The Mighty Men Join David at Ziklag
And these are those who came to David at Ziklag, while he was still shut away because of Saul the son of Kish; and they were among the mighty men, helpers in the war,
armed with the bow, using right hand and left with stones and with arrows on the bow — of the brothers of Saul, from Benjamin:
the head, Ahiezer, and Joash, the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite; and Jeziel and Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth; and Beracah, and Jehu the Anathothite,
and Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the Thirty and over the Thirty; and Jeremiah, and Jahaziel, and Johanan, and Jozabad the Gederathite,
Eluzai, and Jerimoth, and Bealiah, and Shemariah, and Shephatiah the Haruphite,
Elkanah, and Isshiah, and Azarel, and Joezer, and Jashobeam — the Korahites;
and Joelah, and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham, from Gedor.
And of the Gadite, there separated to David, to the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men of the army for war, arrayed with shield and spear — their faces the faces of lions, and swift as gazelles on the mountains:
Ezer the head, Obadiah the second, Eliab the third,
Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth,
Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh,
Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth,
Jeremiah the tenth, Machbannai the eleventh.
These were of the sons of Gad, heads of the army; the least was equal to a hundred, and the greatest to a thousand.
These are they who crossed the Jordan in the first month, when it was overflowing all its banks; and they put to flight all the valley-dwellers, to the east and to the west.
And some of the sons of Benjamin and Judah came to the stronghold, to David.
And David went out before them, and answered and said to them: “If you have come to me in peace, to help me, my heart will be joined to you as one. But if to betray me to my adversaries, when there is no violence in my palms — may the God of our fathers see, and judge.”
And a spirit clothed Amasai, the head of the Thirty: “Yours, David! And with you, son of Jesse! Peace, peace to you, and peace to your helper — for your God has helped you.” And David received them, and set them among the heads of the raiding band.
And some of Manasseh fell away to David when he came with the Philistines against Saul for battle — but they did not help them; for on counsel the lords of the Philistines sent him away, saying, “At the cost of our heads he will fall away to his lord Saul.”
As he went to Ziklag, there fell away to him from Manasseh: Adnah, and Jozabad, and Jediael, and Michael, and Jozabad, and Elihu, and Zillethai — heads of the thousands that belonged to Manasseh.
And they helped David against the raiding band — for all of them were mighty men of valor; and they became commanders in the army.
For day by day they kept coming to David to help him, until it was a great camp, like a camp of God.
David’s Army Grows at Hebron
And these are the counts of the heads of those equipped for the army who came to David at Hebron, to turn the kingdom of Saul over to him, according to the mouth of the LORD:
The sons of Judah, carrying shield and spear: six thousand eight hundred, equipped for the army.
Of the sons of Simeon, mighty men of valor for the army: seven thousand one hundred.
Of the sons of Levi: four thousand six hundred;
and Jehoiada, the leader of the house of Aaron, and with him three thousand seven hundred;
and Zadok, a young man, a mighty man of valor, with twenty-two commanders of his father’s house.
And of the sons of Benjamin, the brothers of Saul: three thousand — for until then the greater part of them had been keeping the watch of the house of Saul.
And of the sons of Ephraim: twenty thousand eight hundred, mighty men of valor, men of name in the houses of their fathers.
And of the half-tribe of Manasseh: eighteen thousand, who were designated by name to come and make David king.
And of the sons of Issachar, men who understood the times, to know what Israel should do: their heads were two hundred, and all their brothers were at their mouth.
Of Zebulun, those going out with the army, arrayed for battle with every weapon of war: fifty thousand — to help with singleness of purpose, without a double heart.
And of Naphtali: a thousand commanders, and with them, with shield and spear, thirty-seven thousand.
And of the Danite, arrayed for battle: twenty-eight thousand six hundred.
And of Asher, those going out with the army to array for battle: forty thousand.
And from across the Jordan — of the Reubenite, and the Gadite, and the half-tribe of Manasseh — with every weapon of the army for war: a hundred and twenty thousand.
All these, men of war, keeping rank, came to Hebron with a whole heart, to make David king over all Israel; and all the rest of Israel too was of one heart to make David king.
And they were there with David three days, eating and drinking — for their brothers had prepared for them.
And also those near them, as far as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, were bringing bread on donkeys, and on camels, and on mules, and on oxen — food: flour, cakes of figs, and clusters of raisins, and wine, and oil, and oxen, and sheep in abundance. For there was joy in Israel.