1Da David og hans mænd to dage senere ankom til deres hjemby, Ziklag, fandt de, at amalekitterne på et af deres plyndringstogter i sydlandet havde indtaget byen og brændt den ned til grunden.2De havde ikke slået indbyggerne ihjel, men taget dem med sig som krigsfanger, inklusive kvinder og børn.3Da David og hans mænd så ud over de nedbrændte ruiner, og det gik op for dem, hvad der var sket med deres familier,4græd de, til de ikke havde en tåre tilbage.5Også Davids to koner, Ahinoam og Abigajil, var bortført.6Det var et hårdt slag for David, og hans egen situation forværredes ved, at hans mænd, der var knust og forbitrede over den skæbne, der var overgået deres børn, gav ham skylden og begyndte at tale om at stene ham. Men David søgte styrke hos Herren.7Så sagde han til præsten Ebjatar: „Tag den hellige efod frem!” Ebjatar hentede så efoden, som man brugte for at få et svar fra Herren.8„Skal jeg følge efter den røverbande?” spurgte David Herren. „Kan jeg nå at indhente dem?” „Ja,” svarede Herren, „følg efter dem og befri alle fangerne.”9Så optog David og hans 600 mænd straks forfølgelsen af amalekitterne. Da de kom til Besorbækken, besluttede de at lade deres forsyninger og nogle af mændene blive der.10200 af de mest udmattede blev så ved bækken for at hvile sig og passe på forsyningerne, mens resten fortsatte forfølgelsen.11Undervejs fandt mændene en egyptisk slave, og ham førte de til David. Manden havde ikke fået noget at spise eller drikke i to døgn,* så de gav ham nogle brød, en figenkage, to rosinkager og noget vand. Da han var kommet til kræfter, spurgte David ham:13„Hvem er din herre, og hvor kommer du fra?” „Jeg er egypter og slave hos en amalekit,” svarede han. „Min herre efterlod mig her for to dage siden, fordi jeg blev syg.14Vi var på vej hjem efter at have været på forskellige plyndringstogter i den sydlige del af filistrenes* land, Judas land og Kalebs land. Undervejs brændte vi Ziklag ned til grunden.”15„Kan du vise os vej til de slyngler?” spurgte David. Egypteren svarede: „Hvis du ved Guds navn vil sværge på, at du ikke vil slå mig ihjel eller udlevere mig til min herre, lover jeg at føre jer til dem.”16Så førte han dem lige til amalekitternes lejr. De havde spredt sig ud over sletten, hvor de var i færd med at spise og drikke og danse af lystighed over det store krigsbytte, de havde taget fra filistrene og fra Judas folk.17Så snart det blev lyst, stormede David og hans mænd frem og dræbte amalekitterne fra tidlig morgen til sen aften. De eneste, der undslap, var 400 unge mænd, der flygtede på deres kameler.18David tog alt krigsbyttet tilbage, og han befriede alle krigsfangerne—også sine egne to koner.20Hans mænd samlede kvæget, gederne og fårene og førte dem til David. „Det er din personlige belønning,” sagde mændene til ham.21Da de nåede tilbage til Besorbækken og til de 200 mænd, som havde været for udmattede til at fortsætte forfølgelsen og derfor var blevet efterladt for at passe på forsyningerne, hilste David på dem med glæde.22Men nogle onde og selviske mænd blandt Davids krigere sagde: „De folk har ikke været med os i kampen. Derfor skal de heller ikke have del i krigsbyttet. Hvis de får deres koner og børn, må det være nok.”23Men David brød ind: „Nej, vær ikke så nærige med det, Herren har givet os. Det er jo Herren, som har hjulpet os med at besejre fjenden. Derfor deler vi byttet ligeligt imellem os, både mellem dem, der deltog i kampen, og dem, der blev tilbage og passede på forsyningerne.”25Fra da af har princippet om ligelig fordeling været som en lov i Israel, og det gælder den dag i dag.26Da David kom tilbage til Ziklag, sendte han noget af krigsbyttet til sine venner blandt Judas ledere sammen med følgende hilsen: „Det her er en gave til jer. Jeg har taget den fra Herrens fjender.”27Han sendte en sådan gave til lederne i de byer, hvor han og hans mænd havde været. Det var blandt andet Bet Zur,* Ramot i Negev, byerne Jattir, Aroer, Sifmot, Eshtemoa og Karmel,* jerahme’elitternes og kenitternes byer, og byerne Horma, Bor-Ashan, Atak og Hebron.
King James Version
1And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire;2And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way.3So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives.4Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.5And David' two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.6And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.7And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech' son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David.8And David enquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them , and without fail recover all .9So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind stayed.10But David pursued, he and four hundred men: for two hundred abode behind, which were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor.11And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they made him drink water;12And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins: and when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him: for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, three days and three nights.13And David said unto him, To whom belongest thou? and whence art thou? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days agone I fell sick.14We made an invasion upon the south of the Cherethites, and upon the coast which belongeth to Judah, and upon the south of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.15And David said to him, Canst thou bring me down to this company? And he said, Swear unto me by God, that thou wilt neither kill me, nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee down to this company.16And when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread abroad upon all the earth, eating and drinking, and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah.17And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, which rode upon camels, and fled.18And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives.19And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor any thing that they had taken to them: David recovered all.20And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drave before those other cattle, and said, This is David' spoil.21And David came to the two hundred men, which were so faint that they could not follow David, whom they had made also to abide at the brook Besor: and they went forth to meet David, and to meet the people that were with him: and when David came near to the people, he saluted them.22Then answered all the wicked men and men of Belial, of those that went with David, and said, Because they went not with us, we will not give them ought of the spoil that we have recovered, save to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead them away, and depart.23Then said David, Ye shall not do so, my brethren, with that which the LORD hath given us, who hath preserved us, and delivered the company that came against us into our hand.24For who will hearken unto you in this matter? but as his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff: they shall part alike.25And it was so from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel unto this day.26And when David came to Ziklag, he sent of the spoil unto the elders of Judah, even to his friends, saying, Behold a present for you of the spoil of the enemies of the LORD;27To them which were in Bethel, and to them which were in south Ramoth, and to them which were in Jattir,28And to them which were in Aroer, and to them which were in Siphmoth, and to them which were in Eshtemoa,29And to them which were in Rachal, and to them which were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to them which were in the cities of the Kenites,30And to them which were in Hormah, and to them which were in Chorashan, and to them which were in Athach,31And to them which were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were wont to haunt.
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