1 Chronicles 12:1–22

David and His Mighty Men at Ziklag

12Now these are the ones who came to David at Ziklag while he was still shut up because of Saul,^a the son of Kish. And they were the mighty warriors helping with the war. ²They were armed with the bow, able to shoot right-handed or left-handed, slinging stones or shooting arrows with the bow; they were kinsmen of Saul from Benjamin. ³The leader was Ahiezer, then Jehoash, sons of Shemaah the Gibeonite; Jeiel and Pelet, sons of Azmaveth; Beracah; Jehu the Anathothite; ⁴Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty warrior among the thirty who was over the thirty;^b Jeremiah; Jahaziel; Johanan; Jozabad the Gederathite; ^5c Eluzai; Jerimoth; Bealiah; Shemariah; Shephatiah the Hariphite; ⁶Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam the Korahites; ⁷Joelah and Zebadiah, sons of Jeroham from the Gedor.

⁸And from the Gadites, valiant mighty warriors, soldiers fit for war,^d expert with shield and spear, defected to David at the fortress toward the wilderness. And they had faces like lions^e and were swift as gazelles upon the mountains. ⁹Ezer the chief, Obadiah second, Eliab third, ¹⁰Mishmannah fourth, Jeremiah fifth, ¹¹Attai sixth, Eliel seventh, ¹²Jehonan eighth, Elzabad ninth, ¹³Jeremiah tenth, Macbannai eleventh. ¹⁴These were the sons of Gad, leaders of the army. The smallest one was as a hundred, and the greatest as a thousand. ¹⁵These were they who crossed the Jordan in the first month, when it was filled over all its banks. And they put to flight all who were in the valley to the east and to the west.

¹⁶And some of the sons of Benjamin and from Judah came to the fortress, to David. ¹⁷And David went out to meet them^f and answered and said to them, “If you come in peace to me, to help me, my heart will be joined with you,^g but if you come to betray me to my adversaries, although there is no wrong on my hands, may the God of our fathers see and pass judgment.” ¹⁸Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, chief of the thirty who said:

“We are yours, O David!

And we are with you, O son of Jesse!

Peace! Peace to you, and peace to those who help you,

for your God helps you.”

So David appointed them as heads of the troops.

¹⁹And some Manassites deserted to David when he came with the Philistines to the battle against Saul, but he did not help them, for the rulers of the Philistines sent him away upon counsel, saying, “He will desert to his master Saul at the cost of our heads.” ²⁰When he went to Ziklag some Manassites deserted to him: Adnah, Jehozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, heads of the thousands that were for Manasseh. ²¹And they themselves helped David against the troops, for all of them were mighty men of strength and were commanders in the army. ²²Day in and day out^h they came to David to help him until there was a great army, like the army of God.