1. On the third day, when David and his men arrived at Ziklag, he found that the Amalekites had raided southern Judah and Ziklag, attacking Ziklag and burning it.
2. They captured the women and everyone, young and old, but they had not killed anyone. They had only taken them away.
3. When David and his men came to Ziklag, they found the town had been burned and their wives, sons, and daughters had been taken as prisoners.
4. Then David and his army cried loudly until they were too weak to cry anymore.
5. David’s two wives had also been taken—Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal from Carmel.
6. The men in the army were threatening to kill David with stones, which greatly upset David. Each man was sad and angry because his sons and daughters had been captured, but David found strength in the Lord his God.
7. David said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring me the holy vest.”
8. Then David asked the Lord, “Should I chase the people who took our families? Will I catch them?”The Lord answered, “Chase them. You will catch them, and you will succeed in saving your families.”
9. David and the six hundred men with him came to the Besor Ravine, where some of the men stayed.