1 Chronicles

Now these were the men who came to David at Ziklag while he was still a fugitive from Saul the son of Kish; and they were among the mighty men, helpers in the war,

armed with bows, using both the right hand and the left in hurling stones and shooting arrows with the bow. They were of Benjamin, Saul’s kinsmen.

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

Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the thirty, and over the thirty; Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, and Jozabad the Gederathite;

Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, and Shephatiah the Haruphite;

Elkanah, Jisshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, the Korahites;

and Joelah and Zebadiah the sons of Jeroham of Gedor.

Some Gadites joined David at the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valour, men trained for battle, who could handle shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as gazelles on the mountains:

Ezer the first, Obadiah the second, Eliab the third,

Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth,

Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh,

Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth,

Jeremiah the tenth, and Machbannai the eleventh.

These were from the sons of Gad, captains of the army; the least was over a hundred, and the greatest was over a thousand.

These are the ones who crossed the Jordan in the first month when it had overflowed all its banks; and they put to flight all those in the valleys, to the east and to the west.

Then some of the children of Benjamin and Judah came to David at the stronghold.

And David went out to meet them, and answered and said to them, "If you have come peaceably to me to help me, my heart shall be knit to you; but if you have come to betray me to my enemies, since there is no wrong in my hands, may the God of our fathers look on it and rebuke it."

Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, chief of the captains, and he said, "We are yours, David; we are on your side, son of Jesse! Peace, peace be to you, and peace to your helpers; for your God helps you."

And some from Manasseh joined David when he came with the Philistines against Saul to battle; but they did not help them, for the lords of the Philistines, after consultation, sent him away saying, "He will desert to his master Saul at the risk of our heads."

As he went to Ziklag, those of Manasseh who joined him were Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, captains of thousands who were of Manasseh.

And they helped David against the bands of ravers, for they were all mighty men of valour and were captains in the army.

For at that time, day by day, men came to David to help him, until it was a great army, like the army of God.

Now these were the numbers of the divisions who were ready armed for war, and came to David at Hebron to turn the kingdom of Saul over to him, according to the word of the LORD:

of the children of Judah bearing shield and spear, six thousand eight hundred ready armed for war;

of the children of Simeon, mighty men of valour fit for war, seven thousand one hundred;

of the children of Levi, four thousand six hundred;

Jehoiada was the leader of the Aaronites, and with him were three thousand seven hundred;

Zadok, a young man, a mighty warrior, and from his father’s house twenty-two captains;

of the children of Benjamin, Saul’s kinsmen, three thousand (for until then the greatest part of them had remained loyal to the house of Saul);

of the children of Ephraim, twenty thousand eight hundred, mighty men of valour, famous throughout their father’s houses;

of the half-tribe of Manasseh, eighteen thousand, who were designated by name to come and make David king;

of the children of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their brothers were under their command;

of Zebulun, such as could go out to battle, expert in war with all weapons of war, fifty thousand who could keep rank and were not of double heart;

of Naphtali, one thousand captains, and with them thirty-seven thousand with shield and spear;

of the Danites, expert in war, twenty-eight thousand six hundred;

of Asher, such as could go out to battle, expert in war, forty thousand;

of the other side of the Jordan, of the Reubenites and the Gadites and of the half-tribe of Manasseh, with all kinds of weapons of war for the battle, one hundred and twenty thousand.

All these men of war, who could keep rank, came to Hebron with a perfect heart to make David king over all Israel; and all the rest of Israel were also of one heart to make David king.

And they were there with David three days, eating and drinking, for their brothers had prepared for them.

Moreover those who were near to them, as far as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, were bringing bread on donkeys and camels, on mules and oxen, provisions of flour and cakes of figs and bunches of raisins, wine and oil and oxen and sheep abundantly, for there was joy in Israel.