1 Três dias mais tarde quando David, acompanhado dos seus homens, chegou a casa na cidade de Ziclague, constatou que os amalequitas tinham feito uma incursão na cidade e queimado tudo inteiramente, levando consigo mulheres e crianças. Ao olharem para aquilo, e ao darem-se conta do que acontecera às suas famílias, choraram todos dolorosamente.
5 As duas mulheres de David, Ainoã e Abigail, encontravam-se também entre as cativas.
6 David estava seriamente preocupado, porque os homens, na sua grande dor por causa dos filhos que os amalequitas lhes tinham levado, falavam até de o apedrejarem. No entanto David tomou forças no Senhor seu Deus.
7 Então disse ao sacerdote Abiatar: Traz-me aqui o éfode! E perguntou ao Senhor: Vou no encalço deles? Apanhá-los-emos? O Senhor respondeu-lhe: Vai, persegue-os; recuperarás tudo o que eles vos levaram!
9 David, mais os outros seiscentos homens, partiram atrás dos amalequitas. Quando alcançaram o ribeiro de Besor, duzentos deles estavam de tal maneira exaustos que nem conseguiram atravessá-lo; mas os outros quatrocentos prosseguiram na corrida. Pelo caminho, a certa altura encontraram um moço egípcio num campo e trouxeram-no a David. O rapaz não tinha comido nem bebido nada durante três dias e três noites; deram-lhe parte dum bolo de figos, duas mãos-cheias de uvas secas, água para beber, e depois disso recuperou as forças.
13 Quem és tu? Donde vens?, perguntou-lhe David.Sou egípcio, servo dum amalequita. O meu senhor abandonou-me há três dias porque eu estava muito doente. Vínhamos de uma incursão militar no Negueve e também no sul de Judá, e ainda na terra de Calebe; também destruímos Ziclague.
15 Podes dizer-me para onde foram eles? Se me jurares em nome de Deus que não me matas nem me entregas de novo ao meu amo, então guiar-te-ei até eles.
16 E assim levou-os ao acampamento dos amalequitas. Estavam todos espalhados numa grande área daquela terra, comendo, bebendo, dançando de alegria por causa do enorme despojo que tinham trazido da Filisteia e de Judá. David e os companheiros saltaram-lhes em cima e mataram neles durante a noite toda, mais o dia seguinte até ao anoitecer. Os únicos que conseguiram escapar foram quatrocentos rapazes que fugiram montados em camelos. David recuperou tudo o que eles tinham levado. Os homens retomaram as famílias e os haveres; David pôde libertar as suas duas mulheres. Toda a gente juntou o gado e os rebanhos, conduzindo-os diante de si e exclamavam: Este é o teu despojo, David!
21 Quando chegaram de novo ao ribeiro de Besor e se juntaram aos tais duzentos que não tinham podido continuar por se encontrarem esgotados, sem forças, David saudou-os pacificamente. Mas alguns dos que vinham com David, homens ruins, perversos, começaram a dizer: Esses não vieram connosco, não hão-de de ter parte no despojo. Que se lhes dê as mulheres e os filhos e que se vão embora.
23 Não, meus irmãos! O Senhor guardou-nos e ajudou-nos a derrotar o inimigo. Numa altura destas alguém poderia dar ouvidos a uma tal proposta? Vamos todos repartir o que obtivemos irmãmente - os que foram à batalha e os que guardaram as bagagens.
25 Foi então que David fez disso uma lei em todo o Israel, e que ainda hoje é válida.
26 Quando chegou a Ziclague enviou parte do saque aos anciãos de Judá: Isto é um presente para vocês, tirado aos inimigos do Senhor, escreveu-lhes. Estes presentes foram enviados aos anciãos das seguintes cidades onde David e os companheiros tinham estado: Betel, Sul de Ramote, Jatir, Aroer, Sifmote, Estemoa, Racal, as cidades dos jerameelitas, as cidades dos queneus, Horma, Borasã, Atace, Hebrom.
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.