1 W hen David and his men had come to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made a raid on the South, and on Ziklag, and had struck Ziklag, and burned it with fire,

¶ 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.

2 a nd had taken captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great. They didn’t kill any, but carried them off, and went their way.

And 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.

3 W hen David and his men came to the city, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, their sons, and their daughters were taken captive.

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 who were with him lifted up their voice and wept until they had no more power to weep.

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 were taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.

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

6 D avid was greatly distressed; for the people spoke of stoning him, because the souls of all the people were grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters; but David strengthened himself in Yahweh his God.

And 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.

7 D avid said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Please bring the ephod here to me.” Abiathar brought the ephod to David.

¶ 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.

8 D avid inquired of Yahweh, saying, “If I pursue after this troop, will I overtake them?” He answered him, “Pursue; for you will surely overtake them, and will without fail recover all.”

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

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

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

But 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.

11 T hey found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he ate; and they gave him water to drink.

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

12 T hey gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins. When he had eaten, his spirit came again to him; for he had eaten no bread, and drank no water for three days and three nights.

and 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.

13 D avid asked him, “To whom do you belong? Where are you from?” He said, “I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days ago I got sick.

And 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.

14 W e made a raid on the South of the Cherethites, and on that which belongs to Judah, and on the South of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.”

We 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.

15 D avid said to him, “Will you bring me down to this troop?” He said, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me and not deliver me up into the hands of my master, and I will bring you down to this troop.”

And 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.

16 W hen he had brought him down, behold, they were spread around over all the ground, eating, drinking, and dancing, because of all the great plunder that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah.

And 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.

17 D avid struck them from the twilight even to the evening of the next day. Not a man of them escaped from there, except four hundred young men, who rode on camels and fled.

And 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.

18 D avid recovered all that the Amalekites had taken; and David rescued his two wives.

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

19 T here was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither plunder, nor anything that they had taken to them. David brought back all.

And 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.

20 D avid took all the flocks and the herds, which they drove before those other livestock, and said, “This is David’s plunder.”

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

21 D avid came to the two hundred men, who were so faint that they could not follow David, whom also they had made to stay at the brook Besor; and they went out to meet David, and to meet the people who were with him. When David came near to the people, he greeted them.

¶ 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.

22 T hen all the wicked men and base fellows, of those who went with David, answered and said, “Because they didn’t go with us, we will not give them anything of the plunder that we have recovered, except to every man his wife and his children, that he may lead them away, and depart.”

Then 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.

23 T hen David said, “Do not do so, my brothers, with that which Yahweh has given to us, who has preserved us, and delivered the troop that came against us into our hand.

Then 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.

24 W ho will listen to you in this matter? For as his share is who goes down to the battle, so shall his share be who stays with the baggage. They shall share alike.”

For 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.

25 I t was so from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.

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 plunder to the elders of Judah, even to his friends, saying, “Behold, a present for you from the plunder of Yahweh’s enemies.”

And 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:

27 H e sent it to those who were in Bethel, to those who were in Ramoth of the South, to those who were in Jattir,

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

28 t o those who were in Aroer, to those who were in Siphmoth, to those who were in Eshtemoa,

and to those who were in Aroer and to those who were in Siphmoth and to those who were in Eshtemoa

29 t o those who were in Racal, to those who were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, to those who were in the cities of the Kenites,

and 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

30 t o those who were in Hormah, to those who were in Borashan, to those who were in Athach,

and to those who were in Hormah and to those who were in Chorashan and to those who were in Athach

31 t o those who were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men used to stay.

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