The Lantern

I Samuel30

The Amalekites Raid Ziklag

And it happened, when David and his men had come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and struck Ziklag, and burned it with fire;

And had taken the women captives, that were in it: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way.

So David and his men came to the city, and indeed, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives.

Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.

And David’s two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.

And David was greatly distressed; for the people spoke 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.

David Destroys the Amalekites

And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, please, bring me here the ephod. And Abiathar brought there the ephod to David.

And David inquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for you shall surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.

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.

But David pursued, he and four hundred men: for two hundred remained behind, which were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor.

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;

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.

And David said to him, To whom do you belong? and where are you from? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days ago I fell sick.

We made an invasion upon the south of the Cherethites, and upon the coast which belongs to Judah, and upon the south of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.

And David said to him, Can you bring me down to this company? And he said, Swear to me by God, that you will neither kill me, nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring you down to this company.

And when he had brought him down, look, they were spread abroad upon all the earth, eating and drinking, and dancing, because of all the great plunder that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah.

And David struck them from the twilight even to the evening of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, who rode upon camels, and fled.

And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives.

And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither plunder, nor anything that they had taken to them: David recovered all.

And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drove before those other cattle, and said, This is David’s plunder.

The Spoils Are Divided

And David came to the two hundred men, who were so faint that they could not follow David, whom they had made also to remain 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 greeted them.

Then answered all the wicked men, of those that went with David, and said, Because they went not with us, we will not give them any of the plunder that we have recovered, save to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead them away, and depart.

Then said David, You shall not do so, my brothers, with that which the LORD has given us, who has preserved us, and delivered the company that came against us into our hand.

For who will listen to you in this matter? but as his part is that goes down to the battle, so shall his part be that delays by the stuff: they shall part alike.

And it was so from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.

And when David came to Ziklag, he sent of the plunder to the elders of Judah, even to his friends, saying, Look, a present for you of the plunder of the enemies of the LORD;

To them which were in Bethel, and to them which were in south Ramoth, and to them which were in Jattir,

And to them which were in Aroer, and to them which were in Siphmoth, and to them which were in Eshtemoa,

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,

And to them which were in Hormah, and to them which were in Chor-ashan, and to them which were in Athach,

And to them which were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were accustomed to roam.