Luftë me amalekitët
1 Pas tre ditësh Davidi e njerëzit e tij mbërritën në Ciklag, por amalekitët i kishin rënë Negevit e Ciklagut. E kishin sulmuar Ciklagun e i kishin vënë zjarrin. 2 Kishin marrë rob gratë e qytetit, nga më e reja te më e vjetra. Nuk kishin vrarë askënd, por i kishin dëbuar e ata kishin marrë udhën. 3 Kur mbërriti në qytet me njerëzit e tij, Davidi pa se qyteti po digjej e gratë ishin marrë rob me bij e bija. 4 Atëherë Davidi e burrat që ishin me të vunë kujën e qanë derisa s'patën më fuqi të qanin. 5 Ishin zënë rob edhe dy gratë e Davidit, Ahinoama prej Izrelit dhe Abigajla, gruaja e Nabalit prej Karmelit. 6 Davidi u gjend ngushtë, se populli po mendonte ta vriste me gurë ngaqë të gjithë ishin shumë të hidhëruar për shkak të bijve e bijave të tyre. Por Davidi gjeti forcë në Zotin, Perëndinë e tij.
7 Davidi i tha priftit Abiatar, birit të Ahimelekut, t'i sillte efodin dhe ai ia solli. 8 Atëherë Davidi e pyeti Zotin: «A ta ndjek këtë hordhi? A do t'i zë dot?» Ai i tha: «Po, ndiqi, se do t'i zësh e do t'i shpëtosh robërit». 9 Davidi u nis me gjashtëqind burra e mbërriti te përroi i Besorit. Disa prej tyre u ndalën aty. 10 Davidi i ndoqi edhe më tej me katërqind burra. Dyqind burrat që u ndalën te përroi i Besorit, ishin të rraskapitur e nuk mund të shkonin më tej.
11 Në fushë hasën një egjiptian, e çuan te Davidi e i dhanë bukë e ujë. 12 I dhanë edhe një copë bukëfiqe e dy vile rrushi të thatë. Ai hëngri dhe i erdhi shpirti në vend, se nuk kishte ngrënë e nuk kishte pirë për tri ditë e tri net. 13 Atëherë Davidi e pyeti: «I kujt je e nga vjen?». Ai iu përgjigj: «Jam djalosh egjiptian, shërbëtor i një amalekiti, por imzot më braktisi para tri ditësh, se u sëmura. 14 Ne plaçkitëm Negevin e Keretit, Negevin e Judës dhe Negevin e Kalebit, ndërsa Ciklagut i vumë zjarrin». 15 Davidi i tha: «A po më çon te kjo hordhi?». Ai i tha: «M'u beto për Perëndinë se nuk do të më vrasësh e nuk do të më dorëzosh tek imzot dhe unë do të të çoj tek ajo hordhi».
16 Kur i çoi tek amalekitët, ata ishin shpërndarë anekënd vendit e po festonin me prenë që kishin plaçkitur nga toka e filistinëve dhe e Judës. 17 Të nesërmen, Davidi i sulmoi në të gdhirë e nuk pushoi deri në mbrëmje. Asnjë nuk shpëtoi, përveç katërqind djelmosha që u hipën deveve e ikën. 18 Davidi shpëtoi dy gratë e veta e gjithçka që kishin plaçkitur amalekitët. 19 Nuk u mungonte asgjë e plaçkitur, nga më e madhja te më e vogla, as bij e bija, as plaçkë e pre. Davidi i ktheu të gjitha. 20 Ai mori edhe gjithë dhentë e qetë. Kur i sollën bagëtitë para tij thanë: «Kjo është preja e Davidit».
21 Pastaj Davidi u kthye te dyqind burrat që ishin ndalur te përroi i Besorit e nuk e kishin ndjekur Davidin, se kishin qenë të rraskapitur prej udhës. Ata dolën ta takonin Davidin e burrat që ishin me të. Davidi u afrua e i përshëndeti. 22 Disa njerëz të këqij e të poshtër, që kishin shkuar me Davidin, thanë: «Këta nuk erdhën me ne, prandaj nuk do t'u japim asgjë prej plaçkës që kapëm. Të marrin vetëm gratë e fëmijët e vet e të ikin». 23 Davidi u tha: «Vëllezërit e mi, mos veproni kështu me ç'na dha Zoti. Ai na ruajti e na e dorëzoi hordhinë që na sulmoi. 24 E kush do t'u vërë vesh fjalëve tuaja! Si ata që shkuan në luftë, edhe ata që ndenjën me pajisjet do të marrin pjesë të barabarta». 25 Që nga ajo ditë, ky është rregull e zakon në Izrael deri më sot.
26 Kur Davidi mbërriti në Ciklag, i dërgoi pleqësisë së Judës e miqve të vet një pjesë të presë e u tha: «Ja një dhuratë prej presë së armiqve të Zotit!». 27 Ua dërgoi atyre që ishin në Betel, në Ramot të Negevit, në Jatir, 28 në Aroer, në Sifmot, në Eshtemoa, 29 në Rakal, në qytetet e Jerahmelit, në qytetet e Keniut, 30 në Hormah, në Borashan, në Atak, 31 në Hebron e në të gjitha vendet ku kishte shkuar Davidi me njerëzit e tij.
1 And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire; 2 And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way.
3 ¶ So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives. 4 Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep. 5 And David’s two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. 6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.
7 And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David. 8 And David enquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them , and without fail recover all . 9 So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind stayed. 10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men: for two hundred abode behind, which were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor.
11 ¶ And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they made him drink water; 12 And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins: and when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him: for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, three days and three nights. 13 And David said unto him, To whom belongest thou? and whence art thou? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days agone I fell sick. 14 We made an invasion upon the south of the Cherethites, and upon the coast which belongeth to Judah, and upon the south of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire. 15 And David said to him, Canst thou bring me down to this company? And he said, Swear unto me by God, that thou wilt neither kill me, nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee down to this company.
16 ¶ And when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread abroad upon all the earth, eating and drinking, and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah. 17 And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, which rode upon camels, and fled. 18 And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives. 19 And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor any thing that they had taken to them: David recovered all. 20 And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drave before those other cattle, and said, This is David’s spoil.
21 ¶ And David came to the two hundred men, which were so faint that they could not follow David, whom they had made also to abide at the brook Besor: and they went forth to meet David, and to meet the people that were with him: and when David came near to the people, he saluted them. 22 Then answered all the wicked men and men of Belial, of those that went with David, and said, Because they went not with us, we will not give them ought of the spoil that we have recovered, save to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead them away, and depart. 23 Then said David, Ye shall not do so, my brethren, with that which the LORD hath given us, who hath preserved us, and delivered the company that came against us into our hand. 24 For who will hearken unto you in this matter? but as his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff: they shall part alike. 25 And it was so from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel unto this day.
26 ¶ And when David came to Ziklag, he sent of the spoil unto the elders of Judah, even to his friends, saying, Behold a present for you of the spoil of the enemies of the LORD; 27 To them which were in Beth-el, and to them which were in south Ramoth, and to them which were in Jattir, 28 And to them which were in Aroer, and to them which were in Siphmoth, and to them which were in Eshtemoa, 29 And to them which were in Rachal, and to them which were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to them which were in the cities of the Kenites, 30 And to them which were in Hormah, and to them which were in Chor-ashan, and to them which were in Athach, 31 And to them which were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were wont to haunt.