1 Quando ao terceiro dia chegou Davi com seus homens a Ziclague, os amalequitas tinham feito uma invasão no Neguebe e em Ziclague, e tinham ferido a Ziclague e a tinham queimado a fogo:

2 tinham levado cativas as mulheres, e todos os que ali se achavam, tanto pequenos como grandes; não mataram a ninguém, porém os levaram consigo, e foram seu caminho.

3 Quando Davi e seus homens chegaram à cidade, eis que estava queimada a fogo, e suas mulheres, e seus filhos e filhas levados cativos.

4 Davi e o povo que se achava com ele, levantaram a sua voz e choraram, até não terem mais forças para chorar.

5 Foram também levadas cativas as duas mulheres de Davi, Ainoã a jezreelita, e Abigail que fora mulher de Nabal o carmelita.

6 Davi estava muito angustiado; pois o povo, tendo a alma amargurada por causa de seus filhos e de suas filhas falava em apedrejá-lo. Porém ele se confortou em Jeová seu Deus.

7 Disse Davi ao sacerdote Abiatar, filho de Aimeleque: Traze-me cá o efode. Abiatar trouxe o efode a Davi.

8 Davi consultou a Jeová, dizendo: Perseguirei eu a esta tropa? alcançá-la-ei? Respondeu-lhe Jeová: Persegue-a, pois sem falta a alcançarás e tudo libertarás.

9 Partiu Davi, com os seiscentos homens que com ele se achavam, e foram à torrente de Besor, onde os retardatários ficaram.

10 Porém perseguiu Davi com quatrocentos homens; porque ficaram atrás duzentos que de cansados não puderam passar a torrente de Besor.

11 Achando no campo a um egípcio, trouxeram-no a Davi. Fizeram-lhe comer pão e beber água;

12 deram-lhe também um pedaço de pasta de figos secos e dois cachos de passas. Depois de os ter comido, recobrou alento, pois havia três dias e três noites que não tinha comido pão, nem bebido água.

13 Então lhe perguntou Davi: De quem és tu? donde vens? Respondeu ele: Eu sou um moço egípcio, servo dum amalequita; o meu senhor me abandonou, porque adoeci há três dias.

14 Nós fizemos uma correria para o Neguebe dos quereteus, para o de Judá, e para o de Calebe, e pusemos fogo a Ziclague.

15 Disse-lhe Davi: Poderás descer e guiar-me a essa tropa? Ele respondeu: Jura-me tu por Deus que não me hás de matar, e que me não hás de entregar nas mãos do meu senhor, e descerei e guiar-te-ei a essa tropa.

16 Desceu e o guiou. Eis que eles estavam espalhados sobre a face de toda a terra, comendo, bebendo e dançando, por causa de todo o grande despojo que haviam tomado da terra dos filisteus e da terra de Judá.

17 Feriu-os Davi desde o crepúsculo até a tarde do dia seguinte, e nenhum deles escapou senão quatrocentos mancebos que, montados nos camelos, fugiram.

18 Recobrou Davi tudo o que os amalequitas tinham tomado, e livrou as suas duas mulheres.

19 Não lhes faltou coisa alguma, nem pequena nem grande, nem filhos, nem filhas, nem despojo, nem qualquer coisa que eles tinham tomado para si: Davi tornou a trazer tudo.

20 Davi tomou todos os rebanhos e manadas; aqueles que os fizeram caminhar diante do outro gado, diziam: Este é o despojo de Davi.

21 Chegou Davi aos duzentos homens, que de cansados não puderam segui-lo, os quais também foram obrigados a ficar à torrente de Besor. Estes saíram ao encontro de Davi e dos que vinham com ele. Davi, aproximando-se deles, saudou-os.

22 Então todos os malvados e filhos de Belial, dentre os que foram com Davi, disseram: Visto que não foram conosco, nada lhes daremos do despojo que recobramos, senão que a cada um daremos suas mulheres e seus filhos, para que os levem e se retirem.

23 Disse Davi: Não fareis assim, meus irmãos, com o que nos deu Jeová que nos conservou e entregou em nossas mãos a tropa que vinha contra nós.

24 Quem vos ouvirá neste negócio? pois qual é a porção do que desce para a batalha, tal será a porção do que fica com a bagagem: receberão partes iguais.

25 Daquele dia em diante até hoje foi estabelecido por estatuto e preceito em Israel.

26 Chegando Davi a Ziclague, enviou dos despojos aos anciãos de Judá, seus amigos, dizendo: Eis um presente para vós dos despojos dos inimigos de Jeová.

27 Dos despojos enviou aos de Betel, aos de Ramote do Neguebe e aos de Jatir;

28 aos de Aroer, aos de Sifmote e aos de Estemoa;

29 aos de Racal aos das cidades dos jerameelitas e aos das cidades dos quenitas;

30 aos de Hormá, aos de Corasã e aos de Atace;

31 aos de Hebrom e a todos os lugares que Davi e seus homens costumavam freqüentar.

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’s 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 spake 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’s son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David. 8 And David enquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt 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 abode 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 unto him, To whom belongest thou? and whence art thou? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days agone I fell sick. 14 We made an invasion upon the south of the Cherethites, and upon the coast which belongeth to Judah, and upon the south of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire. 15 And David said to him, Canst thou bring me down to this company? And he said, Swear unto me by God, that thou wilt neither kill me, nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee down to this company.

16 And when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread abroad upon 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 unto the evening of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, which rode upon 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 drave before those other cattle, and said, This is David’s 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, Ye shall not do so, my brethren, with that which the LORD hath given us, who hath preserved us, and delivered the company that came against us into our hand. 24 For who will hearken unto you in this matter? but as his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth 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 unto this day.

26 And when David came to Ziklag, he sent of the spoil unto 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 Beth-el, 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 Chor-ashan, 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.