1 Samuel 30
30
David’s Wives Are Captured
1Now when David and his men came to #ch. 29:4, 11 Ziklag on the third day, #ch. 27:8; [ch. 15:3, 7] the Amalekites had #ver. 14made a raid against the Negeb and against Ziklag. They had overcome Ziklag and burned it with fire 2and taken captive the women and all#30:2 Septuagint; Hebrew lacks and all who were in it, both small and great. They killed no one, but carried them off and went their way. 3And when David and his men came to the city, they found it burned with fire, and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. 4Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until they had no more strength to weep. 5David’s #See ch. 25:42, 43two wives also had been taken captive, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 6And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke #[Ex. 17:4; Num. 14:10]of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul,#30:6 Compare 22:2 each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.
7 # ch. 23:6, 9 And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. 8#See ch. 22:10 And David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I pursue after this #[1 Chr. 12:21] band? Shall I overtake them?” He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake #ver. 18and shall surely rescue.” 9So David set out, and #See ch. 23:13the six hundred men who were with him, and they came to the brook Besor, where those who were left behind stayed. 10But David pursued, he and four hundred men. #ver. 21Two hundred stayed behind, who were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor.
11They found an Egyptian in the open country and brought him to David. And they gave him bread and he ate. They gave him water to drink, 12and they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. And when he had eaten, #Judg. 15:19; [ch. 14:27]his spirit revived, for he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights. 13And David said to him, “To whom do you belong? And where are you from?” He said, “I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite, and my master left me behind because I fell sick three days ago. 14#ver. 1 We had made a raid against the Negeb of #2 Sam. 8:18; 15:18; 20:7, 23; 1 Kgs. 1:38, 44; 1 Chr. 18:17; [Ezek. 25:16; Zeph. 2:5]the Cherethites and against that which belongs to Judah and against the Negeb of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag with fire.” 15And David said to him, “Will you take me down to this band?” And he said, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will take you down to this #[ch. 25:3]band.”
David Defeats the Amalekites
16And when he had taken him down, behold, they were spread abroad over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. 17And David struck them down from twilight until the evening of the next day, and not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men, who mounted camels and fled. 18#ver. 8David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and David rescued his two wives. 19Nothing was missing, whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that had been taken. #[See ver. 18 above]David brought back all. 20David also captured all the flocks and herds, and the people drove the livestock before him,#30:20 The meaning of the Hebrew clause is uncertain and said, “This is David’s spoil.”
21Then David came to #ver. 10the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow David, and who had been left #ver. 10at the brook Besor. And they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him. And when David came near to the people he greeted them. 22Then all the wicked 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 lead away his wife and children, and depart.” 23But David said, “You shall not do so, my brothers, with what the Lord has given us. He has preserved us and given into our hand the band that came against us. 24Who would listen to you in this matter? #[Num. 31:27; Josh. 22:8]For as his share is who goes down into the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the baggage. They shall share alike.” 25And he made it a statute and a rule for Israel from that day forward to this day.
26When 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.” 27It was for those in #Gen. 28:19; See Judg. 1:22-26 Bethel, in Ramoth of the Negeb, in #Josh. 15:48Jattir, 28in #Deut. 2:36; Josh. 13:16 Aroer, in Siphmoth, in #Josh. 15:50Eshtemoa, 29in Racal, in the cities of #ch. 27:10 the Jerahmeelites, in the cities of #See Judg. 1:16the Kenites, 30in #Judg. 1:17Hormah, in Bor-ashan, in Athach, 31in #Josh. 14:13-15; Judg. 1:10; 2 Sam. 2:1-4Hebron, for all the places where David and his men had roamed.
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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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Sh'mu'el Alef (1 Sa) 30
30
1Three days later, when David and his men arrived in Ziklag, they found that the ‘Amaleki had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had sacked Ziklag and burned it down; 2and they had taken captive the women and everyone there, great and small. They hadn’t killed anyone but had carried them off as they went on their way. 3So when David and his men arrived at the city, there it was, burned down, with their wives, sons and daughters taken captive. 4Then David and the people with him cried aloud until they had no more power to cry. 5David’s two wives had been taken captive — Achino‘am from Yizre‘el and Avigayil the widow of Naval from Karmel.
6David was in serious trouble: the people were talking about stoning him to death, because all the people were in such deep grief, each man over his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in Adonai his God. 7David said to Avyatar the cohen, the son of Achimelekh, “Please bring the ritual vest here to me.” Avyatar brought the vest to David. 8Then David consulted Adonai. He asked, “Should I go in pursuit of these raiders? Will I catch up with them?” And [Adonai] answered him, “Go in pursuit, because you will overtake them and recover everyone and everything.” 9So David went, he and the six hundred men with him. They came to Vadi B’sor, where those who were to stay behind waited. 10Then David continued in pursuit with four hundred men, while two hundred too exhausted to cross Vadi B’sor stayed behind.
11They found an Egyptian in the countryside and brought him to David. They gave him some bread to eat and water to drink; 12they also gave him a lump of dried figs and two bunches of raisins. After eating, he revived; because he hadn’t eaten anything or drunk any water for three days and nights. 13David asked him, “To whom do you belong, and where are you from?” He answered, “I’m an Egyptian boy, the slave of an ‘Amaleki. My master abandoned me three days ago, because I got sick. 14We raided the Negev of the K’reti, the Negev of Y’hudah and the Negev of Kalev; and we burned down Ziklag.” 15David asked him, “Will you lead me down to this raiding party?” He said, “If you will swear by God to me that you won’t kill me or hand me back to my master, I will lead you down to the raiders.” 16He led them down, and there they were, spread out all over the ground, eating, drinking and celebrating how much spoil they had taken from the territory of the P’lishtim and the territory of Y’hudah. 17David attacked them from dawn until the evening of the next day. Not one of them escaped, except for 400 young men who jumped on camels and got away. 18David recovered all that the ‘Amaleki had taken; he also rescued his two wives. 19They found nothing missing, big or little — not sons, not daughters, not plundered goods or anything else they had taken — David brought it all back. 20David took all the flocks and herds and drove them ahead of their own livestock, announcing, “This is David’s spoil.”
21David came to where the two hundred men were who had been too exhausted to follow him, whom they had let stay at Vadi B’sor. They came out to meet David and the people with him. When David approached them he greeted them. 22But some of the men who had gone with David were evil men, scoundrels; and they said, “They didn’t go with us, so we’re not giving them any of the property we’ve recovered. Each man can take his wife and children and leave.” 23Then David said, “No, my brothers, don’t do this with the goods Adonai has given us. He protected us, and he handed the raiding party over to us. 24Anyhow, no one agrees with you about this. No, the share of someone who stays with the equipment will be the same as the share of someone who goes out and fights — they will share equally.” 25It has been that way from that day on; he established it as a ruling for Isra’el to this day.
26When David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the spoil to the leaders of Y’hudah who were his friends with a note, “Here is a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of Adonai.” 27He sent such gifts
to those in Beit-El,
to those in Ramot,
to those in Yatir,
28to those in ‘Aro‘er,
to those in Sifmot,
to those in Esht’moa,
29to those in Rakhal,
to those in Yerachme’eli,
to those in the cities of the Keni,
30to those in Hormah,
to those in Kor-‘Ashan,
to those in ‘Atakh,
31to those in Hevron,
and to all the places where David and his men had frequently visited.
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