1 Samuel 30
Revised Geneva Translation
30 But when David and his men had come to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had invaded in the South, to Ziklag, and had struck Ziklag and burnt it with fire
2 and had taken the women, who were prisoners there, both small and great. They had not killed any man but had carried them away, and had gone their ways.
3 So David and his men came to the city. And behold, it was burnt with fire. And their wives and their sons and their daughters had been taken prisoners.
4 Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept until they could weep no more.
5 David’s two wives had been taken prisoners also, Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
6 And David was in great sorrow. For the people intended to stone him because the hearts of all the people were troubled, each man’s for his sons and for his daughters. But David comforted himself in the LORD his God.
7 And David said to Abiathar the Priest, Ahimelech’s son, “Please bring me the ephod.” And Abiathar brought the ephod to David.
8 Then David asked counsel of the LORD, saying, “Shall I follow after this company? Shall I overtake them?” And He answered him, “Follow. For you shall surely overtake them and recover all.”
9 So David and the six hundred men who were with him went, and came to the river Besor, where some of them stayed.
10 But David and four hundred men pursued (for two hundred stayed behind, being too weary to go over the river Besor).
11 And 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 Also, they gave him a few figs and two clusters of raisins. And when he had eaten, his spirit came back to him. For he had eaten no bread or drunk any water for three days and three nights.
13 And David said to him, “To whom do you belong? And from where do you come?” And he said, “I am a young man of Egypt, and servant to an Amalekite. And my master left me three days ago because I fell sick.
14 “We raided the South of Chereth, and upon the territory belonging to Judah, and upon the South of Caleb. And we burnt Ziklag with fire.”
15 And David said to him, “Can you bring me to this company?” And he said, “Swear to me by God that you will neither kill me nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring you to this company.”
16 And when he had brought him there, behold, they lay scattered all over the earth, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines and out of the land of Judah.
17 And David struck them from the twilight until the evening of the next day, so that there did not escape a man from them, except four hundred young men who rode upon camels and fled.
18 And David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken. Also, David rescued his two wives.
19 And they lacked nothing, small or great, son or daughter, or of the plunder of all that they had taken away. David recovered them all.
20 David also took all the sheep and the oxen. And they drove them before his cattle, and said, “This is David’s spoil!”
21 And David came to the two hundred men who were too weary to follow David, whom they had also made stay at the river Besor. And they came to meet David, and to meet the people who were with him. So when David came near to the people, he greeted them.
22 Then all the evil and wicked of the men who went with David answered, and said, “Because they did not go with us, therefore will we give them none of the spoil that we have recovered, except each man’s wife and children. Therefore, let them carry them away and depart.”
23 Then David said, “You shall not do so, my brethren, with that which the LORD has given us, Who has preserved us and delivered the company that came against us into our hands.
24 “For who will obey you in this matter? But just as his part is who goes down to the battle, so shall his part be who waits by the stuff. They shall share alike.”
25 So, from that day forward, he made it a statute and a law in Israel, until this day.
26 Therefore, when David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the spoil to the elders of Judah and to his friends, saying, “Behold, a blessing for you from the spoil of the enemies of the LORD.”
27 He sent to them of Bethel, and to them of South Ramoth, and to them of Jattir,
28 and to them of Aroer, and to them of Siphmoth, and to them of Eshtemoa,
29 and to them of Rachal, and to them of the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to them of the cities of the Kenites,
30 and to them of Hormah, and to them of Chorashan, and to them of Athach,
31 and to them of Hebron, and to all the places where David and his men had walked.
1 Samuel 30
New King James Version
David’s Conflict with the Amalekites
30 Now it happened, when David and his men came to (A)Ziklag, on the third day, that the (B)Amalekites had invaded the South and Ziklag, attacked Ziklag and burned it with fire, 2 and had taken captive the (C)women and those who were there, from small to great; they did not kill anyone, but carried them away and went their way. 3 So David and his men came to the city, and there it was, burned with fire; and their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive. 4 Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep. 5 And David’s two (D)wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, had been taken captive. 6 Now David was greatly distressed, for (E)the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was [a]grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. (F)But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.
7 (G)Then David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, “Please bring the ephod here to me.” And (H)Abiathar brought the ephod to David. 8 (I)So David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?”
And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and 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 stayed who were left behind. 10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men; (J)for two hundred stayed behind, who were so weary that they could not cross the Brook Besor.
11 Then they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David; and they gave him bread and he ate, and they let him drink water. 12 And they gave him a piece of (K)a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. So (L)when he had eaten, his strength came back to him; for he had eaten no bread nor drunk water for three days and three nights. 13 Then David said to him, “To whom do you belong, and where are you from?”
And he said, “I am a young man from Egypt, servant of an Amalekite; and my master left me behind, because three days ago I fell sick. 14 We made an invasion of the southern area of (M)the Cherethites, in the territory which belongs to Judah, and of the southern area (N)of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.”
15 And David said to him, “Can you take me down to this troop?”
So he said, “Swear to me by God that you will neither kill me nor deliver me into the hands of my (O)master, and I will take you down to this troop.”
16 And when he had brought him down, there they were, spread out over all the land, (P)eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil which they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. 17 Then David attacked them from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled. 18 So David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, and David rescued his two wives. 19 And nothing of theirs was lacking, either small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything which they had taken from them; (Q)David recovered all. 20 Then David took all the flocks and herds they had driven before those other livestock, and said, “This is David’s spoil.”
21 Now David came to the (R)two hundred men who had been so weary that they could not follow David, whom they also had made to stay at the Brook Besor. So they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him. And when David came near the people, he [b]greeted them. 22 Then all the wicked and (S)worthless[c] men of those who went with David answered and said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except for every man’s wife and children, that they may lead them away and depart.”
23 But David said, “My brethren, you shall not do so with what the Lord has given us, who has preserved us and delivered into our hand the troop that came against us. 24 For who will heed you in this matter? But (T)as his part is who goes down to the battle, so shall his part be who stays by the supplies; they shall share alike.” 25 So it was, from that day forward; he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.
26 Now when David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the [d]spoil to the elders of Judah, to his friends, saying, “Here is a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of the Lord”— 27 to those who were in Bethel, those who were in (U)Ramoth of the South, those who were in (V)Jattir, 28 those who were in (W)Aroer, those who were in (X)Siphmoth, those who were in (Y)Eshtemoa, 29 those who were in Rachal, those who were in the cities of (Z)the Jerahmeelites, those who were in the cities of the (AA)Kenites, 30 those who were in (AB)Hormah, those who were in [e]Chorashan, those who were in Athach, 31 those who were in (AC)Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were accustomed to (AD)rove.
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 30:6 Lit. bitter
- 1 Samuel 30:21 asked them concerning their welfare
- 1 Samuel 30:22 Lit. men of Belial
- 1 Samuel 30:26 booty
- 1 Samuel 30:30 Or Borashan
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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
