1 Aconteceu que, ao terceiro dia, quando Davi e os seus homens chegaram a Ziclague, os amalequitas já tinham invadido o Sul e a cidade de Ziclague. Tomaram Ziclague e a incendiaram. 2 Levaram cativas as mulheres que lá estavam, mas não mataram ninguém, nem pequenos nem grandes; tão somente os levaram consigo e foram embora. 3 Davi e os seus homens chegaram à cidade, e viram que tinha sido queimada, e que as suas mulheres, os seus filhos e as suas filhas haviam sido levados cativos. 4 Então Davi e o povo que estava com ele ergueram a voz e choraram, até não terem mais forças para chorar. 5 Também as duas mulheres de Davi tinham sido levadas: Ainoã, a jezreelita, e Abigail, a viúva de Nabal, o carmelita. 6 Davi ficou muito angustiado, pois o povo falava de apedrejá-lo, porque todos estavam amargurados, cada um por causa de seus filhos e suas filhas. Mas Davi se reanimou no Senhor, seu Deus.

7 Davi disse a Abiatar, o sacerdote, filho de Aimeleque:

— Traga aqui a estola sacerdotal.

E Abiatar a trouxe a Davi. 8 Então Davi consultou o Senhor, dizendo:

— Devo perseguir esse bando? Conseguirei alcançá-lo?

O Senhor respondeu:

— Persiga o bando, porque você certamente o alcançará e libertará os cativos.

9 Então Davi partiu, ele e os seiscentos homens que com ele estavam, e chegaram ao ribeiro de Besor, onde os retardatários ficaram. 10 Davi e quatrocentos homens continuaram a perseguição, mas duzentos ficaram atrás, por não poderem passar o ribeiro de Besor, de tão cansados que estavam.

11 Encontraram no campo um homem egípcio e o trouxeram a Davi. Deram-lhe pão, e ele comeu, e deram-lhe água para beber. 12 Deram-lhe também um pedaço de pasta de figos secos e dois cachos de passas, e ele comeu. Assim, recobrou as forças, pois havia três dias e três noites que não comia pão, nem bebia água. 13 Então Davi lhe perguntou:

— De quem você é e de onde você vem?

O moço egípcio respondeu:

— Sou servo de um amalequita, e meu senhor me deixou aqui, porque adoeci há três dias. 14 Nós invadimos o lado sul dos queretitas, o território de Judá e o lado sul de Calebe e pusemos fogo em Ziclague.

15 Então Davi lhe perguntou:

— Você poderia me levar até esse bando?

Ele respondeu:

— Jure por Deus que não vai me matar, nem me entregar nas mãos de meu senhor, e eu o levarei até esse bando.

16 E ele levou Davi até lá. Eis que os amalequitas estavam espalhados por toda a região, comendo, bebendo e fazendo festa por todo aquele grande despojo que tomaram da terra dos filisteus e da terra de Judá. 17 Davi os atacou e lutou contra eles, desde o crepúsculo até a tarde do dia seguinte, e nenhum deles escapou, a não ser quatrocentos moços que montaram em camelos e fugiram. 18 Assim, Davi salvou tudo o que os amalequitas tinham levado. Também salvou as suas duas mulheres. 19 Não lhes faltou coisa alguma, nem pequena nem grande, nem os filhos, nem as filhas, nem o despojo, nada do que lhes haviam tomado: Davi trouxe tudo de volta. 20 Davi também tomou todas as ovelhas e o gado. Então levaram esses animais diante de Davi e disseram:

— Este é o despojo de Davi.

21 Quando Davi se aproximou dos duzentos homens que, de tão cansados que estavam, não o puderam seguir e ficaram no ribeiro de Besor, estes saíram ao encontro de Davi e do povo que vinha com ele. Davi se aproximou deles e os saudou cordialmente. 22 Então todos os perversos e malignos, dentre os homens que tinham ido com Davi, disseram:

— Uma vez que não foram conosco, não lhes daremos nada do despojo que salvamos. Que cada um leve a sua mulher e os seus filhos e se vá embora.

23 Porém Davi disse:

— Meus irmãos, não façam isto com o que o Senhor nos deu. Ele nos guardou e entregou em nossas mãos o bando que vinha contra nós. 24 E quem lhes daria ouvidos nisso? Porque a mesma parte que cabe aos que foram à batalha será também a parte dos que ficaram com a bagagem; receberão partes iguais.

25 E assim, desde aquele dia em diante, isso foi estabelecido por estatuto e direito em Israel, até o dia de hoje.

26 Quando Davi chegou a Ziclague, enviou parte do despojo aos anciãos de Judá, seus amigos, dizendo:

— Este é um presente para vocês, tirado do despojo dos inimigos do Senhor.

27 Ele enviou esse presente aos anciãos de Betel, de Ramote do Neguebe, de Jatir, 28 de Aroer, de Sifmote, de Estemoa, 29 de Racal, das cidades dos jerameelitas e dos queneus, 30 de Horma, de Borasã, de Atace, 31 de Hebrom e de todos os lugares em que Davi tinha passado, ele e os seus homens.

1 And it came to pass, when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, that, the Amalekites, had made a raid into the South, and into Ziklag, and had smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire;

2 and had taken captive the women and all who were therein, from small even unto great, they had not put one to death,but had driven them forth, and gone their way.

3 So, when David and his men came to the city, lo! it was burnt with fire,and, their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, had been taken captive.

4 Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice, and wept,until they had no more strength to weep.

5 And, the two wives of David, had been taken captive,Ahinoam, the Jezreelitess, and Abigail, wife of Nabal the Carmelite.

6 And David was in sore distress, for the people had spoken of stoning him, because the souls of all the people were embittered, every man for his own sons and for his own daughters,but David emboldened himself in Yahweh his God.

7 Then said David to Abiathar the priest, son of Ahimelech, Do bring near me, I pray thee, the ephod. So Abiathar brought near the ephod, unto David.

8 And David enquired of Yahweh, saying, Shall I pursue this troop? shall I overtake it? And he said unto him: Pursue, for thou shalt, overtake, and thou shalt, rescue.

9 So David went, he, and the six hundred men, who were with him, and they came in as far as the ravine of Besor,where, they who had to be left behind, stayed.

10 But David pursued, he. and four hundred men,but the two hundred men stayed, because they were too wearied to cross over the ravine of Besor.

11 And they found an Egyptian in the field, and took him unto David,and gave him food, and he did eat, and they gave him water to drink;

12 and they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two cakes of raisins, and, when he had eaten, his spirit came back unto him,for he had neither eaten food, nor drunk water, three days and three nights.

13 Then David said to himWhose art thou? and whence art thou? And he said, A young man of Egypt, am I, servant to an Amalekite, and my lord left me behind, because I fell sick, three days ago.

14 As for us, we invaded the South of the Cherithites, and against that which pertaineth unto Judah, and against the South of Caleb,and, Ziklag, burned we with fire.

15 And David said unto him, Wilt thou bring me down unto this troop? And he saidSwear unto me by God, that thou wilt not put me to death, neither wilt thou surrender me into the hand of my lord, and I will bring thee down unto this troop.

16 So he brought him down, and lo! they were left to themselves over the face of all the land,eating, and drinking, and dancing around, for all the great spoil which they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah.

17 And David smote them, from the closing twilight even unto the evening of the next day,and there escaped not of them a man, save four hundred young men who rode upon camels, and fled.

18 And David rescued all whom the Amalekites had taken,his two wives also, did David rescue;

19 and there was nothing missing to themwhether small or great, whether spoil, or sons or daughters, or, any thing which they had taken unto themselves,the whole, did David recover.

20 And David took all the flocks and the herds,they drave them before those other cattle, and they said, This, is Davids spoil.

21 And David came unto the two hundred men, who had been too wearied to follow David, and whom they had suffered to remain at the ravine of Besor,and they came forth to meet David, and to meet the people who were with him, and when David came near unto the people, they enquired of his success.

22 Then responded every man who was bad and abandoned, from among the men who had been with David, and saidBecause they went not with me there shall not be given them of the spoil that we have rescued,save, to every man, his wife and his children, let them put them forth, then, and go.

23 Then said David, Ye shall not do so, my brethren,with that which Yahweh hath given to us, who hath preserved us, and delivered the troop that came against us into our hand.

24 Who indeed, could hearken unto you, in this mutter? Surely, like the share of him that went down into the battle, even, so, shall be the share of him that remained by the storesalike, shall they share.

25 And so it came to pass, from that day forward, that he appointed it, for a statute and for a custom unto Israel, until this day.

26 And, when David came to Ziklag, he sent of the spoil, unto the elders of Judah, unto his friends, saying,Lo! for you, a blessing, out of the spoil of the enemies of Yahweh:

27 to them who were in Bethel, and to them who were in Ramoth of the South, and to them who were in Jattir,

28 and to them who were in Aroer, and to them who were in Siphmoth, and to them who were in Eshtemoa,

29 and to them who were in Racal, and to them who were in the cities of the Jerameelites, and to them who were in the cities of the Kenites,

30 and to them who were in Hormah, and to them who were in Cor-ashan, and to them who were in Athach,

31 and to them who were in Hebron,and to all the places where David had been to and fro, he and his men.