1 Samuel 30

And it came to pass, when David and his men entered Sekelak on the third day, that Amalek had made a raid upon the south and upon Sekelak, and had struck Sekelak and burned it with fire.

And the women and all that was in it, from small to great, they did not kill man or woman, but took them captive and went away on their road.

And David and his men came to the city, and behold, it had been burned with fire, and their wives and their sons and their daughters had been taken captive.

And David and his men lifted up their voice and wept, until there was no longer strength in them to weep.

And both of David's wives were taken captive, Achinoom the Iezraelitess 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 in bitter grief, each for his sons and for his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.

And David said to Abiathar the priest, son of Achimelech, Bring the ephod near.

And David enquired through the Lord, saying, Shall I pursue after this band? Shall I overtake them? And he said to him, Pursue, for overtaking you shall overtake, and rescuing you shall rescue.

And David went, he and the six hundred men with him, and they come as far as the brook Bosor; and those who remained stood still.

And he pursued with four hundred men; but two hundred men stayed behind, who sat beyond the brook Bosor.

And they find an Egyptian man in the field, and they take him and bring him to David in the field; and they give him bread and he ate, and they gave him water to drink.

And they give him a piece of a cake of figs, and he ate, and his spirit was restored in him; for he had not eaten bread nor drunk water for three days and three nights.

And David said to him, Whose are you, and where are you from? And the Egyptian lad said, I am the servant of an Amalekite man, and my master left me behind because I fell sick today, the third day.

And we made a raid upon the south of Cholthi and upon the parts of Judea and upon the south of Cheloub, and we burned Sekelak with fire.

And David said to him, Will you bring me down to this band? And he said, Swear to me now by God that you will not kill me and will not deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring you down to this band.

And he brought him down there, and behold, they were scattered abroad over the face of all the land, eating and drinking and feasting, in all the great spoils which they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah.

And David came upon them and struck them from the morning star until evening and on the next day; and not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men who had mounted upon the camels and fled.

And David took back all that the Amalekites had taken, and both his wives he rescued.

And nothing of theirs was missing, from small to great, and of the spoils, and unto sons and daughters, and unto all that they had taken from them; David brought back everything.

And David took all the flocks and the herds, and led them away before the spoils; and of those spoils it was said, These are David's spoils.

And David comes to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to go after David, and whom he had made to remain at the brook Bosor. And they came out to meet David and to meet the people with him; and David drew near to the people, and they greeted him with words of peace.

And every pestilent and wicked man of the warriors who had gone with David answered and said, Because they did not pursue along with us, we will not give them any of the spoils which we recovered; only let each one lead away his own wife and his own children, and let them depart.

And David said, You shall not do so, after the Lord has made delivery to us and has kept us; and the Lord delivered into our hands the geddour that came against us.

And who will listen to you in these words? For they are not less than you. For as the portion of him who goes down to the battle, so shall be the portion of him who sits by the baggage; they shall share alike.

And it was so from that day and onward, and it became a statute and an ordinance for Israel until this day.

And David came to Sekelak and sent of the spoils to the elders of Judah and to his neighbours, saying, Behold, this is from the spoils of the enemies of the Lord.

to those in Baithsour, and to those in Rama of the south, and to those in Ieththor;

and to those in Aroer, and to those of Ammadi, and to those in Saphi, and to those in Esthie, and to those in Geth, and to those in Kinan, and to those in Saphek, and to those in Thimath;

and to those in Karmel, and to those in the cities of the Ierameelite, and to those in the cities of the Kenezite;

and to those in Ierimouth, and to those in Bersabee, and to those in Noo;

and to those in Hebron, and to all the places through which David had passed there, he and his men.