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Lunedi, 29 aprile 2024 - Santa Caterina da Siena ( Letture di oggi)

1 Samuel 30


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NEW JERUSALEMKING JAMES BIBLE
1 Now by the time David and his men reached Ziklag three days later, the Amalekites had raided theNegeb and Ziklag; they had sacked Ziklag and burnt it down.1 And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire;
2 They had taken the women prisoner, and everyone who was there, both smal and great. They had notkil ed anyone, but had carried them off and gone away.2 And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way.
3 When David and his men arrived, they found the town burnt down and their wives and sons anddaughters taken captive.3 So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives.
4 Then David and the people with him wept aloud til they were too weak to weep any more.4 Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.
5 David's two wives had been captured: Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail widow of Nabal of Carmel.5 And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
6 David was in great trouble, since the people were talking of stoning him; the people al felt very bitter,each man for his own sons and daughters. But David took courage from Yahweh his God.6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.
7 To the priest Abiathar son of Ahimelech, David said, 'Bring me the ephod.' Abiathar brought the ephodto David.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.
8 David then consulted Yahweh, 'Shal I go in pursuit of these raiders? Wil I overtake them?' Theanswer was, 'Go in pursuit; you will certainly overtake them and rescue the captives.'8 And David inquired 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.
9 David accordingly set off with the six hundred men who were with him and reached the torrent ofBesor.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.
10 David then continued the pursuit with four hundred men, two hundred staying behind who were tooexhausted to cross the torrent of Besor.10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men: for two hundred abode behind, which were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor.
11 Out in the country they found an Egyptian and brought him to David. They gave him some bread toeat and some water to drink;11 And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they made him drink water;
12 they also gave him a piece of fig cake and two bunches of raisins; he ate these and his spirits revived-- he had had nothing to eat or drink for three days and three nights.12 And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins: and when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him: for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, three days and three nights.
13 David then said to him, 'Whose man are you and where do you come from?' He replied, 'I am ayoung Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite; my master abandoned me because I fel sick three days ago.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 my master left me, because three days agone I fell sick.
14 We raided the Negeb of the Cherethites, and the Negeb of Judah, and the Negeb of Caleb too, andwe burnt Ziklag down.'14 We made an invasion upon the south of the Cherethites, and upon the coast which belongeth to Judah, and upon the south of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.
15 David said, 'Wil you guide me to these raiders?' He replied, 'Swear to me by God not to kill me orhand me over to my master, and I wil guide you to these raiders.'15 And David said to him, Canst thou bring me down to this company? And he said, Swear 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.
16 He guided him to them, and there they were, scattered over the whole countryside, eating, drinkingand celebrating, on account of the enormous booty which they had brought back from the territory of thePhilistines and the territory of Judah.16 And when 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.
17 David slaughtered them from dawn until the evening of the following day. No one escaped, exceptfour hundred young men who mounted camels and fled.17 And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, which rode upon camels, and fled.
18 He rescued everything that the Amalekites had taken -- David also rescued his two wives.18 And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives.
19 Nothing of theirs was lost, whether smal or great, from the booty or sons and daughters -- everythingthat had been taken from them; David recovered everything.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.
20 They captured the flocks and herds as wel and drove them in front of him. 'This is David's booty,'they shouted.20 And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drave before those other cattle, and said, This is David's spoil.
21 When David reached the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow him and whom hehad left at the torrent of Besor, they came out to meet David and the party accompanying him; Davidapproached with his party and greeted them.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 came near to the people, he saluted them.
22 But al the rogues and scoundrels among the men who had gone with David began saying, 'Sincethey did not go with us, we shal not give them any of the booty which we have rescued, except that each ofthem can have his wife and children. Let them take them away and be off.'22 Then answered all the wicked men and men of Belial, of those 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.
23 But David said, 'Do not behave like this, brothers, with what Yahweh has given us; he has protectedus and has handed over to us the raiders who attacked us.23 Then said David, Ye shall not do so, my brethren, with that which the LORD hath given us, who hath preserved us, and delivered the company that came against us into our hand.
24 Who would agree with you on this? No: As the share of the man who goes into battle, so is the shareof the man who stays with the baggage. They wil share alike.'24 For who will hearken unto you in this matter? but as his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff: they shall part alike.
25 And from that day on, he made that a rule and custom for Israel, which obtains to the present day.25 And it was so from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel unto this day.
26 When David reached Ziklag, he sent parts of the booty to the elders of Judah, town by town, with thismessage, 'Here is a present for you, taken from the booty of Yahweh's enemies':26 And when David came to Ziklag, he sent of the spoil unto the elders of Judah, even to his friends, saying, Behold a present for you of the spoil of the enemies of the LORD;
27 to those in Bethel, to those in Ramoth of the Negeb,27 To them which were in Bethel, and to them which were in south Ramoth, and to them which were in Jattir,
28 to those in Jattir, to those in Aroer, to those in Siphmoth, to those in Eshtemoa,28 And to them which were in Aroer, and to them which were in Siphmoth, and to them which were in Eshtemoa,
29 to those in Carmel, to those in the towns of Jerahmeel, to those in the towns of the Kenites,29 And to them which were in Rachal, and to them which were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to them which were in the cities of the Kenites,
30 to those in Hormah, to those in Borashan, to those in Athach,30 And to them which were in Hormah, and to them which were in Chor-ashan, and to them which were in Athach,
31 to those in Hebron and to al the places which David and his men had frequented.31 And to them which were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were wont to haunt.