Dual Panel1On the third day David and his men reached Ziklag. In the mean time the Amalekites had made a raid into the Negeb, attacked Ziklag, and set it on fire.
2They had taken captive all the women, young and old. They did not put any to death, but carried them off as they continued their march.
3When David and his men came to the town, they found it destroyed by fire, and their wives, their sons, and their daughters taken captive.
4David and the people with him wept aloud until they could weep no more.
5David's two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail widow of Nabal of Carmel, were among the captives.
6David was in a desperate position because the troops, embittered by the loss of their sons and daughters, threatened to stone him. David sought strength in the LORD his God,
7and told Abiathar the priest, son of Ahimelech, to bring the ephod. When Abiathar had brought the ephod,
8David enquired of the LORD, “Shall I pursue these raiders? And shall I overtake them?” The answer came, “Pursue them: you will overtake them and rescue everyone.”
9David and his six hundred men set out and reached the wadi of Besor.
10Two hundred of them who were too exhausted to cross the wadi stayed behind, and David with four hundred pressed on in pursuit.
11In the open country they came across an Egyptian and took him to David. They gave him food to eat and water to drink,
12also a lump of dried figs and two bunches of raisins. When he had eaten he revived; for he had had nothing to eat or drink for three days and nights.
13David asked him, “Whose slave are you, and where have you come from?” “I am an Egyptian,” he answered, “the slave of an Amalekite, but my master left me behind because three days ago I fell ill.
14We had raided the Negeb of the Kerethites, part of Judah, and the Negeb of Caleb; we also burned down Ziklag.”
15David asked, “Can you guide me to the raiders?” “Swear to me by God”, he answered, “that you will not put me to death or hand me back to my master, and I shall guide you to them.”
16He led him down, and there they found the Amalekites scattered everywhere, eating and drinking and celebrating the great mass of spoil taken from the Philistine and Judaean territories.
17David attacked from dawn to dusk and continued till next day; only four hundred young men mounted on camels got away.
18David rescued all those whom the Amalekites had taken captive, including his two wives.
19No one was missing, young or old, sons or daughters, nor was any of the spoil missing, anything they had seized for themselves: David recovered everything.
20They took all the flocks and herds, drove the cattle before him and said, “This is David's spoil.”
21When David returned to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow him and whom he had left behind at the wadi of Besor, they came forward to meet him and his men. David greeted them all, enquiring how things were with them.
22But some of those who had gone with David, rogues and scoundrels, broke in and said, “These men did not go with us; we will not allot them any of the spoil that we have recaptured, except that each of them may take his wife and children and go.”
23“That”, said David, “you must not do, considering what the LORD has given us, and how he has kept us safe and given the raiding party into our hands.
24Who could agree with what you propose? Those who stayed with the stores are to have the same share as those who went into battle. All must share and share alike.”
25From that time onwards, this has been the established custom in Israel down to this day.
26When David reached Ziklag, he sent some of the spoil to the elders of Judah and to his friends, with this message: “This is a present for you out of the spoil taken from the LORD's enemies.”
27He sent to those in Bethuel, in Ramoth-negeb, in Jattir,
28in Ararah, in Siphmoth, in Eshtemoa,
29in Rachal, in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, in the towns of the Kenites,
30in Hormah, in Borashan, in Athak,
31in Hebron, and in all the places over which he and his men had ranged.