the lords of the Philistines.
029:008 David said to Achish, But what have I done? and what have you
found in your servant so long as I have been before you
to this day, that I may not go and fight against the enemies
of my lord the king?
029:009 Achish answered David, I know that you are good in my sight,
as an angel of God: notwithstanding the princes of the Philistines
have said, He shall not go up with us to the battle.
029:010 Therefore now rise up early in the morning with the servants
of your lord who have come with you; and as soon as you are up
early in the morning, and have light, depart.
029:011 So David rose up early, he and his men, to depart in
the morning, to return into the land of the Philistines.
The Philistines went up to Jezreel.
030:001 It happened, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on
the third day, that the Amalekites had made a raid on the South,
and on Ziklag, and had struck Ziklag, and burned it with fire,
030:002 and had taken captive the women [and all] who were therein,
both small and great: they didn't kill any, but carried them off,
and went their way.
030:003 When David and his men came to the city, behold, it was burned
with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters,
were taken captive.
030:004 Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their
voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.
030:005 David's two wives were taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess,
and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
030:006 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 strengthened
himself in Yahweh his God.
030:007 David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, Please bring
me here the ephod. Abiathar brought there the ephod to David.
030:008 David inquired of Yahweh, saying, If I pursue after this troop,
shall I overtake them? He answered him, Pursue; for you shall
surely overtake [them], and shall without fail recover [all].
030:009 So David went, he and the six hundred men who were with him,
and came to the brook Besor, where those who were
left behind stayed.
030:010 But David pursued, he and four hundred men; for two hundred
stayed behind, who were so faint that they couldn't go over
the brook Besor.
030:011 They found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David,
and gave him bread, and he ate; and they gave him water to drink.
030:012 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.
030:013 David said to him, To whom belong you? and whence are you?
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.
030:014 We made a raid on the South of the Cherethites, and on
that which belongs to Judah, and on the South of Caleb;
and we burned Ziklag with fire.
030:015 David said to him, Will you bring me down to this troop?
He said, Swear to me by God, that you will neither kill me,
nor deliver me up into the hands of my master, and I will bring
you down to this troop.
030:016 When he had brought him down, behold, they were spread abroad
over all the ground, 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.
030:017 David struck them from the twilight even to the evening
of the next day: and there not a man of them escaped,
except four hundred young men, who rode on camels and fled.
030:018 David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken; and David
rescued his two wives.
030:019 There was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great,
neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor anything
that they had taken to them: David brought back all.
030:020 David took all the flocks and the herds, [which] they drove
before those [other] livestock, and said, This is David's spoil.
030:021 David came to the two hundred men, who were so faint that they
could not follow David, whom also they had made to abide
at the brook Besor; and they went forth to meet David,
and to meet the people who were with him: and when David
came near to the people, he greeted them.
030:022 Then answered all the wicked men and base fellows, of those who
went with David, and said, Because they didn't go with us,
we will not give them anything of the spoil that we
have recovered, except to every man his wife and his children,
that he may lead them away, and depart.
030:023 Then said David, You shall not do so, my brothers,
with that which Yahweh has given to us, who has preserved us,
and delivered the troop that came against us into our hand.
030:024 Who will listen to you in this matter? for as his share is
who goes down to the battle, so shall his share be who tarries
by the baggage: they shall share alike.
030:025 It was so from that day forward, that he made it a statute
and an ordinance for Israel to this day.
030:026 When David came to Ziklag, he sent of the spoil to the elders
of Judah, even to his friends, saying, Behold, a present
for you of the spoil of the enemies of Yahweh:
030:027 To those who were in Bethel, and to those who were in Ramoth
of the South, and to those who were in Jattir,
030:028 and to those who were in Aroer, and to those who were in Siphmoth,
and to those who were in Eshtemoa,
030:029 and to those who were in Racal, and to those who were in the cities
of the Jerahmeelites, and to those who were in the cities
of the Kenites,
030:030 and to those who were in Hormah, and to those who were in Borashan,
and to those who were in Athach,
030:031 and to those who were in Hebron, and to all the places where
David himself and his men used to stay.
031:001 Now the Philistines fought against Israel: and the men of
Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain
on Mount Gilboa.
031:002 The Philistines followed hard on Saul and on his sons;
and the Philistines killed Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua,
the sons of Saul.
031:003 The battle went sore against Saul, and the archers overtook him;
and he was greatly distressed by reason of the archers.
031:004 Then said Saul to his armor bearer, Draw your sword, and thrust
me through therewith, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust
me through, and abuse me. But his armor bearer would not;
for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took his sword,
and fell on it.
031:005 When his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he likewise fell
on his sword, and died with him.
031:006 So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor bearer,
and all his men, that same day together.
031:007 When the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley,
and those who were beyond the Jordan, saw that the men
of Israel fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead,
they forsook the cities, and fled; and the Philistines came
and lived in them.
031:008 It happened on the next day, when the Philistines came to strip
the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen
on Mount Gilboa.
031:009 They cut off his head, and stripped off his armor, and sent
into the land of the Philistines round about, to carry the news
to the house of their idols, and to the people.
031:010 They put his armor in the house of the Ashtaroth; and they
fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan.
031:011 When the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard concerning him
that which the Philistines had done to Saul,
031:012 all the valiant men arose, and went all night, and took the body
of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth Shan;
and they came to Jabesh, and burnt them there.
031:013 They took their bones, and buried them under the tamarisk tree
in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.