1 Aconteceu que, ao terceiro dia, quando Davi e os seus homens chegaram a Ziclague, os amalequitas já tinham invadido o Sul e a cidade de Ziclague. Tomaram Ziclague e a incendiaram. 2 Levaram cativas as mulheres que lá estavam, mas não mataram ninguém, nem pequenos nem grandes; tão somente os levaram consigo e foram embora. 3 Davi e os seus homens chegaram à cidade, e viram que tinha sido queimada, e que as suas mulheres, os seus filhos e as suas filhas haviam sido levados cativos. 4 Então Davi e o povo que estava com ele ergueram a voz e choraram, até não terem mais forças para chorar. 5 Também as duas mulheres de Davi tinham sido levadas: Ainoã, a jezreelita, e Abigail, a viúva de Nabal, o carmelita. 6 Davi ficou muito angustiado, pois o povo falava de apedrejá-lo, porque todos estavam amargurados, cada um por causa de seus filhos e suas filhas. Mas Davi se reanimou no Senhor, seu Deus.

7 Davi disse a Abiatar, o sacerdote, filho de Aimeleque:

— Traga aqui a estola sacerdotal.

E Abiatar a trouxe a Davi. 8 Então Davi consultou o Senhor, dizendo:

— Devo perseguir esse bando? Conseguirei alcançá-lo?

O Senhor respondeu:

— Persiga o bando, porque você certamente o alcançará e libertará os cativos.

9 Então Davi partiu, ele e os seiscentos homens que com ele estavam, e chegaram ao ribeiro de Besor, onde os retardatários ficaram. 10 Davi e quatrocentos homens continuaram a perseguição, mas duzentos ficaram atrás, por não poderem passar o ribeiro de Besor, de tão cansados que estavam.

11 Encontraram no campo um homem egípcio e o trouxeram a Davi. Deram-lhe pão, e ele comeu, e deram-lhe água para beber. 12 Deram-lhe também um pedaço de pasta de figos secos e dois cachos de passas, e ele comeu. Assim, recobrou as forças, pois havia três dias e três noites que não comia pão, nem bebia água. 13 Então Davi lhe perguntou:

— De quem você é e de onde você vem?

O moço egípcio respondeu:

— Sou servo de um amalequita, e meu senhor me deixou aqui, porque adoeci há três dias. 14 Nós invadimos o lado sul dos queretitas, o território de Judá e o lado sul de Calebe e pusemos fogo em Ziclague.

15 Então Davi lhe perguntou:

— Você poderia me levar até esse bando?

Ele respondeu:

— Jure por Deus que não vai me matar, nem me entregar nas mãos de meu senhor, e eu o levarei até esse bando.

16 E ele levou Davi até lá. Eis que os amalequitas estavam espalhados por toda a região, comendo, bebendo e fazendo festa por todo aquele grande despojo que tomaram da terra dos filisteus e da terra de Judá. 17 Davi os atacou e lutou contra eles, desde o crepúsculo até a tarde do dia seguinte, e nenhum deles escapou, a não ser quatrocentos moços que montaram em camelos e fugiram. 18 Assim, Davi salvou tudo o que os amalequitas tinham levado. Também salvou as suas duas mulheres. 19 Não lhes faltou coisa alguma, nem pequena nem grande, nem os filhos, nem as filhas, nem o despojo, nada do que lhes haviam tomado: Davi trouxe tudo de volta. 20 Davi também tomou todas as ovelhas e o gado. Então levaram esses animais diante de Davi e disseram:

— Este é o despojo de Davi.

21 Quando Davi se aproximou dos duzentos homens que, de tão cansados que estavam, não o puderam seguir e ficaram no ribeiro de Besor, estes saíram ao encontro de Davi e do povo que vinha com ele. Davi se aproximou deles e os saudou cordialmente. 22 Então todos os perversos e malignos, dentre os homens que tinham ido com Davi, disseram:

— Uma vez que não foram conosco, não lhes daremos nada do despojo que salvamos. Que cada um leve a sua mulher e os seus filhos e se vá embora.

23 Porém Davi disse:

— Meus irmãos, não façam isto com o que o Senhor nos deu. Ele nos guardou e entregou em nossas mãos o bando que vinha contra nós. 24 E quem lhes daria ouvidos nisso? Porque a mesma parte que cabe aos que foram à batalha será também a parte dos que ficaram com a bagagem; receberão partes iguais.

25 E assim, desde aquele dia em diante, isso foi estabelecido por estatuto e direito em Israel, até o dia de hoje.

26 Quando Davi chegou a Ziclague, enviou parte do despojo aos anciãos de Judá, seus amigos, dizendo:

— Este é um presente para vocês, tirado do despojo dos inimigos do Senhor.

27 Ele enviou esse presente aos anciãos de Betel, de Ramote do Neguebe, de Jatir, 28 de Aroer, de Sifmote, de Estemoa, 29 de Racal, das cidades dos jerameelitas e dos queneus, 30 de Horma, de Borasã, de Atace, 31 de Hebrom e de todos os lugares em que Davi tinha passado, ele e os seus homens.

1 And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire;

2 And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way.

3 So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives.

4 Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.

5 And David' two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.

6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.

7 And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech' son, I pray you, bring me here the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David.

8 And David inquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for you shall surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.

9 So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind stayed.

10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men: for two hundred stayed behind, which were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor.

11 And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they made him drink water;

12 And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins: and when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him: for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, three days and three nights.

13 And David said to him, To whom belong you? and from where are you? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days ago I fell sick.

14 We made an invasion on the south of the Cherethites, and on the coast which belongs to Judah, and on the south of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.

15 And David said to him, Can you bring me down to this company? And he said, Swear to me by God, that you will neither kill me, nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring you down to this company.

16 And when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread abroad on all the earth, eating and drinking, and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah.

17 And David smote them from the twilight even to the evening of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, which rode on camels, and fled.

18 And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives.

19 And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor any thing that they had taken to them: David recovered all.

20 And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drove before those other cattle, and said, This is David' spoil.

21 And David came to the two hundred men, which were so faint that they could not follow David, whom they had made also to abide at the brook Besor: and they went forth to meet David, and to meet the people that were with him: and when David came near to the people, he saluted them.

22 Then answered all the wicked men and men of Belial, of those that went with David, and said, Because they went not with us, we will not give them ought of the spoil that we have recovered, save to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead them away, and depart.

23 Then said David, You shall not do so, my brothers, with that which the LORD has given us, who has preserved us, and delivered the company that came against us into our hand.

24 For who will listen to you in this matter? but as his part is that goes down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarries by the stuff: they shall part alike.

25 And it was so from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.

26 And when David came to Ziklag, he sent of the spoil to the elders of Judah, even to his friends, saying, Behold a present for you of the spoil of the enemies of the LORD;

27 To them which were in Bethel, and to them which were in south Ramoth, and to them which were in Jattir,

28 And to them which were in Aroer, and to them which were in Siphmoth, and to them which were in Eshtemoa,

29 And to them which were in Rachal, and to them which were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to them which were in the cities of the Kenites,

30 And to them which were in Hormah, and to them which were in Chorashan, and to them which were in Athach,

31 And to them which were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were wont to haunt.