| Berean Study Bible | New Living Translation |
| 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; | 1The 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. |
| 2they were archers using both the right and left hands to sling stones and shoot arrows; and they were Saul’s kinsmen from Benjamin): | 2All 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. |
| 3Ahiezer their chief and Joash, who were the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite; Jeziel and Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth; Beracah; Jehu the Anathothite; | 3Their 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; |
| 4Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the Thirty and a leader over the Thirty; Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, and Jozabad the Gederathite; | 4Ishmaiah from Gibeon, a famous warrior and leader among the Thirty; Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, and Jozabad from Gederah; |
| 5Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, and Shephatiah the Haruphite; | 5Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, and Shephatiah from Haruph; |
| 6Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, who were Korahites; | 6Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, who were Korahites; |
| 7and Joelah and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham from Gedor. | 7Joelah and Zebadiah, sons of Jeroham from Gedor. |
| 8Some Gadites defected to David at his stronghold in the desert. 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: | 8Some 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. |
| 9Ezer the chief, Obadiah the second in command, Eliab the third, | 9Ezer was their leader. Obadiah was second. Eliab was third. |
| 10Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth, | 10Mishmannah was fourth. Jeremiah was fifth. |
| 11Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh, | 11Attai was sixth. Eliel was seventh. |
| 12Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth, | 12Johanan was eighth. Elzabad was ninth. |
| 13Jeremiah the tenth, and Machbanai the eleventh. | 13Jeremiah was tenth. Macbannai was eleventh. |
| 14These Gadites were army commanders, the least of whom was a match for a hundred, and the greatest for a thousand. | 14These 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! |
| 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. | 15These 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. |
| 16Other Benjamites and some men from Judah also came to David in his stronghold. | 16Others from Benjamin and Judah came to David at the 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.” | 17David 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.” |
| 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. | 18Then 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. |
| 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.”) | 19Some 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.” |
| 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. | 20Here 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. |
| 21They helped David against the raiders, for they were all mighty men of valor and commanders in the army. | 21They helped David chase down bands of raiders, for they were all brave and able warriors who became commanders in his 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. | 22Day after day more men joined David 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: | 23These 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. |
| 24From Judah: 6,800 armed troops bearing shields and spears. | 24From the tribe of Judah, there were 6,800 warriors armed with shields and spears. |
| 25From Simeon: 7,100 mighty men of valor, ready for battle. | 25From the tribe of Simeon, there were 7,100 brave warriors. |
| 26From Levi: 4,600, | 26From the tribe of Levi, there were 4,600 warriors. |
| 27including Jehoiada, leader of the house of Aaron, with 3,700 men, | 27This included Jehoiada, leader of the family of Aaron, who had 3,700 under his command. |
| 28and Zadok, a mighty young man of valor, with 22 commanders from his own family. | 28This also included Zadok, a brave young warrior, with 22 members of his family who were all officers. |
| 29From Benjamin, the kinsmen of Saul: 3,000, most of whom had remained loyal to the house of Saul up to that time. | 29From 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. |
| 30From Ephraim: 20,800 mighty men of valor, famous among their own clans. | 30From the tribe of Ephraim, there were 20,800 brave warriors, each highly respected in his own clan. |
| 31From the half-tribe of Manasseh: 18,000 designated by name to come and make David king. | 31From the half-tribe of Manasseh west of the Jordan, 18,000 men were designated by name to help David become king. |
| 32From Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do: 200 chiefs with all their kinsmen at their command. | 32From 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. |
| 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. | 33From the tribe of Zebulun, there were 50,000 skilled warriors. They were fully armed and prepared for battle and completely loyal to David. |
| 34From Naphtali: 1,000 commanders, accompanied by 37,000 men with shield and spear. | 34From the tribe of Naphtali, there were 1,000 officers and 37,000 warriors armed with shields and spears. |
| 35From Dan: 28,600 prepared for battle. | 35From the tribe of Dan, there were 28,600 warriors, all prepared for battle. |
| 36From Asher: 40,000 fit for service, prepared for battle. | 36From the tribe of Asher, there were 40,000 trained warriors, all 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. | 37From 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. |
| 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. | 38All these men came in battle array to Hebron with the single purpose of making David the king over all Israel. In fact, everyone in Israel agreed that David should be their king. |
| 39They spent three days there eating and drinking with David, for their relatives had provided for them. | 39They feasted and drank with David for three days, for preparations had been made by their relatives for their arrival. |
| 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. | 40And people from as far away as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali brought food on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen. Vast supplies of flour, fig cakes, clusters of raisins, wine, olive oil, cattle, sheep, and goats were brought to the celebration. There was great joy throughout the land of Israel. |
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