Chapter 30

And it came to pass, when David and his men were come² to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded¹ the south, and Ziklag, and smitten⁵⁵ Ziklag, and burned⁴ it with fire;

And had taken the women captives,⁴ that [were] therein: they slew⁵² not any, either great or small, but carried [them] away,⁴ and went⁴ on their way.

So David and his men came⁴ to the city, and, behold, [it was] burned⁷ with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives.⁸

Then David and the people that [were] with him lifted up⁴ their voice and wept,⁴ until they had no more power to weep.²

And David's two wives were taken captives,⁸ Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.

And David was greatly distressed;⁴ for the people spake¹ of stoning² him, because the soul of all the people was grieved,¹ every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged¹⁰¹ himself in the LORD his God.

And David said⁴ to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, I pray thee, bring me hither⁵⁴ the ephod. And Abiathar brought⁵⁵ thither the ephod to David.

And David enquired⁴ at the LORD, saying,² Shall I pursue⁴ after this troop? shall I overtake⁵⁵ them? And he answered⁴ him, Pursue:³ for thou shalt surely⁵³ overtake⁵⁵ [them], and without fail⁵³ recover⁵⁵ [all].

So David went,⁴ he and the six hundred men that [were] with him, and came⁴ to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind¹² stayed.¹

But David pursued,⁴ he and four hundred men: for two hundred ³⁷⁶ abode behind,⁴ which were so faint¹⁴ that they could not go over² the brook Besor.

And they found⁴ an Egyptian ⁴⁷¹³ in the field, and brought⁴ him to David, and gave⁴ him bread, and he did eat;⁴ and they made him drink⁵⁵ water;

And they gave⁴ him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins: and when he had eaten,⁴ his spirit came again⁴ to him: for he had eaten¹ no bread, nor drunk¹ [any] water, three days and three nights.

And David said⁴ unto him, To whom [belongest] thou? and whence [art] thou? And he said,⁴ I [am] a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; ⁶⁰⁰³ and my master left⁴ me, because three days agone I fell sick.¹

We made an invasion¹ [upon] the south of the Cherethites, and upon [the coast] which [belongeth] to Judah, and upon the south of Caleb; and we burned¹ Ziklag with fire.

And David said⁴ to him, Canst thou bring me down⁵⁵ to this company? And he said,⁴ Swear¹⁰ unto me by God, that thou wilt neither kill⁵⁵ me, nor deliver⁵⁵ me into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee down⁵⁵ to this company.

And when he had brought him down,⁵⁵ behold, [they were] spread abroad⁷ upon all the earth, eating⁶ and drinking,⁶ and dancing,⁶ because of all the great spoil that they had taken¹ out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah.

And David smote⁵⁵ them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day: and there escaped⁸ not a man of them, save four hundred young men, which rode¹ upon camels, and fled.⁴

And David recovered⁵⁵ all that the Amalekites had carried away:¹ and David rescued⁵² his two wives.

And there was nothing lacking⁸ to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor any [thing] that they had taken¹ to them: David recovered⁵² all.

And David took⁴ all the flocks and the herds, [which] they drave¹ before those [other] cattle, and said,⁴ This [is] David's spoil.

And David came⁴ to the two hundred men, which were so faint¹⁴ that they could not follow^{2 310} David, whom they had made also to abide⁵⁵ at the brook Besor: and they went forth⁴ to meet² David, and to meet² the people that [were] with him: and when David came near⁴ to the people, he saluted^{4 7965} them.

Then answered⁴ all the wicked men and [men] of Belial, of those that went¹ with David, and said,⁴ Because they went¹ not with us, we will not give⁴ them [ought] of the spoil that we have recovered,⁵² save to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead [them] away,⁴ and depart.⁴

Then said⁴ David, Ye shall not do⁴ so, my brethren, with that which the LORD hath given¹ us, who hath preserved⁴ us, and delivered⁴ the company that came⁶ against us into our hand.

For who will hearken⁴ unto you in this matter? but as his part [is] that goeth down^{6 3381 90} to the battle, so [shall] his part [be] that tarrieth⁶ by the stuff: they shall part⁴ alike.

And it was [so] from that day forward, that he made⁴ it a statute and an ordinance for Israel unto this day.

And when David came⁴ to Ziklag, he sent¹⁷ of the spoil unto the elders of Judah, [even] to his friends, saying,² Behold a present for you of the spoil of the enemies⁶ of the LORD;

To [them] which [were] in Bethel, and to [them] which [were] in south Ramoth, and to [them] which [were] in Jattir,

And to [them] which [were] in Aroer, and to [them] which [were] in Siphmoth, and to [them] which [were] in Eshtemoa,

And to [them] which [were] in Rachal, and to [them] which [were] in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to [them] which [were] in the cities of the Kenites,

And to [them] which [were] in Hormah, and to [them] which [were] in Chorashan, and to [them] which [were] in Athach,

And to [them] which [were] in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were wont to haunt.⁹⁸