1And 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; 2And had taken the women that were therein, prisoners, both small and great, and slewe not a man, but caryed them away, & went their wayes. 3So 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. 4Then Dauid and the people that was with him, lift vp their voyces and wept, vntill they could weepe no more. 5Dauids two wiues were taken prisoners also, Ahinoam the Izreelite, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. 6And 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. 7And Dauid saide to Abiathar the Priest Ahimelechs sonne, I pray thee, bring me the Ephod; Abiathar brought the Ephod to Dauid. 8And David enquired 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]. 9So Dauid and the sixe hundreth men that were with him, went, and came to the riuer Besor, where a part of them abode: 10But Dauid and foure hundreth men followed (for two hundreth abode behinde, being too wearie to goe ouer the riuer Besor) 11And 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; 12Also they gaue him a fewe figges, and two clusters of raisins: and when he had eaten, his spirite came againe to him: for he had eaten no bread, nor drunke any water in three dayes, and three nightes. 13And Dauid saide vnto him, To whome belongest thou? and whence art thou? And he saide, I am a yong man of Egypt, and seruant to an Amalekite: and my master left me three dayes agoe, because I fell sicke. 14We roued vpon the South of Chereth, & vpon the coast belonging to Iudah, and vpon the South of Caleb, and we burnt Ziklag with fire. 15And 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. 16And 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. 17And 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. 18And Dauid recouered all that the Amalekites had taken: also Dauid rescued his two wiues. 19And they lacked nothing, small or great, sonne or daughter, or of the spoyle of all that they had taken away: Dauid recouered them all. 20And David took all the flocks and the herds, [which] they drave before those [other] cattle, and said, This [is] David's spoil. 21And Dauid came to the two hundreth men that were too wearie for to followe Dauid: whome they had made also to abide at the riuer Besor: and they came to meete Dauid, and to meete the people that were with him: so when Dauid came neere to the people, hee saluted them. 22Then 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. 23Then saide Dauid, Yee shall not doe so, my brethren, with that which the Lorde hath giuen vs, who hath preserued vs, and deliuered the companie that came against vs, into our handes. 24For who will obey you in this matter? but as his part is that goeth downe to the battel, so shall his part be, that tarieth by the stuffe: they shal part alike. 25And it was [so] from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel unto this day. 26When Dauid therefore came to Ziklag, he sent of the pray vnto the Elders of Iudah and to his friends, saying, See there is a blessing for you of the spoyle of the enemies of the Lord. 27Hee sent to them of Beth-el, and to them of South Ramoth, and to them of Iattir, 28And to them of Aroer, and to them of Siphmoth, and to them of Eshtemoa, 29And to them of Rachal, and to them of the cities of the Ierahmeelites, and to them of the cities of the Kenites, 30And to them of Hormah, and to them of Chor-ashan, and to them of Athach, 31And to [them] which [were] in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were wont to haunt.