Ziklag Destroyed
Study note
When David and his men returned to Ziklag on the third day, they found the town burned to the ground. The Amalekites had raided the area, capturing all the women and children, including David's two wives. David and his men wept until they had no strength left to weep. The men were so bitter and angry that they talked about stoning David. It was one of the lowest moments in David's life. But the text says David found strength in the Lord his God.
1 By the time David and his men made it back to Ziklag on the third day, they found that the Amalekites had raided the entire southern region and attacked Ziklag. They had set the whole town on fire. And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire;
2 The raiders had taken everyone captive: all the women and every other person in town, young and old. They had not killed anyone, but they had hauled them all away. And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way.
3 When David and his men walked into the burned-out ruins of their town and saw that their wives, sons, and daughters had been taken, So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives.
4 David and all his men broke down and wept until they had no tears left. Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.
5 David's own two wives had been taken: Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, Nabal's widow from Carmel. And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
6 David was in agony. His men were so bitter over losing their families that they were talking about stoning him. But David found his strength in the Lord his God. And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake 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 Pursues the Amalekites
Study note
David asked the Lord through the priestly ephod whether he should pursue the raiding party. God told him to pursue and promised he would recover everything. David set out with his six hundred men, but two hundred were too exhausted to cross the Brook Besor and stayed behind with the supplies. David and four hundred men continued. They found an Egyptian slave who had been left behind by the Amalekites because he was sick. After David gave him food and water, the man agreed to lead them to the Amalekite camp.
7 David called to Abiathar the priest and said, "Bring me the ephod." Abiathar brought it right over. And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David.
8 David asked the Lord, "Should I chase after these raiders? Will I be able to catch them?" The Lord answered, "Go after them. You will definitely catch up, and you will rescue everyone." And David inquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.
9 David and all six hundred of his men set out. They came to the Brook Besor, where some of the men had to stop. 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.
10 David pressed forward with four hundred men. The other two hundred were simply too exhausted to cross the brook, so they stayed behind. But David pursued, he and four hundred men: for two hundred abode behind, which were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor.
11 Out in a field, David's soldiers found an Egyptian man. They brought him to David and gave him water to drink and food to eat. 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;
12 They fed him a chunk of pressed figs and two clusters of raisins. After he ate, his strength slowly came back. He had gone three full days and nights with nothing to eat or drink. 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.
13 David asked him, "Who are you? Where are you from?" The young man answered, "I am an Egyptian, a servant of an Amalekite master. He left me behind three days ago because I got sick." And David said unto him, To whom belongest thou? and whence art thou? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days agone I fell sick.
14 "We raided the Cherethite territory in the south, some of Judah's territory, and Caleb's territory in the south. We also burned down Ziklag." We made an invasion upon the south of the Cherethites, and upon the coast which belongeth to Judah, and upon the south of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.
15 David asked, "Can you lead me to this raiding party?" The man said, "Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or hand me back to my master, and I will take you right to them." And David said to him, Canst thou bring me down to this company? And he said, Swear unto me by God, that thou wilt neither kill me, nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee down to this company.
David's Victory
Study note
The Egyptian led David to the Amalekite camp. The raiders were spread out over the ground, eating, drinking, and celebrating because of the huge amount of plunder they had taken. David attacked them from twilight until the next evening. He destroyed the Amalekites completely; only four hundred young men on camels escaped. David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives. Not a single person was missing, from the youngest to the oldest.
16 The Egyptian led David right to the Amalekite camp. The raiders were spread out everywhere, eating, drinking, and having a party. They had stolen a great amount of goods from Philistine and Judean land. And when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread abroad upon all the earth, eating and drinking, and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah.
17 David attacked them at twilight and fought them all the way through to the evening of the next day. Every raider was killed except for four hundred young men who escaped by jumping on camels and riding away. And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, which rode upon camels, and fled.
18 David recovered everything the Amalekites had stolen, including both of his wives. And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives.
19 Nothing was missing. Every person was accounted for, from the youngest to the oldest, every son and daughter, and all the plunder and possessions. David brought it all back. And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor any thing that they had taken to them: David recovered all.
20 David also claimed all the flocks and herds. His men drove these animals ahead of the other livestock, announcing, "This is David's share of the plunder." And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drave before those other cattle, and said, This is David's spoil.
David Shares the Plunder Fairly
Study note
When David returned to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to continue, some of the more selfish fighters did not want to share the plunder with them. But David overruled them, saying the plunder belonged to the Lord who had given them victory. He established a rule that those who stayed with the supplies would get the same share as those who went into battle. This became a lasting law in Israel.
21 David came back to the two hundred men who had been too worn out to keep going and had stayed behind at the Brook Besor. They came out to greet David and his returning troops. David went up to them and warmly said hello. And David came to the two hundred men, which were so faint that they could not follow David, whom they had made also to abide 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 saluted them.
22 But some selfish troublemakers among the men who had gone to fight spoke up: "Since these men did not come with us, they do not get a share of the plunder. Each man can take his wife and kids and leave. That is it." Then answered all the wicked men and men of Belial, of those that went with David, and said, Because they went not with us, we will not give them ought of the spoil that we have recovered, save to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead them away, and depart.
23 David shut that down immediately. He said, "No, brothers. You cannot do that with what the Lord gave us. He protected us and handed the raiding party right over to us." Then said David, Ye shall not do so, my brethren, with that which the LORD hath given us, who hath preserved us, and delivered the company that came against us into our hand.
24 "Nobody is going to agree with you on this. The man who stayed back to guard the gear gets the same share as the man who went into the fight. Everyone shares equally." For who will hearken unto you in this matter? but as his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff: they shall part alike.
25 From that day forward, David made this an official rule and law for Israel. It has been followed ever since. And it was so from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel unto this day.
David Sends Gifts to Judah's Elders
Study note
When David arrived back at Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder as gifts to the elders of Judah in many different towns. He called them 'a gift from the plunder of the Lord's enemies.' These were towns where David and his men had roamed during their time as fugitives. This wise and generous act built loyalty and goodwill with the people of Judah, preparing the way for David's future kingship.
26 After David arrived back in Ziklag, he sent portions of the plunder as gifts to his friends among the elders of Judah. He said, "Here is a present for you from the plunder we took from the Lord's enemies." And when David came to Ziklag, he sent of the spoil unto the elders of Judah, even to his friends, saying, Behold a present for you of the spoil of the enemies of the LORD;
27 He sent gifts to the leaders in Bethel, Ramoth Negev, and Jattir, To them which were in Beth-el, and to them which were in south Ramoth, and to them which were in Jattir,
28 to those in Aroer, Siphmoth, and Eshtemoa, And to them which were in Aroer, and to them which were in Siphmoth, and to them which were in Eshtemoa,
29 to those in Rakal, in the Jerahmeelite towns, and in the Kenite towns, 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,
30 to those in Hormah, Bor-ashan, and Athach, And to them which were in Hormah, and to them which were in Chor-ashan, and to them which were in Athach,
31 and to those in Hebron. He sent gifts to every place where he and his men had spent time during their travels. And to them which were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were wont to haunt.