1
And it came to pass when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day that the Amalekites had invaded the Negev and Ziklag and had smitten Ziklag and burned it with fire.
2
And
they had taken the women captives that
were therein, from the youngest to the oldest; they did not kill any 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, who
had been the wife of Nabal of Carmel.
6
And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him because the soul of all the people was bitter, each one 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 the ephod here to me. And Abiathar brought 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 they came to the brook Besor, where some stayed behind.
10
But David pursued, he and four hundred men, for two hundred stayed behind, who were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor.