1 Samuel 30

1 And it was when came David and men his Ziklag on the day third and [the] Amalekite[s] they had made a raid against [the] Negev and against Ziklag and they had struck Ziklag and they had burned it with fire.

Three days later, when David and his men arrived at Ziklag, [they discovered that] men of the Amalek people-group had raided Ziklag and [towns in] the southern part of Judah. They had destroyed Ziklag and burned down all the buildings.

2 And they had taken captive the women who [were] in it from small and unto great not they had killed anyone and they had driven them away and they had gone to way their.

They had captured the women [and the children] and everyone else, and had taken them away. But they had not killed anyone.

3 And he came David and men his to the city and there! [it was] burned with fire and wives their and sons their and daughters their they had been taken captive.

When David and his men came to Ziklag, they saw that the town had been burned, and that their wives and sons and daughters had been captured and taken away.

4 And he lifted up David and the people which [was] with him voice their and they wept until that not [was] in them strength to weep.

David and his men cried loudly, until [they were so weak that] they could not cry [any more].

5 And [the] two [the] wives of David they had been taken captive Ahinoam the Jezreelite [woman] and Abigail [the] wife of Nabal the Carmelite.

David’s two wives, Ahinoam and Abigail, had also been taken away.

6 And it was distress to David exceedingly for they said the people to stone him for it was bitter [the] soul of all the people everyone on (sons his *Q(K)*) and on daughters his and he strengthened himself David in Yahweh God his.

David’s men were threatening to [kill him by] throwing stones at him, because they were very angry because their sons and daughters [had been taken away]. David was very distressed, but Yahweh his God gave him strength.

7 And he said David to Abiathar the priest [the] son of Ahimelech bring near! please to me the ephod and he brought near Abiathar the ephod to David.

David [did not know what to do, so he] said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring to me the sacred vest.” So Abiathar brought it,

8 And he enquired David by Yahweh saying will I pursue? after the marauding band this ¿ will I overtake it and he said to him pursue for certainly you will overtake [it] and certainly you will rescue [them].

and David asked Yahweh, “Should I [and my men] pursue the men [who took our families]? Will we [be able to] catch up to them?” Yahweh answered [by means of the stones in Abiathar’s sacred pouch], “Yes, pursue them. You will catch up to them, and you will be able to rescue [your families].”

9 And he went David he and six hundred man who [were] with him and they came to [the] wadi of Besor and those [who] were left behind they remained.

So David and the 600 men who were with him left, and they came to the Besor Ravine. Some of his men stayed there [with some of their supplies].

10 And he pursued David he and four hundred man and they remained two hundred man who they were [too] exhausted for passing over [the] wadi of Besor.

David and 400 men continued to pursue [the men who captured their families]. The other 200 men stayed there at the ravine, because they were so exhausted that they could not cross the ravine.

11 And they found a man Egyptian in the open country and they took him to David and they gave to him bread and he ate and they gave to drink him water.

[As David and the 400 men were going], they saw a man from Egypt in a field; so they took him to David. They gave the man some water to drink and some food to eat.

12 And they gave to him a slice of fig cake and two bunches of raisins and he ate and it returned spirit his to him for not he had eaten food and not he had drunk water three days and three nights.

They also gave him a piece of fig cake and two clusters/packs of raisins. The man had not had anything to eat or drink for three days and nights, but [after he ate and drank] he felt refreshed.

13 And he said to him David [belong] to whom? you and where? from this [are] you and he said [am] a young man Egyptian I a slave of a man Amalekite and he abandoned me master my if I was sick the day three.

David asked him, “Who is your master? And where do you come from?” He replied, “I am from Egypt. I am a slave of a man from the Amalek people-group. Three days ago my master left me here, because I was sick [and I was not able to go with them].

14 We we had made a raid [the] Negev of the Kerethite[s] and on [that] which [belongs] to Judah and on [the] Negev of Caleb and Ziklag we had burned with fire.

We had raided the southern part of Judah where the Kereth people-group live, and some other towns in Judah, and the area south [of Hebron city] where the descendants of Caleb live. We also burned Ziklag [town].”

15 And he said to him David ¿ will you take down me to the marauding band this and he said swear! to me by God if you will kill me and if you will deliver up me in [the] hand of master my and I will take down you to the marauding band this.

David asked him, “Can you lead us to this group of raiders?” He replied, “Yes, [I will do that] if you ask God to listen while you promise that you will not kill me or give me back to my master. If you promise that, I will take you to them.”

16 And he took down him and there! [they were] spread out over [the] face of all the land eating and drinking and celebrating in all the plunder great which they had taken from [the] land of [the] Philistines and from [the] land of Judah.

[David agreed to do that, ] so the man from Egypt led David [and his men] to where the men from the Amalek people-group were. Those men were lying on the ground, eating and drinking and celebrating because of having captured many things from the Philistia and Judah areas.

17 And he struck down them David from the twilight and until the evening of next day their and not he escaped of them anyone that except four hundred man young man who they rode on the camels and they fled.

David [and his men] fought against them from sunset that day until the evening of the following day. Four hundred of them escaped and rode away on camels, but none of the others escaped.

18 And he rescued David all that they had taken Amalek and [the] two wives his he rescued David.

David rescued his two wives, and he and his men got back everything else that the men of the Amalek people-group had taken.

19 And not it was missing to them from the small and unto the great and unto sons and daughters and from [the] booty and unto all that they had taken for themselves everything he brought back David.

Nothing was missing. They took all their people back [to Ziklag]—young people and old people, [their wives], their sons and their daughters. They also recovered all the other things that the men of the Amalek people-group had taken from Ziklag.

20 And he took David all the sheep and the cattle they drove [them] before the livestock that and they said this [is] [the] booty of David.

They took with them the sheep and cattle that had been captured, and his men caused those animals to go in front of them, saying, “These are animals that we captured in the battle; they belong to David!”

21 And he came David to two hundred the men who they had been [too] exhausted - for going - after David and they had left behind them at [the] wadi of Besor and they went out to meet David and to meet the people which [was] with him and he approached David the people and he asked of them to welfare.

David and his men got back to where the other 200 men were waiting, the men who did not go with David because they were very exhausted. They had stayed at Besor Ravine. [When they saw David and his men coming], they went out to greet them. And David [greeted them and] said to them, “I hope that things are going well with you!”

22 And he answered every man evil and worthlessness from the men who they had gone with David and they said because that not they went with me not we will give to them any of the booty which we have recovered that except everyone wife his and children his so they may lead [them] away and they may go.

But some of the men who had gone with David, men who were evil and troublemakers, said, “These 200 men did not go with us. So we should not give to them any of the things that we recovered/captured. Each of them should take only his wife and children and go [back to their homes].”

23 And he said David not you must do thus O brothers my [that] which he has given Yahweh to us and he has kept us and he has given the marauding band which came on us in hand our.

David replied, “No, my fellow Israelis, it would not be right to divide up like that the things that Yahweh has allowed us to capture. Yahweh has protected us and enabled us to defeat the enemies who attacked our town.

24 And who? will he listen to you to the matter this for like [the] share of - the [one who] went down in the battle and like [the] share of the [one who] remained with the baggage alike they will share.

(Who will pay attention to you if you say things like that?/No one will pay attention to you if you say things like that.) [RHQ] The men who stayed here with our supplies will get the same amount that the men who went into the battle will get. They will all receive the same amount.”

25 And it was from the day that and on-wards and he made it into a statute and into a judgment for Israel until the day this.

David made that to be a law [DOU] for the Israeli people, and that is still a law in Israel.

26 And he came David to Ziklag and he sent some of the booty to [the] elders of Judah to friend his saying here! [is] for you a blessing from [the] booty of [the] enemies of Yahweh.

When David [and all the others] arrived in Ziklag, David sent to his friends who were leaders in Judah some of the things that they had captured from the Amalek people-group. He said to them, “Here is a present for you. These are things that we took from Yahweh’s enemies.”

27 For [those] who [were] in Beth-el and for [those] who [were] in Ramoth Negev and for [those] who [were] in Jattir.

[Here is a list of the cities and towns to whose leaders David sent gifts: ] Bethel, Ramoth in the southern part of Judah, Jattir,

28 And for [those] who [were] in Aroer and for [those] who [were] in Siphmoth and for [those] who [were] in Eshtemoa.

Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa,

29 And for [those] who [were] in Racal and for [those] who [were] in [the] cities of the Jerahmeelite[s] and for [those] who [were] in [the] cities of the Kenite[s].

Racal, the cities where the descendants of Jehrameel lived and the cities where the Ken people-group lived,

30 And for [those] who [were] in Hormah and for [those] who [were] in Bor Ashan and for [those] who ([were] in Athach. *LA(bh)*)

Hormah, Bor-Ashan, Athach,

31 And for [those] who [were] in Hebron and for all the places where he had gone about there David he and men his.

Hebron, and all the other places where David and his men had gone [when they were hiding from Saul].