1 Samuel 30:1–10

¹And it came to pass, when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had made a raid upon the south, and upon Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag and burned it with fire; ²and had taken the women captives that were in it; both great and small: they had put none to death, but had carried them off, and went on their way. ³And David and his men came to the city, and behold, it was burnt 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’s two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jizreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. ⁶And David was greatly distressed; for the people spoke of stoning him; for the soul of all the people was embittered, every man because of his sons and because of his daughters; but David strengthened himself in Jehovah his God.

⁷And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, Bring near to me, I pray thee, the ephod. And Abiathar brought the ephod near to David. ⁸And David inquired of Jehovah, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he said to him, Pursue; for thou shalt assuredly overtake them and shalt certainly recover. ⁹So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and they came to the torrent Besor; and those that were left stayed behind. ¹⁰And David pursued, he and four hundred men; for two hundred stayed behind, who were too exhausted to go over the torrent Besor.