1 Chronicles 12 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.
These are the men who came to David at while he was still on the run from Saul son of Kish. They were among the who backed him in battle —
armed with bows, able to sling stones and shoot arrows with either hand. They were Saul's own relatives, from the tribe of
Their chief was Ahiezer, then Joash — both sons of Shemaah from There were also Jeziel and Pelet, sons of Azmaveth; Beracah; Jehu from Anathoth;
Ishmaiah from Gibeon, a warrior among the and a leader over the Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, and Jozabad from Gederah;
Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, and Shephatiah the Haruphite;
Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam — all
and Joelah and Zebadiah, sons of Jeroham from Gedor.
Some also defected to David at his desert They were fierce warriors, trained for battle, skilled with shield and spear. Their faces were like the faces of lions, and they were as fast as gazelles on the mountains.
Ezer was the chief, Obadiah second, Eliab third,
Mishmannah fourth, Jeremiah fifth,
Attai sixth, Eliel seventh,
Johanan eighth, Elzabad ninth,
Jeremiah tenth, and Machbannai eleventh.
These Gadites were army commanders. The least of them was a for a and the greatest for a thousand.
These are the ones who crossed the Jordan in the when it was overflowing its banks, and they put to flight everyone in the valleys, both east and west.
Some men from Benjamin and Judah also came to David at the stronghold.
David went out to meet them and said, "If you've come in peace to help me, I'm ready to join forces with you. But if you've come to betray me to my enemies when my are of then may the God of our ancestors see it and
Then the came over Amasai, chief of the Thirty, and he said: "We are yours, David! We are on your side, son of Jesse! to you, and to those who help you, because your God helps you." So David welcomed them and made them leaders of his
Some men from Manasseh also defected to David when he went with the Philistines to fight against Saul. (But David and his men never actually helped the Philistines, because the Philistine commanders sent him away after talking it over. They said, "He'll defect to his master Saul — and it'll us
When David went to Ziklag, these men from Manasseh defected to him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai — each a of a in Manasseh.
They helped David fight against raiding bands, because they were all and became commanders in the army.
Day after day people came to help David, until he had a massive like the of
Here are the numbers of the armed troops who came to David at to hand over Saul's kingdom to him, just as had spoken:
From Judah, carrying shields and spears: 6,800 armed for battle.
From Simeon, fierce warriors ready for battle: 7,100.
From Levi: 4,600,
including Jehoiada, leader of the house of with 3,700 men,
and a young warrior, with 22 officers from his family.
From Benjamin, Saul's own tribe: 3,000. (Most of the Benjaminites had until then maintained their loyalty to Saul's house.)
From Ephraim: 20,800 fierce warriors, in their family clans.
From the half-tribe of Manasseh: 18,000 who were designated by name to come and make David king.
From Issachar, men who the and knew what Israel should do: 200 chiefs, with all their relatives under their command.
From Zebulun: 50,000 experienced soldiers, equipped for battle with every kind of weapon, who came with a
From Naphtali: 1,000 officers, with 37,000 men carrying shields and spears.
From Dan: 28,600 men equipped for battle.
From Asher: 40,000 experienced soldiers ready for battle.
And from the east side of the Jordan—from Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh: 120,000 men armed with every kind of weapon.
All these were fighting men who volunteered to serve in the ranks. They came to Hebron with a to make David king over all Israel. And everyone else in Israel was also united in wanting David as king.
They stayed there with David for three days, eating and drinking, because their relatives had prepared supplies for them.
And their neighbors from as far away as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali brought food on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen — huge quantities of flour, fig cakes, raisin cakes, wine, olive oil, cattle, and sheep. There was throughout Israel.