1 Samuel 30

1 And it cometh to pass, in the coming in of David and his men to Ziklag, on the third day, that the Amalekites have pushed unto the south, and unto Ziklag, and smite Ziklag, and burn it with fire,

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 they take captive the women who [are] in it; from small unto great they have not put any one to death, and they lead away, and go 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 And David cometh in — and his men — unto the city, and lo, burnt with fire, and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters have been 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 And David lifteth up — and the people who [are] with him — their voice and weep, till that they have no 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 And the two wives of David have been taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail 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 and David hath great distress, for the people have said to stone him, for the soul of all the people hath been bitter, each for his sons and for his daughters; and David doth strengthen himself in Jehovah 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 And David saith unto Abiathar the priest, son of Ahimelech, 'Bring nigh, I pray thee, to me the ephod;' and Abiathar bringeth nigh the ephod unto 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 and David asketh at Jehovah, saying, 'I pursue after this troop — do I overtake it?' And He saith to him, 'Pursue, for thou dost certainly overtake, and dost certainly deliver.'

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 And David goeth on, he and six hundred men who [are] with him, and they come in unto the brook of Besor, and those left have stood still,

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

10 and David pursueth, he and four hundred men, (and two hundred men stand still who have been too faint to pass over the brook of 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 and they find a man, an Egyptian, in the field, and take him unto David, and give to him bread, and he eateth, and they cause him to drink water,

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 give to him a piece of a bunch of dried figs, and two bunches of raisins, and he eateth, and his spirit returneth unto him, for he hath not eaten bread nor drunk water 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 And David saith to him, 'Whose [art] thou? and whence [art] thou?' And he saith, 'An Egyptian youth I [am], servant to a man, an Amalekite, and my lord forsaketh me, for I have been sick three days,

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 pushed [to] the south of the Cherethite, and against that which [is] to Judah, and against the south of Caleb, and Ziklag we burned with fire.'

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 And David saith unto him, 'Dost thou bring me down unto this troop?' and he saith, 'Swear to me by God — thou dost not put me to death, nor dost thou shut me up into the hand of my lord — and I bring thee down unto this troop.'

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 And he bringeth him down, and lo, they are spread out over the face of all the earth, eating, and drinking, and feasting, with all the great spoil which they have taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of 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 And David smiteth them from the twilight even unto the evening of the morrow, and there hath not escaped of them a man, except four hundred young men who have ridden on the camels, and are 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 And David delivereth all that the Amalekites have taken; also his two wives hath David delivered.

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

19 And there hath not lacked to them [anything], from small unto great, and unto sons and daughters, and from the spoil, even unto all that they had taken to themselves, the whole hath David brought back,

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 and David taketh the whole of the flock, and of the herd, they have led on before these cattle, and they say, 'This [is] David's spoil.'

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

21 And David cometh in unto 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 approacheth the people, and asketh of them of welfare.

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 And every bad and worthless man, of the men who have gone with David, answereth, yea, 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.

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 And David saith, 'Ye do not do so, my brethren, with that which Jehovah hath given to us, and He doth preserve us, and doth give the troop which cometh against us into our hand;

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 and who doth hearken 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 — alike they share.'

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 And it cometh to pass from that day and forward, that he appointeth it for a statute and for an ordinance for Israel unto this day.

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

26 And David cometh in unto Ziklag, and sendeth of the spoil to the elders of Judah, to his friends, (saying, 'Lo, for you a blessing, of the spoil of the enemies of Jehovah),'

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

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

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

And to those in Arara and Eshtemoa

29 and to those in Rachal, and to those in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to those 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 in Hormah, and to those in Chor-Ashan, and to those in Athach,

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

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

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