30David and his men arrived in Ziklag on the third day. The Amalekites had raided the Negev and attacked and burned down Ziklag.H1732H582H935H6860H7992H3117H6003H6584H5045H6860H5221H6860H8313H7842They also had kidnapped the women and everyone in it from the youngest to the oldest. They had killed no one but had carried them off as they went on their way.H802H7617H4191H376H1419H6996H5090H3212H18703When David and his men arrived at the town, they found it burned down. Their wives, sons, and daughters had been kidnapped.H1732H582H935H5892H8313H784H802H1121H1323H76174David and the troops with him wept loudly until they had no strength left to weep.H1732H5971H5375H6963H1058H3581H10585David's two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, had also been kidnapped.H1732H8147H802H7617H293H3159H26H802H5037H37616David was in a difficult position because the troops talked about stoning him, for they were all very bitter over [the loss of] their sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God.H1732H3966H3334H5971H559H5619H5315H5971H4843H376H1121H1323H1732H2388H3068H4307David said to Abiathar the priest, son of Ahimelech, "Bring me the ephod." So Abiathar brought it to him,H1732H559H54H3548H288H1121H5066H646H54H5066H646H17328and David asked the LORD: "Should I pursue these raiders? Will I overtake them?" The LORD replied to him, "Pursue [them], for you will certainly overtake [them] and rescue [the people]."H1732H7592H3068H559H7291H310H1416H5381H559H7291H5381H5381H5337H53379David and the 600 men with him went as far as the Wadi Besor, where 200 who were to remain behind would stop.H1732H3212H8337H3967H376H935H5158H1308H3498H597510They stopped because they were too exhausted to cross the Wadi Besor. David and 400 of the men continued in pursuit.H1732H7291H702H3967H376H3967H5975H6296H5674H5158H130811They found an Egyptian in the open country and brought him to David. They gave him some bread to eat and water to drink.H4672H376H4713H7704H3947H1732H5414H3899H398H8248H432512Then they gave him some pressed figs and two clusters of raisins. After he ate he revived, for he hadn't eaten food or drunk water for three days and three nights.H5414H6400H1690H8147H6778H398H7307H7725H398H3899H8354H4325H7969H3117H7969H391513Then David said to him, "Who do you belong to? Where are you from?" "I'm an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite man," he said. "My master abandoned me when I got sick three days ago.H1732H559H559H5288H4713H5650H376H6003H113H5800H7969H3117H247014We raided the south country of the Cherethites, [the territory] of Judah, and the south country of Caleb, and we burned down Ziklag."H6584H5045H3774H3063H5045H3612H8313H6860H78415David then asked him, "Will you lead me to these raiders?" He said, "Swear to me by God that you won't kill me or turn me over to my master, and I will lead you to them."H1732H559H3381H1416H559H7650H430H4191H518H5462H3027H113H3381H141616So he led him, and there were the Amalekites, spread out over the entire area, eating, drinking, and celebrating because of the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and the land of Judah.H3381H5203H6440H776H398H8354H2287H1419H7998H3947H776H6430H776H306317David slaughtered them from twilight until the evening of the next day. None of them escaped, except 400 young men who got on camels and fled.H1732H5221H5399H6153H4283H4422H376H702H3967H5288H376H7392H1581H512718David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken; he also rescued his two wives.H1732H5337H6002H3947H1732H5337H8147H80219Nothing [of theirs] was missing from the youngest to the oldest, including the sons and daughters, of all the plunder the Amalekites had taken. David got everything back.H5737H4480H6996H1419H1121H1323H7998H3947H1732H772520He took all the sheep and cattle, which were driven ahead of the other livestock, and the people shouted, "This is David's plunder!"H1732H3947H6629H1241H5090H6440H1931H4735H559H1732H799821When David came to the 200 men who had been too exhausted to go with him and had been left at the Wadi Besor, they came out to meet him and to meet the troops with him. When David approached the men, he greeted them,H1732H935H3967H582H6296H3212H310H1732H3427H5158H1308H3318H7125H1732H7125H5971H1732H5066H5971H7592H796522but all the worthless men among those who had gone with David retorted, "Because they didn't go with us, we will not give any of the plunder we recovered to them except for each man's wife and children. They may take them and go."H6030H7451H376H1100H582H1980H1732H559H1980H5414H7998H5337H376H802H1121H5090H321223But David said, "My brothers, you must not do this with what the LORD has given us. He protected us and handed over to us the raiders who came against us.H559H1732H6213H251H3068H5414H8104H5414H1416H935H302724Who can agree to your proposal? The share of the one who goes into battle is to be the same as the share of the one who remains with the supplies. They will share equally."H8085H1697H2506H3381H3381H4421H2506H3427H3627H2505H316225And it has been so from that day forward. David established [this policy] as a law and an ordinance for Israel [and it continues] to this very day.H3117H4605H7760H2706H4941H3478H311726When David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to his friends, the elders of Judah, saying, "Here is a gift for you from the plunder of the LORD's enemies."H1732H935H6860H7971H7998H2205H3063H7453H559H1293H7998H341H306827[He sent gifts] to those in Bethel, in Ramoth of the Negev, and in Jattir;H834H1008H5045H7418H349228to those in Aroer, in Siphmoth, and in Eshtemoa;H6177H8224H85129to those in Racal, in the towns of the Jerahmeelites, and in the towns of the Kenites;H7403H5892H3397H5892H701730to those in Hormah, in Bor-ashan, and in Athach;H2767H3565H626931to those in Hebron, and to [those in] all the places where David and his men had roamed.H2275H4725H1732H582H1980
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