Previous Chapter | Next Chapter
v1
Now ^[Literally “And it happened”] when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. When they attacked Ziklag, they burned it with fire.
v2
They took captive the women ^[LXX adds “and all”] who were in it, from the youngest to the oldest. ^[Literally “from small and up to great”] They did not kill anyone, but carried them off and went on their way.
v3
When David and his men came to the city, they saw, ^[Literally “and look”] and it was burned with fire, and their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive.
v4
Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until there was not enough strength in them to weep.
v5
Two of David’s wives had been taken captive. Ahinoam from Jezreel ^[Literally “the Jezreelitess”] and Abigail, the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
v6
And David was in a very precarious situation, ^[Literally “it was very pressed for David”] for the people spoke of stoning him, for the souls of all the people were bitter, each one over his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in Yahweh his God.
v7
Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Please bring the ephod here for me.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David.
v8
And David inquired of Yahweh, saying, “Should I pursue after this band of raiders? Will I overtake them?” He said to him, “Pursue them, for you will certainly overtake them, and you will certainly rescue them.”
v9
So David went, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and they came to the Wadi ^[A valley that is usually dry but contains a stream during the rainy season] Besor, but the rest remained.
v10
David pursued, he and four hundred men; but two hundred men stayed because they were too exhausted to pass over the Wadi Besor.
v11
Then they found an Egyptian man in the open country and brought him to David, and they gave him food and he ate; they also gave him water.
v12
They gave him a slice of fig cake and two raisin cakes; he ate and this revived him, ^[Literally “his spirit returned to him”] because he had not eaten food or drunk water for three days and three nights.
v13
Then David said to him, “To whom do you belong, ^[Literally “To whom are you”] and from where are you? The young man said, “I am an Egyptian young man, a servant of an Amalekite man, but my master abandoned me because I became ill three days ago.
v14
We raided the Negev of the Kerethites and that which belongs to Judah and then the Negev of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag with fire.”
v15
So David asked him, “Will you take me down to this band of raiders?” He said, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me and that you will not deliver me into my master’s hand! Then I will take you down to this band.”
v16
So he took him down, and there they were, ^[Literally “look”] spread out over the surface of all the land, eating and drinking and dancing because of all of the abundant plunder which they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah.
v17
Then David attacked them from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man of them escaped except ^[Literally “but if”] four hundred young men who rode off on camels and fled.
v18
So David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken; David also rescued his two wives.
v19
None of theirs was missing from the smallest to the greatest, ^[Literally “from the small and up to the great”] even sons and daughters, from the plunder up to everything they had taken for themselves; David brought back everything.
v20
And David took all of the sheep, ^[Hebrew “flock,” referring to either sheep or goats or both] and the cattle they drove along in front of that livestock, and they said, “This is David’s plunder.”
v21
Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow ^[Literally “who were exhausted from going after”] David; they had left them behind at the Wadi ^[A valley that is usually dry but contains a stream during the rainy season] Besor. They went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him. David came near with the people and asked them how they were doing. ^[Literally “asked for them as far as peace”]
v22
Then all the corrupt and useless men among the men who went with David reacted and said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not give them anything from the plunder which we recovered, except ^[Literally “but if”] each man may take his own wife and children. They must take them along and go!“
v23
But David said to them, “You should not do so, my brothers, with what Yahweh has given to us! He has preserved us and has given the raiding band that came against us into our hand.
v24
And who would listen to you regarding this matter? For as the share of the one who went down into the battle, so the share of the one who remained with the baggage will be. They will share alike.”
v25
So ^[Or “And”] from that day and beyond, he made it a rule and a regulation for Israel until this day.
v26
Then David came to Ziklag, and he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah, to his friends, saying, “Here is ^[Literally “Look”] a gift for you from the plunder of the enemies of Yahweh!“
v27
It was for those in Bethel, for those in Ramoth of the Negev, for those in Jattir,
v28
for those in Aroer, for those in Siphmoth, for those in Eshtemoa,
v29
for those in Racal, for those in the towns of the Jerahmeelites, for those in the towns of the Kenites,
v30
for those in Hormah, for those in Bor Ashan, for those in Athach,
v31
for those in Hebron, and for all the places where David and his men had roamed. ^[Literally “where David had gone about there, he and his men”]