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;
30:2 And had taken the women captives that [were] in it, they
slew not any, either great or small, but carried [them] away,
and went on their way.
30:3 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.
30:4 Then David and the people that [were] with him, lifted up
their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.
30:5 And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the
Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
30:6 And David was greatly distressed: for the people spoke 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.
30:7 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.
30:8 And David inquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue this
troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue; for
thou shalt surely overtake [them], and without fail recover
[all].
30:9 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 remained.
30:10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men: for two
hundred abode behind, who were so faint that they could not go
over the brook Besor.
30:11 And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him
to David, and gave him bread, and he ate; and they made him
drink water;
30:12 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 drank [any] water,
three days and three nights.
30:13 And David said to 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 ago I fell sick.
30:14 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.
30:15 And David said to him, Canst thou conduct me down to this
company? And he said, Swear to me by God, that thou wilt
neither kill me, nor deliver me into the hands of my master,
and I will lead thee down to this company.
30:16 And when he had conducted 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
from the land of the Philistines, and from the land of Judah.
30:17 And David smote them from the twilight even to the evening
of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, save four
hundred young men, who rode upon camels, and fled.
30:18 And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried
away: and David rescued his two wives.
30:19 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.
30:20 And David took all the flocks and the herds, [which] they
drove before those [other] cattle, and said, This [is] David's
spoil.
30:21 And David came to the two hundred men, who 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.
30:22 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 [aught] of the spoil that we
have recovered, save to every man his wife and his children,
that they may lead [them] away, and depart.
30:23 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.
30:24 For who will hearken to you in this matter? but as his
part [is] that goeth down to the battle, so [shall] his part
[be] that tarrieth by the goods: they shall part alike.
30:25 And it was [so] from that day forward, that he made it a
statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.
30:26 And when David came to Ziklag, he sent of the spoil to the
elders of Judah, [even] to his friends, saying, Behold a
present for you, of the spoil of the enemies of the LORD;
30:27 To [them] who [were] in Beth-el, and to [them] who [were]
in south Ramoth, and to [them] who [were] in Jattir,
30:28 And to [them] who [were] in Aroer, and to [them] who
[were] in Siphmoth, and to [them] who [were] in Eshtemoa,
30:29 And to [them] who [were] in Rachal, and to [them] who
[were] in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to [them] who
[were] in the cities of the Kenites,
30:30 And to [them] who [were] in Hormah, and to [them] who
[were] in Chor-ashan, and to [them] who [were] in Athach,
30:31 And to [them] who [were] in Hebron, and to all the places
where David himself and his men were accustomed to resort.
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