1 Before David and his men reached Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had raided the Negeb and Ziklag, had stormed the city, and had set it on fire.
2 They had taken captive the women and all who were in the city, young and old, killing no one; they had carried them off when they left.
3 David and his men arrived at the city to find it burned to the ground and their wives, sons and daughters taken captive.
4 Then David and those who were with him wept aloud until they could weep no more.
5 David's two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal from Carmel, had also been carried off with the rest.
6 Now David found himself in great difficulty, for the men spoke of stoning him, so bitter were they over the fate of their sons and daughters. But with renewed trust in the LORD his God,
7 David said to Abiathar, the priest, son of Ahimelech, "Bring me the ephod!" When Abiathar brought him the ephod,
8 David inquired of the LORD, "Shall I pursue these raiders? Can I overtake them?" The LORD answered him, "Go in pursuit, for you shall surely overtake them and effect a rescue."
9 So David went off with his six hundred men and came as far as the Wadi Besor, where those who were to remain behind halted.
10 David continued the pursuit with four hundred men, but two hundred were too exhausted to cross the Wadi Besor and remained behind.
11 An Egyptian was found in the open country and brought to David. He was provided with food, which he ate, and given water to drink;
12 a cake of pressed figs and two cakes of pressed raisins were also offered to him. When he had eaten, he revived; he had not taken food nor drunk water for three days and three nights.
13 Then David asked him, "To whom do you belong, and where do you come from?" He replied: "I am an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me because I fell sick three days ago today.
14 We raided the Negeb of the Cherethites, the territory of Judah, and the Negeb of Caleb; and we set Ziklag on fire."
15 David then asked him, "Will you lead me down to this raiding party?" He answered, "Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or deliver me to my master, and I will lead you to the raiding party."
16 He did lead them, and there were the Amalekites scattered all over the ground, eating, drinking, and in a festive mood because of all the rich booty they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah.
17 From dawn to sundown David attacked them, putting them under the ban so that none escaped except four hundred young men, who mounted their camels and fled.
18 David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, and rescued his two wives.
19 Nothing was missing, small or great, booty or sons or daughters, of all that the Amalekites had taken. David brought back everything.
20 Moreover, David took all the sheep and oxen, and as they drove these before him, they shouted, "This is David's spoil!"
21 When David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow him, and whom he had left behind at the Wadi Besor, they came out to meet David and the men with him. On nearing them David greeted them.
22 But all the stingy and worthless men among those who had accompanied David spoke up to say, "Since they did not accompany us, we will not give them anything from the booty, except to each man his wife and children. Let them take those along and be on their way."
23 But David said: "You must not do this, my brothers, after what the LORD has given us. He has protected us and delivered into our grip the band that came against us.
24 Who could agree with this proposal of yours? Rather, the share of the one who goes down to battle and that of the one who remains with the baggage shall be the same; they shall share alike."
25 And from that day forward he made it a law and a custom in Israel, as it still is today.
26 When David came to Ziklag, he sent part of the spoil to the elders of Judah, city by city, saying, "This is a gift to you from the spoil of the enemies of the LORD":
27 to those in Bethel, to those in Ramoth-negeb, to those in Jattir,
28 to those in Aroer, to those in Siphmoth, to those in Eshtemoa,
29 to those in Racal, to those in the Jerahmeelite cities, to those in the Kenite cities,
30 to those in Hormah, to those in Borashan, to those in Athach,
31 to those in Hebron, and to all the places frequented by David and his men.
Versículos relacionados com 1 Samuel, 30:
1 Samuel 30 narrates the episode in which David and his men return to Ziclague and discover that the city was looted and their women and children were taken as captive by the Amalequitas. David leads his men in search of the Amalequites and, with the help of God, defeats them and rescues their families. The verses selected below deal with topics such as the loss and recovery of goods and family, the importance of trust in God in difficult times and generosity and social responsibility.
Genesis 14:16: "And brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, and the women and the people." This verse reports the rescue of Lot and his goods after he was captured by the kings who warned in the region. Just as David rescued his family and goods, Abram also rescued Lot and his goods. Both trusted God and were successful in their mission.
Psalm 34:18: "Near the lord of those who have a broken heart and save those of the oppressed spirit." This verse talks about God's proximity to those who are going through difficult times. When David and his men arrived in Ziclague and found that their families had been captured, they were devastated and their hearts broken. This verse highlights the importance of trust in God in times of adversity.
Proverbs 3:27: "Do not refuse a favor to those who need it, being in your hands the ability to accomplish it." This verse talks about the importance of being generous and helping those who need it. When David and his men rescued their families, they also found an Egyptian abandoned by the Amalequites. They fed him and took care of him before interrogating him and finding the location of the Amalequitas. This verse highlights the importance of generosity and social responsibility.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4: "Blessed be the God and the Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Mercies and God of all consolation, who comforts us in all our tribulation, so that we may also comfort those who are in any Anguish, with the consolation with which we ourselves are comforted by God. " This excerpt talks about the consolation that God offers us in times of tribulation and how we can use it to comfort those who are also experiencing difficulties. When David and his men found the Egyptian abandoned by the Amalequites, they fed him and took care of him before interrogating him and discovering the location of the Amalequitas. This verse highlights the importance of being comforted by God so that we can comfort others.
Matthew 6:19-21: "You do not accumulate to you treasures on the earth, where trace and rust run and where thieves steal and steal; but gather to you treasures in the sky, where neither the trace nor the rust corrupt, and where Thieves do not dig or steal; for where your treasure is, there will be your heart too. " These verses address the importance of valuing and investing in eternal things rather than earthly treasures, which are perishable and can be lost. The text reminds us that the place where we deposit our riches reveals the true position of our hearts.
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