New Living Translation

New American Standard Bible

David Destroys the Amalekites

Three 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.

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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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They had carried off the women and children and everyone else but without killing anyone.

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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 saw the ruins and realized what had happened to their families,

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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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they wept until they could weep no more.

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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, Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal from Carmel, were among those captured.

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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 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.

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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 he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring me the ephod!” So Abiathar brought it.

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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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Then 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!”

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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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So David and his 600 men set out, and they came to the brook Besor.

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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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But 200 of the men were too exhausted to cross the brook, so David continued the pursuit with 400 men.

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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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Along 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.

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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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They 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.

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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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“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.

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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 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.”

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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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“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.”

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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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So 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.

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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 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.

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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 got back everything the Amalekites had taken, and he rescued 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: small or great, son or daughter, nor anything else that had been 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 also recovered all the flocks and herds, and his men drove them ahead of the other livestock. “This plunder belongs to David!” they said.

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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 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.

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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 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.”

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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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But 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.

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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 when you talk like this? We share and share alike — those who go to battle and those who guard the equipment.”

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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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From then on David made this a decree and regulation for Israel, and it is still followed today.

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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 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.

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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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The gifts were sent to the people of the following towns David had visited: Bethel, Ramoth-negev, 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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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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Racal,a the towns of the Jerahmeelites, the towns of 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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Hormah, Bor-ashan, Athach,

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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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Hebron, and all the other places David and his men had visited.

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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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New Living Translation

New American Standard Bible

1 Samuel 30

1 Samuel 30