1And when David and his men returned to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had invaded the south, and struck Ziklag, and burned it, 2bThey had not killed anyone in Ziklag, great or small, but had, but had carried the women off as captives, and they went on their way. 3So David and his men came to the city, and found it burned; and their wives, sons, and daughters taken captive. 4Then David and those who were with him wept, until they could weep no more. 5And David's two wives, Ahinoam, the Jezreelitess, and Abigail, the wife of Nabal, the Carmelite, were among the captives. 6And David was greatly distressed; because his men spoke of stoning him, because they were so grieved, each man for his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God. 7And David said to Abiathar, the priest, Ahimelech's son, “Please bring the ephod here.” And Abiathar brought the ephod to David. 8And David asked of the LORD, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?” And God answered, “Pursue; for you shall surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.”

9So David and his six hundred men went to the brook Besor, where he left two hundred men. 10And David and four hundred men pursued; while two hundred who were too faint to cross the brook Besor, stayed behind, 11And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him food and water, 12And a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins. And when he had eaten, his spirit was revived; for he had not eaten, nor drunk, for three days and nights. 13And David asked 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, because three days ago I fell sick. 14We made a raid upon the south of the Cherethites, and along the border that belongs to Judah, and south of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag.” 15And David asked him, “Can you lead us to this raiding party?” And he said, “Swear to me by God, that you will not kill me, nor hand me over to my master, and I will take you down to them.” 16And when he had led them down, the raiding party was scattered all over, eating, drinking, and dancing, because of all that they had taken from the land of the Philistines, and of Judah. 17And David attacked them from twilight until the evening of the next day; and none of them escaped, except for four hundred young men, who fled upon camels. 18And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried off; and he rescued his two wives. 19And there were no captives missing, small or great - neither sons, daughters, goods, nor anything that they had taken - David recovered all. 20And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they had driven before the other livestock, and said, “This is David's plunder.”

21And David returned to the two hundred men who had been too faint to follow, and were told to wait at the brook Besor. And they came forward to meet David, and the four hundred who went with him; and David greeted them. 22Then some among the four hundred who went with David said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not share any of the stuff that we recovered with them, except to each man his wife and children, that they may take them and leave.” 23Then David said, “You shall not do that with what the LORD has given us, Who has preserved us, and delivered the raiding party into our hand. 24For who will agree with you in this matter? But as his share that went down to the battle is, so shall his share be who waited by the baggage; they shall share alike.” 25And it was so from that day onward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel unto this day.

26And when David returned to Ziklag, he sent some of the spoil to the elders of Judah, to his friends, saying, “Behold, a present for you out of the spoil of the enemies of the LORD.” 27He sent to those who were in Bethel, in South Ramoth, in Jattir, 28And in Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa, 29And in Racal, the cities of the Jerah-meelites, and cities of the Kenites, 30And in Hormah, in Borashan, Athach, 31And in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were accustomed to roam.”