David and his men reached Ziklag on the third day. When they arrived, they found that the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag, burned it, and carried off all the women and everyone in it, young and old. None had been killed, but all were taken captive.
When David and his men saw the destruction and realized their families were gone, they wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep. David's two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel, had been taken. David was greatly distressed because some of the men were talking of stoning him, each one bitter in spirit over the loss of their sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God.
He spoke to Abiathar the priest, son of Ahimelech, and asked him to bring the ephod. David inquired of the Lord, "Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?" The Lord answered, "Pursue them. You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue."
David and the six hundred men with him set out. At the Besor Ravine, two hundred men were too exhausted to cross, so they stayed behind. David and four hundred men continued the pursuit.
They found an Egyptian lying in a field, who had not eaten or drunk anything for three days and three nights. David and his men gave him water to drink and part of a cake of pressed figs and two cakes of raisins, and he was revived.
David asked him, "To whom do you belong, and where do you come from?" The Egyptian said, "I am an Egyptian, a slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me because I became ill three days ago. We raided the Negev of the Kerethites and the territory of Judah and burned Ziklag."
David asked him, "Can you lead me to this raiding party?" The Egyptian agreed on the condition that David would swear not to kill him or hand him over to his master. He led David to the Amalekites, who were scattered across the countryside, eating, drinking, and celebrating their plunder from the Philistines and Judah.
David fought them from dusk until the evening of the next day. None escaped except four hundred young men who rode off on camels. David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives. Nothing was missing: young or old, boy or girl, or any plunder. David brought everything back and led all the livestock ahead, saying, "This is David's plunder."
When David returned to the two hundred men left at the ravine, some of the troublemakers complained, "Because they did not go out with us, they should not share in the plunder. Let them keep only their wives and children."
David answered, "No, my brothers. What the Lord has given us belongs equally to all. Those who stayed with the supplies shall have the same share as those who went to battle." From that day, David established this as a statute and ordinance for Israel.
When David arrived in Ziklag, he sent portions of the recovered plunder to the elders of Judah, who were his friends, saying, "Here is a present for you from the plunder of the Lord's enemies." He sent gifts to those in Bethel, Ramoth Negev, Jattir, Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa, Racal, and to the towns of the Jerahmeelites and Kenites, as well as Hormah, Bor Ashan, Athach, Hebron, and all other towns where he and his men had roamed.