1 Samuel 30
30
David’s Defeat of the Amalekites
1David and his men#Gn 14:1–16 arrived in Ziklag#1Sm 27:6,8 on the third day. The Amalekites#1Sm 15:7; 27:8–10 had raided the Negev and attacked and burned Ziklag. 2They also had kidnapped the women and everyone#30:2 LXX; MT omits and everyone in it from youngest to oldest. They had killed no one but had carried them off#1Sm 27:11 as they went on their way.
3When David and his men arrived at the town, they found it burned. Their wives, sons, and daughters had been kidnapped. 4David and the troops with him wept loudly until they had no strength left to weep. 5David’s two wives,#1Sm 25:42–43 Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, had also been kidnapped. 6David was in an extremely difficult position because the troops talked about stoning him,#Ex 17:4 for they were all very bitter over the loss of their sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God.#1Sm 23:16; Ps 18:2; 27:14
7David said to the priest Abiathar son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.”#1Sm 23:6–9 So Abiathar brought it to him, 8and David asked the Lord,#1Sm 23:2,4 “Should I pursue these raiders? Will I overtake them?” #Ex 15:9
The Lord replied to him, “Pursue them, for you will certainly overtake them and rescue the people.”#1Sm 30:18
9So David and the six hundred men with him#1Sm 27:2 went. They came to the Wadi Besor, where some stayed behind.#1Sm 30:21 10David and four hundred of the men continued the pursuit, while two hundred stopped because they were too exhausted to cross the Wadi Besor.
11David’s men found an Egyptian in the open country and brought him to David. They gave him some bread to eat and water to drink. 12Then they gave him some pressed figs and two clusters of raisins. After he ate he revived,#Jdg 15:19 for he hadn’t eaten food or drunk water for three days and three nights.
13Then 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. 14We raided the south country of the Cherethites,#1Sm 30:16; 2Sm 8:18; Ezk 25:16 the territory of Judah, and the south country of Caleb,#Jos 14:13; 21:11–12 and we burned Ziklag.”#1Sm 30:1
15David 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.”
16So 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#1Sm 30:14 they had taken from the land of the Philistines and the land of Judah. 17David slaughtered them from twilight until the evening of the next day.#1Sm 11:11 None of them escaped, except four hundred young men who got on camels and fled.#Jdg 7:12; 1Sm 15:3
18David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken; he also rescued his two wives. 19Nothing of theirs was missing from the youngest to the oldest, including the sons and daughters, and all the plunder the Amalekites had taken. David got everything back.#1Sm 30:8 20He took all the flocks and herds, which were driven ahead of the other livestock, and the people shouted, “This is David’s plunder!” #1Sm 30:26–31
21When David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to go with him and had been left at the Wadi Besor,#1Sm 30:9–10 they came out to meet him and to meet the troops with him. When David approached the men, he greeted them, 22but 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.”
23But 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. 24Who 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.”#Nm 31:25–27; Jos 22:8 25And it has been so from that day forward. David established this policy#30:25 this policy supplied for clarity as a law and an ordinance for Israel and it still continues today.
26When David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to his friends, the elders of Judah, saying, “Here is a gift for you#1Sm 25:27 from the plunder of the Lord’s enemies.”#1Sm 18:17; 25:28 27He sent gifts#30:27 He sent gifts supplied for clarity to those in Bethel,#Jos 15:30; 19:4 in Ramoth of the Negev,#Jos 19:8 and in Jattir;#Jos 15:48; 21:14 28to those in Aroer,#1Ch 11:44 in Siphmoth,#1Ch 27:27 and in Eshtemoa;#Jos 15:50 29to those in Racal, in the towns of the Jerahmeelites,#1Sm 27:10 and in the towns of the Kenites;#1Sm 15:6 30to those in Hormah,#Jos 12:14; 15:30; 19:4 in Bor-ashan,#Jos 15:42; 19:7 and in Athach; 31to those in Hebron,#Nm 13:22; Jos 14:13–15; 21:11–13 and to those in all the places where David and his men had roamed.#1Sm 23:22
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1 Samuel 30: CSB
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© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
1 Kings 30
30
1Now, when David and his men were come to Siceleg on the third day, the Amalecites had made an invasion on the south side upon Siceleg, and had smitten Siceleg, and burnt it with fire.
2And had taken the women captives that were in it, both little and great: and they had not killed any person, but had carried them with them, and went on their way.
3So when David and his men came to the city, and found it burnt with fire, and that their wives and their sons, and their daughters were taken captives,
4David and the people that were with him lifted up their voices, and wept till they had no more tears.
5For the two wives also of David were taken captives, Achinoam the Jezrahelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal of Carmel.
6And David was greatly afflicted. For the people had a mind to stone him, for the soul of every man was bitterly grieved for his sons, and daughters. But David took courage in the Lord his God.
7And he said to Abiathar the priest the son of Achimelech: Bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought the ephod to David.
8And David consulted the Lord, saying: Shall I pursue after these robbers, and shall I overtake them, or not? And the Lord said to him: Pursue after them. For thou shalt surely overtake them and recover the prey.
9So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him. And they came to the torrent Besor: and some being weary stayed there.
10But David pursued, he and four hundred men: for two hundred stayed, who being weary could not go over the torrent Besor.
11And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David: and they gave him bread to eat, and water to drink,
12As also a piece of a cake of figs, and two bunches of raisins. And when he had eaten them his spirit returned, and he was refreshed: for he had not eaten bread, nor drunk water three days, and three nights.
13And David said to him: To whom dost thou belong? Or whence dost thou come? And whither art thou going? He said: I am a young man of Egypt, the servant of an Amalecite: and my master left me, because I began to be sick three days ago.
14For we made an invasion on the south side of Cerethi, and upon Juda, and upon the south of Caleb, and we burnt Siceleg with fire.
15And David said to him: Canst thou bring me to this company? And he said: Swear to me by God, that thou wilt not kill me, nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee to this company. And David swore to him.
16And when he had brought him, behold they were lying spread upon all the ground, eating and drinking, and as it were keeping a festival day, for all the prey, and the spoils which they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Juda.
17And David slew them from the evening unto the evening of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, but four hundred young men, who had gotten upon camels, and fled.
18So David recovered all that the Amalecites had taken; and he rescued his two wives.
19And there was nothing missing small or great, neither of their sons or their daughters, nor of the spoils: and whatsoever they had taken David recovered all.
20And he took all the flocks and the herds, and made them go before him. And they said: This is the prey of David.
21And David came to the two hundred men, who being weary had stayed, and were not able to follow David, and he had ordered them to abide at the torrent Besor. And they came out to meet David, and the people that were with him. And David coming to the people saluted them peaceably.
22Then all the wicked and unjust men that had gone with David answering, said: Because they came not with us, we will not give them any thing of the prey which we have recovered. But let every man take his wife and his children, and be contented with them, and go his way.
23But David said: You shall not do so, my brethren, with these things, which the Lord hath given us, who hath kept us, and hath delivered the robbers that invaded us into our hands.
24And no man shall hearken to you in this matter. But equal shall be the portion of him that went down to battle and of him that abode at the baggage; and they shall divide alike.
25And this hath been done from that day forward, and since was made a statute, and an ordinance, and as a law in Israel.
26Then David came to Siceleg, and sent presents of the prey to the ancients of Juda his neighbours, saying: Receive a blessing of the prey of the enemies of the Lord.
27To them that were in Bethel, and that were in Ramoth to the south, and to them that were in Jether,
28And to them that were in Aroer and that were in Sephamoth, and that were in Esthamo,
29And that were in Rachal, and that were in the cities of Jerameel, and that were in the cities of Ceni,
30And that were in Arama, and that were in the lake Asan, and that were in Athach,
31And that were in Hebron, and to the rest that were in those places, in which David had abode with his men.
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An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.