1Quando Davi e seus soldados chegaram a Ziclague, no terceiro dia, os amalequitas tinham atacado o Neguebe e incendiado a cidade de Ziclague.2Levaram como prisioneiros todos os que lá estavam: as mulheres, os jovens e os idosos. A ninguém mataram, mas os levaram consigo, quando prosseguiram seu caminho.3Ao chegarem a Ziclague, Davi e seus soldados encontraram a cidade destruída pelo fogo e viram que suas mulheres, seus filhos e suas filhas tinham sido levados como prisioneiros.4Então Davi e seus soldados choraram em alta voz até não terem mais forças.5As duas mulheres de Davi também tinham sido levadas: Ainoã, de Jezreel, e Abigail, de Carmelo, a que fora mulher de Nabal.6Davi ficou profundamente angustiado, pois os homens falavam em apedrejá-lo; todos estavam amargurados por causa de seus filhos e de suas filhas. Davi, porém, fortaleceu-se no SENHOR, o seu Deus.7Então Davi disse ao sacerdote Abiatar, filho de Aimeleque: “Traga-me o colete sacerdotal”. Abiatar o trouxe a Davi,8e ele perguntou ao SENHOR: “Devo perseguir esse bando de invasores? Irei alcançá-los?” E o SENHOR respondeu: “Persiga-os; é certo que você os alcançará e conseguirá libertar os prisioneiros”.9Davi e os seiscentos homens que estavam com ele foram ao ribeiro de Besor, onde ficaram alguns,10pois duzentos deles estavam exaustos demais para atravessar o ribeiro. Todavia, Davi e quatrocentos homens continuaram a perseguição.11Encontraram um egípcio no campo e o trouxeram a Davi. Deram-lhe água e comida:12um pedaço de bolo de figos prensados e dois bolos de uvas passas. Ele comeu e recobrou as forças, pois tinha ficado três dias e três noites sem comer e sem beber.13Davi lhe perguntou: “A quem você pertence e de onde vem?” Ele respondeu: “Sou um jovem egípcio, servo de um amalequita. Meu senhor me abandonou quando fiquei doente há três dias.14Nós atacamos o Neguebe dos queretitas, o território que pertence a Judá e o Neguebe de Calebe. E incendiamos a cidade de Ziclague”.15Davi lhe perguntou: “Você pode levar-me até esse bando de invasores?” Ele respondeu: “Jura, diante de Deus, que não me matarás nem me entregarás nas mãos de meu senhor, e te levarei até eles”.16Quando ele levou Davi até lá, os amalequitas estavam espalhados pela região, comendo, bebendo e festejando os muitos bens que haviam tomado da terra dos filisteus e de Judá.17Davi os atacou no dia seguinte, desde o amanhecer até a tarde, e nenhum deles escapou, com exceção de quatrocentos jovens que montaram em camelos e fugiram.18Davi recuperou tudo o que os amalequitas tinham levado, incluindo suas duas mulheres.19Nada faltou: nem jovens, nem velhos, nem filhos, nem filhas, nem bens, nem qualquer outra coisa que fora levada. Davi recuperou tudo.20E tomou também todos os rebanhos dos amalequitas, e seus soldados os conduziram à frente dos outros animais, dizendo: “Estes são os despojos de Davi”.21Então Davi foi até os duzentos homens que estavam exaustos demais para segui-lo e tinham ficado no ribeiro de Besor. Eles saíram para receber Davi e os que estavam com ele. Ao se aproximar com seus soldados, Davi os saudou.22Mas todos os elementos maus e vadios que tinham ido com Davi disseram: “Uma vez que não saíram conosco, não repartiremos com eles os bens que recuperamos. No entanto, cada um poderá pegar sua mulher e seus filhos e partir”.23Davi respondeu: “Não, meus irmãos! Não façam isso com o que o SENHOR nos deu. Ele nos protegeu e entregou em nossas mãos os bandidos que vieram contra nós.24Quem concordará com o que vocês estão dizendo? A parte de quem ficou com a bagagem será a mesma de quem foi à batalha. Todos receberão partes iguais”.25Davi fez disso um decreto e uma ordenança para Israel, desde aquele dia até hoje.26Quando Davi chegou a Ziclague, enviou parte dos bens às autoridades de Judá, que eram seus amigos, dizendo: “Eis um presente para vocês, tirado dos bens dos inimigos do SENHOR”.27Ele enviou esse presente às autoridades de Betel, de Ramote do Neguebe, de Jatir,28de Aroer, de Sifmote, de Estemoa,29de Racal, das cidades dos jerameelitas e dos queneus,30de Hormá, de Corasã, de Atace,31de Hebrom e de todos os lugares onde Davi e seus soldados tinham passado.
1Now when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made a raid against the Negeb and against Ziklag. They had overcome Ziklag and burned it with fire (1 Sm 15:3; 1 Sm 15:7; 1 Sm 27:8; 1 Sm 29:4; 1 Sm 29:11; 1 Sm 30:14)2and taken captive the women and all[1] who were in it, both small and great. They killed no one, but carried them off and went their way.3And when David and his men came to the city, they found it burned with fire, and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive.4Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until they had no more strength to weep.5David’s two wives also had been taken captive, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. (1 Sm 25:42)6And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of 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. (Ex 17:4; Nm 14:10)7And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. (1 Sm 23:6; 1 Sm 23:9)8And David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I pursue after this band? Shall I overtake them?” He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue.” (1 Sm 22:10; 1 Sm 30:18; 1 Cr 12:21)9So David set out, and the six hundred men who were with him, and they came to the brook Besor, where those who were left behind stayed. (1 Sm 23:13)10But David pursued, he and four hundred men. Two hundred stayed behind, who were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor. (1 Sm 30:21)11They 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,12and they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. And when he had eaten, his spirit revived, for he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights. (Jz 15:19; 1 Sm 14:27)13And 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.14We had made a raid against the Negeb of the Cherethites and against that which belongs to Judah and against the Negeb of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag with fire.” (1 Sm 30:1; 2 Sm 8:18; 2 Sm 15:18; 2 Sm 20:7; 2 Sm 20:23; 1 Rs 1:38; 1 Rs 1:44; 1 Cr 18:17; Ez 25:16; Sf 2:5)15And 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 band.” (1 Sm 25:3)
David Defeats the Amalekites
16And 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.17And 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.18David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and David rescued his two wives. (1 Sm 30:8)19Nothing was missing, whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that had been taken. David brought back all. (1 Sm 30:18)20David also captured all the flocks and herds, and the people drove the livestock before him,[3] and said, “This is David’s spoil.”21Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow David, and who had been left at 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. (1 Sm 30:10)22Then 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.”23But 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.24Who would listen to you in this matter? For as his share is who goes down into the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the baggage. They shall share alike.” (Nm 31:27; Js 22:8)25And he made it a statute and a rule for Israel from that day forward to this day.26When 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.”27It was for those in Bethel, in Ramoth of the Negeb, in Jattir, (Gn 28:19; Js 15:48; Jz 1:22)28in Aroer, in Siphmoth, in Eshtemoa, (Dt 2:36; Js 13:16; Js 15:50)29in Racal, in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, in the cities of the Kenites, (Jz 1:16; 1 Sm 27:10)30in Hormah, in Bor-ashan, in Athach, (Jz 1:17)31in Hebron, for all the places where David and his men had roamed. (Js 14:13; Jz 1:10; 2 Sm 2:1)