1 Samuel 30

30 ¹ David and his men reached Ziklag on the third day; Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag, attacked and burned it, ² and captured the women and everyone there, young and old; killed no one, but drove them off and went their way. ³ David and his men reached the city, burned with fire—wives, sons, daughters taken captive. ⁴ David and his people raised their voices and wept until they had no strength left to weep. ⁵ David's two wives were also captured, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, widow of Nabal of Carmel. ⁶ David was greatly distressed — the people talked of stoning him, each bitter over his sons and daughters — but he strengthened himself in our Father.

⁷ David told Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, "Bring me the ephod." Abiathar brought David the ephod.

⁸ David asked our Father, "Shall I chase these raiders? Will I overtake them?" "Chase," he said. "You will surely overtake them and rescue everyone."

⁹ So David and his six hundred men came to the Besor Valley, where some stayed behind. ¹⁰ David pursued with four hundred men; two hundred stayed back, too worn out to cross the Besor Valley. ¹¹ They found an Egyptian in the fields, brought him to David, and gave him bread and water, ¹² They gave him a piece of fig cake and two clusters of raisins. He ate, and his strength returned — he'd had no bread or water for three days and nights. ¹³ David asked, "Whose are you? Where from?" He said, "A young Egyptian, an Amalekite's slave. My master abandoned me three days ago—I was sick."

¹⁴ We raided the Cherethite Negev, Judah's territory, and Caleb's Negev, and burned Ziklag with fire.

¹⁵ David asked, "Guide me to this raiding band?" He said, "Swear to me by God you won't kill me or hand me to my master, and I'll bring you to them."

¹⁶ The Egyptian led David down, and there they were, spread out over the land, eating, drinking, celebrating over the vast plunder taken from Philistine and Judean land. ¹⁷ David struck them from twilight to the next evening; only four hundred young men who rode off on camels escaped. ¹⁸ David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, and he rescued his two wives. ¹⁹ Nothing was missing—small, great, sons, daughters, plunder, or anything else taken—all David brought back. ²⁰ David took all the flock and herd; they drove it ahead of the other livestock, saying, 'This is David's plunder.'

²¹ David reached the two hundred men too exhausted to follow him, left at the Besor Valley. They came out to meet David and his people; he greeted them as he approached. ²² But all the wicked, worthless men among David's followers said, "Since they didn't go with us, we won't give them any recovered plunder—only each man's wife and children, to lead away and go."

²³ But David said, "Don't do this, my brothers, with what our Father gave us. He guarded us and gave the raiders who came against us into our hands." ²⁴ Who would listen to you on this? The one who goes into battle and the one who stays with the supplies share alike. ²⁵ From that day on, David made it a statute and ordinance for Israel, lasting to this day.

²⁶ When David reached Ziklag, he sent plunder to Judah's elders, his friends, saying, "A gift for you from the plunder of our Father's enemies." ²⁷ He sent it to those in Bethel, in Ramoth of the Negev, and in Jattir; ²⁸ to those in Aroer, Siphmoth, and Eshtemoa; ²⁹ to those in Rachal, in the towns of the Jerahmeelites and the Kenites; ³⁰ to those in Hormah, Bor-ashan, and Athach; ³¹ and to those in Hebron and all the places where David and his men had roamed.