1 Kingdoms 30

1Now before David and his men entered Ziklag on the third day, Amalek had entered and attacked Ziklag and burned it with fire.

Greek verse alignment unresolved

2They did not kill the women, and all who were there, from small to great, were carried away captive as they went on their way.

Greek verse alignment unresolved

3So David and his men came to the city, and it was burned with fire. Their wives, their sons, and their daughters were taken captive.

Greek verse alignment unresolved

4Then David and the people with him lifted up their voices and wept until they were too tired to weep anymore.

Greek verse alignment unresolved

5And both David's wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelite woman and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, were taken captive.

Greek verse alignment unresolved

6Now David was greatly distressed, because the people spoke of stoning him, for the life of every person was grieved, each for his sons and for his daughters. But David became strong in the Lord his God.

Greek verse alignment unresolved

7And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, 'Bring the ephod.'

Greek verse alignment unresolved

8So David inquired of the Lord, saying, 'Surely, I shall pursue after this troop, but what if I overcome them?' And the Lord answered him, 'Pursue them. For in overtaking them you shall surely apprehend the troop, delivering the captives.'

Greek verse alignment unresolved

9So David went, he and the six hundred men with him, and they came to the brook Besor. The rest of his men stayed behind.

Greek verse alignment unresolved

10David pursued them with four hundred men; two hundred men stayed behind, staying on the other side of the brook Besor.

Greek verse alignment unresolved

11They then found an Egyptian man in the field and brought him to David. They gave him bread and he ate, and they let him drink water.

Greek verse alignment unresolved

12They also gave him a piece of fig cake. After eating, his strength came back to him, for he was without bread or water for three days and three nights.

Greek verse alignment unresolved

13Then David said to him, 'To whom do you belong, and where are you from?'

Greek verse alignment unresolved

14The young Egyptian man said, 'I am the servant of an Amalekite; and my master left me behind because I fell sick three days ago. We invaded the south of the Cholthi, and in the region of Judah, and the south area of Caleb. We burned Ziklag with fire.'

Greek verse alignment unresolved

15And David said to him, 'Can you take me down to this troop?'

Greek verse alignment unresolved

16So the young servant said, 'By God, first swear to me that you will neither kill me nor deliver me into the hand of my master, and then I will take you down to this troop.' And when he brought him there, they were there spread out over all the land, eating and drinking and celebrating, because of all the great plunder taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah.

Greek verse alignment unresolved

17Then from the morning star until the evening of the next day, David came upon them and attacked them. Not a man of them was saved, except four hundred young men who got on camels and fled.

Greek verse alignment unresolved

18So David recovered everything the Amalekites took, and David rescued his two wives.

Greek verse alignment unresolved

19And nothing of theirs was lacking, either small or great, or sons or daughters, or plunder, or anything taken from them. David recovered it all.

Greek verse alignment unresolved

20And David took all the flocks and herds and put them ahead of the plunder. Concerning the plunder, it was said, 'This is David's plunder.'

Greek verse alignment unresolved

21Now David returned to the two hundred men, the ones too weary to follow after David, whom he made stay there at the brook Besor. Upon his return, they went out to meet David and to meet the people with him. And when David came near the people, he greeted them in peace.

Greek verse alignment unresolved

22But all the ill-disposed and the worthless men who had gone and fought with David said in response, 'They did not go with us, and so they will not receive any of the plunder we recovered, except let each one lead away with him his wife and his children, and let them return.'

Greek verse alignment unresolved

23But David said, 'My brethren, this you shall not do with what the Lord has given us, who preserved us and delivered into our hand the troop that came against us.

Greek verse alignment unresolved

24And who will heed your words? For they are not inferior to you. Instead, they shall share alike, each according to the portion of him who went down to the battle, as being the same portion of him who stayed behind with the supplies.'

Greek verse alignment unresolved

25So it was, from that day forward, it became an ordinance and a statute in Israel to this day.

Greek verse alignment unresolved

26Now when David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah and to his friends, saying, 'Behold, from the plunder of the enemies of the Lord'-

Greek verse alignment unresolved

27to those who were in Beth Shur, to those who were in Ramah of the South, to those who were in Jattir,

Greek verse alignment unresolved

28to those who were in Aroer, to those who were in Ammadi, to those who were in Siphmoth, to those who were in Eshtemoa,

Greek verse alignment unresolved

29to those who were in Gath and in Kinan, and to those in Saphek, and to those in Thimath,

Greek verse alignment unresolved

30to those who were in Carmel, to those who were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, to those who were in the cities of the Kenites,

Greek verse alignment unresolved

31to those who were in Jerimouth, to those who were in Beersheba, to those who were in Noo,

Greek verse alignment unresolved

32to those who were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were accustomed to pass through.

Greek verse alignment unresolved