1 Samuel 29-31

1Now the Philistines brought all their forces together at Aphek, while Israel camped by the spring in Jezreel.

2As the Philistine leaders marched out with their units of hundreds and thousands, David and his men marched behind them with Achish.

3Then the commanders of the Philistines asked, “What about these Hebrews?” Achish replied, “Is this not David, the servant of King Saul of Israel? He has been with me all these days, even years, and from the day he defected until today I have found no fault in him.”

4But the commanders of the Philistines were angry with Achish and told him, “Send that man back and let him return to the place you assigned him. He must not go down with us into battle only to become our adversary during the war. What better way for him to regain the favor of his master than with the heads of our men?

5Is this not the David about whom they sing in their dances: ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands’?”

6So Achish summoned David and told him, “As surely as the LORD lives, you have been upright, and it seems right in my sight that you should march in and out with me in the army, because I have found no fault in you from the day you came to me until this day. But you are not good in the sight of the leaders.

7Therefore turn back now and go in peace, so that you will not do anything to displease the leaders of the Philistines.”

8“But what have I done?” David replied. “What have you found against your servant, from the day I came to you until today, to keep me from going along to fight against the enemies of my lord the king?”

9Achish replied, “I know that you are as pleasing in my sight as an angel of God. But the commanders of the Philistines have said, ‘He must not go into battle with us.’

10Now then, get up early in the morning, along with your master’s servants who came with you, and go as soon as it is light.”

11So David and his men got up early in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

1On the third day David and his men arrived in Ziklag, and the Amalekites had raided the Negev, attacked Ziklag, and burned it down.

2They had taken captive the women and all who were there, both young and old. They had not killed anyone, but had carried them off as they went on their way.

3When David and his men came to the city, they found it burned down and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive.

4So David and the troops with him lifted up their voices and wept until they had no strength left to weep.

5David’s two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel, had been taken captive.

6And David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of every man grieved for his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God.

7Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought it to him,

8and David inquired of the LORD: “Should I pursue these raiders? Will I overtake them?” “Pursue them,” the LORD replied, “for you will surely overtake them and rescue the captives.”

9So David and his six hundred men went to the Brook of Besor, where some stayed behind

10because two hundred men were too exhausted to cross the brook. But David and four hundred men continued in pursuit.

11Now his men found an Egyptian in the field and brought him to David. They gave the man water to drink and food to eat—

12a piece of a fig cake and two clusters of raisins. So he ate and was revived, for he had not had any food or water for three days and three nights.

13Then David asked him, “To whom do you belong, and where are you from?” “I am an Egyptian,” he replied, “the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me three days ago when I fell ill.

14We raided the Negev of the Cherethites, the territory of Judah, and the Negev of Caleb, and we burned down Ziklag.”

15“Will you lead me to these raiders?” David asked. And the man replied, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or deliver me into the hand of my master, and I will lead you to them.”

16So he led David down, and there were the Amalekites spread out over all the land, eating, drinking, and celebrating the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and the land of Judah.

17And David struck them down from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man escaped, except four hundred young men who fled, riding off on camels.

18So David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives.

19Nothing was missing, young or old, son or daughter, or any of the plunder the Amalekites had taken. David brought everything back.

20And he took all the flocks and herds, which his men drove ahead of the other livestock, calling out, “This is David’s plunder!”

21When David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow him and who were left behind at the Brook of Besor, they came out to meet him and the troops with him. As David approached the men, he greeted them,

22but all the wicked and worthless men among those who had gone with David said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not share with them the plunder we recovered, except for each man’s wife and children. They may take them and go.”

23But David said, “My brothers, you must not do this with what the LORD has given us. He has protected us and delivered into our hands the raiders who came against us.

24Who will listen to your proposal? The share of the one who went to battle will match the share of the one who stayed with the supplies. They will share alike.”

25And so it has been from that day forward. David established this statute and ordinance for Israel to this very day.

26When David arrived in Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to his friends, the elders of Judah, saying, “Here is a gift for you from the plunder of the LORD’s enemies.”

27He sent gifts to those in Bethel, Ramoth Negev, and Jattir;

28to those in Aroer, Siphmoth, and Eshtemoa;

29to those in Racal and in the cities of the Jerahmeelites and Kenites;

30to those in Hormah, Bor-ashan, and Athach;

31and to those in Hebron and in all the places where David and his men had roamed.

1Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before them, and many fell slain on Mount Gilboa.

2The Philistines hotly pursued Saul and his sons, and they killed Saul’s sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua.

3When the battle intensified against Saul, the archers overtook him and wounded him critically.

4Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through with it, or these uncircumcised men will come and run me through and torture me!” But his armor-bearer was terrified and refused to do it. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it.

5When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his own sword and died with him.

6So Saul, his three sons, his armor-bearer, and all his men died together that same day.

7When the Israelites along the valley and those on the other side of the Jordan saw that the army of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their cities and ran away. So the Philistines came and occupied their cities.

8The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.

9They cut off Saul’s head, stripped off his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news in the temples of their idols and among their people.

10They put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths and hung his body on the wall of Beth-shan.

11When the people of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,

12all their men of valor set out, journeyed all night, and retrieved the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth-shan. When they arrived at Jabesh, they burned the bodies there.

13Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.