13
Then David said to him, "To whom do you belong, and where are you from?" And he said, "I am a young man from Egypt, servant of an Amalekite; and my master left me behind, because three days ago I fell sick.
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We made an invasion of the southern area of the Cherethites, in the territory which belongs to Judah, and of the southern area of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire."
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And David said to him, "Can you take me down to this troop?" So he said, "Swear to me by God that you will neither kill me nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will take you down to this troop."
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And when he had brought him down, there they were, spread out over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil which they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah.
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Then David attacked them from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled.
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So David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, and David rescued his two wives.
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And nothing of theirs was lacking, either small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything which they had taken from them; David recovered all.
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Then David took all the flocks and herds they had driven before those other livestock, and said, "This is David's spoil."
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Now David came to the two hundred men who had been so weary that they could not follow David, whom they also had made to stay at the Brook Besor. So they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him. And when David came near the people, he greeted them.
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Then all the wicked and worthless men of those who went with David answered and said, "Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except for every man's wife and children, that they may lead them away and depart."
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But David said, "My brethren, you shall not do so with what the Lord has given us, who has preserved us and delivered into our hand the troop that came against us.
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For who will heed you in this matter? But as his part is who goes down to the battle, so shall his part be who stays by the supplies; they shall share alike."
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So it was, from that day forward; he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.
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Now when David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the spoil to the elders of Judah, to his friends, saying, "Here is a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of the Lord"--
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to those who were in Bethel, those who were in Ramoth of the South, those who were in Jattir,
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those who were in Aroer, those who were in Siphmoth, those who were in Eshtemoa,
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those who were in Rachal, those who were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, those who were in the cities of the Kenites,
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those who were in Hormah, those who were in Chorashan, those who were in Athach,
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those who were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were accustomed to rove.