1 Samuel 30

David’s Victory over the Amalekites

1Then it happened when David and his men came to 1Ziklag on the third day, that 2the Amalekites had made a raid on the 3Negev and on 4Ziklag, and had 5overthrown Ziklag and burned it with fire; 2and they took captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great, 67without killing anyone, and carried them off and went their way. 3When David and his men came to the city, behold, it was burned with fire, and their wives and their sons and their daughters had been taken captive. 4Then David and the people who were with him 8lifted their voices and wept until there was no strength in them to weep. 5Now 9David’s two wives had been taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the 10widow of Nabal the Carmelite. 6Moreover David was greatly distressed because 11the people spoke of stoning him, for all the people were 12embittered, each one because of his sons and his daughters. But 13David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.

7Then 14David said to 15Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Please bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. 816David inquired of the Lord, saying, “17Shall I pursue this band? Shall I overtake them?” And He said to him, “Pursue, for you will surely overtake them, 18and you will surely rescue all.” 9So David went, 19he and the six hundred men who were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those left behind remained. 10But David pursued, he and four hundred men, for 20two hundred who were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor remained behind.

11Now they found an Egyptian in the field and brought him to David, and gave him bread and he ate, and they provided him water to drink. 12They gave him a piece of fig cake and two clusters of raisins, and he ate; 21then his spirit 22revived. For he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights. 13David said to him, “To whom do you belong? And where are you from?” And he said, “I am a young man of Egypt, a servant of an Amalekite; and my master left me behind when I fell sick three days ago. 14We made a raid on 23the 24Negev of the Cherethites, and on that which belongs to Judah, and on 25the 26Negev of Caleb, and 27we burned Ziklag with fire.” 15Then David said to him, “Will you bring 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 bring you down to this band.”

16When he had brought him down, behold, they were 28spread over all the land, 29eating and drinking and 30dancing because of 31all the great spoil that they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. 17David 32slaughtered them 33from the twilight 34until the evening of 35the next day; and not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode on 36camels and fled. 18So David 37recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and 38rescued his two wives. 19But nothing of theirs was missing, whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that they had taken for themselves; 39David brought it all back. 20So David had 40captured all the sheep and the cattle which the people drove ahead of 41the other livestock, and they said, “42This is David’s spoil.”

The Spoils Are Divided

21When 43David came to the two hundred men who were too exhausted to follow David, who had also been left at the brook Besor, and they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him, then David approached the people and greeted them. 22Then all the wicked and worthless men among those who went with David said, “Because they did not go with 44us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead them away and depart.” 23Then David said, “You must not do so, my brothers, with what the Lord has given us, who has kept us and delivered into our hand the band that came against us. 24And who will listen to you in this matter? For 45as his share is who goes down to the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the baggage; they shall share alike.” 25So it has been from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.

26Now when David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the spoil to the elders of Judah, to his friends, saying, “Behold, 46a 47gift for you from the spoil of 48the enemies of the Lord: 27to those who were in 49Bethel, and to those who were in 50Ramoth of the 51Negev, and to those who were in 52Jattir, 28and to those who were in 53Aroer, and to those who were in Siphmoth, and to those who were in 54Eshtemoa, 29and to those who were in Racal, and to those who were in the cities of 55the Jerahmeelites, and to those who were in the cities of 56the Kenites, 30and to those who were in 57Hormah, and to those who were in 58Bor-ashan, and to those who were in Athach, 31and to those who were in 59Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were accustomed to 60go.”