ves to drinking and feasting; and so they were
all easily destroyed. Now some of them that were overtaken as they lay
at the table were slain in that posture, and their blood brought up with
it their meat and their drink. They slew others of them as they were
drinking to one another in their cups, and some of them when their full
bellies had made them fall asleep; and for so many as had time to put on
their armor, they slew them with the sword, with no less case than
they did those that were naked; and for the partisans of David, they
continued also the slaughter from the first hour of the day to the
evening, so that there were, not above four hundred of the Amalekites
left; and they only escaped by getting upon their dromedaries and
camels. Accordingly David recovered not only all the other spoils which
the enemy had carried away, but his wives also, and the wives of his
companions. But when they were come to the place where they had left the
two hundred men, which were not able to follow them, but were left to
take care of the stuff, the four hundred men did not think fit to divide
among them any other parts of what they had gotten, or of the prey,
since they did not accompany them, but pretended to be feeble, and
did not follow them in pursuit of the enemy, but said they should be
contented to have safely recovered their wives; yet did David pronounce
that this opinion of theirs was evil and unjust, and that when God had
granted them such a favor, that they had avenged themselves on their
enemies, and had recovered all that belonged to themselves, they should
make an equal distribution of what they had gotten to all, because the
rest had tarried behind to guard their stuff; and from that time this
law obtained among them, that those who guarded the stuff, should
receive an equal share with those that fought in the battle. Now when
David was come to Ziklag, he sent portions of the spoils to all that had
been familiar with him, and to his friends in the tribe of Judah. And
thus ended the affairs of the plundering of Ziklag, and of the slaughter
of the Amalekites.

7. Now upon the Philistines joining battle, there followed a sharp
engagement, and the Philistine, became the conquerors, and slew a great
number of their enemies; but Saul the king of Israel, and his sons,
fought courageously, and with the utmost alacrity, as knowing that
their entire glory lay in nothing else but dying honorably, and exposing
themselves to