| NET Bible | International Standard Version |
| 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. | 1When David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and set it on fire. |
| 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. | 2They took the women in it captive, from young to old. They did not kill anyone. Instead, they carried them off and went on their way. |
| 3When David and his men came to the city, they found it burned. Their wives, sons, and daughters had been taken captive. | 3David and his men came to the town, and it had been burned down. Their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive. |
| 4Then David and the men who were with him wept loudly until they could weep no more. | 4Then David and the people who were with him lifted their voices and cried until they had no more strength left to cry. |
| 5David's two wives had been taken captive--Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail the Carmelite, Nabal's widow. | 5David's two wives, Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, Nabal's former wife, had been captured. |
| 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. | 6David was in great danger because all the people were bitter because of their sons and daughters, and they were talking about stoning him. But David found strength in the LORD his God. |
| 7Then David said to the priest Abiathar son of Ahimelech, "Bring me the ephod." So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. | 7David told Ahimelech's son Abiathar the priest, "Bring me the ephod." So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. |
| 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!" | 8David inquired of the LORD: "Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?" The LORD told David, "Pursue them! You will definitely overtake them and rescue the captives." |
| 9So David went, accompanied by his six hundred men. When he came to the Wadi Besor, those who were in the rear stayed there. | 9So David and 600 men who were with him set out. They came to the Wadi Besor where those who were left behind stayed. |
| 10David and four hundred men continued the pursuit, but two hundred men who were too exhausted to cross the Wadi Besor stayed there. | 10David and 400 men continued the pursuit, while the 200 men who were too exhausted to cross over the Wadi Besor remained there. |
| 11Then they found an Egyptian in the field and brought him to David. They gave him bread to eat and water to drink. | 11They found an Egyptian man in the field, and they took him to David. They gave him food to eat and provided water for him. |
| 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. | 12They gave him part of a fig cake and two bunches of raisins. After he had eaten, he revived, since he had neither eaten food nor had he drunk water for three days and three nights. |
| 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. | 13David told him, "To whom do you belong and where are you from?" The Egyptian replied, "I'm a young Egyptian man, the slave of an Amalekite man. My master abandoned me, because I got sick three days ago. |
| 14We conducted a raid on the Negev of the Kerethites, on the area of Judah, and on the Negev of Caleb. We burned Ziklag." | 14We raided the Negev of the Cherethites, the territory that belongs to Judah, and the Negev of Caleb, and we set Ziklag on fire." |
| 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." | 15David asked him, "Will you take me to this raiding party?" He said, "Swear to me by God that you won't kill me or turn me over to my master, and I'll take you to the raiding party." |
| 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. | 16The Egyptian led him to the camp, and there the Amalekites were spread out over the whole area, eating, drinking, and celebrating with the great amount of spoil they had taken from the territory belonging to the Philistines and to Judah. |
| 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. | 17David struck them down from twilight until the evening of the next day, and not one of them escaped except for 400 young men who mounted camels and fled. |
| 18David retrieved everything the Amalekites had taken; he also rescued his two wives. | 18David rescued everyone whom the Amalekites had captured, including his two wives. |
| 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. | 19Nothing of theirs was missing, whether small or large, sons or daughters, spoil, or anything that they had taken for themselves—David brought back everything. |
| 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!" | 20David took all the rest of the sheep and cattle, driving them ahead of their rescued livestock. People said about all this, "This is David's spoil." |
| 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. | 21David came to the 200 men who were too exhausted to follow him and who had been left at the Wadi Besor. They came out to meet David and the people who were with him. As David approached the people, he asked them how they were doing. |
| 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!" | 22 At this point, all the wicked and worthless men of the group who had gone with David answered, "Because they didn't go with us, we won't give them any of the spoil that we recovered, except that each person may take his wife and his children and go." |
| 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. | 23David said, "No, you won't do this, my brothers, with what the LORD has given us. He guarded us and gave the raiding party that came against us into our hand. |
| 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!" | 24Who will listen to you in this matter? Indeed, the share of those who went down into battle and the share of those who stayed with the supplies will be the same. They'll share alike." |
| 25From that time onward it was a binding ordinance for Israel, right up to the present time. | 25From that day forward he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel, and it remains to this present day. |
| 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!" | 26David came to Ziklag, and he sent some of the spoil to the elders of Judah, and to his friends, telling them, "Look, this is a gift for you from the spoil of the enemies of the LORD |
| 27The gift was for those in the following locations: for those in Bethel, Ramoth Negev, and Jattir; | 27in Bethel, Ramoth-negev, Jattir, |
| 28for those in Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa, | 28Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa, |
| 29and Racal; for those in the cities of the Jerahmeelites and Kenites; | 29Rachal, in the Jerahmeelite towns, in the Kenite towns, |
| 30for those in Hormah, Bor Ashan, Athach, | 30in Hormah, Bor-ashan, Athach, |
| 31and Hebron; and for those in whatever other places David and his men had traveled. | 31Hebron, and for all those places where David and his men had frequented." |
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