The Amalekites Raid Ziklag

1And it came to pass, when David and his men came into Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekite had invaded against the Negev and against Ziklag, and they had struck Ziklag, and burned it with the fire, 2and they took captive the women and all† those who were in it, from small and to great. They did not kill anyone, and they carried them off and went on their way.

3And David and his men came to the city, and behold, it was burned with the fire, and their wives and their sons and their daughters had been taken captive. 4And David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until that there was not in them power to weep.

5And the two wives of David had been taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite. 6And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. And David strengthened himself in YHWH his God.

David Destroys the Amalekites

7And David said to Abiathar the priest, son of Ahimelech, “Please bring here to me the ephod.”

And Abiathar brought the ephod to David. 8And David inquired of YHWH, saying, “Shall I pursue after this troop? Will I overtake them?”

And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and you shall surely deliver.”

9And David went, he and six hundred men who were with him, and they came to the Brook of Besor, and those left behind stood still. 10And David pursued, he and four hundred men; for two hundred men stayed behind who were so weary that they could not cross the Brook of Besor.

11And they found an Egyptian in the field and brought him to David, and they gave to him bread, and he ate, and they let him drink water. 12And they gave to him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins. And he ate and his strength came back to him, for he had not eaten bread nor drunk water for three days and three nights.

13And David said to him, “To whom are you, and where are you from?”

And he said, “An Egyptian, a young man, I am servant of an Amalekite. And my master left me behind because I fell sick three days ago. 14We made an invasion to the south of the Cherethite and against that which is unto Judah, and against the south of Caleb, and Ziklag we burned with the fire.”

15And David said to him, “Can you take me down to this troop?”

And he said, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or deliver me into the hand of my master, and I will take you down to this troop.”

16And he brought him down, and behold, they were spread out over the face of all the land, eating and drinking and dancing because of all the great plunder that they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. 17And David attacked them from twilight and until the evening of the next day, and not a man escaped of them, but rather four hundred young men who rode on the camels and fled.

18And David snatched away all that the Amalekite had carried away, and his two wives David snatched away. 19And nothing was lacking of theirs either small and to great, and sons and daughters, and from plunder, and to all that they had taken from them. David brought back everything. 20And David took all of the flock and of the herd they had driven before the face of these livestock, and they said, “This is the plunder of David.”

The Spoils Are Divided

21And David came to the two hundred men who had been so weary that they could not follow behind David, and whom they had made to stay at the Brook of Besor, and they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him. And David came near the people, and he asked them of welfare. 22And all the wicked and worthless of those men who went with David answered and said, “Because that they did not go with us, we will not give to them from the plunder that we have snatched away. But rather for every man, his wife and his sons, that they may lead them away and depart.”

23And David said, “You⁺ shall not do so, my brothers, with what YHWH has given to us, who has preserved us and delivered the troop that came against us into our hands. 24For who will listen to you⁺ in this matter? But as is the portion of the one having gone down to the battle, so shall be the portion of the one having stayed with the supplies. They shall take portions together.”

25And it came to pass from that day forward that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.

26And David came to Ziklag, and he sent some from the plunder to the elders of Judah, to his friends, saying, “Behold, for you⁺ a present from the plunder of the enemies of YHWH.”— 27To those in Bethel, and to those in Ramoth of the Negev, and to those in Jattir, 28and to those in Aroer, and to those in Siphmoth, and to those in Eshtemoa, 29and to those in Rachal, and to those in the cities of the Jerahmeelite, and to those in the cities of the Kenite, 30and to those in Hormah, and to those in Bor-ashan, and to those in Athach, 31and to those in Hebron, and to all the places where David had gone up and down there—he and his men.