David Rescues His Soldiers' Families
1 It took David and his men three days to reach Ziklag. But while they had been away, the Amalekites had been raiding in the desert around there. They had attacked Ziklag, burned it to the ground, 2 and had taken away the women and children. 3 When David and his men came to Ziklag, they saw the burned-out ruins and learned that their families had been taken captive. 4 They started crying and kept it up until they were too weak to cry any more. 5 David's two wives, Ahinoam and Abigail, had been taken captive with everyone else.
6 David was desperate. His soldiers were so upset over what had happened to their sons and daughters that they were thinking about stoning David to death. But he felt the Lord God giving him strength, 7 and he said to the priest, “Abiathar, let's ask God what to do.”
Abiathar brought everything he needed to get answers from God, and he went over to David. 8 Then David asked the Lord, “Should I go after the people who raided our town? Can I catch up with them?”
“Go after them,” the Lord answered. “You will catch up with them, and you will rescue your families.”
9-10 David led his 600 men to Besor Gorge, but 200 of them were too tired to go across. So they stayed behind, while David and the other 400 men crossed the gorge.
11 Some of David's men found an Egyptian out in a field and took him to David. They gave the Egyptian some bread, and he ate it. Then they gave him a drink of water, 12 some dried figs, and two handfuls of raisins. This was the first time in three days he had tasted food or water. Now he felt much better.
13 “Who is your master?” David asked. “And where do you come from?”
“I'm from Egypt,” the young man answered. “I'm the servant of an Amalekite, but he left me here three days ago because I was sick. 14 We had attacked some towns in the desert where the Cherethites live, in the area that belongs to Judah, and in the desert where the Caleb clan lives. And we burned down Ziklag.”
15 “Will you take me to those Amalekites?” David asked.
“Yes, I will, if you promise with God as a witness that you won't kill me or hand me over to my master.”
16 He led David to the Amalekites. They were eating and drinking everywhere, celebrating because of what they had taken from Philistia and Judah. 17 David attacked just before sunrise the next day and fought until sunset. Four hundred Amalekites rode away on camels, but they were the only ones who escaped.
18 David rescued his two wives and everyone else the Amalekites had taken from Ziklag. 19 No one was missing—young or old, sons or daughters. David brought back everything that had been stolen, 20 including their livestock.
David also took the sheep and cattle that the Amalekites had with them, but he kept these separate from the others. Everyone agreed that these would be David's reward.
21 On the way back, David went to the 200 men he had left at Besor Gorge, because they had been too tired to keep up with him. They came toward David and the people who were with him. When David was close enough, he greeted the 200 men and asked how they were doing.
22 Some of David's men were good-for-nothings, and they said, “Those men didn't go with us to the battle, so they don't get any of the things we took back from the Amalekites. Let them take their wives and children and go!”
23 But David said:
My friends, don't be so greedy with what the Lord has given us! The Lord protected us and gave us victory over the people who attacked. 24 Who would pay attention to you, anyway? Soldiers who stay behind to guard the camp get as much as those who go into battle.
25 David made this a law for Israel, and it has been the same ever since.
26 David went back to Ziklag with everything they had taken from the Amalekites. He sent some of these things as gifts to his friends who were leaders of Judah, and he told them, “We took these things from the Lord's enemies. Please accept them as a gift.”
27-31 This is a list of the towns where David sent gifts: Bethel, Ramoth in the Southern Desert, Jattir, Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa, Racal, the towns belonging to the Jerahmeelites and the Kenites, Hormah, Bor-Ashan, Athach, and Hebron. He also sent gifts to the other towns where he and his men had traveled.
Torob Amalekǁîn ǃoagu
1 Davidi tsî ǁîb khoegu ge ǃnonaǁî tsēs ai Siklags tawa a sī, o gu ge Amalekǁîga ǀnai ǃkhawagas Judab dis tsî Siklags tsîra ge ǁnāǂam hâ i. ǁÎgu ge Siklags ǃnâ ǂgâ tsî ǁîsa khauǃkhū 2 tsî taradi tsî ǃās ǃnâ hâ khoen, kain tsî ǂkharin tsîn hoana ge ǃkhō. ǁÎgu ge khoe-i xare-e ge ǃgam tama i tsî hoana ǃkhōsabese ge ǃgû-ū. 3 Davidi tsî ǁîb khoegu ge ǃās tawa sī, os ge ǃāsa ge khauǃkhūsa i tsîn ge ǁîgu taradi, ǀgôagu tsî ǀgôadi tsîna ǃkhōsabese ge ǃgû-ūhe hâ i. 4 O gu Davidi tsî ǁîb khoegu tsîna ǁkhāǁoa gu ges kōse ge ǃau-ā. 5 Davidi tarara, Ahinoams Jesreels dis tsî Nabali ǃoataras Abigails, Karmels dis tsîra on ge ǃkhōsabese ge ǃgû-ūhe hâ i.
6 Davidi ge kai ǂōǂōsib ǃnâ ge hâ i, aogu ǁîba gu nî ǀuiǁhom ǃkhaisa gere ǂâibasen xui-ao. ǁÎgu ge kaise ge tsûaǂgao hâ i ǀgôagu tsî ǀgôadi âgu ǃaroma, xaweb ge Davida ǃKhūb ǁîb Eloba xu ǀgaiba ge ǃkhōǃoa. 7 Tsîb ge Davida prister Abiatari, Ahimelexi ôab ǃoa ge mî: “Efoda hā-ūba te re.” Ob ge Abiatara efoda ge hā-ūba bi. 8 Ob ge Davida ǃKhūba ge dî: “Nē ǂnubisa ǃgôaǃgon ta nî? ǁÎga saoǁae ta nî?”
Ob ge ǃKhūba ge ǃeream: “ǃGôaǃgon, ǁîga saoǁae tsîts sa khoena nî huiǂui xuige.”
9 Davidi tsî ǃnanikaidisi aogu âb tsîgu ge ge ǃgû tsî ǃārob Besori tawa gu ge sī, o gu ge ǀnîga ǁnāpa ge hâ. 10 Davidi tsî hakakaidisi toroǃkhamaogu tsîn ge ǃgôaǃgons ǀkha ge aiǃgû tsî gu ge nau ǀgamkaidisi toroǃkhamaogu, kaise ge tsau hâ i tsî Besorǃāroba ǃgâu ǁoa iga ge hâ-oa. 11 Davidi ǀkha hâ khoegu ge Egipteǁîba ǃaub ǃnâ hō tsî ǁîb tawa ge hā-ū. ǁÎgu ge ǂû-i tsî ǁgam-i tsîna ge mā bi, 12 tsî ǁkhāti ǂnâǂnâsa ǀnoman tsî ǀgam rosainjinarura tsîna, ǂû tsîb nî āse; tsî ǂûtoab ge, ob ge ǁkhawa ge ǀgai, ǃnona tsēdi tsî tsuxugab ge xū-e ǂû tama hâ i xui-ao. 13 Ob ge Davida ge dî bi: “Tarib ǃgātsa satsa tsî mâpa xuts ra hā?”
Ob ge ǁîba ge ǃeream: “Tita ge Egipteǁîta, Amalekǁîb ǃgāta; ti ǀhonkhoeb ge ǃnona tsēdi ǃkharu hâse ǀaesen ta ge xui-ao ge ǁnāxū te. 14 Sige ge Keretǁîn ǀkharib, Filisteǁîn ǃkhawagas ǃnâ ǁgoeb tsî Kaleb ǀkharib, Judab ǃkhawagas ǃnâ ǁgoeb tsîna ǁnāǂam tsî Siklagsa ge khauǃkhū.”
15 Ob ge Davida ǁîba ge dî: “ǂGaeǂgui tets nî ǁnā ǂnubis ǃoa?”
Ob ge ǁîba ge mî: “Elob ǀons ǃnâ nūba te re, ǃgam tets tide tamas ka iots ti ǀhonkhoeba māǁnâ te tide ǃkhaisa, o ta ge ǁnā ǂnubis ǃoa nî ǂgaeǂguisī tsi.” 16 Tsîb ge ǁîba Davida ge ǂgaeǂguisī.
Amalekǁîgu ge ǁnā ǂgui xūn Filisteǁîn ǃhūb tsî Judab ǃhūba xu gu ge ǁkhâuǁnân ǃaroma ǀgarusase, ǂû, ā tsî ra ǁâudīse ge hâ i. 17 Davidi ge ǁîgu ǃoagu sores ǁhaib aiǃâsa xu sao ra ǃuis kōse ǃkham tsî ǁîga ge dan. ǀGuib ǁîgu dib tsîn ge ûiǂoa tama ge i, hakakaidisi ǂkham khoegu, ǃnain ai ǃgapi tsî ge ǃhūgu ǀguigu ge ge ûiǂoa. 18 Davidi ge Amalekǁîgu ge ǃgû-ū xūn tsî khoen tsîn hoana ge huiǂui; tsî ǁkhāti ǁîb tarara ona. 19 ǀGui khoe-i tsîn ge ǁkhuihe tama ge hâ i, kai-e xu ǂkhari-i ǁga, ǀgôaga xu ǀgôadi kōse. Davidi ge Amalekǁîgu ge ǁkhâuǁnâ hâ i xūn hoana ge oaǀkhī-ū. 20 Davidi ge ǁkhāti gūn tsî goman tsîn hoana ǁîga ge ūxū. ǁÎb khoegu ge ǁnā ûitsama xūna ǁîgu ais ai doeǁgā tsî ge mî: “Nēn ge a Davidi di.”
21 Tsî Davidi ge ǀgamkaidisi khoegu, tsau gu ge hâ i tsî ǁîb ǀkha ǃgû ǁoa i, amagab ge Besorǃārob tawa ǁnāxūgu tawa sī, o gu ge ǁîga Davidi tsî khoegu âba ge ǃgûǃoa. Ob ge Davida ǁîgu tawa ǀgūse hā tsî ǁîga ǂkhaisib xa ge dî. 22 Xawe gu ge ǀnî ǂkhaba tsî xūtama khoegu, Davidi ǀkha ge ǃgû hâ i khoegu ǃnâ ge hâ iga ge mî: “Sage ǀkha gu ge ǃgû tama hâ i amaga ge ge ǁîga ǁkhâuǁnâxūn hîa ge go hō-oan xa xū-i xare-e mā tide. Ab mâb hoaba ǁîb taras tsî ǀgôan tsîn ǀguina ū tsî ǃgû.”
23 Xaweb ge Davida ge mî: “Ti ǃgâsago, ǁnāti go ge ǃKhūb go mā ge xūn ǀkha a dī ǁoa. ǁÎb ge go sâu ge tsî ǁnā ǂnubis sage ǃoagu go khâis ǂama dansa go mā ge. 24 Tari-e sago mîsa nî ǃkhō-am? ǃKhammi ǃoa ge ǃgûǂoagu di ǃâs kōses ge ǁnāgu xūn tawa ge hâ igu di ǃâs ona nî ī; ǀguitikōse go ge nî ǀgoragu.” 25 ǁNā tsēsa xub ge Davida nēsa ǂnûiǂgāse ge dī tsîs ge Israeli ǃnâ nētsēs kōse ra dīhe.
26 Davidi ge Siklags tawa hā, ob ge ǁîb horesagu, Judab ǂgaeǂgui-aoga ǁkhâuǁnâs xa ge sîba, nē haisis ǀkha: “Nēb ge ǀkhaeba sago ǃaroma, ǃKhūb khākhoena xu ge go hō ǁkhâuǁnâsa xu.” 27 ǁÎnab ge Betels, Ramots Judab ǃkhawagas dis, Jatirs, 28 Aroers, Sifmots, Estemoas, 29 Rakals, Jeraxmeelǁîn, Kenǁîn, 30 Hormas, Borasans, Ataks, 31 Hebrons tsîn di ǂgaeǂgui-aogu, Davidi tsî ǁîb khoegu gere ǃgûmaǃnâ ǃādi digu hoaga ge sîba.
