1tn Heb “kept from.”

2tn Heb “ones armed with bow[s], using the right hand and the left hand with stones and with arrows with the bow, from the brothers of Saul from Benjamin.”

3tn The words “These were” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons, because of the length of the intervening material since the beginning of the verse.

4sn In the Hebrew text (BHS) a verse division occurs at this point, and for the remainder of the chapter the verse numbers of the Hebrew Bible differ by one from the English Bible. Thus 1 Chr 12:4b ET = 12:5 HT, and 12:5-40 ET = 12:6-41 HT. Beginning with 13:1 the verse numbers in the ET and HT are again the same.

5tn Heb “warriors, men of battle for war, prepared with shield and spear, and [like] the face of a lion were their faces, and like gazelles on the hills to hurry.”

6tn Heb “one for a hundred the small, and the great for a thousand.” Another option is to translate the preposition -לְ (lamed) as “against” and to understand this as a hyperbolic reference to their prowess: “the least could stand against a hundred, the greatest against a thousand.”

7tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied for clarity.

8sn That is, March-April.

9tn Heb “and they chased all the valleys to the east and to the west.”

10tn Heb “and David went out before them and answered and said to them.”

11tn Heb “there will be to me concerning you a heart for unity.”

12tn Heb “with no violence in my hands.”

13tn Heb “fathers.”

14tn Perhaps “the Spirit,” but the text has simply רוּחַ (ruakh) with no article (suggesting an indefinite reference).

15tn Heb “clothed.”

16tn The words “and he said” are supplied in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.

17tn Heb “are with.”

18tn Heb “Peace, peace to you.” The Hebrew term שָׁלוֹם (shalom, “peace”) is repeated to emphasize degree.

19tn Heb “and peace to the one who helps you.”

20tn Or “for.”

21tn Heb “fell upon,” here in a good sense.

22tn Heb “and they did not help them for by counsel they sent him away, the lords of the Philistines, saying, ‘With our heads he will fall to his master Saul.’”

23tn Heb “he”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

24tn Heb “for at the time of day in a day they were coming to David to help him until [there was] a great camp like the camp of God.” The term אֱלֹהִים (’elohim, “God”) is probably used idiomatically here to indicate the superlative.

25tn Heb “these are the numbers of the heads of the forces armed for battle [who] came to David in Hebron to turn over the kingdom of Saul to him according to the mouth of the Lord.”

26tn Heb “the sons of Judah, carrying shield and spear, [were] 6,800 armed for battle.”

27tn Heb “from the sons of Benjamin, the brothers of Saul.”

28tn Heb “and until then, the majority of them were keeping the charge of the house of Saul.”

29tn Heb “men of names for the house of their fathers.”

30tn Heb “from the sons of Issachar, knowers of understanding for times to know what Israel should do, their heads [were] 200, and all their brothers according to their mouth.”

31tn Heb “from Zebulun, those going out for battle, prepared for war with all weapons of war, 50,000, and to help without a heart and a heart.”

32tc Heb “all these [were] men of war, helpers of the battle line.” The present translation assumes an emendation of עֹדְרֵי (’od˙rey, “helpers of”) to עֹרְכֵי, (’or˙khey, “prepared for”).

33tn Heb “with a complete heart they came to Hebron to make David king over all Israel.”

34tn Heb “and also all the rest of Israel [was of] one mind to make David king.”

35tn Heb “eating and drinking.”

36tn Heb “cattle and sheep.”

37tn Heb “for there was joy in Israel.”