1 Samuel 30

1 And it comes to pass, in the coming in of David and his men to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites have pushed toward the south, and to Ziklag, and strike Ziklag, and burn it with fire,

It happened, when David and his men had come to Ziklag on the third day, that Amalek had made a raid on the Negev, and on Ziklag, and had struck Ziklag, and burned it with fire,

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

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 And David comes in—and his men—to the city, and behold, [it is] burned with fire, and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters have been taken captive.

When David and his men came to the city, look, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captive.

4 And David lifts up—and the people who [are] with him—their voice and weep, until they have no power to weep.

Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.

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

David's two wives were taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.

6 and David has great distress, for the people have said to stone him, for the soul of all the people has been bitter, each for his sons and for his daughters; and David strengthens himself in his God YHWH.

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 strengthened himself in YHWH his God.

7 And David says to Abiathar the priest, son of Ahimelech, “Please bring the ephod near to me”; and Abiathar brings the ephod near to David,

David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, "Please bring me here the ephod." Abiathar brought the ephod to David.

8 and David inquires of YHWH, saying, “I pursue after this troop—do I overtake it?” And He says to him, “Pursue, for you certainly overtake, and certainly deliver.”

David inquired of YHWH, saying, "If I pursue after this troop, shall I overtake them?" He answered him, "Pursue; for you shall surely overtake them, and shall without fail recover all."

9 And David goes on, he and six hundred men who [are] with him, and they come to the Brook of Besor, and those left have stood still,

So David went, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and came to the Wadi Besor, where those who were left behind stayed.

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

But David pursued, he and four hundred men; for two hundred stayed behind, who were so faint that they couldn't cross the Wadi Besor.

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

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 and give to him a piece of a bunch of dried figs, and two bunches of raisins, and he eats, and his spirit returns to him, for he has not eaten bread nor drunk water [for] three days and three 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, nor drunk any water, three days and three nights.

13 And David says to him, “Whose [are] you? And where [are] you from?” And he says, “I [am] an Egyptian youth, servant to a man, an Amalekite, and my lord forsakes me, for I have been sick [for] three days,

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 fell sick.

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

We made a raid on the Negev of the Kerethites, and on that which belongs to Judah, and on the Negev of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire."

15 And David says to him, “Do you bring me down to this troop?” And he says, “Swear to me by God [that] you do not put me to death, nor do you shut me up into the hand of my lord, and I bring you down to this troop.”

David said to him, "Will you bring me down to this troop?" He said, "Swear to me by God that you will neither kill me, nor deliver me up into the hands of my master, and I will bring you down to this troop." And he swore to him.

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

When he had brought him down, look, they were spread around over all the ground, eating, drinking, and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah.

17 And David strikes them from the twilight even to the evening of the next day, and there has not escaped of them a man, except four hundred young men who have ridden on the camels and flee.

David struck them from the twilight even to the evening of the next day and he put them to death. Not a man of them escaped from there, except four hundred young men, who rode on camels and fled.

18 And David delivers all that the Amalekites have taken; David has also delivered his two wives.

He recovered all that the Amalekites had taken; and David rescued his two wives.

19 And nothing of theirs has lacked, from small to great, and to sons and daughters, and from the spoil, even to all that they had taken to themselves, David has brought back the whole,

There was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor anything that they had taken to them. David brought back all.

20 and David takes the whole of the flock and of the herd [that] they have led on before these livestock, and they say, “This [is] David’s spoil.”

He took all the flocks and the herds, which they drove before those other livestock, and said, "This is David's spoil."

21 And David comes to 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 approaches the people, and asks of them of welfare.

David came to the two hundred men, who were so faint that they could not follow David, whom he also had made to stay at the Wadi Besor; and they went forth to meet David, and to meet the people who were with him. And when David came near to the people, he greeted them.

22 And every bad and worthless man, of the men who have gone with David, answers, indeed, 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.”

Then every wicked and worthless one of the men who had gone with David answered, and they said, "Because they did not go with us, we will not give them anything of the spoil that we have recovered, except to each man his wife and his children. And let them take them, and depart."

23 And David says, “You do not do so, my brothers, with that which YHWH has given to us, and He preserves us, and gives the troop which comes against us into our hand;

Then David said, "You shall not do so after what YHWH has given to us, who has preserved us, and delivered into our hand the raiding party that came against us.

24 and who listens 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—they share alike.”

So who will listen to you in this matter? For they are not inferior to you. For as his share is who goes down to the battle, so will his share be who remains with the supplies; they will share alike."

25 And it comes to pass from that day and forward, that he appoints it for a statute and for an ordinance for Israel to this day.

It was so from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.

26 And David comes to Ziklag, and sends of the spoil to [the] elderly of Judah, to his friends, saying, “Behold, a blessing for you of the spoil of the enemies of YHWH,”

When David came to Ziklag, he sent of the spoil to the elders of Judah and to his friends, saying, "Look, a present for you of the spoil of the enemies of YHWH."

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

He sent it to those who were in Bethel, and to those who were in Ramath Negev, and to those who were in Jattir,

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

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

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

and to those who were in Racal, and to those who were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to those who were in the cities of the Kenizzites.

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

and to those who were in Hormah, and to those who were in Bor Ashan, and to those who were in Athach,

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

and to those who were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men used to stay.