1And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire;
2And had taken the women captives that were in it, they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way.
3So 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.
4Then David and the people that were with him, lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.
5And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
6And 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 encouraged himself in the LORD his God.
7And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, I pray thee bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David.
8And David inquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue; for thou shalt surely overtake them , and without fail recover all .
9So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind remained.
10But David pursued, he and four hundred men: for two hundred abode behind, who were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor.
11And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he ate; and they made him drink water;
12And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins: and when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him: for he had eaten no bread, nor drank any water, three days and three nights.
13And David said to him, To whom belongest thou? and whence art thou? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days ago I fell sick.
14We made an invasion upon the south of the Cherethites, and upon the coast which belongeth to Judah, and upon the south of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.
15And David said to him, Canst thou conduct me down to this company? And he said, Swear to me by God, that thou wilt neither kill me, nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will lead thee down to this company.
16And when he had conducted him down, behold, they were spread abroad upon all the earth, eating and drinking, and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken from the land of the Philistines, and from the land of Judah.
17And David smote them from the twilight even to the evening of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, who rode upon camels, and fled.
18And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives.
19And 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.
20And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drove before those other cattle, and said, This is David's spoil.
21And 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 brook Besor: and they went forth to meet David, and to meet the people that were with him: and when David came near to the people, he saluted them.
22Then answered all the wicked men, and men of Belial, of those that went with David, and said, Because they went not with us, we will not give them aught of the spoil that we have recovered, save to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead them away, and depart.
23Then said David, Ye shall not do so, my brethren, with that which the LORD hath given us, who hath preserved us, and delivered the company that came against us into our hand.
24For who will hearken to you in this matter? but as his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the goods: they shall part alike.
25And it was so from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.
26And when David came to Ziklag, he sent of the spoil to the elders of Judah, even to his friends, saying, Behold a present for you, of the spoil of the enemies of the LORD;
27To them who were in Beth-el, and to them who were in south Ramoth, and to them who were in Jattir,
28And to them who were in Aroer, and to them who were in Siphmoth, and to them who were in Eshtemoa,
29And to them who were in Rachal, and to them who were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to them who were in the cities of the Kenites,
30And to them who were in Hormah, and to them who were in Chor-ashan, and to them who were in Athach,
31And to them who were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were accustomed to resort.