1 Chronicles 12 - Introduction

1 The companies that came to Dauid at Ziklag.

23 The armies that came to him at Hebron.

1 Now [Note: 1 Samuel 27:1.] these are they that came to Dauid to Ziklag [Note: Hebrew: being yet shut vp.] while hee yet kept himselfe close, because of Saul the sonne of Kish: and they were among the mighty men, helpers of the warre.

2 They were armed with bowes, and could vse both the right hand and the left, in hurling stones, and shooting arrowes out of a bow, euen of Sauls brethren of Beniamin.

3 The chiefe was Ahiezer, then Ioash the sonnes of [Note: Or, Hasmaa.] Shemaah the Gibeathite, and Ieziel, and Pelet, the sonnes of Azmaueth, and Berachah, and Iehu the Antothite,

4 And Ismaiah the Gibeonite, a mightie man among the thirtie, and ouer the thirtie, and Ieremiah, and Iahaziel, and Iohanan, and Iosabad the Gederathite,

5 Eleuzai, and Ierimoth, and Bealiath, and Shemariah, and Shephatiah the Haruphite,

6 Elkanah, and Iesiah, and Azariel, and Ioezer, and Iashobeam, the Korhites,

7 And Ioelah, and Zebadiah the sonnes of Ieroam of Gedor.

8 And of the Gadites there separated themselues vnto Dauid, into the hold to the wildernesse, men of might, and men [Note: Hebrew: of the hoste.] of warre, fit for the battel, that could handle shield and buckler, whose faces were like the faces of Lyons, and were [Note: Hebrew: as the Roes vpon the mountaines to make haste.] as swift as the Roes vpon the mountaines:

9 Ezer the first, Obadiah the second, Eliab the third,

10 Mashmannah the fourth, Ieremiah the fift,

11 Atthai the sixt, Eliel the seuenth,

12 Iohanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth,

13 Ieremiah the tenth, Machbanai the eleuenth.

14 These were of the sonnes of Gad,

[Dauids helpers to make him king.]

captaines of the hoste: [Note: Or, one that was least could resist an hundred, and the greatest a thousand.] one of the least was ouer an hundred, and the greatest, ouer a thousand.

15 These are they that went ouer Iorden in the first moneth, when it had [Note: Hebrew: filled ouer.] ouerflowen all his [Note: Joshua 3:15.] bankes, and they put to flight all them of the valleis, both toward the East, and toward the West.

16 And there came of the children of Beniamin, and Iudah, to the hold vnto Dauid.

17 And Dauid went out [Note: Hebrew: before them.] to meete them, and answered and sayd vnto them: If yee bee come peaceably vnto me to helpe me, mine heart shall [Note: Hebrew: be one.] be knit vnto you: but if yee be come to betray me to mine enemies, seeing there is no [Note: Or, violence.] wrong in mine hands: the God of our fathers looke thereon, and rebuke it.

18 Then [Note: Hebrew: the Sprit clothed Amasai.] the spirit came vpon Amasai, who was chiefe of the captaines, and he sayd, Thine are we, Dauid, and on thy side, thou sonne of Iesse: Peace, peace be vnto thee, and peace be to thine helpers; for thy God helpeth thee. Then Dauid receiued them, and made them captaines of the band.

19 And there fell some of Manasseh to Dauid, when he came with the Philistines against Saul to battell, but they helped them not. For the Lords of the Philistines, vpon aduisement, sent him away, saying, [Note: 1 Samuel 29:4.] Hee will fall to his master Saul, [Note: Hebrew: on our heads.] to the ieopardie of our heads.

20 As he went to Ziklag, there fell to him of Manasseh, Adnah, and Iozabad, and Iediel, and Michael, and Iozabad, and Elihu, and Zilthai, captaines of the thousands that were of Manasseh.

21 And they helped Dauid [Note: Or, with a band.] against the band of the Rouers: for they were all mighty men of valour, and were captaines in the hoste.

22 For at that time day by day, there came to Dauid to helpe him, vntill it was a great hoste, like the hoste of God.

23 And these are the numbers of the [Note: Or, captaines, or, men. Hebrew: heads.] bands, that were ready armed to the warre, and came to Dauid to Hebron, to turne the kingdome of Saul to him, according to the word of the Lord.

24 The children of Iudah that bare shield, and speare, were sixe thousand, and eight hundred, readie [Note: Or, prepared.] armed to the warre.

[Dauids helpers to make him king.]

25 Of the children of Simeon, mighty men of valour for the warre, seuen thousand and one hundred.

26 Of the children of Leui, foure thousand and sixe hundred.

27 And Iehoiada was the leader of the Aaronits, and with him were three thousand, and seuen hundred.

28 And Zadok a young man mightie of valour, and of his fathers house twentie and two captaines.

29 And of the children of Beniamin the [Note: Hebrew: brethren.] kinred of Saul three thousand: for hitherto [Note: Hebrew: a multitude of them.] the greatest part of them had kept the ward of the house of Saul.

30 And of the children of Ephraim, twentie thousand, and eight hundred, mightie men of valour, [Note: Hebrew: men of names.] famous throughout the house of their fathers.

31 And of the halfe tribe of Manasseh, eighteene thousand, which were expressed by name, to come and make Dauid king.

32 And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had vnderstanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to doe: the heads of them were two hundred, and all their brethren were at their commandement.

33 Of Zebulun, such as went foorth to battell, [Note: Or rangers of battell, or ranged in battell.] expert in warre, with all instruments of warre, fifty thousand, which could [Note: Or, set the battell in aray.] keepe ranke: They were [Note: Hebrew: without a heart and a heart.] not of double heart.

34 And of Naphtali a thousand captaines, and with them, with shield and speare, thirtie and seuen thousand.

35 And of the Danites, expert in war, twentie and eight thousand, and sixe hundred.

36 And of Asher, such as went foorth to battell, [Note: Or, keeping their ranke.] expert in warre, fourtie thousand.

37 And on the other side of Iorden, of the Reubenites, & the Gadites, and of the halfe tribe of Manasseh, with all maner of instruments of warre for the battell, an hundred and twentie thousand.

38 All these men of warre, that could keepe ranke, came with a perfect heart to Hebron, to make Dauid king ouer all Israel: and all the rest also of Israel, were of one heart to make Dauid king.

39 And there they were with Dauid three dayes, eating and drinking: for their brethren had prepared for them.

40 Moreouer, they that were nigh them, euen vnto Issachar, and Zebulun,

[Uzzassaine.]

and Naphtali brought bread on asses, and on camels, and on mules, and on oxen, and [Note: Or, vitaile of meale.] meat, meale, cakes of figs, and bunches of raisins, and wine, and oyle, and oxen, and sheepe abundantly: for there was ioy in Israel.