1 SamuelChapter 30

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¹David and his men reached Ziklag on the third day. The Amalekites had attacked the Negev and Ziklag. They had burned Ziklag down. ²They had taken the women captive, and everyone else there too, both young and old. They hadn't killed anyone. But they had carried them all off as they went on their way. ³David and his men came to the town. They found it burned down. Their wives and sons and daughters had been taken captive. ⁴So David and his troops cried out loud. They cried until they had no strength left to cry. ⁵David's two wives had been taken captive too. They were Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. ⁶David was in great trouble, because the people were talking about stoning him. They did this because every man was bitter and sad about his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God. ⁷Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, "Bring me the ephod." So Abiathar brought it to him. ⁸David asked the LORD, "Should I chase these raiders? Will I catch up with them?" "Chase them," the LORD answered. "You'll surely catch up with them. You'll rescue the captives." ⁹So David and his six hundred men went to the Brook of Besor. Some of them stayed behind there. ¹⁰They stayed because two hundred men were too tired to cross the brook. But David and four hundred men kept chasing the raiders. ¹¹David's men found an Egyptian in a field. They brought him to David. They gave him water to drink and food to eat. ¹²They gave him part of a fig cake and two bunches of raisins. He ate and got his strength back, because he hadn't had any food or water for three days and three nights. ¹³David asked him, "Who is your master? Where do you come from?" "I'm an Egyptian," he said. "I'm the slave of an Amalekite. My master left me behind three days ago because I got sick. ¹⁴We attacked the Negev of the Cherethites. We attacked the land of Judah and the Negev of Caleb. And we burned down Ziklag." ¹⁵David asked him, "Will you lead me to these raiders?" The man answered, "Promise me by God that you won't kill me. Promise you won't hand me over to my master. Then I'll lead you to them." ¹⁶So he led David down to them. There were the Amalekites, spread out over the whole area. They were eating and drinking and partying. They had taken a huge amount of goods from the land of the Philistines and the land of Judah. ¹⁷David fought them from dusk until the evening of the next day. Not one man escaped, except four hundred young men. They rode off on camels and got away. ¹⁸So David got back everything the Amalekites had taken. He also rescued his two wives. ¹⁹Nothing was missing, young or old, son or daughter. None of the goods the Amalekites had taken was missing. David brought everything back. ²⁰He also took all the sheep and cattle. His men drove them in front of the other animals. They shouted, "This is David's prize!" ²¹Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too tired to follow him. They had been left behind at the Brook of Besor. They came out to meet David and the troops with him. David came near the men and greeted them. ²²But some evil and worthless men had gone with David. They said, "These men didn't go with us. So we won't share with them the goods we got back. Each man may take his own wife and children and go." ²³But David said, "My brothers, you must not do this with what the LORD has given us. He has kept us safe. He has handed over to us the raiders who came against us. ²⁴Who will listen to what you're saying? The man who went into battle will get the same share as the man who stayed with the supplies. They'll all share the same." ²⁵It has been that way from that day on. David made it a law and a rule for Israel, and it still is today. ²⁶David arrived in Ziklag. Then he sent some of the goods to his friends, the elders of Judah. He said, "Here is a gift for you. It's from the goods taken from the LORD's enemies." ²⁷He sent gifts to the people in Bethel, Ramoth Negev, and Jattir, ²⁸to the people in Aroer, Siphmoth, and Eshtemoa, ²⁹to the people in Racal and in the towns of the Jerahmeelites and the Kenites, ³⁰to the people in Hormah, Bor-ashan, and Athach, ³¹and to the people in Hebron. He sent gifts to all the places where David and his men had traveled.