²¹ They helped David against the band of raiders,^[a] for they were all warriors and commanders in the army.^(A)

²⁰ As he went to Ziklag these Manassites deserted to him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, chiefs of the thousands in Manasseh.

²¹ He was the most renowned^[a] of the Thirty^[b] and became their commander, but he did not attain to the Three.^(A)

²² Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a valiant man^[c] of Kabzeel, a doer of great deeds; he struck down two sons of^[d] Ariel of Moab. He also went down and killed a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen.^(B)

David’s Mighty Men and Their Exploits

¹⁰ Now these are the chiefs of David’s warriors, who gave him strong support in his kingdom, together with all Israel, to make him king, according to the word of the Lord concerning Israel.^(A)

²⁴ These were the heads of their clans: Epher,^[a] Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jahdiel, mighty warriors, famous men, heads of their clans.

David Avenges the Destruction of Ziklag

30 Now when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made a raid on the Negeb and on Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag, burned it down,^{(A) 2} and taken captive the women and all^[a] who were in it, both small and great; they killed none of them but carried them off and went their way. ³ When David and his men came to the city, they found it burned down and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. ⁴ Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until they had no more strength to weep. ⁵ David’s two wives also had been taken captive, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel.^{(B) 6} David was in great danger, for the people spoke of stoning him because all the people were bitter in spirit for their sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.^(C)

⁷ David said to the priest Abiathar son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David.^{(D) 8} David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I pursue this band? Shall I overtake them?” He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue.”^{(E) 9} So David set out, he and the six hundred men who were with him. They came to the Wadi Besor, where those stayed who were left behind.^{(F) 10} But David went on with the pursuit, he and four hundred men; two hundred stayed behind, too exhausted to cross the Wadi Besor.^(G)

¹¹ In the open country they found an Egyptian and brought him to David. They gave him bread, and he ate; they gave him water to drink; ¹² they also gave him a piece of fig cake and two clusters of raisins. When he had eaten, his spirit revived, for he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights.^{(H) 13} Then David said to him, “To whom do you belong? Where are you from?” He said, “I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite. My master left me behind because I fell sick three days ago. ¹⁴ We had made a raid on the Negeb of the Cherethites and on that which belongs to Judah and on the Negeb of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag down.”^{(I) 15} David said to him, “Will you take me down to this raiding party?” He said, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will take you down to them.”

¹⁶ When he had taken him down, they were spread out all over the ground, eating and drinking and dancing, because of the great amount of spoil they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah.^{(J) 17} David attacked them from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not one of them escaped, except four hundred young men, who mounted camels and fled.^(K)