International Standard Version

New American Standard Bible 1995

1When David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and set it on fire.

1Then it happened when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had made a raid on the Negev and on Ziklag, and had overthrown Ziklag and burned it with fire;

2They took the women in it captive, from young to old. They did not kill anyone. Instead, they carried them off and went on their way.

2and they took captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great, without killing anyone, and carried them off and went their way.

3David and his men came to the town, and it had been burned down. Their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive.

3When David and his men came to the city, behold, it was burned with fire, and their wives and their sons and their daughters had been taken captive.

4Then David and the people who were with him lifted their voices and cried until they had no more strength left to cry.

4Then David and the people who were with him lifted their voices and wept until there was no strength in them to weep.

5David's two wives, Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, Nabal's former wife, had been captured.

5Now David's two wives had been taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite.

6David was in great danger because all the people were bitter because of their sons and daughters, and they were talking about stoning him. But David found strength in the LORD his God.

6Moreover David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, for all the people were embittered, each one because of his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.

7David told Ahimelech's son Abiathar the priest, "Bring me the ephod." So Abiathar brought the ephod to David.

7Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, "Please bring me the ephod." So Abiathar brought the ephod to David.

8David inquired of the LORD: "Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?" The LORD told David, "Pursue them! You will definitely overtake them and rescue the captives."

8David inquired of the LORD, saying, "Shall I pursue this band? Shall I overtake them?" And He said to him, "Pursue, for you will surely overtake them, and you will surely rescue all."

9So David and 600 men who were with him set out. They came to the Wadi Besor where those who were left behind stayed.

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

10David and 400 men continued the pursuit, while the 200 men who were too exhausted to cross over the Wadi Besor remained there.

10But David pursued, he and four hundred men, for two hundred who were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor remained behind.

11They found an Egyptian man in the field, and they took him to David. They gave him food to eat and provided water for him.

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

12They gave him part of a fig cake and two bunches of raisins. After he had eaten, he revived, since he had neither eaten food nor had he drunk water for three days and three nights.

12They gave him a piece of fig cake and two clusters of raisins, and he ate; then his spirit revived. For he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights.

13David told him, "To whom do you belong and where are you from?" The Egyptian replied, "I'm a young Egyptian man, the slave of an Amalekite man. My master abandoned me, because I got sick three days ago.

13David said to him, "To whom do you belong? And where are you from?" And he said, "I am a young man of Egypt, a servant of an Amalekite; and my master left me behind when I fell sick three days ago.

14We raided the Negev of the Cherethites, the territory that belongs to Judah, and the Negev of Caleb, and we set Ziklag on fire."

14"We made a raid on the Negev of the Cherethites, and on that which belongs to Judah, and on the Negev of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag with fire."

15David asked him, "Will you take me to this raiding party?" He said, "Swear to me by God that you won't kill me or turn me over to my master, and I'll take you to the raiding party."

15Then David said to him, "Will you bring me down to this band?" And he said, "Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring you down to this band."

16The Egyptian led him to the camp, and there the Amalekites were spread out over the whole area, eating, drinking, and celebrating with the great amount of spoil they had taken from the territory belonging to the Philistines and to Judah.

16When he had brought him down, behold, they were spread over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing because of all the great spoil that they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah.

17David struck them down from twilight until the evening of the next day, and not one of them escaped except for 400 young men who mounted camels and fled.

17David slaughtered them from the twilight until the evening of the next day; and not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled.

18David rescued everyone whom the Amalekites had captured, including his two wives.

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

19Nothing of theirs was missing, whether small or large, sons or daughters, spoil, or anything that they had taken for themselves—David brought back everything.

19But nothing of theirs was missing, whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that they had taken for themselves; David brought it all back.

20David took all the rest of the sheep and cattle, driving them ahead of their rescued livestock. People said about all this, "This is David's spoil."

20So David had captured all the sheep and the cattle which the people drove ahead of the other livestock, and they said, "This is David's spoil."

21David came to the 200 men who were too exhausted to follow him and who had been left at the Wadi Besor. They came out to meet David and the people who were with him. As David approached the people, he asked them how they were doing.

21When David came to the two hundred men who were too exhausted to follow David, who had also been left at the brook Besor, and they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him, then David approached the people and greeted them.

22 At this point, all the wicked and worthless men of the group who had gone with David answered, "Because they didn't go with us, we won't give them any of the spoil that we recovered, except that each person may take his wife and his children and go."

22Then all the wicked and worthless men among those who went with David said, "Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead them away and depart."

23David said, "No, you won't do this, my brothers, with what the LORD has given us. He guarded us and gave the raiding party that came against us into our hand.

23Then David said, "You must not do so, my brothers, with what the LORD has given us, who has kept us and delivered into our hand the band that came against us.

24Who will listen to you in this matter? Indeed, the share of those who went down into battle and the share of those who stayed with the supplies will be the same. They'll share alike."

24"And who 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 by the baggage; they shall share alike."

25From that day forward he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel, and it remains to this present day.

25So it has been from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.

26David came to Ziklag, and he sent some of the spoil to the elders of Judah, and to his friends, telling them, "Look, this is a gift for you from the spoil of the enemies of the LORD

26Now when David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the spoil to the elders of Judah, to his friends, saying, "Behold, a gift for you from the spoil of the enemies of the LORD:

27in Bethel, Ramoth-negev, Jattir,

27to those who were in Bethel, and to those who were in Ramoth of the Negev, and to those who were in Jattir,

28Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa,

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

29Rachal, in the Jerahmeelite towns, in the Kenite towns,

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

30in Hormah, Bor-ashan, Athach,

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

31Hebron, and for all those places where David and his men had frequented."

31and to those who were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were accustomed to go."

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New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org