So David set out with his six hundred men(A) and went over to Achish son of Maoch,(B) the king of Gath. David and his men stayed with Achish in Gath. Each man had his family with him,(C) and David had his two wives: Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel,(D) Nabal’s widow.

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So David and the six hundred men(A) with him left and went(B) over to Achish(C) son of Maok king of Gath. David and his men settled in Gath with Achish. Each man had his family with him, and David had his two wives:(D) Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, the widow of Nabal.

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So David and the six hundred men with him(A) went. They came to the Wadi Besor, where some stayed behind.(B)

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David and the six hundred men(A) with him came to the Besor Valley, where some stayed behind.

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David’s First Supporters

12 The following were the men who came to David at Ziklag while he was still banned from the presence of Saul son of Kish.(A) They were among the warriors who helped him in battle.

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Warriors Join David

12 These were the men who came to David at Ziklag,(A) while he was banished from the presence of Saul son of Kish (they were among the warriors who helped him in battle;

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David’s Soldiers in Hebron

23 The numbers of the armed troops who came to David at Hebron to turn Saul’s kingdom over to him,(A) according to the Lord’s word,(B) were as follows:

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

25 From the Simeonites: 7,100 valiant warriors ready for war.

26 From the Levites: 4,600 27 in addition to Jehoiada, leader of the house of Aaron, with 3,700 men; 28 and Zadok,(C) a young valiant warrior, with 22 commanders from his ancestral family.[a]

29 From the Benjaminites, the relatives of Saul:(D) 3,000 (up to that time the majority of the Benjaminites maintained their allegiance to the house of Saul).

30 From the Ephraimites: 20,800 valiant warriors who were famous men in their ancestral families.[b]

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

32 From the Issacharites, who understood the times(E) and knew what Israel should do: 200 chiefs with all their relatives under their command.

33 From Zebulun: 50,000 who could serve in the army, trained for battle with all kinds of weapons of war, with one purpose(F) to help David.[c]

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

35 From the Danites: 28,600 trained for battle.

36 From Asher: 40,000 who could serve in the army, trained for battle.

37 From across the Jordan—from the Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh: 120,000 men equipped with all the military weapons of war.

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Footnotes

  1. 12:28 Lit the house of his father
  2. 12:30 Lit the house of their fathers
  3. 12:33 LXX; MT omits David

Others Join David at Hebron

23 These are the numbers of the men armed for battle who came to David at Hebron(A) to turn(B) Saul’s kingdom over to him, as the Lord had said:(C)

24 from Judah, carrying shield and spear—6,800 armed for battle;

25 from Simeon, warriors ready for battle—7,100;

26 from Levi—4,600, 27 including Jehoiada, leader of the family of Aaron, with 3,700 men, 28 and Zadok,(D) a brave young warrior, with 22 officers from his family;

29 from Benjamin,(E) Saul’s tribe—3,000, most(F) of whom had remained loyal to Saul’s house until then;

30 from Ephraim, brave warriors, famous in their own clans—20,800;

31 from half the tribe of Manasseh, designated by name to come and make David king—18,000;

32 from Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do(G)—200 chiefs, with all their relatives under their command;

33 from Zebulun, experienced soldiers prepared for battle with every type of weapon, to help David with undivided loyalty—50,000;

34 from Naphtali—1,000 officers, together with 37,000 men carrying shields and spears;

35 from Dan, ready for battle—28,600;

36 from Asher, experienced soldiers prepared for battle—40,000;

37 and from east of the Jordan, from Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh, armed with every type of weapon—120,000.

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