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          DASV: 1 Samuel 30    

1 On the third day, when David and his men came to Ziklag,
the Amalekites had made a raid on the Negev and Ziklag.
They had attacked Ziklag, and burned it down.
2 They took captive the women who were in it, both small and great.
They had not killed any of them, but had carried them away captive,
and went on their way.
3 When David and his men came to the town, they found it burned
down, and their wives, sons and daughters taken captive.
4 Then David and the men who were with him wept aloud, until
they had no more strength to weep.
5 David's two wives had been taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess,
and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite.
6 David was very upset because the men were talking about stoning
him, as a result of all the people being grieved over the loss
of their sons and daughters. But David found strength in the
LORD his God.

7 David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelek, "Bring
me the ephod." So Abiathar brought the ephod to David.
8 Then David inquired of the LORD, saying, "If I pursue after this
band of raiders, will I overtake them?" He answered him, "Pursue;
for you will certainly overtake them, and will succeed in
recovering everything."

9 So David and his 600 men set out, and came to the brook Besor,
where those who were left behind stayed.
10 But David and 400 men pursued, with 200 staying behind, because
they were too exhausted to cross over Wadi Besor.

11 They found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David.
They gave him bread to eat and water to drink.
12 They gave him a piece of a fig cake and two clusters of raisins.
When he had eaten, his spirit revived for he had not eaten any
bread or drunk any water in three days and nights.
13 Then David asked him, "To whom do you belong? Where are
you from?" He replied, "I am an Egyptian, a servant of an
Amalekite. My master left me, because three days ago when I
fell sick.
14 We made a raid on the Negev of the Kerethites, on the territory
of Judah, and on the Negev of Caleb. We just burned Ziklag."
15 Then David asked him, "Can you lead me down to this band of
raiders?" He replied, "Swear to me by God, that you will not
kill me, or turn me over to the hands of my master, and I will
bring you down to them."

16 When he had led David down, and they found them spread out all
over the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the
great spoil that they had taken from the land of the Philistines,
and from the land of Judah.
17 David fought against them from the twilight until the evening
of the next day. Not one of them escaped except four hundred
young men who rode off on camels.
18 So David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken,
and David rescued his two wives.
19 There was nothing missing, small or great, sons or daughters,
the plunder or anything else that they had taken. David got
it all back.
20 David recovered all the flocks and the herds, which they
drove ahead of the other livestock, and said, "This is
David's spoil."

21 Then David returned to the 200 men, who were so exhausted
that they could not follow David, whom they had left behind
at Wadi Besor. They came out to meet David, and to meet the
people who were with him. When David approached the people,
he greeted them.
22 Then all the wicked and worthless men who had gone with David
said, "Because they didn't go with us, we won't give them any
of the spoil that we have recovered. Let each man take
only his wife and his children, and leave."
23 Then David objected, "No, my brothers, you shouldn't do this
with what the LORD has given to us. He has protected us,
and delivered the raiders who attacked us into our hand.
24 Who will listen to you in this matter? For the share of
the one who goes down to the battle, shall be the same as
the share of the one that stays by the equipment. They shall
share and share alike."
25 From that day to this, David made it a statute and a
regulation for Israel.

26 When David arrived at Ziklag, he sent some of the spoil to
the elders of Judah, his friends, saying, "Look, a gift for
you from the spoil of the enemies of the LORD."
27 Gifts were also sent to those in Bethel, Ramoth of the
Negev, Jattir,
28 Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa,
29 Racal, the towns of the Jerahmeelites and the Kenites,
30 Hormah, Bor Ashan, Athach,
31 Hebron, and to all the places where David and his men were
accustomed to visit.

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