came eighteen thousand, of the most potent men. Out of the tribe of
Issachar came two hundred, who foreknew what was to come hereafter, [3]
but of armed men twenty thousand. Of the tribe of Zebulon fifty thousand
chosen men. This was the only tribe that came universally in to David,
and all these had the same weapons with the tribe of Gad. Out of the
tribe of Naphtali the eminent men and rulers were one thousand, whose
weapons were shields and spears, and the tribe itself followed after,
being [in a manner] innumerable [thirty-seven thousand]. Out of the
tribe of Dan there were of chosen men twenty-seven thousand and six
hundred. Out of the tribe of Asher were forty thousand. Out of the two
tribes that were beyond Jordan, and the rest of the tribe of Manasseh,
such as used shields, and spears, and head-pieces, and swords, were a
hundred and twenty thousand. The rest of the tribes also made use of
swords. This multitude came together to Hebron to David, with a great
quantity of corn, and wine, and all other sorts of food, and established
David in his kingdom with one consent. And when the people had rejoiced
for three days in Hebron, David and all the people removed and came to
Jerusalem.

CHAPTER 3. How David Laid Siege To Jerusalem; And When He Had Taken
The City, He Cast The Canaanites Out Of It, And Brought In The Jews To
Inhabit Therein.

1. Now the Jebusites, who were the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and were by
extraction Canaanites, shut their gates, and placed the blind, and the
lame, and all their maimed persons, upon the wall, in way of derision
of the king, and said that the very lame themselves would hinder his
entrance into it. This they did out of contempt of his power, and as
depending on the strength of their walls. David was hereby enraged,
and began the siege of Jerusalem, and employed his utmost diligence
and alacrity therein, as intending by the taking of this place to
demonstrate his power, and to intimidate all others that might be of the
like [evil] disposition towards him. So he took the lower city by force,
but the citadel held out still; [4] whence it was that the king, knowing
that the proposal of dignities and rewards would encourage the soldiers
to greater actions, promised that he who should first go over the
ditches that were beneath the citadel, and should ascend to the citadel
itself and take it, should have the command of the entire people
conferred upon him. So they all were am