I Samuel 30 · שמואל א

And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Żiqlag on the third day, that the ῾Amaleqi had raided the Negev, and Żiqlag, and had smitten Żiqlag, and had burned it with fire;

and had taken the women captives, that were there both great and small: they slew not any, but carried them away, and went on their way.

So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives.

Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.

And David’s two wives were taken captives, Aĥino῾am the Yizre῾elite, and Avigayil the wife of Naval the Karmelite.

And David was greatly distressed; for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David fortified himself in the Lord his God.

And David said to Evyatar, the priest, Aĥimelekh’s son, I pray thee, bring me here the efod. And Evyatar brought the efod of David.

And David inquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.

So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and came to the wadi of Besor, where those stayed who were left behind.

But David pursued, he and four hundred men: for two hundred, who were too weak to go over the wadi of Besor, remained behind.

And they found a Miżrian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they made him drink water;

and they gave him a slice of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins: and when he had eaten, his spirit came back to him: for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, three days and three nights.

And David said to him, To whom dost thou belong? and from where dost thou come? And he said, I am a young Miżrian man, servant to an ῾Amaleqite; and my master left me, because three days ago I fell sick.

We made a raid upon the south of the Kereti, and upon the territory of Yehuda, and upon the south of Kalev; and we burned Żiqlag with fire.

And David said to him, Canst thou bring me down to this troop? And he said, Swear to me by God, that thou wilt neither kill me, nor deliver me into the hand of my master, and I will bring thee down to this troop.

And when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread about over the whole area, eating and drinking, and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Pelishtim, and out of the land of Yehuda.

And David smote them from the twilight to the evening of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, except four hundred youngsters, who rode upon camels, and fled.

And David recovered all that ῾Amaleq had carried away: and David rescued his two wives.

And 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.

And David took all the flocks and the cattle; they rode before that herd, and declared, This is David’s plunder.

And David came to the two hundred men, who were so faint that they could not follow David, whom they had made also to abide at the wadi of Besor: and they went out to meet David, and to meet the people who were with him: and when David came near to the people, he greeted them.

Then answered all the bad and worthless men among the men who went with David, and said, Because they went not with us, we will not give them of the spoil that we have recovered, save to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead them away, and depart.

Then said David, You shall not do so, my brothers, with that which the Lord has given us, who has preserved us, and delivered the troop that came against us into our hand.

For who will hearken to you in this matter? but as his part is that goes down to the battle, so shall his part be that remains by the baggage: they shall share alike:

and it was so from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Yisra᾽el to this day.

And when David came to Żiqlag, he sent of the spoil to the elders of Yehuda, to his friends, saying, Behold a present for you of the spoil of the enemies of the Lord;

to those who were in Bet-el, and to those who were in Ramot-negev, and to those who were in Yattir,

and to those who were in ῾Aro῾er, and to those who were in Sifemot, and to those who were in Eshtemoa,

and to those who were in Rakhal, and to those who were in the cities of the Yeraĥme᾽eli, and to those who were in the cities of the Qeni,

and to those who were in Ḥorma, and to those who were in Kor-῾ashan, and to those who were in ῾Atakh,

and to those who were in Ḥevron, and to all the places where David and his men had wandered about.