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.
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,
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 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.
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 David and his men came to the city, it was burned, and their wives, their sons, and their daughters were taken captive.
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 raised their voices 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.
David's two wives were taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelite woman, 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.
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.
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,
David said to Abiathar son of Ahimelech, the priest, “I beg you, bring the ephod here for me.” Abiathar brought the ephod 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.
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.”
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 who were with him; they came to the brook Besor, where those who 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 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.
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;
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;
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. When he had eaten, he gained strength again, 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.
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.
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 on the Negev of the Kerethites, and what belongs to Judah, and the Negev of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag.”
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
18 Forsothe Dauid delyuerede alle thingis whiche the men of Amalech token, and he delyuerede hise twei wyues;
David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken; and David rescued 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;
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.
20 and he took alle flockis and grete beestis, and droof bifor his face. And thei seiden, This is the prey of Dauid.
David took all the flocks and the herds, which the men drove ahead of the other cattle. They said, “This is David's booty.”
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.
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.
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 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.”
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 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.
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.
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.”
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.
It has been so from that day to this day, for David made it a statute and a decree for Israel.
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;
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.”
27 to hem that weren in Bethel, and that weren in Ramoth, at the south,
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,
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 Aroer, 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,
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,
30 and that weren in Arama, and that weren in Lautuasam, and that weren in Athec,
and to those who were in Hormah, and to those who were in Bor Ashan, and to those who were in Athak,
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 habitually went.
