1 Chronicles 12

Modern

Literal

The Mighty Men Join David at Ziklag

¹Now these were the men who came to David at Ziklag, while he was still banished from the presence of Saul son of Kish (they were among the mighty men who helped him in battle;

¹And these were those coming in to David at Ziklag while he was still a fugitive from Saul son of Kish (and they were among the mighty men, helpers in battle,

²they were archers using both the right and left hands to sling stones and shoot arrows; and they were Saul’s kinsmen from Benjamin):

²armed with bows, using the right hand and the left with stones and with arrows with the bow, brothers of Saul from Benjamin).

³Ahiezer their chief and Joash, who were the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite;

Jeziel and Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth;

Beracah;

Jehu the Anathothite;

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

⁴Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the Thirty and a leader over the Thirty;

Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, and Jozabad the Gederathite;

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

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

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

⁶Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, who were Korahites;

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

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

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

⁸Some Gadites defected to David at his stronghold in the wilderness. They were mighty men of valor, trained for battle, experts with the shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions and who were as swift as gazelles on the mountains:

⁸And some of the Gadite separated themselves unto David at the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for battle, setting in array shield and spear, and their faces the face of the lion, and as swift as gazelles on the mountains:

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

⁹Ezer the first, 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 Machbanai the eleventh.

¹⁴These Gadites were army commanders, the least of whom was a match for a hundred, and the greatest for a thousand.

¹⁴These from the sons of Gad were captains of the host, the least one over a hundred, and the greatest over a thousand.

¹⁵These are the ones who crossed the Jordan in the first month when it was overflowing all its banks, and they put to flight all those in the valleys, both to the east and to the west.

¹⁵These are the ones who passed over the Jordan in the first month, and it had overflowed on all its banks. And all in the valleys they put to flight, to the east and to the west.

¹⁶Other Benjamites and some men from Judah also came to David in his stronghold.

¹⁶And there came some from the sons of Benjamin and Judah to the stronghold to David.

¹⁷And David went out to meet them, saying, “If you have come to me in peace to help me, my heart will be united with you; but if you have come to betray me to my enemies when my hands are free of violence, may the God of our fathers see it and judge you.”

¹⁷And David went out to meet them, and he answered and said to them, “If you have come to me in peace to help me, the heart of me will be united with you; but if to betray me to my enemies—without violence in my hands—the God of our fathers shall see and judge you.”

¹⁸Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, the chief of the Thirty, and he said:

“We are yours, O David!

We are with you, O son of Jesse!

Peace, peace to you,

and peace to your helpers,

for your God helps you.”

So David received them and made them leaders of his troops.

¹⁸And the Spirit came upon Amasai chief of the Thirty: “To you, O David, and with you, O son of Jesse, peace, peace to you, and peace to your helpers. For your God helps you.” And David received them and made them leaders of the troop.

¹⁹Some from Manasseh defected to David when he went with the Philistines to fight against Saul. (They did not help the Philistines because the Philistine rulers consulted and sent David away, saying, “It will cost us our heads if he defects to his master Saul.”)

¹⁹And some from Manasseh fell to David when he was going with the Philistines against Saul to the battle. (They did not help them, for by counsel the lords of the Philistines sent him away, saying, “With our heads he may fall to his master Saul.”)

²⁰When David went to Ziklag, these men of Manasseh defected to him:

Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, chiefs of thousands in Manasseh.

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

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

²¹And they helped with David against the bands, for all were mighty men of valor, and they were captains in the army.

²²For at that time men came to David day after day to help him, until he had a great army, like the army of God.

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

David’s Army Grows at Hebron

²³Now these are the numbers of men armed for battle who came to David at Hebron to turn Saul’s kingdom over to him, in accordance with the word of the LORD:

²³And these were the numbers of the heads of the armed of the host who came to David at Hebron to turn over the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the word of YHWH.

²⁴From Judah: 6,800 armed troops bearing shields and spears.

²⁴Of the sons of Judah bearing shield and spear, six thousand and eight hundred armed of the host.

²⁵From Simeon: 7,100 mighty men of valor, ready for battle.

²⁵Of the sons of Simeon, mighty men of valor of the host, seven thousand and a hundred.

²⁶From Levi: 4,600,

²⁶Of the sons of Levi four thousand and six hundred,

²⁷including Jehoiada, leader of the house of Aaron, with 3,700 men,

²⁷and Jehoiada the leader from Aaron, and with him three thousand and seven hundred;

²⁸and Zadok, a mighty young man of valor, with 22 commanders from his own family.

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

²⁹From Benjamin, the kinsmen of Saul: 3,000, most of whom had remained loyal to the house of Saul up to that time.

²⁹And of the sons of Benjamin, brothers of Saul, three thousand—and until then the greatest part of them were keeping the charge of the house of Saul.

³⁰From Ephraim: 20,800 mighty men of valor, famous among their own clans.

³⁰And of the sons of Ephraim twenty thousand and eight hundred mighty men of valor, men of renown according to the house of their fathers.

³¹From the half-tribe of Manasseh:^a 18,000 designated by name to come and make David king.

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

³²From Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do: 200 chiefs with all their kinsmen at their command.

³²And of the sons of Issachar, knowing discernment of the times, knowing what Israel ought to do, their heads—two hundred—and all their brothers at their command.

³³From Zebulun: 50,000 fit for service, trained for battle with all kinds of weapons of war, who with one purpose were devoted to David.^a

³³Of Zebulun, going forth to the host, arranging battle with all weapons of war, fifty thousand, and to help David without a double heart.

³⁴From Naphtali: 1,000 commanders, accompanied by 37,000 men with shield and spear.

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

³⁵From Dan: 28,600 prepared for battle.

³⁵And of the Danite, arranging for battle, twenty-eight thousand and six hundred.

³⁶From Asher: 40,000 fit for service, prepared for battle.

³⁶And of Asher, going forth to the host to arrange for battle, forty thousand.

³⁷And from east of the Jordan, from Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh there: 120,000 armed with every kind of weapon of war.

³⁷And from the other side of the Jordan, of the Reubenite, and the Gadite, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, with every of weapon of war for battle, a hundred and twenty thousand.

³⁸All these men of war, arrayed for battle, came to Hebron fully determined to make David king over all Israel. And all the rest of the Israelites were of one mind to make David king.

³⁸All these men of war, keeping rank with a perfect heart, came to Hebron to make David king over all Israel, and all the rest of Israel were of one mind to make David king.

³⁹They spent three days there eating and drinking with David, for their relatives had provided for them.

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

⁴⁰And their neighbors from as far away as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali came bringing food on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen—abundant supplies of flour, fig cakes and raisin cakes, wine and oil, oxen and sheep. Indeed, there was joy in Israel.

⁴⁰And those very near to them as far as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali were bringing food on the donkeys, and on the camels, and on the mules, and on the oxen, and provisions of flour, and cakes of figs, and cakes of raisins, and wine, and oil, and oxen, and oxen, and sheep. Indeed, there was joy in Israel.