David Destroys the Amalekites

Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech,“Bring me the ephod.”

So Abiathar brought it to him, 8 and David inquired of the LORD“Should I pursue these raiders? Will I overtake them?”

“Pursue them [the LORD] replied“for you will surely overtake them and rescue the captives

9 

So David and his six hundred men went to the Brook of Besor, where some stayed behind 10 because two hundred men were too exhausted to cross the brook But David and four hundred men continued in pursuit.

11 

Now [his men] found an Egyptian in the field and brought him to David. They gave [the man] water to drink and food to eat — 12 a piece of a fig cake and two clusters of raisins. So he ate and was revived for he had not had any food [or] water for three days and three nights.

13 

Then David asked him,“To whom do you [belong], and where are you from?”

“I am an Egyptian,” he replied“the slave of an Amalekite My master abandoned me three days ago when I fell ill. 14 We raided the Negev of the Cherethites, the territory of Judah, and the Negev of Caleb, and we burned down Ziklag.”

15 

“Will you lead me to these raiders?” David asked

And [the man] replied,“Swear to me by God that you will not kill me [or] deliver me into the hand of my master, and I will lead you to [them]

16 

So he led [David] down, and there were the Amalekites spread out over all the land, eating, drinking, and celebrating the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and the land of Judah. 17 And David struck them down from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man escaped, except four hundred young men who fled, riding off on camels.

18 

So David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, [including] his two wives. 19 Nothing was missing young or old, son or daughter, or any of the plunder the Amalekites had taken David brought everything back. 20 And he took all the flocks and herds, which his men drove ahead of the other livestock, calling out,“This is David’s plunder!”

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