David Rescues His Soldiers' Families
1 It took David and his men three days to reach Ziklag. But while they had been away, the Amalekites had been raiding in the desert around there. They had attacked Ziklag, burned it to the ground, 2 and had taken away the women and children. 3 When David and his men came to Ziklag, they saw the burned-out ruins and learned that their families had been taken captive. 4 They started crying and kept it up until they were too weak to cry any more. 5 David's two wives, Ahinoam and Abigail, had been taken captive with everyone else.
6 David was desperate. His soldiers were so upset over what had happened to their sons and daughters that they were thinking about stoning David to death. But he felt the Lord God giving him strength, 7 and he said to the priest, “Abiathar, let's ask God what to do.”
Abiathar brought everything he needed to get answers from God, and he went over to David. 8 Then David asked the Lord, “Should I go after the people who raided our town? Can I catch up with them?”
“Go after them,” the Lord answered. “You will catch up with them, and you will rescue your families.”
9-10 David led his 600 men to Besor Gorge, but 200 of them were too tired to go across. So they stayed behind, while David and the other 400 men crossed the gorge.
11 Some of David's men found an Egyptian out in a field and took him to David. They gave the Egyptian some bread, and he ate it. Then they gave him a drink of water, 12 some dried figs, and two handfuls of raisins. This was the first time in three days he had tasted food or water. Now he felt much better.
13 “Who is your master?” David asked. “And where do you come from?”
“I'm from Egypt,” the young man answered. “I'm the servant of an Amalekite, but he left me here three days ago because I was sick. 14 We had attacked some towns in the desert where the Cherethites live, in the area that belongs to Judah, and in the desert where the Caleb clan lives. And we burned down Ziklag.”
15 “Will you take me to those Amalekites?” David asked.
“Yes, I will, if you promise with God as a witness that you won't kill me or hand me over to my master.”
16 He led David to the Amalekites. They were eating and drinking everywhere, celebrating because of what they had taken from Philistia and Judah. 17 David attacked just before sunrise the next day and fought until sunset. Four hundred Amalekites rode away on camels, but they were the only ones who escaped.
18 David rescued his two wives and everyone else the Amalekites had taken from Ziklag. 19 No one was missing—young or old, sons or daughters. David brought back everything that had been stolen, 20 including their livestock.
David also took the sheep and cattle that the Amalekites had with them, but he kept these separate from the others. Everyone agreed that these would be David's reward.
21 On the way back, David went to the 200 men he had left at Besor Gorge, because they had been too tired to keep up with him. They came toward David and the people who were with him. When David was close enough, he greeted the 200 men and asked how they were doing.
22 Some of David's men were good-for-nothings, and they said, “Those men didn't go with us to the battle, so they don't get any of the things we took back from the Amalekites. Let them take their wives and children and go!”
23 But David said:
My friends, don't be so greedy with what the Lord has given us! The Lord protected us and gave us victory over the people who attacked. 24 Who would pay attention to you, anyway? Soldiers who stay behind to guard the camp get as much as those who go into battle.
25 David made this a law for Israel, and it has been the same ever since.
26 David went back to Ziklag with everything they had taken from the Amalekites. He sent some of these things as gifts to his friends who were leaders of Judah, and he told them, “We took these things from the Lord's enemies. Please accept them as a gift.”
27-31 This is a list of the towns where David sent gifts: Bethel, Ramoth in the Southern Desert, Jattir, Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa, Racal, the towns belonging to the Jerahmeelites and the Kenites, Hormah, Bor-Ashan, Athach, and Hebron. He also sent gifts to the other towns where he and his men had traveled.
Dawuda ye i joo Amalekinkoolu to Sikilaki kasaaroo la
1 Janniŋ Dawuda niŋ a la kewolu be futa la Sikilaki tili sabanjaŋo luŋo la, Amalekinkoolu taata le ka ñapinkandiroo ke Nekefu* tundoo kaŋ, aniŋ Sikilaki saatewo to. Ì taata Sikilaki boyinkaŋ ne, ì ye a jani, 2 aduŋ musoolu aniŋ saatewo moo doolu, ì ye ì bee muta le, ka bo dindiŋ, fo keebaa. Ì maŋ moo-wo-moo faa, bari ì ye ì samba le, kabiriŋ ì ka taa ì la siloo la.
3 Kabiriŋ Dawuda niŋ a la kewolu taata Sikilaki, ì ye a tara, dimbaa ye jee kasaara, aduŋ ì ye ì la musoolu niŋ ì dinkewolu niŋ ì dimmusoolu fanaa muta le. 4 Wo to le Dawuda niŋ a la kewolu wuurita, fo ì maŋ semboo soto kotenke ka kumboo. 5 Dawuda la musu fuloo, mennu keta Ahinowamu niŋ Abikali ti, ì ye wolu fanaa muta le. Ahinowamu wo bota Yesireeli le, bari Abikali, meŋ keta Nabali la furuyaamusoo ti, wo bota Karimeli.
6 Dawuda tarata niitoora baa le kono, kaatu kewolu ka ñiŋ ne fo ko, “Ali ŋà a buŋ.” Ì bee niyo kuyaata le, kaatu ì maŋ ì diŋolu je. Bari Dawuda ye a jikoo loo Yaawe* le kaŋ, a la Alla. 7 Wo to le Dawuda ko piriisoo* Abiyata Ahimeleki dinkewo ye ko, “Efodoo* samba n ye naŋ.” Abiyata ye a samba a ye. 8 Bituŋ Dawuda ye Yaawe ñininkaa ko, “Fo ŋa taa ñiŋ ñapinkannaalu nooma baŋ? Fo m be ì tarandi la le baŋ?”
Yaawe ye a jaabi ko, “Taa ì nooma. Tooñaa-tooñaa, i be ì tarandi la le, aduŋ ì ye i la moolu mennu muta, i be ì tankandi la le.”
9 Kabiriŋ Dawuda niŋ a la kee keme wooroo mennu be a fee, futata Besori Wulumbaŋo to, ì ye doolu tu kooma le, 10 kaatu kee keme fula le korita, ka teyi wulumbaŋo ñiŋ na. Dawuda niŋ a la kee keme naanoo tententa, ka ì bayindi. 11 Bituŋ ì terenta Misirankoo la wuloo kono, ì ye a samba Dawuda ye. Ì ye domoroo dii a la, a ye a domo, aduŋ ì ye jiyo fanaa dii a la, a ye i miŋ. 12 Ì ye sooto diŋ jaaroo doo dii a la, aniŋ wayini* yiridiŋ jaaroo seeri fula, ì ye wolu fanaa dii a la, a ye ì domo. A naata semboo soto, kaatu a maŋ domori ke, a maŋ jii miŋ fo tili saba aniŋ suuto saba. 13 Dawuda ye a ñininkaa ko, “I bota mintoo le, aduŋ jumaa le mu i la keebaa ti?”
A ye a jaabi ko, “Nte mu Misirankoo le ti, aduŋ n keta Amalekinkoo le la joŋo ti. N na keebaa ye n tu jaŋ ne tili saba koomanto, kaatu n saasaata le. 14 Ǹ taata Keretinkoolu la Nekefu tundoo kaŋ ñapinkandiroo le la, Yahuuda moolu la bankoo, aniŋ Kalebu koomalankoolu la Nekefu tundoo. Aduŋ ŋà Sikilaki jani le.”
15 Dawuda ye a ñininkaa ko, “Fo i si n dandaŋ noo ñiŋ ñapinkannaalu la dinkiraa to le baŋ?”
A ye a jaabi ko, “Kali n ye Alla ñaa la ko, i te m faa la, waraŋ ka n duŋ n na keebaa bulu. Wo to le m be i samba la, ì be daameŋ.” 16 A tambita Dawuda ñaato, ì taata jee.
Ñapinkannaalu tarata janjandiŋ karoo bee le la, ì be domoroo niŋ miŋo la aniŋ doŋo, kaatu ì ye feŋ jamaa le taa Filisitinkoolu niŋ Yahuuda moolu la bankoolu kaŋ. 17 A saamoo fanikewo Dawuda ye ì boyinkaŋ, a ye ì kelendi fo wulaaroo. Fondinkee keme naani le kanata, ì seleta ñonkomoolu kaŋ, ì taata. Wolu koolaa moo le maŋ kana. 18 Dawuda ye feŋolu bee je le, Amalekinkoolu ye mennu taa, aniŋ a la musu fuloo kafuriŋo jee. 19 Feŋ ne maŋ manki. Keebaalu niŋ dindiŋolu, a la kewolu dinkewolu niŋ ì dimmusoolu aniŋ ì ye feŋ-wo-feŋ taa. Dawuda ye feŋolu bee seyindi naŋ ne. 20 Dawuda ye Amalekinkoolu la saajiyolu, baalu aniŋ ninsoolu taa a faŋo ye, aduŋ a la kewolu ye ì bayi beeyaŋ koteŋolu ñaato, ì ka a fo ko, “Ñiŋ mu Dawuda la feŋolu le ti, a ye mennu ñapinkaŋ.”
21 Wo to le Dawuda muruta wo kee keme fuloo kaŋ mennu korita, ì niŋ a maŋ taa noo ñoo la, aduŋ a ye ì tu Besori Wulumbaŋo to. Ì naata ka naa Dawuda niŋ a la kewolu benduŋ, aduŋ Dawuda taata fo ì yaa, a ye ì kontoŋ. 22 Bari moo kuruŋolu niŋ moo nafantaŋolu mennu be Dawuda nooma kumata le ko, “Ŋà feŋolu mennu taa, ǹ niŋ ì te a talaa la, kaatu ì niŋ m̀ maŋ taa ñoo la. Kee-wo-kee si a la musoo niŋ a diŋolu taa le, ì ye taa.”
23 Dawuda ye ì jaabi ko, “Hanii, m baadiŋolu. Ali kana wo ke feŋolu la, Yaawe ye mennu dii ǹ na. A ye ǹ tankandi le, aduŋ ñapinkannaalu mennu naata m̀ boyinkaŋ, a ye ì duŋ m̀ bulu le. 24 Ali ye meŋ fo, moo niŋ ali te beŋ na wo la. Moo meŋ tuta kooma, ka bakaasoolu kanta, aniŋ moo meŋ taata keledulaa to, wolu la talaaroo ñanta kaañaŋ na le. Ì bee ñanta talaari kiliŋo le soto la.” 25 Dawuda ye ñiŋ ke luwaa bambandiŋo ti Banisirayilankoolu ye wo luŋo la, fo ka naa bula bii tiloo la.
26 Kabiriŋ Dawuda futata Sikilaki, ì ye feŋolu mennu buusi, ì ye doo kii Yahuuda alifaalu ye le, mennu keta a teeroolu ti, ka a fo ko, “Ali la soorifeŋolu fele, a bota feŋolu le to, ŋà mennu buusi Yaawe jawoolu bulu.” 27 A ye a kii mennu be Beteli, Ramoti-Nekefu aniŋ Yatiri, 28 aniŋ mennu be Aroweri, Sifumoti, Esitemowa, 29 Rakali, aniŋ mennu be Yeraameelinkoolu niŋ Keninkoolu la saatewolu to, 30 aniŋ mennu be Horima, Bori-Asani, Ataki, 31 Heburoni, aniŋ dulaalu bee to, Dawuda niŋ a la kewolu nene taata daamennu to.
