1 Samuel 30
Holman Christian Standard Bible
David’s Defeat of the Amalekites
30 David and his men(A) arrived in Ziklag(B) on the third day. The Amalekites(C) had raided the Negev and attacked and burned down Ziklag. 2 They also had kidnapped the women and everyone[a] in it from the youngest to the oldest. They had killed no one but had carried them off(D) as they went on their way.
3 When David and his men arrived at the town, they found it burned down. Their wives, sons, and daughters had been kidnapped. 4 David and the troops with him wept loudly until they had no strength left to weep. 5 David’s two wives,(E) Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, had also been kidnapped. 6 David was in a difficult position because the troops talked about stoning him,(F) for they were all very bitter over the loss of their sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God.(G)
7 David said to Abiathar the priest, son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.”(H) So Abiathar brought it to him, 8 and David asked the Lord:(I) “Should I pursue these raiders? Will I overtake them?”(J)
The Lord replied to him, “Pursue them, for you will certainly overtake them and rescue the people.”(K)
9 David and the 600 men with him(L) went as far as the Wadi Besor, where 200 men who were to remain behind would stop.(M) 10 They stopped because they were too exhausted to cross the Wadi Besor. David and 400 of the men continued in pursuit.
11 They found an Egyptian in the open country and brought him to David. They gave him some bread to eat and water to drink. 12 Then they gave him some pressed figs and two clusters of raisins. After he ate he revived,(N) for he hadn’t eaten food or drunk water for three days and three nights.
13 Then 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. 14 We raided the south country of the Cherethites,(O) the territory of Judah, and the south country of Caleb,(P) and we burned down Ziklag.”(Q)
15 David 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.”
16 So 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(R) they had taken from the land of the Philistines and the land of Judah. 17 David slaughtered them from twilight until the evening of the next day.(S) None of them escaped, except 400 young men who got on camels and fled.(T)
18 David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken; he also rescued his two wives. 19 Nothing 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.(U) 20 He took all the sheep and cattle, which were driven ahead of the other livestock, and the people shouted, “This is David’s plunder!”(V)
21 When David came to the 200 men who had been too exhausted to go with him and had been left at the Wadi Besor,(W) they came out to meet him and to meet the troops with him. When David approached the men, he greeted them, 22 but 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.”
23 But 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. 24 Who 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.”(X) 25 And 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.
26 When David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to his friends, the elders of Judah, saying, “Here is a gift for you(Y) from the plunder of the Lord’s enemies.”(Z) 27 He sent gifts to those in Bethel,(AA) in Ramoth of the Negev,(AB) and in Jattir;(AC) 28 to those in Aroer,(AD) in Siphmoth,(AE) and in Eshtemoa;(AF) 29 to those in Racal, in the towns of the Jerahmeelites,(AG) and in the towns of the Kenites;(AH) 30 to those in Hormah,(AI) in Bor-ashan,(AJ) and in Athach; 31 to those in Hebron,(AK) and to those in all the places where David and his men had roamed.(AL)
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- 1 Samuel 30:2 LXX; MT omits and everyone
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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