David's Early Followers from the Tribe of Benjamin
1 David was living in Ziklag, where he had gone to escape from King Saul. There he was joined by many experienced, reliable soldiers, 2 members of the tribe of Benjamin, to which Saul belonged. They could shoot arrows and sling stones either right-handed or left-handed. 3-7 They were under the command of Ahiezer and Joash, sons of Shemaah, from Gibeah.
These were the soldiers:
Jeziel and Pelet, sons of Azmaveth
Beracah and Jehu from Anathoth
Ishmaiah from Gibeon, a famous soldier and one of the leaders of “The Thirty”
Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johannan, and Jozabad, from Gederah
Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, and Shephatiah, from Hariph
Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, of the clan of Korah
Joelah and Zebadiah, sons of Jeroham, from Gedor
David's Followers from the Tribe of Gad
8 These are the names of the famous, experienced soldiers from the tribe of Gad who joined David's troops when he was at the desert fort. They were experts with shields and spears, as fierce looking as lions and as quick as mountain deer. 9-13 They were ranked in the following order: Ezer, Obadiah, Eliab, Mishmannah, Jeremiah, Attai, Eliel, Johanan, Elzabad, Jeremiah, and Machbannai.
14 Some of these men from the tribe of Gad were senior officers in command of a thousand men, and others were junior officers in command of a hundred. 15 In the first month of one year, the time when the Jordan River overflowed its banks, they crossed the river, scattering the people who lived in the valleys both east and west of the river.
Followers from Benjamin and Judah
16 Once a group of men from the tribes of Benjamin and Judah went out to the fort where David was. 17 David went to meet them and said, “If you are coming as friends to help me, you are welcome here. Join us! But if you intend to betray me to my enemies, even though I have not tried to hurt you, the God of our ancestors will know it and punish you.”
18 God's spirit took control of one of them, Amasai, who later became the commander of “The Thirty,” and he called out,
“David son of Jesse, we are yours!
Success to you and those who help you!
God is on your side.”
David welcomed them and made them officers in his army.
Followers from Manasseh
19 Some soldiers from the tribe of Manasseh went over to David's side when he was marching out with the Philistines to fight King Saul. Actually he did not help the Philistines, for their kings were afraid that he would betray them to his former master Saul, so they sent him back to Ziklag. 20 These are the soldiers from Manasseh who went over to David's side when he was returning: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai. In Manasseh they had all commanded units of a thousand men. 21 They served David as officers over his troops, because they were all outstanding soldiers. Later they were officers in the Israelite army. 22 Almost every day new men joined David's forces, so that his army was soon enormous.
List of David's Forces
23-37 When David was at Hebron, many trained soldiers joined his army to help make him king in place of Saul, as the Lord had promised. Their numbers were as follows:
Judah: 6,800 well-equipped men, armed with shields and spears;
Simeon: 7,100 well-trained men;
Levi: 4,600 men;
Followers of Jehoiada, descendant of Aaron: 3,700 men;
Relatives of Zadok, an able young fighter: 22 leading men;
Benjamin (Saul's own tribe): 3,000 men (most of the people of Benjamin had remained loyal to Saul);
Ephraim: 20,800 men famous in their own clans;
West Manasseh: 18,000 men chosen to go and make David king;
Issachar: 200 leaders, together with the men under their command (these leaders knew what Israel should do and the best time to do it);
Zebulun: 50,000 loyal and reliable men ready to fight, trained to use all kinds of weapons;
Naphtali: 1,000 leaders, together with 37,000 men armed with shields and spears;
Dan: 28,600 trained men;
Asher: 40,000 men ready for battle;
Tribes east of the Jordan—Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh: 120,000 men trained to use all kinds of weapons.
38 All these soldiers, ready for battle, went to Hebron, determined to make David king over all Israel. All the rest of the people of Israel were united in the same purpose. 39 They spent three days there with David, feasting on the food and drink which their relatives had prepared for them. 40 From as far away as the northern tribes of Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali, people came bringing donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen loaded with food—flour, figs, raisins, wine, and olive oil. They also brought cattle and sheep to kill and eat. All this was an expression of the joy that was felt throughout the whole country.
Ovakongorere ovatenga va David okuza komuhoko wa Benjamin
1 David wa turire mOsiklag, eye kataurira indu tja yengerwe i ombara Saul, omuzandu wa Kis. Owo va ri ovarwe wovita ozombanḓe nozombangaṋe; 2 nu va ri ovomuhoko wa Benjamin; Saul wina wa ri owomuhoko mbwi. Owo aave tjiwa okuyaha nouta nokuyumba omawe nokunene poo nokumuho. 3 Ovahongore vawo owo mba: OoAhieser na Joas, ovazandu va Semaa, ngwa zire kOgibea;
nooJesiel na Pelet, ovazandu va Asmawet;
na Beraka na Jehu, mba zire kOanatot;
4 na Jeremia, ngwa zire kOgibeon, nu ngwa ri omurwe ombangaṋe, omuhongore umwe wa imba “Omirongo vitatu”
5 na Jirmeja na Jahasiel na Johanan na Josabad, mba zire kOgedera;
na Elusai na Jerimot na Bealja na Semarja na Sefatia, mba zire kOharuf;
6 na Elkana na Issia na Asarel na Joeser na Jasobam, avehe va ri ovonganda ya Kora;
7 na Joela na Sebadja, ovazandu va Jeroham, ngwa zire kOgedor.
Ovakongorere va David okuza komuhoko wa Gad
8 Imba owo ovarwe wovita ovatjiukwa nozombangaṋe, mba ri ovomuhoko wa Gad, nu mbe rikuta kuna otjimbumba tja David tjovita, indu David tja ri motjiṱunga tjondundu mokuti onguza. Owo aave tjiwa nawa tjinene okurwa notuvao nomanga, nu va ri ovindandi tjinene tjimuna ozongeyama, nu va ri notjikara tjimuna ozongorowe. 9 Owo va varerwe komuhingo mbwi: OoEser na Obadja na Eliab, 10 na Mismana na Jeremia 11 na Atai na Eliel 12 na Johanan na Elsabad 13 na Jeremia na Makbanai.
14 Ovarumendu mba tjiva vomuhoko wa Gad va ri ovahongore wokombanda mbaa ve hongorere ovarumendu eyovi rimwe, novakwao va ri ovahongore vokehi mbaa ve hongorere esere rimwe. 15 Momueze omutenga kombura onḓonḓu Jordan tji ya tanana ovikere vyayo, otji va konda onḓonḓu ndji nave rimbi ovandu avehe, mba turire momikutu kominda aviyevari vyonḓonḓu komuhuka na kongurova.
Ovakongorere okuza komuhoko wa Benjamin na Juda
16 Otjikando tjimwe otjimbumba tjovarumendu vomuhoko wa Benjamin nowa Juda va ire kotjiṱunga tjondundu David ka ri. 17 David we ve tjakanena a tja: “Tji mwe ya otja omapanga okundjivatera mamu yakurwa nawa muno. Rikuteye kuna eṱe! Nungwari tji mamu ripura okundjihorora kovanavita na ami, nangarire kutja hi vangere okumuhihamisa, nu Ndjambi wootate mukururume ongu ma munu otjiṋa hi ne mu vere.”
18 Ombepo ya Ndjambi ya hita mu Amasai, umwe wovarumendu mba, kombunda ngwa karira omuhongore wa imba “Omirongo vitatu” neye wa ravaera na tja:
“David, muzandu wa Isai, oweṱe ovoye!
Rira omutoṋe puna imba mbe ku vatere!
Ndjambi u ri puna ove!”
David we ve yakura nawa ne ve ziki okurira ovahongore votjimbumba tje tjovita.
Ovakongorere okuza komuhoko wa Manasse
19 Ovarwe tjiva wovita vomuhoko wa Manasse va ya komunda wa David, indu tja kumuka puna Ovafilisti okukarwisa ombara Saul. David hapo ka vaterere Ovafilisti, ozombara zawo tjinga aze mu hinda okukotoka kOsiklag mena rokutira kutja eye me ze rondora ku Saul, omuhona we omutenga. 20 Ovarwe wovita vomuhoko wa Manasse mbe ya komunda wa David eye tjaa yaruka kOsiklag, owo mba: OoAdnak na Josabad na Jediael na Mikael na Josabad na Elihu na Siletai; owo va ri ovahongore vovimbumba vyovita, atjihe tjovarumendu eyovi. 21 Owo va vatera David otja ovahongore vovimbumba vye vyovita, orondu va ri ovarwe wovita ozombanḓe. Kombunda va karira ovahongore votjimbumba tjOvaisrael tjovita. 22 Eyuva arihe peke ovarumendu ovape aave rikutu kovira vya David vyovita, nga otjimbumba tje tjovita tji tja rira otjinene notjinamasa.
Otjivaro tjovira vya David vyovita
23 Ovarwe ovengi, mba hongwa okurwa ovita, ve rikuta kuna otjimbumba tja David tjovita mOhebron okumuvatera kutja a rire ombara moruveze rwa Saul otja Muhona pa rakizire. Otjivaro tjawo tja ri nai:
24 Momuhoko wa Juda mwa ri ovarumendu 6 800, mbe ripangaṋena ovita, nu mba ri notuvao nomanga.
25 Momuhoko wa Simeon mwa ri ovarwe wovita 7 100, mba hongwa nawa okurwa.
26 Momuhoko wa Levi mwa ri ovarumendu 4 600.
27 Movakongorere va Jehojada, ondekurona ya Aron, mwa ri ovarumendu 3 700.
28 Momuhoko wa Sadok, omurumendu ombangaṋe omutanda, mwa ri ovarumendu ovanane 22.
29 Momuhoko wa Benjamin, mbu ri omuhoko wa Saul omuini, mwa ri ovarumendu 3,000; ovandu ovengi tjinene vomuhoko wa Benjamin va ri ovaṱakame ku Saul.
30 Momuhoko wa Efraim mwa ri ovarwe 20 800, mba ri ovatjiukwa mozonganda zawo.
31 Momuhoko wa Manasse wokongurova mwa ri ovarumendu 18,000, mba toororwa okukazika David a rire ombara.
32 Momuhoko wa Isakar mwa ri ovanane 200 puna ovarumendu, mba ri kehi yomananeno wawo. Owo va ri ovarumendu mbaa ve tjiwa kutja Ovaisrael ve sokutjita tjike, na indwi oruveze orusemba mu ve sokutjita nao.
33 Momuhoko wa Sebulon mwa ri ovarumendu 50,000 ovaṱakame vomitima vimwe, nu mba hongwa okurwa novirwise ngamwa avihe.
34 Momuhoko wa Naftali mwa ri ovanane 1,000 puna ovarumendu 37,000, mbe ripangaṋa notuvao nomanga.
35 Momuhoko wa Dan mwa ri ovarwe wovita 28,600, mba hongwa nawa.
36 Momuhoko wa Aser mwa ri ovarumendu 40,000 mbe rirongerera otjirwa.
37 Momuhoko wa Ruben nowa Gad na momuhoko wa Manasse wokomuhuka mwa ri ovarumendu 120,000, mba hongwa nawa okurwa novirwise ngamwa avihe.
38 Ovarwe wovita avehe mba mbe rirongerera otjirwa va ya kOhebron, ave rimana okukazika David a rire ombara ya Israel arihe. Notjiwaṋa atjihe tjOvaisrael wina arire tji tja i kumwe motjiṋa hi. 39 Owo va kara mbo puna David oure womayuva yetatu amave ri nokunwa imbi mbi va ṱuninwa i ovazamumwe vawo. 40 Okuza kokure komihoko vyokeyuva kokunene, oowa Isakar nowa Sebulon nowa Naftali, ovandu va eta ousino nozongamero nousinokambe nozonduwombe nḓa kutirwa novikurya mbi: Oruhere orunḓunḓura nomakuyu, nomandjembere nga kahisiwa, nomavinu, nomaze womiṋinga. Wina va eta ozongombe nozonyanda okuzepa nokurya. Imbi avihe vya ri otjiraisiro tjenyando nda ri po mehi arihe ra Israel.
