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David Destroys the Amalekites

David and his men reached Ziklag on the third day. Now the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned it,

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David’s Victory over the Amalekites

Then 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;

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and had taken captive the women and everyone else in it, both young and old. They killed none of them, but carried them off as they went on their way.

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and 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.

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When David and his men reached Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive.

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When 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.

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So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep.

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

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David’s two wives had been captured — Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel.

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

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David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God.

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Moreover 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.

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Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelek, “Bring me the ephod.” Abiathar brought it to him,

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

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and David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?”
“Pursue them,” he answered. “You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue.”

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David 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.”

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David and the six hundred men with him came to the Besor Valley, where some stayed behind.

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

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Two hundred of them were too exhausted to cross the valley, but David and the other four hundred continued the pursuit.

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

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They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David. They gave him water to drink and food to eat —

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Now 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.

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part of a cake of pressed figs and two cakes of raisins. He ate and was revived, for he had not eaten any food or drunk any water for three days and three nights.

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They 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.

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David asked him, “Who do you belong to? Where do you come from?”
He said, “I am an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me when I became ill three days ago.

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David 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.

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We raided the Negev of the Kerethites, some territory belonging to Judah and the Negev of Caleb. And we burned Ziklag.”

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“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.”

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David asked him, “Can you lead me down to this raiding party?”
He answered, “Swear to me before God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will take you down to them.”

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Then 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.”

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He led David down, and there they were, scattered over the countryside, eating, drinking and reveling because of the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from Judah.

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When 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.

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David fought them from dusk until the evening of the next day, and none of them got away, except four hundred young men who rode off on camels and fled.

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David 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.

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David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives.

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

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Nothing was missing: young or old, boy or girl, plunder or anything else they had taken. David brought everything back.

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But 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.

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He took all the flocks and herds, and his men drove them ahead of the other livestock, saying, “This is David’s plunder.”

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So 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.”

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Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow him and who were left behind at the Besor Valley. They came out to meet David and the men with him. As David and his men approached, he asked them how they were.

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The Spoils Are Divided

When 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.

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But all the evil men and troublemakers among David’s followers said, “Because they did not go out with us, we will not share with them the plunder we recovered. However, each man may take his wife and children and go.”

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Then 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.”

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David replied, “No, my brothers, you must not do that with what the Lord has given us. He has protected us and delivered into our hands the raiding party that came against us.

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Then 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.

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Who will listen to what you say? The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike.”

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“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.”

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David made this a statute and ordinance for Israel from that day to this.

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

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When David reached Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah, who were his friends, saying, “Here is a gift for you from the plunder of the Lord’s enemies.”

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Now 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:

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David sent it to those who were in Bethel, Ramoth Negev and Jattir;

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

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to those in Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa

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

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and Rakal; to those in the towns of the Jerahmeelites and the Kenites;

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and 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,

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to those in Hormah, Bor Ashan, Athak

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

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and Hebron; and to those in all the other places where he and his men had roamed.

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

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1 Samuel 30

1 Samuel 30