Study Desk

Achish Sends David Back to Ziklag

The Philistines gathered^(a) all their forces at Aphek,^(b) and Israel camped by the spring in Jezreel.^(c)

As the Philistine rulers marched with their units of hundreds and thousands, David and his men were marching at the rear^(d) with Achish.

The commanders of the Philistines asked, "What about these Hebrews?" Achish replied, "Is this not David,^(e) who was an officer of Saul king of Israel? He has already been with me for over a year,^(f) and from the day he left Saul until now, I have found no fault in him."

But the Philistine commanders were angry with Achish and said, "Send^(g) the man back, that he may return to the place you assigned him. He must not go with us into battle, or he will turn^(h) against us during the fighting. How better could he regain his master's favor than by taking the heads of our own men?

Isn't this the David they sang about in their dances: "‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands'?"⁽ⁱ⁾

So Achish called David and said to him, "As surely as the Lord lives, you have been reliable, and I would be pleased to have you serve with me in the army. From the day^(j) you came to me until today, I have found no fault in you, but the rulers^(k) don't approve of you.

Now turn back and go in peace; do nothing to displease the Philistine rulers."

"But what have I done?" asked David. "What have you found against your servant from the day I came to you until now? Why can't I go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?"

Achish answered, "I know that you have been as pleasing in my eyes as an angel^(l) of God; nevertheless, the Philistine commanders^(m) have said, ‘He must not go up with us into battle.'

Now get up early, along with your master's servants who have come with you, and leave⁽ⁿ⁾ in the morning as soon as it is light."

So David and his men got up early in the morning to go back to the land of the Philistines, and the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

David Destroys the Amalekites

David and his men reached Ziklag^(a) on the third day. Now the Amalekites^(b) had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned^(c) it,

and had taken captive the women and everyone else in it, both young and old. They killed none of them, but carried them off as they went on their way.

When David and his men reached Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive.^(d)

So David and his men wept^(e) aloud until they had no strength left to weep.

David's two wives^(f) had been captured—Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel.

David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning^(g) him; each one was bitter^(h) in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength⁽ⁱ⁾ in the Lord his God.

Then David said to Abiathar^(j) the priest, the son of Ahimelek, "Bring me the ephod.^(k)" Abiathar brought it to him,

and David inquired^(l) of the Lord , "Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?" "Pursue them," he answered. "You will certainly overtake them and succeed^(m) in the rescue.⁽ⁿ⁾"

David and the six hundred men^(o) with him came to the Besor Valley, where some stayed behind.

Two hundred of them were too exhausted^(p) to cross the valley, but David and the other four hundred continued the pursuit.

They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David. They gave him water to drink and food to eat—

part of a cake of pressed figs and two cakes of raisins. He ate and was revived,^(q) for he had not eaten any food or drunk any water for three days and three nights.

David asked him, "Who do you belong to? Where do you come from?" He said, "I am an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite.^(r) My master abandoned me when I became ill three days ago.

We raided the Negev of the Kerethites,^(s) some territory belonging to Judah and the Negev of Caleb.^(t) And we burned^(u) Ziklag."

David asked him, "Can you lead me down to this raiding party?" He answered, "Swear to me before God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master,^(v) and I will take you down to them."

He led David down, and there they were, scattered over the countryside, eating, drinking and reveling^(w) because of the great amount of plunder^(x) they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from Judah.

David fought^(y) them from dusk until the evening of the next day, and none of them got away, except four hundred young men who rode off on camels and fled.^(z)

David recovered^(aa) everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives.

Nothing was missing: young or old, boy or girl, plunder or anything else they had taken. David brought everything back.

He took all the flocks and herds, and his men drove them ahead of the other livestock, saying, "This is David's plunder."

Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted^(ab) to follow him and who were left behind at the Besor Valley. They came out to meet David and the men with him. As David and his men approached, he asked them how they were.

But all the evil men and troublemakers among David's followers said, "Because they did not go out with us, we will not share with them the plunder we recovered. However, each man may take his wife and children and go."

David replied, "No, my brothers, you must not do that with what the Lord has given us. He has protected us and delivered into our hands the raiding party that came against us.

Who will listen to what you say? The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike.^(ac)"

David made this a statute and ordinance for Israel from that day to this.

When David reached Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah, who were his friends, saying, "Here is a gift^(ad) for you from the plunder of the Lord 's enemies."

David sent it to those who were in Bethel,^(ae) Ramoth^(af) Negev and Jattir;^(ag)

to those in Aroer,^(ah) Siphmoth,^(ai) Eshtemoa^(aj)

and Rakal; to those in the towns of the Jerahmeelites^(ak) and the Kenites;^(al)

to those in Hormah,^(am) Bor Ashan,^(an) Athak

and Hebron;^(ao) and to those in all the other places where he and his men had roamed.

Saul Takes His Life^(a)

Now the Philistines fought against Israel; the Israelites fled before them, and many fell dead on Mount Gilboa.^(b)

The Philistines were in hot pursuit of Saul and his sons,^(c) and they killed his sons Jonathan,^(d) Abinadab and Malki-Shua.^(e)

The fighting grew fierce around Saul, and when the archers overtook him, they wounded^(f) him critically.

Saul said to his armor-bearer, "Draw your sword and run me through,^(g) or these uncircumcised^(h) fellows will come and run me through and abuse me." But his armor-bearer was terrified and would not do it; so Saul took his own sword and fell on it.

When the armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died with him.

So Saul and his three sons and his armor-bearer and all his men died⁽ⁱ⁾ together that same day.

When the Israelites along the valley and those across the Jordan saw that the Israelite army had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their towns and fled. And the Philistines came and occupied them.

The next day, when the Philistines^(j) came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.

They cut off his head and stripped off his armor, and they sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news^(k) in the temple of their idols and among their people.^(l)

They put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths^(m) and fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan.⁽ⁿ⁾

When the people of Jabesh Gilead^(o) heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,

all their valiant men^(p) marched through the night to Beth Shan. They took down the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth Shan and went to Jabesh, where they burned^(q) them.

Then they took their bones^(r) and buried them under a tamarisk^(s) tree at Jabesh, and they fasted^(t) seven days.^(u)