1 Chronicles 12-14

1Now these were the men who came to David at Ziklag, while he was still banished from the presence of Saul son of Kish (they were among the mighty men who helped him in battle;

2they were archers using both the right and left hands to sling stones and shoot arrows; and they were Saul’s kinsmen from Benjamin):

3Ahiezer their chief and Joash, who were the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite; Jeziel and Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth; Beracah; Jehu the Anathothite;

4Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the Thirty and a leader over the Thirty; Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, and Jozabad the Gederathite;

5Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, and Shephatiah the Haruphite;

6Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, who were Korahites;

7and Joelah and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham from Gedor.

8Some Gadites defected to David at his stronghold in the wilderness. They were mighty men of valor, trained for battle, experts with the shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions and who were as swift as gazelles on the mountains:

9Ezer the chief, Obadiah the second in command, Eliab the third,

10Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth,

11Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh,

12Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth,

13Jeremiah the tenth, and Machbanai the eleventh.

14These Gadites were army commanders, the least of whom was a match for a hundred, and the greatest for a thousand.

15These are the ones who crossed the Jordan in the first month when it was overflowing all its banks, and they put to flight all those in the valleys, both to the east and to the west.

16Other Benjamites and some men from Judah also came to David in his stronghold.

17And David went out to meet them, saying, “If you have come to me in peace to help me, my heart will be united with you; but if you have come to betray me to my enemies when my hands are free of violence, may the God of our fathers see it and judge you.”

18Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, the chief of the Thirty, and he said: “We are yours, O David! We are with you, 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 leaders of his troops.

19Some from Manasseh defected to David when he went with the Philistines to fight against Saul. (They did not help the Philistines because the Philistine rulers consulted and sent David away, saying, “It will cost us our heads if he defects to his master Saul.”)

20When David went to Ziklag, these men of Manasseh defected to him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, chiefs of thousands in Manasseh.

21They helped David against the raiders, for they were all mighty men of valor and commanders in the army.

22For at that time men came to David day after day to help him, until he had a great army, like the army of God.

23Now these are the numbers of men armed for battle who came to David at Hebron to turn Saul’s kingdom over to him, in accordance with the word of the LORD:

24From Judah: 6,800 armed troops bearing shields and spears.

25From Simeon: 7,100 mighty men of valor, ready for battle.

26From Levi: 4,600,

27including Jehoiada, leader of the house of Aaron, with 3,700 men,

28and Zadok, a mighty young man of valor, with 22 commanders from his own family.

29From Benjamin, the kinsmen of Saul: 3,000, most of whom had remained loyal to the house of Saul up to that time.

30From Ephraim: 20,800 mighty men of valor, famous among their own clans.

31From the half-tribe of Manasseh: 18,000 designated by name to come and make David king.

32From Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do: 200 chiefs with all their kinsmen at their command.

33From Zebulun: 50,000 fit for service, trained for battle with all kinds of weapons of war, who with one purpose were devoted to David.

34From Naphtali: 1,000 commanders, accompanied by 37,000 men with shield and spear.

35From Dan: 28,600 prepared for battle.

36From Asher: 40,000 fit for service, prepared for battle.

37And from east of the Jordan, from Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh there: 120,000 armed with every kind of weapon of war.

38All these men of war, arrayed for battle, came to Hebron fully determined to make David king over all Israel. And all the rest of the Israelites were of one mind to make David king.

39They spent three days there eating and drinking with David, for their relatives had provided for them.

40And their neighbors from as far away as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali came bringing food on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen—abundant supplies of flour, fig cakes and raisin cakes, wine and oil, oxen and sheep. Indeed, there was joy in Israel.

1Then David conferred with all his leaders, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds.

2And he said to the whole assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you, and if this is of the LORD our God, let us send word far and wide to the rest of our brothers in all the land of Israel, and also to the priests and Levites in their cities and pasturelands, so that they may join us.

3Then let us bring back the ark of our God, for we did not inquire of Him in the days of Saul.”

4And because this proposal seemed right to all the people, the whole assembly agreed to it.

5So David assembled all Israel, from the River Shihor in Egypt to Lebo-hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim.

6David and all Israel went up to Baalah of Judah (that is, Kiriath-jearim) to bring up from there the ark of God the LORD, who is enthroned between the cherubim—the ark that is called by the Name.

7So they carried the ark of God from the house of Abinadab on a new cart, with Uzzah and Ahio guiding the cart.

8David and all the Israelites were celebrating before God with all their might, with songs and on harps and lyres, with tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets.

9When they came to the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark, because the oxen had stumbled.

10And the anger of the LORD burned against Uzzah, and He struck him down because he had put his hand on the ark. So he died there before God.

11Then David became angry because the LORD had burst forth against Uzzah. So he named that place Perez-uzzah, as it is called to this day.

12That day David feared God and asked, “How can I ever bring the ark of God to me?”

13So he did not move the ark with him to the City of David; instead, he took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite.

14Thus the ark of God remained with the family of Obed-edom in his house for three months, and the LORD blessed his household and everything he owned.

1Now Hiram king of Tyre sent envoys to David, along with cedar logs, stonemasons, and carpenters, to build a palace for him.

2And David realized that the LORD had established him as king over Israel and had highly exalted his kingdom for the sake of His people Israel.

3And David took more wives in Jerusalem and became the father of more sons and daughters.

4These are the names of the children born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon,

5Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet,

6Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia,

7Elishama, Beeliada, and Eliphelet.

8When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over all Israel, they all went in search of him; but David learned of this and went out to face them.

9Now the Philistines had come and raided the Valley of Rephaim.

10So David inquired of God, “Should I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?” “Go,” replied the LORD, “for I will deliver them into your hand.”

11So David and his men went up to Baal-perazim, where he defeated the Philistines and said, “Like a bursting flood, God has burst out against my enemies by my hand.” So they called that place Baal-perazim.

12There the Philistines abandoned their gods, and David ordered that they be burned in the fire.

13Once again the Philistines raided the valley.

14So David again inquired of God, who answered him, “Do not march up after them, but circle around them and attack them in front of the balsam trees.

15As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move out to battle, because this will mean that God has gone out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.”

16So David did as God had commanded him, and they struck down the army of the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.

17And David’s fame went out into every land, and the LORD caused all nations to fear him.