| New Living Translation | NET 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 came to Ziklag. Now the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They attacked Ziklag and burned it. |
| 2They had carried off the women and children and everyone else but without killing anyone. | 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 saw the ruins and realized what had happened to their families, | 3When David and his men came to the city, they found it burned. Their wives, sons, and daughters had been taken captive. |
| 4they wept until they could weep no more. | 4Then David and the men who were with him wept loudly until they could weep no more. |
| 5David’s two wives, Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal from Carmel, were among those captured. | 5David's two wives had been taken captive--Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail the Carmelite, Nabal's widow. |
| 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. | 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 he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring me the ephod!” So Abiathar brought it. | 7Then David said to the priest Abiathar son of Ahimelech, "Bring me the ephod." So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. |
| 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!” | 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 and his 600 men set out, and they came to the brook Besor. | 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 200 of the men were too exhausted to cross the brook, so David continued the pursuit with 400 men. | 10David and four hundred men continued the pursuit, but two hundred men who were too exhausted to cross the Wadi Besor stayed there. |
| 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. | 11Then they found an Egyptian in the field and brought him to David. They gave him bread to eat and water to drink. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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. | 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 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 conducted a raid on the Negev of the Kerethites, on the area of Judah, and on the Negev of Caleb. We burned 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.” | 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." |
| 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 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 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. | 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 got back everything the Amalekites had taken, and he rescued his two wives. | 18David retrieved everything the Amalekites had taken; he also rescued his two wives. |
| 19Nothing was missing: small or great, son or daughter, nor anything else that had been taken. David brought everything 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. |
| 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. | 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 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. | 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. |
| 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 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, “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, "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 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 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!" |
| 25From then on David made this a decree and regulation for Israel, and it is still followed today. | 25From that time onward it was a binding ordinance for Israel, right up to the present time. |
| 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 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!" |
| 27The gifts were sent to the people of the following towns David had visited: Bethel, Ramoth-negev, Jattir, | 27The gift was for those in the following locations: for those in Bethel, Ramoth Negev, and Jattir; |
| 28Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa, | 28for those in Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa, |
| 29Racal, the towns of the Jerahmeelites, the towns of the Kenites, | 29and Racal; for those in the cities of the Jerahmeelites and Kenites; |
| 30Hormah, Bor-ashan, Athach, | 30for those in Hormah, Bor Ashan, Athach, |
| 31Hebron, and all the other places David and his men had visited. | 31and Hebron; and for those in whatever other places David and his men had traveled. |
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