1 Samuel 30:1–8

David’s Conflict with the Amalekites

30Now it happened, when David and his men came to ^aZiklag, on the third day, that the ^bAmalekites had invaded the South and Ziklag, attacked Ziklag and burned it with fire, ²and had taken captive the ^cwomen and those who were there, from small to great; they did not kill anyone, but carried them away and went their way. ³So David and his men came to the city, and there it was, burned with fire; and their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive. ⁴Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep. ⁵And David’s two ^dwives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, had been taken captive. ⁶Now David was greatly distressed, for ^ethe people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was ¹grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. ^fBut David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.

^7gThen David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, “Please bring the ephod here to me.” And ^hAbiathar brought the ephod to David. ⁸ⁱSo David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?”

And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.”