| New Living Translation | Berean Study Bible |
| 1Three days later, when David and his men arrived home at their town of Ziklag, they found that the Amalekites had made a raid into the Negev and Ziklag; they had crushed Ziklag and burned it to the ground. | 1On the third day David and his men arrived in Ziklag, and the Amalekites had raided the Negev, attacked Ziklag, and burned it down. |
| 2They had carried off the women and children and everyone else but without killing anyone. | 2They had taken captive the women and all who were there, both young and old. They had not killed anyone, but had carried them off as they went on their way. |
| 3When David and his men saw the ruins and realized what had happened to their families, | 3When David and his men came to the city, they found it burned down and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. |
| 4they wept until they could weep no more. | 4So David and the troops with him lifted up their voices and wept until they had no strength left to weep. |
| 5David’s two wives, Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal from Carmel, were among those captured. | 5David’s two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel, had been taken captive. |
| 6David was now in great danger because all his men were very bitter about losing their sons and daughters, and they began to talk of stoning him. But David found strength in the LORD his God. | 6And David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of every man grieved for his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God. |
| 7Then he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring me the ephod!” So Abiathar brought it. | 7Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought it to him, |
| 8Then David asked the LORD, “Should I chase after this band of raiders? Will I catch them?” And the LORD told him, “Yes, go after them. You will surely recover everything that was taken from you!” | 8and David inquired of the LORD: “Should I pursue these raiders? Will I overtake them?” “Pursue them,” the LORD replied, “for you will surely overtake them and rescue the captives.” |
| 9So David and his 600 men set out, and they came to the brook Besor. | 9So David and his six hundred men went to the Brook of Besor, where some stayed behind |
| 10But 200 of the men were too exhausted to cross the brook, so David continued the pursuit with 400 men. | 10because two hundred men were too exhausted to cross the brook. But David and four hundred men continued in pursuit. |
| 11Along the way they found an Egyptian man in a field and brought him to David. They gave him some bread to eat and water to drink. | 11Now his men found an Egyptian in the field and brought him to David. They gave the man water to drink and food to eat— |
| 12They also gave him part of a fig cake and two clusters of raisins, for he hadn’t had anything to eat or drink for three days and nights. Before long his strength returned. | 12a piece of a fig cake and two clusters of raisins. So he ate and was revived, for he had not had any food or water for three days and three nights. |
| 13“To whom do you belong, and where do you come from?” David asked him. “I am an Egyptian—the slave of an Amalekite,” he replied. “My master abandoned me three days ago because I was sick. | 13Then David asked him, “To whom do you belong, and where are you from?” “I am an Egyptian,” he replied, “the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me three days ago when I fell ill. |
| 14We were on our way back from raiding the Kerethites in the Negev, the territory of Judah, and the land of Caleb, and we had just burned Ziklag.” | 14We raided the Negev of the Cherethites, the territory of Judah, and the Negev of Caleb, and we burned down Ziklag.” |
| 15“Will you lead me to this band of raiders?” David asked. The young man replied, “If you take an oath in God’s name that you will not kill me or give me back to my master, then I will guide you to them.” | 15“Will you lead me to these raiders?” David asked. And the man replied, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or deliver me into the hand of my master, and I will lead you to them.” |
| 16So he led David to them, and they found the Amalekites spread out across the fields, eating and drinking and dancing with joy because of the vast amount of plunder they had taken from the Philistines and the land of Judah. | 16So he led David down, and there were the Amalekites spread out over all the land, eating, drinking, and celebrating the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and the land of Judah. |
| 17David and his men rushed in among them and slaughtered them throughout that night and the entire next day until evening. None of the Amalekites escaped except 400 young men who fled on camels. | 17And David struck them down from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man escaped, except four hundred young men who fled, riding off on camels. |
| 18David got back everything the Amalekites had taken, and he rescued his two wives. | 18So David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives. |
| 19Nothing was missing: small or great, son or daughter, nor anything else that had been taken. David brought everything back. | 19Nothing was missing, young or old, son or daughter, or any of the plunder the Amalekites had taken. David brought everything back. |
| 20He also recovered all the flocks and herds, and his men drove them ahead of the other livestock. “This plunder belongs to David!” they said. | 20And he recovered all the flocks and herds, which his men drove ahead of the other livestock, calling out, “This is David’s plunder!” |
| 21Then David returned to the brook Besor and met up with the 200 men who had been left behind because they were too exhausted to go with him. They went out to meet David and his men, and David greeted them joyfully. | 21When David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow him from the Brook of Besor, they came out to meet him and the troops with him. As David approached the men, he greeted them, |
| 22But some evil troublemakers among David’s men said, “They didn’t go with us, so they can’t have any of the plunder we recovered. Give them their wives and children, and tell them to be gone.” | 22but all the wicked and worthless men among those who had gone with David said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not share with them the plunder we recovered, except for each man’s wife and children. They may take them and go.” |
| 23But David said, “No, my brothers! Don’t be selfish with what the LORD has given us. He has kept us safe and helped us defeat the band of raiders that attacked us. | 23But David said, “My brothers, you must not do this with what the LORD has given us. He has protected us and delivered into our hands the raiders who came against us. |
| 24Who will listen when you talk like this? We share and share alike—those who go to battle and those who guard the equipment.” | 24Who will listen to your proposal? The share of the one who went to battle will match the share of the one who stayed with the supplies. They will share alike.” |
| 25From then on David made this a decree and regulation for Israel, and it is still followed today. | 25And so it has been from that day forward. David established this statute as an ordinance for Israel to this very day. |
| 26When he arrived at Ziklag, David sent part of the plunder to the elders of Judah, who were his friends. “Here is a present for you, taken from the LORD’s enemies,” he said. | 26When David arrived in 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.” |
| 27The gifts were sent to the people of the following towns David had visited: Bethel, Ramoth-negev, Jattir, | 27He sent gifts to those in Bethel, Ramoth Negev, and Jattir; |
| 28Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa, | 28to those in Aroer, Siphmoth, and Eshtemoa; |
| 29Racal, the towns of the Jerahmeelites, the towns of the Kenites, | 29to those in Racal and in the cities of the Jerahmeelites and Kenites; |
| 30Hormah, Bor-ashan, Athach, | 30to those in Hormah, Bor-ashan, and Athach; |
| 31Hebron, and all the other places David and his men had visited. | 31and to those in Hebron and in all the places where David and his men had roamed. |
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