1 Samuel 30

1And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had made a raid upon the South, and upon Ziklag, and had smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire,

1On the third day, when David and his men reached Ziklag, they found that the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned it down.

2and had taken captive the womenand allthat were therein, both small and great: they slew not any, but carried them off, and went their way.

2They had taken the women and everyone else in the city captive, both young and old. They didn't kill anyone, but they carried them off and went on their way.

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

3When David and his men arrived at the city, they saw it had been burned, and their wives, sons, and daughters had been taken away.

4Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.

4Then David and the people with him wept aloud until they had no more strength left to cry.

5And David’s two wives were taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.

5David's two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal from Carmel, were among those captured.

6And 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 strengthened himself in Jehovah his God.

6David was in great danger because the men were talking about stoning him. Each man was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God.

7And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David.

7David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, 'Bring me the ephod.' So Abiathar brought it to him.

8And David inquired of Jehovah, saying, If I pursue after this troop, shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue; for thou shalt surely overtake them, and shalt without fail recover all.

8David asked the LORD, 'Should I chase after this raid? Will I catch them?' The LORD answered, 'Pursue them; you will definitely catch them and you will surely rescue everyone.'

9So 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.

9David and his six hundred men set out and reached the Besor Ravine, where some of the men stayed behind.

10But 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.

10David and four hundred men continued the pursuit, but two hundred men were too exhausted to cross the Besor Ravine and stayed there.

11And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they gave him water to drink;

11They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David. They gave him bread to eat and water to drink.

12and 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.

12They also gave him a piece of a fig cake and two clusters of raisins. After he ate, he felt better; he had not eaten food or drunk water for three days and three nights.

13And 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 ago I fell sick.

13David asked him, 'Who is your master and where do you come from?' He replied, 'I am an Egyptian, the servant of an Amalekite. My master left me behind because I got sick three days ago.'

14We made a raid upon the South of the Cherethites, and upon that which belongeth to Judah, and upon the South of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.

14'We raided the Negev of the Kerethites, the territory of Judah, and the Negev of Caleb; we also burned Ziklag.'

15And David said to him, Wilt thou bring me down to this troop? And he said, Swear unto me by God, that thou wilt neither kill me, nor deliver me up into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee down to this troop.

15David asked him, 'Will you lead me to this raiding party?' He answered, 'Swear to me by God that you won't kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will lead you to them.'

16And when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread abroad over all the ground, 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.

16When the Egyptian led David down, they found the Amalekites spread out over the countryside. They were eating, drinking, and dancing because of all the loot they had taken from the land of the Philistines and the land of Judah.

17And 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, who rode upon camels and fled.

17David fought them from dusk until the evening of the next day. Not a man escaped, except for four hundred young men who rode away on camels.

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

18David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives.

19And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor anything that they had taken to them: David brought back all.

19Nothing was missing, whether small or large, sons or daughters, or any of the loot they had taken. David brought everything back.

20And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drove before those other cattle, and said, This is David’s spoil.

20David also took all the sheep and cattle. His men drove these animals ahead of the other livestock and said, 'This is David's loot.'

21And David came to the two hundred men, who were so faint that they could not follow David, whom also they had made 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.

21Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too tired to follow him and had stayed at the Besor Ravine. They came out to meet David and the people with him. As David approached, he greeted them.

22Then answered all the wicked men and base fellows, of those that went with David, and said, Because they went not with us, we will not give them aught of the spoil that we have recovered, save to every man his wife and his children, that he may lead them away, and depart.

22But some wicked and troublemaking men among David's followers said, 'Since they didn't go with us, we won't share any of the loot we recovered with them. Just give each man his wife and children so they can leave.'

23Then said David, Ye shall not do so, my brethren, with that which Jehovah hath given unto us, who hath preserved us, and delivered the troop that came against us into our hand.

23David replied, 'No, my brothers! You must not do that with what the LORD has given us. He has protected us and handed over the raiders who attacked us.'

24And who will hearken unto you in this matter? for as his share is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his share be that tarrieth by the baggage: they shall share alike.

24'Who would listen to what you're saying? The share for the man who stays with the supplies will be the same as the share for the man who goes into battle. Everyone will share alike.'

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

25David made this a legal rule and a requirement for Israel from that day until now.

26And 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 Jehovah:

26When David arrived in Ziklag, he sent some of the loot to the elders of Judah, who were his friends. He said, 'Here is a gift for you from the loot taken from the LORD's enemies.'

27to them that were in Beth-el, and to them that were in Ramoth of the South, and to them that were in Jattir,

27He sent gifts to those in Bethel, Ramoth of the Negev, Jattir,

28and to them that were in Aroer, and to them that were in Siphmoth, and to them that were in Eshtemoa,

28Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa,

29and to them that were in Racal, and to them that were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to them that were in the cities of the Kenites,

29Rakal, the cities of the Jerahmeelites, the cities of the Kenites,

30and to them that were in Hormah, and to them that were in Bor-ashan, and to them that were in Athach,

30Hormah, Bor-ashan, Athach,

31and to them that were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were wont to haunt.

31and Hebron, as well as all the other places where David and his men had traveled.