1 Samuel 30
International Standard Version Par ▾ 

Trouble on David’s Return to Ziklag

1When David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had raided the Negeva and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and set it on fire. 2They took the women in it captive, from young to old.b They did not kill anyone. Instead, they carried them off and went on their way. 3David and his men came to the town, and it had been burned down. Their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive. 4Then David and the people who were with him lifted their voices and cried until they had no more strength left to cry. 5David’s two wives, Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, Nabal’s formerc wife, had been captured. 6David was in great dangerd because all the people were bitter because of their sons and daughters, and they were talking about stoning him. But David found strengthe in the LORD his God.

David Pursues the Amalekites

7David told Ahimelech’s son Abiathar the priest, “Bring me the ephod.”f So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. 8David inquired of the LORD: “Shall I pursue this raiding party?g Will I overtake them?”

The LORDh told David,i “Pursue them! You will definitely overtake them and rescue the captives.”j 9So David and 600 men who were with him set out. They came to the Wadik Besor where those who were left behind stayed. 10David and 400 men continued the pursuit,l while the 200 men who were too exhausted to cross over the Wadim Besor remained there.n

An Egyptian Leads David to the Amalekites

11They found an Egyptian man in the field, and they took him to David. They gave him food to eat and provided water for him. 12They gave him part of a fig cake and two bunches of raisins. After he had eaten, he revived,o since he had neither eaten food nor had he drunk water for three days and three nights. 13David told him, “To whom do you belong and where are you from?”

The Egyptianp replied, “I’m a young Egyptian man, the slave of an Amalekite man. My master abandoned me, because I got sick three days ago. 14We raided the Negevq of the Cherethites, the territory that belongs to Judah,r and the Negevs of Caleb, and we set Ziklag on fire.”

15David asked him, “Will you take me to this raiding party?”t

He said, “Swear to me by God that you won’t kill me or turn me over to my master, and I’ll take you to the raiding party.”u

David Defeats the Amalekites

16The Egyptianv led him to the camp,w and there the Amalekitesx were spread out over the whole area, eating, drinking, and celebrating with the great amount of spoil they had taken from the territory belonging to the Philistines and to Judah. 17David struck them down from twilight until the evening of the next day, and not one of them escaped except for 400 young men who mounted camels and fled. 18David rescued everyone whom the Amalekitesy had captured, includingz his two wives. 19Nothing of theirs was missing, whether small or large, sons or daughters, spoil, or anything that they had taken for themselves—David brought back everything. 20David took all the rest ofaa the sheep and cattle, driving them ahead of their rescued livestock.bb People said about all this,cc “This is David’s spoil.”

David Divides the Spoil

21David came to the 200 men who were too exhausted to follow himdd and who had been left at the Wadiee Besor. They came out to meet David and the people who were with him. As David approached the people, he asked them how they were doing.ff 22 At this point, all the wicked and worthless men of the group who had gone with David answered, “Because they didn’t go with us, we won’t give them any of the spoil that we recovered, except that each person may take his wife and his children and go.”

23David said, “No, you won’t do this, my brothers, with what the LORD has given us. He guarded us and gave the raiding partygg that came against us into our hand. 24Who will listen to you in this matter? Indeed, the share of those who went down into battle and the share of those who stayed with the supplies will be the same. They’ll share alike.” 25From that day forward he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel, and it remainshh to this presentii day.

David Shares the Spoil with the People of Judah

26David came to Ziklag, and he sent some of the spoil to the elders of Judah, and to his friends, telling them, “Look, this is a gift for you from the spoil of the enemies of the LORD 27in Bethel, Ramoth-negev, Jattir, 28Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa, 29Rachal, in the Jerahmeelite towns, in the Kenite towns, 30in Hormah, Bor-ashan, Athach, 31Hebron, and for all those places where David and his men had frequented.”


Footnotes:
a 30:1 i.e. the southern regions of the Sinai peninsula; cf. Josh 10:40
b 30:2 Lit. from small to great
c 30:5 The Heb. lacks former
d 30:6 Or greatly distressed
e 30:6 Or strengthened himself
f 30:7 The ephod was a type of vest worn by the priest and was used to determine God’s will.
g 30:8 Or band
h 30:8 Lit. He
i 30:8 Lit. him
j 30:8 Lit. and you will definitely rescue
k 30:9 i.e. a seasonal stream or river that channels water during rain seasons but is dry at other times
l 30:10 Lit. pursued
m 30:10 i.e. a seasonal stream or river that channels water during rain seasons but is dry at other times
n 30:10 The Heb. lacks there
o 30:12 Lit. his spirit revived
p 30:13 Lit. He
q 30:14 Or the southern region
r 30:14 Lit. what belongs to Judah
s 30:14 Or the southern region
t 30:15 Or band
u 30:15 Or band
v 30:16 Lit. He
w 30:16 Lit. him down
x 30:16 Lit. they
y 30:18 Lit. whom Amalek; i.e., those who lived in the town of Amalek
z 30:18 Lit. captured, and David rescued
aa 30:20 The Heb. lacks the rest of
bb 30:20 Lit. ahead of those livestock
cc 30:20 Lit. about them
dd 30:21 Lit. David
ee 30:21 i.e. a seasonal stream or river that channels water during rain seasons but is dry at other times
ff 30:21 Or he greeted them
gg 30:23 Or band
hh 30:25 The Heb. lacks and it remains
ii 30:25 The Heb. lacks present



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