1 ¶ Now when David and his men got back to Ziklag on the third day, they found that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and had overcome Ziklag, and burned it with fire;

2 And had taken the women, and all who were in it, captive: they did not kill any, either great or small, but carried them off, and went their way.

3 So when David and his men got to the city, they found that it had been burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, had been taken captive.

4 Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept, until they could weep no longer.

5 And David’s two wives had been taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.

6 And David was greatly distressed; because the troops spoke of stoning him, for they were all grieved, each for his sons and for his daughters: but David found strength in the LORD his God.

7 ¶ Then David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, I pray you, bring the ephod here to me. And Abiathar brought the ephod to David.

8 And David inquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered, Pursue: for you will surely overtake them, and without fail recover everything.

9 So David and the six hundred men who were with him set out, and came to the brook Besor, where those who were left behind remained.

10 Two hundred who were so faint that they could not cross the brook Besor remained behind. But David continued the pursuit with four hundred men.

11 And they found an Egyptian in the open country, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he ate; and they made him drink water;

12 And they gave him part of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins: and after he had eaten, his spirit revived: for he had not eaten any bread, or drank any water, for three days and three nights.

13 And David said to him, To whom do you belong? and where are you from? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me behind, because three days ago I fell sick.

14 We made a raid on the south of the Cherethites, and on the territory that belongs to Judah, and on the south of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.

15 And David said to him, Can you lead us to these bandits? And he said, Swear to me by God, that you will not kill me, or deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will lead you to the band.

16 And when he led him there, behold, the raiders were spread out over the entire area, eating and drinking, and dancing, because of the great amount of plunder that they had taken from the land of the Philistines, and from the land of Judah.

17 And David slaughtered them from twilight to the evening of the next day: and none of them escaped, except four hundred young men, who fled riding on camels.

18 And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and rescued his two wives.

19 And nothing of theirs was missing, small or great, sons or daughters, spoil, or anything that they had taken from them: David recovered it all.

20 And David also captured all the flocks and the herds, and the people drove those cattle before them, and said, This is David’s spoil.

21 ¶ When David got back to the two hundred men, who were so faint that they could not follow him, and had been left at the brook Besor: they went out to meet David, and to meet the people who were with him: and when David came near to them, he greeted them.

22 Then all the wicked men and men of Belial, among those who went with David, said, Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we recovered, except that every man may lead away his wife and his children, and leave.

23 But David said, You must not do this, my brethren, with what the LORD has given us, who has preserved us, and has delivered into our hand the company that came against us.

24 For who will listen to you in this matter? for the share of him who goes into the battle, shall be equal to the share of him who remains by the baggage: they shall share alike.

25 And it was so from that day on, he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.

26 And when David got back to Ziklag, he sent part of the spoil to the elders of Judah, to his friends, saying, Behold a present for you taken from the spoil of the enemies of the LORD;

27 For those who were in Bethel, and for those who were in south Ramoth, and for those who were in Jattir,

28 And for those who were in Aroer, and for those who were in Siphmoth, and for those who were in Eshtemoa,

29 And for those who were in Rachal, and for those who were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and for those who were in the cities of the Kenites,

30 And for those who were in Hormah, and for those who were in Chorashan, and for those who were in Athach,

31 And for those who were in Hebron, and for all the places where David himself and his men had stayed.