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.
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.