1 ¶ And it came to pass when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day that the Amalekites had invaded the Negev and Ziklag and had smitten Ziklag and burned it with fire.

When David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had come to fight in the Negev and Ziklag. They had destroyed Ziklag, and burned it with fire.

2 A nd they had taken the women captives that were therein, from the youngest to the oldest; they did not kill any but carried them away and went on their way.

They took the women and all who were in it, without killing anyone. They carried them out and went on their way.

3 S o David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire, and their wives and their sons and their daughters were taken captives.

David and his men came to the city and saw that it was burned. Their wives and sons and daughters had been taken away.

4 T hen David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept until they had no more power to weep.

Then David and the people with him cried out in a loud voice until they had no more strength to cry.

5 A nd David’s two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail, who had been the wife of Nabal of Carmel.

David’s two wives had been taken away, Ahinoam of Jezreel, and Abigail who had been the wife of Nabal of Carmel.

6 A nd David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him because the soul of all the people was bitter, each one for his sons and for his daughters; but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.

And David was very troubled because the people talked about killing him with stones. For all the people were very angry in their sorrow for their sons and daughters. But David got his strength from the Lord his God.

7 ¶ And David said to Abiathar, the priest, Ahimelech’s son, I pray thee, bring the ephod here to me. And Abiathar brought the ephod to David.

David said to Abiathar the religious leader, son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the linen vest.” So Abiathar brought the linen vest to David.

8 A nd David enquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? Shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue; for thou shalt surely overtake them and without fail recover all.

Then David asked the Lord, “Should I go after this army? Should I meet them in battle?” The Lord said to him, “Go after them, for you will catch them for sure. And you will be sure to save all the people.”

9 S o David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and they came to the brook Besor, where some stayed behind.

So David and the 600 men who were with him went out and came to the river of Besor. There those stayed who were left behind.

10 B ut David pursued, he and four hundred men, for two hundred stayed behind, who were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor.

But David kept going after them, with 400 men. For 200 were too tired to cross the river of Besor and stayed behind.

11 A nd they found an Egyptian in the field and brought him to David and gave him bread to eat and water to drink,

They found an Egyptian in the field and brought him to David. They gave him bread and he ate, and he was given water to drink.

12 a nd they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two bunches 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.

They gave him a piece of a fig loaf and two vines of dried grapes. When he had eaten, his spirit returned to him. For he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights.

13 A nd David said unto him, To whom dost thou belong and where art thou from? And the young Egyptian said, I am the slave to an Amalekite, and my master left me three days ago because I was sick.

David said to him, “To whom do you belong? Where are you from?” And he answered, “I am a young man of Egypt, a servant of an Amalekite. My owner left me behind when I became sick three days ago.

14 W e made an invasion upon towards the Negev from the Chereth and upon Judah and towards the Negev from Caleb, and we burned Ziklag with fire.

We had gone to fight in the Negev of the Cherethites, and in the land of Judah, and in the Negev of Caleb. We burned Ziklag with fire.”

15 A nd David said to him, Wilt thou bring me down to this company? And he said, Swear unto me by God, that thou wilt neither kill me nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee down to this company.

Then David said to him, “Will you take me down to his army?” And he said, “Promise me by God that you will not kill me or give me to my owner, and I will bring you down to this army.”

16 A nd so he brought him down, and behold, they were spread abroad upon all the earth, eating and drinking, and holding a feast because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines and out of the land of Judah.

When he had taken David down, he saw the soldiers spread over all the land. They were eating and drinking and dancing because of all the good things they had taken from the land of the Philistines and the land of Judah.

17 A nd David smote them from the morning twilight even unto the evening of the next day, and none of them escaped except four hundred young men who rode upon camels and fled.

And David killed them from the evening until the evening of the next day. None of them got away, except 400 young men who ran away on camels.

18 A nd David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, and David delivered his two wives.

David took back all that the Amalekites had taken, and saved his two wives.

19 A nd there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great neither sons nor daughters, of the robbery and of all the things that had been taken from them; David recovered it all.

Nothing was missing, small or large, sons or daughters, food or anything that had been taken. David returned with all of it.

20 A nd David took all the sheep and the cows, and bringing them with all the other livestock, they said, This is David’s spoil.

And he took all the sheep and cattle. The people drove those animals in front of him, and said, “This is what belongs to David.”

21 ¶ And David came to the two hundred men who were so faint that they could not follow David, whom they had made also to remain at the brook Besor, and they went forth to meet David and to meet the people that were with him, and when David came near to the people, he saluted them with peace.

David came to the 200 men who had been too tired to follow him and had been left at the river of Besor. They went out to meet David and the people who were with him. David came near the people and said hello to them.

22 T hen all the wicked men and men of Belial, of those that went with David, answered and said, Because they did not go with us, we will not give them of the spoil that we have recovered, except to each man his wife and his children, that they may lead them away, and depart.

Then all the sinful men of no worth who had gone with David said, “They did not go with us. So we will not give them anything of what we have taken, except for each man’s wife and children. Each man may take them and go.”

23 T hen David said, Ye shall not do so, my brethren, with that which the LORD has given us, who has kept us, and delivered the company that came against us into our hand.

David said, “You must not do so with what the Lord has given us, my brothers. He has kept us safe and has given us the army that came against us.

24 F or who will hearken unto you in this matter? For as his part is that goes down to the battle, so shall his part be that remains by the stuff; they shall part alike.

Who would listen to you about this? The share of those who stay by our things will be the same as the share of those who go to the battle. They will share alike.”

25 A nd it was so from that day forward that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel unto this day.

He made it a law for Israel from that day to this.

26 A nd when David came to Ziklag, he sent of the spoil unto the elders of Judah, his friends, saying, Behold a blessing for you of the spoil of the enemies of the LORD:

When David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the things he had taken in battle to the leaders of Judah, his friends. He said, “See, here is a gift for you from what was taken from those who hate the Lord.

27 t o those who were in Bethel and to those who were in Ramoth towards the Negev and to those who were in Jattir

It is for those in Bethel, Ramoth of the Negev, Jattir,

28 a nd to those who were in Aroer and to those who were in Siphmoth and to those who were in Eshtemoa

Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa,

29 a nd to those who were in Rachal and to those who were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites and to those who were in the cities of the Kenites

and Racal. It is for those in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, the cities of the Kenites,

30 a nd to those who were in Hormah and to those who were in Chorashan and to those who were in Athach

Hormah, Borashan, Athach,

31 a nd to those who were in Hebron and in all the places where David had been with his men.

Hebron, and all the places where David and his men have gone many times.”