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.

Now when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made an attack on the South and on Ziklag, and had overcome Ziklag and put it on 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 had made the women and all who were there, small and great, prisoners: they had not put any of them to death, but had taken them all away.

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 when David and his men came to the town, they saw that it had been burned down, and their wives and their sons and daughters had been made prisoners.

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

Then David and the people who were with him gave themselves up to weeping till they were able to go on weeping no longer.

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

And David's two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the wife of Nabal of Carmel, had been made prisoners.

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 was greatly troubled; for the people were talking of stoning him, because their hearts were bitter, every man sorrowing for his sons and his daughters: but David made himself strong in the Lord his God.

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

And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, Come here to me with the ephod. And Abiathar took the ephod to 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].

Then David, questioning the Lord, said, Am I to go after this band? will I be able to overtake them? And in answer he said, Go after them, for you will certainly overtake them, and get back everything.

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.

So David went, and his six hundred men went with him, and they came to the stream Besor.

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, with four hundred men, went on: but two hundred of them were overcome with weariness, and not able to go across the stream.

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 in the fields they saw an Egyptian whom they took to David, and they gave him bread, and he had a meal, and they gave him water for drink;

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 they gave him part of a cake of figs and some dry grapes; and after the food, his spirit came back to him, for he had had no food or drink for three days and 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 said to him, Whose man are you and where do you come from? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master went on without me because three days back I became ill.

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 made an attack on the south part of the country of the Cherethites, and on the land which is Judah's, and on the south of Caleb; and we put Ziklag on 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 said to him, Will you take me down to this band? And he said, If you give me your oath that you will not put me to death or give me up to my master, I will take you to them.

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 when he had taken him down, they saw them all, seated about on all sides, feasting and drinking among all the mass of goods which they had taken from the land of the Philistines and 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 went on fighting them from evening till the evening of the day after; and not one of them got away but only four hundred young men who went in flight on camels.

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

And David got back everything the Amalekites had taken; and he got back his two wives.

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.

There was no loss of anything, small or great, sons or daughters or goods or anything which they had taken away: David got it all 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 they took all the flocks and herds, and driving them in front of him, said, These are David's.

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 came to the two hundred men, who because of weariness had not gone with him, but were waiting at the stream Besor: and they went out, meeting David and the people who were with him; and when they came near them, they said, How are you?

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.

Then the bad and good-for-nothing men among those who went with David said, Because they did not go with us, we will give them nothing of the goods which we have got back, but only to every man his wife and children, so that he may take them 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.

Then David said, You are not to do this, my brothers, after what the Lord has given us, who has kept us safe and given up the band which came against us into our hands.

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.

Who is going to give any attention to you in this question? for an equal part will be given to him who went to the fight and to him who was waiting by the goods: they are all to have the same.

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

And so he made it a rule and an order for Israel from that day till now.

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 when David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the goods to the responsible men of Judah, and to his friends, saying, Here is an offering for you from the goods of those who were fighting against the Lord;

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

He sent to those who were in Beth-el, and in Ramah of the South, and 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 Arara and 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 Carmel and in the towns of the Jerahmeelites, and in the towns of the Kenites;

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

And to those who were in Hormah and in Bor-ashan and in Athach;

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

And in Hebron, and to all the places where David and his men had been living.