1 Now when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made an attack on the South and on Ziklag, and had overcome Ziklag and put it on fire;2 And had made the women and all who were there, small and great, prisoners: they had not put any of them to death, but had taken them all away.3 And when David and his men came to the town, they saw that it had been burned down, and their wives and their sons and daughters had been made prisoners.4 Then David and the people who were with him gave themselves up to weeping till they were able to go on weeping no longer.5 And David's two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the wife of Nabal of Carmel, had been made prisoners.6 And David was greatly troubled; for the people were talking of stoning him, because their hearts were bitter, every man sorrowing for his sons and his daughters: but David made himself strong in the Lord his God.7 And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, Come here to me with the ephod. And Abiathar took the ephod to David.8 Then David, questioning the Lord, said, Am I to go after this band? will I be able to overtake them? And in answer he said, Go after them, for you will certainly overtake them, and get back everything.9 So David went, and his six hundred men went with him, and they came to the stream Besor.10 And David, with four hundred men, went on: but two hundred of them were overcome with weariness, and not able to go across the stream.11 And in the fields they saw an Egyptian whom they took to David, and they gave him bread, and he had a meal, and they gave him water for drink;12 And they gave him part of a cake of figs and some dry grapes; and after the food, his spirit came back to him, for he had had no food or drink for three days and nights.13 And David said to him, Whose man are you and where do you come from? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master went on without me because three days back I became ill.14 We made an attack on the south part of the country of the Cherethites, and on the land which is Judah's, and on the south of Caleb; and we put Ziklag on fire.15 And David said to him, Will you take me down to this band? And he said, If you give me your oath that you will not put me to death or give me up to my master, I will take you to them.16 And when he had taken him down, they saw them all, seated about on all sides, feasting and drinking among all the mass of goods which they had taken from the land of the Philistines and the land of Judah.17 And David went on fighting them from evening till the evening of the day after; and not one of them got away but only four hundred young men who went in flight on camels.18 And David got back everything the Amalekites had taken; and he got back his two wives.19 There was no loss of anything, small or great, sons or daughters or goods or anything which they had taken away: David got it all back.20 And they took all the flocks and herds, and driving them in front of him, said, These are David's.21 And David came to the two hundred men, who because of weariness had not gone with him, but were waiting at the stream Besor: and they went out, meeting David and the people who were with him; and when they came near them, they said, How are you?22 Then the bad and good-for-nothing men among those who went with David said, Because they did not go with us, we will give them nothing of the goods which we have got back, but only to every man his wife and children, so that he may take them and go.23 Then David said, You are not to do this, my brothers, after what the Lord has given us, who has kept us safe and given up the band which came against us into our hands.24 Who is going to give any attention to you in this question? for an equal part will be given to him who went to the fight and to him who was waiting by the goods: they are all to have the same.25 And so he made it a rule and an order for Israel from that day till now.26 And when David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the goods to the responsible men of Judah, and to his friends, saying, Here is an offering for you from the goods of those who were fighting against the Lord;27 He sent to those who were in Beth-el, and in Ramah of the South, and in Jattir;28 And to those in Arara and Eshtemoa29 and Carmel and in the towns of the Jerahmeelites, and in the towns of the Kenites;30 And to those who were in Hormah and in Bor-ashan and in Athach;31 And in Hebron, and to all the places where David and his men had been living.

1 Cumque venissent David et viri ejus in Siceleg die tertia, Amalecit impetum fecerant ex parte australi in Siceleg, et percusserant Siceleg, et succenderant eam igni. 2 Et captivas duxerant mulieres ex ea, a minimo usque ad magnum : et non interfecerant quemquam, sed secum duxerant, et pergebant itinere suo. 3 Cum ergo venissent David et viri ejus ad civitatem, et invenissent eam succensam igni, et uxores suas, et filios suos et filias, ductas esse captivas, 4 levaverunt David et populus qui erat cum eo voces suas, et planxerunt donec deficerent in eis lacrim. 5 Siquidem et du uxores David captiv duct fuerant, Achinoam Jezrahelites, et Abigail uxor Nabal Carmeli. 6 Et contristatus est David valde : volebat enim eum populus lapidare, quia amara erat anima uniuscujusque viri super filiis suis et filiabus : confortatus est autem David in Domino Deo suo.7 Et ait ad Abiathar sacerdotem filium Achimelech : Applica ad me ephod. Et applicavit Abiathar ephod ad David. 8 Et consuluit David Dominum, dicens : Persequar latrunculos hos, et comprehendam eos, an non ? Dixitque ei Dominus : Persequere : absque dubio enim comprehendes eos, et excuties prdam. 9 Abiit ergo David, ipse et sexcenti viri qui erant cum eo, et venerunt usque ad torrentem Besor : et lassi quidam substiterunt. 10 Persecutus est autem David ipse, et quadringenti viri : substiterant enim ducenti, qui lassi transire non poterant torrentem Besor. 11 Et invenerunt virum gyptium in agro, et adduxerunt eum ad David : dederuntque ei panem ut comederet, et biberet aquam, 12 sed et fragmen mass caricarum, et duas ligaturas uv pass. Qu cum comedisset, reversus est spiritus ejus, et refocillatus est : non enim comederat panem, neque biberat aquam, tribus diebus et tribus noctibus. 13 Dixit itaque ei David : Cujus es tu ? vel unde ? et quo pergis ? Qui ait : Puer gyptius ego sum, servus viri Amalecit : dereliquit autem me dominus meus, quia grotare cpi nudiustertius. 14 Siquidem nos erupimus ad australem plagam Cerethi, et contra Judam, et ad meridiem Caleb, et Siceleg succendimus igni. 15 Dixitque ei David : Potes me ducere ad cuneum istum ? Qui ait : Jura mihi per Deum quod non occidas me, et non tradas me in manus domini mei, et ego ducam te ad cuneum istum. Et juravit ei David. 16 Qui cum duxisset eum, ecce illi discumbebant super faciem univers terr comedentes et bibentes, et quasi festum celebrantes diem, pro cuncta prda et spoliis qu ceperant de terra Philisthiim et de terra Juda. 17 Et percussit eos David a vespere usque ad vesperam alterius diei, et non evasit ex eis quisquam, nisi quadringenti viri adolescentes, qui ascenderant camelos et fugerant. 18 Eruit ergo David omnia qu tulerant Amalecit, et duas uxores suas eruit. 19 Nec defuit quidquam a parvo usque ad magnum, tam de filiis quam de filiabus, et de spoliis, et qucumque rapuerant : omnia reduxit David. 20 Et tulit universos greges et armenta, et minavit ante faciem suam : dixeruntque : Hc est prda David.21 Venit autem David ad ducentos viros qui lassi subsisterant, nec sequi potuerant David, et residere eos jusserat in torrente Besor : qui egressi sunt obviam David et populo qui erat cum eo. Accedens autem David ad populum, salutavit eos pacifice. 22 Respondensque omnis vir pessimus et iniquus de viris qui ierant cum David, dixit : Quia non venerunt nobiscum, non dabimus eis quidquam de prda quam eruimus : sed sufficiat unicuique uxor sua et filii : quos cum acceperint, recedant. 23 Dixit autem David : Non sic facietis, fratres mei, de his qu tradidit nobis Dominus, et custodivit nos, et dedit latrunculos qui eruperant adversum nos, in manus nostras : 24 nec audiet vos quisquam super sermone hoc : qua enim pars erit descendentis ad prlium, et remanentis ad sarcinas, et similiter divident. 25 Et factum est hoc ex die illa et deinceps, constitutum et prfinitum, et quasi lex in Isral usque in diem hanc. 26 Venit ergo David in Siceleg, et misit dona de prda senioribus Juda proximis suis, dicens : Accipite benedictionem de prda hostium Domini : 27 his qui erant in Bethel, et qui in Ramoth ad meridiem, et qui in Jether, 28 et qui in Aror, et qui in Sephamoth, et qui in Esthamo, 29 et qui in Rachal, et qui in urbibus Jerameel, et qui in urbibus Ceni, 30 et qui in Arama, et qui in lacu Asan, et qui in Athach, 31 et qui in Hebron, et reliquis qui erant in his locis in quibus commoratus fuerat David, ipse et viri ejus.