1 Samuel 30
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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,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.
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 had carried off the women and children and everyone else but without killing anyone.
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 saw the ruins and realized what had happened to their families,
4Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep.4they wept 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, Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal from Carmel, were among those captured.
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 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.
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 he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring me the ephod!” So Abiathar brought it.
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.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 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 and his 600 men set out, and they came to the brook Besor.
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.10But 200 of the men were too exhausted to cross the brook, so David continued the pursuit with 400 men.
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.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.
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 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.
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.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 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 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.”
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.”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.”
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 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.
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.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.
18So David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, and David rescued his two wives.18David got back everything the Amalekites had taken, and he 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.19Nothing was missing: small or great, son or daughter, nor anything else that had been 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.”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.
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 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.
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 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.”
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, 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.
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 when you talk like this? We share and share alike—those who go to battle and those who guard the equipment.”
25So it was, from that day forward; he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.25From then on David made this a decree and regulation for Israel, and it is still followed today.
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 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.
27to those who were in Bethel, those who were in Ramoth of the South, those who were in Jattir,27The gifts were sent to the people of the following towns David had visited: Bethel, Ramoth-negev, Jattir,
28those who were in Aroer, those who were in Siphmoth, those who were in Eshtemoa,28Aroer, 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,29Racal, the towns of the Jerahmeelites, the towns of the Kenites,
30those who were in Hormah, those who were in Chorashan, those who were in Athach,30Hormah, Bor-ashan, Athach,
31those who were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were accustomed to rove.31Hebron, and all the other places David and his men had visited.
The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.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.
1 Samuel 29
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