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The Amalekite raid on Ziklag

30 Three days later, David and his soldiers reached Ziklag. The Amalekites had raided the arid southern plain and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned it down, taking the women and everyone in the city prisoner, whether young or old.[a] They hadn’t killed anyone but carried them off and went on their way. When David and his soldiers got to the town and found it burned down, and their wives, their sons, and their daughters taken prisoner, David and the troops with him broke into tears and cried until they could cry no more. David’s two wives had been captured as well: Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, Nabal’s widow from Carmel.

David was in deep trouble because the troops were talking about stoning him. Each of the soldiers was deeply distressed about their sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God. David said to the priest Abiathar, Ahimelech’s son, “Bring the priestly vest[b] to me.” So Abiathar brought it to David.

Then David asked the Lord, “Should I go after this raiding party? Will I catch them?”

“Yes, go after them!” God answered. “You will definitely catch them and will succeed in the rescue!”

So David set off with six hundred men. They came to the Besor ravine, where some stayed behind. 10 David and four hundred men continued the pursuit, while two hundred men stayed there, too exhausted to cross the Besor ravine.

11 They found an Egyptian in the countryside and brought him to David. They gave him bread, and he ate, and they gave him water to drink. 12 They also gave him a piece of fig cake and two raisin cakes. He ate and regained his strength because he hadn’t eaten any food or drunk any water for three days and nights.

13 Then David asked him, “Whose slave are you? Where do you come from?”

“I’m an Egyptian servant boy,” he said, “and the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me when I got sick three days ago. 14 We had raided the arid southern plain belonging to the Cherethites, the territory belonging to Judah, and the southern plain of Caleb. We also burned Ziklag down.”

15 “Can you guide me to this raiding party?” David asked him.

“Make a pledge to me by God that you won’t kill me or hand me over to my master,” the boy said, “and I will guide you to the raiding party.”

16 So the boy led David to them, and he found them scattered all over the countryside, eating, drinking, and celebrating over the large amount of plunder they had taken from Philistine and Judean territory.

17 David attacked them from twilight until evening of the next day. He killed them all.[c] No one escaped except four hundred young men who got on camels and fled. 18 David rescued everything that the Amalekites had taken, including his own two wives. 19 Nothing was missing from the plunder or anything that they had taken, neither old nor young, son nor daughter. David brought everything back. 20 David also captured all the sheep and cattle, which were driven in front of the other livestock. The troops said, “This is David’s plunder!”

21 David reached the two hundred men who were too exhausted to follow him and had stayed behind at the Besor ravine. They came out to greet him and the troops who were with him. When David approached them, he asked how they were doing. 22 But then all the evil and despicable individuals who had accompanied David said, “We won’t share any of the plunder we rescued with them because they didn’t go with us. Each of them can take his wife and children and go—but that’s it.”

23 “Brothers!” David said. “Don’t act that way with the things the Lord has given us. He has protected us and handed over to us the raiding party that had attacked us. 24 How could anyone agree with you on this plan? The share of those who went into battle and the share of those who stayed with the supplies will be divided equally.” 25 So from that day forward, David made that a regulation and a law in Israel, which remains in place even now.

26 When David returned to Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah and to his friends. “Here is a gift for you from the plunder of the Lord’s enemies,” he said. 27 It went to those in Bethel, Ramoth of the arid southern plain, Jattir, 28 Aroer,[d] Siphmoth, Eshtemoa, 29 Racal, the towns of the Jerahmeelites, the towns of the Kenites, 30 Hormah, Bor-ashan, Athach, 31 Hebron, and all the places where David and his soldiers had spent time.

Saul dies in the battle of Gilboa

31 When the Philistines attacked the Israelites, the Israelites ran away from the Philistines, and many fell dead on Mount Gilboa. The Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and they killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua. The battle was fierce around Saul. When the archers located him, they wounded him badly.[e]

Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and kill me with it! Otherwise, these uncircumcised men will come and kill me or torture me.” But his armor-bearer refused because he was terrified. So Saul took the sword and impaled himself on it. When the armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also impaled himself on his sword and died with Saul. So Saul, his three sons, his armor-bearer, and all his soldiers died together that day.

When the Israelites across the valley and across the Jordan learned that the Israelite army had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their towns and fled. So the Philistines came and occupied the towns.

The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his three sons lying dead on Mount Gilboa. They cut off Saul’s head and stripped off his armor, and then sent word throughout Philistine territory, carrying the good news to their gods’ temples and to their people. 10 They put Saul’s armor in the temple of Astarte, and hung his body on the wall of Beth-shan.

11 But when all the people of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 the bravest of their men set out, traveled all night long, and took the bodies of Saul and his sons off the wall of Beth-shan. Then they went back to Jabesh, where they burned them. 13 Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 30:2 LXX; MT lacks and everyone in the city.
  2. 1 Samuel 30:7 Heb ephod
  3. 1 Samuel 30:17 LXX; MT lacks He killed them all.
  4. 1 Samuel 30:28 LXX Ararah
  5. 1 Samuel 31:3 Correction; LXX wounded in the belly

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