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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1 Samuel 30
30
David’s War with the Amalekites
1On the third day, when David and his men arrived at Ziklag, he found that the Amalekites had raided southern Judah and Ziklag, attacking Ziklag and burning it. 2They captured the women and everyone, young and old, but they had not killed anyone. They had only taken them away.
3When David and his men came to Ziklag, they found the town had been burned and their wives, sons, and daughters had been taken as prisoners. 4Then David and his army cried loudly until they were too weak to cry anymore. 5David’s two wives had also been taken—Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal from Carmel. 6The men in the army were threatening to kill David with stones, which greatly upset David. Each man was sad and angry because his sons and daughters had been captured, but David found strength in the Lord his God. 7David said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring me the holy vest.”
8Then David asked the Lord, “Should I chase the people who took our families? Will I catch them?”
The Lord answered, “Chase them. You will catch them, and you will succeed in saving your families.”
9David and the six hundred men with him came to the Besor Ravine, where some of the men stayed. 10David and four hundred men kept up the chase. The other two hundred men stayed behind because they were too tired to cross the ravine.
11They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David. They gave the Egyptian some water to drink and some food to eat. 12And they gave him a piece of a fig cake and two clusters of raisins. Then he felt better, because he had not eaten any food or drunk any water for three days and nights.
13David asked him, “Who is your master? Where do you come from?”
He answered, “I’m an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite. Three days ago my master left me, because I was sick. 14We had raided the southern area of the Kerethites, the land of Judah, and the southern area of Caleb. We burned Ziklag, as well.”
15David asked him, “Can you lead me to the people who took our families?”
He answered, “Yes, if you promise me before God that you won’t kill me or give me back to my master. Then I will take you to them.”
16So the Egyptian led David to the Amalekites. They were lying around on the ground, eating and drinking and celebrating with the things they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from Judah. 17David fought them from sunset until the evening of the next day. None of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode off on their camels. 18David got his two wives back and everything the Amalekites had taken. 19Nothing was missing. David brought back everyone, young and old, sons and daughters. He recovered the valuable things and everything the Amalekites had taken. 20David took all the sheep and cattle, and his men made these animals go in front, saying, “They are David’s prize.”
21Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too tired to follow him, who had stayed at the Besor Ravine. They came out to meet David and the people with him. When he came near, David greeted the men at the ravine.
22But the evil men and troublemakers among those who followed David said, “Since these two hundred men didn’t go with us, we shouldn’t give them any of the things we recovered. Just let each man take his wife and children and go.”
23David answered, “No, my brothers. Don’t do that after what the Lord has given us. He has protected us and given us the enemy who attacked us. 24Who will listen to what you say? The share will be the same for the one who stayed with the supplies as for the one who went into battle. All will share alike.” 25David made this an order and rule for Israel, which continues even today.
26When David arrived in Ziklag, he sent some of the things he had taken from the Amalekites to his friends, the leaders of Judah. He said, “Here is a present for you from the things we took from the Lord’s enemies.”
27David also sent some things to the leaders in Bethel, Ramoth in the southern part of Judah, Jattir, 28Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa, 29Racal, the cities of the Jerahmeelites and the Kenites, 30Hormah, Bor Ashan, Athach, 31Hebron, and to the people in all the other places where he and his men had been.
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The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.