Shmuel Alef 30

1. And it came to pass, when Dovid and his anashim were come to Tziklag on the Yom HaShelishi, that the Amaleki had made a raid on the Negev and Tziklag and attacked Tziklag, and burned it with eish;

2. And had captured the nashim, that were therein; they killed not any, either gadol or katon, but carried them off, and went on their derech.

3. So Dovid and his anashim came to the Ir, and, hinei, it was aflame with eish; and their nashim, and their banim, and their banot, had been taken captive.

4. Then Dovid and HaAm that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more ko’ach to weep.

5. And Dovid’s two nashim were taken captive, Achinoam the Yizre’elit, and Avigal eshet Naval the Carmeli.

6. And Dovid was greatly distressed; for HaAm spoke of stoning him, because the nefesh of kol HaAm was marah (bitter), every ish for his banim and for his banot; but Dovid made himself chazak in Hashem Elohav.

7. And Dovid said to Evyatar HaKohen Ben Achimelech, Bring me now here the Ephod. And Evyatar brought the Ephod to Dovid.

8. And Dovid inquired of Hashem, saying, Shall I pursue after this gedood? Shall I overtake it? And He answered him, Pursue; for thou shalt surely overtake, and without fail save.

9. So Dovid went, he and shesh me’ot ish that were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind stayed.

10. But Dovid pursued, he and arba me’ot ish; for two hundred stayed behind, which were so exhausted that they could not go over the brook Besor.

11. And they found an Egyptian in the sadeh, and brought him to Dovid, gave him lechem, and he did eat; they made him drink mayim;

12. And they gave him a piece of pressed fig cake, and two raisin cakes; and when he had eaten, his ruach returned to him; for he had eaten no lechem, nor drunk any mayim, shloshah yamim and shloshah lailot.

13. And Dovid said unto him, To whom belongest thou? And from where art thou? And he said, I am a na’ar Mitzri, eved to an Amaleki; and my adon left me, because yamim sheloshah ago I fell sick.

14. We made a raid upon the south of the Kereti, and upon the territory of Yehudah, and upon the south of Kalev; and we burned Tziklag with eish.

15. And Dovid said to him, Canst thou bring me down to this gedood? And he said, Swear unto me by Elohim, that thou wilt neither kill me, nor deliver me into the hands of my adon, and I will lead thee down to this gedood.

16. And when he had led him down, hinei, they were spread out over the surface of kol ha’aretz, eating and drinking, and revelling, because of all the great plunder that they had taken from Eretz Pelishtim, and from Eretz Yehudah.

17. And Dovid struck them from the neshef (twilight, evening) even unto the erev of the next day; and there escaped not an ish of them, except four hundred na’ar, which rode off upon gemalim, and fled.

18. And Dovid recovered all that Amalek had carried away; and Dovid saved his two nashim.

19. And there was nothing of them missing, lacking neither katon nor gadol, neither banim nor banot, neither plunder, nor anything that they had taken for them; Dovid recovered all.

20. And Dovid took all the tzon and the bakar, which they drove before those other mikneh, and said, This is shalal Dovid (the plunder of David).

21. And Dovid came to the two hundred anashim, which were so exhausted that they could not follow Dovid, whom they had left behind also at the brook Besor; and they went forth to meet Dovid, and to meet HaAm that were with him; and when Dovid came near to the people, he gave them a shalom greeting.

22. Then answered all the ish rah and the Beliyaal among the anashim of those that went with Dovid, and said, Because they went not with us, we will not give them any of the shalal that we have recovered, except to every ish his isha and his banim, that they may take them and leave.

23. Then said Dovid, Ye shall not do so, my achim, with that which Hashem hath given us, Who hath been shomer over us, and delivered the gedood that came against us into our yad.

24. For who will pay heed unto you in this matter? But as his chelek is that goeth down to the milchamah (battle), so shall his chelek be that tarrieth by the kelim (supplies): their chelek they shall share alike.

25. And it was so from that day forward, that he made it a chok (statute) and a mishpat for Yisroel unto this day.

26. And when Dovid came to Tziklag, he sent of the shalal (plunder) unto the Ziknei Yehudah, even to his re’im (friends), saying, Hinei, a brocha for you of the shalal (plunder) of the oyevim of Hashem;

27. To them which were in Beit-El, and to them which were in Ramot of the South, and to them which were in Yatir,

28. And to them which were in Aro’er, and to them which were in Siphmot, and to them which were in Eshtemoa,

29. And to them which were in Rachal, and to them which were in the cities of the Yerachme’eli, and to them which were in the cities of the Keni,

30. And to them which were in Chormah, and to them which were in Chor-Ashan, and to them which were in Atach,

31. And to them which were in Chevron, and to all the mekomot (places) where Dovid himself and his anashim were accustomed to visit.