📖 1 Samuel — Chapter 30 (KJV)
Read the complete King James Version chapter below, then explore the passage sections, check what you remember, and keep your private study notes.
Scripture source: Project Gutenberg KJV, ebook 10.
1 Samuel 30:1 And it came to pass, when David and his men Rwere come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire;
1 Samuel 30:2 And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they Rslew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way.
1 Samuel 30:3 So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was Rburned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives.
1 Samuel 30:4 Then David and the people that were with him Rlifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.
1 Samuel 30:5 And David’s Rtwo wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
1 Samuel 30:6 And David Rwas greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was Tgrieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.
1 Samuel 30:7 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.
1 Samuel 30:8 And David Renquired 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.
1 Samuel 30:9 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.
1 Samuel 30:10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men: for two hundred abode behind, which were Rso faint that they could not go over the brook Besor.
1 Samuel 30:11 And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and Rgave him bread, and he did eat; and they made him drink water;
1 Samuel 30:12 And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins: and when he had eaten, Rhis spirit came again to him: for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, three days and three nights.
1 Samuel 30:13 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 Rmy master left me, because three days agone I fell sick.
1 Samuel 30:14 We made an invasion upon the south of Rthe Cherethites, and upon the coast which belongeth to Judah, and upon the south of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.
1 Samuel 30:15 And David said to him, Canst thou bring me down to this company? And he said, RSwear 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.
1 Samuel 30:16 And Rwhen 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.
1 Samuel 30:17 And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of Tthe next day: Rand there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, which rode upon camels, and fled.
1 Samuel 30:18 And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives.
1 Samuel 30:19 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.
1 Samuel 30:20 And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drave before those other cattle, and said, This is David’s spoil.
1 Samuel 30:21 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 Rcame near to the people, he Tsaluted them.
1 Samuel 30:22 Then answered all the Rwicked men and men of Belial, of Tthose 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.
1 Samuel 30:23 Then said David, Ye shall not do so, Rmy brethren, with that which the LORD hath given us, who hath preserved us, and delivered the company that came against us into our hand.
1 Samuel 30:24 For who will hearken unto you in this matter? Rbut as his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff: they shall part alike.
1 Samuel 30:25 And it was so from that day RTforward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel unto this day.
1 Samuel 30:26 And when David came to Ziklag, he sent of the spoil unto the elders of Judah, even Rto his friends, saying, Behold a Tpresent for you of the spoil of the enemies of the LORD;
1 Samuel 30:27 To them which were in Bethel, and to them which were in Rsouth Ramoth, and to them which were in Jattir,
1 Samuel 30:28 And to them which were in RAroer, and to them which were in Siphmoth, and to them which were in Eshtemoa,
1 Samuel 30:29 And to them which were in RRachal, and to them which were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to them which were in the cities of the Kenites,
1 Samuel 30:30 And to them which were in RHormah, and to them which were in Chorashan, and to them which were in Athach,
1 Samuel 30:31 And to them which were in RHebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were wont to haunt.
📚 Study This Chapter
📖 What We’re Reading
1 Samuel 30:1–10 — Loss at Ziklag and inquiry of the LORD
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
David returns to find Ziklag burned and the families captive. His men speak of stoning him, but he strengthens himself in the LORD and seeks direction through Abiathar. The LORD promises recovery; two hundred exhausted men remain at Besor while the pursuit continues.
Key Truth: David seeks the LORD's direction amid grief and criticism.
Check What You Remember
1. Which people raided Ziklag? (1 Samuel 30:1)
Find it in 1 Samuel 30:1 (KJV).
2. In whom did David encourage himself? (1 Samuel 30:6)
Find it in 1 Samuel 30:6 (KJV).
3. How many exhausted men stayed at Besor? (1 Samuel 30:10)
Find it in 1 Samuel 30:10 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
1 Samuel 30:11–20 — An abandoned servant guides the rescue
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
The men feed a sick Egyptian abandoned by an Amalekite master. He identifies the raiders and guides David after receiving a promise of safety. David attacks and recovers every captive and possession, fulfilling the specific promise given for this pursuit.
Key Truth: Care for an abandoned stranger becomes part of the rescue's path.
Check What You Remember
1. From which country was the abandoned servant? (1 Samuel 30:13)
Find it in 1 Samuel 30:13 (KJV).
2. Which animals carried the escaping raiders? (1 Samuel 30:17)
Find it in 1 Samuel 30:17 (KJV).
3. How much of what had been taken did David recover? (1 Samuel 30:19)
Find it in 1 Samuel 30:19 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
1 Samuel 30:21–31 — The spoil is shared
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Some fighters want to exclude those too exhausted to continue. David refuses, crediting the LORD for preservation and giving equal shares to those who guarded the belongings. He also sends gifts to Judah's elders in places associated with his wandering.
Key Truth: Recognizing God's gift supports generosity rather than contempt for the exhausted.
Check What You Remember
1. At which brook did David meet the men who stayed? (1 Samuel 30:21)
Find it in 1 Samuel 30:21 (KJV).
2. How were fighters and those guarding the stuff to share? (1 Samuel 30:24)
Find it in 1 Samuel 30:24 (KJV).
3. To which group's elders did David send gifts? (1 Samuel 30:26)
Find it in 1 Samuel 30:26 (KJV).
Related Scripture (KJV)
1 Samuel 23:2 — David's earlier inquiry before rescuing Keilah parallels his seeking direction here.
This related passage is selected for its connection with this chapter. It is separate from the chapter text.
Reflect and Apply
How does David's explanation in verse 23 shape the sharing of the spoil? What does it say about exhausted members of the company?
Advanced Questions and Answers
Study this chapter’s wording, patterns, contrasts, and meaning in greater depth.
1. What makes David’s distress extend beyond the loss of the city and families?
2. What does David do before beginning pursuit?
3. How does care for the abandoned Egyptian assist the rescue?
4. Why does David reject excluding the men who remained at Besor from the spoil?
5. How is the sharing rule extended beyond that day?
Notes
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