5.3.25 – 1 Chronicles 11-12

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Welcome to Add Bible, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. We join Allen J. Huth as he shares Bible passages and comments from over 30 years of his personal Bible reading journals.

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Today we will cover two more chapters in 1 Chronicles, chapters 11 and 12. Those two chapters have 86 verses between them, and we’ll listen to our guest reader, Senator Kevin Grantham, read these two chapters. I met Kevin over a decade ago as a member of the State Cabinet of the Gideons International in Colorado. Later, he ran for the Colorado State Senate, and he currently serves as President of the Colorado State Senate. Let’s listen to our guest reader, Senator Kevin Grantham, as he reads chapters 11 and 12 of 1 Chronicles. 1 Chronicles 11

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Then all Israel gathered together to David at Hebron and said, So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord. And they anointed David king over Israel, according to the word of the Lord by Samuel. And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, that is, Jebus, where the Jebusites were, the inhabitants of the land. The inhabitants of Jebus said to David, You will not come in here. Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion, that is, the city of David. David said, Whoever strikes the Jebusites first shall be chief and commander. And Joab, the son of Zeruiah, went up first, so he became chief. And David lived in the stronghold. Therefore it was called the city of David. And he built the city all around from the Milo in complete circuit. And Joab repaired the rest of the city. And David became greater and greater, for the Lord of hosts was with him. Now these are the chiefs of David’s mighty men, who gave him strong support in his kingdom, together with all Israel to make him king, according to the word of the Lord concerning Israel. This is an account of David’s mighty men. Jashubim, a Hakamite, was chief of the three. He wielded his spear against three hundred whom he killed at one time. And next to him, among the three mighty men, was Eleazar, the son of Dodo, the Ahohite. He was with David at Pasdamene. And when the Philistines were gathered there for battle, there was a plot of ground full of barley, and the men fled from the Philistines. But he took his stand in the midst of the plot, and defended it, and killed the Philistines. And the Lord saved them by a great victory. Three of the thirty chief men went down to the rock to David at the cave of Adullam, when the army of Philistines was encamped in the valley of Rephaim. David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then at Bethlehem. And David said longingly, Oh, that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate. Then the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate and took it and brought it to David. But David would not drink it. He poured it out to the Lord and said, Far be it from me before my God that I should do this. Shall I drink the lifeblood of these men? For at the risk of their lives they brought it. Therefore he would not drink it. These things did the three mighty men. Now Abishai, the brother of Joab, was chief of the thirty, and he wielded his spear against three hundred men, and killed them, and won a name beside the three. He was the most renowned of the thirty, and became their commander. But he did not attain to the three. And Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, was a valiant man of Kabziel, a doer of great deeds. He struck down two heroes of Moab, He also went down and struck down a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen. And he struck down an Egyptian, a man of great stature, five cubits tall. The Egyptian had in his hand a spear like a weaver’s beam. But Benaiah went down to him with the staff, and snatched the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and killed him with his own spear. These things did Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, and won a name beside the three mighty men. He was renowned among the thirty, but he did not attain to the three, and David set him over his bodyguard. The mighty men were Azahel, the brother of Joab, Elhanan, the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, Shemoth of Herod, Heliz the Pelonite, Ira the son of Achish of Tekoa, Abiezer of Anathoth, Sibichai the Hushethite, Eli the Ahohite, Maharai of Nethotva, Helad the son of Baana of Nethotva, Ithai the son of Rebai of Gibeah of the people of Benjamin, Benaiah of Pirithon, Hurai of the brooks of Geash, Abiel the Arbethite, Asmapheth of Baharum, Eliabah the Shealbanite, Hashem, the Gizanite, Jonathan, the son of Shaggy, the Herorite, Ahayim, the son of Sakaar, the Hehorite, Eliphal, the son of Ur, Hefer, the Makarethite, Ahijah, the Pelonite, Hezro, of Carmel, Nehari, the son of Ezbi, Joel, the brother of Nathan, Mibhar, the son of Hagri, Zelik, the Ammonite, Nahari of Beoroth, the armor-bearer of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, Ira the Ithrite, Gerab the Ithrite, Uriah the Hittite, Zabad the son of Ali, Adina the son of Shizah, the Reubenite, a leader of the Reubenites, and thirty with him. Hanan the son of Maacah, and Josaphat the Mithnite, Uzziah the Ashterothite, Shema and Jael the sons of Hotham the Auroraite, Jediel the son of Shimri, and Johah his brother the Tisrite. Eliel the Mahavite, and Jerobai, and Josheviah the sons of Elnaim, and Ithma the Moabite, Eliel and Obed, and Jaaziel the Mezobite. 1 Chronicles 12 Now these are the men who came to David at Ziklag, while he could not move about freely because of Saul the son of Kish. And they were among the mighty men who helped him in war. They were bowmen and could shoot arrows and sling stones with either the right or the left hand. They were Benjamites, Saul’s kinsmen. The chief was Ahazer, then Joash, both sons of Shimeah of Gibeah, also Jeziel and Pellet, the sons of Asmaveth, Barakah, Jehu of Anathoth, Ishmael of Gibeon, a mighty man among the thirty and a leader over the thirty. Jeremiah, Jehaziel, Johanan, Jehoshaphat of Gadara, Eluzai, Jeremoth, Baalaiah, Shemariah, Shephatiah, the Heraphite, Elkanah, Eshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Joshabim, the Korahites, and Joalah, and Zebediah, the sons of Jehoram, From the Gadites there went over to David at the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty and experienced warriors, expert with shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and who were swift as gazelles upon the mountains. Ezra the chief, Obadiah second, Eliab third, Mishmata fourth, Jeremiah fifth, Atti sixth, Eliel seventh, Johanan eighth, These Gadites were officers of the army. The least was a match for a hundred men and the greatest for a thousand. These are the men who crossed the Jordan in the first month when it was overflowing all its banks and put to flight all those in the valleys to the east and to the west. And some of the men of Benjamin and Judah came to the stronghold to David. David went out to meet them and said to them, If you have come to me in friendship to help me, my heart will be joined to you. But if to betray me to my adversaries, although there is no wrong in my hands, then may the God of our fathers see and rebuke you. Then the Spirit clothed Amasai, chief of the thirty, and he said, We are yours, O David, and with you, O son of Jesse. Peace, peace to you, and peace to your helpers, for your God helps you. Then David received them and made them officers of his troops. Some of the men of Manasseh deserted to David when he came with the Philistines for the battle against Saul. Yet he did not help them, for the rulers of the Philistines took counsel and sent him away, saying, At peril to our heads he will desert to his master Saul. As he went to Ziklag, these men of Manasseh deserted to him. Adna, Josabad, Jediah, Michael, Josabad, Elihu, and Zilathai, chiefs of thousands in Manasseh. They helped David against the band of raiders, for they were all mighty men of valor and were commanders in the army. For from day to day men came to David to help him, until there was a great army, like an army of God. These are the numbers of the divisions of the armed troops who came to David and Hebron to turn the kingdom of Saul over to him, according to the word of the Lord. The men of Judah, bearing shield and spear, were 6,800 armed troops. Of the Simeonites, mighty men of valor for war, 7,100. Of the Levites, 4,600. the prince Jehoiada of the house of Aaron, and with him 3,700. Zadok, a young man mighty in valor, 22 commanders from his own father’s house. Of the Benjamites, the kinsmen of Saul, 3,000, of whom the majority had to that point kept their allegiance to the house of Saul. Of the Ephraimites, 20,800. Mighty men of valor, famous men in their father’s houses. Of the half-tribe of Manasseh, 18,000, who were expressly named to come and make David king. Of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times to know what Israel ought to do, 200 chiefs and all their kinsmen under their command. Of Zebulun, 50,000 seasoned troops, equipped for battle with all the weapons of war to help David with singleness of purpose. Of Naphtali, 1,000 commanders, with whom were 37,000 men armed with shield and spear. Of the Danites, 28,600 men equipped for battle. Of Asher, 40,000 seasoned troops ready for battle. Of the Reubenites and Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, from beyond the Jordan, 120,000 men armed with all the weapons of war. All these men of war, arrayed in battle order, came to Hebron with full intent to make David king over all Israel. Likewise, all the rest of Israel were of a single mind to make David king. And they were there with David for three days, eating and drinking, for their brothers had made preparation for them. And also their relatives from as far as Issachar and Zebulon and Naphtali, came bringing food on donkeys and on camels and on mules and on oxen, abundant provisions of flour, cakes of figs, clusters of raisins, and wine and oil, oxen and sheep. For there was joy in Israel.

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