1 A l tercer día, David y sus hombres fueron a Siclag, y se dieron cuenta de que los amalecitas habían invadido el Néguev, y de que a Siclag la habían asolado y le habían prendido fuego.

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 H abían capturado a las mujeres y a todos los que vivían allí, chicos y grandes, aunque no habían matado a nadie; simplemente se los habían llevado cautivos.

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 uando David y sus hombres llegaron a Siclag y vieron que la ciudad había sido incendiada y que las mujeres y sus hijos habían sido capturados,

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 s e pusieron tan tristes que lloraron a voz en cuello, hasta que se cansaron.

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

5 E ntre las cautivas estaban las dos mujeres de David, es decir, Ajinoán la jezreelita y Abigaíl, la viuda de Nabal.

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

6 D avid se angustió porque todo el pueblo quería apedrearlo, pues les dolía haber perdido a sus hijas y a sus hijos, pero halló fuerzas en el Señor su Dios.

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 E ntonces llamó al sacerdote Abiatar hijo de Ajimélec, y le dijo: «Te ruego que me traigas el efod.» Abiatar se lo llevó,

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 y David consultó al Señor. Le preguntó: «¿Debo perseguir a esa banda de malvados? ¿Podré darles alcance?» Y el Señor le dijo: «Ve tras ellos, porque les darás alcance y podrás liberar a los cautivos.»

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 partió entonces con sus seiscientos hombres, y llegaron hasta el torrente de Besor, donde se quedaron unos cuantos.

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 L os que siguieron adelante con David fueron cuatrocientos hombres, pues doscientos de ellos estaban tan cansados que no pudieron cruzar el torrente.

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 Y esos que siguieron hallaron en el campo a un egipcio, y lo llevaron ante David; lo alimentaron con pan, y le dieron a beber agua.

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 ambién le dieron pan de higos secos y dos racimos de uvas pasas, y el egipcio comió y recobró el ánimo, pues hacía tres días con sus noches que no había comido ni bebido nada.

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 L uego, David le preguntó: «¿Quién eres, y de dónde vienes?» Y el joven egipcio respondió: «Sirvo a un amalecita, pero me abandonó hace tres días porque me vio muy mal,

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 p ues habíamos hecho una incursión al Néguev de los cretenses y de Judá, y también al Néguev de Caleb, y luego le prendimos fuego a Siclag.»

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 Y David le preguntó: «¿Me puedes llevar hasta esa tropa?» Y el egipcio dijo: «Lo haré, si me juras que no me matarás ni me entregarás a mi amo. Sólo así te llevaré hasta esa gente.»

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 Y como David se lo juró, el egipcio lo llevó adonde estaban ellos. Cuando llegaron, David vio a la tropa esparcida y en completo desorden. Estaban comiendo y bebiendo, y haciendo una gran fiesta con todo el botín que habían tomado de los filisteos y de la tierra de Judá.

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, aprovechando su descuido, los hirió de muerte durante todo ese día y hasta la tarde del día siguiente, sin dejar con vida más que a cuatrocientos jóvenes que huyeron montados en sus camellos.

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 espués de que David recuperó todo lo que los amalecitas habían robado, liberó también a sus dos mujeres.

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

19 D avid recuperó todo, sin que le faltara absolutamente nada, por pequeña que fuera, y los hijos y las hijas las devolvió David a sus padres.

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 T ambién se apoderó de las ovejas y del ganado mayor, y como lo iba arriando, todos decían que era el botín de 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 C uando David llegó al torrente de Besor, los doscientos hombres que por cansancio no habían podido acompañarlo salieron a recibirlo, y al verlos David, los saludó en paz.

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 P ero entre los soldados que habían ido con David a la batalla, había algunos que eran egoístas y malvados, que dijeron: «A éstos no les corresponde nada del botín que capturamos. Que tomen a sus mujeres y a sus hijos, y que se vayan.»

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 P ero David les dijo: «No se porten así, hermanos míos. El Señor nos ha protegido y nos ha permitido recuperar lo que esa banda de malvados que nos atacó nos había arrebatado.

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 ¿ Quién va a darles la razón en este caso? El mismo derecho tiene el que entra en combate como el que se queda al cuidado del bagaje. Todos merecen recibir lo mismo.»

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 Y desde aquel día y hasta la fecha, esto quedó establecido como una ley y ordenanza en Israel.

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

26 C uando David llegó a Siclag, tomó parte del botín y lo repartió entre sus amigos, los ancianos de Judá, junto con este mensaje: «Aquí tienen este presente. Se lo quitamos a los enemigos del Señor, y es para ustedes.»

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 E l regalo se lo envió a los que vivían en Betel, en Ramot del Néguev, en Jatir,

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

28 e n Aroer, en Sifmot, en Estemoa,

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

29 e n Racal, en las ciudades de Yeramel, en las ciudades de los quenitas,

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 e n Jormá, en Corasán, en Atac,

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

31 e n Hebrón, y en todos los lugares donde David había estado con sus hombres.

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