| New King James Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Now it happened, when David and his men came to Ziklag, on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the South and Ziklag, attacked Ziklag and burned it with fire, | 1David and his men arrived in Ziklag on the third day. The Amalekites had raided the Negev and attacked and burned down Ziklag. |
| 2and had taken captive the women and those who were there, from small to great; they did not kill anyone, but carried them away and went their way. | 2They also had kidnapped the women and everyone in it from the youngest to the oldest. They had killed no one but had carried them off as they went on their way. |
| 3So David and his men came to the city, and there it was, burned with fire; and their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive. | 3When David and his men arrived at the town, they found it burned down. Their wives, sons, and daughters had been kidnapped. |
| 4Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep. | 4David and the troops with him wept loudly until they had no strength left to weep. |
| 5And David’s two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, had been taken captive. | 5David's two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, had also been kidnapped. |
| 6Now 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. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God. | 6David was in a difficult position because the troops talked about stoning him, for they were all very bitter over the loss of their sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God. |
| 7Then David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, “Please bring the ephod here to me.” And Abiathar brought the ephod to David. | 7David said to Abiathar the priest, son of Ahimelech, "Bring me the ephod." So Abiathar brought it to him, |
| 8So David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?” And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.” | 8and David asked the LORD: "Should I pursue these raiders? Will I overtake them?" The LORD replied to him, "Pursue them, for you will certainly overtake them and rescue the people." |
| 9So David went, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and came to the Brook Besor, where those stayed who were left behind. | 9David and the 600 men with him went as far as the Wadi Besor, where 200 men who were to remain behind would stop. |
| 10But David pursued, he and four hundred men; for two hundred stayed behind, who were so weary that they could not cross the Brook Besor. | 10They stopped because they were too exhausted to cross the Wadi Besor. David and 400 of the men continued in pursuit. |
| 11Then they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David; and they gave him bread and he ate, and they let him drink water. | 11They found an Egyptian in the open country and brought him to David. They gave him some bread to eat and water to drink. |
| 12And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. So when he had eaten, his strength came back to him; for he had eaten no bread nor drunk water for three days and three nights. | 12Then they gave him some pressed figs and two clusters of raisins. After he ate he revived, for he hadn't eaten food or drunk water for three days and three nights. |
| 13Then David said to him, “To whom do you belong, and where are you from?” And he said, “I am a young man from Egypt, servant of an Amalekite; and my master left me behind, because three days ago I fell sick. | 13Then David said to him, "Who do you belong to? Where are you from?" "I'm an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite man," he said. "My master abandoned me when I got sick three days ago. |
| 14We made an invasion of the southern area of the Cherethites, in the territory which belongs to Judah, and of the southern area of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.” | 14We raided the south country of the Cherethites, the territory of Judah, and the south country of Caleb, and we burned down Ziklag." |
| 15And David said to him, “Can you take me down to this troop?” So he said, “Swear to me by God that you will neither kill me nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will take you down to this troop.” | 15David then asked him, "Will you lead me to these raiders?" He said, "Swear to me by God that you won't kill me or turn me over to my master, and I will lead you to them." |
| 16And when he had brought him down, there they were, spread out over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil which they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. | 16So he led him, and there were the Amalekites, spread out over the entire area, eating, drinking, and celebrating because of the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and the land of Judah. |
| 17Then David attacked them from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled. | 17David slaughtered them from twilight until the evening of the next day. None of them escaped, except 400 young men who got on camels and fled. |
| 18So David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, and David rescued his two wives. | 18David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken; he also rescued his two wives. |
| 19And nothing of theirs was lacking, either small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything which they had taken from them; David recovered all. | 19Nothing of theirs was missing from the youngest to the oldest, including the sons and daughters, of all the plunder the Amalekites had taken. David got everything back. |
| 20Then David took all the flocks and herds they had driven before those other livestock, and said, “This is David’s spoil.” | 20He took all the sheep and cattle, which were driven ahead of the other livestock, and the people shouted, "This is David's plunder!" |
| 21Now David came to the two hundred men who had been so weary that they could not follow David, whom they also had made to stay at the Brook Besor. So they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him. And when David came near the people, he greeted them. | 21When David came to the 200 men who had been too exhausted to go with him and had been left at the Wadi Besor, they came out to meet him and to meet the troops with him. When David approached the men, he greeted them, |
| 22Then all the wicked and worthless men of those who went with David answered and said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except for every man’s wife and children, that they may lead them away and depart.” | 22but all the corrupt and worthless men among those who had gone with David argued, "Because they didn't go with us, we will not give any of the plunder we recovered to them except for each man's wife and children. They may take them and go." |
| 23But David said, “My brethren, you shall not do so with what the LORD has given us, who has preserved us and delivered into our hand the troop that came against us. | 23But David said, "My brothers, you must not do this with what the LORD has given us. He protected us and handed over to us the raiders who came against us. |
| 24For who will heed you in this matter? But as his part is who goes down to the battle, so shall his part be who stays by the supplies; they shall share alike.” | 24Who can agree to your proposal? The share of the one who goes into battle is to be the same as the share of the one who remains with the supplies. They will share equally." |
| 25So it was, from that day forward; he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day. | 25And it has been so from that day forward. David established this policy as a law and an ordinance for Israel and it continues to this very day. |
| 26Now when David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the spoil to the elders of Judah, to his friends, saying, “Here is a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of the LORD”— | 26When David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to his friends, the elders of Judah, saying, "Here is a gift for you from the plunder of the LORD's enemies." |
| 27to those who were in Bethel, those who were in Ramoth of the South, those who were in Jattir, | 27 He sent gifts to those in Bethel, in Ramoth of the Negev, and in Jattir; |
| 28those who were in Aroer, those who were in Siphmoth, those who were in Eshtemoa, | 28to those in Aroer, in Siphmoth, and in Eshtemoa; |
| 29those who were in Rachal, those who were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, those who were in the cities of the Kenites, | 29to those in Racal, in the towns of the Jerahmeelites, and in the towns of the Kenites; |
| 30those who were in Hormah, those who were in Chorashan, those who were in Athach, | 30to those in Hormah, in Bor-ashan, and in Athach; |
| 31those who were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were accustomed to rove. | 31to those in Hebron, and to those in all the places where David and his men had roamed. |
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