1 Samuel, 30

1. And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire;

1. David and his men reached Ziklag on the third day, but the Amalekites had just raided the Negeb and Ziklag, storming it and burning it to the ground.

2. And had taken the women captives, that [were] therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried [them] away, and went on their way.

2. They had taken captive the women and all who were in the city, young and old. They killed no one but carried them off when they left.

3. So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, [it was] burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives.

3. When they reached the town, David and his men found it burned to the ground and their wives, sons and daughters taken captive.

4. Then David and the people that [were] with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.

4. Then David and those with him wept aloud until they could weep no more.

5. And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.

5. David's two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, widow of Nabal of Carmel had also been taken captive.

6. And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.

6. Now David was greatly distressed because the people were talking of stoning him; for they were embittered because of what had happened to their sons and daughters. But David found strength in Yahweh his God.

7. And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David.

7. David told Abiathar the priest, son of Ahimelech, to bring him the ephod. So Abiathar brought the ephod to David

8. And David enquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake [them], and without fail recover [all].

8. who then consulted Yahweh, "Shall I go after these raiders? Can I overtake them?" The answer was, "Go after them for you shall surely overtake them and recover the captives."

9. So David went, he and the six hundred men that [were] with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind stayed.

9. David set out with his six hundred men and they reached the brook of Besor. There, two hundred men stayed behind, for they were too exhausted to cross the brook,

10. But David pursued, he and four hundred men: for two hundred abode behind, which were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor.

10. and David continued the chase with four hundred men.

11. And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they made him drink water;

11. They found an Egyptian in the open country and brought him to David. They gave him food, which he ate, and water to drink.

12. And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins: and when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him: for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk [any] water, three days and three nights.

12. They gave him a piece of fig cake and two pieces of raisin cake. The Egyptian ate and recovered his strength, for he had been three days and three nights without eating or drinking.

13. And David said unto him, To whom [belongest] thou? and whence [art] thou? And he said, I [am] a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days agone I fell sick.

13. David then questioned him, "To whom do you belong, and where do you come from?" He answered, "I am an Egyptian, slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me because I fell sick three days ago.

14. We made an invasion [upon] the south of the Cherethites, and upon [the coast] which [belongeth] to Judah, and upon the south of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.

14. We raided the Negeb of the Cherethites, the territory of Judah and the Negeb of Caleb and set Ziklag on fire."

15. And David said to him, Canst thou bring me down to this company? And he said, Swear unto me by God, that thou wilt neither kill me, nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee down to this company.

15. David then asked him, "Will you lead me to this raiding band?" He replied, "Swear to me by God that you will neither kill me nor deliver me into the hands of my master and I will lead you to this raiding band."

16. And when he had brought him down, behold, [they were] spread abroad upon all the earth, eating and drinking, and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah.

16. So the Egyptian led David to the raiding band whom they found scattered all over the ground, eating, drinking, dancing and feasting with the spoils they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah.

17. And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, which rode upon camels, and fled.

17. David fought them from early morning to the evening of the following day, allowing no one to escape except four hundred young men who mounted their camels and fled.

18. And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives.

18. David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken and rescued his two wives.

19. And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor any [thing] that they had taken to them: David recovered all.

19. Nothing and no one was missing, small or great, son or daughter, booty or anything the Amalekites had taken. David brought back everything.

20. And David took all the flocks and the herds, [which] they drave before those [other] cattle, and said, This [is] David's spoil.

20. He then gathered flocks and herds and the people drove them before him, saying, "These are David's spoils!"

21. And David came to the two hundred men, which were so faint that they could not follow David, whom they had made also to abide at the brook Besor: and they went forth to meet David, and to meet the people that [were] with him: and when David came near to the people, he saluted them.

21. David reached the two hundred men who had been too tired to follow him, and were left behind at the Besor brook. These men came to meet David and those who were with him. David then drew near and greeted them.

22. Then answered all the wicked men and [men] of Belial, of those that went with David, and said, Because they went not with us, we will not give them [ought] of the spoil that we have recovered, save to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead [them] away, and depart.

22. But the malicious and worthless people among those who had accompanied David said, "Since they did not come with us, we shall not share the booty with them; let each of them take his wife and children and leave."

23. Then said David, Ye shall not do so, my brethren, with that which the LORD hath given us, who hath preserved us, and delivered the company that came against us into our hand.

23. But David said, "My brothers, you shall not do that after what Yahweh has given us. He has protected us and delivered into our hands the band that raided us.

24. For who will hearken unto you in this matter? but as his part [is] that goeth down to the battle, so [shall] his part [be] that tarrieth by the stuff: they shall part alike.

24. Who would agree to what you have said? The share of those who go down to battle and of those who remain with the baggage shall be the same; they shall share alike."

25. And it was [so] from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel unto this day.

25. From that day to the present, this has been a statute and custom for Israel.

26. And when David came to Ziklag, he sent of the spoil unto the elders of Judah, [even] to his friends, saying, Behold a present for you of the spoil of the enemies of the LORD;

26. When David arrived in Ziklag, he sent part of the booty to the elders of Judah, to each of his friends, saying, "This is a gift to you from the booty of Yahweh's enemies:

27. To [them] which [were] in Bethel, and to [them] which [were] in south Ramoth, and to [them] which [were] in Jattir,

27. to those in Bethel, in Ramoth-negeb, in Jattir,

28. And to [them] which [were] in Aroer, and to [them] which [were] in Siphmoth, and to [them] which [were] in Eshtemoa,

28. in Aroer, in Sipmoth, in Eshtemoa,

29. And to [them] which [were] in Rachal, and to [them] which [were] in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to [them] which [were] in the cities of the Kenites,

29. in Racal, in the Jerahmeelite cities, in the Kenite cities,

30. And to [them] which [were] in Hormah, and to [them] which [were] in Chorashan, and to [them] which [were] in Athach,

30. in Hormah, in Borashan,

31. And to [them] which [were] in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were wont to haunt.

31. in Athach, in Hebron, and in all the places where David and his men had stayed.