THE FIRST BOOK OF
SAMUEL,
1 Samuel 30 ©
David, finding that the Amalekites in his absence had plundered and burned Ziklag, and carried the people and his two wives away captives, is exceedingly troubled thereat, and in great danger of his own people, v. 1, etc. He asks counsel of God, who bids him to pursue the Amalekites, 7. David doing so with a part of his army, finds a poor starved Egyptian who was left behind, who discloses all things unto him, and brings him to the Amalekites, 9. David falls upon them, smites them, and spoils them again of all that they had, 17. Makes an ordinance for dividing the prey, 22. Sends presents to his friends, 26.
AND it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on 1the third day, that 2the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and 3smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire;
And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either 4great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way.
¶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.
Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.
And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail 5the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because 6the soul of all the people was grieved, every man 7for his sons and for his daughters: but 8David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.
And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, I pray thee, 9bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David.
And David enquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after 10this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.
So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those 11that were left behind stayed.
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.
¶And 12they found an Egyptian in the field, and 13brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they made him drink water;
And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins: and when he had eaten, his 14spirit came again 15to him: for he had eaten no 16bread, nor drunk any water, three days and three nights.
And David said unto him, To whom belongest thou? and whence art thou? And he said, I am a 17young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days 18agonea I fell sick.
We made an invasion upon the south of 19the Cherethites, and upon the coast which belongeth to Judah, and 20upon the south of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.
And David said to him, Canst thou bring me down to this company? And he said, Swear unto me by God, 21that thou wilt neither kill me, nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee down to this company.
¶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 22the land of Judah.
And David smote them from 23the twilight even 24unto 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.
And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives.
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.
And David took all the flocks and the herds, which 25they drave 26before those other cattle, and said, 27This is David's spoil.
¶And David came to 28the 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, 29he saluted them.
30Then answered all the wicked men and men of Belial, of those that went with David, and said, Because they went not 31with 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.
Then said David, Ye shall not do so, my brethren, 32with that which the LORD hath given us, who hath preserved us, and delivered the company that came against us into our hand.
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: 33they shall part alike.
And it was so from that day 34forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel 35unto this day.
¶And when David came to Ziklag, he sent of the spoil unto the elders of Judah, even to 36his friends, saying, Behold a 37present for you of the spoil of the enemies of the LORD;
To them which were in 38Beth-el, and to them which were in south 39Ramoth, and to them which were in 40Jattir,
And to them which were in 41Aroer, and to them which were in 42Siphmoth, and to them which were in 43Eshtemoa,
And to them which were in Rachal, and to them which were in the cities of the 44Jerahmeelites, and to them which were in the cities of the 45Kenites,
And to them which were in 46Hormah, and to them which were in 47Chorashan, and to them which were in Athach,
And to them which were in 48Hebron, and to all the places 49where David himself and his men were wont to haunt.