1 Samuel 30

1Cuando al tercer día David y su gente llegaron a Siceleg, los amalecitas habían irrumpido en el Négueb y en Siceleg, y habían tomado a Siceleg y le pegaron fuego,

2llevándose cautivas a las mujeres que había en ella, y a chicos y grandes, pero sin matar a nadie. Llevándoselos (a todos) habían retomado el camino.

3Llegados David y sus hombres a la ciudad, la vieron quemada; y sus mujeres, sus hijos y sus hijas habían sido llevados cautivos.

4Entonces David la gente que estaba con él alzaron la voz, y lloraron hasta que se les acabaron las fuerzas para llorar.

5También las dos mujeres de David habían sido hechas cautivas: Ahinoam la jesreelita, y Abigail de Carmel, mujer de Nabal.

6David se halló en grandes angustias, porque el pueblo hablaba de apedrearle; pues el espíritu de toda la gente estaba amargado, cada cual a causa de sus hijos y de sus hijas. Pero David se confortó en Yahvé, su Dios.

7Y dijo David al sacerdote Abiatar, hijo de Aquimelec: “Tráeme el efod.” Trajo Abiatar el efod a David,

8y David consultó a Yahvé, diciendo: “¿Perseguiré a estos salteadores? ¿Les daré alcance?” Y le respondió: “Persigue, porque de cierto los alcanzarás y recobrarás (lo robado).”

9Entonces David se puso en marcha, él y los seiscientos hombres que estaban con él, y llegaron al torrente Besor, donde se quedaron los rezagados.

10David continuó la persecución con cuatrocientos hombres, quedándose los doscientos hombres que estaban demasiado cansados para pasar el torrente Besor.

11Hallaron en el campo un egipcio, al cual llevaron a David. Le dieron pan y comió, y le dieron de beber agua.

12Le dieron también un trozo de torta de higos secos, y dos atados de pasas. Y cuando hubo comido, se recobró; pues no había comido pan, ni bebido agua, en tres días y tres noches.

13Preguntole David: “¿De quién eres y de dónde vienes?” Contestó: “Soy un esclavo egipcio que sirvo a un amalecita; hace tres días me abandonó mi amo, porque caí enfermo.

14Hicimos una incursión en la parte meridional de los cereteos y de Judá, y por el mediodía de Caleb; y hemos quemado a Siceleg.”

15Díjole David: “¿Podrás conducirme a donde están los salteadores?” Él respondió: “Júrame por Dios que no me matarás ni me entregarás en mano de mi amo, y yo te llevaré hasta esa gente.”

16Los condujo allá, y he aquí que (los amalecitas) se habían extendido sobre toda aquella región y estaban comiendo, bebiendo y haciendo fiesta, a causa de todo el gran botín que habían tomado de la tierra de los filisteos y de la tierra de Judá.

17Y los derrotó David desde el crepúsculo hasta la tarde del día siguiente; y no escapó nadie de ellos, salvo cuatrocientos mozos que montados en camellos lograron huir.

18David recobró todo cuanto los amalecitas habían robado, y rescató también a sus dos mujeres.

19No les faltó cosa alguna, ni chica ni grande, ni hijos ni hijas, ni nada del botín ni de cuanto les habían quitado. David lo recuperó todo.

20Además tomó David todo el ganado menor y mayor; y llevaron delante de él ese ganado, diciendo: “Este es el botín de David.”

21Cuando David llegó a los doscientos hombres que habían estado demasiado cansados para seguir a David, y a quienes él había dejado junto al torrente Besor, salieron estos al encuentro de David y del pueblo que le acompañaba, y David se acercó a la gente y los saludó.

22Entonces todos los malos y perversos de entre los hombres que habían seguido a David, comenzaron a decir: “Por cuanto no salieron con nosotros, no les daremos nada del botín que hemos rescatado, sino tan solo a cada hombre su mujer y sus hijos. ¡Que se los lleven y se vayan!”

23Pero David dijo: “No hagáis así, hermanos míos, con lo que Yahvé nos ha dado, ya que Él nos ha guardado y ha entregado en nuestras manos a los salteadores que se habían arrojado sobre nosotros.

24¿Quién podrá aprobar lo que proponéis?, porque la parte debe ser la misma para el que bajó al combate y para el que se quedó con el bagaje. Ambos participen por igual.”

25Y fue así desde aquel día en adelante, y David lo puso por ley y estatuto en Israel, que subsiste hasta el día de hoy.

26Llegado que hubo David a Siceleg, envió del botín a los ancianos de Judá, amigos suyos, diciendo: “Aquí tenéis un regalo del despojo de los enemigos de Yahvé.”

27(Mandó también regalos) a los de Betul, a los de Ramot-Négueb, a los de Jatir,

28a los de Arara, a los de Sefomot, a los de Estemoa,

29a los de Racal, a los de las ciudades de Jerameel, a los de las ciudades de los cineos,

30a los de Horma, a los de Cor-Asán, a los de Atac,

31los de Hebrón, y a todos los lugares que David y sus hombres habían frecuentado.

1Cumque venissent David et viri ejus in Siceleg die tertia, Amalecitæ impetum fecerant ex parte australi in Siceleg, et percusserant Siceleg, et succenderant eam igni.

2Et captivas duxerant mulieres ex ea, a minimo usque ad magnum: et non interfecerant quemquam, sed secum duxerant, et pergebant itinere suo.

3Cum ergo venissent David et viri ejus ad civitatem, et invenissent eam succensam igni, et uxores suas, et filios suos et filias, ductas esse captivas,

4levaverunt David et populus qui erat cum eo voces suas, et planxerunt donec deficerent in eis lacrimæ.

5Siquidem et duæ uxores David captivæ ductæ fuerant, Achinoam Jezrahelites, et Abigail uxor Nabal Carmeli.

6Et contristatus est David valde: volebat enim eum populus lapidare, quia amara erat anima uniuscujusque viri super filiis suis et filiabus: confortatus est autem David in Domino Deo suo.

7Et ait ad Abiathar sacerdotem filium Achimelech: Applica ad me ephod. Et applicavit Abiathar ephod ad David.

8Et consuluit David Dominum, dicens: Persequar latrunculos hos, et comprehendam eos, an non? Dixitque ei Dominus: Persequere: absque dubio enim comprehendes eos, et excuties prædam.

9Abiit ergo David, ipse et sexcenti viri qui erant cum eo, et venerunt usque ad torrentem Besor: et lassi quidam substiterunt.

10Persecutus est autem David ipse, et quadringenti viri: substiterant enim ducenti, qui lassi transire non poterant torrentem Besor.

11Et invenerunt virum ægyptium in agro, et adduxerunt eum ad David: dederuntque ei panem ut comederet, et biberet aquam,

12sed et fragmen massæ caricarum, et duas ligaturas uvæ passæ. Quæ cum comedisset, reversus est spiritus ejus, et refocillatus est: non enim comederat panem, neque biberat aquam, tribus diebus et tribus noctibus.

13Dixit itaque ei David: Cujus es tu? vel unde? et quo pergis? Qui ait: Puer ægyptius ego sum, servus viri Amalecitæ: dereliquit autem me dominus meus, quia ægrotare cœpi nudiustertius.

14Siquidem nos erupimus ad australem plagam Cerethi, et contra Judam, et ad meridiem Caleb, et Siceleg succendimus igni.

15Dixitque ei David: Potes me ducere ad cuneum istum? Qui ait: Jura mihi per Deum quod non occidas me, et non tradas me in manus domini mei, et ego ducam te ad cuneum istum. Et juravit ei David.

16Qui cum duxisset eum, ecce illi discumbebant super faciem universæ terræ comedentes et bibentes, et quasi festum celebrantes diem, pro cuncta præda et spoliis quæ ceperant de terra Philisthiim et de terra Juda.

17Et percussit eos David a vespere usque ad vesperam alterius diei, et non evasit ex eis quisquam, nisi quadringenti viri adolescentes, qui ascenderant camelos et fugerant.

18Eruit ergo David omnia quæ tulerant Amalecitæ, et duas uxores suas eruit.

19Nec defuit quidquam a parvo usque ad magnum, tam de filiis quam de filiabus, et de spoliis, et quæcumque rapuerant: omnia reduxit David.

20Et tulit universos greges et armenta, et minavit ante faciem suam: dixeruntque: Hæc est præda David.

21Venit autem David ad ducentos viros qui lassi substiterant, nec sequi potuerant David, et residere eos jusserat in torrente Besor: qui egressi sunt obviam David et populo qui erat cum eo. Accedens autem David ad populum, salutavit eos pacifice.

22Respondensque omnis vir pessimus et iniquus de viris qui ierant cum David, dixit: Quia non venerunt nobiscum, non dabimus eis quidquam de præda quam eruimus: sed sufficiat unicuique uxor sua et filii: quos cum acceperint, recedant.

23Dixit autem David: Non sic facietis, fratres mei, de his quæ tradidit nobis Dominus, et custodivit nos, et dedit latrunculos qui eruperant adversum nos, in manus nostras:

24nec audiet vos quisquam super sermone hoc: æqua enim pars erit descendentis ad prælium, et remanentis ad sarcinas, et similiter divident.

25Et factum est hoc ex die illa et deinceps, constitutum et præfinitum, et quasi lex in Israël usque in diem hanc.

26Venit ergo David in Siceleg, et misit dona de præda senioribus Juda proximis suis, dicens: Accipite benedictionem de præda hostium Domini:

27his qui erant in Bethel, et qui in Ramoth ad meridiem, et qui in Jether,

28et qui in Aroër, et qui in Sephamoth, et qui in Esthamo,

29et qui in Rachal, et qui in urbibus Jerameel, et qui in urbibus Ceni,

30et qui in Arama, et qui in lacu Asan, et qui in Athach,

31et qui in Hebron, et reliquis qui erant in his locis in quibus commoratus fuerat David, ipse et viri ejus.

1Now when David and his men were come to Siceleg on the third day, the Amalecites had made an invasion on the south side upon Siceleg, and had smitten Siceleg, and burnt it with fire.

2And had taken the women captives that were in it, both little and great: and they had not killed any person, but had carried them with them, and went on their way.

3So when David and his men came to the city, and found it burnt with fire, and that their wives and their sons, and their daughters were taken captives,

4David and the people that were with him, lifted up their voices, and wept till they had no more tears.

5For the two wives also of David were taken captives, Achinoam the Jezrahelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal of Carmel.

6And David was greatly afflicted: for the people had a mind to stone him, for the soul of every man was bitterly grieved for his sons, and daughters: but David took courage in the Lord his God.

7And he said to Abiathar the priest the son of Achimelech: Bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought the ephod to David.

8And David consulted the Lord, saying: Shall I pursue after these robbers, and shall I overtake them, or not? And the Lord said to him: Pursue after them: for thou shalt surely overtake them and recover the prey.

9So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and they came to the torrent Besor: and some being weary stayed there.

10But David pursued, he and four hundred men: for two hundred stayed, who being weary could not go over the torrent Besor.

11And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David: and they gave him bread to eat, and water to drink,

12As also a piece of a cake of figs, and two bunches of raisins. And when he had eaten them his spirit returned, and he was refreshed: for he had not eaten bread, nor drunk water three days, and three nights.

13And David said to him: To whom dost thou belong? or whence dost thou come? and whither art thou going? He said: I am a young man of Egypt, the servant of an Amalecite, and my master left me, because I began to be sick three days ago.

14For we made an invasion on the south side of Cerethi, and upon Juda, and upon the south of Caleb, and we burnt Siceleg with fire.

15And David said to him: Canst thou bring me to this company? And he said: Swear to me by God, that thou wilt not kill me, nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee to this company. And David swore to him.

16And when he had brought him, behold they were lying spread upon all the ground, eating and drinking, and as it were keeping a festival day, for all the prey, and the spoils which they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Juda.

17And David slew them from the evening unto the evening of the next day, and there escaped not a man of them, but four hundred young men, who had gotten upon camels, and fled.

18So David recovered all that the Amalecites had taken, and he rescued his two wives.

19And there was nothing missing small or great, neither of their sons or their daughters, nor of the spoils, and whatsoever they had taken: David recovered all.

20And he took all the flocks and the herds, and made them go before him: and they said: This is the prey of David.

21And David came to the two hundred men, who being weary had stayed, and were not able to follow David, and he had ordered them to abide at the torrent Besor: and they came out to meet David, and the people that were with him. And David coming to the people saluted them peaceably.

22Then all the wicked and unjust men that had gone with David answering, said: Because they came not with us, we will not give them any thing of the prey which we have recovered: but let every man take his wife and his children, and be contented with them, and go his way.

23But David said: You shall not do so, my brethren, with these things, which the Lord hath given us, who hath kept us, and hath delivered the robbers that invaded us into our hands.

24And no man shall hearken to you in this matter. But equal shall be the portion of him that went down to battle and of him that abode at the baggage, and they shall divide alike.

25And this hath been done from that day forward, and since was made a statute, and an ordinance, and as a law in Israel.

26Then David came to Siceleg, and sent presents of the prey to the ancients of Juda his neighbours, saying: Receive a blessing of the prey of the enemies of the Lord.

27To them that were in Bethel, and that were in Ramoth to the south, and to them that were in Jether,

28And to them that were in Aroer and that were in Sephamoth, and that were in Esthamo,

29And that were in Rachal, and that were in the cities of Jerameel, and that were in the cities of Ceni,

30And that were in Arama, and that were in the lake Asan, and that were in Athach,

31And that were in Hebron, and to the rest that were in those places, in which David had abode with his men.