Parallel Bible results for "1 samuel 30"

1 Samuel 30

New Revised Standard NRS

1 Now when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made a raid on the Negeb and on Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag, burned it down,

2 and taken captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great; they killed none of them, but carried them off, and went their way.

3 When David and his men came to the city, they found it burned down, and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive.

4 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 also had been taken captive, Ahinoam of Jezreel, and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel.

6 David was in great danger; for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in spirit for their sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.

7 David said to the priest Abiathar son of Ahimelech, "Bring me the ephod." So Abiathar brought the ephod to David.

8 David inquired of the Lord, "Shall I pursue this band? Shall I overtake them?" He answered him, "Pursue; for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue."

9 So David set out, he and the six hundred men who were with him. They came to the Wadi Besor, where those stayed who were left behind.

10 But David went on with the pursuit, he and four hundred men; two hundred stayed behind, too exhausted to cross the Wadi Besor.

11 In the open country they found an Egyptian, and brought him to David. They gave him bread and he ate; they gave him water to drink;

12 they also gave him a piece of fig cake and two clusters of raisins. 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, "To whom do you belong? Where are you from?" He said, "I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite. My master left me behind because I fell sick three days ago.

14 We had made a raid on the Negeb of the Cherethites and on that which belongs to Judah and on the Negeb of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag down."

15 David said to him, "Will you take me down to this raiding party?" He said, "Swear to me by God that you will not kill me, or hand me over to my master, and I will take you down to them."

16 When he had taken him down, they were spread out all over the ground, eating and drinking and dancing, because of the great amount of spoil they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah.

17 David attacked them from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not one of them escaped, except four hundred young men, who mounted camels and fled.

18 David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken; and David rescued his two wives.

19 Nothing was missing, whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that had been taken; David brought back everything.

20 David also captured all the flocks and herds, which were driven ahead of the other cattle; people said, "This is David's spoil."

21 Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow David, and who had been left at the Wadi Besor. They went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him. When David drew near to the people he saluted them.

22 Then all the corrupt and worthless 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 that we have recovered, except that each man may take his wife and children, and leave."

23 But David said, "You shall not do so, my brothers, with what the Lord has given us; he has preserved us and handed over to us the raiding party that attacked us.

24 Who would listen to you in this matter? For the share of the one who goes down into the battle shall be the same as the share of the one who stays by the baggage; they shall share alike."

25 From that day forward he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel; it continues to the present day.

26 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 it was for those in Bethel, in Ramoth of the Negeb, in Jattir,

28 in Aroer, in Siphmoth, in Eshtemoa,

29 in Racal, in the towns of the Jerahmeelites, in the towns of the Kenites,

30 in Hormah, in Bor-ashan, in Athach,

31 in Hebron, all the places where David and his men had roamed.

The Message Bible MSG

1 Three days later, David and his men arrived back in Ziklag. Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They tore Ziklag to pieces and then burned it down.

2 They captured all the women, young and old. They didn't kill anyone, but drove them like a herd of cattle.

3 By the time David and his men entered the village, it had been burned to the ground, and their wives, sons, and daughters all taken prisoner.

4 David and his men burst out in loud wails - wept and wept until they were exhausted with weeping.

5 David's two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail widow of Nabal of Carmel, had been taken prisoner along with the rest.

6 And suddenly David was in even worse trouble. There was talk among the men, bitter over the loss of their families, of stoning him.

7 He ordered Abiathar the priest, son of Ahimelech, "Bring me the Ephod so I can consult God." Abiathar brought it to David.

8 Then David prayed to God, "Shall I go after these raiders? Can I catch them?" The answer came, "Go after them! Yes, you'll catch them! Yes, you'll make the rescue!"

9 David went, he and the six hundred men with him. They arrived at the Brook Besor, where some of them dropped out.

10 David and four hundred men kept up the pursuit, but two hundred of them were too fatigued to cross the Brook Besor, and stayed there.

11 Some who went on came across an Egyptian in a field and took him to David. They gave him bread and he ate. And he drank some water.

12 They gave him a piece of fig cake and a couple of raisin muffins. Life began to revive in him. He hadn't eaten or drunk a thing for three days and nights!

13 David said to him, "Who do you belong to? Where are you from?"

14 We had raided the Negev of the Kerethites, of Judah, and of Caleb. Ziklag we burned."

15 David asked him, "Can you take us to the raiders?" "Promise me by God," he said, "that you won't kill me or turn me over to my old master, and I'll take you straight to the raiders."

16 He led David to them. They were scattered all over the place, eating and drinking, gorging themselves on all the loot they had plundered from Philistia and Judah.

17 David pounced. He fought them from before sunrise until evening of the next day. None got away except for four hundred of the younger men who escaped by riding off on camels.

18 David rescued everything the Amalekites had taken. And he rescued his two wives!

19 Nothing and no one was missing - young or old, son or daughter, plunder or whatever. David recovered the whole lot.

20 He herded the sheep and cattle before them, and they all shouted, "David's plunder!"

21 Then David came to the two hundred who had been too tired to continue with him and had dropped out at the Brook Besor. They came out to welcome David and his band. As he came near he called out, "Success!"

22 But all the mean-spirited men who had marched with David, the rabble element, objected: "They didn't help in the rescue, they don't get any of the plunder we recovered. Each man can have his wife and children, but that's it. Take them and go!"

23 "Families don't do this sort of thing! Oh no, my brothers!" said David as he broke up the argument. "You can't act this way with what God gave us! God kept us safe. He handed over the raiders who attacked us.

24 Who would ever listen to this kind of talk? The share of the one who stays with the gear is the share of the one who fights - equal shares. Share and share alike!"

25 From that day on, David made that the rule in Israel - and it still is.

26 On returning to Ziklag, David sent portions of the plunder to the elders of Judah, his neighbors, with a note saying, "A gift from the plunder of God's enemies!"

27 He sent them to the elders in Bethel, Ramoth Negev, Jattir,

28 Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa,

29 Racal, Jerahmeelite cities, Kenite cities,

30 Hormah, Bor Ashan, Athach,

31 and Hebron, along with a number of other places David and his men went to from time to time.