The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Chronicles 12
1 Now 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.
2 They were armed with bows, and could
useboththe righthandandthe leftinslinging stones and in shooting arrows from the
bow. They were of Saul’s relatives of the
tribe of Benjamin.
3 The chief was Ahiezer, then Joash, the
sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite; Jeziel and
Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth; Beracah; Jehu
the Anathothite;
4 Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man
among the thirty and a leader of the thirty;
Jeremiah; Jahaziel; Johanan; Jozabad the
Gederathite;
5 Eluzai; Jerimoth; Bealiah; Shemariah;
Shephatiah the Haruphite;
6 Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and
Jashobeam, the Korahites;
7 and Joelah and Zebadiah, the sons of
Jeroham of Gedor.
8 Some 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:
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, and Machbannai
the eleventh.
14 These ofthe sons of Gad were captains
of the army. He who was least was equal
to one hundred, and the greatest to one
thousand.
15 These 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.
16 Some of the children of Benjamin and
Judah came to the stronghold to David.
17 David 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.”
18 Then the Spirit came on Amasai, who
was chief ofthe 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.
19 Some of Manasseh also joined David
when he came with the Philistines against
Saultobattle, buttheydidn’thelpthem,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.”
20 As he went to Ziklag, some from Manasseh joined him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael,
Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, captains of thousands who were of Manasseh.
21 They helped David against the band of
raiders, for they were all mighty men of
valor and were captains in the army.
22 For fromday todaymencame to David
to help him, until there was a great army,
like God’s army.
23 These 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 Yahweh’s word.
24 The children of Judah who bore shield
and spear were six thousand eight hundred, armed for war.
25 Of the children of Simeon, mighty men
of valor for the war: seven thousand one
hundred.
26 Of the children of Levi: four thousand
six hundred.
27 Jehoiada was the leader of the household of Aaron; and with him were three
thousand seven hundred,
28 and Zadok, a young man mighty of
valor, and of his father’s house twenty-two
captains.
29 Of 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.
30 Of the children of Ephraim: twenty
thousand eight hundred, mighty men of
valor, famous men in their fathers’ houses.
31 Of the half-tribe of Manasseh: eighteen thousand, who were mentioned by
name, to come and make David king.
32 Of 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.
33 Of 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.
34 Of Naphtali: one thousand captains,
and with them with shield and spear
thirty-seven thousand.
35 Of the Danites who could set the battle
in array: twenty-eight thousand six hundred.
36 Of Asher, such as were able to go out in
the army, who could set the battle in array:
forty thousand.
37 On the other side of the Jordan, of the
Reubenites, the Gadites, and of the halftribe of Manasseh, with all kinds of instruments of war for the battle: one hundred
twenty thousand.
38 All 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.
39 They were there with David three
days, eating and drinking; for their brothers had supplied provisions for them.
40 Moreover 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.