Chapter 12

Here are the names of the men who rallied to David’s side at Siceleg, while he was yet being hunted down by Saul, the son of Cis; brave men all, and tried warriors,

archers, too, that could sling stone or shoot arrow as well with the left hand as with the right; fellow tribesmen of Saul himself, from Benjamin.

Ahiezer and his brother Joas, the sons of Samaa, from Gabaath; Jaziel and Phallet, sons of Asmoth; Baracha, Jehu of Anathoth,

Samaias of Gabaon (one of the thirty chiefs, with thirty men behind him), Jeremias, Jeheziel, Johanan, Jezabad of Gaderoth,

Eluzai, Jerimuth, Baalia, Samaria, Saphatia the Haruphite,

Elcana, Jesia, Azareel, the Carehites Joezer and Jesbaam,

Joela, and Zabadia that was son to Jeroham of Gedor.

There were men of Gad, too, that went over to David’s allegiance when he was taking refuge in the desert, strong men, brave warriors, armed with shield and spear; no lion so terrible of aspect, no hind on the mountains so fleet of foot.

These were their names in order of rank, Ezer, Obdias, Eliab,

Masmana, Jeremias,

Ethi, Eliel,

Johanan, Elzebad,

Jeremias, Machbanai.

All these eleven were Gadites, and all held command, the last with a hundred men under him, the first with a thousand.

It was in the first month, a time of flood, that they came across Jordan; and all the dwellers in those valleys, east and west of it, fled at their coming.

There were others that came to the stronghold where David lay, from Benjamin and Juda.

To these David said, as he went out to meet them, If you come as friends, to aid me, knit be my heart with yours; if you are abetting my enemies, by laying a trap for an innocent man, then may the Lord God of our fathers look down and judge between us.

With that, inspired to utterance, Amasai answered him, that was one of the thirty chiefs: Thine, David, we are; with thee, son of Jesse, our lot is cast. Peace be to thee, peace to all who take part with thee; thou hast thy God with thee, taking thy part. So David welcomed them, and made them captains in his army.

And there were Manassites that went over to David; this was at the time when he would march out with the Philistines against Saul, but bring them aid he might not; the Philistine chiefs agreed to send him home, fearing he might go back to Saul’s allegiance, to their great peril.

So he had returned to Siceleg before these men of Manasses reached him, Ednas, Jozabad, Jedihel, Michael, (Ednas, Jozabad,) Eliu and Salathi, all chiefs of battalion among the Manassites.

Brave warriors these were, and helped David to make war on the freebooters, as captains in his army.

And now no day could pass but it brought David fresh allies, till his company reached great strength, like a host of God’s own mustering.

And here is the muster-roll of the armed men who came to find David in Hebron, and make him heir, as the Lord had promised, to Saul’s kingdom.

There were six thousand eight hundred men of Juda that bore shield and sword, all in battle array;

Simeon sent seven thousand one hundred fighting men,

and Levi four thousand six hundred.

(Among these were Joiada, chief of Aaron’s clan, with three thousand seven hundred at his back,

and Sadoc, a young man of rare promise, with twenty-two other chieftains, his kinsmen.)

Saul’s tribe of Benjamin sent but three thousand, since the greater part of them were loyal to Saul’s race;

Ephraim twenty thousand eight hundred, men well known among their clans for their prowess in war;

and from the western half of Manasses came eighteen thousand, each one of them sworn to make David king.

From Issachar came two hundred clan chiefs, men of good parts, that could give sure advice to Israel as the times demanded;1 the rest of their tribe was of the same mind with them.

From Zabulon, fifty thousand fighting men, all armed for battle, rallied to David with loyalty unfeigned.

Nephthali sent a thousand chiefs, in command of thirty-seven thousand that carried shield and spear;

Dan twenty-eight thousand six hundred men in arms;

and Aser forty thousand warriors prepared to do battle.

Besides these, there were a hundred and twenty thousand men in battle array from the tribes beyond Jordan, Ruben and Gad and the eastern half of Manasses.

So many armed warriors came to Hebron with loyal hearts, there to make David king of all Israel; and the rest of Israel, too, had but one thought, that David should be king.

There they spent three whole days in the royal presence, and of food and drink had no lack, so well had their fellow tribesmen made provision for them;

nay, there were asses and camels and mules and oxen bringing them food from their neighbours, as far away as Issachar, Zabulon and Nephthali; flour and figs and raisins and wine and oil; cattle, too and rams they had in great abundance. Such high festival they kept in the land of Israel.