[1] Now when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the
Amal'ekites had made a raid upon the Negeb and upon Ziklag. They had
overcome Ziklag, and burned it with fire, [2] and taken captive the women
and all who were in it, both small and great; they killed no one, but
carried them off, and went their way. [3] And when David and his men came
to the city, they found it burned with fire, and their wives and sons and
daughters taken captive. [4] Then David and the people who were with him
raised their voices and wept, until they had no more strength to weep. [5]
David's two wives also had been taken captive, Ahin'o-am of Jezreel, and
Ab'igail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. [6] And David was greatly
distressed; for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people
were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David
strengthened himself in the LORD his God. [7] And David said to Abi'athar
the priest, the son of Ahim'elech, "Bring me the ephod." So Abi'athar
brought the ephod to David. [8] And David inquired of the LORD, "Shall I
pursue after this band? Shall I overtake them?" He answered him, "Pursue;
for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue." [9] So David set
out, and the six hundred men who were with him, and they came to the brook
Besor, where those stayed who were left behind. [10] But David went on with
the pursuit, he and four hundred men; two hundred stayed behind, who were
too exhausted to cross the brook Besor. [11] They found an Egyptian in the
open country, and brought him to David; and they gave him bread and he ate,
they gave him water to drink, [12] and they gave him a piece of a cake of
figs and two clusters of raisins. And when he had eaten, his spirit
revived; for he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three
nights. [13] And David said to him, "To whom do you belong? And where are
you from?" He said, "I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amal'ekite;
and my master left me behind because I fell sick three days ago. [14] We
had made a raid upon the Negeb of the Cher'ethites and upon that which
belongs to Judah and upon the Negeb of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with
fire." [15] And David said to him, "Will you take me down to this band?"
And he said, "Swear to me by God, that you will not kill me, or deliver me
into the hands of my master, and I will take you down to this band." [16]
And when he had taken him down, behold, they were spread abroad over all
the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil
they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah.
[17] And David smote them from twilight until the evening of the next day;
and not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men, who mounted
camels and fled. [18] David recovered all that the Amal'ekites had taken;
and David rescued his two wives. [19] Nothing was missing, whether small or
great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that had been taken; David
brought back all. [20] David also captured all the flocks and herds; and
the people drove those cattle before him, and said, "This is David's
spoil." [21] Then David came to the two hundred men, who had been too
exhausted to follow David, and who had been left at the brook Besor; and
they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him; and
when David drew near to the people he saluted them. [22] Then all the
wicked and base fellows among the men who had gone with David said,
"Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil
which we have recovered, except that each man may lead away his wife and
children, and depart." [23] But David said, "You shall not do so, my
brothers, with what the LORD has given us; he has preserved us and given
into our hand the band that came against us. [24] Who would listen to you
in this matter? For as his share is who goes down into the battle, so shall
his share be who stays by the baggage; they shall share alike." [25] And
from that day forward he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to
this day. [26] When David came to Ziklag, he sent part of the spoil to his
friends, the elders of Judah, saying, "Here is a present for you from the
spoil of the enemies of the LORD"; [27] it was for those in Bethel, in
Ramoth of the Negeb, in Jattir, [28] in Aro'er, in Siphmoth, in Eshtemo'a,
[29] in Racal, in the cities of the Jerah'meelites, in the cities of the
Ken'ites, [30] in Hormah, in Borash'an, in A'thach, [31] in Hebron, for all
the places where David and his men had roamed.
