1 Dois dias depois, Davi e os seus homens chegaram a Ziclague, a sua cidade. Enquanto ele havia estado fora, os amalequitas tinham invadido o Sul da terra de Judá e atacado Ziclague. Eles queimaram a cidade 2 e prenderam todas as mulheres. Não mataram ninguém, mas foram embora e levaram todos como prisioneiros. 3 Quando Davi e os seus homens chegaram, viram que a cidade tinha sido queimada e que as suas mulheres, os seus filhos e as suas filhas haviam sido levados embora. 4 Então Davi e os seus homens começaram a chorar e choraram até ficarem sem forças. 5 As duas mulheres de Davi, Ainoã, de Jezreel, e Abigail, viúva de Nabal, da cidade de Carmelo, também haviam sido levadas.

6 Davi ficou então numa situação muito difícil, pois os seus homens estavam tão amargurados por ficarem sem os seus filhos, que falavam até em matá-lo a pedradas. Mas o Senhor, seu Deus, lhe deu coragem. 7 E ele disse ao sacerdote Abiatar, filho de Aimeleque:

— Traga aqui o manto sacerdotal para que possamos consultar a Deus.

E Abiatar trouxe. 8 Então Davi perguntou a Deus, o Senhor:

— Devo ir atrás desses invasores? Conseguirei pegá-los?

Deus respondeu:

— Vá atrás deles. Você os pegará e libertará os prisioneiros.

9 Então Davi e os seus seiscentos homens saíram, e, quando chegaram ao ribeirão de Besor, alguns deles ficaram ali. 10 Davi continuou o seu caminho com quatrocentos homens. Os outros duzentos estavam cansados demais para atravessar o ribeirão e por isso ficaram para trás.

11 Os homens de Davi acharam no campo um rapaz egípcio e o levaram a Davi. Deram ao rapaz comida, água, 12 figos secos e dois cachos de passas. Ele havia ficado três dias e três noites sem comer, nem beber. Mas, depois de comer, as suas forças voltaram. 13 Então Davi perguntou:

— Quem é o seu dono? De onde você é?

— Eu sou egípcio e sou escravo de um amalequita! — respondeu ele. — O meu dono me deixou aqui há três dias porque fiquei doente. 14 Nós invadimos a terra dos queretitas, a região Sul de Judá e o território do grupo de famílias de Calebe e queimamos a cidade de Ziclague.

15 Então Davi lhe perguntou:

— Você pode me levar até onde os amalequitas estão?

— Sim, — respondeu ele — se o senhor prometer em nome de Deus que não me matará, nem me entregará ao meu dono.

16 Então ele levou Davi. Os amalequitas estavam espalhados por toda a região, comendo, bebendo e festejando por causa da grande quantidade de coisas que haviam tomado na terra dos filisteus e na terra de Judá. 17 No dia seguinte ao amanhecer, Davi os atacou e lutou até o anoitecer. E nenhum deles escapou, a não ser quatrocentos rapazes que montaram camelos e fugiram. 18 Davi salvou todos os que tinham sido levados como prisioneiros, incluindo as suas duas mulheres, e trouxe de volta tudo o que os amalequitas haviam tomado. 19 Não ficou faltando nada: Davi levou de volta todos os filhos e todas as filhas dos seus homens e todas as coisas, grandes e pequenas, que os amalequitas haviam tomado. 20 Levou também todas as ovelhas e todo o gado. Então os homens de Davi levaram a ele os seus animais e disseram:

— Estes animais são seus.

21 Aí Davi voltou para o lugar onde estavam os duzentos homens que não tinham ido com ele e haviam ficado atrás, no ribeirão de Besor, por estarem muito cansados. Eles saíram ao encontro de Davi e dos seus homens. Davi chegou perto deles e os cumprimentou. 22 Mas alguns homens ordinários e de mau caráter que tinham ido com Davi disseram:

— Eles não foram conosco; por isso, não lhes daremos nada do que trouxemos. Eles podem pegar as suas mulheres e os seus filhos e ir embora.

23 Mas Davi respondeu:

— Meus irmãos, vocês não podem fazer isso com o que o Senhor Deus nos deu! Ele nos salvou e nos deu a vitória sobre os inimigos. 24 Ninguém pode concordar com o que vocês estão dizendo! Tudo deve ser repartido em partes iguais: quem ficou atrás com a bagagem deve receber o mesmo que aquele que lutou na batalha.

25 Davi fez desta ordem uma lei. E até hoje ela é seguida em Israel.

26 Quando Davi voltou para Ziclague, pegou parte do que havia tomado dos inimigos e mandou para os seus amigos, os líderes de Judá, com esta mensagem:

— Este é um presente para vocês, tirado das coisas que nós tomamos dos inimigos de Deus, o Senhor.

27 Davi mandou presentes aos líderes das seguintes cidades: Betel, Ramá, que fica ao sul de Judá, Jatir, 28 Aroer, Sifmote, Estemoa, 29-31 Racal, Horma, Borasã, Atace, Hebrom; e também às cidades das tribos dos jerameelitas e dos queneus — todos os lugares onde Davi e os seus homens haviam estado.

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.