1 Samuel 30:1–10

And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to ^aZiklag on the third day, that the ^bAmalekites 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’s ^ctwo wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. ⁶And David was greatly distressed; ^dfor 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 ^eDavid encouraged himself in the Lord his God. ⁷And David said to ^fAbiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David. ⁸And ^gDavid inquired at the Lord, saying, Shall I pursue after this ^htroop? 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 ⁱthe six hundred men that were with him, and came to the ^jbrook 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 ^jbrook Besor.