| New King James Version | NET Bible |
| 1Now it happened, when David and his men came to Ziklag, on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the South and Ziklag, attacked Ziklag and burned it with fire, | 1On the third day David and his men came to Ziklag. Now the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They attacked Ziklag and burned it. |
| 2and had taken captive the women and those who were there, from small to great; they did not kill anyone, but carried them away and went their way. | 2They took captive the women who were in it, from the youngest to the oldest, but they did not kill anyone. They simply carried them off and went on their way. |
| 3So David and his men came to the city, and there it was, burned with fire; and their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive. | 3When David and his men came to the city, they found it burned. Their wives, sons, and daughters had been taken captive. |
| 4Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep. | 4Then David and the men who were with him wept loudly until they could weep no more. |
| 5And David’s two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, had been taken captive. | 5David's two wives had been taken captive--Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail the Carmelite, Nabal's widow. |
| 6Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God. | 6David was very upset, for the men were thinking of stoning him; each man grieved bitterly over his sons and daughters. But David drew strength from the LORD his God. |
| 7Then David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, “Please bring the ephod here to me.” And Abiathar brought the ephod to David. | 7Then David said to the priest Abiathar son of Ahimelech, "Bring me the ephod." So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. |
| 8So David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?” And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.” | 8David inquired of the LORD, saying, "Should I pursue this raiding band? Will I overtake them?" He said to him, "Pursue, for you will certainly overtake them and carry out a rescue!" |
| 9So David went, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and came to the Brook Besor, where those stayed who were left behind. | 9So David went, accompanied by his six hundred men. When he came to the Wadi Besor, those who were in the rear stayed there. |
| 10But David pursued, he and four hundred men; for two hundred stayed behind, who were so weary that they could not cross the Brook Besor. | 10David and four hundred men continued the pursuit, but two hundred men who were too exhausted to cross the Wadi Besor stayed there. |
| 11Then they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David; and they gave him bread and he ate, and they let him drink water. | 11Then they found an Egyptian in the 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. So when he had eaten, his strength came back to him; for he had eaten no bread nor drunk water for three days and three nights. | 12They gave him a slice of pressed figs and two bunches of raisins to eat. This greatly refreshed him, for he had not eaten food or drunk water for three days and three nights. |
| 13Then David said to him, “To whom do you belong, and where are you from?” And he said, “I am a young man from Egypt, servant of an Amalekite; and my master left me behind, because three days ago I fell sick. | 13David said to him, "To whom do you belong, and where are you from?" The young man said, "I am an Egyptian, the servant of an Amalekite man. My master abandoned me when I was ill for three days. |
| 14We made an invasion of the southern area of the Cherethites, in the territory which belongs to Judah, and of the southern area of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.” | 14We conducted a raid on the Negev of the Kerethites, on the area of Judah, and on the Negev of Caleb. We burned Ziklag." |
| 15And David said to him, “Can you take me down to this troop?” So he said, “Swear to me by God that you will neither kill me nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will take you down to this troop.” | 15David said to him, "Can you take us down to this raiding party?" He said, "Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will take you down to this raiding party." |
| 16And when he had brought him down, there they were, spread out over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil which they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. | 16So he took David down, and they found them spread out over the land. They were eating and drinking and enjoying themselves because of all the loot they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. |
| 17Then David attacked them from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled. | 17But David struck them down from twilight until the following evening. None of them escaped, with the exception of four hundred young men who got away on camels. |
| 18So David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, and David rescued his two wives. | 18David retrieved everything the Amalekites had taken; he also rescued his two wives. |
| 19And nothing of theirs was lacking, either small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything which they had taken from them; David recovered all. | 19There was nothing missing, whether small or great. He retrieved sons and daughters, the plunder, and everything else they had taken. David brought everything back. |
| 20Then David took all the flocks and herds they had driven before those other livestock, and said, “This is David’s spoil.” | 20David took all the flocks and herds and drove them in front of the rest of the animals. People were saying, "This is David's plunder!" |
| 21Now David came to the two hundred men who had been so weary that they could not follow David, whom they also had made to stay at the Brook Besor. So they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him. And when David came near the people, he greeted them. | 21Then David approached the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to go with him, those whom they had left at the Wadi Besor. They went out to meet David and the people who were with him. When David approached the people, he asked how they were doing. |
| 22Then all the wicked and worthless men of those who went with David answered and said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except for every man’s wife and children, that they may lead them away and depart.” | 22But all the evil and worthless men among those who had gone with David said, "Since they didn't go with us, we won't give them any of the loot we retrieved! They may take only their wives and children. Let them lead them away and be gone!" |
| 23But David said, “My brethren, you shall not do so with what the LORD has given us, who has preserved us and delivered into our hand the troop that came against us. | 23But David said, "No! You shouldn't do this, my brothers. Look at what the LORD has given us! He has protected us and has delivered into our hands the raiding party that came against us. |
| 24For who will heed you in this matter? But as his part is who goes down to the battle, so shall his part be who stays by the supplies; they shall share alike.” | 24Who will listen to you in this matter? The portion of the one who went down into the battle will be the same as the portion of the one who remained with the equipment! Let their portions be the same!" |
| 25So it was, from that day forward; he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day. | 25From that time onward it was a binding ordinance for Israel, right up to the present time. |
| 26Now when David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the spoil to the elders of Judah, to his friends, saying, “Here is a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of the LORD”— | 26When David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah who were his friends, saying, "Here's a gift for you from the looting of the LORD's enemies!" |
| 27to those who were in Bethel, those who were in Ramoth of the South, those who were in Jattir, | 27The gift was for those in the following locations: for those in Bethel, Ramoth Negev, and Jattir; |
| 28those who were in Aroer, those who were in Siphmoth, those who were in Eshtemoa, | 28for those in Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa, |
| 29those who were in Rachal, those who were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, those who were in the cities of the Kenites, | 29and Racal; for those in the cities of the Jerahmeelites and Kenites; |
| 30those who were in Hormah, those who were in Chorashan, those who were in Athach, | 30for those in Hormah, Bor Ashan, Athach, |
| 31those who were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were accustomed to rove. | 31and Hebron; and for those in whatever other places David and his men had traveled. |
|
