The Philistines Reject David

1 ^dNow the Philistines had gathered all their forces at ^eAphek. And the Israelites were encamped by ^fthe spring that is in ^gJezreel. 2 As ^hthe lords of the Philistines were passing on by hundreds and by thousands, and David and his men were passing on in the rear ⁱwith Achish, 3 the commanders of the Philistines said, “What are these Hebrews doing here?” And Achish said to the commanders of the Philistines, “Is this not David, the servant of Saul, king of Israel, who has been with me ^jnow for days and years, and since he deserted to me ^kI have found no fault in him to this day.” 4 But ^hthe commanders of the Philistines were angry with him. And the commanders of the Philistines said to him, “Send the man back, that he may return ^lto the place to which you have assigned him. He shall not go down with us to battle, ^mlest in the battle he become an adversary to us. For how could this fellow reconcile himself to his lord? Would it not be with the heads of the men here? 5 Is not this David, of whom they sing to one another in dances,

6 Then Achish called David and said to him, ^o“As the Lord lives, you have been honest, and to me it seems right that ^pyou should march out and in with me in the campaign. For I have found nothing wrong in you from the day of your coming to me to this day. Nevertheless, the lords do not approve of you. 7 So go back now; and go peaceably, that you may not displease the lords of the Philistines.” 8 And David said to Achish, “But what have I done? What have you found in your servant from the day I entered your service until now, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?” 9 And Achish answered David and said, “I know that you are as blameless in my sight ^qas an angel of God. Nevertheless, ^rthe commanders of the Philistines have said, ‘He shall not go up with us to the battle.’ 10 Now then rise early in the morning ^swith the servants of your lord who came with you, and start early in the morning, and depart as soon as you have light.” 11 So David set out with his men early in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines. But the Philistines went up to ^tJezreel.

19 Some of the men of Manasseh deserted to David ^lwhen he came with the Philistines for the battle against Saul. (Yet he did not help them, for the rulers of the Philistines took counsel and sent him away, saying, ^m“At peril to our heads he will desert to his master Saul.”) 20 As he went to Ziklag, these men of Manasseh deserted to him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, chiefs of thousands in Manasseh. 21 They helped David against ⁿthe band of raiders, for they were all mighty men of valor and were commanders in the army. 22 For from day to day men came to David to help him, until there was a great army, like an army of God.

David’s Wives Are Captured

1 Now when David and his men came to ^uZiklag on the third day, ^vthe Amalekites had ^wmade a raid against the Negeb and against Ziklag. They had overcome Ziklag and burned it with fire 2 and taken captive the women and all¹ who were in it, both small and great. They killed no one, but carried them off and went their way. 3 And when David and his men came to the city, they found it burned with fire, and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. 4 Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until they had no more strength to weep. 5 David’s ^xtwo wives also had been taken captive, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 6 And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke ^yof stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul,² each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.

7 ^zAnd David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. 8 ^aAnd David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I pursue after this ^bband? Shall I overtake them?” He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake ^cand shall surely rescue.” 9 So David set out, and ^dthe six hundred men who were with him, and they came to the brook Besor, where those who were left behind stayed. 10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men. ^eTwo hundred stayed behind, who were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor.

11 They found an Egyptian in the open country and brought him to David. And they gave him bread and he ate. They gave him water to drink, 12 and they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. And when he had eaten, ^fhis spirit revived, for he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights. 13 And David said to him, “To whom do you belong? And where are you from?” He said, “I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite, and my master left me behind because I fell sick three days ago. 14 ^gWe had made a raid against the Negeb of ^hthe Cherethites and against that which belongs to Judah and against the Negeb of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag with fire.” 15 And David said to him, “Will you take me down to this band?” And he said, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will take you down to this ⁱband.”

David Defeats the Amalekites

16 And when he had taken him down, behold, they were spread abroad over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. 17 And David struck them down from twilight until the evening of the next day, and not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men, who mounted camels and fled. 18 ^jDavid recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and David rescued his two wives. 19 Nothing was missing, whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that had been taken. ^jDavid brought back all. 20 David also captured all the flocks and herds, and the people drove the livestock before him,³ and said, “This is David’s spoil.”

21 Then David came to ^kthe two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow David, and who had been left ^kat the brook Besor. And they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him. And when David came near to the people he greeted them. 22 Then all the wicked and worthless fellows among the men who had gone with David said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except that each man may lead away his wife and children, and depart.” 23 But David said, “You shall not do so, my brothers, with what the Lord has given us. He has preserved us and given into our hand the band that came against us. 24 Who would listen to you in this matter? ^lFor as his share is who goes down into the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the baggage. They shall share alike.” 25 And he made it a statute and a rule for Israel from that day forward to this day.

26 When David came to Ziklag, he sent part of the spoil to his friends, the elders of Judah, saying, “Here is a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of the Lord.” 27 It was for those in ^mBethel, in Ramoth of the Negeb, in ⁿJattir, 28 in ^oAroer, in Siphmoth, in ^pEshtemoa, 29 in Racal, in the cities of ^qthe Jerahmeelites, in the cities of ^rthe Kenites, 30 in ^sHormah, in Bor-ashan, in Athach, 31 in ^tHebron, for all the places where David and his men had roamed.

The Faithful Have Vanished

To the choirmaster: according to The Sheminith.¹ A Psalm of David.

How Long, O Lord?

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.