1 Kun Daavid miehinensä kolmantena päivänä tuli Siklagiin, olivat amalekilaiset tehneet ryöstöretken Etelämaahan ja Siklagiin, ja he olivat vallanneet Siklagin ja polttaneet sen tulella.
2 Naiset, mitä siellä oli, sekä pienet että suuret, he olivat ottaneet vangiksi, surmaamatta ketään; he olivat vieneet ne pois ja menneet matkoihinsa.
3 Kun Daavid miehinensä tuli kaupunkiin, niin katso, se oli tulella poltettu, ja heidän vaimonsa, poikansa ja tyttärensä oli otettu vangiksi.
4 Silloin Daavid ja väki, joka oli hänen kanssaan, korottivat äänensä ja itkivät, kunnes eivät enää jaksaneet itkeä.
5 Vangiksi oli otettu myös Daavidin molemmat vaimot, jisreeliläinen Ahinoam ja Abigail, karmelilaisen Naabalin vaimo.
6 Ja Daavid joutui suureen hätään, sillä kansa aikoi kivittää hänet: niin katkeroitunut oli koko kansa, kukin poikiensa ja tyttäriensä tähden. Mutta Daavid rohkaisi mielensä Herrassa, Jumalassansa.
9 Niin Daavid lähti, hän ja ne kuusisataa miestä, jotka olivat hänen kanssaan, ja he tulivat Besorin purolle; siihen pysähtyivät ne, jotka olivat jääneet muista jälkeen.
10 Mutta Daavid jatkoi takaa-ajoa neljänsadan miehen kanssa; sillä niitä, jotka väsyneinä pysähtyivät eivätkä menneet Besorin puron poikki, oli kaksisataa miestä.
11 Ja he tapasivat kedolla egyptiläisen miehen ja toivat hänet Daavidin luo. He antoivat hänelle leipää syödä ja vettä juoda,
12 ja he antoivat vielä hänelle viikunakakun ja kaksi rusinakakkua syödä. Silloin hän virkosi henkiin; sillä hän ei ollut syönyt eikä juonut kolmeen vuorokauteen.
16 Ja hän vei hänet sinne; ja katso, heitä oli hajallaan maassa kaikkialla syömässä, juomassa ja juhlimassa kaikella sillä suurella saaliilla, jonka olivat ottaneet filistealaisten maasta ja Juudan maasta.
17 Niin Daavid kaatoi heitä aamuhämärästä iltaan asti; eikä heistä pelastunut kuin neljäsataa nuorta miestä, jotka nousivat kamelien selkään ja pakenivat.
18 Ja Daavid pelasti kaikki, mitä amalekilaiset olivat ottaneet; myös molemmat vaimonsa Daavid pelasti.
19 Ei ketään puuttunut, ei pientä eikä suurta, ei kenenkään poikaa eikä kenenkään tytärtä eikä saalista tai muuta, mitä he olivat ottaneet itsellensä; kaiken Daavid toi takaisin.
21 Ja kun Daavid tuli niiden kahdensadan miehen luo, jotka olivat väsyneet, jaksamatta seurata Daavidia, ja jotka oli jätetty Besorin purolle, tulivat he Daavidia vastaan ja sitä väkeä, joka oli hänen kanssansa; ja kun Daavid väkineen lähestyi, tervehti hän heitä.
25 Ja sillensä asia jäi silloin ja sen jälkeenkin: hän teki sen säännöksi ja tavaksi Israelissa, aina tähän päivään asti.
27 lahja niille, jotka olivat Beetelissä, Etelämaan Raamotissa, Jattirissa,
28 Aroerissa, Sifmotissa, Estemoassa,
29 Raakalissa, jerahmeelilaisten kaupungeissa, keeniläisten kaupungeissa,
30 Hormassa, Boor-Aasanissa, Atakissa
31 ja Hebronissa, ja samoin lahja kaikille muille paikkakunnille, joissa Daavid miehinensä oli kulkenut.
1 Now when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made an attack on the South and on Ziklag, and had overcome Ziklag and put it on fire;
2 And had made the women and all who were there, small and great, prisoners: they had not put any of them to death, but had taken them all away.
3 And when David and his men came to the town, they saw that it had been burned down, and their wives and their sons and daughters had been made prisoners.
4 Then David and the people who were with him gave themselves up to weeping till they were able to go on weeping no longer.
5 And David's two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the wife of Nabal of Carmel, had been made prisoners.
6 And David was greatly troubled; for the people were talking of stoning him, because their hearts were bitter, every man sorrowing for his sons and his daughters: but David made himself strong in the Lord his God.
7 And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, Come here to me with the ephod. And Abiathar took the ephod to David.
8 Then David, questioning the Lord, said, Am I to go after this band? will I be able to overtake them? And in answer he said, Go after them, for you will certainly overtake them, and get back everything.
9 So David went, and his six hundred men went with him, and they came to the stream Besor.
10 And David, with four hundred men, went on: but two hundred of them were overcome with weariness, and not able to go across the stream.
11 And in the fields they saw an Egyptian whom they took to David, and they gave him bread, and he had a meal, and they gave him water for drink;
12 And they gave him part of a cake of figs and some dry grapes; and after the food, his spirit came back to him, for he had had no food or drink for three days and nights.
13 And David said to him, Whose man are you and where do you come from? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master went on without me because three days back I became ill.
14 We made an attack on the south part of the country of the Cherethites, and on the land which is Judah's, and on the south of Caleb; and we put Ziklag on fire.
15 And David said to him, Will you take me down to this band? And he said, If you give me your oath that you will not put me to death or give me up to my master, I will take you to them.
16 And when he had taken him down, they saw them all, seated about on all sides, feasting and drinking among all the mass of goods which they had taken from the land of the Philistines and the land of Judah.
17 And David went on fighting them from evening till the evening of the day after; and not one of them got away but only four hundred young men who went in flight on camels.
18 And David got back everything the Amalekites had taken; and he got back his two wives.
19 There was no loss of anything, small or great, sons or daughters or goods or anything which they had taken away: David got it all back.
20 And they took all the flocks and herds, and driving them in front of him, said, These are David's.
21 And David came to the two hundred men, who because of weariness had not gone with him, but were waiting at the stream Besor: and they went out, meeting David and the people who were with him; and when they came near them, they said, How are you?
22 Then the bad and good-for-nothing men among those who went with David said, Because they did not go with us, we will give them nothing of the goods which we have got back, but only to every man his wife and children, so that he may take them and go.
23 Then David said, You are not to do this, my brothers, after what the Lord has given us, who has kept us safe and given up the band which came against us into our hands.
24 Who is going to give any attention to you in this question? for an equal part will be given to him who went to the fight and to him who was waiting by the goods: they are all to have the same.
25 And so he made it a rule and an order for Israel from that day till now.
26 And when David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the goods to the responsible men of Judah, and to his friends, saying, Here is an offering for you from the goods of those who were fighting against the Lord;
27 He sent to those who were in Beth-el, and in Ramah of the South, and in Jattir;
28 And to those in Arara and Eshtemoa
29 and Carmel and in the towns of the Jerahmeelites, and in the towns of the Kenites;
30 And to those who were in Hormah and in Bor-ashan and in Athach;
31 And in Hebron, and to all the places where David and his men had been living.