1 Chronicles 12

1 David went to Ziklag [town] to escape from [King] Saul. While he was there, many warriors came and joined him, and they helped him when he fought battles.

And these [are] those coming to David at Ziklag, while shut up because of Saul son of Kish, and they [are] among the mighty ones, helping the battle,

2 They carried bows [and arrows]. They were able to shoot arrows and to sling stones. They could use either their right arms or their left arms to do that. They were relatives of Saul from the tribe of Benjamin.

armed with bow, right and left handed, with stones, and with arrows, with bows, of the brothers of Saul, of Benjamin.

3 Their leader was Ahiezer. Next in command was Joash. They were both sons of Shemaah from Gibeah [city]. [These are the names of some of those warriors: ] Jeziel and Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth; Beracah; Jehu from Anathoth [town];

The head [is] Ahiezer, and Joash, sons of Shemaab the Gibeathite, and Jeziel, and Pelet, sons of Azmaveth, and Berachah, and Jehu the Antothite,

4 Ishmaiah from the Gibeon [city], who was a leader of the thirty mighty warriors; Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, and Jozabad from Gederah [town];

and Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty one among the thirty, and over the thirty, and Jeremiah, and Jahaziel, and Johanan, and Josabad the Gederathite.

5 Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, and Shephatiah from Haruph [town];

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

6 Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer and Jashobeam, who were descendants of Korah;

Elkanah, and Jesiah, and Azareel, and Joezer, and Jashobeam the Korahites,

7 Joelah and Zebadiah, who were sons of Jeroham, from Gedor [town].

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

8 Some men from the tribe of Gad [east of the Jordan River] joined David when he was at his fortress in [the caves in] the desert. They were brave warriors who were trained for fighting battles and able to use shields and spears well. They [SYN] were as fierce as [SIM, MTY] lions, and they could run as fast as [HYP, SIM] deer/gazelles on the hills/mountains.

And of the Gadite there have been separated to David, to the fortress, to the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men of the host for battle, setting in array buckler and spear, and their faces [are as] the face of the lion, and as roes on the mountains for speed:

9 Ezer was their leader. Next in command was Obadiah. Next was Eliab.

Ezer the head, Obadiah the second, Eliab the third,

10 Next was Mishmannah. Next was Jeremiah.

Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth,

11 Next was Attai. Next was Eliel.

Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh,

12 Next was Johanan. Next was Elzabad.

Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth,

13 Next was [another man whose name was] Jeremiah. The last was Macbannai.

Jeremiah the tenth, Machbannai the eleventh.

14 Those men from the tribe of Gad were all army officers. Some of them commanded 1,000 soldiers, and some of them commanded 100 soldiers.

These [are] of the sons of Gad, heads of the host; the least [is] one of one hundred, and the greatest, of one thousand;

15 They crossed [to the west side of] the Jordan [River] during March, [at the time of the year] when the river was flooded. They chased from there all the people who lived in the valleys on both sides of the river.

these [are] they who have passed over the Jordan in the first month—and it is full over all its banks—and cause all [those in] the valley to flee to the east and to the west.

16 Some other men from the tribe of Benjamin and from Judah also came to David in his fortress.

And [some] from the sons of Benjamin and Judah came to David at the stronghold,

17 David went out [of the cave] to meet them and said to them, “If you have come peacefully to help me, I am eager to have you join with me. But if you have come to enable my enemies to capture me, even though I [SYN] have not done anything to harm you, I hope/wish that the God whom our ancestors (worshiped/belonged to) will see it and condemn/punish you.”

and David goes out before them, and answers and says to them, “If you have come to me for peace, to help me, I have a heart to unite with you; and if to betray me to my adversaries—without violence in my hands—the God of our fathers sees and reproves.”

18 Then [God’s] Spirit came upon Amasai, who was another leader of the thirty [greatest warriors], and he said, “David, we want to be with you; you who are the son of Jesse, we will join you. We know that things will go very well [DOU] for you and for those who are with you, because your God is helping you.”

And the Spirit has clothed Amasai, head of the captains: “To you, O David, and with you, O son of Jesse—peace! Peace to you, and peace to your helper, for your God has helped you”; and David receives them, and puts them among the heads of the troop.

19 So David welcomed those men, and he appointed them to be leaders of his soldiers. Some men from the tribe of Manasseh also joined David when he went with the soldiers of Philistia to fight against Saul’s [army]. But David and his men did not really help the army of Philistia. After the leaders of Philistia talked [about David and his soldiers], they sent David away. They said, “If David joins his master Saul again, we will all be killed {his army will kill all of us}!”

And [some] from Manasseh have defected to David in his coming with the Philistines against Israel to battle—and they did not help them, for by counsel the princes of the Philistines sent him away, saying, “He defects with our heads to his master Saul.”

20 When David went to Ziklag, these were the men from the tribe of Manasseh who went with him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, [another man whose name was] Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai. Each of them had been a commander of 1,000 men [in Saul’s army].

In his going to Ziglag there have fallen to him from Manasseh: Adnah, and Jozabad, and Jediael, and Michael, and Jozabad, and Elihu, and Zillthai, heads of the thousands who [are] of Manasseh;

21 They were all brave soldiers, and they helped David to fight against the groups of men who roamed throughout the country, robbing people. So those men became commanders in David’s army.

and they have helped with David over the troop, for all of them [are] mighty men of valor, and they are captains in the host,

22 Every day more men joined David’s men, and his army became large, like [SIM] the army of God (OR, a very huge army).

for at that time, day by day, they come to David to help him, until it is a great camp, like a camp of God.

23 These are the numbers of soldiers who were ready for battle who joined David at Hebron [city]. They came to help him to become the king of Israel to replace Saul, as Yahweh had promised would happen.

And these [are] the numbers of the head, of the armed men of the host; they have come to David at Hebron to turn around the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the mouth of YHWH.

24 There were 6,800 men from Judah, who carried shields and spears.

The sons of Judah, carrying buckler and spear, [are] six thousand and eight hundred, armed ones of the host.

25 There were 7,100 men from the tribe of Simeon. They were all strong warriors trained to fight battles.

Of the sons of Simeon, mighty men of valor for the host, [are] seven thousand and one hundred.

26 There were 4,600 men from the tribe of Levi.

Of the sons of Levi [are] four thousand and six hundred;

27 Jehoiada, who was a leader descended from Aaron, was in that group of descendants of Levi, and there were 3,700 men with him.

and Jehoiada [is] the leader of the Aaronite, and with him [are] three thousand and seven hundred,

28 Zadok, a strong young soldier, was also in that group, and there were 22 other leaders from his clan who came with him.

and Zadok, a young man, a mighty man of valor, and of the house of his father [are] twenty-two heads.

29 There were 3,000 men from the tribe of Benjamin who were Saul’s relatives. Most of them had previously wanted one of Saul’s descendants to be the king.

And of the sons of Benjamin, brothers of Saul, [are] three thousand, and until now their greater part are keeping the charge of the house of Saul.

30 There were 20,800 men from the tribe of Ephraim who were all brave warriors and trained for fighting battles and famous in their own clans.

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

31 There were 18,000 men from the half of the tribe of Manasseh [that lived west of the Jordan River]. They were all chosen to go and help David become the king.

And of the half of the tribe of Manasseh [are] eighteen thousand, who have been defined by name, to come to cause David to reign.

32 There were 200 men who were leaders from the tribe of Issachar, along with their relatives. Those leaders always knew what the Israelis should do, and they knew the right time to do it.

And of the sons of Issachar, having understanding for the times, to know what Israel should do; their heads [are] two hundred, and all their brothers [are] at their command.

33 There were 55,000 men from the tribe of Zebulun. They were all experienced warriors and knew how to use all kinds of weapons well. They were completely loyal to David.

Of Zebulun, going forth to the host, arranging battle with all instruments of battle, [are] fifty thousand, and keeping rank without a double heart.

34 There were 1,000 officers from the tribe of Naphtali. With them were 37,000 soldiers, each carrying shields and spears.

And of Naphtali, one thousand heads, and with them, with buckler and spear, [are] thirty-seven thousand.

35 There were 28,600 soldiers from the tribe of Dan, all trained to fight battles.

And of the Danite, arranging battle, [are] twenty-eight thousand and six hundred.

36 There were 47,000 experienced soldiers from the tribe of Asher, all trained to fight battles.

And of Asher, going forth to the host, to arrange battle, [are] forty thousand.

37 There were also 120,000 soldiers from the area east of the Jordan [River who joined David]. They were from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the eastern half of the tribe of Manasseh. They had all kinds of weapons.

And from beyond the Jordan, of the Reubenite, and of the Gadite, and of the half of the tribe of Manasseh, with all instruments of the host for battle, [are] one hundred and twenty thousand.

38 All those men were soldiers who volunteered to be in David’s army. They came to Hebron wanting very much to enable David to be the king of all of the Israeli people.

All these [are] men of war, keeping rank—they have come to Hebron with a perfect heart, to cause David to reign over all Israel, and also all the rest of Israel [are] of one heart, to cause David to reign,

39 The men spent three days there with David, eating and drinking, because their families had given them food to take with them.

and they are there, with David, three days, eating and drinking, for their brothers have prepared for them.

40 Also, their fellow Israelis came from as far away as the area where the tribes of Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali lived, bringing food on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen. They brought a lot of flour, fig cakes, raisins, wine, [olive] oil, cattle and sheep. And throughout Israel, the people were very joyful.

And also those near to them—to Issachar, and Zebulun, and Naphtali—are bringing in bread on donkeys, and on camels, and on mules, and on oxen—food of fine flour, fig-cakes and grape-cakes, and wine, and oil, and oxen, and sheep, in abundance, for joy [is] in Israel.