1 Chronicles 12
1 These are the men who came to David at Ziklag while he was still kept away because of Saul son of Kish. They were among the warriors who helped him in battle.
2 They were armed with bows and could use either hand to sling stones and shoot arrows. They were Benjamites, kinsmen of Saul.
3 The chief was Ahiezer, with Joash, sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite; Jeziel and Pelet, sons of Azmaveth; Beracah and Jehu the Anathothite;
4 Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a warrior among the thirty and over the thirty;
5 Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, and Jozabad the Gederathite;
6 Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, and Shephatiah the Haruphite;
7 Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, the Korahites;
8 and Joelah and Zebadiah, sons of Jeroham from Gedor.
9 Some of the Gadites joined David at the stronghold in the wilderness. They were mighty warriors, men trained for battle, skilled with shield and spear. Their faces were like lions, and they were swift as gazelles on the mountains.
10 Ezer was the chief, Obadiah second, Eliab third;
11 Mishmannah fourth, Jeremiah fifth;
12 Attai sixth, Eliel seventh;
13 Johanan eighth, Elzabad ninth;
14 Jeremiah tenth, Machbannai eleventh.
15 These were leaders of the army from the descendants of Gad: the least was over a hundred, and the greatest over a thousand.
16 These were the men who crossed the Jordan in the first month, when it was overflowing all its banks. They put to flight everyone living in the valleys, east and west.
17 Some of the Benjamites and Judahites came to David at the stronghold.
18 David went out to meet them and answered them, saying, “If you have come to me in peace to help me, then my heart will be joined with yours. But if you have come to betray me to my enemies, though my hands have done no violence, may the God of our fathers see and judge.”
19 Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, chief of the officers, and he said, “We are yours, David; we are with you, son of Jesse! Peace, peace to you, and peace to whoever helps you, for your God helps you.” So David welcomed them and made them leaders of the raiding force.
20 Some of Manasseh also defected to David when he came with the Philistines to fight Saul. But they did not help the Philistines, because their rulers sent David away after conferring together, saying, “He will defect to Saul, his master, at the cost of our heads.”
21 When David went to Ziklag, these men of Manasseh defected to him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, leaders of the thousands belonging to Manasseh.
22 They helped David against the raiding force, for they were all mighty warriors, and they became commanders in the army.
23 Day after day men came to David to help him, until there was a great camp, like the camp of God.
24 These are the numbers of the armed leaders who came to David at Hebron to transfer Saul’s kingdom to him, according to the LORD’s command.
25 From Judah, carrying shield and spear, 6,800 armed for the army.
26 From Simeon, 7,100 mighty warriors for the army.
27 From Levi, 4,600.
28 Jehoiada, leader of Aaron’s house, with 3,700 men;
29 and Zadok, a young and mighty warrior, with twenty-two commanders from his father’s house.
30 From Benjamin, Saul’s kinsmen, 3,000. Until then, most of them had remained loyal to Saul’s house.
31 From Ephraim, 20,800 mighty warriors, men of renown in their ancestral houses.
32 From half the tribe of Manasseh, 18,000, appointed by name to come and make David king.
33 From Issachar, 200 leaders who understood the times and knew what Israel should do, with all their kinsmen under their command.
34 From Zebulun, 50,000 who served in the army, equipped for battle with every kind of weapon of war, ready to help with undivided loyalty.
35 From Naphtali, 1,000 commanders, with 37,000 men carrying shield and spear.
36 From Dan, 28,600 men equipped for battle.
37 From Asher, 40,000 who served in the army, equipped for battle.
38 From across the Jordan, from Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, 120,000 with every kind of weapon for battle.
39 All these were men of war, drawn up in battle formation. They came to Hebron with whole hearts to make David king over all Israel. All the rest of Israel were also united in their purpose to make David king.
40 They stayed there with David for three days, eating and drinking, because their kinsmen had made preparations for them.
41 Even those nearby, as far as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali, brought food on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen: flour, fig cakes, raisin clusters, wine, oil, cattle, and sheep in abundance, for there was joy in Israel.
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