Kings I 30

1 And it came to pass when David and his men had entered Sekelac on the third day, that Amalec had made an incursion upon the south, and upon Sekelac, and struck Sekelac, and burnt it with fire.

And it cometh to pass, in the coming in of David and his men to Ziklag, on the third day, that the Amalekites have pushed unto the south, and unto Ziklag, and smite Ziklag, and burn it with fire,

2 And as to the women and all things that were in it, great and small, they killed neither man nor woman, but carried them captives, and went on their way.

and they take captive the women who [are] in it; from small unto great they have not put any one to death, and they lead away, and go on their way.

3 And David and his men came into the city, and, behold, it was burnt with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters were carried captive.

And David cometh in — and his men — unto the city, and lo, burnt with fire, and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters have been taken captive!

4 And David and his men lifted up their voice, and wept till there was no longer any power within them to weep.

And David lifteth up — and the people who [are] with him — their voice and weep, till that they have no power to weep.

5 And both the wives of David were carried captive, Achinaam, the Jezraelitess, and Abigaia the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.

And the two wives of David have been taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail wife of Nabal the Carmelite;

6 And David was greatly distressed, because the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, each for his sons and his daughters: but David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.

and David hath great distress, for the people have said to stone him, for the soul of all the people hath been bitter, each for his sons and for his daughters; and David doth strengthen himself in Jehovah his God.

7 And David said to Abiathar the priest the son of Achimelech, Bring near the ephod.

And David saith unto Abiathar the priest, son of Ahimelech, 'Bring nigh, I pray thee, to me the ephod;' and Abiathar bringeth nigh the ephod unto David,

8 And David enquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? and he said to him, Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them, and you shall surely rescue [the captives].

and David asketh at Jehovah, saying, 'I pursue after this troop — do I overtake it?' And He saith to him, 'Pursue, for thou dost certainly overtake, and dost certainly deliver.'

9 So David went, he an the six hundred men with him, an they come as far as the brook Bosor, and the superfluous ones stopped.

And David goeth on, he and six hundred men who [are] with him, and they come in unto the brook of Besor, and those left have stood still,

10 And he pursued them with four hundred men; and there remained behind two hundred men, who tarried on the other side of the brook Bosor.

and David pursueth, he and four hundred men, (and two hundred men stand still who have been too faint to pass over the brook of Besor),

11 And they find an Egyptian in the field, and they take him, and bring him to David; and they gave him bread and he ate, and they caused him to drink water.

and they find a man, an Egyptian, in the field, and take him unto David, and give to him bread, and he eateth, and they cause him to drink water,

12 And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and he ate, and his spirit was restored in him; for he had not eaten bread, and had not drunk water three days and three nights.

and give to him a piece of a bunch of dried figs, and two bunches of raisins, and he eateth, and his spirit returneth unto him, for he hath not eaten bread nor drunk water three days and three nights.

13 And David said to him, Whose are you? and whence are you? and the young man the Egyptian said, I am the servant of an Amalekite; and my master left me, because I was taken ill three days ago.

And David saith to him, 'Whose [art] thou? and whence [art] thou?' And he saith, 'An Egyptian youth I [am], servant to a man, an Amalekite, and my lord forsaketh me, for I have been sick three days,

14 And we made an incursion on the south of the Chelethite, and on the parts of Judea, and on the south of Chelub, and we burnt Sekelac with fire.

we pushed [to] the south of the Cherethite, and against that which [is] to Judah, and against the south of Caleb, and Ziklag we burned with fire.'

15 And David said to him, Will you bring me down to this troop? And he said, Swear now to me by God, that you will not kill me, and that you will not deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring you down upon this troop.

And David saith unto him, 'Dost thou bring me down unto this troop?' and he saith, 'Swear to me by God — thou dost not put me to death, nor dost thou shut me up into the hand of my lord — and I bring thee down unto this troop.'

16 So be brought him down there, and behold, they [were] scattered abroad upon the surface of the whole land, eating and drinking, and feasting by [reason of] all the great spoils which they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Juda.

And he bringeth him down, and lo, they are spread out over the face of all the earth, eating, and drinking, and feasting, with all the great spoil which they have taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah.

17 And David came upon them, and struck them from the morning till the evening, and on the next day; and not one of them escaped, except four hundred young men, who were mounted on camels, and fled.

And David smiteth them from the twilight even unto the evening of the morrow, and there hath not escaped of them a man, except four hundred young men who have ridden on the camels, and are fled.

18 And David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and he rescued both his wives.

And David delivereth all that the Amalekites have taken; also his two wives hath David delivered.

19 And nothing was lacking to them of great or small, either of the spoils, or the sons and daughters, or anything that they had taken of theirs; and David recovered all.

And there hath not lacked to them [anything], from small unto great, and unto sons and daughters, and from the spoil, even unto all that they had taken to themselves, the whole hath David brought back,

20 And he took all the flocks, and the herds, and led them away before the spoils: and it was said of these spoils, These [are] the spoils of David.

and David taketh the whole of the flock, and of the herd, they have led on before these cattle, and they say, 'This [is] David's spoil.'

21 And David comes to the two hundred men who were left behind that they should not follow after David, and he had caused them to remain by the brook of Bosor; and they came forth to meet David, and to meet his people with him: and David drew near to the people, and they asked him how he did.

And David cometh in unto the two hundred men who were too faint to go after David, and whom they cause to abide at the brook of Besor, and they go out to meet David, and to meet the people who [are] with him, and David approacheth the people, and asketh of them of welfare.

22 Then every ill-disposed and bad man of the soldiers who had gone with David, answered and said, Because they did not pursue together with us, we will not give them of the spoils which we have recovered, only let each one lead away with him his wife and his children, and let them return.

And every bad and worthless man, of the men who have gone with David, answereth, yea, they say, 'Because that they have not gone with us we do not give to them of the spoil which we have delivered, except each his wife and his children, and they lead away and go.

23 And David said, You shall not do so, after the Lord has delivered [the enemy] to us, and guarded us, and the Lord has delivered into our hands the troop that came against u.

And David saith, 'Ye do not do so, my brethren, with that which Jehovah hath given to us, and He doth preserve us, and doth give the troop which cometh against us into our hand;

24 And who will listen to these your words? for they are not inferior to us; for according to the portion of him that went down to the battle, so shall be the portion of him that abides with the baggage; they shall share alike.

and who doth hearken to you in this thing? for as the portion of him who was brought down into battle, so also [is] the portion of him who is abiding by the vessels — alike they share.'

25 And it came to pass from that day forward, that it became an ordinance and a custom in Israel until this day.

And it cometh to pass from that day and forward, that he appointeth it for a statute and for an ordinance for Israel unto this day.

26 And David came to Sekelac, and sent of the spoils to the elders of Juda, and to his friends, saying, Behold [some] of the spoils of the enemies of the Lord;

And David cometh in unto Ziklag, and sendeth of the spoil to the elders of Judah, to his friends, (saying, 'Lo, for you a blessing, of the spoil of the enemies of Jehovah),'

27 to those in Baethsur, and to those in Rama of the south, and to those in Gethor.

to those in Beth-El, and to those in South Ramoth, and to those in Jattir,

28 And to those in Aroer, and to those in Ammadi, and to those in Saphi, and to those in Esthie,

and to those in Aroer, and to those in Siphmoth, and to those in Eshtemoa,

29 and to those in Geth, and to those in Cimath, and to those in Saphec, and to those in Themath, and to those in Carmel, and to those in the cities of Jeremeel, and to those in the cities of the Kenezite;

and to those in Rachal, and to those in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to those in the cities of the Kenites,

30 and to those in Jerimuth, and to those in Bersabee, and to those in Nombe,

and to those in Hormah, and to those in Chor-Ashan, and to those in Athach,

31 and to those in Chebron, and to all the places which David and his men had passed through.

and to those in Hebron, and to all the places where David had gone up and down, he and his men.