The First Book of Samuel

30 When David and im men reach Zik′lag for the third day, Amʹa·lek people don go attack the south side* and Zik′lag. Them scatter Zik′lag and burn-am with fire. 2 Them carry the women and everybody wey dey there, from small person go reach big person. Them no kill any of them, but them carry all of them go as them go. 3 When David and im men reach the city, them see say them don burn-am and them don carry their wives, their sons and their daughters go. 4 So David and the men wey dey with-am start to raise their voice de cry. Them cry sotey them no come get power to cry again. 5 Them carry the two wives wey David get go too, A·hin′o·am wey come from Jez′re·el and Ab′i·gail wey be the widow of Na′bal wey come from Car′mel. 6 David no just happy at all, because the men be de talk say them want stone-am, because all the men* de really vex say them don carry their sons and daughters go. But David get power again because of Jehovah im God.

7 David come tell A·bi′a·thar the priest, wey be son of A·him′e·lech say: “Abeg, bring the eph′od* come.” So A·bi′a·thar bring the eph′od give David. 8 Then David ask Jehovah say: “Make I pursue this people wey come attack us? I go catch them?” So E tell-am say: “Make you go pursue them, because true-true, you go catch them, and you go collect everything back.”

9 Quick-quick, David and the 600 men wey dey with-am, comot go pursue them. And them go far reach the Lowland* of Be′sor, but na there some of the men stop. 10 David continue to pursue them with 400 men, but the 200 men wey tire sotey them no fit cross the Lowland* of Be′sor stop for there.

11 Them see one Egypt man for the field and them carry-am go meet David. Them give-am food make e chop and water make e drink. 12 Them still give-am one slice of cake wey them make with dry figs* and two cakes wey them make with raisins. After e don chop, e come get power,* because e never chop any food or drink any water for three days and three nights. 13 David come ask-am say: “Na which person servant you be and where you come from?” Then e talk say: “I be Egypt person and slave to one Amʹa·lek man, but my oga leave me because I sick three days ago. 14 We attack the south side* of the area wey Cher′e·thite people dey and Judah area and the south side* of the land of Ca′leb. We still use fire burn Zik′lag.” 15 So David ask-am say: “You go carry me go where this group wey de attack people dey?” E answer David say: “If you go use God name swear give me say you no go kill me, and say you no go carry me give my oga, I go carry you go where this group wey de attack people dey.”

16 So e carry-am go where all of them just scatter theirself for ground de chop and de drink, and de enjoy theirself because of all the plenty things wey them don collect from Phi·lisʹti·a people land and the land of Judah. 17 Na so David start to kill all of them from early morning go reach the next evening, and one single man no escape apart from 400 men wey climb ontop camel run. 18 David collect everything wey Amʹa·lek people don first take from them, and e save im two wife. 19 E no get any of their thing wey miss, from the smallest one go reach the biggest one. Them collect their sons and their daughters back, and still collect other things from the people. David collect everything wey the people don take from them before. 20 So David take all their sheep, their goats, their cows and their bulls, and na this animals im men put for front of their own animals as them de lead them go. Them talk say: “This one na the things wey David get from the war.”

21 Then David come meet the 200 men wey no fit follow-am go because them tire well-well, and wey stay for the Lowland* of Be′sor. Then, them come out come meet David and the people wey dey with-am. When David near where the men dey, e ask them how them dey. 22 But all the bad and useless men among the men wey follow David go, talk say: “Since them no follow us go, we no go give them any of the things wey we collect from the people. Make them just carry only their wives and children and go.” 23 But David talk say: “My brothers, make una no do this kind thing with wetin Jehovah don give us. E protect us and e put the people wey come attack us for our hand. 24 Who go listen to wetin una de talk so? The share wey the person wey go fight war go get go be the same thing with the share wey the person wey take care of the loads go get. Everybody go share the things together.” 25 From that day go, e make this thing to be law and wetin them go de do for Israel come reach today.

26 When David come back to Zik′lag, e send some of the things wey them collect go give the elders of Judah wey be im friends. E tell them say: “Make una take this gift* wey be part of the things wey we collect from the enemies of Jehovah.” 27 E send the gifts go give people for Beth′el, people for Ra′moth wey dey Neg′eb,* people for Jat′tir, 28 people for A·ro′er, people for Siph′moth, people for Esh·te·mo′a, 29 people for Ra′cal, people for the cities wey Je·rah′me·el people dey, and the ones for the cities wey Ken′ite people dey, 30 people for Hor′mah, people for Bor′a·shan, people for A′thach, 31 people for Heb′ron, and people for all the area them wey David and im men go well-well.