1 Samuel Chapter 30

1 Samuel Chapter 30
1 But when David and his men were
come to Ziklag the third day, the
Amalekites had invaded upon the south,
even unto Ziklag, and had smitten Ziklag,
and burned it with fire,
2 And had taken the women that were
therein, prisoners, both small and great,
and slew not a man, but carried them
away, and went their ways. 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 prisoners. 4 Then David and the
people that was with him, lift up their
voices and wept, until they could weep
no more.
5 David's two wives were taken
prisoners also, Ahinoam the Jezreelite,
and Abigail the wife of Nabal the
Carmelite.
6 And David was in great sorrow: for
the people intended to stone him,
because the hearts of all the people were
vexed every man for his sons and for his
daughters: but David comforted himself
in the Lord his God. 7 And David said to
Abiathar the priest Ahimelech's son, I
pray thee, bring me the ephod. And
Abiathar brought the ephod to David.
8 Then David asked counsel at the Lord,
saying, Shall I follow after this
company? Shall I overtake them? And he
answered him, Follow: for thou shalt
surely overtake them, and recover all.
9 So David and the six hundred men that
were with him, went, and came to the
river Besor, where a part of them abode:
10 But David and four hundred men
followed (for two hundred abode
behind, being too weary to go over the
river Besor)
11 And they found an Egyptian in the
field, and brought him to David, and
gave him bread and he did eat, and they
gave him water to drink. 12 Also they
gave him a few 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 in three days,
and three nights.
13 And David said unto him, To whom
belongest thou? And whence art thou?
And he said, I am a young man of Egypt,
and servant to an Amalekite: and my
master left me three days ago, because I
fell sick.
14 We roved upon the south of Chereth,
and upon the coast belonging to Judah,
and upon the south of Caleb, and we
burned Ziklag with fire. 15 And David
said unto him, Canst thou bring me 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 to this
company.
16 And when he had brought him thither,
behold, they lay scattered abroad upon
all the earth, eating and drinking, and
dancing, because of all the great prey
that they had taken out of the land of the
Philistines, and out of the land of Judah.
17 And David smote them from the
twilight, even unto the evening of the
next morrow, so that there escaped not a
man of them, save four hundred young
men, which rode upon camels, and fled.
18 And David recovered all that the
Amalekites had taken: also David
rescued his two wives.
19 And they lacked nothing, small or
great, son or daughter, or of the spoil of
all that they had taken away: David
recovered them all.
20 David also took all the sheep, and the
oxen, and they drave them before his
cattle, and said, This is David's prey.
21 And David came to the two hundred
men that were too weary for to follow
David: whom they had made also to
abide at the river Besor: and they came
to meet David, and to meet the people
that were with him: so when David came
near to the people, he saluted them.
22 Then answered all the evil and
wicked of the men that went with David,
and said, Because they went not with us,
therefore will we give them none of the
prey that we have recovered, save to
every man his wife and his children:
therefore let them carry them away and
depart.
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 hands.
24 For who will obey 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. 25 So
from that day forward he made it a
statute and a law in Israel, until this day.
26 When David therefore came to
Ziklag, he sent of the prey unto the elders
of Judah and to his friends, saying, See
there is a blessing for you of the spoil of
the enemies of the Lord.
27 He sent to them of Beth-el, and to
them of south Ramoth, and to them of
Jattir,
28 And to them of Aroer, and to them of
Siphmoth, and to them of Eshtemoa, 29
And to them of Rachal, and to them of
the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to
them of the cities of the Kenites,
30 And to them of Hormah, and to them
of Chor-ashan, and to them of Athach,
31 And to them of Hebron, and to all the
places where David and his men had
haunted.