1 Samuel 30
1 Three days later David and his men arrived back in Ziklag. Some Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned it down.
When David and his men had come to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made a raid on the South and on Ziklag, and had struck Ziklag and burned it with fire,
2 They had captured the women and everyone else there, young and old. They hadn't killed anyone, but they took everyone with them as they left.
and had taken captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great. They did not kill any, but carried them off and went their way.
3 When David and his men arrived back in town, they found it burned to the ground, and their wives and children captured.
When David and his men came to the city, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, their sons, and their daughters were taken captive.
4 David and his men cried loudly until they couldn't cry any more.
Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voice and wept until they had no more power to weep.
5 David's two wives had also been taken as prisoners—Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, Nabal's widow, from Carmel.
David’s two wives were taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
6 David was in a great deal of trouble, because the men were so upset over losing their children that they began to talk of stoning him. But trusting in the Lord his God,
David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the souls of all the people were grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters; but David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.
7 David went to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, and said, “Bring me the ephod.” Abiathar brought it to him.
David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Please bring the ephod here to me.” Abiathar brought the ephod to David.
8 David asked the Lord, “Should I chase after these raiders? Will I catch up with them?” “Yes, chase after them,” the Lord replied, “for you will definitely catch up with them and rescue the prisoners.”
David inquired of the LORD, saying, “If I pursue after this troop, will I overtake them?” He answered him, “Pursue, for you will surely overtake them, and will without fail recover all.”
9 David and six hundred of his men set off for the Besor Valley.
So David went, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those who were left behind stayed.
10 Two hundred of them remained behind there because they were too tired to cross the valley while David continued on with four hundred men.
But David pursued, he and four hundred men; for two hundred stayed behind, who were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor.
11 They came across an Egyptian in the countryside and they took him to David. They gave him some food to eat and water to drink.
They found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he ate; and they gave him water to drink.
12 They also gave him a piece of a fig cake and two raisins cakes. He ate them and recovered, because he hadn't had any food or water for three days and nights.
They gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. When he had eaten, his spirit came again to him; for he had eaten no bread, and drank no water for three days and three nights.
13 “Whose slave are you, and where do you come from?” David asked him. “I'm an Egyptian,” he replied, “the slave of an Amalekite. My master left me behind three days ago when I got sick.
David asked him, “To whom do you belong? Where are you from?” He said, “I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days ago I got sick.
14 We raided the Kerethites in the Negev, as well as the part that belongs to Judah, and the Negev of Caleb. We burned Ziklag too.”
We made a raid on the South of the Cherethites, and on that which belongs to Judah, and on the South of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.”
15 “Can you lead me to these raiders?” David asked. “If you swear to me by God that you won't kill me or hand me over to my master, then I'll take you to them,” the man replied.
David said to him, “Will you bring me down to this troop?” He said, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me and not deliver me up into the hands of my master, and I will bring you down to this troop.”
16 He led David to the Amalekites, where they were spread out all over the place, eating, drinking, and dancing because of the large haul of plunder they had taken from the lands of the Philistines and of Judah.
When he had brought him down, behold, they were spread around over all the ground, eating, drinking, and dancing, because of all the great plunder that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah.
17 David attacked them from dusk until the following evening. Nobody escaped, except for four hundred men who managed to get away, riding on camels.
David struck them from the twilight even to the evening of the next day. Not a man of them escaped from there, except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled.
18 David got back everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives.
David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and David rescued his two wives.
19 Everything was accounted for—all the adults and children, as well as all the plunder the Amalekites had taken. David brought everything back.
There was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither plunder, nor anything that they had taken. David brought them all back.
20 He also recovered all the flocks and herds. His men drove them ahead of the other livestock, shouting, “This is David's plunder!”
David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drove before those other livestock, and said, “This is David’s plunder.”
21 When David got back to the two hundred men who had been too tired to continue with him from the Besor Valley, they came to meet him and the men with him. As David approached the men to greet them,
David came to the two hundred men, who were so faint that they could not follow David, whom also they had made to stay at the brook Besor; and they went out to meet David, and to meet the people who were with him. When David came near to the people, he greeted them.
22 all the unpleasant, good-for-nothing men of those who had gone with David said, “They weren't with us, so we won't share the plunder that we took, except to give them back their wives and children. They can take them and leave.”
Then all the wicked men and worthless fellows of those who went with David answered and said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not give them anything of the plunder that we have recovered, except to every man his wife and his children, that he may lead them away and depart.”
23 But David intervened, saying, “No, my brothers, you shouldn't do this with what the Lord has given us. He has protected us and handed over to us the raiders that had attacked us.
Then David said, “Do not do so, my brothers, with that which the LORD has given to us, who has preserved us, and delivered the troop that came against us into our hand.
24 Who's going to listen to you when you say such things? Whatever share those who went into battle receive will be the same as those who stayed to guard the supplies.”
Who will listen to you in this matter? For as his share is who goes down to the battle, so shall his share be who stays with the baggage. They shall share alike.”
25 David made this the rule and regulation for Israel from that day until now.
It was so from that day forward that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.
26 When David got back to Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to each of his friends among the elders of Judah, saying, “Here's a gift for you from the plunder of the Lord's enemies.”
When David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah, even to his friends, saying, “Behold, a present for you from the plunder of the LORD’s enemies.”
27 David sent it to those who lived in Bethuel, Ramoth Negev, Jattir,
He sent it to those who were in Bethel, to those who were in Ramoth of the South, to those who were in Jattir,
28 Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa,
to those who were in Aroer, to those who were in Siphmoth, to those who were in Eshtemoa,
29 Racal, and the towns of the Jerahmeelites and Kenites,
to those who were in Racal, to those who were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, to those who were in the cities of the Kenites,
30 Hormah, Bor-ashan, Athach,
to those who were in Hormah, to those who were in Borashan, to those who were in Athach,
31 Hebron—all the places David and his men had gone to.
to those who were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men used to stay.
