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were the men who came to David at Ziklag, while he was banished from the presence of Saul son of Kish; they were among the warriors who helped him in battle. 2 They were armed with bows, and were able to use both the right hand and the left in slinging stones or shooting arrows with the bow. They were from the tribe of Benjamin and were Saul’s relatives:
3 Their chief was Ahiezer son of Shemaah of Gibeathite, then his brother Joash;
Jeziel and Pelet the sons of Azmaveth;
Beracah, Jehu of Anathothite,
4 Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a warrior among the Thirty, and a leader over the Thirty;
Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, Jozabad the Gederahthite,
5 Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, Shephatiah the Haruphite;
6 Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam the Korahites;
7 and Joelah and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham of Gedor.
8 Some of the Gadites defected to David at his stronghold in the wilderness. They were brave warriors, men trained for battle and able to handle shield and spear. Their faces were like the faces of lions, and they were as swift as gazelles on the mountains.
9 Ezer was the chief,
Obadiah the second, Eliab the third,
10 Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth,
11 Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh,
12 Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth,
13 Jeremiah the tenth, and Machbannai the eleventh.
14 These Gadites were army commanders; the least was a match for a hundred, and the greatest for a thousand. 15 These are the men who crossed over the Jordan in the first month when it was overflowing all its banks, and they put to flight all those in the valleys, to the east and to the west.
16 Other Benjaminites and men of Judah also came to David at the stronghold. 17 David went out to meet them and said to them, “If you have come in peace to me to help me, my heart will be joined to you; but if you have come to betray me to my enemies, since there is no wrong in my hands, may the God of our fathers look on it and bring judgment.”
18 Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, who was chief of the Thirty, and he said,
“We are yours, O David!
We are on your side, O son of Jesse!
Peace, peace to you,
and peace to those who help you,
for your God will help you.”
So David received them and made them leaders of his troops.
19 Some men from Manasseh defected to David when he came with the Philistines to fight against Saul. But they did not help the Philistines, because the Philistine leaders consulted together, and they sent David away. They said, “If he deserts to his master Saul, it will cost us our heads.” 20 When David went to Ziklag, these were the men of Manasseh who defected to him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, chiefs of thousands in Manasseh. 21 They helped David against the bands of raiders; for they were all brave warriors, and they were commanders in the army. 22 At that time, men came to help David day after day until he had a great army, like the army of God.
23 These are the numbers of the men armed for battle, who came to David at Hebron to turn over Saul’s kingdom to him, according to the word of the Lord:
24 men of Judah, equipped with shield and spear—6,800 armed for battle;
25men of Simeon, brave warriors ready for battle—7,100;
26 men of Levi—4,600;
27 Jehoiada, the leader of the house of Aaron, with 3,700 men,
28 and Zadok, a brave young warrior, and 22 leaders from his own ancestral house;
29 men of Benjamin, the kinsmen of Saul, 3,000 (until that time most them had remained loyal to the house of Saul);
30 men of Ephraim, 20,800 brave warriors, famous men in their ancestral houses;
31 men of the half-tribe of Manasseh—18,000 designated by name to come and make David king;
32 men of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel needed to do—200 chiefs, with all their kinsmen under their command;
33 men of Zebulun—50,000 fit for battle, trained to handle all kinds of weapons, to serve David with undivided loyalty;
34 men of Naphtali—1,000 commanders, together with 37,000, equipped with spear and shield;
35 men of Dan, trained for battle—28,600;
36 men of Asher—40,000 trained and ready to fight in battle;
37 from across the Jordan, men of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh—120,000 equipped with every type of weapon.
38 All these were warriors able to keep battle formation, and they came to Hebron with the wholehearted intention of making David king over all Israel. All the rest of the Israelites were also of one mind to make David king. 39 They were there with David three days, eating and drinking, for their kindred had made preparation for them. 40 Also, their neighbours from as far away as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali came bringing food on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen—abundant supplies of flour, fig cakes, clusters of raisins, wine and oil, oxen, and sheep, for there was joy in Israel.