David Recovers His Family and Defeats the Amalekites
1 Samuel 30:1-31
1It happened when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day that the Amalekites had raided the Negeb and Ziklag. They struck Ziklag and burned it with fire.2They took captive the women who were in it, from the smallest to the greatest; they did not put any man to death, but led them away and went on their way.3When David and his men came to the city, they saw that it had been burned with fire, and their wives, sons, and daughters had been taken captive.4David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until they had no strength left to weep.5The two wives of David had been taken captive: Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.6David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, for the soul of all the people was bitter, each man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.7David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, "Please bring the ephod to me." Abiathar brought the ephod to David.8David inquired of the LORD, saying, "Shall I pursue this band? Shall I overtake them?" He answered him, "Pursue, for you will surely overtake them and you will surely rescue."9David set out, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and came to the torrent Besor; the rest remained behind.10David continued the pursuit, he and four hundred men, while two hundred men who were too faint to cross the torrent Besor stayed behind.11They found an Egyptian man in the open country and brought him to David. They gave him food, and he ate; they also gave him water to drink.12They gave him a piece of fig cake and two clusters of raisins. He ate, and his spirit returned to him, because he had eaten no food and drunk no water for three days and three nights.13David asked him, "To whom do you belong, and where are you from?" He answered, "I am a young Egyptian, a servant of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me because I fell sick three days ago."14We had raided the Negeb of the Cherethites, the territory belonging to Judah, and the Negeb of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag with fire.15David asked him, "Will you lead me down to this band?" He replied, "Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will take you down to the band."16He led him down, and they found the raiders spread out over the land, eating, drinking, and celebrating with the great spoil they had taken from the land of the Philistines and the land of Judah.17David attacked them from twilight until the evening of the next day. None escaped except four hundred young men who mounted camels and fled.18David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives. Nothing was missing, whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything else; David brought back the whole amount.19David also took all the flocks and herds. His men drove them ahead of the other livestock and said, "This is David's spoil."20David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow him and had been left at the torrent Besor. They came out to meet David and the people with him.21David came to the two hundred men who had fainted from walking after David, and he caused them to dwell by the torrent Besor, and they came out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him, and David approached the people and asked them for peace.22But all the worthless and wicked men among those who had gone with David answered, "Because they did not go with us, we will not share with them any of the spoil we rescued, except each man may take his wife and children and depart."23David said, "You must not do this, my brothers, with what the LORD has given us. He has preserved us and delivered into our hand the band that came against us."24Who would listen to you in this matter? The share of the one who goes down into battle shall be the same as the share of the one who stays with the supplies; they shall divide alike.25From that day forward David made this a statute and an ordinance for Israel, and it remains so to this day.26When David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the spoil to the elders of Judah who were his friends, saying, "Here is a gift for you from the spoil of the enemies of the LORD."27He sent to those in Bethel, to those in Ramoth of the Negeb, and to those in Jattir,28to those in Aroer, to those in Siphmoth, and to those in Eshtemoa,29to those in Racal, to those in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to those in the cities of the Kenites,30to those in Hormah, to those in Bor-ashan, and to those in Athach,31and to those in Hebron, and to all the places where David and his men had traveled.