12:1  Now these came to David at Ziklag, while he felt still restricted because of Saul the son of Kish; and they served among the mighty men who helped him in war.

12:2  They equipped themselves with bows, using both the right hand and the left to sling stones and to shoot arrows from the bow; we knew them as Saul's kinsmen from Benjamin.

12:3  The chief we identify as Ahiezer, then Joash, the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite; and Jeziel and Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth, and Beracah and Jehu the Anathothite,

12:4  and Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the thirty, and over the thirty. Then Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, Jozabad the Gederathite,

12:5  Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, Shephatiah the Haruphite,

12:6  Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, Jashobeam, the Korahites,

12:7  and Joelah and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham of Gedor.

12:8  From the Gadites there came over to David in the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for war, who could handle shield and spear, and whose faces resembled the faces of lions, and they seemed as swift as the gazelles on the mountains.

12:9  Ezer became the first, Obadiah the second, Eliab the third,

12:10  Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth,

12:11  Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh,

12:12  Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth,

12:13  Jeremiah the tenth, Machbannai the eleventh.

12:14  These of the sons of Gad became captains of the army; he who seemed least proved equal to a hundred and the greatest to a thousand.

12:15  These we identify as the ones who crossed the Jordan in the first month when it overflowed all its banks and they put to flight all those in the valleys, both to the east and to the west.

12:16  Then some of the sons of Benjamin and Judah came to the stronghold to David.

12:17  David went out to meet them, and said to them, "If you come peacefully to me to help me, my heart shall unite with you; but if to betray me to my adversaries, since I have done no wrong in my hands, may the God of our fathers look on it and decide."

12:18  Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, who served as the chief of the thirty, and he said, "We belong to you, O David, and with you, O son of Jesse! Peace, peace to you, and peace to him who helps you; indeed, your God helps you!" Then David received them and made them captains of the band.

12:19  From Manasseh also some defected to David when he would go to battle with the Philistines against Saul. But they did not help them, for the lords of the Philistines after consultation sent him away, saying, "At the cost of our heads he may defect to his master Saul."

12:20  As he went to Ziklag there defected to him from Manasseh: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu and Zillethai, captains of thousands who belonged to Manasseh.

12:21  They helped David against the band of raiders, for they proved all mighty men of valor, and served as captains in the army.

12:22  For day by day men came to David to help him, until there came a great army like the army of God.

12:23  Now these we count as the numbers of the divisions equipped for war, who came to David at Hebron, to turn the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the word of the LORD.

12:24  The sons of Judah who bore shield and spear numbered 6,800, equipped for war.

12:25  Of the sons of Simeon, mighty men of valor for war, 7,100.

12:26  Of the sons of Levi 4,600.

12:27  Now Jehoiada served as the leader of the house of Aaron, and with him numbered 3,700,

12:28  also Zadok, a young man mighty of valor, and of his father's house twenty-two captains.

12:29  Of the sons of Benjamin, Saul's kinsmen, 3,000; for until now the greatest part of them had kept their allegiance to the house of Saul.

12:30  Of the sons of Ephraim 20,800, mighty men of valor, famous men in their fathers' households.

12:31  Of the half-tribe of Manasseh 18,000, who received the designation by name to come and make David king.

12:32  Of the sons of Issachar, men who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do, their chiefs added up to two hundred; and all their kinsmen served at their command.

12:33  Of Zebulun, there numbered 50,000 who went out in the army, who could draw up in battle formation with all kinds of weapons of war and helped David with an undivided heart.

12:34  Of Naphtali there numbered 1,000 captains, and with them 37,000 with shield and spear.

12:35  Of the Danites who could draw up in battle formation, there numbered 28,600.

12:36  Of Asher there numbered 40,000 who went out in the army to draw up in battle formation.

12:37  From the other side of the Jordan, of the Reubenites and the Gadites and of the half-tribe of Manasseh, there numbered 120,000 with all kinds of weapons of war for the battle.

12:38  All these, being men of war who could draw up in battle formation, came to Hebron with a perfect heart to make David king over all Israel; and all the rest also of Israel had one mind to make David king.

12:39  They remained there with David three days, eating and drinking, for their kinsmen had prepared for them.

12:40  Moreover those who remained near to them, even as far as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, brought food on donkeys, camels, mules and on oxen, great quantities of flour cakes, fig cakes and bunches of raisins, wine, oil, oxen and sheep. There came joy indeed in Israel.