| English Standard Version | NET Bible |
| 1Now when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made a raid against the Negeb and against Ziklag. They had overcome Ziklag and burned it with fire | 1On the third day David and his men came to Ziklag. Now the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They attacked Ziklag and burned it. |
| 2and taken captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great. They killed no one, but carried them off and went their way. | 2They took captive the women who were in it, from the youngest to the oldest, but they did not kill anyone. They simply carried them off and went on their way. |
| 3And when David and his men came to the city, they found it burned with fire, and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. | 3When David and his men came to the city, they found it burned. Their wives, sons, and daughters had been taken captive. |
| 4Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until they had no more strength to weep. | 4Then David and the men who were with him wept loudly until they could weep no more. |
| 5David’s two wives also had been taken captive, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. | 5David's two wives had been taken captive--Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail the Carmelite, Nabal's widow. |
| 6And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God. | 6David was very upset, for the men were thinking of stoning him; each man grieved bitterly over his sons and daughters. But David drew strength from the LORD his God. |
| 7And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. | 7Then David said to the priest Abiathar son of Ahimelech, "Bring me the ephod." So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. |
| 8And David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I pursue after this band? Shall I overtake them?” He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue.” | 8David inquired of the LORD, saying, "Should I pursue this raiding band? Will I overtake them?" He said to him, "Pursue, for you will certainly overtake them and carry out a rescue!" |
| 9So David set out, and the six hundred men who were with him, and they came to the brook Besor, where those who were left behind stayed. | 9So David went, accompanied by his six hundred men. When he came to the Wadi Besor, those who were in the rear stayed there. |
| 10But David pursued, he and four hundred men. Two hundred stayed behind, who were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor. | 10David and four hundred men continued the pursuit, but two hundred men who were too exhausted to cross the Wadi Besor stayed there. |
| 11They found an Egyptian in the open country and brought him to David. And they gave him bread and he ate. They gave him water to drink, | 11Then they found an Egyptian in the field and brought him to David. They gave him bread to eat and water to drink. |
| 12and they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. And when he had eaten, his spirit revived, for he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights. | 12They gave him a slice of pressed figs and two bunches of raisins to eat. This greatly refreshed him, for he had not eaten food or drunk water for three days and three nights. |
| 13And David said to him, “To whom do you belong? And where are you from?” He said, “I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite, and my master left me behind because I fell sick three days ago. | 13David said to him, "To whom do you belong, and where are you from?" The young man said, "I am an Egyptian, the servant of an Amalekite man. My master abandoned me when I was ill for three days. |
| 14We had made a raid against the Negeb of the Cherethites and against that which belongs to Judah and against the Negeb of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag with fire.” | 14We conducted a raid on the Negev of the Kerethites, on the area of Judah, and on the Negev of Caleb. We burned Ziklag." |
| 15And David said to him, “Will you take me down to this band?” And he said, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will take you down to this band.” | 15David said to him, "Can you take us down to this raiding party?" He said, "Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will take you down to this raiding party." |
| 16And when he had taken him down, behold, they were spread abroad over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. | 16So he took David down, and they found them spread out over the land. They were eating and drinking and enjoying themselves because of all the loot they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. |
| 17And David struck them down from twilight until the evening of the next day, and not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men, who mounted camels and fled. | 17But David struck them down from twilight until the following evening. None of them escaped, with the exception of four hundred young men who got away on camels. |
| 18David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and David rescued his two wives. | 18David retrieved everything the Amalekites had taken; he also rescued his two wives. |
| 19Nothing was missing, whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that had been taken. David brought back all. | 19There was nothing missing, whether small or great. He retrieved sons and daughters, the plunder, and everything else they had taken. David brought everything back. |
| 20David also captured all the flocks and herds, and the people drove the livestock before him, and said, “This is David’s spoil.” | 20David took all the flocks and herds and drove them in front of the rest of the animals. People were saying, "This is David's plunder!" |
| 21Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow David, and who had been left at the brook Besor. And they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him. And when David came near to the people he greeted them. | 21Then David approached the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to go with him, those whom they had left at the Wadi Besor. They went out to meet David and the people who were with him. When David approached the people, he asked how they were doing. |
| 22Then all the wicked and worthless fellows among the men who had gone with David said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except that each man may lead away his wife and children, and depart.” | 22But all the evil and worthless men among those who had gone with David said, "Since they didn't go with us, we won't give them any of the loot we retrieved! They may take only their wives and children. Let them lead them away and be gone!" |
| 23But David said, “You shall not do so, my brothers, with what the LORD has given us. He has preserved us and given into our hand the band that came against us. | 23But David said, "No! You shouldn't do this, my brothers. Look at what the LORD has given us! He has protected us and has delivered into our hands the raiding party that came against us. |
| 24Who would listen to you in this matter? For as his share is who goes down into the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the baggage. They shall share alike.” | 24Who will listen to you in this matter? The portion of the one who went down into the battle will be the same as the portion of the one who remained with the equipment! Let their portions be the same!" |
| 25And he made it a statute and a rule for Israel from that day forward to this day. | 25From that time onward it was a binding ordinance for Israel, right up to the present time. |
| 26When David came to Ziklag, he sent part of the spoil to his friends, the elders of Judah, saying, “Here is a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of the LORD.” | 26When David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah who were his friends, saying, "Here's a gift for you from the looting of the LORD's enemies!" |
| 27It was for those in Bethel, in Ramoth of the Negeb, in Jattir, | 27The gift was for those in the following locations: for those in Bethel, Ramoth Negev, and Jattir; |
| 28in Aroer, in Siphmoth, in Eshtemoa, | 28for those in Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa, |
| 29in Racal, in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, in the cities of the Kenites, | 29and Racal; for those in the cities of the Jerahmeelites and Kenites; |
| 30in Hormah, in Bor-ashan, in Athach, | 30for those in Hormah, Bor Ashan, Athach, |
| 31in Hebron, for all the places where David and his men had roamed. | 31and Hebron; and for those in whatever other places David and his men had traveled. |
|
