16. Other Benjaminites and men from Judah also went to David at the stronghold.
17. David went out to meet them and said to them, “If you have come in peace to help me, my heart will be united with you, but if you have come to betray me to my enemies even though my hands have done no wrong, may the God of our ancestors look on it and judge.”
18. Then the Spirit took control of Amasai, chief of the Thirty, and he said:We are yours, David,we are with you, son of Jesse!Peace, peace to you,and peace to him who helps you, for your God helps you.So David received them and made them leaders of his troops.
19. Some Manassites defected to David when he went with the Philistines to fight against Saul. However, they did not help the Philistines because the Philistine rulers sent David away after a discussion. They said, “It will be our heads if he defects to his master Saul.”
20. When David went to Ziklag, some men from Manasseh defected to him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, chiefs of thousands in Manasseh.
21. They helped David against the raiders, for they were all brave warriors and commanders in the army.
22. At that time, men came day after day to help David until there was a great army, like an army of God.
23. The numbers of the armed troops who came to David at Hebron to turn Saul’s kingdom over to him, according to the Lord’s word, were as follows:
24. From the Judahites: 6,800 armed troops bearing shields and spears.
25. From the Simeonites: 7,100 brave 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, a young brave warrior, with 22 commanders from his own ancestral house.
29. From the Benjaminites, the relatives of Saul: 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 brave warriors who were famous men in their ancestral houses.
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 and knew what Israel should do: 200 chiefs with all their relatives under their command.