1 Samuel 30

1 It came about, when David and his men had come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had made a raid upon the Negev and on Ziklag. They attacked Ziklag, burned it,

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 captured the women and everyone who was in it, both small and great. They killed no one, but carried them off as they 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 When David and his men came to the city, it was burned, and their wives, their sons, and their daughters were taken 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 Then David and the people that were with him raised their voices and wept until they had no more power 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 David's two wives were taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelite woman, and Abigail 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 David was greatly distressed, for the people were talking about stoning him, for all the people were bitter in spirit, each man for his sons and daughters; but David strengthened himself in Yahweh, 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 David said to Abiathar son of Ahimelech, the priest, “I beg you, bring the ephod here for me.” Abiathar brought the ephod to David.

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 David prayed to Yahweh for direction, saying, “If I pursue after this troop, will I overtake them?” Yahweh answered him, “Pursue, for you will certainly overtake them, and you will surely recover everything.”

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 and the six hundred men who were with him; they came to the brook Besor, where those who were left behind stayed.

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

10 But David kept pursuing, he and four hundred men; for two hundred had stayed behind, who were so weak that they could not go over the brook Besor.

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 They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David; they gave him bread, and he ate; they gave him water to drink;

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 two clusters of raisins. When he had eaten, he gained strength again, for he had eaten no bread nor drunk any water for 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 David said to him, “To whom do you belong? Where do you come from?” He said, “I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; my master left me because three days ago I fell sick.

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 We made a raid on the Negev of the Kerethites, and what belongs to Judah, and the Negev of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag.”

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 David said to him, “Will you bring me down to this raiding party?” The Egyptian said, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or betray me up into the hands of my master, and I will bring you down to this raiding party.”

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 When the Egyptian had brought David down, the raiders were spread out over all the ground, eating and drinking and dancing because of all the booty they had taken out of the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah.

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 David attacked them from the twilight to the evening of the next day. Not a man escaped except for four hundred young men, who rode 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 David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken; and David rescued his two wives.

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

19 Nothing was missing, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither booty, nor anything that the raiders had taken for themselves. David brought back everything.

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 David took all the flocks and the herds, which the men drove ahead of the other cattle. They said, “This is David's booty.”

And they took all the flocks and herds, and driving them in front of him, said, These are David's.

21 David came to the two hundred men who had been too weak to follow him, the ones the others had made to stay at the brook Besor. These men went ahead to meet David and the people who were with him. When David came to these people, he greeted them.

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 all the wicked men and worthless fellows among those who had gone with David said, “Because these men did not go with us, we will not give them any of the booty that we have recovered. Except that each man may take his wife and children, lead them away, and go.”

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 Then David said, “You must not act like this, my brothers, with what Yahweh has given to us. He has preserved us and given into our hand the raiders who came against us.

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 Who will listen to you in this matter? For as the share is for anyone who goes into battle, so also will the share be for anyone who waits by the baggage; they will share and 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 It has been so from that day to this day, for David made it a statute and a decree for Israel.

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

26 When David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the booty to the elders of Judah, to his friends, saying, “See, here is a present for you from the booty from Yahweh's enemies.”

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 He also sent some to the elders who were in Bethel, and to those who were in Ramoth of the South, and to those who were in Jattir,

He sent to those who were in Beth-el, and in Ramah of the South, and in Jattir;

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

And to those in Arara and Eshtemoa

29 He also sent some to the elders who were in Rakal, and to those who were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to those who were in the cities of the Kenites,

and Carmel and in the towns of the Jerahmeelites, and in the towns of the Kenites;

30 and to those who were in Hormah, and to those who were in Bor Ashan, and to those who were in Athak,

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

31 and to those who were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men habitually went.

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