The Raid on Ziklag
1On the third day, when David and his men reached Ziklag, the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned it down, 2and had taken captive the women and everyone in it, both young and old. They killed no one, but carried them off and went on their way. 3When David and his men came to the town, they found it burned down, and their wives, sons, and daughters taken captive. 4David and the troops with him wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep. 5David’s two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, formerly Nabal’s wife, of Carmel, had also been taken captive. 6David was in great distress, for the troops talked of stoning him — all of them were bitter in spirit over their sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in Yahweh his God. 7David said to Abiathar the priest, son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. 8David inquired of Yahweh, “Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?” “Pursue them,” Yahweh answered. “You will surely overtake them and succeed in the rescue.”
David Pursues the Amalekites
9So David set out with the six hundred men who were with him, and they came to the Wadi Besor, where those left behind stayed. 10David continued the pursuit with four hundred men, while two hundred stayed behind — too exhausted to cross the Wadi Besor. 11They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David. They gave him bread to eat and water to drink, 12and gave him a piece of pressed fig cake and two clusters of raisins. When he had eaten, his strength returned, for he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights. 13David asked him, “Who do you belong to, and where are you from?” He said, “I am an Egyptian, the servant of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me three days ago when I fell sick. 14We raided the Negev of the Cherethites, the territory of Judah, and the Negev of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag down.” 15David asked him, “Can you lead me down to this raiding party?” He said, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will lead you down to them.” 16So he led David down, and there they were, scattered over the whole area, eating, drinking, and celebrating because of all the great plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and the land of Judah. 17David struck them down from twilight until the evening of the next day, and not one of them escaped, except four hundred young men who mounted camels and fled. 18David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives. 19Nothing was missing — young or old, son or daughter, plunder or anything else they had taken. David brought everything back. 20David took all the flocks and herds, and his men drove them ahead of the other livestock, saying, “This is David’s plunder.”
David Shares the Plunder
21Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow him and had been left at the Wadi Besor. They came out to meet David and the troops with him, and David approached them and greeted them. 22But all the wicked and worthless men among those who had gone with David said, “Since they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the plunder we recovered — except that each man may take his wife and children and go.” 23David said, “No, my brothers, you must not do that with what Yahweh has given us. He has protected us and handed over to us the raiding party that came against us. 24Who would listen to you in this matter? The share of the one who stayed with the supplies shall be the same as the share of the one who went down to the battle — they shall share alike.” 25From that day on, this became a statute and ordinance for Israel, and it remains so to this day. 26When David reached Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah, his friends, saying, “Here is a gift for you from the plunder of Yahweh’s enemies” — 27to those in Bethel, those in Ramoth Negev, those in Jattir, 28those in Aroer, those in Siphmoth, those in Eshtemoa, 29those in Racal, those in the towns of the Jerahmeelites, those in the towns of the Kenites, 30those in Hormah, those in Bor-ashan, those in Athach, 31those in Hebron, and to all the places where David and his men had roamed.
