1 Samuel 30
World English Bible
30 When David and his men had come to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made a raid on the South, and on Ziklag, and had struck Ziklag, and burned it with fire, 2 and had taken captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great. They didn’t kill any, but 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, their sons, and their daughters were taken captive. 4 Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voice and wept until they had no more power to weep. 5 David’s two wives were taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. 6 David was greatly distressed; for the people spoke of stoning him, because the souls of all the people were grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters; but David strengthened himself in Yahweh his God. 7 David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Please bring the ephod here to me.”
Abiathar brought the ephod to David. 8 David inquired of Yahweh, saying, “If I pursue after this troop, will I overtake them?”
He answered him, “Pursue; for you will surely overtake them, and will without fail recover all.”
9 So David went, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those who were left behind stayed. 10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men; for two hundred stayed behind, who were so faint that they couldn’t go over the brook Besor. 11 They found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he ate; and they gave him water to drink. 12 They gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins. When he had eaten, his spirit came again to him; for he had eaten no bread, and drank no water for three days and three nights. 13 David asked him, “To whom do you belong? Where are you from?”
He said, “I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days ago I got sick. 14 We made a raid on the South of the Cherethites, and on that which belongs to Judah, and on the South of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.”
15 David said to him, “Will you bring me down to this troop?”
He said, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me and not deliver me up into the hands of my master, and I will bring you down to this troop.”
16 When he had brought him down, behold, they were spread around over all the ground, eating, drinking, and dancing, because of all the great plunder that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah. 17 David struck them from the twilight even to the evening of the next day. Not a man of them escaped from there, except four hundred young men, who rode on camels and fled. 18 David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and David rescued his two wives. 19 There was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither plunder, nor anything that they had taken. David brought them all back. 20 David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drove before those other livestock, and said, “This is David’s plunder.”
21 David came to the two hundred men, who were so faint that they could not follow David, whom also they had made to stay at the brook Besor; and they went out to meet David, and to meet the people who were with him. When David came near to the people, he greeted them. 22 Then all the wicked men and worthless fellows, of those who went with David, answered and said, “Because they didn’t go with us, we will not give them anything of the plunder that we have recovered, except to every man his wife and his children, that he may lead them away, and depart.”
23 Then David said, “Do not do so, my brothers, with that which Yahweh has given to us, who has preserved us, and delivered the troop that came against us into our hand. 24 Who will listen to you in this matter? For as his share is who goes down to the battle, so shall his share be who stays with the baggage. They shall share alike.” 25 It was so from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day. 26 When David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah, even to his friends, saying, “Behold, a present for you from the plunder of Yahweh’s enemies.” 27 He sent it to those who were in Bethel, to those who were in Ramoth of the South, to those who were in Jattir, 28 to those who were in Aroer, to those who were in Siphmoth, to those who were in Eshtemoa, 29 to those who were in Racal, to those who were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, to those who were in the cities of the Kenites, 30 to those who were in Hormah, to those who were in Borashan, to those who were in Athach, 31 to those who were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men used to stay.
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1 Samuel 30
International Standard Version
Trouble on David’s Return to Ziklag
30 When David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had raided the Negev[a] and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and set it on fire. 2 They took the women in it captive, from young to old.[b] They did not kill anyone. Instead, they carried them off and went on their way. 3 David and his men came to the town, and it had been burned down. Their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive. 4 Then David and the people who were with him lifted their voices and cried until they had no more strength left to cry. 5 David’s two wives, Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, Nabal’s former[c] wife, had been captured. 6 David was in great danger[d] because all the people were bitter because of their sons and daughters, and they were talking about stoning him. But David found strength[e] in the Lord his God.
David Pursues the Amalekites
7 David told Ahimelech’s son Abiathar the priest, “Bring me the ephod.”[f] So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. 8 David inquired of the Lord: “Shall I pursue this raiding party?[g] Will I overtake them?”
The Lord[h] told David,[i] “Pursue them! You will definitely overtake them and rescue the captives.”[j] 9 So David and 600 men who were with him set out. They came to the Wadi[k] Besor where those who were left behind stayed. 10 David and 400 men continued the pursuit,[l] while the 200 men who were too exhausted to cross over the Wadi[m] Besor remained there.[n]
An Egyptian Leads David to the Amalekites
11 They found an Egyptian man in the field, and they took him to David. They gave him food to eat and provided water for him. 12 They gave him part of a fig cake and two bunches of raisins. After he had eaten, he revived,[o] since he had neither eaten food nor had he drunk water for three days and three nights. 13 David told him, “To whom do you belong and where are you from?”
The Egyptian[p] replied, “I’m a young Egyptian man, the slave of an Amalekite man. My master abandoned me, because I got sick three days ago. 14 We raided the Negev[q] of the Cherethites, the territory that belongs to Judah,[r] and the Negev[s] of Caleb, and we set Ziklag on fire.”
15 David asked him, “Will you take me to this raiding party?”[t]
He said, “Swear to me by God that you won’t kill me or turn me over to my master, and I’ll take you to the raiding party.”[u]
David Defeats the Amalekites
16 The Egyptian[v] led him to the camp,[w] and there the Amalekites[x] were spread out over the whole area, eating, drinking, and celebrating with the great amount of spoil they had taken from the territory belonging to the Philistines and to Judah. 17 David struck them down from twilight until the evening of the next day, and not one of them escaped except for 400 young men who mounted camels and fled. 18 David rescued everyone whom the Amalekites[y] had captured, including[z] his two wives. 19 Nothing of theirs was missing, whether small or large, sons or daughters, spoil, or anything that they had taken for themselves—David brought back everything. 20 David took all the rest of[aa] the sheep and cattle, driving them ahead of their rescued livestock.[ab] People said about all this,[ac] “This is David’s spoil.”
David Divides the Spoil
21 David came to the 200 men who were too exhausted to follow him[ad] and who had been left at the Wadi[ae] Besor. They came out to meet David and the people who were with him. As David approached the people, he asked them how they were doing.[af] 22 At this point, all the wicked and worthless men of the group who had gone with David answered, “Because they didn’t go with us, we won’t give them any of the spoil that we recovered, except that each person may take his wife and his children and go.”
23 David said, “No, you won’t do this, my brothers, with what the Lord has given us. He guarded us and gave the raiding party[ag] that came against us into our hand. 24 Who will listen to you in this matter? Indeed, the share of those who went down into battle and the share of those who stayed with the supplies will be the same. They’ll share alike.” 25 From that day forward he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel, and it remains[ah] to this present[ai] day.
David Shares the Spoil with the People of Judah
26 David came to Ziklag, and he sent some of the spoil to the elders of Judah, and to his friends, telling them, “Look, this is a gift for you from the spoil of the enemies of the Lord 27 in Bethel, Ramoth-negev, Jattir, 28 Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa, 29 Rachal, in the Jerahmeelite towns, in the Kenite towns, 30 in Hormah, Bor-ashan, Athach, 31 Hebron, and for all those places where David and his men had frequented.”
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- 1 Samuel 30:1 I.e. the southern region of Israel; cf. Josh 10:40
- 1 Samuel 30:2 Lit. from small to great
- 1 Samuel 30:5 The Heb. lacks former
- 1 Samuel 30:6 Or greatly distressed
- 1 Samuel 30:6 Or strengthened himself
- 1 Samuel 30:7 The ephod was a type of vest worn by the priest and was used to determine God’s will.
- 1 Samuel 30:8 Or band
- 1 Samuel 30:8 Lit. He
- 1 Samuel 30:8 Lit. him
- 1 Samuel 30:8 Lit. and you will definitely rescue
- 1 Samuel 30:9 I.e. a seasonal stream or river that channels water during rain seasons but is dry at other times
- 1 Samuel 30:10 Lit. pursued
- 1 Samuel 30:10 I.e. a seasonal stream or river that channels water during rain seasons but is dry at other times
- 1 Samuel 30:10 The Heb. lacks there
- 1 Samuel 30:12 Lit. his spirit revived
- 1 Samuel 30:13 Lit. He
- 1 Samuel 30:14 Or the southern region
- 1 Samuel 30:14 Lit. what belongs to Judah
- 1 Samuel 30:14 Or the southern region
- 1 Samuel 30:15 Or band
- 1 Samuel 30:15 Or band
- 1 Samuel 30:16 Lit. He
- 1 Samuel 30:16 Lit. him down
- 1 Samuel 30:16 Lit. they
- 1 Samuel 30:18 Lit. whom Amalek; i.e., those who lived in the town of Amalek
- 1 Samuel 30:18 Lit. captured, and David rescued
- 1 Samuel 30:20 The Heb. lacks the rest of
- 1 Samuel 30:20 Lit. ahead of those livestock
- 1 Samuel 30:20 Lit. about them
- 1 Samuel 30:21 Lit. David
- 1 Samuel 30:21 I.e. a seasonal stream or river that channels water during rain seasons but is dry at other times
- 1 Samuel 30:21 Or he greeted them
- 1 Samuel 30:23 Or band
- 1 Samuel 30:25 The Heb. lacks and it remains
- 1 Samuel 30:25 The Heb. lacks present
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