the Fourth Week of Advent
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Bishop's Bible
1 Chronicles 12
1 These are they that came to Dauid to Ziklag while he yet kept himselfe close because of Saul the sonne of Cis: and they were very strong helpers in battaile.2 They were weaponed with bowes, and could hurle stones with the right hand and with the left, and shoote arrowes out of a bowe, & were of Sauls brethren, euen of Beniamin.3 The chiefest were Ahiezer, and Ioas the sonnes of Simaa a Gibeonite, and Ieziel and Pelet the sonnes of Asmaueth, Beracah and Iehu of Anathoth.4 And Ismaia a Gibeonite, a mightie man among thirtie, and more then the thirtie: Ieremiah, Iehaziel, Iehonan, and Iosabad of Gedor.5 Eleusai, Ierimoth, Bealia, Semaria, and Seaphatia, the Haraphites.6 Elcana, Iesia, Azarael, Ioezer, Iosebeam, Coranites.7 Ioela and Zebadiah the sonnes of Ieroam of Gedor.8 And of the Gadites there seperated themselues some vnto Dauid into the houlde of the wildernesse, men of might and men apt for the warre, & that coulde handle shielde and speare, whose faces were lyke the faces of lions, and they were as swyft as the Roes in the mountaynes.9 Ezer the first, Obdia the seconde, and Eliab the third,10 Masmana the fourth, Ieremia the fifth,11 Atthai the sixt, Eliel the seuenth,12 Iohanan the eight, Elsabad the ninth,13 Ieremia the tenth, and Machbanai the eleuenth,14 These were of the sonnes of Gad, and were captaines ouer the men of warre: one of the least coulde resist an hundred, and the greatest a thousand.15 These are they that went ouer Iordane in the first moneth when he had filled ouer all his banckes, and they put to flight all them of the valley both toward the east and west.16 And there came of the children of Beniamin & Iuda to the houlde vnto Dauid.17 And Dauid went out to meete them, and aunswered, and sayd vnto them: If ye be come peaceably vnto me, to helpe me, myne heart shalbe knit vnto you: but and if you come to betraye me to myne aduersaries, seeing there is no wickednes in myne handes, the God of our fathers loke thereon and rebuke it.18 And the spirite came vpon Amasai, which was the chiefe among thirtie, & saide: Thyne are we Dauid, and on thy side thou sonne of Isai: Peace, peace be vnto thee, & peace be to thy helpers, for thy God is thyne helpe. Then Dauid receaued them, & made them heades of companies of the men of warre.19 And there fell some of Manasse to Dauid, when he came with the Philistines against Saul to battaile, but they helped them not: For the lordes of the Philistines toke aduisement, and sent him away againe, saying: he will fall to his maister Saul to the ieoperdie of our heades.20 As he went to Ziklag, there fel to him of Manasse Adna, Iozadad, Iediel, Michael, Iozabad, Elihu, and Zilthai, heades of the thousandes that were of Manasse.21 And they holpe Dauid against the rouers: For they were all mightie men of warre, and captaynes in the hoast.22 For at that tyme there came one or other to Dauid day by day to helpe him, vntil it was a great hoast, like the hoast of God.
23 And this is the number of the chiefe captaynes that were prepared to battaile, and came to Dauid to Hebron, to turne the kingdome of Saul to him, according to the word of the Lorde.24 The children of Iuda that bare shield and speare, were sixe thousand & eight hundred, redie prepared to the warre.25 Of the children of Simeon, men of might to warre .vii. M. & one hundred.26 Of the children of Leui, foure thousand and sixe hundred.27 And Iehoiada was the chiefe of them of Aaron, and with him three thousand and seuen hundred.28 And Zadoc a young man, strong and valiaunt, and of his fathers housholde, twentie and two captaines.29 And of the children of Beniamin the brothren of Saul, three thousand: And a great part of them did vnto that tyme folowe the house of Saul.30 And of the children of Ephraim, twentie thousand and eight hundred, mightie men of warre, and famous men in the houshoulde of their fathers.31 And of the halfe tribe of Manasse, eyghteene thousand, which were appointed by name to come and make Dauid king.32 And of the children of Isachar, which were men that had vnderstanding of the tymes, to knowe what Israel ought to do, the heads of them were two hundred: & all their brethren were at their wyll.33 And of Zabulon which went out to battaile, expert in warre and in all instrumentes of warre, fiftie thousand, which coulde set the battaile in arraye, they were not of double heart.34 And of Nephthali a thousand captaines, and with them with shielde and speare thirtie and seuen thousand.35 And of Dan expert in battayle, twentie & eyght thousand and sixe hundred.36 And of Aser that went out to the warre and kept the forefront of the battaile fourtie thousand.37 And of the othersyde of Iordane, of the Rubenites, and Gadites, and of the halfe tribe of Manasse, with all manner of instrumentes of warre, and hundred and twentie thousand.38 All these were men of warre, keping the forefront of the battel [and] with perfecte heart came to Hebron to make Dauid king ouer all Israel: And all the rest of Israel was of one accorde to make Dauid king.39 And there they were with Dauid three dayes eating & drinking: for their brethren had prepared for them.40 Moreouer, they that were nye them, euen vnto Isachar, Zabulon, & Nephthali, brought bread on asses, cammels, mules, & oxen, & meate, flowre, figges, reasinges, wine, & oyle, oxen, and sheepe aboundantly: For there was ioy in Israel.