1 Samuel 30:8-23

8David asked the Lord, ‘Should I chase after the men who attacked our town? Will I catch them?’ The Lord answered, ‘Yes, chase after them and you will certainly catch them. You will rescue your families.’

9So David and his 600 men left Ziklag. They arrived at Besor stream. Some of the men were too tired to go across the valley. So 200 men remained there. David and the other 400 men continued to chase after the Amalekites.

11David's men found an Egyptian man in a field. They took him to David. They gave the man some water to drink and food to eat.

12They gave him some dried figs and some raisins. Then he became stronger, because he had not eaten any food or drunk any water for three days.

13David asked the man, ‘Who is your master? Where do you come from?’ The young man answered, ‘I am an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite man. My master left me here three days ago because I was ill.

14We had attacked the south part of Judah, where the Kerethites live. We also attacked the land where the people of Caleb's clan live. We destroyed Ziklag with fire too.’

15David said to him, ‘Can you take me to find these men?’ The man said, ‘Please promise me in God's name that you will not kill me. Promise me that you will not take me back to my master. If you do that, I will lead you to find them.’

16So the Egyptian man took David to find the Amalekites. The men were sitting everywhere, all over the ground. They were having a party, eating and drinking. They were happy because they had taken so many things from the towns of the Philistines and from the people in Judah.

17That evening, David attacked the Amalekites. The fight continued until the next evening. David and his men killed all the Amalekites except for 400 young men. Those 400 men rode away on their camels.

18David got back everything that the Amalekites had taken. And he rescued his two wives.

19The people had lost nothing. David brought everyone back, the young people and the old people, the sons and the daughters. He brought back all the valuable things and everything that the Amalekites had taken.

20David took all the sheep, goats and cows from the Amalekites. His men led these animals in front of the other animals. They said, ‘These animals will belong to David!’

21David returned to the 200 men who had stayed beside the Besor stream. These men had been too tired to go with David. They came to meet David and the men who were with him. When David met them, he happily said ‘hello’ to them.

22But some of the men who had gone with David were wicked and stupid. They said, ‘These men did not come with us to attack the Amalekites. So we will not give them any of the things that we have brought back. Each man can have only his wife and his children. Then they must take them back home.’

23David said, ‘No, my brothers. You cannot do that. The Lord has given all these things to us. He has kept us safe. He has helped us to win against the enemies who attacked us.