighteen thousand, who were expressed by name, to come and make David king. ³²And of the children of Issachar, who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their bidding. ³³Of Zebulun, such as went forth in the host, armed for war with all weapons of war, fifty thousand, keeping rank without double heart. ³⁴And of Naphtali a thousand captains, and with them thirty-seven thousand with shield and spear. ³⁵And of the Danites armed for war twenty-eight thousand six hundred. ³⁶And of Asher such as went forth in the host, to set themselves in battle array, forty thousand. ³⁷And from the other side of the Jordan, of the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and of the half tribe of Manasseh, with all manner of weapons of war for battle, a hundred and twenty thousand. ³⁸All of them men of war, keeping rank in battle array, 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. ³⁹And there they were with David three days, eating and drinking; for their brethren had prepared for them; ⁴⁰and those too that were near them, as far as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, brought food on asses, and on camels, and on mules, and on oxen; provisions of meal, fig-cakes and raisin-cakes, and wine and oil, and oxen and sheep, abundantly; for there was joy in Israel.

Chapter 13

¹And David consulted with the captains of thousands and hundreds, with every prince. ²And David said to all the congregation of Israel, If it seem good to you, and it be of Jehovah our God, let us send abroad to our brethren everywhere, that are left in all the lands of Israel, and with them to the priests and Levites in their cities and suburbs, that they may gather themselves to us; ³and let us bring again the ark of our God to us; for we inquired not of it in the days of Saul. ⁴And all the congregation said that they should do so; for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people. ⁵And David assembled all Israel from the Shihor of Egypt unto the entrance of Hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kirjath-jearim. ⁶And David went up, and all Israel, to Baalah, to Kirjath-jearim, which belonged to Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, of Jehovah, who sitteth between the cherubim, whose name is placed there. ⁷And they carried the ark of God on a new cart out of the house of Abinadab; and Uzza and Ahio drove the cart. ⁸And David and all Israel played before God with all their might, and with singing, and with harps, and with lutes, and with tambours, and with cymbals, and with trumpets.

⁹And when they came to the threshing-floor of Chidon, Uzza put forth his hand to hold the ark; for the oxen had stumbled. ¹⁰And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Uzza, and he smote him, because he had put forth his hand to the ark; and there he died before God. ¹¹And David was indignant; for Jehovah had made a breach upon Uzza; and he called that place Perez-Uzza to this day. ¹²And David was afraid of God that day, saying, How shall I bring the ark of God to me? ¹³And David brought not the ark home unto himself into the city of David, but he carried it aside into the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. ¹⁴And the ark of God remained with the family of Obed-Edom in his house three months. And Jehovah blessed the house of Obed-Edom, and all that he had.

Chapter 14

¹And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and timber of cedars, with masons and carpenters, to build him a house. ²And David perceived that Jehovah had established him king over Israel, for his kingdom was highly exalted, because of his people Israel. ³And David took more wives at Jerusalem: and David begot more sons and daughters. ⁴And these are the names of the children which he had in Jerusalem: Shammua, and Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon, ⁵and Ibhar, and Elishua, and Elpelet, ⁶and Nogah, and Nepheg, and Japhia, ⁷and Elishama, and Beeliada, and Eliphelet.

⁸And the Philistines heard that David was anointed king over all Israel, and all the Philistines went up to seek David; and David heard of it, and went out against them. ⁹And the Philistines came and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim. ¹⁰And David inquired of God saying, Shall I go up against the Philistines, and wilt thou give them into my hand? And Jehovah said to him, Go up; and I will give them into thy hand. ¹¹And they came up to Baal-perazim, and David smote them there; and David said, God has broken in upon mine enemies by my hand, as the breaking forth of waters. Therefore they called the name of that place Baal-perazim. ¹²And they left their gods there; and David commanded, and they were burned with fire. ¹³And the Philistines yet again spread themselves in the valley. ¹⁴And David inquired again of God; and God said to him, Go not up after them; turn round them and come upon them opposite the mulberry-trees. ¹⁵And it shall be, when thou hearest the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry-trees, that then thou shalt go out to battle; for God will have gone forth before thee to smite the army of the Philistines. ¹⁶And David did as God commanded him; and they smote the army of the Philistines from Gibeon even to Gezer. ¹⁷And the fame of David went out into all lands; and Jehovah brought the fear of him upon all the nations.

Read in Logos

Public Domain