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 invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burnt 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 captive the women that were therein, both great and small: they had not slain any one, but had led them off, and gone 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,
When therefore David and his men came to the city, behold, it was burnt with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, had been taken captive.
4 Dauid and the puple that was with hym reisiden her voices, and weiliden, til teeris failiden in hem.
And 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 the two wives of David were also taken captive, Achino'am the Yizre'elitess, and Abigayil 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, because the soul of all the people was imbittered, every man for his sons and for his daughters; but David fortified himself in the Lord 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 Ebyathar the priest, the son of Achimelech, Bring hither, I pray thee, unto me the ephod. And Ebyathar brought the ephod near unto 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 asked counsel of the Lord, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop! shall I overtake them? And he said to him, Pursue; for thou wilt surely overtake them, and certainly recover [all].
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 came up to the brook Bessor, where those that were left behind stayed.
10 Forsothe Dauid pursuede, he and foure hundrid men; for twei hundrid abididen, that weren weeri, and myyten not passe the stronde of Besor.
But David pursued on, he and four hundred men; and there stayed behind two hundred men, who were too fatigued to go over the brook Bessor.
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 man in the field, and took him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they made him drink water;
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 they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins, and he ate, and then his spirit returned to him; for he had not eaten any bread, nor drunk any water, 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 unto him, To whom belongest thou? and whence art thou? And he said, I am a young Egyptian man, the servant to an 'Amalekite; and my master left me behind, because I fell sick, today three days ago.
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 an invasion upon the south of the Kerethites, and upon that which belongeth to Judah, and upon the south of Caleb; and Ziklag did we burn 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, Wilt thou bring me down to this troop? And he said, Swear unto me by God, that thou wilt not kill me, and that thou wilt not surrender me into the hand of my master, and then will I 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 scattered over the face of all the country, eating and drinking, and dancing for joy, because of all the great spoil which 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 unto 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 away; and his two wives also did David rescue.
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 missing to them, from small to great, as also sons and daughters, and spoil, down to every thing that they had taken from them: the whole did David bring 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: these they drove before those 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 fatigued to follow after David, and whom they had left to remain at the brook Bessor: and they went forth to meet David, and to meet the people that were with him; and David came near to the people, and asked them after their well-being.
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.
Then exclaimed every wicked and worthless man, of those that had gone 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, and these they may lead away, and go.
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 must not do so, my brethren; since the Lord hath given us this, and guarded us, and delivered 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 unto you in this matter? but as is the part of him that went down to the battle, so shall be the part of him that remained with the baggage: together must they share.
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 happened from that day and forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel until 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 when David came to Ziklag, he sent of the spoil unto the elders of Judah, to his friends, saying, Behold, here is a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of the Lord:
27 to hem that weren in Bethel, and that weren in Ramoth, at the south,
To those who were in Beth-el, and to those who were in south Ramoth, and to those who were in Yattir,
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 who were in 'Aro'er, and to those who were in Siphmoth, and to those who were in Eshtemoa',
29 and that weren in the citees of Jeramel, and that weren in the citees of Ceny,
And to those who were in Rachal, and to those who were in the cities of Yerach-meelites, and to those who were 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 who were in Chormah, and to those who were in Kor-'ashan, and to those who were 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 who were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men had wandered about.
