1 Samuel 30 :: New International Version (NIV)

David Destroys the Amalekites

1Sa 30:1David and his men reached Ziklag on the third day. Now the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned it,

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1Sa 30:2and had taken captive the women and everyone else in it, both young and old. They killed none of them, but carried them off as they went on their way.

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1Sa 30:3When David and his men reached Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive.

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1Sa 30:4So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep.

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1Sa 30:5David’s two wives had been captured—Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel.

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1Sa 30:6David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God.

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1Sa 30:7Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelek, “Bring me the ephod.” Abiathar brought it to him,

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1Sa 30:8and David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?” “Pursue them,” he answered. “You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue.”

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1Sa 30:9David and the six hundred men with him came to the Besor Valley, where some stayed behind.

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1Sa 30:10Two hundred of them were too exhausted to cross the valley, but David and the other four hundred continued the pursuit.

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1Sa 30:11They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David. They gave him water to drink and food to eat—

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1Sa 30:12part of a cake of pressed figs and two cakes of raisins. He ate and was revived, for he had not eaten any food or drunk any water for three days and three nights.

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1Sa 30:13David asked him, “Who do you belong to? Where do you come from?” He said, “I am an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me when I became ill three days ago.

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1Sa 30:14We raided the Negev of the Kerethites, some territory belonging to Judah and the Negev of Caleb. And we burned Ziklag.”

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1Sa 30:15David asked him, “Can you lead me down to this raiding party?” He answered, “Swear to me before God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will take you down to them.”

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1Sa 30:16He led David down, and there they were, scattered over the countryside, eating, drinking and reveling because of the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from Judah.

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1Sa 30:17David fought them from dusk until the evening of the next day, and none of them got away, except four hundred young men who rode off on camels and fled.

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1Sa 30:18David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives.

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1Sa 30:19Nothing was missing: young or old, boy or girl, plunder or anything else they had taken. David brought everything back.

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1Sa 30:20He took all the flocks and herds, and his men drove them ahead of the other livestock, saying, “This is David’s plunder.”

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1Sa 30:21Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow him and who were left behind at the Besor Valley. They came out to meet David and the men with him. As David and his men approached, he asked them how they were.

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1Sa 30:22But all the evil men and troublemakers among David’s followers said, “Because they did not go out with us, we will not share with them the plunder we recovered. However, each man may take his wife and children and go.”

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1Sa 30:23David replied, “No, my brothers, you must not do that with what the LORD has given us. He has protected us and delivered into our hands the raiding party that came against us.

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1Sa 30:24Who will listen to what you say? The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike.”

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1Sa 30:25David made this a statute and ordinance for Israel from that day to this.

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1Sa 30:26When David reached Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah, who were his friends, saying, “Here is a gift for you from the plunder of the LORD’s enemies.”

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1Sa 30:27David sent it to those who were in Bethel, Ramoth Negev and Jattir;

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1Sa 30:28to those in Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa

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1Sa 30:29and Rakal; to those in the towns of the Jerahmeelites and the Kenites;

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1Sa 30:30to those in Hormah, Bor Ashan, Athak

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1Sa 30:31and Hebron; and to those in all the other places where he and his men had roamed.