30:1 On the third day David and his men came to Ziklag. Now the Amalekites had conducted a raid on the Negev and on Ziklag, striking Ziklag and burning it with fire. 30:2 They had taken captive the women who were in it, from the youngest to the oldest, but they did not kill anyone. They simply led them out and went on their way.

30:3 When David and his men came to the city, it lay burned with fire. Their wives, sons, and daughters had been taken captive. 30:4 Then David and the people who were with him wept loudly¹ until they could weep no longer. 30:5 David’s two wives had been taken captive—Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail the Carmelite, widow of Nabal. 30:6 David was very distressed, for the people were thinking of stoning him; all the people to a man were grieved over their sons and daughters. But David drew strength from the LORD his God.

30:7 Then David said to the priest Abiathar, the son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. 30:8 David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Should I pursue after this raiding band? Can I overtake them?” He said to him, “Pursue, for you can certainly overtake them and make a rescue.”

30:9 So David went out, accompanied by six hundred men. When he came to the wadi Besor, those who made up the rear stayed there.² 30:10 David and four hundred men continued the pursuit, but two hundred men who were too exhausted to cross the wadi Besor stayed there.

30:11 Then they found an Egyptian fellow in the field and took him to David. They gave him bread to eat and water to drink. 30:12 They gave him a slice of pressed figs and two bunches of raisins to eat. This greatly refreshed him,³ for he had neither eaten food nor drunk water for three days and three nights. 30:13 David said to him, “To whom do you belong, and where are you from?” The young man said, “I am an Egyptian, the servant of an Amalekite man. My lord abandoned me when I was ill for three days. 30:14 We conducted a raid on the Negev of the Kerethites, on the area of Judah, and on the Negev of Caleb. We burned Ziklag with fire.” 30:15 David said to him, “Can you take us down to this raiding party?” He said, “Swear to me by God that you will not put me to death or deliver me into the hand of my lord, and I will take you down to this raiding party.”

30:16 So he took David⁴ down, and they found them spread out over the land. They were eating and drinking and enjoying themselves because of all the quantity of plunder that they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. 30:17 But David struck them down from the twilight until the following evening. Not a one of them escaped, with the exception of four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled. 30:18 David regained everything that the Amalekites had taken; he⁵ also regained his two wives. 30:19 There was nothing lacking to them, from the youngest to the oldest, sons and daughters, plunder or whatever they had taken. David brought everything back. 30:20 David took all the flocks and herds and drove them in front of the rest of the animals. People were saying, “This is David’s plunder!”

30:21 Then David came to the two hundred men who were too exhausted to go with him⁶ and whom they had left at the wadi Nesor. They went forth to meet David and the people who were with him. When David approached the people, he asked how they were doing. 30:22 But all the evil and worthless men from those who had gone with David said, “Since they didn’t go with us,⁷ we won’t give them any of the plunder that we regained. They may take only their wives and children. Let them lead them away and be gone!”

30:23 But David said, “No! You shouldn’t do this, my brothers. Look at what the LORD has given to us!⁸ He has protected us and has delivered into our hands the raiding party that was coming against us. 30:24 Who will listen to you in this matter? The portion of the one who was going down into the battle will be the same as the portion of the one who was remaining with the equipment. Let their portions be the same.”

30:25 From that time onward it was made a binding ordinance⁹ for Israel, right up to the present time.

30:26 When David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah who were his friends saying, “Here’s a gift¹⁰ for you from the plunder of the enemies of the LORD.” 30:27 The gift was for those in the following locations:¹¹ for those in Bethel, Ramoth Negev, and Jattir; 30:28 for those in Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa, 30:29 and Racal; for those in the cities of the Jerahmeelites and the Kenites; 30:30 for those in Hormah, Bor Ashan, Athach, 30:31 and Hebron; and for those in whatever other places David and his men had traveled.