| English Standard Version | New International Version |
| 1Now when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made a raid against the Negeb and against Ziklag. They had overcome Ziklag and burned it with fire | 1David and his men reached Ziklag on the third day. Now the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned it, |
| 2and taken captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great. They killed no one, but carried them off and went their way. | 2and had taken captive the women and everyone else in it, both young and old. They killed none of them, but carried them off as they went on their way. |
| 3And when David and his men came to the city, they found it burned with fire, and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. | 3When David and his men reached Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. |
| 4Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until they had no more strength to weep. | 4So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep. |
| 5David’s two wives also had been taken captive, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. | 5David's two wives had been captured--Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. |
| 6And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God. | 6David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God. |
| 7And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. | 7Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelek, "Bring me the ephod." Abiathar brought it to him, |
| 8And David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I pursue after this band? Shall I overtake them?” He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue.” | 8and David inquired of the LORD, "Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?" "Pursue them," he answered. "You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue." |
| 9So David set out, and the six hundred men who were with him, and they came to the brook Besor, where those who were left behind stayed. | 9David and the six hundred men with him came to the Besor Valley, where some stayed behind. |
| 10But David pursued, he and four hundred men. Two hundred stayed behind, who were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor. | 10Two hundred of them were too exhausted to cross the valley, but David and the other four hundred continued the pursuit. |
| 11They found an Egyptian in the open country and brought him to David. And they gave him bread and he ate. They gave him water to drink, | 11They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David. They gave him water to drink and food to eat-- |
| 12and they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. And when he had eaten, his spirit revived, for he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights. | 12part of a cake of pressed figs and two cakes of raisins. He ate and was revived, for he had not eaten any food or drunk any water for three days and three nights. |
| 13And David said to him, “To whom do you belong? And where are you from?” He said, “I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite, and my master left me behind because I fell sick three days ago. | 13David asked him, "Who do you belong to? Where do you come from?" He said, "I am an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me when I became ill three days ago. |
| 14We had made a raid against the Negeb of the Cherethites and against that which belongs to Judah and against the Negeb of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag with fire.” | 14We raided the Negev of the Kerethites, some territory belonging to Judah and the Negev of Caleb. And we burned Ziklag." |
| 15And David said to him, “Will you take 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 take you down to this band.” | 15David asked him, "Can you lead me down to this raiding party?" He answered, "Swear to me before God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will take you down to them." |
| 16And when he had taken him down, behold, they were spread abroad over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. | 16He led David down, and there they were, scattered over the countryside, eating, drinking and reveling because of the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from Judah. |
| 17And David struck them down from twilight until the evening of the next day, and not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men, who mounted camels and fled. | 17David fought them from dusk until the evening of the next day, and none of them got away, except four hundred young men who rode off on camels and fled. |
| 18David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and David rescued his two wives. | 18David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives. |
| 19Nothing was missing, whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that had been taken. David brought back all. | 19Nothing was missing: young or old, boy or girl, plunder or anything else they had taken. David brought everything back. |
| 20David also captured all the flocks and herds, and the people drove the livestock before him, and said, “This is David’s spoil.” | 20He took all the flocks and herds, and his men drove them ahead of the other livestock, saying, "This is David's plunder." |
| 21Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow David, and who had been left at the brook Besor. And they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him. And when David came near to the people he greeted them. | 21Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow him and who were left behind at the Besor Valley. They came out to meet David and the men with him. As David and his men approached, he asked them how they were. |
| 22Then all the wicked and worthless fellows among the men who had gone with David said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except that each man may lead away his wife and children, and depart.” | 22But all the evil men and troublemakers among David's followers said, "Because they did not go out with us, we will not share with them the plunder we recovered. However, each man may take his wife and children and go." |
| 23But David said, “You shall not do so, my brothers, with what the LORD has given us. He has preserved us and given into our hand the band that came against us. | 23David replied, "No, my brothers, you must not do that with what the LORD has given us. He has protected us and delivered into our hands the raiding party that came against us. |
| 24Who would listen to you in this matter? For as his share is who goes down into the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the baggage. They shall share alike.” | 24Who will listen to what you say? The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike." |
| 25And he made it a statute and a rule for Israel from that day forward to this day. | 25David made this a statute and ordinance for Israel from that day to this. |
| 26When David came to Ziklag, he sent part of the spoil to his friends, the elders of Judah, saying, “Here is a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of the LORD.” | 26When David reached Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah, who were his friends, saying, "Here is a gift for you from the plunder of the LORD's enemies." |
| 27It was for those in Bethel, in Ramoth of the Negeb, in Jattir, | 27David sent it to those who were in Bethel, Ramoth Negev and Jattir; |
| 28in Aroer, in Siphmoth, in Eshtemoa, | 28to those in Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa |
| 29in Racal, in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, in the cities of the Kenites, | 29and Rakal; to those in the towns of the Jerahmeelites and the Kenites; |
| 30in Hormah, in Bor-ashan, in Athach, | 30to those in Hormah, Bor Ashan, Athak |
| 31in Hebron, for all the places where David and his men had roamed. | 31and Hebron; and to those in all the other places where he and his men had roamed. |
| ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved. | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. |
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