1 C ând David şi oamenii săi au sosit a treia zi la Ţiklag, amalekiţii invadaseră Neghevul şi Ţiklagul; capturaseră Ţiklagul şi îi dăduseră foc.

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 A u luat captive femeile şi pe toţi aceia care se aflau în cetate, de la copii până la bătrâni. N-au ucis pe nimeni, ci doar i-au luat cu ei şi au plecat.

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 C ând David şi oamenii lui au ajuns la cetate, au găsit-o arsă, iar pe soţiile, pe fiii şi pe fiicele lor – duşi în captivitate.

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 D avid şi oamenii care erau cu el au plâns în hohote până ce n-au mai avut putere să plângă.

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

5 A u fost luate captive şi cele două soţii ale lui David: Ahinoam din Izreel şi Abigail, văduva lui Nabal, din Carmel.

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

6 D avid s-a aflat într-o mare strâmtorare, căci bărbaţii vorbeau să-l ucidă cu pietre, deoarece toţi aveau sufletul mâhnit, fiecare pentru fiii şi fiicele lui. Însă David s-a întărit în Domnul, Dumnezeul lui.

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 i-a spus preotului Abiatar, fiul lui Ahimelek: – Adu-mi, te rog, efodul! Abiatar a adus efodul la 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 D avid L-a întrebat pe Domnul: – Să urmăresc ceata aceasta? O voi ajunge? – Urmăreşte-o, i-a răspuns Domnul, căci o vei ajunge şi vei da izbăvire.

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 D avid a plecat cu cei şase sute de bărbaţi care erau cu el şi au ajuns la uedul Besor, unde s-au oprit cei ce rămâneau în urmă.

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 D avid a continuat urmărirea cu patru sute de bărbaţi, iar ceilalţi două sute, fiind prea istoviţi să treacă uedul Besor, s-au oprit.

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 A u găsit un egiptean pe câmp şi l-au adus la David. I-au dat de mâncare şi el a mâncat; apoi i-au dat apă.

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 I -au dat o parte dintr-o turtă de smochine şi două mănunchiuri de stafide. După ce a mâncat, i-au revenit puterile căci nu mâncase şi nu băuse apă de trei zile şi trei nopţi.

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 l-a întrebat: – Al cui eşti şi de unde vii? Tânărul a răspuns: – Sunt egiptean şi sunt sclavul unui amalekit. Stăpânul meu m-a părăsit în urmă cu trei zile pentru că m-am îmbolnăvit.

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 A m invadat Neghevul cheretiţilor, pe cel al lui Iuda şi Neghevul lui Caleb şi am dat foc Ţiklagului.

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 A tunci David l-a întrebat: – Poţi să mă duci până la această ceată? Egipteanul i-a zis: – Jură-mi pe Dumnezeu că nu mă vei ucide şi că nu mă vei preda în mâna stăpânului meu şi atunci te voi duce la ceata aceasta.

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 L -a dus acolo şi iată că aceştia erau împrăştiaţi peste tot, mâncând, bând şi chefuind datorită marii prăzi pe care o luaseră din ţara filistenilor şi din ţara lui Iuda.

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 D avid i-a zdrobit din amurg până în seara zilei următoare; n-a scăpat nici un bărbat dintre ei, în afară de patru sute de tineri care au încălecat pe cămile şi au fugit.

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 a recuperat tot ceea ce luaseră amalekiţii şi le-a salvat şi pe cele două soţii ale lui.

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

19 N u le lipsea nimic, nici tânăr nici bătrân, nici fii nici fiice, nimic din pradă, nimic din ceea ce li se luase. David a adus înapoi totul.

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 D avid a luat toate oile şi vitele; oamenii lui conduceau turma aceasta mergând în fruntea ei şi spuneau: „Aceasta este prada lui 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 a ajuns la cei două sute de bărbaţi care fuseseră prea istoviţi pentru a-l urma şi care fuseseră lăsaţi la uedul Besor. Aceştia au ieşit în întâmpinarea lui David şi a poporului care era cu el. David s-a apropiat de ei şi i-a salutat.

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 oţi oamenii răi şi nelegiuiţi dintre cei care merseseră cu David au zis: – Pentru că n-au mers împreună cu noi, nu le vom da din prada pe care am recuperat-o. Fiecare însă poate să-şi ia soţia şi copiii şi să plece.

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 ar David le-a zis: – Să nu faceţi aşa, fraţilor, cu ceea ce ne-a dat Domnul, căci El ne-a păzit şi a dat în mâinile noastre ceata de invadatori care venise împotriva noastră.

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 O ricum, cine are să vă asculte în privinţa aceasta? Aceeaşi parte o vor avea şi cei care au fost în luptă şi cei care au rămas la bagaje. Toţi vor împărţi la fel.

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 A şa a fost începând din ziua aceea. David a făcut din aceasta o lege şi o hotărâre în Israel până astăzi.

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

26 D upă ce a sosit la Ţiklag, David a trimis din pradă celor din sfatul bătrânilor lui Iuda, prietenii săi, spunându-le: „Iată pentru voi un dar din prada luată de la duşmanii Domnului.“

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 A trimis şi celor din Betel, celor din Ramot-Negev, celor din Iatir,

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

28 c elor din Aroer, celor din Sifmot, celor din Eştemoa,

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

29 c elor din Racal, celor din cetăţile ierahmeeliţilor şi celor din cetăţile cheniţilor,

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 c elor din Horma, celor din Bor-Aşan şi celor din Atac,

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

31 c elor din Hebron şi celor din toate locurile pe care le-a cutreierat David şi oamenii săi.

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