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.

And it cometh to pass, in the coming in of David and his men to Ziklag, on the third day, that the Amalekites have pushed unto the south, and unto Ziklag, and smite Ziklag, and burn 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.

and they take captive the women who in it; from small unto great they have not put any one to death, and they lead away, and go 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.

And David cometh in -- and his men -- unto the city, and lo, burnt with fire, and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters have been taken captive!

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.

And David lifteth up -- and the people who with him -- their voice and weep, till that they have no power to weep.

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

And the two wives of David have been taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail wife of Nabal the Carmelite;

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 hath great distress, for the people have said to stone him, for the soul of all the people hath been bitter, each for his sons and for his daughters; and David doth strengthen himself in Jehovah 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.

And David saith unto Abiathar the priest, son of Ahimelech, `Bring nigh, I pray thee, to me the ephod;' and Abiathar bringeth nigh the ephod unto 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.

and David asketh at Jehovah, saying, `I pursue after this troop -- do I overtake it?' And He saith to him, `Pursue, for thou dost certainly overtake, and dost certainly deliver.'

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.

And David goeth on, he and six hundred men who with him, and they come in unto the brook of Besor, and those left have stood still,

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.

and David pursueth, he and four hundred men, (and two hundred men stand still who have been too faint to pass over the brook of Besor),

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,

and they find a man, an Egyptian, in the field, and take him unto David, and give to him bread, and he eateth, and they cause him to drink water,

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.

and give to him a piece of a bunch of dried figs, and two bunches of raisins, and he eateth, and his spirit returneth unto him, for he hath not eaten bread nor drunk water 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.

And David saith to him, `Whose thou? and whence thou?' And he saith, `An Egyptian youth I, servant to a man, an Amalekite, and my lord forsaketh me, for I have been sick three days,

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 pushed the south of the Cherethite, and against that which to Judah, and against the south of Caleb, and Ziklag we burned 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.

And David saith unto him, `Dost thou bring me down unto this troop?' and he saith, `Swear to me by God -- thou dost not put me to death, nor dost thou shut me up into the hand of my lord -- and I bring thee down unto this troop.'

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.

And he bringeth him down, and lo, they are spread out over the face of all the earth, eating, and drinking, and feasting, with all the great spoil which they have taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of 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 smiteth them from the twilight even unto the evening of the morrow, and there hath not escaped of them a man, except four hundred young men who have ridden on the camels, and are fled.

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

And David delivereth all that the Amalekites have taken; also his two wives hath David delivered.

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.

And there hath not lacked to them, from small unto great, and unto sons and daughters, and from the spoil, even unto all that they had taken to themselves, the whole hath David brought back,

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 David taketh the whole of the flock, and of the herd, they have led on before these cattle, and they say, `This David's spoil.'

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.

And David cometh in unto the two hundred men who were too faint to go after David, and whom they cause to abide at the brook of Besor, and they go out to meet David, and to meet the people who with him, and David approacheth the people, and asketh of them of welfare.

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.

And every bad and worthless man, of the men who have gone with David, answereth, yea, they say, `Because that they have not gone with us we do not give to them of the spoil which we have delivered, except each his wife and his children, and they lead away 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.

And David saith, `Ye do not do so, my brethren, with that which Jehovah hath given to us, and He doth preserve us, and doth give the troop which cometh against us into our hand;

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.

and who doth hearken to you in this thing? for as the portion of him who was brought down into battle, so also the portion of him who is abiding by the vessels -- alike they share.'

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

And it cometh to pass from that day and forward, that he appointeth it for a statute and for an ordinance for Israel unto this day.

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:

And David cometh in unto Ziklag, and sendeth of the spoil to the elders of Judah, to his friends, (saying, `Lo, for you a blessing, of the spoil of the enemies of Jehovah),'

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

to those in Beth-El, and to those in South Ramoth, and to those in Jattir,

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

and to those in Aroer, and to those in Siphmoth, and to those in 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 to those in Rachal, and to those in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to those in 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

and to those in Hormah, and to those in Chor-Ashan, and to those in Athach,

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

and to those in Hebron, and to all the places where David had gone up and down, he and his men.