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;
2. And had taken the women captives, that {cf15I were} therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried {cf15I them} away, and went on their way.
3. So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, {cf15I it was} burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives.
4. Then David and the people that {cf15I were} with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.
5. And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
6. And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake 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.
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.
8. And David enquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake {cf15I them}, and without fail recover {cf15I all}.
9. So David went, he and the six hundred men that {cf15I were} with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind stayed.
10. 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.
11. And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they made him drink water;
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 drunk {cf15I any} water, three days and three nights.
13. And David said unto him, To whom {cf15I belongest} thou? and whence {cf15I art} thou? And he said, I {cf15I am} a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days agone I fell sick.
14. We made an invasion {cf15I upon} the south of the Cherethites, and upon {cf15I the coast} which {cf15I belongeth} to Judah, and upon the south of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.
15. And David said to him, Canst thou bring me down to this company? And he said, Swear 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.
16. And when he had brought him down, behold, {cf15I 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 the land of Judah.
17. And David smote them from the twilight even unto 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.
18. And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives.
19. And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor any {cf15I thing} that they had taken to them: David recovered all.
20. And David took all the flocks and the herds, {cf15I which} they drave before those {cf15I other} cattle, and said, This {cf15I is} David's spoil.
21. And David came to the 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 {cf15I were} with him: and when David came near to the people, he saluted them.
22. Then answered all the wicked men and {cf15I men} of Belial, of those that went with David, and said, Because they went not with us, we will not give them {cf15I ought} of the spoil that we have recovered, save to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead {cf15I them} away, and depart.
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.
24. For who will hearken unto you in this matter? but as his part {cf15I is} that goeth down to the battle, so {cf15I shall} his part {cf15I be} that tarrieth by the stuff: they shall part alike.
25. And it was {cf15I so} from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel unto this day.
26. And when David came to Ziklag, he sent of the spoil unto the elders of Judah, {cf15I even} to his friends, saying, Behold a present for you of the spoil of the enemies of the LORD;
27. To {cf15I them} which {cf15I were} in Bethel, and to {cf15I them} which {cf15I were} in south Ramoth, and to {cf15I them} which {cf15I were} in Jattir,
28. And to {cf15I them} which {cf15I were} in Aroer, and to {cf15I them} which {cf15I were} in Siphmoth, and to {cf15I them} which {cf15I were} in Eshtemoa,
29. And to {cf15I them} which {cf15I were} in Rachal, and to {cf15I them} which {cf15I were} in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to {cf15I them} which {cf15I were} in the cities of the Kenites,
30. And to {cf15I them} which {cf15I were} in Hormah, and to {cf15I them} which {cf15I were} in Chorashan, and to {cf15I them} which {cf15I were} in Athach,
31. And to {cf15I them} which {cf15I were} in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were wont to haunt.