30
1 When
David and his men
had come to
Ziklag on the
third day, the
Amalekites had
made a raid
on the South
and on Ziklag,
and had struck
Ziklag and burned
it with fire,
2 and
had taken captive
the women and all
who were in
it, both small
and great.
They didn’t kill
any, but carried
them off and
went their way.
3 When
David and his
men came to
the city, behold,
it was burned
with fire; and
their wives, their
sons, and their
daughters were
taken captive.
4 Then
David and the
people who were
with him lifted
up their voice
and wept until
they had no
more power to
weep.
5 David’s
two wives were
taken captive, Ahinoam
the Jezreelitess,
and Abigail the wife
of Nabal the
Carmelite.
6 David
was greatly
distressed, for
the people spoke
of stoning him,
because the souls
of all the
people were grieved,
every man for
his sons and
for his daughters;
but David
strengthened himself
in the LORD
his God.
7 David said
to Abiathar the
priest, the son
of Ahimelech, “Please
bring the ephod
here to me.”
Abiathar brought the ephod
to David.
8 David
inquired of the
LORD, saying, “If
I pursue after
this troop, will
I overtake them?”
He answered him, “Pursue, for you will
surely overtake
them, and will
without fail
recover all.”
9 So
David went, he
and the six
hundred men who
were with him,
and came to
the brook Besor,
where those who
were left behind
stayed.
10 But
David pursued, he
and four hundred men;
for two hundred
stayed behind, who
were so faint
that they couldn’t
go over the
brook Besor.
11 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 They
gave him a
piece of a
cake of figs
and two clusters
of raisins. When
he had eaten, his
spirit came again
to him; for
he had eaten no
bread, and drank
no water for
three days and
three nights.
13 David
asked him, “To
whom do you belong?
Where are you
from?”
He said, “I am
a young man
of Egypt, servant
to an Amalekite;
and my master left
me, because three
days ago I got
sick.
14 We made
a raid on
the South of
the Cherethites,
and on that
which belongs to
Judah, and on
the South of
Caleb; and we
burned Ziklag
with fire.”
15 David said
to him, “Will
you bring me
down to this
troop?”
He said, “Swear
to me by
God that you
will not kill
me and not
deliver me up
into the hands
of my master, and
I will bring
you down to
this troop.”
16 When
he had brought
him down, behold,
they were spread
around over all
the ground, eating,
drinking, and
dancing, because
of all the
great plunder that
they had taken
out of the
land of the
Philistines, and
out of the
land of Judah.
17 David
struck them from
the twilight even
to the evening
of the next
day. Not a
man of them
escaped from there,
except four hundred
young men who
rode on camels
and fled.
18 David
recovered all that
the Amalekites had
taken, and David
rescued his
two wives.
19 There
was nothing
lacking to them,
neither small nor
great, neither
sons nor daughters,
neither plunder,
nor anything that
they had taken.
David brought them
all back.
20 David
took all the
flocks and the
herds, which they
drove before those
other livestock,
and said, “This is
David’s plunder.”
21 David
came to the
two hundred men,
who were so
faint that they
could not follow
David, whom also
they had made
to stay at
the brook Besor;
and they went
out to meet
David, and to
meet the people
who were with
him. When David
came near to
the people, he
greeted them.
22 Then
all the wicked
men and worthless
fellows of those
who went with
David answered and
said, “Because
they didn’t go
with us, we
will not give
them anything of
the plunder that
we have recovered,
except to every
man his wife and
his children, that
he may lead
them away and
depart.”
23 Then
David said, “Do
not do so,
my brothers, with
that which the
LORD has given
to us, who
has preserved us,
and delivered the
troop that came
against us into
our hand.
24 Who
will listen to
you in this
matter? For as
his share is
who goes down
to the battle,
so shall his
share be who
stays with the
baggage. They
shall share alike.”
25 It
was so from
that day forward
that he made
it a statute
and an ordinance
for Israel to
this day.
26 When
David came to
Ziklag, he sent
some of the
plunder to the
elders of Judah,
even to his
friends, saying, “Behold,
a present for
you from the
plunder of the
LORD’s enemies.”
27 He sent it
to those who were in
Bethel, to those who were
in Ramoth of
the South, to those who were
in Jattir,
28 to those who were in
Aroer, to those who were in
Siphmoth, to those who were in Eshtemoa,
29 to those
who were in
Racal, to those
who were in
the cities of
the Jerahmeelites,
to those who were
in the cities
of the Kenites,
30 to those who were in
Hormah, to those who were in Borashan, to those who
were in Athach,
31 to
those who were
in Hebron, and
to all the
places where David
himself and his
men used to stay.