1 Samuel 30

King James Version

Full text for 1 Samuel Chapter 30

1¶ 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;

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.

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

5And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, 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.

7¶ And 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.

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 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.

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.

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;

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.

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.

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.

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 David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David 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.

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

21¶ And 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.

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 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.

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.

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

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;

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

28And to [them] which [were] in Aroer, and to [them] which [were] in Siphmoth, and to [them] which [were] 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,

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

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

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

Upon returning to Ziklag, David and his men found their city burned and their families taken captive by the Amalekites. Though distressed and threatened by his own men, David encouraged himself in the Lord and pursued the raiders. Guided by an Egyptian servant, David utterly defeated the Amalekites, recovering all that was lost and establishing an ordinance for sharing spoil.

Medium Summary

When David and his men returned to Ziklag, they discovered the city had been burned by the Amalekites, and their wives, sons, and daughters taken captive. The people wept bitterly and considered stoning David in their grief, but David strengthened himself in the Lord. He then inquired of the Lord through Abiathar the priest, receiving divine assurance to pursue and recover all. David and 400 men, leaving 200 faint men behind, found a sick Egyptian servant who led them to the Amalekite camp. David attacked the unsuspecting Amalekites, recovering all the captives and spoil. Upon his return, David established a decree that those who stayed with the supplies should share equally in the spoil with those who fought. Finally, David distributed portions of the recovered spoil to various elders and cities in Judah.

Long Summary

David and his men, returning to Ziklag on the third day, found their city devastated by an Amalekite raid, burned with fire, and their families—wives, sons, and daughters—taken captive. The people, including David, were overcome with grief, weeping until they had no strength left. David himself was greatly distressed, facing the threat of stoning from his own men who were embittered by their loss. Despite this, David found strength and encouragement in the Lord his God. He then consulted Abiathar the priest, inquiring of the Lord through the ephod whether he should pursue the Amalekites and if he would succeed. The Lord unequivocally commanded him to pursue, promising complete recovery of all that was taken. David set out with his six hundred men, but two hundred, being too faint, remained behind at the brook Besor. The remaining four hundred men continued the pursuit and discovered a sick Egyptian servant, abandoned by his Amalekite master. After being revived with food and water, the Egyptian agreed to lead David to the Amalekite encampment, provided David swore not to kill him or return him to his master. David found the Amalekites spread out, feasting and celebrating their great spoil. David launched a fierce attack, striking them from twilight until the evening of the next day, with only four hundred young men escaping on camels. David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken: all the captives, including his two wives, and all the spoil, leaving nothing lacking. He also seized the Amalekites' flocks and herds. Upon returning to the two hundred men at Besor, a dispute arose among David's followers, with some "wicked men" arguing that those who did not fight should not receive any of the spoil beyond their families. David firmly rebuked this notion, declaring that the spoil was from the Lord and that those who guarded the supplies should share equally with those who went to battle. This principle was then established by David as a statute and ordinance for Israel. Subsequently, David sent portions of the recovered spoil as gifts to the elders and various cities in Judah, acknowledging their friendship and support.

Core Concepts

  • Divine EncouragementDavid, facing extreme distress and the threat of stoning from his own men, 'encouraged himself in the LORD his God,' demonstrating reliance on divine strength amidst despair.
  • Inquiry of the LordDavid sought God's will directly through Abiathar the priest and the ephod, receiving a clear command and promise of success before pursuing the Amalekites.
  • Compassion and StrategyDavid's men showed compassion by reviving a sick Egyptian servant, whose subsequent guidance proved crucial in locating and defeating the Amalekites.
  • Total RecoveryDespite the initial devastation, David, empowered by God, recovered 'all that the Amalekites had carried away,' including every person and every item of spoil, leaving 'nothing lacking.'
  • Ordinance of Spoil DistributionDavid established a lasting legal precedent for Israel, decreeing that those who remained with the supplies should share equally in the spoil with those who went into battle, emphasizing communal benefit.
  • Amalekite DefeatThe chapter details David's decisive victory over the Amalekites, a long-standing enemy of Israel, resulting in their near-total annihilation and the recovery of all their plunder.
  • Leadership in CrisisDavid's actions demonstrate strong leadership under duress: seeking divine guidance, maintaining resolve, executing a successful military operation, and resolving internal disputes with wisdom and justice.