New American Standard Bible 1995

1 Samuel 30:8-23

8 1David inquired of the Lord, saying, “2Shall I pursue this band? Shall I overtake them?” And He said to him, “Pursue, for you will surely overtake them, 3and you will surely rescue all.” 9So David went, 4he 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 5two 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; 6then his spirit 7revived. 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 8the 9Negev of the Cherethites, and on that which belongs to Judah, and on 10the 11Negev of Caleb, and 12we 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 13spread over all the land, 14eating and drinking and 15dancing because of 16all the great spoil that they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. 17David 17slaughtered them 18from the twilight 19until the evening of 20the next day; and not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode on 21camels and fled. 18So David 22recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and 23rescued 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; 24David brought it all back. 20So David had 25captured all the sheep and the cattle which the people drove ahead of 26the other livestock, and they said, “27This is David’s spoil.”

21When 28David 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 29us, 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.

Read all of 1 Samuel 30

Notes

1. 1 Samuel 30:8 1 Sam 23:2, 4; Ps 50:15; 91:15 ↩
2. 1 Samuel 30:8 Ex 15:9 ↩
3. 1 Samuel 30:8 1 Sam 30:18 ↩
4. 1 Samuel 30:9 1 Sam 27:2 ↩
5. 1 Samuel 30:10 1 Sam 30:9, 21 ↩
6. 1 Samuel 30:12 Judg 15:19 ↩
7. 1 Samuel 30:12 Lit returned to him ↩
8. 1 Samuel 30:14 1 Sam 30:1, 16; 2 Sam 8:18; 1 Kin 1:38, 44; Ezek 25:16; Zeph 2:5 ↩
9. 1 Samuel 30:14 I.e. South country ↩
10. 1 Samuel 30:14 Josh 14:13; 15:13; 21:12 ↩
11. 1 Samuel 30:14 I.e. South country ↩
12. 1 Samuel 30:14 1 Sam 30:1 ↩
13. 1 Samuel 30:16 Lit left ↩
14. 1 Samuel 30:16 Luke 12:19; 17:27f ↩
15. 1 Samuel 30:16 Lit keeping a pilgrim-feast ↩
16. 1 Samuel 30:16 1 Sam 30:14 ↩
17. 1 Samuel 30:17 Lit smote ↩
18. 1 Samuel 30:17 1 Sam 11:11 ↩
19. 1 Samuel 30:17 Lit even until ↩
20. 1 Samuel 30:17 Lit their ↩
21. 1 Samuel 30:17 Judg 7:12; 1 Sam 15:3 ↩
22. 1 Samuel 30:18 Gen 14:16 ↩
23. 1 Samuel 30:18 Lit David rescued ↩
24. 1 Samuel 30:19 1 Sam 30:8 ↩
25. 1 Samuel 30:20 Lit taken ↩
26. 1 Samuel 30:20 Lit those livestock ↩
27. 1 Samuel 30:20 1 Sam 30:26-31 ↩
28. 1 Samuel 30:21 1 Sam 30:10 ↩
29. 1 Samuel 30:22 Lit me ↩

Notes

Commentaries on 1 Samuel 30