International Standard Version | New Living Translation |
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. | 1Three days later, when David and his men arrived home at their town of Ziklag, they found that the Amalekites had made a raid into the Negev and Ziklag; they had crushed Ziklag and burned it to the ground. |
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. | 2They had carried off the women and children and everyone else but without killing anyone. |
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 saw the ruins and realized what had happened to their families, |
4Then David and the people who were with him lifted their voices and cried until they had no more strength left to cry. | 4they wept until they could weep no more. |
5David's two wives, Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, Nabal's former wife, had been captured. | 5David’s two wives, Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal from Carmel, were among those captured. |
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. | 6David was now in great danger because all his men were very bitter about losing their sons and daughters, and they began to talk of stoning him. But David found strength 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 he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring me the ephod!” So Abiathar brought it. |
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." | 8Then David asked the LORD, “Should I chase after this band of raiders? Will I catch them?” And the LORD told him, “Yes, go after them. You will surely recover everything that was taken from you!” |
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 and his 600 men set out, and they came to the brook Besor. |
10David and 400 men continued the pursuit, while the 200 men who were too exhausted to cross over the Wadi Besor remained there. | 10But 200 of the men were too exhausted to cross the brook, so David continued the pursuit with 400 men. |
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. | 11Along the way they found an Egyptian man in a field and brought him to David. They gave him some bread to eat and 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 also gave him part of a fig cake and two clusters of raisins, for he hadn’t had anything to eat or drink for three days and nights. Before long his strength returned. |
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. | 13“To whom do you belong, and where do you come from?” David asked him. “I am an Egyptian—the slave of an Amalekite,” he replied. “My master abandoned me three days ago because I was sick. |
14We raided the Negev of the Cherethites, the territory that belongs to Judah, and the Negev of Caleb, and we set Ziklag on fire." | 14We were on our way back from raiding the Kerethites in the Negev, the territory of Judah, and the land of Caleb, and we had just burned Ziklag.” |
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." | 15“Will you lead me to this band of raiders?” David asked. The young man replied, “If you take an oath in God’s name that you will not kill me or give me back to my master, then I will guide you to them.” |
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. | 16So he led David to them, and they found the Amalekites spread out across the fields, eating and drinking and dancing with joy because of the vast amount of plunder they had taken from the Philistines and 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 and his men rushed in among them and slaughtered them throughout that night and the entire next day until evening. None of the Amalekites escaped except 400 young men who fled on camels. |
18David rescued everyone whom the Amalekites had captured, including his two wives. | 18David got back everything the Amalekites had taken, and he 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. | 19Nothing was missing: small or great, son or daughter, nor anything else that had been taken. David brought everything 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." | 20He also recovered all the flocks and herds, and his men drove them ahead of the other livestock. “This plunder belongs to David!” they said. |
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. | 21Then David returned to the brook Besor and met up with the 200 men who had been left behind because they were too exhausted to go with him. They went out to meet David and his men, and David greeted them joyfully. |
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." | 22But some evil troublemakers among David’s men said, “They didn’t go with us, so they can’t have any of the plunder we recovered. Give them their wives and children, and tell them to be gone.” |
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. | 23But David said, “No, my brothers! Don’t be selfish with what the LORD has given us. He has kept us safe and helped us defeat the band of raiders that attacked 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." | 24Who will listen when you talk like this? We share and share alike—those who go to battle and those who guard the equipment.” |
25From that day forward he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel, and it remains to this present day. | 25From then on David made this a decree and regulation for Israel, and it is still followed today. |
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 | 26When he arrived at Ziklag, David sent part of the plunder to the elders of Judah, who were his friends. “Here is a present for you, taken from the LORD’s enemies,” he said. |
27in Bethel, Ramoth-negev, Jattir, | 27The gifts were sent to the people of the following towns David had visited: Bethel, Ramoth-negev, Jattir, |
28Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa, | 28Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa, |
29Rachal, in the Jerahmeelite towns, in the Kenite towns, | 29Racal, the towns of the Jerahmeelites, the towns of the Kenites, |
30in Hormah, Bor-ashan, Athach, | 30Hormah, Bor-ashan, Athach, |
31Hebron, and for all those places where David and his men had frequented." | 31Hebron, and all the other places David and his men had visited. |
The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
|