1 Samuel 30
1 And whanne Dauid and hise men hadden come `in to Sichelech in the thridde dai, men of Amalech hadden maad asauyt on the south part in Sichelech; and thei smytiden Sichelech, and brenten it bi fier.
And it came to pass, when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had made a raid upon the south, and upon Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag and burned it with fire;
2 And thei ledden the wymmen prisoneris fro thennus, fro the leeste `til to the grete; and thei hadden not slayn ony, but thei ledden with hem, and yeden in her weie.
and had taken the women captives that were in it; both great and small: they had put none to death, but had carried them off, and went on their way.
3 Therfor whanne Dauid and hise men hadde come to the citee, and hadden founde it brent bi fier, and that her wyues, and her sones, and douytris weren led prisoneris,
And David and his men came to the city, and behold, it was burnt with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters were taken captives.
4 Dauid and the puple that was with hym reisiden her voices, and weiliden, til teeris failiden in hem.
Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.
5 Forsothe also twei wyues of Dauid weren led prisoneris, Achynoem of Jezrael, and Abigail, the wijf of Nabal of Carmele.
And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jizreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
6 And Dauid was ful sori; forsothe al the puple wold stone hym, for the soule of ech man was bittir on her sones and douytris. Forsothe Dauid was coumfortid in his Lord God.
And David was greatly distressed; for the people spoke of stoning him; for the soul of all the people was embittered, every man because of his sons and because of his daughters; but David strengthened himself in Jehovah his God.
7 And he seide to Abiathar, preest, the sone of Achymelech, Bringe thou ephoth to me. And Abiathar brouyte ephoth to Dauid; and Dauid councelide the Lord,
And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, Bring near to me, I pray thee, the ephod. And Abiathar brought the ephod near to David.
8 and seide, Schal Y pursue, ether nay, `these theues? and schal Y take hem? And the Lord seide to hym, Pursue thou; for with out doute thou schalt take hem, and thou schalt take awey the prey.
And David inquired of Jehovah, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he said to him, Pursue; for thou shalt assuredly overtake [them] and shalt certainly recover.
9 Therfor Dauid yede, he and sixe hundrid men that weren with hym, and thei camen `til to the stronde of Besor; and sotheli the wery men abididen.
So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and they came to the torrent Besor; and those that were left stayed behind.
10 Forsothe Dauid pursuede, he and foure hundrid men; for twei hundrid abididen, that weren weeri, and myyten not passe the stronde of Besor.
And David pursued, he and four hundred men; for two hundred stayed behind, who were too exhausted to go over the torrent Besor.
11 And thei founden a man of Egipte in the feeld, and thei brouyten hym to Dauid; and thei yauen `breed to hym, that he schulde ete, and `schulde drynke watir;
And 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 but also thei yauen to hym a gobet of a bundel of drye figis, and twei byndyngis of dried grapis. And whanne he hadde ete tho, his spirit turnede ayen, and he was coumfortid; for he hadde not ete breed, nether hadde drunk watir in thre daies and thre nyytis.
and gave him a piece of fig-cake and two raisin-cakes, and he ate, and his spirit came again to him; for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, for three days and three nights.
13 Therfor Dauid seide to hym, Whos man art thou, ethir fro whennus and whidur goist thou? And he seide, Y am a child of Egipt, the seruaunt of a man of Amalech; forsothe my lord forsook me, for Y bigan to be sijk the thridde dai ago.
And David said to him, To whom belongest thou? and whence art thou? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant of an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days ago I fell sick.
14 Sotheli we braken out to the south coost of Cerethi, and ayens Juda, and to the south of Caleb, and we brenten Sichelech bi fier.
We made a raid against the south of the Cherethites, and against what [belongs] to Judah, and against the south of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.
15 And Dauid seide to hym, Maist thou lede me to this cumpeny? Which seide, Swere thou to me bi God, that thou schalt not sle me, and schalt not bitake me in to the hondis of my lord; and Y schal lede thee to this cumpeny. And Dauid swoor to hym.
And David said to him, Canst thou bring me down to this troop? And he said, Swear to me by God, that thou wilt neither put me to death nor deliver me up into the hand of my master, and I will bring thee down to this troop.
16 And whanne the child hadde ledde hym, lo! thei saten at the mete, on the face of al the erthe, etynge and drynkynge, and as halewynge a feeste, for al the prey and spuylis whiche thei hadden take of the lond of Filisteis, and of the lond of Juda.
And he brought him down, and behold, they were spread over the whole land, eating and 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 Dauid smoot hem fro euentid `til to euentid of the tothir dai, and not ony of hem escapide, no but foure hundrid yonge men, that stieden on camels, and fledden.
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.
18 Forsothe Dauid delyuerede alle thingis whiche the men of Amalech token, and he delyuerede hise twei wyues;
And David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken: and David recovered his two wives.
19 nether ony of hem failide fro litil `til to greet, as wel of sones as of douytris, and of spuylis; and what euer thingis thei hadden rauyschid, Dauid ledde ayen alle thingis;
And there was nothing missed by them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil nor anything that they had taken: David brought all back.
20 and he took alle flockis and grete beestis, and droof bifor his face. And thei seiden, This is the prey of Dauid.
And David took all the flocks and the herds, [which] they drove before the other cattle, and said, This is David's spoil.
21 Forsothe Dauid cam to twei hundrid men, that weren weeri, and abididen, and myyten not sue Dauid; and he hadde comaundid hem to sitte in the stronde of Besor; whiche yeden out ayens Dauid, and the puple that was with hym. Forsothe Dauid neiyede to the puple, and grette it pesibli.
And David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow David, and whom they had left behind at the torrent Besor; and they went forth to meet David, and to meet the people that were with him; and David drew near to the people and saluted them.
22 And o man, the werste and vniust of the men that weren with Dauid, answeride, and seide, For thei camen not with vs, we schulen not yyue to hem ony thing of the prey, which we rauyschiden, but his wijf and children `suffice to ech man; and whanne thei han take hem, go thei awei.
And all the wicked men, and [men] of Belial, of those that had gone with David, answered 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.
23 Forsothe Dauid seide, My britheren, ye schulen not do so of these thingis, whiche the Lord yaf to vs, and kepte vs, and yaf the theues, that braken out ayens vs, in to oure hondis;
Then said David, Ye shall not do so, my brethren, with that which Jehovah has given us, who has preserved us, and given the troop that came against us into our hand.
24 nether ony man schal here vs on this word. For euene part schal be of him that goith doun to batel, and of hym that dwellith at the fardelis; and in lijk maner thei schulen departe.
And who will hearken to you in this matter? For as his share is that goes down to the battle, so shall his share be that abides by the baggage: they shall share alike.
25 And this was maad a constitucioun and doom fro that dai and afterward, and as a lawe in Israel til in to this dai.
And it was [so] from that day forward; and he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.
26 Therfor Dauid cam in to Sichelech, and sente yiftis of the prey to the eldere men of Juda, hise neiyboris, and seide, Take ye blessyng of the prey of enemyes of the Lord;
And David came to Ziklag, and he sent of the spoil to the elders of Judah, to his friends, saying, Behold a present for you of the spoil of the enemies of Jehovah:
27 to hem that weren in Bethel, and that weren in Ramoth, at the south,
to those in Bethel, and to those in south Ramoth, and to those in Jattir,
28 and that weren in Jether, and that weren in Aroer, and that weren in Sephamoth, and that weren in Escama, and that weren in Rethala,
and to those in Aroer, and to those in Siphmoth, and to those in Eshtemoa,
29 and that weren in the citees of Jeramel, and that weren in the citees of Ceny,
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 that weren in Arama, and that weren in Lautuasam, and that weren in Athec,
and to those in Hormah, and to those in Chor-ashan, and to those in Athach,
31 and that weren in Ebron, and to othere men, that weren in these places, in whiche Dauid dwellide and hise men.
and to those in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men went about.
