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.
David ta taataa Ovaamaleki ava va xwika po Siklag
1 Nefiku etitatu David novalumenhu vaye eshi ve uya kuSiklag, Ovaamaleki va li va homona oshilongo shokoumbuwanhu waSiklag, ndele va teya Siklag ndele ve shi xwika po. 2 Ndele venya va twala ovakainhu naaveshe ava va li mo nokutya, ouhanana novakulunhu ngaashi eenghwate. Inava dipaa nande umwe, ndelenee ve va kufa ndele va twikila ondjila yavo. 3 David novalumenhu vaye eshi ve uya moshilando, osho sha li po sha xwikwa po nomundilo, ndele ovana vavo ovamati noukadona va twalwa ngaashi eenghwatwe. 4 Opo nee David novakwaita vaye ava va li puye va yelula ondaka yavo ndele tava lili fiyo va loloka okulila. 5 Novalikadi vavali vaDavid, Ahinoam wokuJisreel naAbigail, omwalikadi waNabal, Omukarmel, ova twalwa yo ngaashi eenghwatwe. 6 Ndele David okwa li moudjuu muhapu, osheshi ovakwaita va popya kutya na dipawe nomamanya. Osheshi eemwenyo dovakwaita aveshe da li di udite ouyehame, keshe umwe molwovana ovamati vaye noukadona vaye. Ndelenee David okwe lipameka mOmwene Kalunga kaye. 7 Ndele David ta ti komupristeli Abjatar yaAhimelek: “Etele nge oshikutu shokomapepe.” Opo nee Abjatar a etela David oshikutu shokomapepe. 8 Ndele David okwa pula kOmwene ndele ta ti: “Ame ohandi ka shikula tuu ongudu oyo? Ohandi ke i hanga tuu?” Ndele Ye ta ti kuye: “I shikula, osheshi to ke i hanga shili ndele to ka xupifa mo venya.” 9 Opo nee David a fikama pamwe novalumenhu vaye omafele ahamano, ava va li puye. Ndele eshi ve uya kokamulonga Besor, ava va loloka, va fyaala po. 10 Osheshi David a shikula venya novalumenhu omafele ane, fimbo ovalumenhu omafele avali va kala konima, ava va li va loloka, va nyengwa okutauluka okamulonga Besor.
11 Opo nee va mona moixwa Omuegipiti umwe, ou ve mu eta kuDavid, ndele ve mu pa omingome a lye nomeva a nwe. 12 Ve mu pa vali oshikambi sheenghwiyu noikuki ivali yeeviinyu. Ndele ye eshi a lya omwenyo waye wa mona eenghono. Osheshi momafiku atatu nomaufiku atatu ina lya omungome ndele ina nwa omeva. 13 Ndele David te mu pula: “Oove lyelye? Ndele wa dja peni?” Ndele ye ta ti: “Aame omumati Omuegipiti, omupika womulumenhu Omuamalek. Nomwene wange okwa fiya nge po eshi nda kwatwa koudu; paife pa pita omafiku atatu. 14 Fye twa homona oshilongo shOvakereti kombinga yokoumbuwanhu noshilongo shokoumbuwanhu waJuda noshilongo shokoumbuwanhu waKaleb, ndele twa xwika po Siklag nomundilo.” 15 Ndele David te mu pula ta ti: “Ove to twala nge tuu kongudu oyo?” Ye ta ti: “Anene nge puKalunga nokutya, ito dipaa nge ndele ito yandje nge momake omwene wange. Opo nee ame ohandi ke ku twala kongudu oyo.” 16 Ndele ye eshi e mu twala ko, venya va li ve lihanena akushe moluhaela, va li tava li ndele tava nu, ndele tava dana oshivilo molwoixuulwa aishe inene ve i kufa moshilongo shOvafilisti nomoshilongo shaJuda.
17 Ndele David okwe va taataa okudja koshiwiwili shonguloshi fiyo onguloshi yefiku la shikula, inapa xupifwa nande umwe ponho yovamati omafele ane, ava va londa eengamelo ndele va ya onhapo. 18 Osho ngaha David a xupifa aveshe ovo Ovaamaleki va kufile. Novalikadi vaye vavali yo David e va xupifa. 19 Muvo inamu yongolwa nande umwe, okahanana ile omukulunhu, ovana ovamati ile oukadona ile shimwe shomoixuulwa, nande shimwe shomwaashishe venya va ile nasho. David okwa alula ashishe. 20 Ndele David okwa kufa oimuna aishe neengobe. Vo ove i pitifa komesho yoimuna ikwao ndele tava ti: “Oyo oixuulwa yaDavid.” 21 David eshi e uya kovalumenhu omafele avali venya va li va loloka inava shiiva okushikula David, ava va fiwa po pokamulonga kaBesor, vo ova fikama va ka shakeneke David novakwaita vaye, ava va li puye. Ndele David novakwaita vaye va ehena popepi ndele ve va kunda. 22 Opo nee ovanhu vai aveshe novakolokoshi vomovalumenhu ovo va ile pamwe naDavid, va hovela okupopya, tava ti: Shaashi nye inamu enda pamwe nafye, fye itatu ke mu pa sha shomoixuulwa oyo twe i kwata. Ndelenee vo, keshe umwe, nava pewe omwalikadi waye novana vaye, ndele nava ye nondjila yavo. 23 Ndelenee David okwa tya: “Ovakwetu, inamu ninga ngaha noinima oyo Omwene e tu pa. Ye okwe tu amena ndele okwa yandja momake etu ongudu oyo ye tu homona. 24 Ndele olyelye ngeno te mu udu moshinima eshi? Osheshi ngaashi oshitukulwa shaau ta i kolwoodi, nosho yo oshitukulwa shaau ta kala ponghuta. Nai tukulwe i fike pamwe.” 25 Osho sha kala okudja efiku linya nokomesho. Heeno, ye e shi pameka ngaashi onghedimhango nelombwelo laIsrael fiyo onena eli.
26 David eshi e uya kuSiklag, okwa kufa imwe yomoixuulwa nokwe i tuma kovakulunhu vaJuda, kovakwanepata vaye, ndele ta ti: “Oyo oshali yeni yomoixuulwa yovatondadi vOmwene.” 27 Okwe i tumina ovanhu vomuBetel, ovanhu vomuRamot moshilongo shokoumbuwanhu waJuda, nokovanhu vomuJattir, 28 Aroer, Sifmot, Estemoa, 29 Ragal, Ovajerahmeel naava vomomikunda daKehi 30 Horma, Bor-Asan, novomuAtak, 31 vomuHebron nokeenhele adishe David novalumenhu vaye va endele ko.
