1 WYC And whanne Dauid and hise men hadden come `in to Sichelech in the thridde dai, men of Amalech hadden maad asauyt on the south part in Sichelech; and thei smytiden Sichelech, and brenten it bi fier. 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 WYC And thei ledden the wymmen prisoneris fro thennus, fro the leeste `til to the grete; and thei hadden not slayn ony, but thei ledden with hem, and yeden in her weie. 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 WYC Therfor whanne Dauid and hise men hadde come to the citee, and hadden founde it brent bi fier, and that her wyues, and her sones, and douytris weren led prisoneris, 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 WYC Dauid and the puple that was with hym reisiden her voices, and weiliden, til teeris failiden in hem. BSB BSB: So David and the troops with him lifted up their voices and wept until they had no strength left to weep.
5 WYC Forsothe also twei wyues of Dauid weren led prisoneris, Achynoem of Jezrael, and Abigail, the wijf of Nabal of Carmele. BSB BSB: David’s two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel, had been taken captive.
6 WYC And Dauid was ful sori; forsothe al the puple wold stone hym, for the soule of ech man was bittir on her sones and douytris. Forsothe Dauid was coumfortid in his Lord 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.
7 WYC And he seide to Abiathar, preest, the sone of Achymelech, Bringe thou ephoth to me. And Abiathar brouyte ephoth to Dauid; and Dauid councelide the Lord, BSB BSB: Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought it to him,
8 WYC and seide, Schal Y pursue, ether nay, `these theues? and schal Y take hem? And the Lord seide to hym, Pursue thou; for with out doute thou schalt take hem, and thou schalt take awey the prey. 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 WYC Therfor Dauid yede, he and sixe hundrid men that weren with hym, and thei camen `til to the stronde of Besor; and sotheli the wery men abididen. BSB BSB: So David and his six hundred men went to the Brook of Besor, where some stayed behind
10 WYC Forsothe Dauid pursuede, he and foure hundrid men; for twei hundrid abididen, that weren weeri, and myyten not passe the stronde of Besor. BSB BSB: because two hundred men were too exhausted to cross the brook. But David and four hundred men continued in pursuit.
11 WYC And thei founden a man of Egipte in the feeld, and thei brouyten hym to Dauid; and thei yauen `breed to hym, that he schulde ete, and `schulde drynke watir; 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 WYC but also thei yauen to hym a gobet of a bundel of drye figis, and twei byndyngis of dried grapis. And whanne he hadde ete tho, his spirit turnede ayen, and he was coumfortid; for he hadde not ete breed, nether hadde drunk watir in thre daies and thre nyytis. 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 WYC Therfor Dauid seide to hym, Whos man art thou, ethir fro whennus and whidur goist thou? And he seide, Y am a child of Egipt, the seruaunt of a man of Amalech; forsothe my lord forsook me, for Y bigan to be sijk the thridde dai ago. 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 WYC Sotheli we braken out to the south coost of Cerethi, and ayens Juda, and to the south of Caleb, and we brenten Sichelech bi fier. BSB BSB: We raided the Negev of the Cherethites, the territory of Judah, and the Negev of Caleb, and we burned down Ziklag.”
15 WYC And Dauid seide to hym, Maist thou lede me to this cumpeny? Which seide, Swere thou to me bi God, that thou schalt not sle me, and schalt not bitake me in to the hondis of my lord; and Y schal lede thee to this cumpeny. And Dauid swoor to hym. 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 WYC And whanne the child hadde ledde hym, lo! thei saten at the mete, on the face of al the erthe, etynge and drynkynge, and as halewynge a feeste, for al the prey and spuylis whiche thei hadden take of the lond of Filisteis, and of the lond of Juda. 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 WYC And Dauid smoot hem fro euentid `til to euentid of the tothir dai, and not ony of hem escapide, no but foure hundrid yonge men, that stieden on camels, and fledden. 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 WYC Forsothe Dauid delyuerede alle thingis whiche the men of Amalech token, and he delyuerede hise twei wyues; BSB BSB: So David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives.
19 WYC nether ony of hem failide fro litil `til to greet, as wel of sones as of douytris, and of spuylis; and what euer thingis thei hadden rauyschid, Dauid ledde ayen alle thingis; 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 WYC and he took alle flockis and grete beestis, and droof bifor his face. And thei seiden, This is the prey of Dauid. 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!”
21 WYC Forsothe Dauid cam to twei hundrid men, that weren weeri, and abididen, and myyten not sue Dauid; and he hadde comaundid hem to sitte in the stronde of Besor; whiche yeden out ayens Dauid, and the puple that was with hym. Forsothe Dauid neiyede to the puple, and grette it pesibli. 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 WYC And o man, the werste and vniust of the men that weren with Dauid, answeride, and seide, For thei camen not with vs, we schulen not yyue to hem ony thing of the prey, which we rauyschiden, but his wijf and children `suffice to ech man; and whanne thei han take hem, go thei awei. 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 WYC Forsothe Dauid seide, My britheren, ye schulen not do so of these thingis, whiche the Lord yaf to vs, and kepte vs, and yaf the theues, that braken out ayens vs, in to oure hondis; 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 WYC nether ony man schal here vs on this word. For euene part schal be of him that goith doun to batel, and of hym that dwellith at the fardelis; and in lijk maner thei schulen departe. 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 WYC And this was maad a constitucioun and doom fro that dai and afterward, and as a lawe in Israel til in to this dai. BSB BSB: And so it has been from that day forward. David established this statute and ordinance for Israel to this very day.
26 WYC Therfor Dauid cam in to Sichelech, and sente yiftis of the prey to the eldere men of Juda, hise neiyboris, and seide, Take ye blessyng of the prey of enemyes 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 WYC to hem that weren in Bethel, and that weren in Ramoth, at the south, BSB BSB: He sent gifts to those in Bethel, Ramoth Negev, and Jattir;
28 WYC and that weren in Jether, and that weren in Aroer, and that weren in Sephamoth, and that weren in Escama, and that weren in Rethala, BSB BSB: to those in Aroer, Siphmoth, and Eshtemoa;
29 WYC and that weren in the citees of Jeramel, and that weren in the citees of Ceny, BSB BSB: to those in Racal and in the cities of the Jerahmeelites and Kenites;
30 WYC and that weren in Arama, and that weren in Lautuasam, and that weren in Athec, BSB BSB: to those in Hormah, Bor-ashan, and Athach;
31 WYC and that weren in Ebron, and to othere men, that weren in these places, in whiche Dauid dwellide and hise men. 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.