# 1 Chronicles 12 (New King James Version)
The Growth of David's Army

##### Chapter 12
###### 1 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.David's Army at Hebron

###### 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.

###### 38 All these men of war, who could keep ranks, came to Hebron with a loyal heart, to make David king over all Israel; and all the rest of Israel _were_ of one mind to make David king.  
###### 39 And they were there with David three days, eating and drinking, for their brethren had prepared for them.  
###### 40 Moreover those who were near to them, from as far away as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, were bringing food on donkeys and camels, on mules and oxen--provisions of flour and cakes of figs and cakes of raisins, wine and oil and oxen and sheep abundantly, for _there was_ joy in Israel.