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 were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned 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 the women captives, that were in it: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went 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.

So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives.

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

Then 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 David’s two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail 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 grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged 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 Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, I pray thee, bring me here the ephod. And Abiathar brought there the ephod to 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 enquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail 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 to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind remained.

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

But David pursued, he and four hundred men: for two hundred abode behind, who were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor.

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 in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he ate; 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 when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him: for he had eaten no 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 to him, To whom belongest thou? and from where art thou? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days ago I fell sick.

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 Cherethites, and upon the land which belongeth to Judah, and upon the south of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag 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, Canst thou bring me down to this company? And he said, Swear to me by God, that thou wilt neither kill me, nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee down to this company.

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 when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread abroad upon all the earth, eating and drinking, and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken from the land of the Philistines, and from 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 to the evening of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, except 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 carried away: and David rescued his two wives.

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 lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor any thing that they had taken to them: David recovered all.

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, which 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 were so faint that they could not follow David, whom they had made also to abide at the brook Besor: and they went forth to meet David, and to meet the people that were with him: and when David came near to the people, he greeted them.

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 answered all the wicked and worthless men, of those that went with David, and said, Because they went not with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead them away, and depart.

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 shall not do so, my brethren, with that which the LORD hath given us, who hath preserved us, and delivered the company 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.”

For who will hearken to you in this matter? but as his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the baggage: they shall divide alike.

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 was so from that day onward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to 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 to the elders of Judah, even to his friends, saying, Behold a present for you of the spoil of the enemies of the LORD;

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

To them who were in Bethel, and to them who were in south Ramoth, and to them who were in Jattir,

28 to those in Aroer, Siphmoth, and Eshtemoa;

And to them who were in Aroer, and to them who were in Siphmoth, and to them who were in Eshtemoa,

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

And to them who were in Rachal, and to them who were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to them who were in the cities of the Kenites,

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

And to them who were in Hormah, and to them who were in Chorashan, and to them who were in Athach,

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

And to them who were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were accustomed to resort.