I Samuel 30

vayehi bevo david va'anashayw tsiqlag bayyom hashelishi va'amaleqi fashetu el-negev ve'el-tsiqlag vayyakku et-tsiqlag vayyisrefu otah ba'esh

By the time David and his men arrived in Ziklag, on the third day, the Amalekites had made a raid into the Negeb and against Ziklag; they had stormed Ziklag and burned it down.

vayyishbu et-hannashim asher-bah miqqaton ve'ad-gadol lo hemitu ish vayyinhagu vayyelekhu ledarkam

They had taken the women in it captive, low-born and high-born alike; they did not kill any, but carried them off and went their way.

vayyavo david va'anashayw el-ha'ir vehinneh serufah ba'esh uneshehem uvenehem uvenotehem nishbu

When David and his men came to the town and found it burned down, and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive,

vayyissa david veha'am asher-itto et-qolam vayyivku ad asher en-bahem koakh livkot

David and the troops with him broke into tears, until they had no strength left for weeping.

ushete neshe-david nishbu akhino'am hayyizre'elit va'avigayil eshet naval hakkarmeli

David’s two wives had been taken captive, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail wife of Nabal from Carmel.

vattetser ledavid me'od ki-ameru ha'am lesoqlo ki-marah nefesh kol-ha'am ish al-banav ve'al-benotayw vayyitkhazzeq david ba-Adonai elohayw

David was in great danger, for the troops threatened to stone him; for all the troops were embittered on account of their sons and daughters. But David sought strength in the ETERNAL his God.

vayyomer david el-evyatar hakkohen ben-akhimelekh haggishah-nna li ha'efod vayyaggesh evyatar et-ha'efod el-david

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

vayyishal david ba-Adonai lemor erdof akhare haggedud-hazzeh ha'assigennu vayyomer lo redof ki-hasseg tassig vehatsel tatsil

David inquired of GOD, “Shall I pursue those raiders? Will I overtake them?” The reply came, “Pursue, for you shall overtake and you shall rescue.”

vayyelekh david hu veshesh-me'ot ish asher itto vayyavo'u ad-nakhal habbesor vehannotarim amadu

So David and the six hundred men with him set out, and they came to the Wadi Besor, where a halt was made by those who were to be left behind.

vayyirdof david hu ve'arba-me'ot ish vayya'amdu matayim ish asher piggeru me'avor et-nakhal habbesor

David continued the pursuit with four hundred men; two hundred men had halted, too faint to cross the Wadi Besor.

vayyimtse'u ish-mitsri bassadeh vayyiqkhu oto el-david vayyittenu-lo lekhem vayyokhal vayyashquhu mayim

In the open country, they came upon an Egyptian—and brought him to David. They gave him food to eat and water to drink;

vayyittenu-lo felakh develah ushene tsimmuqim vayyokhal vattashov rukho elayw ki lo-akhal lekhem velo-shatah mayim sheloshah yamim usheloshah lelot

he was also given a piece of pressed fig cake and two cakes of raisins. He ate and regained his strength, for he had eaten no food and drunk no water for three days and three nights.

vayyomer lo david lemi-attah ve'e mizzeh attah vayyomer na'ar mitsri anokhi eved le'ish amaleqi vayya'azveni adoni ki khaliti hayyom sheloshah

Then David asked him, “To whom do you belong and where are you from?” “I am an Egyptian lad,” he answered, “the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me when I fell ill three days ago.

anakhnu pashatnu negev hakkereti ve'al-asher lihudah ve'al-negev kalev ve'et-tsiqlag sarafnu va'esh

We had raided the Negeb of the Cherethites, and [the Negeb] of Judah, and the Negeb of Caleb; we also burned down Ziklag.”

vayyomer elayw david hatorideni el-haggedud hazzeh vayyomer hishave'ah li velohim im-temiteni ve'im-tasgireni beyad-adoni ve'oridkha el-haggedud hazzeh

And David said to him, “Can you lead me down to that band?” He replied, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or deliver me into my master’s hands, and I will lead you down to that band.”

vayyoridehu vehinneh netushim al-pene khol-ha'arets okhelim veshotim vekhogegim bekhol hashalal haggadol asher laqekhu me'erets pelishtim ume'erets yehudah

So he led him down, and there they were, scattered all over the ground, eating and drinking and making merry because of all the vast spoil they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah.

vayyakkem david mehanneshef ve'ad-ha'erev lemokhoratam velo-nimlat mehem ish ki im-arba me'ot ish-na'ar asher-rakhevu al-haggemallim vayyanusu

David attacked them from before dawn until the evening of the next day; none of them escaped, except four hundred young men who mounted camels and got away.

vayyatsel david et kol-asher laqekhu amaleq ve'et-shete nashayw hitsil david

David rescued everything the Amalekites had taken; David also rescued his two wives.

velo nedar-lahem min-haqqaton ve'ad-haggadol ve'ad-banim uvanot umishalal ve'ad kol-asher laqekhu lahem hakkol heshiv david

Nothing of theirs was missing—young or old, sons or daughters, spoil or anything else that had been carried off—David recovered everything.

vayyiqqakh david et-kol-hatson vehabbaqar nahagu lifne hammiqneh hahu vayyomeru zeh shelal david

David took all the flocks and herds, which [the troops] drove ahead of the other livestock; and they declared, “This is David’s spoil.”

vayyavo david el-matayim ha'anashim asher-piggeru millekhet akhare david vayyoshivum benakhal habbesor vayyetse'u liqrat david veliqrat ha'am asher-itto vayyiggash david et-ha'am vayyishal lahem leshalom

When David reached the two hundred men who were too faint to follow David and who had been left at the Wadi Besor, they came out to welcome David and the troops with him; David came forward with the troops and greeted them.

vayya'an kol-ish-ra uveliyya'al meha'anashim asher halekhu im-david vayyomeru ya'an asher lo-halekhu immi lo-nitten lahem mehashalal asher hitsalnu ki-im-ish et-ishto ve'et-banayw veyinhagu veyelekhu

But all the mean and churlish ones among the men who had accompanied David spoke up, “Since they did not accompany us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we seized—except that each may take his wife and children and go.”

vayyomer david lo-ta'asu khen ekhay et asher-natan Adonai lanu vayyishmor otanu vayyitten et-haggedud habba alenu beyadenu

David, however, spoke up, “You must not do that, my brothers, in view of what GOD has granted us, guarding us and delivering into our hands the band that attacked us.

umi yishma lakhem laddavar hazzeh ki kekheleq hayyored bammilkhamah ukhekheleq hayyoshev al-hakkelim yakhdav yakhaloqu

How could anyone agree with you in this matter? The share of those who remain with the baggage shall be the same as the share of those who go down to battle; they shall share alike.”

vayehi mehayyom hahu vama'elah vayesimeha lekhoq ulemishpat leyisra'el ad hayyom hazzeh

So from that day on it was made a fixed rule for Israel, continuing to the present day.

vayyavo david el-tsiqlag vayeshallakh mehashalal leziqne yehudah lere'ehu lemor hinneh lakhem berakhah mishelal oyeve Adonai

When David reached Ziklag, he sent some of the spoil to the elders of Judah [and] to his friends, saying, “This is a present for you from our spoil of GOD’s enemies.”

la'asher bevet-el vela'asher beramot-negev vela'asher beyattir

[He sent the spoil to the elders] in Bethel, Ramoth-negeb, and Jattir;

vela'asher ba'aro'er vela'asher besifmot vela'asher be'eshtemoa

in Aroer, Siphmoth, and Eshtemoa;

vela'asher berakhal vela'asher be'are hayyerakhme'eli vela'asher be'are haqqeni

in Racal, in the towns of the Jerahmeelites, and in the towns of the Kenites;

vela'asher bekhormah vela'asher bevor-ashan vela'asher ba'atakh

in Hormah, Bor-ashan, and Athach;

vela'asher bekhevron ulekhol-hammeqomot asher-hithallekh-sham david hu va'anashayw

and to those in Hebron—all the places where David and his men had roamed.