1 Samuel 30

1Now when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made an attack on the South and on Ziklag, and had overcome Ziklag and put it on fire;

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

2And had made the women and all who were there, small and great, prisoners: they had not put any of them to death, but had taken them all away.

2and had taken the women captives that were in it; both great and small: they had put none to death, but had carried them off, and went on their way.

3And when David and his men came to the town, they saw that it had been burned down, and their wives and their sons and daughters had been made prisoners.

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

4Then David and the people who were with him gave themselves up to weeping till they were able to go on weeping no longer.

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

5And David's two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the wife of Nabal of Carmel, had been made prisoners.

5And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jizreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.

6And David was greatly troubled; for the people were talking of stoning him, because their hearts were bitter, every man sorrowing for his sons and his daughters: but David made himself strong in the Lord his God.

6And David was greatly distressed; for the people spoke of stoning him; for the soul of all the people was embittered, every man because of his sons and because of his daughters; but David strengthened himself in Jehovah hisGod.

7And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, Come here to me with the ephod. And Abiathar took the ephod to David.

7And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, Bring near to me, I pray thee, the ephod. And Abiathar brought the ephod near to David.

8Then David, questioning the Lord, said, Am I to go after this band? will I be able to overtake them? And in answer he said, Go after them, for you will certainly overtake them, and get back everything.

8And David inquired of Jehovah, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he said to him, Pursue; for thou shalt assuredly overtake [them] and shalt certainly recover.

9So David went, and his six hundred men went with him, and they came to the stream Besor.

9So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and they came to the torrent Besor; and those that were left stayed behind.

10And David, with four hundred men, went on: but two hundred of them were overcome with weariness, and not able to go across the stream.

10And David pursued, he and four hundred men; for two hundred stayed behind, who were too exhausted to go over the torrent Besor.

11And in the fields they saw an Egyptian whom they took to David, and they gave him bread, and he had a meal, and they gave him water for drink;

11And they 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,

12And they gave him part of a cake of figs and some dry grapes; and after the food, his spirit came back to him, for he had had no food or drink for three days and nights.

12and gave him a piece of fig-cake and two raisin-cakes, and he ate, and his spirit came again to him; for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, for three days and three nights.

13And David said to him, Whose man are you and where do you come from? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master went on without me because three days back I became ill.

13And David said to him, To whom belongest thou? and whence art thou? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant of an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days ago I fell sick.

14We made an attack on the south part of the country of the Cherethites, and on the land which is Judah's, and on the south of Caleb; and we put Ziklag on fire.

14We made a raid against the south of the Cherethites, and against what [belongs] to Judah, and against the south of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.

15And David said to him, Will you take me down to this band? And he said, If you give me your oath that you will not put me to death or give me up to my master, I will take you to them.

15And David said to him, Canst thou bring me down to this troop? And he said, Swear to me byGod, that thou wilt neither put me to death nor deliver me up into the hand of my master, and I will bring thee down to this troop.

16And when he had taken him down, they saw them all, seated about on all sides, feasting and drinking among all the mass of goods which they had taken from the land of the Philistines and the land of Judah.

16And he brought him down, and behold, they were spread over the whole land, 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.

17And David went on fighting them from evening till the evening of the day after; and not one of them got away but only four hundred young men who went in flight on camels.

17And David smote them from the twilight even to 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.

18And David got back everything the Amalekites had taken; and he got back his two wives.

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

19There was no loss of anything, small or great, sons or daughters or goods or anything which they had taken away: David got it all back.

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

20And they took all the flocks and herds, and driving them in front of him, said, These are David's.

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

21And David came to the two hundred men, who because of weariness had not gone with him, but were waiting at the stream Besor: and they went out, meeting David and the people who were with him; and when they came near them, they said, How are you?

21And David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow David, and whom they had left behind at the torrent Besor; and they went forth to meet David, and to meet the people that were with him; and David drew near to the people and saluted them.

22Then the bad and good-for-nothing men among those who went with David said, Because they did not go with us, we will give them nothing of the goods which we have got back, but only to every man his wife and children, so that he may take them and go.

22And all the wicked men, and [men] of Belial, of those that had gone with David, answered 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 they may lead [them] away and depart.

23Then David said, You are not to do this, my brothers, after what the Lord has given us, who has kept us safe and given up the band which came against us into our hands.

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

24Who is going to give any attention to you in this question? for an equal part will be given to him who went to the fight and to him who was waiting by the goods: they are all to have the same.

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

25And so he made it a rule and an order for Israel from that day till now.

25And it was [so] from that day forward; and he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.

26And when David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the goods to the responsible men of Judah, and to his friends, saying, Here is an offering for you from the goods of those who were fighting against the Lord;

26And David came to Ziklag, and he sent of the spoil to the elders of Judah, to his friends, saying, Behold a present for you of the spoil of the enemies of Jehovah:

27He sent to those who were in Beth-el, and in Ramah of the South, and in Jattir;

27to those in Bethel, and to those in south Ramoth, and to those in Jattir,

28And to those in Arara and Eshtemoa

28and to those in Aroer, and to those in Siphmoth, and to those in Eshtemoa,

29and Carmel and in the towns of the Jerahmeelites, and in the towns of the Kenites;

29and to those in Rachal, and to those in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to those in the cities of the Kenites,

30And to those who were in Hormah and in Bor-ashan and in Athach;

30and to those in Hormah, and to those in Chor-ashan, and to those in Athach,

31And in Hebron, and to all the places where David and his men had been living.

31and to those in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men went about.