1 Chronicles Chapter 12 — David's Mighty Men

¹Now these are those who came to David to Ziklag while he was a fugitive from Saul the son of Kish. They were among the mighty men, his helpers in war.

²They were armed with bows, and could use both the right hand and the left in slinging stones and in shooting arrows from the bow. They were of Saul’s relatives of the tribe of Benjamin.

³The chief was Ahiezer, then Joash, the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite; Jeziel and Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth; Beracah; Jehu the Anathothite;

⁴Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the thirty and a leader of the thirty; Jeremiah; Jahaziel; Johanan; Jozabad the Gederathite;

⁵Eluzai; Jerimoth; Bealiah; Shemariah; Shephatiah the Haruphite;

⁶Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, the Korahites;

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

⁸Some Gadites joined David in the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for war, who could handle shield and spear; whose faces were like the faces of lions, and they were as swift as the gazelles on the mountains:

⁹Ezer the chief, 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 Machbannai the eleventh.

¹⁴These of the sons of Gad were captains of the army. He who was least was equal to one hundred, and the greatest to one thousand.

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

¹⁶Some of the children of Benjamin and Judah came to the stronghold to David.

¹⁷David went out to meet them, and answered them, “If you have come peaceably to me to help me, my heart will be united with you; but if you have come to betray me to my adversaries, since there is no wrong in my hands, may the God of our fathers see this and rebuke it.”

¹⁸Then the Spirit came on Amasai, who was chief of the thirty, and he said, “We are yours, David, and on your side, you son of Jesse. Peace, peace be to you, and peace be to your helpers; for your God helps you.” Then David received them and made them captains of the band.

¹⁹Some of Manasseh also joined David when he came with the Philistines against Saul to battle, but they didn’t help them, for the lords of the Philistines sent him away after consultation, saying, “He will desert to his master Saul to the jeopardy of our heads.”

²⁰As he went to Ziklag, some from Manasseh joined him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, captains of thousands who were of Manasseh.

²¹They helped David against the band of raiders, for they were all mighty men of valor and were captains in the army.

²²For from day to day men came to David to help him, until there was a great army, like God’s army.

²³These are the numbers of the heads of those who were armed for war, who came to David to Hebron to turn the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the LORD’s word.

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

²⁵Of the children of Simeon, mighty men of valor for the war: seven thousand one hundred.

²⁶Of the children of Levi: four thousand six hundred.

²⁷Jehoiada was the leader of the household of Aaron; and with him were three thousand seven hundred,

²⁸and Zadok, a young man mighty of valor, and of his father’s house twenty-two captains.

²⁹Of the children of Benjamin, Saul’s relatives: three thousand, for until then, the greatest part of them had kept their allegiance to Saul’s house.

³⁰Of the children of Ephraim: twenty thousand eight hundred, mighty men of valor, famous men in their fathers’ houses.

³¹Of the half-tribe of Manasseh: eighteen thousand, who were mentioned by name, to come and make David king.

³²Of the children of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, their heads were two hundred; and all their brothers were at their command.

³³Of Zebulun, such as were able to go out in the army, who could set the battle in array with all kinds of instruments of war: fifty thousand who could command and were not of double heart.

³⁴Of Naphtali: one thousand captains, and with them with shield and spear thirty-seven thousand.

³⁵Of the Danites who could set the battle in array: twenty-eight thousand six hundred.

³⁶Of Asher, such as were able to go out in the army, who could set the battle in array: forty thousand.

³⁷On the other side of the Jordan, of the Reubenites, the Gadites, and of the half-tribe of Manasseh, with all kinds of instruments of war for the battle: one hundred twenty thousand.

³⁸All these were men of war who could order the battle array, and came with a perfect heart to Hebron to make David king over all Israel; and all the rest also of Israel were of one heart to make David king.

³⁹They were there with David three days, eating and drinking; for their brothers had supplied provisions for them.

⁴⁰Moreover those who were near to them, as far as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali, brought bread on donkeys, on camels, on mules, and on oxen: supplies of flour, cakes of figs, clusters of raisins, wine, oil, cattle, and sheep in abundance; for there was joy in Israel.