Holman Christian Standard Bible CSB
Revised Standard Version RSV
1 David and his men arrived in Ziklag on the third day. The Amalekites had raided the Negev and attacked and burned down Ziklag.
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Now when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amal'ekites had made a raid upon the Negeb and upon Ziklag. They had overcome Ziklag, and burned it with fire,
2 They also had kidnapped the women and everyone in it from the youngest to the oldest. They had killed no one but had carried them off as they went on their way.
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and taken captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great; they killed no one, but carried them off, and went their way.
3 When David and his men arrived at the town, they found it burned down. Their wives, sons, and daughters had been kidnapped.
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And when David and his men came to the city, they found it burned with fire, and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive.
4 David and the troops with him wept loudly until they had no strength left to weep.
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Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept, until they had no more strength to weep.
5 David's two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, had also been kidnapped.
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David's two wives also had been taken captive, Ahin'o-am of Jezreel, and Ab'igail the widow of Nabal of Carmel.
6 David was in a difficult position because the troops talked about stoning him, for they were all very bitter over [the loss of] their sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God.
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And David was greatly distressed; for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.
7 David said to Abiathar the priest, son of Ahimelech, "Bring me the ephod." So Abiathar brought it to him,
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And David said to Abi'athar the priest, the son of Ahim'elech, "Bring me the ephod." So Abi'athar brought the ephod to David.
8 and David asked the Lord: "Should I pursue these raiders? Will I overtake them?" The Lord replied to him, "Pursue [them], for you will certainly overtake [them] and rescue [the people]."
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And David inquired of the LORD, "Shall I pursue after this band? Shall I overtake them?" He answered him, "Pursue; for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue."
9 David and the 600 men with him went as far as the Wadi Besor, where where 200 men who were to remain behind would stop.
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So David set out, and the six hundred men who were with him, and they came to the brook Besor, where those stayed who were left behind.
10 They stopped because they were too exhausted to cross the Wadi Besor. David and 400 of the men continued in pursuit.
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But David went on with the pursuit, he and four hundred men; two hundred stayed behind, who were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor.
11 They found an Egyptian in the open country and brought him to David. They gave him some bread to eat and water to drink.
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They found an Egyptian in the open country, and brought him to David; and they gave him bread and he ate, they gave him water to drink,
12 Then they gave him some pressed figs and two clusters of raisins. After he ate he revived, for he hadn't eaten food or drunk water for three days and three nights.
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and they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. And when he had eaten, his spirit revived; for he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights.
13 Then David said to him, "Who do you belong to? Where are you from?" "I'm an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite man," he said. "My master abandoned me when I got sick three days ago.
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And David said to him, "To whom do you belong? And where are you from?" He said, "I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amal'ekite; and my master left me behind because I fell sick three days ago.
14 We raided the south country of the Cherethites, [the territory] of Judah, and the south country of Caleb, and we burned down Ziklag."
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We had made a raid upon the Negeb of the Cher'ethites and upon that which belongs to Judah and upon the Negeb of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire."
15 David then asked him, "Will you lead me to these raiders?" He said, "Swear to me by God that you won't kill me or turn me over to my master, and I will lead you to them."
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And David said to him, "Will you take me down to this band?" And he said, "Swear to me by God, that you will not kill me, or deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will take you down to this band."
16 So he led him, and there were the Amalekites, spread out over the entire area, eating, drinking, and celebrating because of the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and the land of Judah.
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And when he had taken him down, behold, they were spread abroad over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah.
17 David slaughtered them from twilight until the evening of the next day. None of them escaped, except 400 young men who got on camels and fled.
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And David smote them from twilight until the evening of the next day; and not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men, who mounted camels and fled.
18 David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken; he also rescued his two wives.
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David recovered all that the Amal'ekites had taken; and David rescued his two wives.
19 Nothing [of theirs] was missing from the youngest to the oldest, including the sons and daughters, of all the plunder the Amalekites had taken. David got everything back.
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Nothing was missing, whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that had been taken; David brought back all.
20 He took all the sheep and cattle, which were driven ahead of the other livestock, and the people shouted, "This is David's plunder!"
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David also captured all the flocks and herds; and the people drove those cattle before him, and said, "This is David's spoil."
21 When David came to the 200 men who had been too exhausted to go with him and had been left at the Wadi Besor, they came out to meet him and to meet the troops with him. When David approached the men, he greeted them,
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Then David came to the two hundred men, who had been too exhausted to follow David, and who had been left at the brook Besor; and they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him; and when David drew near to the people he saluted them.
22 but all the worthless men among those who had gone with David retorted, "Because they didn't go with us, we will not give any of the plunder we recovered to them except for each man's wife and children. They may take them and go."
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Then all the wicked and base fellows among the men who had gone with David said, "Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil which we have recovered, except that each man may lead away his wife and children, and depart."
23 But David said, "My brothers, you must not do this with what the Lord has given us. He protected us and handed over to us the raiders who came against us.
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But David said, "You shall not do so, my brothers, with what the LORD has given us; he has preserved us and given into our hand the band that came against us.
24 Who can agree to your proposal? The share of the one who goes into battle is to be the same as the share of the one who remains with the supplies. They will share equally."
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Who would listen to you in this matter? For as his share is who goes down into the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the baggage; they shall share alike."
25 And it has been so from that day forward. David established [this policy] as a law and an ordinance for Israel [and it continues] to this very day.
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And from that day forward he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.
26 When David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to his friends, the elders of Judah, saying, "Here is a gift for you from the plunder of the Lord's enemies."
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When David came to Ziklag, he sent part of the spoil to his friends, the elders of Judah, saying, "Here is a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of the LORD";
27 [He sent gifts] to those in Bethel, in Ramoth of the Negev, and in Jattir;
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it was for those in Bethel, in Ramoth of the Negeb, in Jattir,
28 to those in Aroer, in Siphmoth, and in Eshtemoa;
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in Aro'er, in Siphmoth, in Eshtemo'a,
29 to those in Racal, in the towns of the Jerahmeelites, and in the towns of the Kenites;
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in Racal, in the cities of the Jerah'meelites, in the cities of the Ken'ites,
30 to those in Hormah, in Bor-ashan, and in Athach;
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in Hormah, in Borash'an, in A'thach,
31 to those in Hebron, and to [those in] all the places where David and his men had roamed.
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in Hebron, for all the places where David and his men had roamed.
Holman Christian Standard Bible ® Copyright © 2003, 2002, 2000, 1999 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.