1 It happened, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the
third day, that 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 therein, 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, and
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 soul of
all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but
David strengthened himself in Yahweh his God. 7 David said to Abiathar the
priest, the son of Ahimelech, Please bring me here the ephod. Abiathar
brought there the ephod to David. 8 David inquired of Yahweh, saying, If I
pursue after this troop, shall I overtake them? He answered him, Pursue; for
you shall surely overtake them, and shall 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: and when he had
eaten, his spirit came again to him; for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk any
water, three days and three nights. 13 David said to him, To whom belong
you? and whence are you? He said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an
Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days ago I fell 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 neither kill me, nor 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 abroad over all the ground, eating
and drinking, and dancing, because of all the great spoil 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: and there
not a man of them escaped, 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 spoil, nor anything that they
had taken to them: David brought back all. 20 David took all the flocks
and the herds, which they drove before those other cattle,
and said, This is David’s spoil. 21 David came to the two hundred men, who
were so faint that they could not follow David, whom also they had made to
abide at the brook Besor; and they went forth to meet David, and to meet the
people who were with him: and when David came near to the people, he greeted
them. 22 Then answered all the wicked men and base fellows, of those who
went with David, and said, Because they didn’t go with us, we will not give
them anything of the spoil that we have recovered, except to every man his
wife and his children, that he may lead them away, and depart. 23 Then
said David, You shall not do so, my brothers, with that which Yahweh 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 tarries by
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 of the spoil to the elders of Judah, even to
his friends, saying, Behold, a present for you of the spoil of the enemies of
Yahweh: 27 To those who were in Bethel, and to those who were in Ramoth of
the South, and to those who were in Jattir, 28 and to those who were in
Aroer, and to those who were in Siphmoth, and to those who were in Eshtemoa,
29 and to those who were in Racal, and to those who were in the cities of
the Jerahmeelites, and to those who were in the cities of the Kenites,
30 and to those who were in Hormah, and to those who were in Borashan, and
to those who were in Athach, 31 and to those who were in Hebron, and to
all the places where David himself and his men used to stay.
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