1 Samuel 30:1-8

New American Standard Bible 1995

David’s Victory over the Amalekites

30 Then it happened when David and his men came to ^(A)Ziklag on the third day, that ^(B)the Amalekites had made a raid on the ^[a]Negev and on ^(C)Ziklag, and had ^[b]overthrown Ziklag and burned it with fire; ² and they took captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great, ^[c](D)without killing anyone, and carried them off and went their way. ³ When David and his men came to the city, behold, it was burned with fire, and their wives and their sons and their daughters had been taken captive. ⁴ Then David and the people who were with him ^(E)lifted their voices and wept until there was no strength in them to weep. ⁵ Now ^(F)David’s two wives had been taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the ^[d]widow of Nabal the Carmelite. ⁶ Moreover David was greatly distressed because ^(G)the people spoke of stoning him, for all the people were ^[e]embittered, each one because of his sons and his daughters. But ^(H)David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.

⁷ Then ^(I)David said to ^(J)Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Please bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. ^8 (K)David inquired of the Lord, saying, “^(L)Shall I pursue this band? Shall I overtake them?” And He said to him, “Pursue, for you will surely overtake them, ^(M)and you will surely rescue all.”