1 Samuel

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;

1David and his men got back to their town, Ziklag, on the third day. While they were gone, raiders called Amalekites had attacked the south. They attacked Ziklag and burned it down.

2And 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.

2They took the women away, and everyone else, young and old. They did not kill anyone. They carried them off as they left.

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.

3David and his men came to the town. It was burned. Their wives, sons, and daughters were gone.

4Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.

4David and the men with him cried out loud. They cried until they had no strength left to cry.

5And David’s two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.

5David's two wives were taken too. They were Ahinoam from Jezreel, and Abigail, who had been Nabal's wife.

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.

6David was very upset. The men were so sad about their children that they talked about throwing stones at him. But David found new strength in the LORD his God.

7And 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.

7David spoke to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech. A priest was a man who served God for the people. David said, "Please bring me the ephod." So Abiathar brought it to him.

NoteAn ephod was a special vest that a priest wore. David used it to ask God a question and get an answer.

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.

8David asked the LORD, "Should I chase these raiders? Will I catch them?" The LORD said, "Go after them. You will catch them, and you will get everyone back."

9So 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.

9So David went, and his six hundred men went with him. They came to a stream called Besor. Some of the men stayed there.

10But 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.

10Two hundred men were too tired to cross the stream, so they stayed behind. David kept going with four hundred men.

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;

11Out in a field the men found a man from Egypt. They brought him to David. They gave him bread to eat and water to drink.

12And 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.

12They gave him a piece of fig cake and two bunches of raisins. He ate, and he felt strong again. He had eaten and drunk nothing for three days and three nights.

13And 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.

13David asked him, "Who do you belong to? Where are you from?" He said, "I am a young man from Egypt. I am the servant of an Amalekite. My master left me behind three days ago when I got sick.

14We 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.

14We raided the south where the Cherethites live. We raided land that belongs to Judah, and the south of Caleb. We burned Ziklag down."

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.

15David asked him, "Can you take me to those raiders?" He said, "Promise me before God that you will not kill me. Promise you will not hand me back to my master. Then I will take you to them."

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.

16The man led David down to them. The Amalekites were spread out all over the ground. They were eating and drinking and dancing. They were glad about all they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from 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.

17David fought them from early evening until the evening of the next day. Not one of them got away, except four hundred young men who rode off on camels.

18And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives.

18David got back everything the Amalekites had carried away. He rescued his two wives.

19And 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.

19Nothing at all was missing. Not one child, young or old. Not one thing the raiders had taken. David brought it all back.

20And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drave before those other cattle, and said, This is David’s spoil.

20David also took all the sheep and cattle. His men drove them ahead of the other animals. They said, "This belongs to David."

21And 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.

21David came back to the two hundred men at the Besor stream. They had been too tired to keep going with him. They came out to meet David and his men, and David greeted them kindly.

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.

22But some mean and selfish men who had gone with David spoke up. They said, "These men did not come with us. So they get nothing of what we brought back. Each one may take his wife and children and go."

23Then 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.

23David said, "No, my brothers. Do not do that with what the LORD has given us. He kept us safe. He handed the raiders over to us.

24For 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.

24Who would agree with you? The man who stayed with the supplies gets the same share as the man who fought. They will share alike."

NoteThe old words say "tarrieth by the stuff." That means the men who stayed back to guard the bags and supplies.

25And it was so from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel unto this day.

25From that day on, that is how it was done. David made it a law for Israel, and it is still the rule today.

26And 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;

26When David got back to Ziklag, he sent some of the goods to his friends, the leaders of Judah. He said, "Here is a gift for you from what we took from the LORD's enemies."

27To them which were in Bethel, and to them which were in south Ramoth, and to them which were in Jattir,

27He sent gifts to the people in Bethel, and in Ramoth in the south, and in Jattir.

28And to them which were in Aroer, and to them which were in Siphmoth, and to them which were in Eshtemoa,

28He sent gifts to the people in Aroer, in Siphmoth, and in Eshtemoa.

29And 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,

29He sent gifts to the people in Rachal, and to the towns of the Jerahmeelites, and to the towns of the Kenites.

30And to them which were in Hormah, and to them which were in Chorashan, and to them which were in Athach,

30He sent gifts to the people in Hormah, in Chorashan, and in Athach.

31And to them which were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were wont to haunt.

31He sent gifts to the people in Hebron, and to every place where David and his men used to go.

NoteThe old words say the men "were wont to haunt" these places. That just means they often went there. It has nothing to do with ghosts.