The Reign of David

As he was on his way to Ziklag, those who defected to him from M'nasheh included 'Adnach, Yozavad, Y'dia'el, Mikha'el, Yozavad, Elihu and Tziltai, commanders of thousands from M'nasheh.

They helped David against the raiding band, for they were all strong, brave men who were commanders in the army.

Indeed, reinforcements to assist David reached him daily, until there was a great army, like the army of God.

Following are the numbers of those who came armed for war to David in Hevron, in order to transfer to him the kingdom of Sha'ul, according to what ADONAI had said.

The descendants of Y'hudah bearing shields and spears numbered 6,800, armed for war.

Of the descendants of Shim'on, strong, brave men for war, there were 7,100.

Of the descendants of Levi, there were 4,600.

Y'hoyada was the leader of the house of Aharon, and with him were 3,700;

also Tzadok, a young man, strong and brave, with twenty-two commanders from his father's family.

Of the descendants of Binyamin the kinsmen of Sha'ul, there were 3,000; for up until then, the majority of them had remained loyal to the house of Sha'ul.

Of the descendants of Efrayim, there were 20,800 strong, brave men, well known in their fathers' families.

Of the half-tribe of M'nasheh, 18,000 were designated by name to come and make David king.

Of the descendants of Yissakhar, men who understood the times and knew what Isra'el ought to do, there were 200 leaders, and all their kinsmen were under their command.

Of Z'vulun, 50,000 men were fit for military service, experienced in war and able to use all kinds of weapons; they were brave, and none was doubleminded.

Of Naftali, there were 1,000 officers, and with them 37,000 troops having shields and spears.

Of Dan, 28,600 were experienced in war.

Of Asher, 40,000 men were fit for military service and experienced in war.

On the other side of the Yarden, from the Re'uveni, the Gadi and the half-tribe of M'nasheh, there were 120,000 with all kinds of weapons for battle.

All these soldiers who were experienced in war came to Hevron wholeheartedly to make David king over all Isra'el, and all the rest from Isra'el were single-hearted in wanting to make David king.

They remained there with David for three days, eating and drinking, for their kinsmen had prepared for them.

Moreover, those who were near them - and even those as far as Yissakhar, Z'vulun and Naftali - brought food on donkeys, camels, mules and oxen: baked goods, fig cakes, clusters of raisins, wine, oil, and oxen and sheep in abundance; for there was joy in Isra'el.

David consulted with the commanders of thousands and of hundreds - with every leader.

Then David said to the entire assembly of Isra'el, "If it seems good to you, and if it is the will of ADONAI our God, let's send messengers to the rest of our kinsmen in the land of Isra'el, and also to the cohanim and L'vi'im in their cities with surrounding open land, asking them to join us;

and let's bring back the ark of our God to ourselves, since we didn't go after it when Sha'ul was king."

The whole assembly said they would do this, for in the view of all the people it seemed right.