1. It took David and his men three days to reach Ziklag. But while they had been away, the Amalekites had been raiding in the desert around there. They had attacked Ziklag, burnt it to the ground,
2. and had taken away the women and children.
3. When David and his men came to Ziklag, they saw the burnt out ruins and learnt that their families had been taken captive.
4. They started crying and kept it up until they were too weak to cry any more.
5. David's two wives, Ahinoam and Abigail, had been taken captive with everyone else.
27-31. This is a list of the towns where David sent gifts: Bethel, Ramoth in the Southern Desert, Jattir, Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa, Racal, the towns belonging to the Jerahmeelites and the Kenites, Hormah, Bor-Ashan, Athach, and Hebron. He also sent gifts to the other towns where he and his men had travelled.