3. When David and his soldiers got to the town and found it burned down, and their wives, their sons, and their daughters taken prisoner,
4. David and the troops with him broke into tears and cried until they could cry no more.
5. David’s two wives had been captured as well: Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, Nabal’s widow from Carmel.
6. David was in deep trouble because the troops were talking about stoning him. Each of the soldiers was deeply distressed about their sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God.
7. David said to the priest Abiathar, Ahimelech’s son, "Bring the priestly vest to me." So Abiathar brought it to David.
8. Then David asked the Lord, "Should I go after this raiding party? Will I catch them?""Yes, go after them!" God answered. "You will definitely catch them and will succeed in the rescue!"
9. So David set off with six hundred men. They came to the Besor ravine, where some stayed behind.
10. David and four hundred men continued the pursuit, while two hundred men stayed there, too exhausted to cross the Besor ravine.
11. They found an Egyptian in the countryside and brought him to David. They gave him bread, and he ate, and they gave him water to drink.
12. They also gave him a piece of fig cake and two raisin cakes. He ate and regained his strength because he hadn’t eaten any food or drunk any water for three days and nights.
13. Then David asked him, "Whose slave are you? Where do you come from?""I’m an Egyptian servant boy," he said, "and the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me when I got sick three days ago.
14. We had raided the arid southern plain belonging to the Cherethites, the territory belonging to Judah, and the southern plain of Caleb. We also burned Ziklag down."