1 W hen 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.

And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire;

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

and had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way.

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

So 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.

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

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

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

And David’s two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.

6 A nd 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.

And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.

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

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

8 T hen 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.”

And 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.

9 S o 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.

So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind stayed.

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

But David pursued, he and four hundred men: for two hundred abode behind, which were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor.

11 T hey 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.

And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they made him drink water;

12 T hey 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.

and 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 D avid 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.

And David said unto him, To whom belongest thou? and whence art thou? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days agone I fell sick.

14 W e 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.”

We made an invasion upon the south of the Cherethites, and upon the coast which belongeth to Judah, and upon the south of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.

15 T hen 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.”

And David said to him, Canst 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.

16 W hen 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.

And when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread abroad upon all the earth, 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 A nd 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.

And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, which rode upon camels, and fled.

18 D avid took back all that the Amalekites had taken, and saved his two wives.

And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives.

19 N othing was missing, small or large, sons or daughters, food or anything that had been taken. David returned with all of it.

And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor any thing that they had taken to them: David recovered all.

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

And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drave before those other cattle, and said, This is David’s spoil.

21 D avid 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.

And David came to the two hundred men, which were so faint that they could not follow David, whom they had made also to abide 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.

22 T hen 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.”

Then answered all the wicked men and men of Belial, of those that went with David, and said, Because they went not with us, we will not give them ought of the spoil that we have recovered, save to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead them away, and depart.

23 D avid 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.

Then said David, Ye shall not do so, my brethren, with that which the Lord hath given us, who hath preserved us, and delivered the company that came against us into our hand.

24 W ho 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.”

For who will hearken unto you in this matter? but as his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff: they shall part alike.

25 H e made it a law for Israel from that day to this.

And it was so from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel unto this day.

26 W hen 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.

And when David came to Ziklag, he sent of the spoil unto the elders of Judah, even to his friends, saying, Behold a present for you of the spoil of the enemies of the Lord;

27 I t is for those in Bethel, Ramoth of the Negev, Jattir,

to them which were in Beth-el, and to them which were in south Ramoth, and to them which were in Jattir,

28 A roer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa,

and to them which were in Aroer, and to them which were in Siphmoth, and to them which were in Eshtemoa,

29 a nd Racal. It is for those in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, the cities of the Kenites,

and to them which were in Rachal, and to them which were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to them which were in the cities of the Kenites,

30 H ormah, Borashan, Athach,

and to them which were in Hormah, and to them which were in Chor-ashan, and to them which were in Athach,

31 H ebron, and all the places where David and his men have gone many times.”

and to them which were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were wont to haunt.