Matthew(i)
1 Bvt yer Dauid and hys men were come to Zikeleg the third day, the Amalekites had runne in a runnynge vpon the south and vpon Zikeleg, and had smiten Zikeleg, and burnt wyth fyre
2 and had taken the wemen that were there in prysoners, both small and great: but slewe not a man, saue caryed them wyth them and went their wayes.
3 When Dauid and his men came to the citie, behold, it was burnt with fyre, and theyr wyues, their sonnes and their doughters were taken prisoners.
4 Then Dauid & the people that was wt hym lyfte vp their voyces and wept, vntyl they coulde wepe no more.
5 And Dauids two wyues were taken prysoners also. Ahinoam the Iezrahelyte and Abigail the wyfe of Nabal the Carmelite.
6 And Dauid was in a shrowde strayte: for the people entended to stone hym because the hertes of all the people were vexed for their sonnes and their doughters. But Dauid toke a good courage to him in the lord hys God
7 & said to Abiathar the priest Ahimelechs sonne: bryng me the Ephod. And Abiathar brought the Ephod to Dauid.
8 And Dauid asked the lorde sayinge: shall I folow after thys companye? and shall I ouer take them? And he sayde to hym: folowe, for thou shalte ouertake them and recouer the praye.
9 And he went and the syxe hundred men that were with him, & they came to the ryuer Besor, where a part of them abode.
10 But Dauid and foure hundred men folowed. But two hundred abode behinde being to werye to go ouer the ryuer Besor.
11 Then they founde an Egypcian in the felde, and brought him to Dauid and gaue hym breade to eate and water to dryncke,
12 and gaue hym a fewe fygges, and two clousters of reasynges. And when he had eaten, hys spyrytes came agayne to hym: for he had eaten no breade nor droncke no water in thre dayes and thre nyghtes.
13 Then Dauid sayde vnto hym: to whom belongest thou and whence art thou? and the lad answered: I am an Egypcyan, and seruaunt to an Amalekite: and my master left me behynde because it is thre dayes a gone that I fel syck:
14 we came a rouynge vpon the south of Cerethis and vpon them of Iuda and on the south of Caleb. And we burnt Zikeleg with fyre.
15 And Dauid sayde to him: canst thou brynge me to thys company? And he sayde: swere by my vnto God, that thou wilt nether kyll me, nor delyuer me into the handes of my master, and I wyl brynge the vnto them.
16 And when he had brought hym, se, they laie skatered all abroade vpon the earth, eatyng and dryncking and triumphing ouer all the great pray that they had caryed awaye out of the lande of the Philistines, and out of the land of Iuda.
17 And Dauid layde vpon them from the twylyght vntyll the euen on the morow: so that there escaped not a man, saue foure hundre a young men, whyche rodde awaye vpon cameles and fledde.
18 And Dauid recouered all that the Amalekites had caryed awaye, and his two wyues,
19 so that there was no persone lackynge smal or great, sonne or doughter, or of the spoyle of all that they had take awaye, Dauid brought all againe.
20 And Dauid toke all the shepe, and the oxen. And they draue the cattel before, and sayde: this is Dauids pray.
21 And then Dauid came to the two hundred men that were to wery for to folowe Dauid, which they made to abyde at the ryuer Besor. And they came to mete Dauid and the people that were wyth hym. And when Dauid came to the people, he saluted them.
22 Then answered all the wycked and the vnthriftes of the men that went wyth Dauid, and sayde: because they went noth with vs, therfore shall none of the praye that we haue recouered, be geuen vnto them, saue to euery man hys wyfe and his children: whyche let them cary awaye and be walkynge.
23 Then sayde Dauid: ye shall not do so (my brethren) with that the Lorde hath geuen vs, and hath preserued vs, & delyuered the companye that came agaynst vs, into oure handes.
24 For who shoulde herken vnto you in this matter? But as his parte is that goeth & fighteth so good shal hys parte be, that taryeth by the stuffe, they shall part it a lyke.
25 And so from that daye forward was that made a law and a custome in Israel, and dureth to thys day.
26 When Dauid came to Zikeleg, he sent of hys praye vnto the elders to Iuda and to hys frendes saying: se there a blessinge for you, of the spoyle of the enemies of the Lorde:
27 He sent to them of Bethel: to them of south Ramath to them of Gether:
28 to them of Aroer: to them of Sephamoth: to them of Esthamo:
29 to them of Rachal: to them of the cytyes of the Ierhameelites: to them of the cities of the Kenites:
30 to them of Haramah: to them of Borasan: to them of Athach:
31 to them of Hebron, and to all places where Dauid and hys men were wont to haunt.