1 Samuel 30
New English Translation
David Defeats the Amalekites
30 On the third day David and his men came to Ziklag. Now the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They attacked Ziklag and burned it.[a] 2 They took captive the women and all[b] who were in it, from the youngest to the oldest, but they did not kill anyone. They simply carried them off and went on their way.
3 When David and his men came to the city, they found it burned.[c] Their wives, sons, and daughters had been taken captive. 4 Then David and the men[d] who were with him wept loudly[e] until they could weep no more.[f] 5 David’s two wives had been taken captive—Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail the Carmelite, Nabal’s widow. 6 David was very upset, for the men[g] were thinking of stoning him;[h] each man grieved bitterly[i] over his sons and daughters. But David drew strength from the Lord his God.
7 Then David said to the priest Abiathar son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. 8 David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Should I pursue this raiding band? Will I overtake them?” He said to him, “Pursue, for you will certainly overtake them and carry out a rescue!”
9 So David went, accompanied by his 600 men. When he came to the Wadi Besor, those who were in the rear stayed there.[j] 10 David and 400 men continued the pursuit, but 200 men who were too exhausted to cross the Wadi Besor stayed there.
11 Then they found an Egyptian in the field and brought him to David. They gave him bread to eat and water to drink. 12 They gave him a slice of pressed figs and two bunches of raisins to eat. This greatly refreshed him,[k] for he had not eaten food or drunk water for three days and three nights. 13 David said to him, “To whom do you belong, and where are you from?” The young man said, “I am an Egyptian, the servant of an Amalekite man. My master abandoned me when I was ill for three days. 14 We conducted a raid on the Negev of the Kerethites, on the area of Judah, and on the Negev of Caleb. We burned Ziklag.”[l] 15 David said to him, “Can you take us 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 this raiding party.”
16 So he took David[m] down, and they found them spread out over the land. They were eating and drinking and enjoying themselves because of all the loot[n] they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. 17 But David struck them down from twilight until the following evening. None of them escaped, with the exception of 400 young men who got away on camels.[o] 18 David retrieved everything the Amalekites had taken; he[p] also rescued his two wives. 19 There was nothing missing, whether small or great. He retrieved sons and daughters, the plunder, and everything else they had taken.[q] David brought everything back. 20 David took all the flocks and herds and drove them in front of the rest of the animals. People were saying, “This is David’s plunder!”
21 Then David approached the 200 men who had been too exhausted to go with him,[r] those whom they had left at the Wadi Besor. They went out to meet David and the people who were with him. When David approached the people, he asked how they were doing. 22 But all the evil and worthless men among those who had gone with David said, “Since they didn’t go with us,[s] we won’t give them any of the loot we retrieved! They may take only their wives and children. Let them lead them away and be gone!”
23 But David said, “No! You shouldn’t do this, my brothers. Look at what the Lord has given us![t] He has protected us and has delivered into our hands the raiding party that came against us. 24 Who will listen to you in this matter? The portion of the one who went down into the battle will be the same as the portion of the one who remained with the equipment! Let their portions be the same!”
25 From that time onward it was a binding ordinance[u] for Israel, right up to the present time.
26 When David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah who were his friends, saying, “Here’s a gift[v] for you from the looting of the Lord’s enemies!” 27 The gift was for those in the following locations:[w] for those in Bethel, Ramoth Negev, and Jattir; 28 for those in Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa, 29 and Racal; for those in the cities of the Jerahmeelites and Kenites; 30 for those in Hormah, Bor Ashan, Athach, 31 and Hebron; and for those in whatever other places David and his men had traveled.
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- 1 Samuel 30:1 tn The Hebrew text adds “with fire.”
- 1 Samuel 30:2 tc The MT omits “and all,” while the LXX includes it. That the next verse refers to the children as well as the women argues in favor of it.
- 1 Samuel 30:3 tn Heb “and David and his men came to the city, and look, it was burned with fire.”
- 1 Samuel 30:4 tn Heb “people.”
- 1 Samuel 30:4 tn Heb “lifted up their voice and wept.”
- 1 Samuel 30:4 tn Heb “until there was no longer in them strength to weep.”
- 1 Samuel 30:6 tn Heb “people.”
- 1 Samuel 30:6 tn Heb “said to stone him.”
- 1 Samuel 30:6 tn Heb “for bitter was the soul of all the people, each one.”
- 1 Samuel 30:9 tn Heb “stood.” So also in v. 10.
- 1 Samuel 30:12 tn Heb “his spirit returned to him.”
- 1 Samuel 30:14 tn The Hebrew text adds “with fire.”
- 1 Samuel 30:16 tn Heb “him”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- 1 Samuel 30:16 tn Heb “because of all the large plunder.”
- 1 Samuel 30:17 tn Heb “who rode on camels and fled.”
- 1 Samuel 30:18 tn Heb “David.” The pronoun (“he”) has been substituted for the proper name in the translation for stylistic reasons.
- 1 Samuel 30:19 tn Heb “there was nothing missing to them, from the small even unto the great, and unto sons and daughters, and from loot even unto all which they had taken for themselves.”
- 1 Samuel 30:21 tn Heb “David.” The pronoun (“him”) has been substituted for the proper name in the translation for stylistic reasons.
- 1 Samuel 30:22 tc Heb “with me.” The singular is used rather than the plural because the group is being treated as a singular entity, in keeping with Hebrew idiom. It is not necessary to read “with us,” rather than the MT “with me,” although the plural can be found here in a few medieval Hebrew mss. See also the LXX, Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate, although these versions may simply reflect an understanding of the idiom as found in the MT rather than a different textual reading.
- 1 Samuel 30:23 tc This clause is difficult in the MT. The present translation accepts the text as found in the MT and understands this clause to be elliptical, with an understood verb such as “look” or “consider.” On the other hand, the LXX seems to reflect a slightly different Hebrew text, reading “after” where the MT has “my brothers.” The Greek translation yields the following translation: “You should not do this after the Lord has delivered us.” Although the Greek reading should be taken seriously, it seems better to follow the MT here.
- 1 Samuel 30:25 tn Heb “a statute and a judgment.” The expression is a hendiadys.
- 1 Samuel 30:26 tn Heb “blessing.”
- 1 Samuel 30:27 tn This sentence is not in the Hebrew text. It is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.
1 Samuel 30
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
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) 18 David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and David rescued his two wives. 19 Nothing was missing, whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that had been taken; David brought back everything.(L) 20 David also captured all the flocks and herds, which were driven ahead of the other cattle; people said, “This is David’s spoil.”(M)
21 Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow David and who had been left at the Wadi Besor. They went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him. When David drew near to the people, he saluted them.(N) 22 Then all the corrupt 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 take his wife and children and leave.” 23 But David said, “You shall not do so, my brothers, with what the Lord has given us; he has preserved us and handed over to us the raiding party that attacked us. 24 Who would listen to you in this matter? For the share of the one who goes down into the battle shall be the same as the share of the one who stays by the baggage; they shall share alike.”(O) 25 From that day forward he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel; it continues to the present day.
26 When 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.” 27 It was for those in Bethel, in Ramoth of the Negeb, in Jattir,(P) 28 in Aroer, in Siphmoth, in Eshtemoa,(Q) 29 in Racal, in the towns of the Jerahmeelites, in the towns of the Kenites,(R) 30 in Hormah, in Bor-ashan, in Athach,(S) 31 in Hebron, all the places where David and his men had roamed.(T)
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- 30.2 Gk: Heb lacks and all
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