The Amalekites Raid Ziklag 1 AKJV And 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; BSB BSB: On the third day David and his men arrived in Ziklag, and the Amalekites had raided the Negev, attacked Ziklag, and burned it down.
2 AKJV And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way. BSB BSB: They had taken captive the women and all who were there, both young and old. They had not killed anyone, but had carried them off as they went on their way.
3 AKJV 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. BSB BSB: When David and his men came to the city, they found it burned down and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive.
4 AKJV Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep. BSB BSB: So David and the troops with him lifted up their voices and wept until they had no strength left to weep.
5 AKJV And David’s two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. BSB BSB: David’s two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel, had been taken captive.
6 AKJV 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 encouraged himself in the LORD his God. BSB BSB: And David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of every man grieved for his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God.
David Destroys the Amalekites 7 AKJV And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, I pray you, bring me here the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David. BSB BSB: Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought it to him,
8 AKJV And David inquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for you shall surely overtake them, and without fail recover all. BSB BSB: and David inquired of the LORD: “Should I pursue these raiders? Will I overtake them?” “Pursue them,” the LORD replied, “for you will surely overtake them and rescue the captives.”
9 AKJV So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind stayed. BSB BSB: So David and his six hundred men went to the Brook of Besor, where some stayed behind
10 AKJV But David pursued, he and four hundred men: for two hundred stayed behind, which were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor. BSB BSB: because two hundred men were too exhausted to cross the brook. But David and four hundred men continued in pursuit.
11 AKJV And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they made him drink water; BSB BSB: Now his men found an Egyptian in the field and brought him to David. They gave the man water to drink and food to eat—
12 AKJV And 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 drunk any water, three days and three nights. BSB BSB: a piece of a fig cake and two clusters of raisins. So he ate and was revived, for he had not had any food or water for three days and three nights.
13 AKJV And David said to him, To whom belong you? and from where are you? 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. BSB BSB: Then David asked him, “To whom do you belong, and where are you from?” “I am an Egyptian,” he replied, “the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me three days ago when I fell ill.
14 AKJV We made an invasion on the south of the Cherethites, and on the coast which belongs to Judah, and on the south of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire. BSB BSB: We raided the Negev of the Cherethites, the territory of Judah, and the Negev of Caleb, and we burned down Ziklag.”
15 AKJV And David said to him, Can you bring me down to this company? And he said, Swear to me by God, that you will neither kill me, nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring you down to this company. BSB BSB: “Will you lead me to these raiders?” David asked. And the man replied, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or deliver me into the hand of my master, and I will lead you to them.”
16 AKJV And when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread abroad on all the earth, eating and drinking, and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah. BSB BSB: So he led David down, and there were the Amalekites spread out over all the land, eating, drinking, and celebrating the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and the land of Judah.
17 AKJV And 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, which rode on camels, and fled. BSB BSB: And David struck them down from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man escaped, except four hundred young men who fled, riding off on camels.
18 AKJV And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives. BSB BSB: So David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives.
19 AKJV 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. BSB BSB: Nothing was missing, young or old, son or daughter, or any of the plunder the Amalekites had taken. David brought everything back.
20 AKJV And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drove before those other cattle, and said, This is David’s spoil. BSB BSB: And he took all the flocks and herds, which his men drove ahead of the other livestock, calling out, “This is David’s plunder!”
The Spoils Are Divided 21 AKJV And David came to the two hundred men, which 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. BSB BSB: When David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow him and who were left behind at the Brook of Besor, they came out to meet him and the troops with him. As David approached the men, he greeted them,
22 AKJV Then 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 any of the spoil that we have recovered, save to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead them away, and depart. BSB BSB: but all the wicked and worthless men among those who had gone with David said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not share with them the plunder we recovered, except for each man’s wife and children. They may take them and go.”
23 AKJV 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 company that came against us into our hand. BSB BSB: But David said, “My brothers, you must not do this with what the LORD has given us. He has protected us and delivered into our hands the raiders who came against us.
24 AKJV For who will listen to you in this matter? but as his part is that goes down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarries by the stuff: they shall part alike. BSB BSB: Who will listen to your proposal? The share of the one who went to battle will match the share of the one who stayed with the supplies. They will share alike.”
25 AKJV And it was so from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day. BSB BSB: And so it has been from that day forward. David established this statute and ordinance for Israel to this very day.
26 AKJV And 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; BSB BSB: When David arrived in Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to his friends, the elders of Judah, saying, “Here is a gift for you from the plunder of the LORD’s enemies.”
27 AKJV To them which were in Bethel, and to them which were in south Ramoth, and to them which were in Jattir, BSB BSB: He sent gifts to those in Bethel, Ramoth Negev, and Jattir;
28 AKJV And to them which were in Aroer, and to them which were in Siphmoth, and to them which were in Eshtemoa, BSB BSB: to those in Aroer, Siphmoth, and Eshtemoa;
29 AKJV And to them which were in Rachal, and to them which were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to them which were in the cities of the Kenites, BSB BSB: to those in Racal and in the cities of the Jerahmeelites and Kenites;
30 AKJV And to them which were in Hormah, and to them which were in Chorashan, and to them which were in Athach, BSB BSB: to those in Hormah, Bor-ashan, and Athach;
31 AKJV And to them which were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were wont to haunt. BSB BSB: and to those in Hebron and in all the places where David and his men had roamed.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.