The Mighty Men Join David at Ziklag

1These also came to Dauid vnto Siclag whan he was yet kepte a syde because of Saul the sonne of Cis: And they were like wyse amouge the worthies yt helped in the battayll, 2and coulde handle bowes with both their handes, & coulde cast stones, and shute arowes with the bowe. Of Sauls brethren which were of Ben Iamin: 3The chefest Ahieser and Ioas ye children of Samaa the Gibeathite. Iesiel and Pelet the children of Asmaueth. Baracha & and Iehu the Anthothite. 4Iesmaia the Gibeonite, valeaunt amonge thirtie and ouer thirtie. Ieremia, Iahasiel, Iohanan, Iosabad the Gederathite. 5Eleusai, Ierimoth, Bealia, Samaria, Saphatia the Harophite, 6Elkana, Iesiia, Asareel, Iasabeam ye Korahyte, 7Ioela and Sabadia the children of Ieroham of Gedor.

8Of the Gaddites resorted there vnto Dauid to the castell in the wyldernesse, mightie Worthies and men of armes, which hadled speares and swerdes, and had faces like lios, & were as swifte as the Roes vpon ye mountaynes. 9The fyrst Eser, the seconde Obadia, the thyrde Eliab, 10the fourth Masmanna, ye fyfth Ieremia, 11the sixte Athai, the seueth Eliel, 12the eight Iohanna, the nyenth Elsabad 13the tenth Ieremia, ye eleuenth Machbanai. 14These were of the children of Gad, heades in the hoost, the leest ouer an hundreth, and ye greatest ouer a thousande 15These are they which in the fyrst moneth wente ouer Iordane, whan it was full on both the shores, so that all the valleys were eauen both towarde the East and towarde the West.

16There came of the children of BenIamin also and of Iuda vnto the castell of Dauid. 17But Dauid wente forth vnto them, and answered and sayde vnto them: Yf ye come to me in peace, and to helpe me, my hert shal be with you. But yf ye come vpo disceate, and to be mine aduersaries (where as there is yet no vnrighte in me) the God of oure fathers loke vpon it, and rebuke it.

18Neuertheles the sprete endued Amasai the captayne amonge thirtie, and he sayde: We are thine O Dauid, and holde with the thou sonne of Isai. Peace, peace be with the, peace be with thy helpers, for thy God helpeth the. Then Dauid receaued them, and made them captaynes ouer the men of warre.

19And of Manasses there fell certaine vnto Dauid, whan he came to the battayll with the Philistynes agaynst Saul, and helped them not, for the prynces of ye Philistynes counceled to let him go from them, and sayde: Yf he fell vnto his lorde Saul, it mighte cost vs oure neckes. 20Now wha he departed vnto Siclag, there fell vnto him of Manasses, Adna, Iosabad, Iediael, Michael, Iosabad, Elihu, Zilthai, heades ouer thousandes in Manasses. 21And they helped Dauid against the men of warre: for they were all valeaunt Worthies, and were captaynes ouer the hoost. 22And euery daye came there some to Dauid, to helpe him, till there was a greate hoost as an hoost of God.

David’s Army Grows at Hebron

23And this is the nombre of the heades harnessed vnto the warre, which came to Dauid vnto Hebron, for to turne the kyngdome of Saul vnto him, acordynge to the worde of the LORDE. 24The childre of Iuda, which handled speares and swerdes, were sixe thousande, & eight hundreth ready harnessed vnto ye warre. 25Of the children of Simeon noble men of armes for the battayll, seuen thousande and an hudreth. 26Of the children of Leui foure thousande and sixe hundreth. 27And Ioiada the prynce amonge them of Aaron with thre thousande and seuen hundreth. 28Sadoc the yonge valeaunt man of armes with his fathers house, two and twentye rulers. 29Of the children of BenIamin Sauls brother, thre thousande: for vnto that time helde many of the yet with the house of Saul. 30Of ye children of Ephraim, twentie thousande and eighte hundreth valeaunt men of armes, and famous in the house of their fathers. 31Of the halfe trybe of Manasses, eightene thousande, named by name, to come and make Dauid kynge. 32Of the children of Isachar (which were men of vnderstondynge, whan nede requyred to knowe what Israel shulde do) two hundreth captaynes, and all their brethren folowed their worde. 33Of Sabulon, soch as wente forth in the hoost to ye warre, ready with all maner of weapens for the battayll, fyftye thousande, beynge of one mynde to kepe them selues in ordre. 34Of Nephtali, a thousande captaynes, & with them soch as handled shylde and speare, seuen and thyrtie thousande. 35Of Dan, ready harnessed to the battayll, eight and twentye thousande, and sixe hundreth. 36Of Asser, soch as wente forth in ye hoost, ready harnessed to the battayll, fortye thousande 37From beyonde Iordane, of the Rubenites, Gaddites and the halfe trybe of Manasses, with all maner of weapens to the battayll, an hudreth and twentye thousande.

38All these men of warre, ready harnessed to the battayll, came with a whole hert vnto Hebron, to make Dauid kynge ouer all Israel. And all Israel besyde were of one hert, that Dauid shulde be made kynge. 39And there were they with Dauid thre dayes, eatynge and drynkynge: for their brethren had prepared for them. 40And soch neghbours as were aboute them vntyll Isachar, Zabulon and Nephtali, brought bred vpon Asses, Camels, Mules and oxen to eate: meel, fyges, rasens, wyne, oyle, oxen, shepe, very many: for there was ioye in Israel.