¹ Bvt when Dauid and his men were come to Ziklag the thirde day, the Amalekites had inuaded vpon the South, euen vnto Ziklag, and had smitten Ziklag, and burnt it with fire,

² And had taken the women that were therein, prisoners, both small and great, and slewe not a man, but caryed them away, and went their wayes.

³ So Dauid and his men came to the city, and beholde, it was burnt with fire, and their wiues, and their sonnes, and their daughters were taken prisoners.

⁴ Then Dauid and the people that was with him, lift vp their voyces and wept, vntill they could weepe no more.

⁵ Dauids two wiues were taken prisoners also, Ahinoam the Izreelite, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.

⁶ And Dauid was in great sorowe: for the people entended to stone him, because the heartes of all the people were vexed euery man for his sonnes and for his daughters: but Dauid comforted him selfe in the Lord his God.

⁷ And Dauid saide to Abiathar the Priest Ahimelechs sonne, I pray thee, bring me the Ephod. And Abiathar brought the Ephod to Dauid.

⁸ Then Dauid asked counsell at the Lord, saying, Shall I follow after this companie? shall I ouertake them? And he answered him, Followe: for thou shalt surely ouertake them, and recouer all.

⁹ So Dauid and the sixe hundreth men that were with him, went, and came to the riuer Besor, where a part of them abode:

¹⁰ But Dauid and foure hundreth men followed (for two hundreth abode behinde, being too wearie to goe ouer the riuer Besor)

¹¹ And they found an Egyptian in the fielde, and brought him to Dauid, and gaue him bread and he did eat, and they gaue him water to drinke.

¹² Also 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.

¹³ And 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.

¹⁴ We roued vpon the South of Chereth, and vpon the coast belonging to Iudah, and vpon the South of Caleb, and we burnt Ziklag with fire.

¹⁵ And Dauid saide vnto him, Canst thou bring me to this companie? And he said, Sweare vnto me by God, that thou wilt neither kill me, nor deliuer me into the handes of my master, and I will bring thee to this companie.

¹⁶ And when he had brought him thither, beholde, they lay scattered abroade vpon all the earth, eating and drinking, and dauncing, because of all the great pray that they had taken out of the lande of the Philistims, and out of the land of Iudah.

¹⁷ And Dauid smote them from the twilight, euen vnto the euening of the next morowe, so that there escaped not a man of them, saue foure hundreth yong men, which rode vpon camels, and fled.

¹⁸ And Dauid recouered all that the Amalekites had taken: also Dauid rescued his two wiues.

¹⁹ And they lacked nothing, small or great, sonne or daughter, or of the spoyle of all that they had taken away: Dauid recouered them all.

²⁰ Dauid also tooke all the sheepe, and the oxen, and they draue them before his cattell, and said, This is Dauids pray.

²¹ And Dauid came to the two hundreth men that were too wearie for to follow 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.

²² Then answered all the euill and wicked of the men that went with Dauid, and saide, Because they went not with vs, therefore will wee giue them none of the pray that wee haue recouered, saue to euery man his wife and his children: therefore let them carie them away and depart.

²³ Then saide Dauid, Yee shall not doe so, my brethren, with that which the Lord hath giuen vs, who hath preserued vs, and deliuered the companie that came against vs, into our handes.

²⁴ For 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 shall part alike.

²⁵ So from that day forward hee made it a statute and a lawe in Israel, vntill this day.

²⁶ When 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.

²⁷ Hee sent to them of Beth-el, and to them of South Ramoth, and to them of Iattir,

²⁸ And to them of Aroer, and to them of Siphmoth, and to them of Eshtemoa,

²⁹ And to them of Rachal, and to them of the cities of the Ierahmeelites, and to them of the cities of the Kenites,

³⁰ And to them of Hormah, and to them of Chor-ashan, and to them of Athach,

³¹ And to them of Hebron, and to all the places where Dauid and his men had hanted.