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.

Also these camen to Dauid in Sichelech, whanne he fledde yit fro Saul, the sone of Cys; whiche weren strongeste men and noble fiyterys,

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.

beendynge bouwe, and castynge stoonys with slyngis with euer either hond, and dressynge arowis; of the britheren of Saul of Beniamyn,

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 prince Achieser, and Joas, the sones of Samaa of Gabaath, and Jazachel, and Phallech, the sones of Azmod, and Barachie, and Jehu of Anathot;

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

also Samay of Gabaon was the strongeste among thretti and aboue thretti; Jeremy, and Jezihel, and Johannan, and Zebadga Zerothites,

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

Elusay, and Jerymoth, and Baalia, and Samaria, and Saphia Araphites,

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

Elchana, and Jesia, and Azrahel, and Jezer, and Jesbaam of Taremy,

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

and Joelam, and Sabadia, the sones of Jeroam of Jedor.

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.

But also of Gaddi strongeste men, and beste fiyteris, holdynge scheld and spere, fledden ouer to Dauid, whanne he was hid in deseert; the faces of hem as the face of a lioun, and thei weren swift as capretis in hillis.

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

Ozer was the prince, Obdias the secounde, Eliab the thridde,

10 Next was Mishmannah. Next was Jeremiah.

Masmana the fourthe, Jeremye the fyuethe,

11 Next was Attai. Next was Eliel.

Becchi the sixte, Heliel the seuenthe,

12 Next was Johanan. Next was Elzabad.

Johannan the eiythe, Helzedad the nynthe,

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

Jeremye the tenthe, Bachana the euleuenthe;

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 of the sones of Gad weren princes of the oost; the laste was souereyn ouer an hundrid knyytis, and the moost was souereyn ouer a thousynde.

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 it ben that passiden ouer Jordan in the firste monethe, whanne it was wont to flowe ouer hise brynkis; and thei dryueden awei alle men that dwelliden in the valeis at the eest coost and west coost.

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

Sotheli also men of Beniamyn and of Juda camen to the stronge hoold, whereyn Dauid dwellide.

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 Dauid yede out ayens hem, and seide, If ye `ben comyn pesible to me, for to helpe me, myn herte be ioyned to you; forsothe if ye setten aspies to me for myn aduersaries, sithen Y haue not wickidnesse in the hondis, God of our fadris se and deme.

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.”

Forsothe the spirit clothide Amasay, the prynce among thritti, and he seide, A! Dauid, we ben thin, and thou, sone of Ysai, we schulen be with thee; pees, pees to thee, and pees to thin helperis, for thi Lord God helpith thee. Therfor Dauid resseyuede hem, and made princes of the cumpeny.

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}!”

Forsothe men of Manasses fledden ouer to Dauid, whanne he cam with Filisteis to fiyte ayens Saul, and he fauyte not with hem, for after that the princes of Filisteis hadden take counsel, thei senten hym ayen, and seiden, With perel of oure heed he schal turne ayen to Saul his lord.

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].

Therfor whanne Dauid turnede ayen in to Sichelech, men of Manasses fledden ouer to hym, Eduas, and Jozabad, Jedihel, and Mychael, and Naas, and Jozabath, and Helyu, and Salathi, princes of knyytis in Manasses.

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.

These men yauen help to Dauid ayens theues; for alle weren strongeste men, and thei weren maad prynces in the oost.

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).

But also bi ech dai men camen to Dauid, for to helpe hym, til that the noumbre was maad greet as the oost 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.

Also this is the noumbre of princes of the oost that camen to Dauid, whanne he was in Ebron, that thei schulden translate the rewme of Saul to hym, bi the word of the Lord; the sones of Juda,

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

berynge scheeld and spere, sixe thousynde and eiyte hundrid, redi to batel;

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

of the sones of Simeon, seuene thousinde and an hundrid, of strongeste men to fiyte;

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

of the sones of Leuy, foure thousynde and sixe hundrid;

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.

also Joiada, prince of the generacioun of Aaron, and thre thousynd and seuene hundrid with hym;

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

also Sadoch, a child of noble wit, and the hows of his fadir, twei and twenti princes;

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.

forsothe of the sones of Beniamyn, britheren of Saul, thre thousynde; for a greet part of hem suede yit the hows 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.

forsothe of the sones of Effraym, twenti thousynde and eiyte hundrid, strongeste men in bodili myyt, men named in her meynees;

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 part of the lynage of Manasses, eiytene thousynde; alle camen bi her names, to make Dauid kyng;

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.

also of the sones of Ysacar, two hundrid princes, lernd men, that knewen ech tyme to comaunde what the puple of Israel ouyt to do; sotheli al the residue lynage suede the counseils of hem;

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.

forsothe of Zabulon camen fifti thousynde in to helpe, not in double herte, which yeden out to batel, and stoden in the scheltrun, and weren maad redi with armuris of batel;

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

and of Neptalym a thousynde prynces, and with hem camen seuene and thritti thousynde men, arayed with scheeld and speere;

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

also of Dan, eiyte and twenti thousynde and sixe hundrid men, maad redi to batel;

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

and of Aser fourti thousynde men, goynge out to batel, and stirynge to batel in the scheltrun.

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.

Forsothe biyende Jordan, of the sones of Ruben, and of Gad, and of the half part of the lynage of Manasses, sixe scoore thousynde men, araied with armuris of batel.

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.

Alle these men werriouris and redi to batel camen with perfit herte in to Ebron, to make Dauid kyng on al Israel; but also alle the residue of Israel weren of oon herte, that Dauid schulde be maad king on al Israel.

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

And thei weren ther at Dauid thre daies, and eten and drunken; for her britheren hadden maad redi to hem;

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.

but also thei that weren niy hem, til to Isacar and Zabulon and Neptalym, brouyten looues on assis, and camelis, and mulis, and oxis, for to ete; mele, bundelis of pressid figis, dried grapis, wyn, oile, oxis and wetheres, to al plentee; for ioy was in Israel.