13. Then David said to him, “Who do you belong to? Where are you from? ”“I’m an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite man,” he said. “My master abandoned me when I got sick three days ago.
14. We raided the south country of the Cherethites, the territory of Judah, and the south country of Caleb, and we burned down Ziklag.”
15. David then asked him, “Will you lead me to these raiders? ”He said, “Swear to me by God that you won’t kill me or turn me over to my master, and I will lead you to them.”
16. So he led him, and there were the Amalekites, spread out over the entire area, eating, drinking, and celebrating because of the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and the land of Judah.
17. David slaughtered them from twilight until the evening of the next day. None of them escaped, except 400 young men who got on camels and fled.
18. David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken; he also rescued his two wives.
19. Nothing of theirs was missing from the youngest to the oldest, including the sons and daughters, of all the plunder the Amalekites had taken. David got everything back.
20. He took all the sheep and cattle, which were driven ahead of the other livestock, and the people shouted, “This is David’s plunder! ”
21. When David came to the 200 men who had been too exhausted to go with him and had been left at the Wadi Besor, they came out to meet him and to meet the troops with him. When David approached the men, he greeted them,
22. but all the corrupt and worthless men among those who had gone with David argued, “Because they didn’t go with us, we will not give any of the plunder we recovered to them except for each man’s wife and children. They may take them and go.”
23. But David said, “My brothers, you must not do this with what the Lord has given us. He protected us and handed over to us the raiders who came against us.
24. Who can agree to your proposal? The share of the one who goes into battle is to be the same as the share of the one who remains with the supplies. They will share equally.”