9So David and his six hundred men went, and came to the brook Besor, where two hundred were left behind. 10But David and four hundred men pursued; while two hundred who were so faint that they could not cross the brook Besor, stayed behind, 11And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him food, and he ate; and they gave him water to drink. 12And a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins. And when he had eaten, his spirit was revived; for he had not eaten bread, nor drunk, for three days and nights. 13And David asked him, “To whom do you belong? And where are you from?” And he said, “I am a young man of Egypt, servant of an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days ago I fell sick. 14We made an invasion upon the south of the Cherethites, and upon the border which belongs to Judah, and upon the south of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag”. 15And David asked him, “Can you lead me down to this raiding party?” And he said, “Swear to me by God, that you will not kill me, nor hand me over to my master, and I will take you down to them”. 16And when he had led them down, the raiding party was scattered all over, eating, drinking, and dancing, because of all that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and of Judah. 17And David assaulted them from twilight until the evening of the next day; and not a man of them escaped, except for four hundred young men, who fled upon camels. 18And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away; and he rescued his two wives. 19And there was nothing lacking of them, small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, nor goods, nor anything that they had taken - David recovered all. 20And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they had driven before the other livestock, and said, “This is David's plunder”.

21And David returned to the two hundred men who were too faint to follow, whom David had told to wait at the brook Besor. And they came forward to meet David, and the men who were with him; and when David came near them, he greeted them. 22Then the wicked among the four hundred who went with David said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the stuff that we have recovered, except to each man his wife and children, that they may take them and leave”. 23Then David said, “You shall not do that with what the LORD has given us, Who has preserved us, and delivered the raiding party that came against us into our hand. 24For who will agree with you in this matter? But as his share that went down to the battle is, so shall his share be who waited by the baggage; they shall divide alike.” 25And it was so from that day onward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel unto this day.

26And when David returned to Ziklag, he sent some of the spoil to the elders of Judah, to his friends, saying, “Behold, a present for you out of the spoil of the enemies of the LORD;” 27He sent to those who were in Bethel, in South Ramoth, in Jattir, 28And in Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa, 29And in Racal, the cities of the Jerah-meelites, and cities of the Kenites, 30And in Hormah, in Borashan, Athach, 31And in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were accustomed to roam.”