The Amalecites burn Siceleg, and carry off the prey: David pursueth
after them, and recovereth all out of their hands.
30:1. Now when David and his men were come to Siceleg on the third day,
the Amalecites had made an invasion on the south side upon Siceleg, and
had smitten Siceleg, and burnt it with fire,
30:2. And had taken the women captives that were in it, both little and
great: and they had not killed any person, but had carried them with
them, and went on their way.
30:3. So when David and his men came to the city, and found it burnt
with fire, and that their wives, and their sons, and their daughters,
were taken captives,
30:4. David and the people that were with him, lifted up their voices,
and wept till they had no more tears.
30:5. For the two wives also of David were taken captives, Achinoam, the
Jezrahelitess, and Abigail, the wife of Nabal of Carmel.
30:6. And David was greatly afflicted: for the people had a mind to
stone him, for the soul of every man was bitterly grieved for his sons
and daughters: but David took courage in the Lord his God.
30:7. And he said to Abiathar, the priest, the son of Achimelech: Bring
me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought the ephod to David.
30:8. And David consulted the Lord, saying: Shall I pursue after these
robbers, and shall I overtake them, or not? And the Lord said to him:
Pursue after them: for thou shalt surely overtake them and recover the
prey.
30:9. So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and
they came to the torrent Besor: and some, being weary, stayed there.
30:10. But David pursued, he and four hundred men: for two hundred
stayed, who, being weary, could not go over the torrent Besor.
30:11. And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to
David: and they gave him bread to eat, and water to drink,
30:12. As also a piece of a cake of figs, and two bunches of raisins.
And when he had eaten them, his spirit returned, and he was refreshed:
for he had not eaten bread, nor drunk water, three days and three
nights.
30:13. And David said to him: To whom dost thou belong; or whence dost
thou come? and whither art thou going? He said: I am a young man of
Egypt, the servant of an Amalecite: and my master left me, because I
began to be sick three days ago.
30:14. For we made an invasion on the south side of Cerethi, and upon
Juda, and upon the south of Caleb, and we burnt Siceleg with fire.
30:15. And David said to him: Canst thou bring me to this company? and
he said: Swear to me by God, that thou wilt not kill me, nor deliver me
into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee to this company. And
David swore to him.
30:16. And when he had brought him, behold they were lying spread abroad
upon all the ground, eating and drinking, and as it were keeping a
festival day, for all the prey and the spoils which they had taken out
of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Juda.
30:17. And David slew them from the evening unto the evening of the next
day, and there escaped not a man of them, but four hundred young men,
who had gotten upon camels, and fled.
30:18. So David recovered all that the Amalecites had taken, and he
rescued his two wives.
30:19. And there was nothing missing small or great, neither of their
sons or their daughters, nor of the spoils, and whatsoever they had
taken, David recovered all.
30:20. And he took all the flocks and the herds, and made them go before
him: and they said: This is the prey of David.
30:21. And David came to the two hundred men, who, being weary, had
stayed, and were not able to follow David, and he had ordered them to
abide at the torrent Besor: and they came out to meet David, and the
people that were with him. And David coming to the people, saluted them
peaceably.
30:22. Then all the wicked and unjust men, that had gone with David,
answering, said: Because they came not with us, we will not give them
any thing of the prey which we have recovered: but let every man take
his wife, and his children, and be contented with them, and go his way.
30:23. But David said: You shall not do so, my brethren, with these
things, which the Lord hath given us, who hath kept us, and hath
delivered the robbers that invaded us into our hands:
30:24. And no man shall hearken to you in this matter. But equal shall
be the portion of him that went down to battle, and of him that abode at
the baggage, and they shall divide alike.
30:25. And this hath been done from that day forward, and since was made
a statute and an ordinance, and as a law in Israel.
30:26. Then David came to Siceleg, and sent presents of the prey to the
ancients of Juda, his neighbours, saying: Receive a blessing of the prey
of the enemies of the Lord.
30:27. To them that were in Bethel, and that were in Ramoth to the
south, and to them that were in Jether.
30:28. And to them that were in Aroer, and that were in Sephamoth, and
that were in Esthamo,
30:29. And that were in Rachal, and that were in the cities of Jerameel,
and that were in the cities of Ceni,
30:30. And that were in Arama, and that were in the lake Asan, and that
were in Athach,
30:31. And that were in Hebron, and to the rest that were in those
places, in which David had abode with his men.