1 When David and his men had come to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made a raid on the South and on Ziklag, and had struck Ziklag and burned it with fire, 2 and had taken captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great. They didn’t kill any, but carried them off and went their way. 3 When David and his men came to the city, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, their sons, and their daughters were taken captive. 4 Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voice and wept until they had no more power to weep. 5 David’s two wives were taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. 6 David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the souls of all the people were grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters; but David strengthened himself in Yahweh his God. 7 David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, "Please bring the ephod here to me."

Abiathar brought the ephod to David. 8 David inquired of Yahweh, saying, "If I pursue after this troop, will I overtake them?"

He answered him, "Pursue, for you will surely overtake them, and will without fail recover all."

9 So David went, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those who were left behind stayed. 10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men; for two hundred stayed behind, who were so faint that they couldn’t go over the brook Besor. 11 They found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he ate; and they gave him water to drink. 12 They gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. When he had eaten, his spirit came again to him; for he had eaten no bread, and drank no water for three days and three nights. 13 David asked him, "To whom do you belong? Where are you from?"

He said, "I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days ago I got sick. 14 We made a raid on the South of the Cherethites, and on that which belongs to Judah, and on the South of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire."

15 David said to him, "Will you bring me down to this troop?"

He said, "Swear to me by God that you will not kill me and not deliver me up into the hands of my master, and I will bring you down to this troop."

16 When he had brought him down, behold, they were spread around over all the ground, eating, drinking, and dancing, because of all the great plunder that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah. 17 David struck them from the twilight even to the evening of the next day. Not a man of them escaped from there, except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled. 18 David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and David rescued his two wives. 19 There was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither plunder, nor anything that they had taken. David brought them all back. 20 David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drove before those other livestock, and said, "This is David’s plunder."

21 David came to the two hundred men, who were so faint that they could not follow David, whom also they had made to stay at the brook Besor; and they went out to meet David, and to meet the people who were with him. When David came near to the people, he greeted them. 22 Then all the wicked men and worthless fellows of those who went with David answered and said, "Because they didn’t go with us, we will not give them anything of the plunder that we have recovered, except to every man his wife and his children, that he may lead them away and depart."

23 Then David said, "Do not do so, my brothers, with that which Yahweh has given to us, who has preserved us, and delivered the troop that came against us into our hand. 24 Who will listen to you in this matter? For as his share is who goes down to the battle, so shall his share be who stays with the baggage. They shall share alike." 25 It was so from that day forward that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.

26 When David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah, even to his friends, saying, "Behold, a present for you from the plunder of Yahweh’s enemies." 27 He sent it to those who were in Bethel, to those who were in Ramoth of the South, to those who were in Jattir, 28 to those who were in Aroer, to those who were in Siphmoth, to those who were in Eshtemoa, 29 to those who were in Racal, to those who were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, to those who were in the cities of the Kenites, 30 to those who were in Hormah, to those who were in Borashan, to those who were in Athach, 31 to those who were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men used to stay.

1 And it came to pass when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day that the Amalekites had invaded the Negev and Ziklag and had smitten Ziklag and burned it with fire.

2 And [they] had taken the women captives that [were] therein, from the youngest to the oldest; they did not kill any 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, who [had been] the wife of Nabal of Carmel.

6 And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him because the soul of all the people was bitter, each one 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 the ephod here to me. And Abiathar brought 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 they came to the brook Besor, where some stayed behind.

10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men, for two hundred stayed behind, who 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 to eat and water to drink,

12 and they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two bunches 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 [dost] thou [belong] and where [art] thou from? And the young Egyptian said, I am the servant to an Amalekite, and my master left me three days ago because I was sick.

14 We made an invasion [upon] towards the Negev from the Chereth and upon Judah and towards the Negev from Caleb, and we burned Ziklag with fire.

15 And David said to him, Wilt 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 so he brought him down, and behold, [they were] spread abroad upon all the earth, eating and drinking, and holding a feast 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 [morning] twilight even unto the evening of the next day, and none of them escaped except four hundred young men who rode upon camels and fled.

18 And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, and David delivered his two wives.

19 And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great neither sons nor daughters, of the robbery and of all the things that had been taken from them; David recovered it all.

20 And David took all the sheep and the cows, and bringing them with all the [other] livestock, they said, This [is] David's spoil.

21 And David came to the two hundred men who were so faint that they could not follow David, whom they had made also to remain 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 with peace.

22 Then all the wicked men and [men] of Belial, of those that went with David, answered and said, Because they did not go with us, we will not give them of the spoil that we have recovered, except to each man his wife and his children, that they may lead [them] away, and depart.

23 Then David said, Ye shall not do so, my brethren, with that which the LORD has given us, who has kept us, and delivered the company that came against us into our hand.

24 For who will hearken unto you in this matter? For as his part [is] that goes down to the battle, so [shall] his part [be] that remains 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, his friends, saying, Behold a blessing for you of the spoil of the enemies of the LORD:

27 to [those] who [were] in Bethel and to [those] who [were] in Ramoth towards the Negev and to [those] who [were] in Jattir

28 and to [those] who [were] in Aroer and to [those] who [were] in Siphmoth and to [those] who [were] in Eshtemoa

29 and to [those] who [were] in Rachal and to [those] who [were] in the cities of the Jerahmeelites and to [those] who [were] in the cities of the Kenites

30 and to [those] who [were] in Hormah and to [those] who [were] in Chorashan and to [those] who [were] in Athach

31 and to [those] who [were] in Hebron and in all the places where David had been with his men.: