1 Samuel 30
David’s Victory over the Amalekites
1 Then it happened, when David and his men came to aZiklag on the third day, that bthe Amalekites had carried out an attack on the ▼▼I.e., South country
Negev and on dZiklag, and had ▼▼Lit struck
overthrown Ziklag and burned it with fire; 2and they took captive the women and all who were in it, from the small to the great, ▼▼Lit they did not kill
gwithout killing anyone, and drove them off and went their way. 3When David and his men came to the city, behold, it was burned with fire, and their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive. 4Then David and the people who were with him hraised their voices and wept until there was no strength in them to weep. 5Now iDavid’s two wives had been taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the ▼▼Lit wife
widow of Nabal the Carmelite. 6Also, David was in great distress because kthe people spoke of stoning him, for all the people were ▼▼Lit bitter of soul
embittered, each one because of his sons and his daughters. But mDavid felt strengthened in the Lord his God. 7 Then nDavid said to oAbiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Please bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. 8And pDavid inquired of the Lord, saying, “ qShall I pursue this band of raiders? Will I overtake them?” And He said to him, “Pursue, for you will certainly overtake them, rand you will certainly rescue everyone.” 9So David left, she and the six hundred men who were with him, and they came to the brook Besor, where some who were left behind stayed. 10But David pursued, he and four hundred men, for ttwo hundred who were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor stayed behind. 11 Now they found an Egyptian in the field and brought him to David, and gave him bread and he ate, and they provided him water to drink. 12They also gave him a slice of fig cake and two cakes of raisins, and he ate; uthen his spirit ▼▼Lit returned to him
revived. For he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights. 13Then David said to him, “To whom do you belong? And where are you from?” And he said, “I am a young man of Egypt, a servant of an Amalekite; and my master abandoned me when I became sick three days ago. 14We carried out an attack on wthe ▼▼I.e., South country
Negev of the Cherethites, and on that which belongs to Judah, and on ythe ▼▼I.e., South country
Negev of Caleb, and aawe burned Ziklag with fire.” 15Then David said to him, “Will you bring me down to this band of raiders?” And he said, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will bring you down to this band.” 16 Now when he had brought him down, behold, they were dispersed over all the land, abeating and drinking and celebrating because of acall the great plunder that they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. 17And David ▼▼Lit struck
slaughtered them aefrom the twilight ▼▼Lit even until
until the evening of ▼▼Lit their
the next day; and not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode on ahcamels and fled. 18So David airecovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and ▼▼Lit David rescued
rescued his two wives. 19And nothing of theirs was missing, whether small or great, sons or daughters, plunder, or anything that they had taken for themselves; akDavid brought it all back. 20So David had ▼▼Lit taken
captured all the sheep and the cattle which the people drove ahead of ▼▼Lit those livestock
the other livestock, and they said, “ anThis is David’s plunder.” The Plunder Is Divided
21 When aoDavid came to the two hundred men who were too exhausted to follow David and ▼▼Lit they left them
had been left behind at the brook Besor, and they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him, then David approached the people and greeted them. 22Then all the wicked and ▼▼Lit sons of Belial
worthless men among those who went with David said, “Since they did not go with ▼▼Lit me
us, we will not give them any of the spoils that we have recovered, except to every man his wife and his children, so that they may lead them away and leave.” 23But David said, “You must not do so, my brothers, with what the Lord has given us, for He has protected us and handed over to us the band of raiders that came against us. 24And who will listen to you in this matter? For asas is the share of the one who goes down into the battle, so shall be the share of the one who stays by the baggage; they shall share alike.” 25So it has been from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day. 26 Now when David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the spoils to the elders of Judah, to his friends, saying, “Behold, ata ▼▼Lit blessing
gift for you from the spoils of avthe enemies of the Lord: 27to those who were in awBethel, to those who were in axRamoth of the ▼▼I.e., South country
Negev, to those who were in azJattir, 28to those who were in baAroer, to those who were in Siphmoth, to those who were in bbEshtemoa, 29to those who were in Racal, to those who were in the cities of bcthe Jerahmeelites, to those who were in the cities of bdthe Kenites, 30to those who were in beHormah, to those who were in bfBor-ashan, to those who were in Athach, 31to those who were in bgHebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men bhwalked.”
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