1 Samuel 30

David’s Defeat of the Amalekites

1 David and his men  * 30:1–18 Gn 14:1–16 arrived in Ziklag  * 30:1 1Sm 27:6,8 on the third day. The Amalekites  * 30:1 1Sm 15:7; 27:8–10 had raided the Negev and attacked and burned Ziklag. 2 They also had kidnapped the women and everyone  * 30:2 LXX; MT omits and everyone in it from youngest to oldest. They had killed no one but had carried them off  * 30:2 1Sm 27:11 as they went on their way.

3 When David and his men arrived at the town, they found it burned. Their wives, sons, and daughters had been kidnapped. 4 David and the troops with him wept loudly until they had no strength left to weep. 5 David’s two wives,  * 30:5 1Sm 25:42–43 Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, had also been kidnapped. 6 David was in an extremely difficult position because the troops talked about stoning him,  * 30:6 Ex 17:4 for they were all very bitter over the loss of their sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God.  * 30:6 1Sm 23:16; Ps 18:2; 27:14

7 David said to the priest Abiathar son of Ahimelech, "Bring me the ephod."  * 30:7 1Sm 23:6–9 So Abiathar brought it to him, 8 and David asked the Lord,  * 30:8 1Sm 23:2,4 "Should I pursue these raiders? Will I overtake them? "  * 30:8 Ex 15:9

The Lord replied to him, "Pursue them, for you will certainly overtake them and rescue the people."  * 30:8 1Sm 30:18

9 So David and the six hundred men with him  * 30:9 1Sm 27:2 went. They came to the Wadi Besor, where some stayed behind.  * 30:9 1Sm 30:2110 David and four hundred of the men continued the pursuit, while two hundred stopped because they were too exhausted to cross the Wadi Besor.

11 David’s men found an Egyptian in the open country and brought him to David. They gave him some bread to eat and water to drink. 12 Then they gave him some pressed figs and two clusters of raisins. After he ate he revived,  * 30:12 Jdg 15:19 for he hadn’t eaten food or drunk water for three days and three nights.

13 Then David said to him, "Who do you belong to? Where are you from? "

"I’m an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite man," he said. "My master abandoned me when I got sick three days ago. 14 We raided the south country of the Cherethites,  * 30:14 1Sm 30:16; 2Sm 8:18; Ezk 25:16 the territory of Judah, and the south country of Caleb,  * 30:14 Jos 14:13; 21:11–12 and we burned Ziklag."  * 30:14 1Sm 30:1

15 David then asked him, "Will you lead me to these raiders? "

He said, "Swear to me by God that you won’t kill me or turn me over to my master, and I will lead you to them."

16 So he led him, and there were the Amalekites, spread out over the entire area, eating, drinking, and celebrating because of the great amount of plunder  * 30:16 1Sm 30:14 they had taken from the land of the Philistines and the land of Judah. 17 David slaughtered them from twilight until the evening of the next day.  * 30:17 1Sm 11:11 None of them escaped, except four hundred young men who got on camels and fled.  * 30:17 Jdg 7:12; 1Sm 15:3

18 David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken; he also rescued his two wives. 19 Nothing of theirs was missing from the youngest to the oldest, including the sons and daughters, and all the plunder the Amalekites had taken. David got everything back.  * 30:19 1Sm 30:820 He took all the flocks and herds, which were driven ahead of the other livestock, and the people shouted, "This is David’s plunder! "  * 30:20 1Sm 30:26–31

21 When David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to go with him and had been left at the Wadi Besor,  * 30:21 1Sm 30:9–10 they came out to meet him and to meet the troops with him. When David approached the men, he greeted them, 22 but all the corrupt and worthless men among those who had gone with David argued, "Because they didn’t go with us, we will not give any of the plunder we recovered to them except for each man’s wife and children. They may take them and go."

23 But David said, "My brothers, you must not do this with what the Lord has given us. He protected us and handed over to us the raiders who came against us. 24 Who can agree to your proposal? The share of the one who goes into battle is to be the same as the share of the one who remains with the supplies. They will share equally."  * 30:24 Nm 31:25–27; Jos 22:825 And it has been so from that day forward. David established this policy  * 30:25 this policy supplied for clarity as a law and an ordinance for Israel and it still continues today.

26 When David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to his friends, the elders of Judah, saying, "Here is a gift for you  * 30:26 1Sm 25:27 from the plunder of the Lord’s enemies."  * 30:26 1Sm 18:17; 25:2827 He sent gifts  * 30:27 He sent gifts supplied for clarity to those in Bethel,  * 30:27 Jos 15:30; 19:4 in Ramoth of the Negev,  * 30:27 Jos 19:8 and in Jattir;  * 30:27 Jos 15:48; 21:1428 to those in Aroer,  * 30:28 1Ch 11:44 in Siphmoth,  * 30:28 1Ch 27:27 and in Eshtemoa;  * 30:28 Jos 15:5029 to those in Racal, in the towns of the Jerahmeelites,  * 30:29 1Sm 27:10 and in the towns of the Kenites;  * 30:29 1Sm 15:630 to those in Hormah,  * 30:30 Jos 12:14; 15:30; 19:4 in Bor-ashan,  * 30:30 Jos 15:42; 19:7 and in Athach; 31 to those in Hebron,  * 30:31 Nm 13:22; Jos 14:13–15; 21:11–13 and to those in all the places where David and his men had roamed.  * 30:31 1Sm 23:22