1 Samuel 30

1 And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire;

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,

2 And had taken the women captives that [were] in it, they slew not any, either great or small, but carried [them] away, and went on their way.

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.

3 So David and his men came to the city, and behold, [it was] burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives.

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.

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

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

5 And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.

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

6 And 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 encouraged himself in the LORD his God.

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.

7 And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, I pray thee bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David.

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,

8 And David inquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue; for thou shalt surely overtake [them], and without fail recover [all].

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.”

9 So David went, he and the six hundred men that [were] with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind remained.

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,

10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men: for two hundred abode behind, who were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor.

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),

11 And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he ate; and they made him drink water;

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,

12 And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins: and when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him: for he had eaten no bread, nor drank [any] water, three days and three nights.

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.

13 And David said to him, To whom [belongest] thou? and whence [art] thou? And 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.

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,

14 We made an invasion [upon] the south of the Cherethites, and upon [the coast] which [belongeth] to Judah, and upon the south of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.

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.”

15 And David said to him, Canst thou conduct me down to this company? And he said, Swear to me by God, that thou wilt neither kill me, nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will lead thee down to this company.

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.”

16 And when he had conducted him down, behold, [they were] spread abroad upon all the earth, eating and drinking, and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken from the land of the Philistines, and from the land of Judah.

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.

17 And David smote them from the twilight even to the evening of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, who rode upon camels, and fled.

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.

18 And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives.

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

19 And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor any [thing] that they had taken to them: David recovered all.

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,

20 And David took all the flocks and the herds, [which] they drove before those [other] cattle, and said, This [is] David's spoil.

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.”

21 And David came to the two hundred men, who were so faint that they could not follow David, whom they had made also to abide at the brook Besor: and they went forth to meet David, and to meet the people that [were] with him: and when David came near to the people, he saluted them.

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.

22 Then answered all the wicked men, and [men] of Belial, of those that went with David, and said, Because they went not with us, we will not give them [aught] of the spoil that we have recovered, save to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead [them] away, and depart.

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.”

23 Then said David, Ye shall not do so, my brethren, with that which the LORD hath given us, who hath preserved us, and delivered the company that came against us into our hand.

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;

24 For who will hearken to you in this matter? but as his part [is] that goeth down to the battle, so [shall] his part [be] that tarrieth by the goods: they shall part alike.

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.”

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

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.

26 And when David came to Ziklag, he sent of the spoil to the elders of Judah, [even] to his friends, saying, Behold a present for you, of the spoil of the enemies of the LORD;

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,”

27 To [them] who [were] in Beth-el, and to [them] who [were] in south Ramoth, and to [them] who [were] in Jattir,

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

28 And to [them] who [were] in Aroer, and to [them] who [were] in Siphmoth, and to [them] who [were] in Eshtemoa,

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

29 And to [them] who [were] in Rachal, and to [them] who [were] in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to [them] who [were] in the cities of the Kenites,

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

30 And to [them] who [were] in Hormah, and to [them] who [were] in Chor-ashan, and to [them] who [were] in Athach,

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

31 And to [them] who [were] in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were accustomed to resort.

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