On the third day ... David and his men arrived in Ziklag , and the Amalekites had raided ... the Negev - - , attacked - Ziklag , and burned it down - -.
They had taken captive - the women (and all) who were both young and old. They had not killed ... anyone , but had carried them off as they went on their way.
When David and his men came to the city , they found it burned down ... and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive.
So David and the troops - with him - lifted up their voices and wept until - they had no strength left to weep.
David’s two wives , Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel , had been taken captive.
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.
Then David said to Abiathar the priest , the son of Ahimelech , “ Bring ... the ephod.” So Abiathar - brought it to him ,
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 ....”
So David ... and his six hundred men - - went to the Brook of Besor , where some stayed behind ...
because - two hundred men were too exhausted to cross - the brook -. But David ... and four hundred men continued in pursuit.
Now (his men) found ... an Egyptian in the field and brought him to David. They gave water to drink and food to eat —
- 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.
Then David asked “ 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.
We raided the Negev of the Cherethites , ... - the territory of Judah , ... and the Negev of Caleb , - and we burned down ... Ziklag.”
“ Will you lead me to these raiders ? ” David asked . And (the man) replied , “ Swear by God that you will not kill me (or) deliver me into the hand of my master , and I will lead you to (them) ....”
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.
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.
So David - recovered everything - the Amalekites - had taken , (including) ... his two wives.
Nothing was missing - young or old , ... son or daughter , or any - of the plunder ... the Amalekites had taken David brought everything back.
And he - recovered all the flocks and herds , which his men drove ahead of the other livestock , ... calling out , “ This is David’s plunder !”
When David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow - him vvv from the Brook of Besor , they came out to meet him (and) the troops - with him. As David - approached the men , he greeted them ... ,
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.”
But David said , “ My brothers , - you must not do this with what the LORD has given He has protected us and delivered - into our hands the raiders who came against us.
Who will listen 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.”
And so it has been from that day forward. David established this statute as an ordinance for Israel to this very day.
When David arrived in Ziklag , he sent some of the plunder to his friends , the elders of Judah , saying , “ Here is a gift from the plunder of the LORD’s enemies.”
He sent gifts to those vvv in Bethel , - Ramoth Negev , - and Jattir ;
to those in Aroer , - Siphmoth , - and Eshtemoa ;
to those in Racal and in the cities of the Jerahmeelites - and Kenites ;
to those in Hormah , - vvv Bor-ashan , - and Athach ;
and to those in Hebron and in all the places where David ... and his men had roamed. ...