1The Amalekites spoil Ziklag. 3David on his return is greatly distressed, but asking counsel of God is encouraged to pursue them. 9He setteth forward, and finding an Egyptian receiveth intelligence of the enemy. 16Being conducted to them, he smiteth them, and recovereth the spoil. 22David's law of dividing the spoil. 26He sendeth presents to his friends.
1AND it came to pass, when David and his men awere come to Ziklag on the third day, that bthe Amalekites had invaded the south, and cZiklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire;
a ch. 29.11. 2Sa. 1.1. b ch. 15.7; 27.8,9. Eze. 25.15. Ex. 17.8. v.14. c ch. 29.4,11.
2And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they dslew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way.
d Is. 10.5; 27.8. Hab. 3.2. Job 38.11.
3¶So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, eit was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives.
e Ps. 34.19; 42.7. Ac. 14.22. Job 14.1.
4Then David and the people that were with him flifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.
f Nu. 14.1,39. Ju. 2.4; 20.23,26; 21.2. ch. 4.13. Ezr. 10.1.
5And gDavid's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
g ch. 25.42,43; . 2Sa. 3.2,3.
6And David was hgreatly distressed; for the people spake of istoning him, because the soul of all the people was 1grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David jencouraged himself in the LORD his God.
1Heb. bitter.
h Ps. 6.1-4; 42.7; 69.1; 130.1. i Ex. 17.4. Nu. 14.10. Jn. 8.59. ch. 27.1. Ps. 39.9; 62.8. j Ps. 42.5; 56.3,4,11. Ro. 4.18-20; 8.31. Hab. 3.17,18. He. 13.5,6.
7And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, I pray thee, kbring me hither the *ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David.
*ephod-embroidered cape worn by priest.
k ch. 23.2,6,9,11. Nu. 27.21. Ju. 1.1; 20.18,23,28. 2Sa. 5.19,23.
8And lDavid enquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? mAnd he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them , and without fail recover all.
l ch. 23.2,4. m Ps. 50.15; 22.4,5; 28.6.
9So David went, he and the nsix hundred men that were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind stayed.
n ch. 22.1,2; 23.13; 25.13; 27.2. 1Ch. 12.21.
10But 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.
11¶And they ofound an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they made him drink water;
o Ps. 32.8. Pr. 3.5,6. Re. 12.16. Ro. 8.28.
12And they gave him a piece of pa cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins: and qwhen he had eaten, rhis spirit came again to him: for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, three days and three nights.
p ch. 25.18. 1Ch. 12.40. q ch. 14.27. Ju. 15.19. Is. 40.29-31. r Ge. 45.27.
13And 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, sbecause three days agone I fell sick.
s Pr. 12.10. Zep. 3.5.
14We made an invasion upon tthe south of the uCherethites, and upon the coast which belongeth to Judah, and upon the south of vCaleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.
t v.16. Eze. 25.15,16. Jos. 14.13; 15.13. u 2Sa. 8.18; 15.18. Zep. 2.5. v ch. 25.3.
15And David said to him, Canst thou bring me down to this company? And he said, wSwear 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.
w Ge. 21.23; 24.3; 25.33; 26.31; 31.53; 47.31. Jos. 2.12. Ju. 15.12. ch. 19.6; 20.3. 2Sa. 19.23. He. 6.16.
16¶And when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread *abroad upon all the earth, xeating 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.
*abroad-over a wide area.
x Lu. 12.19,20; 17.27-29; 21.34,35. 1Th. 5.3. Is. 22.13. Da. 5.1,30. Re. 11.10,13.
17And David ysmote them from the twilight even unto the evening of 2the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, *save four hundred young men, which rode upon zcamels, and fled.
2Heb. their morrow.
*save-except.
y Job 20.5. Da. 5.6. Lu. 17.26-29. z ch. 27.9.
18And David arecovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives.
a Ge. 14.16. Mat. 6.33. Ps. 34.9,10; 37.4,5. Job 1.10. v.8.
19And 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.
20And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they *drave before those other cattle, and said, This is bDavid's spoil.
*drave-drove.
b v.26. Is. 53.12. Re. 19.17-19.
21¶And cDavid came to the dtwo 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 3saluted them.
3Or, asked them how they did.
c Mat. 7.12. He. 13.1,3. 1Pe. 3.8. d v.9,10.
22Then answered all the wicked men eand men of Belial, of 4those 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.
4Heb. men.
*save-except.
e De. 13.13. Ju. 19.22. 1Ki. 21.10. Pr. 19.28. 2Co. 6.15. 2Ti. 3.2-5.
23Then said David, Ye shall not do so, fmy brethren, with that which the LORD hath given us, gwho hath preserved us, and delivered the company that came against us into our hand.
f Ge. 19.7. Ju. 19.23. g Ps. 44.2-5; 115.1,3.
24For who will hearken unto you in this matter? but has his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be ithat tarrieth by the stuff: they shall part alike.
h Nu. 31.27. Jos. 22.8. Ge. 45.23. Ps. 68.12. i ch. 25.13.
25And it was so from that day 5forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel unto this day.
5Heb. and forward.
26¶And when David came to Ziklag, he sent of the spoil unto the elders of Judah, even jto his friends, saying, Behold a 6present for you of the spoil of the enemies of the LORD;
6Heb. blessing, Ge. 33.11. ch. 25.27. 2Ki. 5.15.
j Ps. 35.27; 68.18. 1Ch. 12.1. Pr. 18.16.
27To them which were in kBeth-el, and to them which were in south Ramoth, and to them which were in Jattir,
k Ge. 12.8. Jos. 8.9; 19.4,8; 15.48. Ju. 1.23
28And to them which were in lAroer, and to them which were in Siphmoth, and to them which were in Eshtemoa,
l ch. 22.3. Jos. 13.16; 15.50.
29And to them which were in Rachal, and mto them which were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to them which were in the cities of the Kenites,
m ch. 27.10. Ju. 1.16. 1Ch. 2.9,42.
30And to them which were in nHormah, and to them which were in oChorashan, and to them which were in Athach,
n Nu. 14.45; 21.3. Jos. 19.4,17; 12.14; 15.30. o Jos. 15.42.
31And to them which were in pHebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were *wont to haunt.
*wont-accustomed.
p Jos. 10.3; 15.54; 21.13; 14.13,14. Nu. 13.22. Ge. 23.2. 2Sa. 2.1; 15.10.