1 And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire; 2 And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way.
3 So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives. 4 Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep. 5 And David’s two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. 6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.
7 And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David. 8 And David enquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all. 9 So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind stayed. 10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men: for two hundred abode behind, which were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor.
11 And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they made him drink water; 12 And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins: and when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him: for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, three days and three nights. 13 And David said unto him, To whom belongest thou? and whence art thou? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days agone I fell sick. 14 We made an invasion upon the south of the Cherethites, and upon the coast which belongeth to Judah, and upon the south of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire. 15 And David said to him, Canst thou bring me down to this company? And he said, Swear unto me by God, that thou wilt neither kill me, nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee down to this company.
16 And when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread abroad upon all the earth, eating and drinking, and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah. 17 And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, which rode upon camels, and fled. 18 And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives. 19 And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor any thing that they had taken to them: David recovered all. 20 And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drave before those other cattle, and said, This is David’s spoil.
21 And David came to the two hundred men, which were so faint that they could not follow David, whom they had made also to abide at the brook Besor: and they went forth to meet David, and to meet the people that were with him: and when David came near to the people, he saluted them. 22 Then answered all the wicked men and men of Belial, of those that went with David, and said, Because they went not with us, we will not give them ought of the spoil that we have recovered, save to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead them away, and depart. 23 Then said David, Ye shall not do so, my brethren, with that which the LORD hath given us, who hath preserved us, and delivered the company that came against us into our hand. 24 For who will hearken unto you in this matter? but as his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff: they shall part alike. 25 And it was so from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel unto this day.
26 And when David came to Ziklag, he sent of the spoil unto the elders of Judah, even to his friends, saying, Behold a present for you of the spoil of the enemies of the LORD; 27 To them which were in Beth-el, and to them which were in south Ramoth, and to them which were in Jattir, 28 And to them which were in Aroer, and to them which were in Siphmoth, and to them which were in Eshtemoa, 29 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, 30 And to them which were in Hormah, and to them which were in Chor-ashan, and to them which were in Athach, 31 And to them which were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were wont to haunt.
1 Kai Dovydas ir jo vyrai trečią dieną sugrįžo į Ciklagą, amalekiečiai buvo įsiveržę iš pietų į Ciklagą, užėmę jį ir sudeginę.
2 Jie išvedė į nelaisvę moteris; nė vienos nenužudė nuo vyriausios iki jauniausios, bet išsivarė su savimi ir nuėjo savo keliu.
3 Dovydas ir jo vyrai, grįžę į miestą, rado jį sudegintą, o jų žmonas, sūnus ir dukteris išvestus nelaisvėn.
4 Tada Dovydas ir su juo buvusieji žmonės pakėlė balsus ir verkė, kol nebeliko jėgų verkti.
5 Abi Dovydo žmonos irgi buvo išvestos nelaisvėn: jezreelietė Ahinoama ir Abigailė, karmeliečio Nabalo našlė.
6 Dovydas buvo labai nuliūdęs, nes žmonės tarėsi jį užmušti akmenimis; visi žmonės sielvartavo dėl savo sūnų ir dukterų. Bet Dovydas sustiprino save Viešpatyje, savo Dieve.
7 Dovydas paprašė kunigą Abjatarą, Ahimelecho sūnų, atnešti efodą. Abjataras atnešė efodą Dovydui.
8 Dovydas klausė Viešpaties, sakydamas: "Ar man vytis tą gaują? Ar aš juos pavysiu?" Viešpats atsakė: "Vykis! Tikrai pavysi ir išvaduosi belaisvius".
9 Taip Dovydas ir šeši šimtai jo vyrų išėjo. Pasiekę Besoro upelį, pavargę kariai pasiliko prie jo.
10 Dovydas su keturiais šimtais vyrų toliau vijosi, o du šimtai pasiliko, kadangi buvo taip pavargę, jog neįstengė perbristi upelio.
11 Laukuose jie rado egiptietį, atvedė jį pas Dovydą ir davė jam duonos valgyti ir vandens atsigerti.
12 Ir jie davė jam džiovintų figų ir dvi kekes džiovintų vynuogių. Pavalgęs jis atsigavo, nes tris paras buvo nevalgęs ir negėręs.
13 Tuomet Dovydas klausė jį: "Kam tu priklausai ir iš kur esi?" Jis atsakė: "Aš esu egiptietis, vieno amalekiečio vergas. Mano šeimininkas paliko mane, nes prieš tris dienas susirgau.
14 Mes buvome įsiveržę į pietinį keretų kraštą ir į Judą, į pietines Kalebo žemes, ir mes sudeginome Ciklagą".
15 Dovydas jam tarė: "Ar tu gali mus nuvesti prie to būrio?" Tas atsakė: "Prisiek man Dievu, kad manęs nenužudysi ir negrąžinsi mano šeimininkui, tada nuvesiu tave pas juos".
16 Kai jis nuvedė juos, amalekiečiai buvo pasklidę po visą kraštą, valgė ir gėrė švęsdami, nes buvo paėmę didelį grobį, plėšdami filistinų ir Judo žemes.
17 Dovydas mušė juos nuo sutemų iki kitos dienos vakaro; nė vienas iš jų neištrūko, išskyrus keturis šimtus jaunuolių, kurie pabėgo, užsėdę ant kupranugarių.
18 Dovydas atsiėmė visa, ką amalekiečiai buvo pagrobę, ir išvadavo abi savo žmonas.
19 Nieko jie nepasigedo, mažo ar didelio: nei sūnų, nei dukterų, nei jokių daiktų, kuriuos amalekiečiai buvo paėmę; Dovydas viską atsiėmė.
20 Dovydas paėmė visas jų avis ir galvijus ir varė juos pirma savo galvijų, sakydamas: "Tai Dovydo grobis".
21 Dovydas atėjo iki tų dviejų šimtų vyrų, kurie buvo išvargę ir nebegalėjo sekti paskui Dovydą ir buvo palikti prie Besoro upelio. Jie išėjo pasitikti Dovydo ir jo vyrų, ir Dovydas priartėjęs juos pasveikino.
22 Tada kai kurie pikti vyrai, Belialo žmonės, iš tų, kurie ėjo su Dovydu, kalbėjo: "Jie nėjo su mumis, todėl mes jiems nieko neduosime iš atgauto grobio, tik kiekvienam žmoną ir vaikus, kad, juos pasiėmę, keliautų sau".
23 Dovydas tarė: "Mano broliai, negalima taip elgtis su tuo, ką Viešpats mums davė. Jis mus saugojo ir atidavė tą būrį, kuris mus užpuolė, į mūsų rankas.
24 Kas pritars jums šiuo klausimu? Ką gauna ėjęs į mūšį, tą gaus ir tas, kuris saugojo mantą; jie turi pasidalinti po lygiai".
25 Taip tas nuostatas buvo įvestas Izraelyje ir galioja iki šios dienos.
26 Dovydas, sugrįžęs į Ciklagą, pasiuntė dalį grobio Judo vyresniesiems, savo draugams, sakydamas: "Štai jums dovana iš Viešpaties priešų grobio".
27 Jis siuntė į Betelį, į pietinį Ramotą, į Jatyrą,
28 į Aroerą, į Sifmotą, į Eštemoją,
29 į Rachalą, į jerachmeelitų ir kenitų miestus,
30 į Hormą, į Bor Ašaną, į Atachą,
31 į Hebroną ir visas vietas, kur Dovydas buvo buvęs su savo vyrais.