1 Samuel 30

1 On the third day David and his men arrived in Ziklag, and the Amalekites had raided the Negev, attacked Ziklag, and burned it down.

And it came to pass when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, that the 'Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burnt it with fire;

2 They had taken captive the women and all who were there, both young and old. They had not killed anyone, but had carried them off as they went on their way.

And had taken captive the women that were therein, both great and small: they had not slain any one, but had led them off, and gone on their way.

3 When David and his men came to the city, they found it burned down and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive.

When therefore David and his men came to the city, behold, it was burnt with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, had been taken captive.

4 So David and the troops with him lifted up their voices and wept until they had no strength left to weep.

And David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.

5 David’s two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel, had been taken captive.

And the two wives of David were also taken captive, Achino'am the Yizre'elitess, and Abigayil the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.

6 And David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of every man grieved for his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God.

And David was greatly distressed; for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was imbittered, every man for his sons and for his daughters; but David fortified himself in the Lord his God.

7 Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought it to him,

And David said to Ebyathar the priest, the son of Achimelech, Bring hither, I pray thee, unto me the ephod. And Ebyathar brought the ephod near unto David.

8 and David inquired of the LORD: “Should I pursue these raiders? Will I overtake them?” “Pursue them,” the LORD replied, “for you will surely overtake them and rescue the captives.”

And David asked counsel of the Lord, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop! shall I overtake them? And he said to him, Pursue; for thou wilt surely overtake them, and certainly recover [all].

9 So David and his six hundred men went to the Brook of Besor, where some stayed behind

So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and came up to the brook Bessor, where those that were left behind stayed.

10 because two hundred men were too exhausted to cross the brook. But David and four hundred men continued in pursuit.

But David pursued on, he and four hundred men; and there stayed behind two hundred men, who were too fatigued to go over the brook Bessor.

11 Now his men found an Egyptian in the field and brought him to David. They gave the man water to drink and food to eat—

And they found an Egyptian man in the field, and took him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they made him drink water;

12 a piece of a fig cake and two clusters of raisins. So he ate and was revived, for he had not had any food or water for three days and three nights.

And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins, and he ate, and then his spirit returned to him; for he had not eaten any bread, nor drunk any water, three days and three nights.

13 Then David asked him, “To whom do you belong, and where are you from?” “I am an Egyptian,” he replied, “the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me three days ago when I fell ill.

And David said unto him, To whom belongest thou? and whence art thou? And he said, I am a young Egyptian man, the servant to an 'Amalekite; and my master left me behind, because I fell sick, today three days ago.

14 We raided the Negev of the Cherethites, the territory of Judah, and the Negev of Caleb, and we burned down Ziklag.”

We made an invasion upon the south of the Kerethites, and upon that which belongeth to Judah, and upon the south of Caleb; and Ziklag did we burn with fire.

15 “Will you lead me to these raiders?” David asked. And the man replied, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or deliver me into the hand of my master, and I will lead you to them.”

And David said to him, Wilt thou bring me down to this troop? And he said, Swear unto me by God, that thou wilt not kill me, and that thou wilt not surrender me into the hand of my master, and then will I bring thee down to this troop.

16 So he led David down, and there were the Amalekites spread out over all the land, eating, drinking, and celebrating the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and the land of Judah.

And he brought him down; and behold, they were scattered over the face of all the country, eating and drinking, and dancing for joy, because of all the great spoil which they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah.

17 And David struck them down from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man escaped, except four hundred young men who fled, riding off on camels.

And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day; and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, who rode upon camels, and fled.

18 So David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives.

And David recovered all that the 'Amalekites had taken away; and his two wives also did David rescue.

19 Nothing was missing, young or old, son or daughter, or any of the plunder the Amalekites had taken. David brought everything back.

And there was nothing missing to them, from small to great, as also sons and daughters, and spoil, down to every thing that they had taken from them: the whole did David bring back.

20 And he recovered all the flocks and herds, which his men drove ahead of the other livestock, calling out, “This is David’s plunder!”

And David took all the flocks and the herds: these they drove before those other cattle, and said, This is David's spoil.

21 When David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow him from the Brook of Besor, they came out to meet him and the troops with him. As David approached the men, he greeted them,

And David came to the two hundred men, who had been too fatigued to follow after David, and whom they had left to remain at the brook Bessor: and they went forth to meet David, and to meet the people that were with him; and David came near to the people, and asked them after their well-being.

22 but all the wicked and worthless men among those who had gone with David said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not share with them the plunder we recovered, except for each man’s wife and children. They may take them and go.”

Then exclaimed every wicked and worthless man, of those that had gone with David, and said, Because they went not with us, we will not give them aught of the spoil that we have recovered, save to every man his wife and his children, and these they may lead away, and go.

23 But David said, “My brothers, you must not do this with what the LORD has given us. He has protected us and delivered into our hands the raiders who came against us.

Then said David, Ye must not do so, my brethren; since the Lord hath given us this, and guarded us, and delivered the troop that came against us into our hand.

24 Who will listen to your proposal? The share of the one who went to battle will match the share of the one who stayed with the supplies. They will share alike.”

And who will hearken unto you in this matter? but as is the part of him that went down to the battle, so shall be the part of him that remained with the baggage: together must they share.

25 And so it has been from that day forward. David established this statute as an ordinance for Israel to this very day.

And it happened from that day and forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel until this day.

26 When David arrived in Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to his friends, the elders of Judah, saying, “Here is a gift for you from the plunder of the LORD’s enemies.”

And when David came to Ziklag, he sent of the spoil unto the elders of Judah, to his friends, saying, Behold, here is a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of the Lord:

27 He sent gifts to those in Bethel, Ramoth Negev, and Jattir;

To those who were in Beth-el, and to those who were in south Ramoth, and to those who were in Yattir,

28 to those in Aroer, Siphmoth, and Eshtemoa;

And to those who were in 'Aro'er, and to those who were in Siphmoth, and to those who were in Eshtemoa',

29 to those in Racal and in the cities of the Jerahmeelites and Kenites;

And to those who were in Rachal, and to those who were in the cities of Yerach-meelites, and to those who were in the cities of the Kenites,

30 to those in Hormah, Bor-ashan, and Athach;

And to those who were in Chormah, and to those who were in Kor-'ashan, and to those who were in 'Athach,

31 and to those in Hebron and in all the places where David and his men had roamed.

And to those who were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men had wandered about.