1 Samuel 30

1 It came about, when David and his men had come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had made a raid upon the Negev and on Ziklag. They attacked Ziklag, burned it,

And it came to pass when David and his men had entered Sekelac on the third day, that Amalec had made an incursion upon the south, and upon Sekelac, and smitten Sekelac, and burnt it with fire.

2 and captured the women and everyone who was in it, both small and great. They killed no one, but carried them off as they went on their way.

And as to the women and all things that were in it, great and small, they slew neither man nor woman, but carried them captives, and went on their way.

3 When David and his men came to the city, it was burned, and their wives, their sons, and their daughters were taken captive.

And David and his men came into the city, and, behold, it was burnt with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters were carried captive.

4 Then David and the people that were with him raised their voices and wept until they had no more power to weep.

And David and his men lifted up their voice, and wept till there was no longer any power within them to weep.

5 David's two wives were taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelite woman, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.

And both the wives of David were carried captive, Achinaam, the Jezraelitess, and Abigaia the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.

6 David was greatly distressed, for the people were talking about stoning him, for all the people were bitter in spirit, each man for his sons and daughters; but David strengthened himself in Yahweh, his God.

And David was greatly distressed, because the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, each for his sons and his daughters: but David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.

7 David said to Abiathar son of Ahimelech, the priest, “I beg you, bring the ephod here for me.” Abiathar brought the ephod to David.

And David said to Abiathar the priest the son of Achimelech, Bring near the ephod.

8 David prayed to Yahweh for direction, saying, “If I pursue after this troop, will I overtake them?” Yahweh answered him, “Pursue, for you will certainly overtake them, and you will surely recover everything.”

And David enquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? and he said to him, Pursue, for thou shalt surely overtake them, and thou shalt surely rescue [the captives].

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

So David went, he an the six hundred men with him, an they come as far as the brook Bosor, and the superfluous ones stopped.

10 But David kept pursuing, he and four hundred men; for two hundred had stayed behind, who were so weak that they could not go over the brook Besor.

And he pursued them with four hundred men; and there remained behind two hundred men, who tarried on the other side of the brook Bosor.

11 They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David; they gave him bread, and he ate; they gave him water to drink;

And they find an Egyptian in the field, and they take him, and bring him to David; and they gave him bread and he ate, and they caused him to drink water.

12 and they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. When he had eaten, he gained strength again, for he had eaten no bread nor drunk any water for three days and three nights.

And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and he ate, and his spirit was restored in him; for he had not eaten bread, and had not drunk water three days and three nights.

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

And David said to him, Whose art thou? and whence art thou? and the young man the Egyptian said, I am the servant of an Amalekite; and my master left me, because I was taken ill three days ago.

14 We made a raid on the Negev of the Kerethites, and what belongs to Judah, and the Negev of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag.”

And we made an incursion on the south of the Chelethite, and on the parts of Judea, and on the south of Chelub, and we burnt Sekelac with fire.

15 David said to him, “Will you bring me down to this raiding party?” The Egyptian said, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or betray me up into the hands of my master, and I will bring you down to this raiding party.”

And David said to him, Wilt thou bring me down to this troop? And he said, Swear now to me by God, that thou wilt not kill me, and that thou wilt not deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee down upon this troop.

16 When the Egyptian had brought David down, the raiders were spread out over all the ground, eating and drinking and dancing because of all the booty they had taken out of the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah.

So be brought him down thither, and behold, they [were] scattered abroad upon the surface of the whole land, eating and drinking, and feasting by [reason of] all the great spoils which they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Juda.

17 David attacked them from the twilight to the evening of the next day. Not a man escaped except for four hundred young men, who rode on camels and fled.

And David came upon them, and smote them from the morning till the evening, and on the next day; and not one of them escaped, except four hundred young men, who were mounted on camels, and fled.

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

And David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and he rescued both his wives.

19 Nothing was missing, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither booty, nor anything that the raiders had taken for themselves. David brought back everything.

And nothing was wanting to them of great or small, either of the spoils, or the sons and daughters, or anything that they had taken of theirs; and David recovered all.

20 David took all the flocks and the herds, which the men drove ahead of the other cattle. They said, “This is David's booty.”

And he took all the flocks, and the herds, and led them away before the spoils: and it was said of these spoils, These [are] the spoils of David.

21 David came to the two hundred men who had been too weak to follow him, the ones the others had made to stay at the brook Besor. These men went ahead to meet David and the people who were with him. When David came to these people, he greeted them.

And David comes to the two hundred men who were left behind that they should not follow after David, and he had caused them to remain by the brook of Bosor; and they came forth to meet David, and to meet his people with him: and David drew near to the people, and they asked him how he did.

22 Then all the wicked men and worthless fellows among those who had gone with David said, “Because these men did not go with us, we will not give them any of the booty that we have recovered. Except that each man may take his wife and children, lead them away, and go.”

Then every ill-disposed and bad man of the soldiers who had gone with David, answered and said, Because they did not pursue together with us, we will not give them of the spoils which we have recovered, only let each one lead away with him his wife and his children, and let them return.

23 Then David said, “You must not act like this, my brothers, with what Yahweh has given to us. He has preserved us and given into our hand the raiders who came against us.

And David said, Ye shall not do so, after the Lord has delivered [the enemy] to us, and guarded us, and the Lord has delivered into our hands the troop that came against u.

24 Who will listen to you in this matter? For as the share is for anyone who goes into battle, so also will the share be for anyone who waits by the baggage; they will share and share alike.”

And who will hearken to these your words? for they are not inferior to us; for according to the portion of him that went down to the battle, so shall be the portion of him that abides with the baggage; they shall share alike.

25 It has been so from that day to this day, for David made it a statute and a decree for Israel.

And it came to pass from that day forward, that it became an ordinance and a custom in Israel until this day.

26 When David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the booty to the elders of Judah, to his friends, saying, “See, here is a present for you from the booty from Yahweh's enemies.”

And David came to Sekelac, and sent of the spoils to the elders of Juda, and to his friends, saying, Behold [some] of the spoils of the enemies of the Lord;

27 He also sent some to the elders who were in Bethel, and to those who were in Ramoth of the South, and to those who were in Jattir,

to those in Baethsur, and to those in Rama of the south, and to those in Gethor.

28 and to those who were in Aroer, and to those who were in Siphmoth, and to those who were in Eshtemoa.

And to those in Aroer, and to those in Ammadi, and to those in Saphi, and to those in Esthie,

29 He also sent some to the elders who were in Rakal, and to those who were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to those who were in the cities of the Kenites,

and to those in Geth, and to those in Cimath, and to those in Saphec, and to those in Themath, and to those in Carmel, and to those in the cities of Jeremeel, and to those in the cities of the Kenezite;

30 and to those who were in Hormah, and to those who were in Bor Ashan, and to those who were in Athak,

and to those in Jerimuth, and to those in Bersabee, and to those in Nombe,

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

and to those in Chebron, and to all the places which David and his men had passed through.