1 Samuel 30:1–8

David Strikes Down the Amalekites

¹Then it happened when David and his men came to ^aZiklag on the third day, that ^bthe Amalekites had made a raid on the ¹Negev and on ^cZiklag and had struck Ziklag and burned it with fire;

²and they took captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great—^athey did not put anyone to death—and carried them off and went their way.

³Then David and his men came to the city, and behold, it was burned with fire, and their wives and their sons and their daughters had been taken captive.

⁴So David and the people who were with him ^alifted their voices and wept until there was no strength in them to weep.

⁵Now ^aDavid’s two wives had been taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the ¹widow of Nabal the Carmelite.

⁶Moreover David was greatly distressed because ^athe people said to stone him, for all the people were ¹embittered, each one because of his sons and his daughters. But ^bDavid strengthened himself in Yahweh his God.

⁷Then ^aDavid said to ^bAbiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Please bring the ephod near to me.” So Abiathar brought the ephod near to David.

^8aAnd David asked of Yahweh, saying, “^bShall I pursue this band? Shall I overtake them?” And He said to him, “Pursue, for you will surely overtake them, ^cand you will surely deliver all.”