1Samuel 30:13 - Prayer Tents

David Destroys the Amalekites

30David and his men reached Ziklag on the third day. Now the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned it,H1732H582H935H6860H7992H3117H6003H6584H5045H6860H5221H6860H8313H7842and had taken captive the women and all who were in it, both young and old. They killed none of them, but carried them off as they went on their way.H802H7617H4191H376H1419H6996H5090H3212H18703When David and his men came to Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive.H1732H582H935H5892H8313H784H802H1121H1323H76174So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep.H1732H5971H5375H6963H1058H3581H10585David's two wives had been captured—Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel.H1732H8147H802H7617H293H3159H26H802H5037H37616David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God.H1732H3966H3334H5971H559H5619H5315H5971H4843H376H1121H1323H1732H2388H3068H4307Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, "Bring me the ephod." Abiathar brought it to him,H1732H559H54H3548H288H1121H5066H646H54H5066H646H17328and David inquired of the LORD, "Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?" "Pursue them," he answered. "You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue."H1732H7592H3068H559H7291H310H1416H5381H559H7291H5381H5381H5337H53379David and the six hundred men with him came to the Besor Ravine, where some stayed behind,H1732H3212H8337H3967H376H935H5158H1308H3498H597510for two hundred men were too exhausted to cross the ravine. But David and four hundred men continued the pursuit.H1732H7291H702H3967H376H3967H5975H6296H5674H5158H130811They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David. They gave him water to drink and food to eat—H4672H376H4713H7704H3947H1732H5414H3899H398H8248H432512part of a cake of pressed figs and two cakes of raisins. He ate and was revived, for he had not eaten any food or drunk any water for three days and three nights.H5414H6400H1690H8147H6778H398H7307H7725H398H3899H8354H4325H7969H3117H7969H391513David asked him, "To whom do you belong, and where do you come from?" He said, "I am an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me when I became ill three days ago.H1732H559H559H5288H4713H5650H376H6003H113H5800H7969H3117H247014We raided the Negev of the Kerethites and the territory belonging to Judah and the Negev of Caleb. And we burned Ziklag."H6584H5045H3774H3063H5045H3612H8313H6860H78415David asked him, "Can you lead me down to this raiding party?" He answered, "Swear to me before God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will take you down to them."H1732H559H3381H1416H559H7650H430H4191H518H5462H3027H113H3381H141616He led David down, and there they were, scattered over the countryside, eating, drinking and reveling because of the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from Judah.H3381H5203H6440H776H398H8354H2287H1419H7998H3947H776H6430H776H306317David fought them from dusk until the evening of the next day, and none of them got away, except four hundred young men who rode off on camels and fled.H1732H5221H5399H6153H4283H4422H376H702H3967H5288H376H7392H1581H512718David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives.H1732H5337H6002H3947H1732H5337H8147H80219Nothing was missing: young or old, boy or girl, plunder or anything else they had taken. David brought everything back.H5737H4480H6996H1419H1121H1323H7998H3947H1732H772520He took all the flocks and herds, and his men drove them ahead of the other livestock, saying, "This is David's plunder."H1732H3947H6629H1241H5090H6440H1931H4735H559H1732H799821Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow him and who were left behind at the Besor Ravine. They came out to meet David and the people with him. As David and his men approached, he greeted them.H1732H935H3967H582H6296H3212H310H1732H3427H5158H1308H3318H7125H1732H7125H5971H1732H5066H5971H7592H796522But all the evil men and troublemakers among David's followers said, "Because they did not go out with us, we will not share with them the plunder we recovered. However, each man may take his wife and children and go."H6030H7451H376H1100H582H1980H1732H559H1980H5414H7998H5337H376H802H1121H5090H321223David replied, "No, my brothers, you must not do that with what the LORD has given us. He has protected us and handed over to us the forces that came against us.H559H1732H6213H251H3068H5414H8104H5414H1416H935H302724Who will listen to what you say? The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike."H8085H1697H2506H3381H3381H4421H2506H3427H3627H2505H316225David made this a statute and ordinance for Israel from that day to this.H3117H4605H7760H2706H4941H3478H311726When David arrived in Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah, who were his friends, saying, "Here is a present for you from the plunder of the LORD'S enemies."H1732H935H6860H7971H7998H2205H3063H7453H559H1293H7998H341H306827He sent it to those who were in Bethel, Ramoth Negev and Jattir;H834H1008H5045H7418H349228to those in Aroer, Siphmoth, EshtemoaH6177H8224H85129and Racal; to those in the towns of the Jerahmeelites and the Kenites;H7403H5892H3397H5892H701730to those in Hormah, Bor Ashan, AthachH2767H3565H626931and Hebron; and to those in all the other places where David and his men had roamed.H2275H4725H1732H582H1980