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.

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 smitten Sekelac, and burnt 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 as to the women and all things that were in it, great and small, they slew neither man nor woman, but carried them captives, and went on 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.

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.

4 David and his men cried loudly until they couldn't cry any more.

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

5 David's two wives had also been taken as prisoners—Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, Nabal's widow, from Carmel.

And both the wives of David were carried captive, Achinaam, the Jezraelitess, and Abigaia 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,

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.

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

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

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.”

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

9 David and six hundred of his men set off for the Besor Valley.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

And David said to him, Whose art thou? and whence art thou? 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.

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.”

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.

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.

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

So be brought him down thither, 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.

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.

And David came upon them, and smote 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.

18 David got back everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives.

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

And nothing was wanting 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.

20 He also recovered all the flocks and herds. His men drove them ahead of the other livestock, shouting, “This is David's plunder!”

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.

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,

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.

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 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.

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.

And David said, Ye 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.

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.”

And who will hearken 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.

25 David made this the rule and regulation for Israel from that day until now.

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

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;

27 David sent it to those who lived in Bethuel, Ramoth Negev, Jattir,

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

28 Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa,

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

29 Racal, and the towns of the Jerahmeelites and Kenites,

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;

30 Hormah, Bor-ashan, Athach,

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

31 Hebron—all the places David and his men had gone to.

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