New American Standard Bible 1995

Holman Christian Standard Bible

1Then it happened when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had made a raid on the Negev and on Ziklag, and had overthrown Ziklag and burned it with fire;

1David and his men arrived in Ziklag on the third day. The Amalekites had raided the Negev and attacked and burned down Ziklag.

2and they took captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great, without killing anyone, and carried them off and went their way.

2They also had kidnapped the women and everyone in it from the youngest to the oldest. They had killed no one but had carried them off as they went on their way.

3When David and his men came to the city, behold, it was burned with fire, and their wives and their sons and their daughters had been taken captive.

3When David and his men arrived at the town, they found it burned down. Their wives, sons, and daughters had been kidnapped.

4Then David and the people who were with him lifted their voices and wept until there was no strength in them to weep.

4David and the troops with him wept loudly until they had no strength left to weep.

5Now David's two wives had been taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite.

5David's two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, had also been kidnapped.

6Moreover David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, for all the people were embittered, each one because of his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.

6David was in a difficult position because the troops talked about stoning him, for they were all very bitter over the loss of their sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God.

7Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, "Please bring me the ephod." So Abiathar brought the ephod to David.

7David said to Abiathar the priest, son of Ahimelech, "Bring me the ephod." So Abiathar brought it to him,

8David inquired of the LORD, saying, "Shall I pursue this band? Shall I overtake them?" And He said to him, "Pursue, for you will surely overtake them, and you will surely rescue all."

8and David asked the LORD: "Should I pursue these raiders? Will I overtake them?" The LORD replied to him, "Pursue them, for you will certainly overtake them and rescue the people."

9So David went, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those left behind remained.

9David and the 600 men with him went as far as the Wadi Besor, where 200 men who were to remain behind would stop.

10But David pursued, he and four hundred men, for two hundred who were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor remained behind.

10They stopped because they were too exhausted to cross the Wadi Besor. David and 400 of the men continued in pursuit.

11Now they found an Egyptian in the field and brought him to David, and gave him bread and he ate, and they provided him water to drink.

11They found an Egyptian in the open country and brought him to David. They gave him some bread to eat and water to drink.

12They gave him a piece of fig cake and two clusters of raisins, and he ate; then his spirit revived. For he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights.

12Then they gave him some pressed figs and two clusters of raisins. After he ate he revived, for he hadn't eaten food or drunk water for three days and three nights.

13David said to him, "To whom do you belong? And where are you from?" And he said, "I am a young man of Egypt, a servant of an Amalekite; and my master left me behind when I fell sick three days ago.

13Then David said to him, "Who do you belong to? Where are you from?" "I'm an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite man," he said. "My master abandoned me when I got sick three days ago.

14"We made a raid on the Negev of the Cherethites, and on that which belongs to Judah, and on the Negev of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag with fire."

14We raided the south country of the Cherethites, the territory of Judah, and the south country of Caleb, and we burned down Ziklag."

15Then David said to him, "Will you bring 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 bring you down to this band."

15David then asked him, "Will you lead me to these raiders?" He said, "Swear to me by God that you won't kill me or turn me over to my master, and I will lead you to them."

16When he had brought him down, behold, they were spread over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing because of all the great spoil that they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah.

16So he led him, and there were the Amalekites, spread out over the entire area, eating, drinking, and celebrating because of the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and the land of Judah.

17David slaughtered them from the twilight until the evening of the next day; and not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled.

17David slaughtered them from twilight until the evening of the next day. None of them escaped, except 400 young men who got on camels and fled.

18So David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and rescued his two wives.

18David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken; he also rescued his two wives.

19But nothing of theirs was missing, whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that they had taken for themselves; David brought it all back.

19Nothing of theirs was missing from the youngest to the oldest, including the sons and daughters, of all the plunder the Amalekites had taken. David got everything back.

20So David had captured all the sheep and the cattle which the people drove ahead of the other livestock, and they said, "This is David's spoil."

20He took all the sheep and cattle, which were driven ahead of the other livestock, and the people shouted, "This is David's plunder!"

21When David came to the two hundred men who were too exhausted to follow David, who had also been left at the brook Besor, and they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him, then David approached the people and greeted them.

21When David came to the 200 men who had been too exhausted to go with him and had been left at the Wadi Besor, they came out to meet him and to meet the troops with him. When David approached the men, he greeted them,

22Then all the wicked and worthless men among those who went with David said, "Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead them away and depart."

22but all the corrupt and worthless men among those who had gone with David argued, "Because they didn't go with us, we will not give any of the plunder we recovered to them except for each man's wife and children. They may take them and go."

23Then David said, "You must not do so, my brothers, with what the LORD has given us, who has kept us and delivered into our hand the band that came against us.

23But David said, "My brothers, you must not do this with what the LORD has given us. He protected us and handed over to us the raiders who came against us.

24"And 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 by the baggage; they shall share alike."

24Who can agree to your proposal? The share of the one who goes into battle is to be the same as the share of the one who remains with the supplies. They will share equally."

25So it has been from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.

25And it has been so from that day forward. David established this policy as a law and an ordinance for Israel and it continues to this very day.

26Now when David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the spoil to the elders of Judah, to his friends, saying, "Behold, a gift for you from the spoil of the enemies of the LORD:

26When David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to his friends, the elders of Judah, saying, "Here is a gift for you from the plunder of the LORD's enemies."

27to those who were in Bethel, and to those who were in Ramoth of the Negev, and to those who were in Jattir,

27 He sent gifts to those in Bethel, in Ramoth of the Negev, and in Jattir;

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

28to those in Aroer, in Siphmoth, and in Eshtemoa;

29and to those who were in Racal, and to those who were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to those who were in the cities of the Kenites,

29to those in Racal, in the towns of the Jerahmeelites, and in the towns of the Kenites;

30and to those who were in Hormah, and to those who were in Bor-ashan, and to those who were in Athach,

30to those in Hormah, in Bor-ashan, and in Athach;

31and to those who were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were accustomed to go."

31to those in Hebron, and to those in all the places where David and his men had roamed.

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Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.