New American Standard Bible 1995

NET 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;

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 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 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.

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 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 lifted their voices and wept until there was no strength in them to weep.

4Then David and the men who were with him wept loudly until they could weep no more.

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

5David's two wives had been taken captive--Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail the Carmelite, Nabal's widow.

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 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.

7Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, "Please 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.

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."

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

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, for two hundred who were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor remained behind.

10David and four hundred men continued the pursuit, but two hundred men who were too exhausted to cross the Wadi Besor stayed there.

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.

11Then they found an Egyptian in the field and brought him to David. They gave him 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.

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.

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.

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.

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 conducted a raid on the Negev of the Kerethites, on the area of Judah, and on the Negev of Caleb. We burned 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 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."

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 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.

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.

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.

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

18David retrieved 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.

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.

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."

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!"

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.

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 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 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!"

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, "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.

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 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!"

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

25From that time onward it was a binding ordinance for Israel, right up to the present time.

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 the elders of Judah who were his friends, saying, "Here's a gift for you from the looting 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,

27The gift was for those in the following locations: for those in Bethel, Ramoth Negev, and Jattir;

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

28for those in Aroer, Siphmoth, 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,

29and Racal; for those in the cities of the Jerahmeelites and Kenites;

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

30for those in Hormah, Bor Ashan, Athach,

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

31and Hebron; and for those in whatever other places David and his men had traveled.

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