1 Chronicles 12

Revised Geneva Translation

12 Also, these are those who came to David, to Ziklag, while he was still under restraint because of Saul, the son of Kish. And they were among the valiant and helpers of the battle.

² They were weaponed with bows and could use the right and the left hand with stones and with arrows and with bows and were Saul’s brethren, of Benjamin.

³ The chiefs were Ahiezer and Joash, the sons of Shemaah, a Gibeathite, and Jeziel and Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth, Berachah and Jehu the Anathothite,

⁴ and Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a valiant man among thirty (and above the thirty), and Jeremiah and Jahaziel and Johanan and Jozabad the Gederathite,

⁵ Eluzai and Jerimoth and Bealiah and Shemariah and Shephatiah the Haruphite,

⁶ Elkanah and Jisshiah and Azarel and Joezer, Jashobeam of Korah

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

⁸ And some of the Gadites separated themselves to David, into the stronghold of the wilderness, valiant men of war, men of arms for battle who could handle spear and shield. And their faces were like the faces of lions, and similar in swiftness to the deer in the mountains:

⁹ Ezer the chief, Obadiah the second, Eliab the third,

¹⁰ Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth,

¹¹ Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh,

¹² Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth,

¹³ Jeremiah the tenth, Machbanai the eleventh.

¹⁴ These were the sons of Gad, captains of the army. One of the least of them could resist a hundred, and the greatest a thousand.

¹⁵ These are those who went over Jordan in the first month, when it had overflowed all its banks, and put to flight all those of the valley toward the east and the west.

¹⁶ And some of the children of Benjamin and Judah came to the stronghold, to David.

¹⁷ 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 with yours. But if you have come to betray me to my adversaries, there being no wickedness in my hands, the God of our fathers will behold it and rebuke it.”

¹⁸ And the Spirit came upon Amasai, who was the chief of thirty. And he said, “We are yours, David, and with you, O son of Jesse! Peace! Peace to you and peace to your helpers. For your God helps you.” Then David received them and made them captains of the garrison.

¹⁹ And some from Manasseh fell to David when he came with the Philistines against Saul to battle. But they did not help them. For the princes of the Philistines, under advisement, sent him away, saying, “He will fall to his master Saul for our heads.”

²⁰ As he went to Ziklag, there fell to him of Manasseh: Adnah and Jozabad and Jediael and Michael and Jozabad and Elihu and Zillethai, heads of the thousands who were of Manasseh.

²¹ And they helped David against that band; for they were all valiant men and were captains in the army.

²² For at that time, day by day, they came to David to help him, until it was a great army, like the host of God.

²³ And these are the numbers of the captains who were armed to battle and came to David (to Hebron) to turn over the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the Word of the LORD.

²⁴ The children of Judah who bore shield and spear were six thousand eight hundred, armed to the war,

²⁵ of the children of Simeon, valiant men of war, seven thousand one hundred.

²⁶ of the children of Levi, four thousand six hundred.

²⁷ And Jehoiada was the chief of those from Aaron. And with him were three thousand seven hundred.

²⁸ And of Zadok (a very valiant young man) and of his father’s household, came twenty-two captains.

²⁹ And of the children of Benjamin, the brethren of Saul,came three thousand. For a great part of them until that time had kept the ward of the House of Saul.

³⁰ And of the children of Ephraim came twenty thousand, and eight hundred valiant men and famous men in the household of their fathers.

³¹ And of the half tribe of Manasseh came eighteen thousand, who were appointed by name to come and make David king.

³² And of the children of Issachar—who were men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do—the heads of them were two hundred. And all their brethren were at their command.

³³ Of Zebulun came fifty thousand who went out to battle, expert in war and in all instruments of war, who could keep the battle in formation. They were not of a double heart.

³⁴ And of Naphtali came a thousand captains, and with them those with shield and spear (thirty-seven thousand).

³⁵ And of Dan came twenty-eight thousand six hundred experts in battle.

³⁶ And of Asher came forty thousand who went out to the battle and were trained in the wars.

³⁷ And of the other side of Jordan, of the Reubenites and of the Gadites and of the half tribe of Manasseh, with all instruments of war to fight with, one hundred twenty thousand.

³⁸ All these men of war, who could lead an army, came to Hebron with upright heart to make David king over all Israel. And all the rest of Israel was of one accord to make David king.

³⁹ And they were there with David for three days, eating and drinking. For their brethren had prepared for them.

⁴⁰ Moreover, those who were near to them, from as far as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, brought bread upon donkeys and on camels and on mules and on oxen: abundant meat, flour, figs, raisins, wine, oil, oxen and sheep. For there was joy in Israel.