1 Chronicles 12:1–22

The Growth of David’s Army

12Now ^athese were the men who came to David at ^bZiklag while he was still a fugitive from Saul the son of Kish; and they were among the mighty men, helpers in the war, ²armed with bows, using both the right hand and ^cthe left in hurling stones and shooting arrows with the bow. They were of Benjamin, Saul’s brethren.

³The chief was Ahiezer, then Joash, the sons of ¹Shemaah the Gibeathite; Jeziel and Pelet the sons of Azmaveth; Berachah, and Jehu the Anathothite; ⁴Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the thirty, and over the thirty; Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, and Jozabad the Gederathite; ⁵Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, and Shephatiah the Haruphite; ⁶Elkanah, Jisshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, the Korahites; ⁷and Joelah and Zebadiah the sons of Jeroham of Gedor.

⁸Some Gadites ²joined David at the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for battle, who could handle shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were ^das swift as gazelles on 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, and Machbanai the eleventh. ¹⁴These were from the sons of Gad, captains of the army; the least was over a hundred, and the greatest was over a ^ethousand. ¹⁵These are the ones who crossed the Jordan in the first month, when it had overflowed all its ^fbanks; and they put to flight all those in the valleys, to the east and to the west.

¹⁶Then some of the sons of Benjamin and Judah came to David at the stronghold. ¹⁷And David went out ³to meet them, and answered and said to them, “If you have come peaceably to me to help me, my heart will be united with you; but if to betray me to my enemies, since there is no ⁴wrong in my hands, may the God of our fathers look and bring judgment.” ¹⁸Then the Spirit ⁵came upon ^gAmasai, chief of the captains, and he said:

“We are yours, O David;

We are on your side, O son of Jesse!

Peace, peace to you,

And peace to your helpers!

For your God helps you.”

So David received them, and made them captains of the troop.

¹⁹And some from Manasseh defected to David ^hwhen he was going with the Philistines to battle against Saul; but they did not help them, for the lords of the Philistines sent him away by agreement, saying, ⁱ“He may defect to his master Saul and endanger our heads.” ²⁰When he went to Ziklag, those of Manasseh who defected to him were Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, captains of the thousands who were from Manasseh. ²¹And they helped David against ^jthe bands of raiders, for they were all mighty men of valor, and they were captains in the army. ²²For at that time they came to David day by day to help him, until it was a great army, ^klike the army of God.