1 Chronicles 12:1-37

Other Translations of 1 Chronicles 12:1-37

King James Version

David's Army

12¹ Now these are they that came to David to Ziklag, while he yet kept himself close because of Saul the son of Kish: and they were among the mighty men, helpers of the war. ² They were armed with bows, and could use both the right hand and the left in hurling stones and shooting arrows out of a bow, even of Saul's brethren of Benjamin. ³ The chief was Ahiezer, then Joash, the sons of Shemaah Shemaah: or, Hasmaah the Gibeathite; and Jeziel, and Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth; and Berachah, and Jehu the Antothite, ⁴ And Ismaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the thirty, and over the thirty; and Jeremiah, and Jahaziel, and Johanan, and Josabad the Gederathite, ⁵ Eluzai, and Jerimoth, and Bealiah, and Shemariah, and Shephatiah the Haruphite, ⁶ Elkanah, and Jesiah, and Azareel, and Joezer, and Jashobeam, the Korhites, ⁷ And Joelah, and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham of Gedor. ⁸ And of the Gadites there separated themselves unto David into the hold to the wilderness men of might, and men of war of war: Heb. of the host fit for the battle, that could handle shield and buckler, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as the roes upon the mountains; ⁹ Ezer the first, 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, Machbanai the eleventh. ¹⁴ These were of the sons of Gad, captains of the host: one one...: or, one that was least could resist an hundred, and the greatest a thousand of the least was over an hundred, and the greatest over a thousand. ¹⁵ These are they that went over Jordan in the first month, when it had overflown overflown: Heb. filled over all his banks; and they put to flight all them of the valleys, both toward the east, and toward the west. ¹⁶ And there came of the children of Benjamin and Judah to the hold unto David. ¹⁷ And David went out to meet to meet...: Heb. before them them, and answered and said unto them, If ye be come peaceably unto me to help me, mine heart shall be knit unto you: but if ye be come to betray me to mine enemies, seeing there is no wrong in mine hands, the God of our fathers look thereon, and rebuke it. ¹⁸ Then the spirit came came...: Heb. clothed upon Amasai, who was chief of the captains, and he said, Thine are we, David, and on thy side, thou son of Jesse: peace, peace be unto thee, and peace be to thine helpers; for thy God helpeth thee. Then David received them, and made them captains of the band. ¹⁹ And there fell some of Manasseh to David, when he came with the Philistines against Saul to battle: but they helped them not: for the lords of the Philistines upon advisement sent him away, saying, He will fall to his master Saul to the jeopardy of our heads. ²⁰ As he went to Ziklag, there fell to him of Manasseh, Adnah, and Jozabad, and Jediael, and Michael, and Jozabad, and Elihu, and Zilthai, captains of the thousands that were of Manasseh. ²¹ And they helped David against the band of the rovers: for they were all mighty men of valour, and were captains in the host. ²² For at that time day by day there came to David to help him, until it was a great host, like the host of God.

²³ And these are the numbers of the bands bands: or, captains, or, men: Heb. heads that were ready armed to the war, and came to David to Hebron, to turn the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the word of the Lord. ²⁴ The children of Judah that bare shield and spear were six thousand and eight hundred, ready armed armed: or, prepared to the war. ²⁵ Of the children of Simeon, mighty men of valour for the war, seven thousand and one hundred. ²⁶ Of the children of Levi four thousand and six hundred. ²⁷ And Jehoiada was the leader of the Aaronites, and with him were three thousand and seven hundred; ²⁸ And Zadok, a young man mighty of valour, and of his father's house twenty and two captains. ²⁹ And of the children of Benjamin, the kindred kindred: Heb. brethren of Saul, three thousand: for hitherto the greatest part of them had kept the ward of the house of Saul. ³⁰ And of the children of Ephraim twenty thousand and eight hundred, mighty men of valour, famous famous: Heb. men of names throughout the house of their fathers. ³¹ And of the half tribe of Manasseh eighteen thousand, which were expressed by name, to come and make David king. ³² And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their commandment. ³³ Of Zebulun, such as went forth to battle, expert expert...: or, rangers of battle, or, ranged in battle in war, with all instruments of war, fifty thousand, which could keep rank: they were not of double heart. ³⁴ And of Naphtali a thousand captains, and with them with shield and spear thirty and seven thousand. ³⁵ And of the Danites expert in war twenty and eight thousand and six hundred. ³⁶ And of Asher, such as went forth to battle, expert expert: or, keeping their rank in war, forty thousand. ³⁷ And on the other side of Jordan, of the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and of the half tribe of Manasseh, with all manner of instruments of war for the battle, an hundred and twenty thousand.

English Standard Version

David's Army

12¹ Now these are the men who came to David at Ziklag, while he could not move about freely because of Saul the son of Kish. And they were among the mighty men who helped him in war. ² They were bowmen and could shoot arrows and sling stones with either the right or the left hand; they were Benjaminites, Saul's kinsmen. ³ The chief was Ahiezer, then Joash, both sons of Shemaah of Gibeah; also Jeziel and Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth; Beracah, Jehu of Anathoth, ⁴ Ishmaiah of Gibeon, a mighty man among the thirty and a leader over the thirty; Jeremiah,Hebrew verse 5 Jahaziel, Johanan, Jozabad of Gederah, ⁵ Eluzai,Hebrew verse 6 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 From the Gadites there went over to David at the stronghold in the wilderness mighty and experienced warriors, expert with shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions and who were swift as gazelles upon the mountains: ⁹ Ezer the chief, Obadiah second, Eliab third, ¹⁰ Mishmannah fourth, Jeremiah fifth, ¹¹ Attai sixth, Eliel seventh, ¹² Johanan eighth, Elzabad ninth, ¹³ Jeremiah tenth, Machbannai eleventh. ¹⁴ These Gadites were officers of the army; the least was a match for a hundred men and the greatest for a thousand. ¹⁵ These are the men who crossed the Jordan in the first month, when it was overflowing all its banks, and put to flight all those in the valleys, to the east and to the west. ¹⁶ And some of the men of Benjamin and Judah came to the stronghold to David. ¹⁷ David went out to meet them and said to them, "If you have come to me in friendship to help me, my heart will be joined to you; but if to betray me to my adversaries, although there is no wrong in my hands, then may the God of our fathers see and rebuke you." ¹⁸ Then the Spirit clothed Amasai, chief of the thirty, and he said, "We are yours, O David, and with you, O son of Jesse! Peace, peace to you, and peace to your helpers! For your God helps you."Then David received them and made them officers of his troops. ¹⁹ Some of the men of Manasseh deserted to David when he came with the Philistines for the battle against Saul. (Yet he did not help them, for the rulers of the Philistines took counsel and sent him away, saying, "At peril to our heads he will desert to his master Saul.") ²⁰ As he went to Ziklag, these men of Manasseh deserted to him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, chiefs of thousands in Manasseh. ²¹ They helped David against the band of raiders, for they were all mighty men of valor and were commanders in the army. ²² For from day to day men came to David to help him, until there was a great army, like an army of God.

²³ These are the numbers of the divisions of the armed troops who came to David in Hebron to turn the kingdom of Saul over to him, according to the word of the Lord. ²⁴ The men of Judah bearing shield and spear were 6,800 armed troops. ²⁵ Of the Simeonites, mighty men of valor for war, 7,100. ²⁶ Of the Levites 4,600. ²⁷ The prince Jehoiada, of the house of Aaron, and with him 3,700. ²⁸ Zadok, a young man mighty in valor, and twenty-two commanders from his own fathers' house. ²⁹ Of the Benjaminites, the kinsmen of Saul, 3,000, of whom the majority had to that point kept their allegiance to the house of Saul. ³⁰ Of the Ephraimites 20,800, mighty men of valor, famous men in their fathers' houses. ³¹ Of the half-tribe of Manasseh 18,000, who were expressly named to come and make David king. ³² Of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, 200 chiefs, and all their kinsmen under their command. ³³ Of Zebulun 50,000 seasoned troops, equipped for battle with all the weapons of war, to help DavidSeptuagint; Hebrew lacks David with singleness of purpose. ³⁴ Of Naphtali 1,000 commanders with whom were 37,000 men armed with shield and spear. ³⁵ Of the Danites 28,600 men equipped for battle. ³⁶ Of Asher 40,000 seasoned troops ready for battle. ³⁷ Of the Reubenites and Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh from beyond the Jordan, 120,000 men armed with all the weapons of war.

The Message

David's Army

12¹ These are the men who joined David in Ziklag; it was during the time he was banished by Saul the son of Kish; they were among the Mighty Men, good fighters. ² They were armed with bows and could sling stones and shoot arrows either right- or left-handed. They hailed from Saul's tribe, Benjamin. ³ The first was Ahiezer; then Joash son of Shemaah the Gibeathite; Jeziel and Pelet the sons of Azmaveth; Beracah; Jehu the Anathothite; ⁴ Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a Mighty Man among the Thirty, a leader of the Thirty; Jeremiah; Jahaziel; Johanan; Jozabad the Gederathite; ⁵ Eluzai; Jerimoth; Bealiah; Shemariah; Shephatiah the Haruphite; ⁶ Elkanah; Isshiah; Azarel; Joezer; Jashobeam; the Korahites; ⁷ and Joelah and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham from Gedor. ⁸ There were some Gadites there who had defected to David at his wilderness fortress; they were seasoned and eager fighters who knew how to handle shield and spear. They were wild in appearance, like lions, but as agile as gazelles racing across the hills. ⁹ Ezer was the first, then Obadiah, Eliab, ¹⁰ Mishmannah, Jeremiah, ¹¹ Attai, Eliel, ¹² Johanan, Elzabad, ¹³ Jeremiah, and Macbannai - eleven of them. ¹⁴ These Gadites were the cream of the crop - any one of them was worth a hundred lesser men, and the best of them were worth a thousand. ¹⁵ They were the ones who crossed the Jordan when it was at flood stage in the first month, and put everyone in the lowlands to flight, both east and west. ¹⁶ There were also men from the tribes of Benjamin and Judah who joined David in his wilderness fortress. ¹⁷ When David went out to meet them, this is what he said: "If you have come in peace and to help me, you are most welcome to join this company; but if you have come to betray me to my enemies, innocent as I am, the God of our ancestors will see through you and bring judgment on you." ¹⁸ Just then Amasai chief of the Thirty, moved by God's Spirit, said, We're on your side, O David, We're committed, O son of Jesse; All is well, yes, all is well with you, And all's well with whoever helps you. Yes, for your God has helped and does help you. So David took them on and assigned them a place under the chiefs of the raiders. ¹⁹ Some from the tribe of Manasseh also defected to David when he started out with the Philistines to go to war against Saul. In the end, they didn't actually fight because the Philistine leaders, after talking it over, sent them home, saying, "We can't trust them with our lives - they'll betray us to their master Saul." ²⁰ The men from Manasseh who defected to David at Ziklag were Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, all leaders among the families of Manasseh. ²¹ They helped David in his raids against the desert bandits; they were all stalwart fighters and good leaders among his raiders. ²² Hardly a day went by without men showing up to help - it wasn't long before his band seemed as large as God's own army!

²³ Here are the statistics on the battle-seasoned warriors who came down from the north to David at Hebron to hand over Saul's kingdom, in accord with God's word: ²⁴ from Judah, carrying shield and spear, 6,800 battle-ready; ²⁵ from Simeon, 7,100 stalwart fighters; ²⁶ from Levi, 4,600, ²⁷ which included Jehoiada leader of the family of Aaron, bringing 3,700 men ²⁸ and the young and stalwart Zadok with twenty-two leaders from his family; ²⁹ from Benjamin, Saul's family, 3,000, most of whom had stuck it out with Saul until now; ³⁰ from Ephraim, 20,800, fierce fighters and famous in their hometowns; ³¹ from the half-tribe of Manasseh, 18,000 elected to come and make David king; ³² from Issachar, men who understood both the times and Israel's duties, 200 leaders with their families; ³³ from Zebulun, 50,000 well-equipped veteran warriors, unswervingly loyal; ³⁴ from Naphtali, 1,000 chiefs leading 37,000 men heavily armed; ³⁵ from Dan, 28,600 battle-ready men; ³⁶ from Asher, 40,000 veterans, battle-ready; ³⁷ and from East of Jordan, men from Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, heavily armed, 120,000.

New King James Version

David's Army

12¹ Now these were the men who came to David at Ziklag while he was still a fugitive from Saul the son of Kish; and they were among the mighty men, helpers in the war, ² armed with bows, using both the right hand and the left in hurling stones and shooting arrows with the bow. They were of Benjamin, Saul's brethren. ³ The chief was Ahiezer, then Joash, the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite; Jeziel and Pelet the sons of Azmaveth; Berachah, and Jehu the Anathothite; ⁴ Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the thirty, and over the thirty; Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, and Jozabad the Gederathite; ⁵ Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, and Shephatiah the Haruphite; ⁶ Elkanah, Jisshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, the Korahites; ⁷ and Joelah and Zebadiah the sons of Jeroham of Gedor. ⁸ Some Gadites joined David at the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for battle, who could handle shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as gazelles on the mountains: ⁹ Ezer the first, 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 Machbanai the eleventh. ¹⁴ These were from the sons of Gad, captains of the army; the least was over a hundred, and the greatest was over a thousand. ¹⁵ These are the ones who crossed the Jordan in the first month, when it had overflowed all its banks; and they put to flight all those in the valleys, to the east and to the west. ¹⁶ Then some of the sons of Benjamin and Judah came to David at the stronghold. ¹⁷ And David went out to meet them, and answered and said to them, "If you have come peaceably to me to help me, my heart will be united with you; but if to betray me to my enemies, since there is no wrong in my hands, may the God of our fathers look and bring judgment." ¹⁸ Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, chief of the captains, and he said: "We are yours, O David; We are on your side, O son of Jesse! Peace, peace to you, And peace to your helpers! For your God helps you." So David received them, and made them captains of the troop. ¹⁹ And some from Manasseh defected to David when he was going with the Philistines to battle against Saul; but they did not help them, for the lords of the Philistines sent him away by agreement, saying, "He may defect to his master Saul and endanger our heads." ²⁰ When he went to Ziklag, those of Manasseh who defected to him were Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, captains of the thousands who were from Manasseh. ²¹ And they helped David against the bands of raiders, for they were all mighty men of valor, and they were captains in the army. ²² For at that time they came to David day by day to help him, until it was a great army, like the army of God.

²³ Now these were the numbers of the divisions that were equipped for war, and came to David at Hebron to turn over the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the word of the Lord: ²⁴ of the sons of Judah bearing shield and spear, six thousand eight hundred armed for war; ²⁵ of the sons of Simeon, mighty men of valor fit for war, seven thousand one hundred; ²⁶ of the sons of Levi four thousand six hundred; ²⁷ Jehoiada, the leader of the Aaronites, and with him three thousand seven hundred; ²⁸ Zadok, a young man, a valiant warrior, and from his father's house twenty-two captains; ²⁹ of the sons of Benjamin, relatives of Saul, three thousand (until then the greatest part of them had remained loyal to the house of Saul); ³⁰ of the sons of Ephraim twenty thousand eight hundred, mighty men of valor, famous men throughout their father's house; ³¹ of the half-tribe of Manasseh eighteen thousand, who were designated by name to come and make David king; ³² of the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their command; ³³ of Zebulun there were fifty thousand who went out to battle, expert in war with all weapons of war, stouthearted men who could keep ranks; ³⁴ of Naphtali one thousand captains, and with them thirty-seven thousand with shield and spear; ³⁵ of the Danites who could keep battle formation, twenty-eight thousand six hundred; ³⁶ of Asher, those who could go out to war, able to keep battle formation, forty thousand; ³⁷ of the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, from the other side of the Jordan, one hundred and twenty thousand armed for battle with every kind of weapon of war.

New Living Translation

David's Army

12¹ The following men joined David at Ziklag while he was hiding from Saul son of Kish. They were among the warriors who fought beside David in battle. ² All of them were expert archers, and they could shoot arrows or sling stones with their left hand as well as their right. They were all relatives of Saul from the tribe of Benjamin. ³ Their leader was Ahiezer son of Shemaah from Gibeah; his brother Joash was second-in-command. These were the other warriors: Jeziel and Pelet, sons of Azmaveth; Beracah; Jehu from Anathoth; ⁴ Ishmaiah from Gibeon, a famous warrior and leader among the Thirty; Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, and Jozabad from Gederah; ⁵ Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, and Shephatiah from Haruph; ⁶ Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, who were Korahites; ⁷ Joelah and Zebadiah, sons of Jeroham from Gedor. ⁸ Some brave and experienced warriors from the tribe of Gad also defected to David while he was at the stronghold in the wilderness. They were expert with both shield and spear, as fierce as lions and as swift as deer on the mountains. ⁹ Ezer was their leader. Obadiah was second. Eliab was third. ¹⁰ Mishmannah was fourth. Jeremiah was fifth. ¹¹ Attai was sixth. Eliel was seventh. ¹² Johanan was eighth. Elzabad was ninth. ¹³ Jeremiah was tenth. Macbannai was eleventh. ¹⁴ These warriors from Gad were army commanders. The weakest among them could take on a hundred regular troops, and the strongest could take on a thousand! ¹⁵ These were the men who crossed the Jordan River during its seasonal flooding at the beginning of the year and drove out all the people living in the lowlands on both the east and west banks. ¹⁶ Others from Benjamin and Judah came to David at the stronghold. ¹⁷ David went out to meet them and said, "If you have come in peace to help me, we are friends. But if you have come to betray me to my enemies when I am innocent, then may the God of our ancestors see it and punish you." ¹⁸ Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, the leader of the Thirty, and he said, "We are yours, David! We are on your side, son of Jesse. Peace and prosperity be with you, and success to all who help you, for your God is the one who helps you." So David let them join him, and he made them officers over his troops. ¹⁹ Some men from Manasseh defected from the Israelite army and joined David when he set out with the Philistines to fight against Saul. But as it turned out, the Philistine rulers refused to let David and his men go with them. After much discussion, they sent them back, for they said, "It will cost us our heads if David switches loyalties to Saul and turns against us." ²⁰ Here is a list of the men from Manasseh who defected to David as he was returning to Ziklag: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai. Each commanded 1,000 troops from the tribe of Manasseh. ²¹ They helped David chase down bands of raiders, for they were all brave and able warriors who became commanders in his army. ²² Day after day more men joined David until he had a great army, like the army of God.

²³ These are the numbers of armed warriors who joined David at Hebron. They were all eager to see David become king instead of Saul, just as the Lord had promised. ²⁴ From the tribe of Judah, there were 6,800 warriors armed with shields and spears. ²⁵ From the tribe of Simeon, there were 7,100 brave warriors. ²⁶ From the tribe of Levi, there were 4,600 warriors. ²⁷ This included Jehoiada, leader of the family of Aaron, who had 3,700 under his command. ²⁸ This also included Zadok, a brave young warrior, with 22 members of his family who were all officers. ²⁹ From the tribe of Benjamin, Saul's relatives, there were 3,000 warriors. Most of the men from Benjamin had remained loyal to Saul until this time. ³⁰ From the tribe of Ephraim, there were 20,800 brave warriors, each highly respected in his own clan. ³¹ From the half-tribe of Manasseh west of the Jordan, 18,000 men were designated by name to help David become king. ³² From the tribe of Issachar, there were 200 leaders of the tribe with their relatives. All these men understood the signs of the times and knew the best course for Israel to take. ³³ From the tribe of Zebulun, there were 50,000 skilled warriors. They were fully armed and prepared for battle and completely loyal to David. ³⁴ From the tribe of Naphtali, there were 1,000 officers and 37,000 warriors armed with shields and spears. ³⁵ From the tribe of Dan, there were 28,600 warriors, all prepared for battle. ³⁶ From the tribe of Asher, there were 40,000 trained warriors, all prepared for battle. ³⁷ From the east side of the Jordan River-where the tribes of Reuben and Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh lived-there were 120,000 troops armed with every kind of weapon.