1 Samuel 30

Ziklag Is Burned

1And it happened when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day that the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had struck Ziklag and burned it with fire. 2They took captive the women who were in it, from small to great. They did not put anyone to death, but carried them away and went on their way. 3David and his men came to the city, and behold, it was burned with fire, and their wives, sons, and daughters had been taken captive. 4Then David and the people who were with him lifted their voices and wept until there was no strength in them to weep. 5David’s two wives had been taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail wife of Nabal the Carmelite. 6David was greatly distressed, for the people said to stone him, because the life of all the people was bitter, each over his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.

David Inquires of the LORD

7David said to Abiathar the priest, son of Ahimelech, “Please bring near to me the ephod.” Abiathar brought the ephod near to David. 8David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I pursue after this raiding band? Will I overtake them?” He said to him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake and surely rescue.”

Two Hundred Men Remain at the Besor

9So David went, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and they came to the Wadi Besor. Those who were left behind remained. 10David pursued, he and four hundred men, but two hundred remained behind, who were too exhausted to cross the Wadi Besor.

An Egyptian Servant Guides David

11They found an Egyptian man in the field and took him to David. They gave him bread, and he ate, and they gave him water to drink. 12They gave him a piece of a fig cake and two clusters of raisins. He ate, and his spirit returned to him, for he had eaten no bread and drunk no water for three days and three nights. 13David said to him, “To whom do you belong, and from where are you?” He said, “I am an Egyptian young man, servant to an Amalekite man. My master abandoned me because I became sick three days ago. 14We raided the Negev of the Cherethites, what belongs to Judah, and the Negev of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag with fire.” 15David said to him, “Will you bring me down to this raiding band?” He said, “Swear to me by God that you will not put me to death and will not deliver me into the hand of my master, and I will bring you down to this raiding band.”

David Recovers Everything

16He brought him down, and behold, they were spread over all the face of the land, eating, drinking, and celebrating because of all the great spoil that they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. 17David struck them from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man from them escaped except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled. 18David rescued all that the Amalekites had taken, and David rescued his two wives. 19Nothing of theirs was missing, from small to great, sons or daughters, from spoil or anything that they had taken for themselves. David brought back everything. 20David took all the sheep and cattle. They drove them before that livestock and said, “This is David’s spoil.”

David Establishes a Rule for Sharing Spoil

21David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow David and whom they had made stay at the Wadi Besor. They went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him. David drew near to the people and asked about their well-being. 22Then every evil and worthless man from among the men who had gone with David answered and said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not give them from the spoil that we rescued, except to each man his wife and his children, so that they may lead them away and go.” 23But David said, “You shall not do so, my brothers, with what the LORD has given us. He guarded us and gave into our hand the raiding band that came against us. 24And who will listen to you in this matter? For as the share of the one who goes down into battle, so shall be the share of the one who remains with the baggage. They shall share alike.” 25And it happened from that day and onward that he made it a statute and judgment for Israel to this day.

David Sends Gifts to Judah

26David came to Ziklag and sent some of the spoil to the elders of Judah, to his companions, saying, “Look, a blessing for you from the spoil of the enemies of the LORD”— 27to those in Bethel, those in Ramoth of the Negev, those in Jattir, 28those in Aroer, those in Siphmoth, those in Eshtemoa, 29those in Racal, those in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, those in the cities of the Kenites, 30those in Hormah, those in Bor-Ashan, those in Athach, 31those in Hebron, and to all the places where David and his men had walked.