1 Chronicles 12

CHAPTER 12

David’s Mighty Men

^1aNow these are the ones who came to David at Ziklag, while he was still restricted because of Saul the son of Kish; and they were among the mighty men who helped him in war.

²They were equipped with bows, ^ausing both the right hand and the left to sling stones and to shoot arrows from the bow; ^bthey were Saul’s relatives from Benjamin.

³The chief was Ahiezer, then Joash, the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite; and Jeziel and Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth, and Beracah and Jehu the Anathothite,

⁴and Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the thirty, and over the thirty. ¹Then Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, Jozabad the Gederathite,

⁵¹Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, Shephatiah the Haruphite,

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

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

⁸From the Gadites, mighty men of valor separated themselves to David in the stronghold in the wilderness, men of war who had gone out for military duty, who could ¹handle large shield and spear, and whose faces were like the faces of lions, and ^athey were as swift as the gazelles on the mountains.

⁹Ezer was 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 of the sons of Gad were chiefs of the army; ^ahe who was least was equal to one hundred and the greatest to one thousand.

^15aThese are the ones who crossed the Jordan in the first month when it was overflowing all its banks and they made all those in the valleys flee, both to the east and to the west.

¹⁶Then some of the sons of Benjamin and Judah came to the stronghold to David.

¹⁷David went out before them, and he answered and said to them, “If you come peacefully to me to help me, my heart shall be united with you; but if to betray me to my adversaries, since there is no violence in my hands, may the God of our fathers look on it and reprove.”

¹⁸And ^athe Spirit clothed ^bAmasai, who was the chief of the thirty, and he said,

“We are yours, O David,

And with you, O son of Jesse!

^cPeace, peace to you,

And peace to him who helps you;

Indeed, your God helps you!”

Then David received them and made them chiefs of the band.

^19aNow from Manasseh also some defected to David when he was about to go to battle with the Philistines against Saul. But they did not help them, for the lords of the Philistines after counsel sent him away, saying, “At the cost of our heads he may defect to his master Saul.”

²⁰As he went to Ziklag there defected to him from Manasseh: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu and Zillethai, chiefs of thousands who belonged to Manasseh.

²¹They helped David against ^athe marauding band, for they were all mighty men of valor, and were commanders in the army.

²²For day by day men came to David to help him, until there was a great camp ^alike the camp of God.

David’s Military Companies in Hebron

²³Now these are the numbers of the ¹companies equipped for military duty, ^awho came to David at Hebron, ^bto turn the kingdom of Saul to him, ^caccording to the ²command of Yahweh.

²⁴The sons of Judah who bore shield and spear were 6,800, equipped for military duty.

²⁵Of the sons of Simeon, mighty men of valor for military duty, 7,100.

²⁶Of the sons of Levi 4,600.

²⁷Now Jehoiada was the leader of the house of Aaron, and with him were 3,700,

²⁸also ^aZadok, a young man mighty of valor, and of his father’s house 22 commanders.

²⁹Of the sons of Benjamin, ^aSaul’s relatives, 3,000; for until now ^bthe greatest part of them had kept their allegiance to the house of Saul.

³⁰Of the sons of Ephraim 20,800, mighty men of valor, men ¹who had a name in their fathers’ households.

³¹Of the half-tribe of Manasseh 18,000, who were designated by name to come and make David king.

³²Of the sons of Issachar, ^amen who knew how to discern the times, to know what Israel should do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their relatives were at their command.

³³Of Zebulun, there were 50,000 who went out in the army, who could arrange themselves for battle with all kinds of weapons of war and helped David ¹with ^aan undivided heart.

³⁴Of Naphtali there were 1,000 commanders, and with them 37,000 with large shield and spear.

³⁵Of the Danites who could arrange themselves for battle, there were 28,600.

³⁶Of Asher there were 40,000 who went out in the army to arrange themselves for battle.

³⁷From the other side of the Jordan, of the Reubenites and the Gadites and of the half-tribe of Manasseh, there were 120,000 with all kinds of weapons for the army for battle.

³⁸All these, being men of war who could draw up in battle ¹lines, came to Hebron with ^atheir whole heart to make David king over all Israel; and all the rest also of Israel were of one heart to make David king.

³⁹They were there with David three days, eating and drinking, for their relatives had prepared for them.

⁴⁰Moreover those who were near to them, even as far as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, ^abrought food on donkeys, camels, mules, and on oxen, great provisions of flour, fig cakes and bunches of raisins, wine, oil, oxen, and sheep. There was gladness indeed in Israel.