| [an error occurred while processing this directive] | New International Version |
| 1[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 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, |
| 2[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 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. |
| 3[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 3When David and his men reached Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. |
| 4[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 4So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep. |
| 5[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 5David's two wives had been captured--Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. |
| 6[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 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. |
| 7[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 7Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelek, "Bring me the ephod." Abiathar brought it to him, |
| 8[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 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." |
| 9[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 9David and the six hundred men with him came to the Besor Valley, where some stayed behind. |
| 10[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 10Two hundred of them were too exhausted to cross the valley, but David and the other four hundred continued the pursuit. |
| 11[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 11They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David. They gave him water to drink and food to eat-- |
| 12[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 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. |
| 13[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 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. |
| 14[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 14We raided the Negev of the Kerethites, some territory belonging to Judah and the Negev of Caleb. And we burned Ziklag." |
| 15[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 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." |
| 16[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 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. |
| 17[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 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. |
| 18[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 18David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives. |
| 19[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 19Nothing was missing: young or old, boy or girl, plunder or anything else they had taken. David brought everything back. |
| 20[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 20He took all the flocks and herds, and his men drove them ahead of the other livestock, saying, "This is David's plunder." |
| 21[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 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. |
| 22[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 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." |
| 23[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 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. |
| 24[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 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." |
| 25[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 25David made this a statute and ordinance for Israel from that day to this. |
| 26[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 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." |
| 27[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 27David sent it to those who were in Bethel, Ramoth Negev and Jattir; |
| 28[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 28to those in Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa |
| 29[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 29and Rakal; to those in the towns of the Jerahmeelites and the Kenites; |
| 30[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 30to those in Hormah, Bor Ashan, Athak |
| 31[an error occurred while processing this directive] | 31and Hebron; and to those in all the other places where he and his men had roamed. |
| [an error occurred while processing this directive] | 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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