1. Two days later, when David and his men came to Ziklag, the Amalekites had raided the Negev, including Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned it.
2. Although they captured the young and old women who were there, they killed no one. Instead, they had taken ⌊the women and other prisoners⌋ and gone away.
3. By the time David and his men came to the town, it had been burned down, and their wives, sons, and daughters had been taken captive.
4. Then David and his men cried loudly until they didn’t have the strength to cry anymore.
5. The Amalekites also captured David’s two wives, Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail (who had been Nabal’s wife) from Carmel.
6. David was in great distress because the people in their bitterness said he should be stoned. (They were thinking of their sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God.)
7. David told the priest Abiathar, Ahimelech’s son, “Please bring me the priestly ephod.” So Abiathar brought David the ephod.
8. Then David asked the Lord, “Should I pursue these troops? Will I catch up with them?”“Pursue them,” the Lord told him. “You will certainly catch up with them and rescue the captives.”
9. So David and his 600 men went to the Besor Valley, where some were left behind.
10. David and 400 men went in pursuit, while 200 men who were too exhausted to cross the Besor Valley stayed behind.
11. David’s men found an Egyptian in the open country and took him to David. They gave him food to eat and water to drink.
12. They gave him a slice of fig cake and two bunches of raisins. After he had eaten, he revived. (He hadn’t eaten any food or drunk any water for three whole days.)