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†
16
The Lord said to Samuel, †
“How long will you grieve over Saul,
seeing I have rejected him from being king over Israel?
Fill your horn with oil, and go; †
I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite,
for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.”
And Samuel said, “How can I go?
If Saul hears it, he will kill me.”
And the Lord said, “Take a heifer withyou, †
and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’
And invite Jesse to the sacrifice,
And I will show you what you shall do;
and you shall anoint for me him whom I name to you.”
Samuel did what the Lord commanded,
and came to Bethlehem.
The elders of the city came to meet him trembling,
and said, “Do you come peaceably?”
And he said, “Peaceably;
I have come to sacrifice to the Lord;
Consecrate yourselves,
and come with me to the sacrifice.”
And he consecrated Jesse and his sons,
and invited them to the sacrifice.
†
When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought,
“Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.”
But the Lord said to Samuel,
“Do not look on his appearance
Or on the height of his stature,
because I have rejected him;
For the Lord sees not as man sees; †
man looks on the outward appearance,
but the Lord looks on the heart.”
Then Jesse called Abinadab, †
and made him pass before Samuel.
And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.”
Then Jesse made Shammah pass by.
And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.”
And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel.
And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.”
And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” †
And he said, “There remains yet the youngest,
but behold, he is keeping the sheep.”
And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and fetch him; †
for we will not sit down till he comes here.”
And he sent, and brought him in.
Now he was ruddy, †
and had beautiful eyes,
and was handsome.
And the Lord said, “Arise,
anoint him; for this is he.”
Then Samuel took the horn of oil,
and anointed him in the midst of his brothers;
And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David
from that day forward.
And Samuel rose up,
and went to Ramah.
†
Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul,
and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him.
And Saul’s servants said to him, “Behold now,
an evil spirit from God is tormenting you.
Let our lord now command your servants, who are before you,
to seek out a man who is skillful in playing the lyre;
And when the evil spirit from God is upon you,
he will play it, and you will be well.”
So Saul said to his servants, †
“Provide for me a man who can play well,
and bring him to me.”
One of the young men answered, “Behold, †
I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite,
who is skillful in playing,
A man of valor,
a man of war,
Prudent in speech, †
and a man of good presence;
and the Lord is with him.”
Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse, †
and said, “Send me David your son,
who is with the sheep.”
And Jesse took an ass laden with bread,
and a skin of wine and a kid,
And sent them by David his son to Saul.
And David came to Saul,
And entered his service. †
And Saul loved him greatly,
and he became his armor-bearer.
And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, †
“Let David remain in my service,
for he has found favor in my sight.”
And whenever the evil spirit from God was upon Saul,
David took the lyre and played it with his hand;
So Saul was refreshed, and was well,
and the evil spirit departed from him.
†
17
Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle;
and they were gathered at Socoh, which belongs to Judah,
And encamped between Socoh and Azekah,
in Ephes-dammim.
And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered, †
and encamped in the valley of Elah,
and drew up in line of battle against the Philistines.
And the Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, †
and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side,
with a valley between them.
And there came out from the camp of the Philistines †
a champion named Goliath, of Gath,
whose height was six cubits and a span.
He had a helmet of bronze on his head, †
and he was armed with a coat of mail,
and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze.
And he had greaves of bronze upon his legs,
and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders.
And the shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, †
and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron;
and his shield-bearer went before him.
He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel,
“Why have you come out to draw up for battle?
Am I not a Philistine,
and are you not servants of Saul?
Choose a man for yourselves,
and let him come down to me.
If he is able to fight with me and kill me,
then we will be your servants;
But if I prevail against him and kill him,
then you shall be our servants and serve us.”
And the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel this day;
give me a man, that we may fight together.”
When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine,
they were dismayed and greatly afraid.
†
Now David was the son of an Ephrathite †
of Bethlehem in Judah, named Jesse,
who had eight sons.
In the days of Saul the man was already old
and advanced in years.
The three eldest sons of Jesse
had followed Saul to the battle;
And the names of his three sons who went to the battle
were Eliab the first-born,
And next to him Abinadab,
and the third Shammah.
David was the youngest;
the three eldest followed Saul,
But David went back and forth from Saul
to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.
†
For forty days the Philistine came forward
and took his stand, morning and evening.
And Jesse said to David his son,
“Take for your brothers
An ephah of this parched grain,
and these ten loaves,
And carry them quickly to the camp to your brothers; †
also take these ten cheeses
to the commander of their thousand.
See how your brothers fare,
and bring some token from them.”
†
Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel,
were in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.
And David rose early in the morning,
and left the sheep with a keeper,
And took the provisions,
and went, as Jesse had commanded him;
And he came to the encampment
as the host was going forth to the battle line,
Shouting the war cry. †
And Israel and the Philistines drew up for battle,
army against army.
And David left the things in charge of the keeper of the baggage, †
and ran to the ranks,
and went and greeted his brothers.
As he talked with them,
behold, the champion, the Philistine of Gath,
Goliath by name,
came up out of the ranks of the Philistines,
And spoke the same words as before.
And David heard him.
†
All the men of Israel, when they saw the man,
fled from him, and were much afraid.
And the men of Israel said,
“Have you seen this man who has come up?
Surely he has come up to defy Israel; †
and the man who kills him,
the king will enrich with great riches,
And will give him his daughter,
and make his father’s house free in Israel.”
And David said to the men who stood by him,
“What shall be done for the man
Who kills this Philistine,
and takes away the reproach from Israel?
For who is this uncircumcised Philistine,
that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
And the people answered him in the same way,
“So shall it be done to the man who kills him.”
†
Now Eliab his eldest brother
heard when he spoke to the men;
And Eliab’s anger was kindled against David,
and he said, “Why have you come down?
And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness?
I know your presumption,
And the evil of your heart;
for you have come down to see the battle.”
And David said, “What have I done now?
Was it not but a word?”
And he turned away from him toward another, †
and spoke in the same way;
and the people answered him again as before.
When the words which David spoke were heard,
they repeated them before Saul;
And he sent for him.
And David said to Saul,
“Let no man’s heart fail because of him;
your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”
And Saul said to David, “You are not able
to go against this Philistine to fight with him;
For you are but a youth,
and he has been a man of war from his youth.”
But David said to Saul,
“Your servant used to keep sheep for his father;
And when there came a lion, or a bear,
and took a lamb from the flock,
I went after him and smote him
and delivered it out of his mouth;
And if he arose against me, †
I caught him by his beard,
and smote him and killed him.
Your servant has killed both lions and bears;
and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them,
Seeing he has defied the armies
of the living God.”
And David said, “The Lord who delivered me †
from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear,
will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”
And Saul said to David, “Go,
and the Lord be with you!”
Then Saul clothed David with his armor;
he put a helmet of bronze on his head,
And clothed him with a coat of mail.
And David girded his sword over his armor,
And he tried in vain to go,
for he was not used to them.
Then David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these;
for I am not used to them.”
And David put them off.
Then he took his staff in his hand,
And chose five smooth stones from the brook,
and put them in his shepherd’s bag or wallet;
His sling was in his hand,
and he drew near to the Philistine.
†
And the Philistine came on †
and drew near to David,
with his shield-bearer in front of him.
And when the Philistine looked, and saw David,
he disdained him;
For he was but a youth,
ruddy and comely in appearance.
And the Philistine said to David,
“Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?”
And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
The Philistine said to David, “Come to me,
And I will give your flesh to the birds of the air
and to the beasts of the field.”
Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword
and with a spear and with a javelin;
But I come to you in the Name of the Lord of hosts, †
the God of the armies of Israel,
whom you have defied.
This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, †
and I will strike you down,
and cut off your head;
And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day †
to the birds of the air
and to the wild beasts of the earth;
That all the earth may know
that there is a God in Israel,
And that all this assembly may know
that the Lord saves not with sword and spear;
For the battle is the Lord’s
and he will give you into our hand.”
†
When the Philistine arose
and came and drew near to meet David,
David ran quickly toward the battle line
to meet the Philistine.
And David put his hand in his bag
and took out a stone, and slung it,
And struck the Philistine on his forehead; †
the stone sank into his forehead,
and he fell on his face to the ground.
†
So David prevailed over the Philistine
with a sling and with a stone,
And struck the Philistine, and killed him;
there was no sword in the hand of David.
Then David ran and stood over the Philistine,
and took his sword
And drew it out of its sheath, and killed him,
and cut off his head with it.
When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead,
they fled.
And the men of Israel and Judah rose with a shout †
and pursued the Philistines as far as Gath Gai (Heb)
and the gates of Ekron,
So that the wounded Philistines fell on the way
from Sha-araim as far as Gath and Ekron.
And the Israelites came back from chasing the Philistines,
and they plundered their camp.
And David took the head of the Philistine †
and brought it to Jerusalem;
but he put his armor in his tent.
†
When Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine,
he said to Abner, the commander of the army,
“Abner, whose son is this youth?” †
And Abner said, “As your soul lives, O king,
I cannot tell.”
And the king said, “Inquire whose son the stripling is.” †
And as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine,
Abner took him,
And brought him before Saul
with the head of the Philistine in his hand.
And Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” †
And David answered, “I am the son of your servant
Jesse the Bethlehemite
†
18
When he had finished speaking to Saul, †
the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David,
and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.
And Saul took him that day,
and would not let him return to his father’s house.
Then Jonathan made a covenant with David,
because he loved him as his own soul.
And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him,
and gave it to David,
And his armor,
and even his sword and his bow and his girdle.
And David went out and was successful †
wherever Saul sent him;
so that Saul set him over the men of war.
And this was good in the sight of all the people
and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.
†
As they were coming home,
when David returned from slaying the Philistine,
The women came out of all the cities of Israel,
singing and dancing, to meet King Saul,
With timbrels, with songs of joy,
and with three stringed instruments.
And the women sang to one another as they made merry, †
Saul has slain his thousands,
and David his ten thousands.
And Saul was very angry,
and this saying displeased him;
He said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands,
and to me they have ascribed thousands;
And what more can he have but the kingdom?”
And Saul eyed David from that day on.
†
And on the morrow an evil spirit fromGod †
rushed upon Saul,
and he raved within his house,
While David was playing the lyre,
as he did day by day.
Saul had his spear in his hand;
and Saul cast the spear,
For he thought, “I will pin David to the wall.”
But David evaded him twice.
Saul was afraid of David,
because the Lord was with him but had departed from Saul.
So Saul removed him from his presence, †
and made him a commander of a thousand;
and he went out and came in before the people.
And David had success in all his undertakings;
for the Lord was with him.
And when Saul saw that he had great success,
he stood in awe of him.
But all Israel and Judah loved David;
for he went out and came in before them.
†
Then Saul said to David,
“Here is my elder daughter Merab;
I will give her to you for a wife;
only be valiant for me and fight the Lord’s battles.”
For Saul thought, “Let not my hand be upon him,
but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him.”
And David said to Saul, “Who am I, †
and who are my kinsfolk, my father’s family in Israel,
that I should be son-in-law to the king?”
But at the time when Merab, Saul’s daughter, †
should have been given to David,
she was given to Adriel the Meholathite for a wife.
Now Saul’s daughter Michal loved David;
and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him.
Saul thought, “Let me give her to him, †
that she may be a snare for him,
and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.”
Therefore Saul said to David a second time,
“You shall now be my son-in-law.”
And Saul commanded his servants,
“Speak to David in private and say,
‘Behold, the king has delight in you,
and all his servants love you;
Now then become the king’s son-in-law.’”
And Saul’s servants spoke those words in the ears of David.
And David said, “Does it seem to you a little thing †
to become the king’s son-in-law,
seeing that I am a poor man and of no repute?”
And the servants of Saul told him, “Thus and so did David speak.”
Then Saul said, “Thus shall you say to David,
‘The king desires no marriage present †
except a hundred foreskins of the Philistines,
that he may be avenged of the king’s enemies.’”
Now Saul thought to make David fall
by the hand of the Philistines.
And when his servants told David these words,
it pleased David well to be the king’s son-in-law.
Before the time had expired,
David arose and went, along with his men,
And killed two hundred of the Philistines;
and David brought their foreskins,
Which were given in full number to the king,
that he might become the king’s son-in-law.
And Saul gave him his daughter Michal for a wife. †
But when Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David,
and that all Israel loved him,
Saul was still more afraid of David.
So Saul was David’s enemy continually.
Then the princes of the Philistines came out to battle,
and as often as they came out
David had more success than all the servants of Saul;
so that his name was highly esteemed.
†
19
And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants,
that they should kill David.
But Jonathan, Saul’s son, delighted much in David. †
And Jonathan told David,
“Saul my father seeks to kill you;
Therefore take heed to yourself in the morning,
stay in a secret place and hide yourself;
And I will go out
and stand beside my father
In the field where you are,
and I will speak to my father about you;
And if I learn anything
I will tell you.”
And Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father,
and said to him, “Let not the king sin against his servant David;
Because he has not sinned against you,
and because his deeds have been of good service to you;
For he took his life in his hand †
and he slew the Philistine,
and the Lord wrought a great victory for all Israel.
You saw it, and rejoiced; †
why then will you sin against innocent blood
by killing David without cause?”
And Saul hearkened to the voice of Jonathan;
Saul swore, “As the Lord lives, he shall not be put to death.”
And Jonathan called David,
and Jonathan showed him all these things.
And Jonathan brought David to Saul,
and he was in his presence as before.
†
And there was war again;
and David went out and fought with the Philistines,
And made a great slaughter among them,
so that they fled before him.
Then an evil spirit from the Lord came upon Saul, †
as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand;
and David was playing the lyre.
And Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear;
but he eluded Saul,
So that he struck the spear into the wall.
And David fled, and escaped.
That night Saul sent messengers †
to David’s house to watch him,
that he might kill him in the morning.
But Michal, David’s wife, told him, †
“If you do not save your life tonight,
tomorrow you will be killed.”
So Michal let David down through the window;
and he fled away and escaped.
Michal took a teraphim
and laid it on the bed
And put a pillow of goats’ hair at its head,
and covered it with the clothes.
And when Saul sent messengers to take David,
she said, “He is sick.”
Then Saul sent the messengers to seeDavid, †
saying, “Bring him up to me in the bed,
that I may kill him.”
And when the messengers came in,behold, †
the teraphim was in the bed,
with the pillow of goats’ hair at its head.
Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me thus,
and let my enemy go, so that he has escaped?”
And Michal answered Saul, “He said to me,
‘Let me go; why should I kill you?’”
†
Now David fled and escaped, †
and he came to Samuel at Ramah,
and told him all that Saul had done to him.
And he and Samuel went
and dwelt at Naioth.
And it was told Saul,
“Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.”
Then Saul sent messengers to take David;
and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying,
And Samuel standing as head over them, †
the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul,
and they also prophesied.
When it was told Saul, †
he sent other messengers,
and they also prophesied.
And Saul sent messengers again the third time,
and they also prophesied.
Then he himself went to Ramah,
and came to the great well that is in Secu;
And he asked, “Where are Samuel and David?”
And one said, “Behold, they are at Naioth in Ramah.”
And he went from there to Naioth in Ramah;
and the Spirit of God came upon him also,
And as he went he prophesied,
until he came to Naioth in Ramah.
And he too stripped off his clothes,
and he too prophesied before Samuel,
And lay naked all that day †
and all that night.
Hence it is said, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”
†
20
Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah,
and came and said before Jonathan,
“What have I done? What is my guilt?
And what is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?”
And he said to him, “Far from it!
You shall not die.
Behold, my father does nothing either great or small
without disclosing it to me;
And why should my father hide this from me?
It is not so.”
But David sword again, “Your father knows well
that I have found favor in your eyes;
And he thinks, ‘Let not Jonathan know this,
lest he be grieved.’
But truly, as the Lord lives and as your soul lives,
there is but a step between me and death.”
Then said Jonathan to David,
“Whatever you say, I will do for you.”
David said to Jonathan, “Behold, †
tomorrow is the new moon,
and I should not fail to sit at table with the king;
But let me go, †
that I may hide myself in the field
till the third day at evening.
If your father misses me at all, †
then say, ‘David earnestly asked leave of me
To run to Bethlehem his city;
For there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family.’
If he says, ‘Good!’
it will be well with your servant;
But if he is angry,
then know that evil is determined by him.
Therefore deal kindly with your servant,
for you have brought your servant
into a covenant of the Lord with you.
But if there is guilt in me, †
slay me yourself;
for why should you bring me to your father?”
And Jonathan said, “Far be it from you!
If I knew that it was determined by my father
That evil should come upon you,
would I not tell you?”
Then said David to Jonathan, “Who will tell me
if your father answers you roughly?”
And Jonathan said to David, “Come, †
let us go out into the field.”
So they both went out into the field.
†
And Jonathan said to David,
“The Lord, the God of Israel, (be witness)!
When I have sounded my father,
about this time tomorrow, or the third day,
Behold, if he is well disposed toward David,
shall I not then send and disclose it to you?
But should it please my father to do you harm, †
the Lord do so to Jonathan and more also,
if I do not disclose it to you,
And send you away,
that you may go in safety.
May the Lord be with you,
as he has been with my father.
If I am still alive, †
show me the loyal love of the Lord,
That I may not die;
and do not cut off your loyalty from my house for ever.
When the Lord cuts off every one of the enemies of David
from the face of the earth,
Let not the name of Jonathan be cut off
from the house of David.
And may the Lord take vengeance on David’s enemies.” †
And Jonathan made David swear again by his love for him;
for he loved him as he loved his own soul.
†
Then Jonathan said to him, †
“Tomorrow is the new moon;
and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty.
And on the third day you will be greatly missed;
then go to the place where you hid yourself
When the matter was in hand,
and remain beside the stone Ezel.
And I will shoot three arrows to the side of it,
as though I shot at a mark.
And behold, I will send the lad, saying,
‘Go, find the arrows.’
If I say to the lad, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you, take them,’
then you are to come,
For, as the Lord lives, it is safe for you
and there is no danger.
But if I say to the youth, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you,’ †
then go;
for the Lord has sent you away.
And as for the matter of which you and I have spoken,
behold, the Lord is between you and me for ever.”
†
So David hid himself in the field; †
and when the new moon came,
the king sat down to eat food.
The king sat upon his seat, as at other times,
upon the seat by the wall;
Jonathan sat opposite,
and Abner sat by Saul’s side,
But David’s place was empty. †
Yet Saul did not say anything that day;
for he thought, “Something has befallen him;
He is not clean,
surely he is not clean.”
But on the second day,
the morrow after the new moon,
David’s place was empty.
And Saul said to Jonathan his son,
“Why has not the son of Jesse come to the meal,
either yesterday or today?”
Jonathan answered Saul,
“David earnestly asked leave of me
To go to Bethlehem; he said, ‘Let me go;
for our family holds a sacrifice in the city,
And my brother has commanded me to be there.
so now, if I have found favor in your eyes,
Let me get away, and see my brothers.’
For this reason he has not come to the king’s table.”
Then Saul’s anger was kindled against Jonathan,
and he said to him, “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman,
Do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse †
to your own shame,
and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness?
For as long as the son of Jesse lives upon the earth,
neither you nor your kingdom shall be established.
Therefore send and fetch him to me,
for he shall surely die.”
Then Jonathan answered Saul his father,
“Why should he be put to death? What has he done?”
But Saul cast his spear at him to smite him;
so Jonathan knew that his father was determined to put David to death.
And Jonathan rose from the table in fierce anger
and ate no food the second day of the month,
For he was grieved for David,
because his father had disgraced him.
†
In the morning Jonathan went out into the field †
to the appointment with David,
and with him a little lad.
And he said to his lad, “Run and find the arrows which I shoot.”
As the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.
And when the lad came to the place of the arrow
which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan called after the lad
And said, “Is not the arrow beyond you?” †
And Jonathan called after the lad,
“Hurry, make haste, stay not.”
So Jonathan’s lad gathered up the arrows,
and came to his master.
But the lad knew nothing;
only Jonathan and David knew the matter.
And Jonathan gave his weapons to his lad,
and said to him, “Go and carry them to the city.”
And as soon as the lad had gone,
David rose from beside the south
And fell on his face to the ground,
and bowed three times;
And they kissed one another, †
and wept with one another,
but David more so.
Then Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace,
forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of the Lord,
Saying, ‘The Lord shall be between me and you,
and between my descendants and your descendants, for ever.’”
And he rose and departed;
and Jonathan went into the city.
†
21
Then came David to Nob
to Ahimelech the priest;
And Ahimelech came to meet David trembling, †
and said to him, “Why are you alone,
and no one with you?”
And David said to Ahimelech the priest,
“The king has charged me with a matter,
And said to me, ‘Let no one know anything of the matter about which I send you,
and with which I have charged you.’
I have made an appointment with the young men
for such and such a place.
Now then, what have you at hand?
Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever is here.”
And the priest answered David,
“I have no common bread at hand,
But there is holy bread;
if only the young men have kept themselves from women.”
And David answered the priest,
“Of a truth women have been kept from us
As always when I go on an expedition; †
the vessels of the young men are holy, even when it is a common journey;
how much more today will their vessels be holy?”
So the priest gave him the holy bread;
for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence,
Which is removed from before the Lord,
to be replaced by hot bread on the day it is taken away.
†
Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day,
detained before the Lord;
His name was Do′eg the Edomite,
the chief of Saul’s herdsmen.
And David said to Ahimelech,
“And have you not here a spear or a sword at hand?
For I have brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me,
because the king’s business required haste.”
And the priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine,
whom you killed in the valley of Elah,
Behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth
behind the ephod;
If you will take that, take it,
for there is none but that here.”
And David said, “There is none like that;
give it to me.”
†
And David rose and fled that day from Saul,
and went to Achish the king of Gath.
And the servants of Achish said to him,
“Is not this David the king of the land?
Did they not sing to one another of him in dances, †
‘Saul has slain his thousands,
and David his ten thousands’?”
And David took these words to heart,
and was much afraid of Achish the king of Gath.
So he changed his behavior before them,
and feigned himself mad in their hands,
And made marks on the doors of the gate,
and let his spittle run down his beard.
Then said Achish to his servants, “Lo, †
you see the man is mad;
why then have you brought him to me?
Do I lack madmen, †
that you have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence?
Shall this fellow come into my house?”
†
22
David departed from there
and escaped to the cave of Adullam;
And when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it,
they went down there to him.
And every one who was in distress,
and every one who was in debt,
And every one who was discontented,
gathered to him;
And he became captain over them.
And there were with him about four hundred men.
†
And David went from there
to Mizpeh of Moab;
And he said to the king of Moab, †
“Pray let my father and my mother stay with you,
till I know what God will do for me.”
And he left them with the king of Moab,
and they stayed with him all the time
that David was in the stronghold.
Then the prophet Gad said to David,
“Do not remain in the stronghold;
Depart, and go into the land of Judah.” †
So David departed,
and went into the forest of Hereth.
†
Now Saul heard that David was discovered,
and the men who were with him.
Saul was sitting at Gibeah,
under the tamarisk tree on the height,
With his spear in his hand,
and all his servants were standing about him.
And Saul said to his servants who stood about him,
“Hear now, you Benjaminites;
Will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, †
will he make you all commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds,
that all of you have conspired against me?
No one discloses to me when my son makes a league with the son of Jesse,
none of you is sorry for me
Or discloses to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me,
to lie in wait, as at this day.”
Then answered Do′eg the Edomite,
who stood by the servants of Saul,
“I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob,
to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub,
And he inquired of the Lord for him, †
and gave him provisions,
and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”
Then the king sent to summon Ahimelech the priest,
the son of Ahitub,
And all his father’s house,
the priests who were at Nob;
And all of them came to the king. †
And Saul said, “Hear now, son of Ahitub.”
And he answered, “Here I am, my lord.”
And Saul said to him, “Why have you conspired against me,
you and the son of Jesse,
In that you have given him bread and a sword,
and have inquired of God for him,
So that he has risen against me,
to lie in wait, as at this day?”
Then Ahimelech answered the king,
“And who among all your servants is so faithful as David,
Who is the king’s son-in-law, †
and captain over your bodyguard,
and honored in your house?
Is today the first time that I have inquired of God for him?
No! Let not the king impute anything to his servant
Or to all the house of my father;
for your servant has known nothing of all this, much or little.”
And the king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech,
you and all your father’s house.”
And the king said to the guard who stood about him,
“Turn and kill the priests of the Lord;
Because their hand also is with David,
and they knew that he fled, and did not disclose it to me.”
But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand
to fall upon the priests of the Lord.
Then the king said to Do′eg,
“You turn and fall upon the priests.”
And Do′eg the Edomite turned and fell upon the priests, †
and he killed on that day
eighty-five persons who wore the linen ephod.
And Nob, the city of the priests, he put to the sword;
both men and women,
Children and sucklings,
oxen, asses and sheep, he put to the sword.
†
But one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, †
named Abiathar,
escaped and fled after David.
And Abiathar told David
that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord.
And David said to Abiathar,
“I knew on that day, when Do′eg the Edomite was there,
That he would surely tell Saul.
I have occasioned the death of all the persons of your father’s house.
Stay with me, fear not; †
for he that seeks my life seeks your life;
with me you shall be in safekeeping.”
†
22
Now they told David, “Behold, †
the Philistines are fighting against Keilah,
and are robbing the threshing floors.”
Therefore David inquired of the Lord,
“Shall I go and attack these Philistines?”
And the Lord said to David,
“Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah.”
But David’s men said to him, “Behold,
we are afraid here in Judah;
How much more then if we go to Keilah
against the armies of the Philistines?”
Then David inquired of the Lord again.
And the Lord answered him,
“Arise, go down to Keilah;
for I will give the Philistines into your hand.”
And David and his men went to Keilah, †
and fought with the Philistines,
and brought away their cattle,
And made a great slaughter among them.
So David delivered the inhabitants of Keilah.
†
When Abiathar the son of Ahimelech †
fled to David to Keilah,
he came down with an ephod in his hand.
Now it was told Saul that David had come to Keilah.
And Saul said, “God has given him into my hand;
For he has shut himself in
by entering a town that has gates and bars.”
And Saul summoned all the people to war, †
to go down to Keilah,
to besiege David and his men.
David knew that Saul was plotting evil against him; †
and he said to Abiathar the priest,
“Bring the ephod here.”
Then said David, “O Lord, the God of Israel, †
thy servant has surely heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah,
to destroy the city on my account.
Will the men of Keilah surrender me into his hand?
Will Saul come down, as thy servant has heard?
O Lord, the God of Israel, I beseech thee,
tell thy servant.”
And the Lord said, “He will come down.”
Then said David, “Will the men of
Keilah surrender me and my men
Into the hand of Saul?”
And the Lord said, “They will surrender you.”
Then David and his men, who were about six hundred, †
arose and departed from Keilah,
and they went wherever they could go.
When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah,
he gave up the expedition.
And David remained in the strongholds in the wilderness,
in the hill country of the Wilderness of Ziph.
And Saul sought him every day,
but God did not give him into his hand.
†
And David was afraid †
because Saul had come out to seek his life.
David was in the Wilderness of Ziph at Horesh.
And Jonathan, Saul’s son, †
rose, and went to David at Horesh,
and strengthened his hand in God.
And he said to him, “Fear not;
for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you;
You shall be king over Israel, †
and I shall be next to you;
Saul my father also knows this.”
And the two of them made a covenant before the Lord; †
David remained at Horesh,
and Jonathan went home.
†
Then the Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah,
saying, “Does not David hide among us in the strongholds at Horesh,
On the hill of Hachilah,
which is south of Jeshimon?
Now come down, O king, †
according to all your heart’s desire to come down;
and our part shall be to surrender him into the king’s hand.”
And Saul said, “May you be blessed by the Lord;
for you have had compassion on me.
Go, make yet more sure;
know and see the place where his haunt is,
And who has seen him there;
for it is told me that he is very cunning.
See therefore, and take note †
of all the lurking places where he hides,
and come back to me with sure information.
Then I will go with you; †
and if he is in the land,
I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah.”
And they arose,
and went to Ziph ahead of Saul.
†
Now David and his men were in the wilderness of Ma′on,
in the Arabah to the south of Jeshimon.
And Saul and his men went to seek him.
And David was told;
Therefore he went down to the rock
which is in the wilderness of Ma′on.
And when Saul heard that,
he pursued after David in the wilderness of Ma′on.
Saul went on one side of the mountain,
and David and his men on the other side of the mountain;
And David was making haste to get away from Saul,
as Saul and his men were closing in upon David and his men to capture them,
When a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Make haste and come;
for the Philistines have made a raid upon the land.”
So Saul returned from pursuing after David,
and went against the Philistines;
Therefore that place was called the Rock of Escape. †
And David went up from there,
and dwelt in the strongholds of En-gedi.
†
24
When Saul returned from following the Philistines,
he was told, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of En-gedi.”
Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel,
and went to seek David and his men in front of the Wildgoats’ Rocks.
And he came to the sheepfolds by the way, †
where there was a cave;
and Saul went in to relieve himself.
Now David and his men were sitting
in the innermost parts of the cave.
And the men of David said to him,
“Here is the day of which the Lord said to you,
‘Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand,
and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.’”
Then David arose
and stealthily cut off the skirt of Saul’s robe.
And afterward David’s heart smote him,
because he had cut off Saul’s skirt.
He said to his men, “The Lord forbid †
that I should do this thing to my lord,
he Lord’s anointed,
To put forth my hand against him,
seeing he is the Lord’s anointed.”
So David persuaded his men with these words,
and did not permit them to attack Saul.
And Saul rose up and left the cave,
and went upon his way.
†
Afterward David also arose,
and went out of the cave,
And called after Saul,
“My lord the king!”
And when Saul looked behind him, †
David bowed with his face to the earth,
and did obeisance.
And David said to Saul, †
“Why do you listen to the words of men who say,
‘Behold, David seeks your hurt’?
Lo, this day your eyes have seen
how the Lord gave you today into my hand in the cave;
And some bade me kill you,
but I spared you.
I said, ‘I will not put forth my hand against my lord;
for he is the Lord’s anointed.’
See, my father,
see the skirt of your robe in my hand;
For by the fact that I cut off the skirt of your robe, and did not kill you, †
you may know and see
that there is no wrong or treason in my hands.
I have not sinned against you,
though you hunt my life to take it.
May the Lord judge between me and you, †
may the Lord avenge me upon you;
but my hand shall not be against you.
As the proverb of the ancients says, †
‘Out of the wicked comes forth wickedness’;
but my hand shall not be against you.
After whom has the king of Israel comeout? †
After whom do you pursue?
After a dead dog! After a flea!
May the Lord therefore be judge,
and give sentence between me and you,
And see to it, and plead my cause,
and deliver me from your hand.”
†
When David had finished speaking these words to Saul, †
Saul said, “Is this your voice, my son David?”
And Saul lifted up his voice and wept.
He said to David, “You are more righteous than I; †
for you have repaid me good,
whereas I have repaid you evil.
And you have declared this day
how you have dealt well with me,
In that you did not kill me
when the Lord put me into your hands.
For if a man finds his enemy,
will he let him go away safe?
So may the Lord reward you with good
for what you have done to me this day.
And now, behold, †
I know that you shall surely be king,
and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand.
Swear to me therefore by the Lord †
that you will not cut off my descendants after me,
and that you will not destroy my name out of my father’s house.”
And David swore this to Saul. †
Then Saul went home;
but David and his men went up to the stronghold.
†
25
Now Samuel died; †
and all Israel assembled and mourned for him,
and they buried him in his house at Ramah.
Then David rose
and went down to the wilderness of Paran.
And there was a man in Ma′on,
whose business was in Carmel.
The man was very rich;
he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats.
He was shearing his sheep in Carmel. †
Now the name of the man was Nabal,
and the name of his wife Abigail.
The woman was of good understanding
and beautiful,
But the man was churlish
and ill-behaved;
He was a Calebite. †
David heard in the wilderness
that Nabal was shearing his sheep.
So David sent ten young men;
and David said to the young men,
“Go up to Carmel, and go to Nabal,
and greet him in my name.
And thus you shall salute him: ‘Peace be to you, †
and peace be to your house,
and peace be to all that you have.
I hear that you have shearers;
now your shepherds have been with us,
And we did them no harm, †
and they missed nothing,
all the time they were in Carmel.
Ask your young men, and they will tell you. †
Therefore let my young men find favor in your eyes;
for we come on a feast day.
Pray, give whatever you have at hand
to your servants and to your son David.’”
When David’s young men came, †
they said all this to Nabal in the name of David;
and then they waited.
And Nabal answered David’s servants, “Who is David?
Who is the son of Jesse?
There are many servants nowadays
who are breaking away from their masters.
Shall I take my bread and my water †
and my meat that I have killed for my shearers,
and give it to men who come from I do not know where?”
So David’s young men turned away,
and came back and told him all this.
And David said to his men,
“Every man gird on his sword!”
And every man of them girded on his sword;
David also girded on his sword;
And about four hundred men went up after David,
while two hundred remained with the baggage.
†
But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife,
“Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness
To salute our master;
and he railed at them.
Yet the men were very good to us, and we suffered no harm, †
And we did not miss anything when we were in the fields,
as long as we went with them;
They were a wall to us both by night and by day,
all the while we were with them keeping the sheep.
Now therefore know this
and consider what you should do;
For evil is determined against our master
and against all his house,
And he is so ill-natured
that one cannot speak to him.”
†
Then Abigail made haste,
and took two hundred loaves,
And two skins of wine,
and five sheep ready dressed,
And five measures of parched grain,
and a hundred clusters of raisins,
And two hundred cakes of figs,
and laid them on asses.
And she said to her young men, †
“Go on before me;
behold, I come after you.”
But she did not tell her husband Nabal. †
And as she rode on the ass,
and came down under cover of the mountain,
Behold, David and his men came down toward her;
and she met them.
Now David had said, “Surely in vain
have I guarded all that this fellow has in the wilderness,
So that nothing was missed of all that belonged to him;
and he has returned me evil for good.
God do so to David and more also,
if by morning I leave so much as one male of all who belong to him.”
†
When Abigail saw David, she made haste,
and alighted from the ass,
And fell before David on her face,
and bowed to the ground.
She fell at his feet and said,
“Upon me alone, my lord, be the guilt;
Pray let your handmaid speak in your ears,
and hear the words of your handmaid.
Let not my lord regard this ill-natured fellow, Nabal;
for as his name is, so is he;
Nabal is his name,
and folly is with him;
But I your handmaid
did not see the young men of my lord, whom you sent.
Now then, my lord, as the Lord lives,
and as your soul lives,
Seeing the Lord has restrained you from bloodguilt,
and from taking vengeance with your own hand,
Now then let your enemies and those who seek to do evil to my lord
be as Nabal.
And now let this present which your servant has brought to my lord †
be given to the young men who follow my lord.
Pray forgive the trespass of your handmaid;
For the Lord will certainly make my lord a sure house, †
because my lord is fighting the battles of the Lord;
And evil shall not be found in you so long as you live.
If men rise up to pursue you and to seek your life, †
the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living
in the care of the Lord your God;
And the lives of your enemies he shall sling
out as from the hollow of a sling.
And when the Lord has done to my lord †
according to all the good that he has spoken concerning you,
and has appointed you prince over Israel,
My lord shall have no cause of grief,
or pangs of conscience,
For having shed blood without cause
or for my lord taking vengeance himself.
And when the Lord has dealt well with my lord,
then remember your handmaid.”
†
And David said to Abigail, †
“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
who sent you this day to meet me!
Blessed be your discretion,
and blessed be you,
Who have kept me this day from bloodguilt
and from avenging myself with my own hand!
For as surely as the Lord the God of Israel lives,
who has restrained me from hurting you,
Unless you had made haste and come to meet me, †
truly by morning there had not been left to Nabal
so much as one male.”
Then David received from her hand
what she had brought him;
And he said to her,
“Go up in peace to your house;
See, I have hearkened to your voice,
and I have granted your petition.”
†
And Abigail came to Nabal; †
and lo, he was holding a feast in his house,
like the feast of a king.
And Nabal’s heart was merry within him,
for he was very drunk;
So she told him nothing at all
until the morning light.
And in the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal,
his wife told him these things,
And his heart died within him,
and he became as a stone.
And about ten days later †
the Lord smote Nabal;
and he died.
†
When David heard that Nabal was dead,
he said, “Blessed be the Lord
Who has avenged the insult I received at the hand of Nabal,
and has kept back his servant from evil;
The Lord has returned the evil-doing of Nabal
upon his own head.”
Then David sent and wooed Abigail,
to make her his wife.
And when the servants of David came to Abigail at Carmel,
they said to her,
“David has sent us to you
to take you to him as his wife.”
And she rose
and bowed with her face to the ground, and said,
“Behold, your handmaid is a servant
to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.”
And Abigail made haste and rose †
and mounted on an ass,
and her five maidens attended her;
She went after the messengers of David,
and became his wife.
David also took Ahino-am of Jezreel;
and both of them became his wives.
Saul had given Michal his daughter, David’s wife, †
to Palti the son of La′ish,
who was of Gallim.
†
26
Then the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, †
saying, “Is not David hiding himself on the hill of Hachilah,
which is on the east of Jeshimon?”
So Saul arose and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, †
with three thousand chosen men of Israel,
to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.
And Saul encamped on the hill of Hachilah,
which is beside the road on the east of Jeshimon.
But David remained in the wilderness;
and when he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness,
David sent out spies,
and learned of a certainty that Saul had come.
Then David rose
and came to the place where Saul had encamped;
And David saw the place where Saul lay,
with Abner the son of Ner, the commander of his army;
Saul was lying within the encampment,
while the army was encamped around him.
Then David said to Ahimelech the Hittite, †
and to Joab’s brother
Abishai the son of Zeruiah,
“Who will go down with me into the camp to Saul?”
And Abishai said, “I will go down with you.”
So David and Abishai went to the army by night;
and there lay Saul sleeping within the encampment,
With his spear stuck in the ground at his head;
and Abner and the army lay around him.
Then said Abishai to David,
“God has given your enemy into your hand this day;
Now therefore let me pin him to the earth †
with one stroke of the spear,
and I will not strike him twice.”
But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him; †
for who can put forth his hand against the Lord’s anointed,
and be guiltless?”
And David said, “As the Lord lives,
the Lord will smite him;
Or his day shall come to die;
or he shall go down into battle and perish.
The Lord forbid that I should put forth my hand
against the Lord’s anointed;
But take now the spear that is at his head, †
and the jar of water,
and let us go.”
So David took the spear and the jar of water from Saul’s head;
and they went away.
No man saw it, or knew it,
nor did any awake;
For they were all asleep,
because a deep sleep from the Lord had fallen upon them.
†
Then David went over to the other side,
and stood afar off on the top of the mountain,
With a great space between them; †
and David called to the army,
and to Abner the son of Ner,
Saying, “Will you not answer, Abner?”
Then Abner answered, “Who are you that calls to the king?”
And David said to Abner, “Are you not a man?
Who is like you in Israel?
Why then have you not kept watch over your lord the king?
For one of the people came in to destroy the king your lord.
This thing that you have done is not good.
As the Lord lives, you deserve to die,
Because you have not kept watch over your lord,
the Lord’s anointed.
And now see where the king’s spear is,
and the jar of water that was at his head.”
†
Saul recognized David’s voice,
and said, “Is this your voice, my son David?”
And David said, †
“It is my voice, my lord, O king.”
And he said, Why does my lord pursue after his servant?
For what have I done? What guilt is on my hands?
Now therefore let my lord the king hear the words of his servant.
If it is the Lord who has stirred you up against me,
may he accept an offering;
But if it is men,
may they be cursed before the Lord,
For they have driven me out this day †
that I should have no share in the heritage of the Lord,
saying, ‘Go, serve other gods.’
Now therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth
away from the presence of the Lord;
For the king of Israel has come out to seek a flea, my life (Gk)
like one who hunts a partridge in the mountains.”
Then Saul said, “I have done wrong;
return, my son David,
For I will no more do you harm,
because my life was precious in your eyes this day;
Behold, I have played the fool,
and have erred exceedingly.”
And David made answer, †
“Here is the spear, O king!
Let one of the young men come over and fetch it.
The Lord rewards every man
for his righteousness and his faithfulness;
For the Lord gave you into my hand today,
and I would not put forth my hand against the Lord’s anointed.
Behold, as your life was precious this day in my sight, †
so may my life be precious in the sight of the Lord,
and may he deliver me out of all tribulation.”
Then Saul said to David,
“Blessed be you, my son David!
You will do many things
and will succeed in them.”
So David went his way,
and Saul returned to his place.
†
27
And David said in his heart,
“I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul;
There is nothing better for me
than that I should escape to the land of the Philistines;
Then Saul will despair of seeking me any longer †
within the borders of Israel,
and I shall escape out of his hand.”
So David arose and went over,
he and the six hundred men who were with him,
To Achish the son of Ma′och,
king of Gath.
And David dwelt with Achish at Gath, †
he and his men,
every man with his household,
And David with his two wives, †
Ahino-am of Jezreel,
and Abigail of Carmel, Nabal’s widow.
And when it was told Saul that David had fled to Gath,
he sought for him no more.
Then David said to Achish,
“If I have found favor in your eyes,
Let a place be given me in one of the country towns,
that I may dwell there;
For why should your servant dwell
in the royal city with you?”
So that day Achish gave him Ziklag;
therefore Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day.
And the number of the days that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines
was a year and four months.
†
Now David and his men went up, †
and made raids upon the Geshurites,
the Girzites, and the Amalekites;
For these were the inhabitants of the land from of old,
as far as Shur, to the land of Egypt.
And David smote the land,
and left neither man nor woman alive,
But took away the sheep, the oxen, the asses,
the camels, and the garments, and came back to Achish.
When Achish asked, “Against whom
have you made a raid today?”
David would say, “Against the Negeb of Judah,” †
or, “Against the Negeb of the Jerahmeelites,”
or, “Against the Negeb of the Kenites.”
And David saved neither man nor woman alive,
to bring tidings to Gath,
Thinking, “Lest they should tell about us,
and say, ‘So David has done.’”
Such was his custom
all the while he dwelt in the country of the Philistines.
And Achish trusted David, †
thinking, “He has made himself utterly abhorred by his people Israel;
therefore he shall be my servant always.”
†
28
In those days the Philistines gathered their forces for war, to fight against Israel. And Achish said to David, “Understand that you and your men are to go out with me in the army.” David said to Achish, “Very well, you shall know what your servant can do.” And Achish said to David, “Very well, I will make you my bodyguard for life.”
Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, his own city.
And Saul had put the mediums and the wizards out of the land. The Philistines assembled, and came and encamped at Shunem; and Saul gathered all Israel, and they encamped at Gilboa.
When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid,
and his heart trembled greatly.
And when Saul inquired of the Lord,
the Lord did not answer him,
Either by dreams,
or by Urim, or by prophets.
Then Saul said to his servants,
“Seek out for me a woman who is a medium,
that I may go to her and inquire of her.”
And his servants said to him, “Behold,
there is a medium at Endor.”
So Saul disguised himself
and put on other garments,
And went, he and two men with him;
and they came to the woman by night.
And he said, “Divine for me by a spirit,
and bring up for me whomever I shall name to you.”
The woman said to him, “Surely you know what Saul has done,
how he has cut off the mediums and the wizards from the land.
Why then are you laying a snare for my life
to bring about my death?”
But Saul swore to her by the Lord, †
“As the Lord lives,
no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.”
Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?”
He said, “Bring up Samuel for me.”
When the woman saw Samuel,
she cried out with a loud voice;
And the woman said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me?
You are Saul.”
The king said to her, “Have no fear;
what do you see?”
And the woman said to Saul, “I see a god †
coming up out of the earth.”
He said to her, “What is his appearance?”
And she said, “An old man is coming up;
and he is wrapped in a robe.”
And Saul knew that it was Samuel, †
and he bowed with his face to the ground,
and did obeisance.
†
Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me
by bringing me up?”
Saul answered, “I am in great distress;
for the Philistines are warring against me,
And God has turned away from me †
and answers me no more,
either by prophets or by dreams;
Therefore I have summoned you
to tell me what I shall do.”
And Samuel said, “Why then do you ask me,
since the Lord has turned from you and become your enemy?
The Lord has done to you
as he spoke by me;
For the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand,
and given it to your neighbor, David.
Because you did not obey the voice of the Lord, †
and did not carry out his fierce wrath against Amalek,
therefore the Lord has done this thing to you this day.
Moreover the Lord will give Israel also with you
into the hand of the Philistines;
And tomorrow you and your sons
shall be with me;
The Lord will give the army of Israel also
into the hand of the Philistines.”
†
Then Saul fell at once
full length upon the ground,
Filled with fear
because of the words of Samuel;
And there was no strength in him,
for he had eaten nothing all day and all night.
And the woman came to Saul,
and when she saw that he was terrified,
She said to him, “Behold,
your handmaid has hearkened to you;
I have taken my life in my hand,
and have hearkened to what you have said to me.
Now therefore, you also hearken to your handmaid;
let me set a morsel of bread before you;
And eat,
that you may have strength when you go on your way.”
He refused,
and said, “I will not eat.”
But his servants, together with the woman, urged him;
And he hearkened to their words.
So he arose from the earth,
and sat upon the bed.
Now the woman had a fatted calf in the house,
and she quickly killed it,
And she took flour, and kneaded it
and baked unleavened bread of it,
And she put it before Saul and hisservants; †
and they ate.
Then they rose and went away that night.
†
29
Now the Philistines gathered all their forces at Aphek;
and the Israelites were encamped by the fountain which is in Jezreel.
As the lords of the Philistines were passing on by hundreds and by thousands,
and David and his men were passing on in the rear with Achish,
The commanders of the Philistines said,
“What are these Hebrews doing here?”
And Achish said to the commanders of the Philistines, †
“Is not this David, the servant of Saul, king of Israel,
who has been with me now for days and years,
And since he deserted to me
I have found no fault in him to this day.”
But the commanders of the Philistines were angry with him;
and the commanders of the Philistines said to him,
“Send the man back,
that he may return to the place to which you have assigned him;
He shall not go down with us to battle,
lest in the battle he become an adversary to us.
For how could this fellow reconcile himself to his lord?
Would it not be with the heads of the men here?
Is not this David, of whom they sing to one another in dances, †
‘Saul has slain his thousands,
and David his ten thousands’?”
Then Achish called David and said to him,
“As the Lord lives, you have been honest,
And to me it seems right that you should march out and in
with me in the campaign;
For I have found nothing wrong in you
from the day of your coming to me to this day.
Nevertheless the lords do not approve of you. †
So go back now; and go peaceably,
that you may not displease the lords of the Philistines.”
And David said to Achish, “But what have I done?
What have you found in your servant
From the day I entered your service until now,
that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?”
And Achish made answer to David, †
“I know that you are as blameless in my sight
as an angel of God;
Nevertheless the commanders of the Philistines have said,
‘He shall not go up with us to the battle.’
Now then rise early in the morning
with the servants of your lord who came with you;
And start early in the morning,
and depart as soon as you have light.”
So David set out with his men early in the morning, †
to return to the land of the Philistines.
But the Philistines went up to Jezreel.
†
30
Now when David and his men came to Ziklag
on the third day,
The Amal′ekites had made a raid upon the Negeb
and upon Ziklag.
They had overcome Ziklag,
and burned it with fire,
And taken captive the women and all who were in it,
both small and great;
They killed no one, but carried them off,
and went their way.
And when David and his men came to the city, †
they found it burned with fire,
and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive.
Then David and the people who were with him †
raised their voices and wept,
until they had no more strength to weep.
David’s two wives also had been taken captive,
Ahino-am of Jezreel, and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel.
And David was greatly distressed;
for the people spoke of stoning him,
Because all the people were bitter in soul,
each for his sons and daughters.
But David strengthened himself
in the Lord his God.
And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech,
“Bring me the ephod.”
So Abiathar brought the ephod to David.
And David inquired of the Lord,
“Shall I pursue after this band?
Shall I overtake them?”
He answered him, “Pursue; †
for you shall surely overtake
and shall surely rescue.”
So David set out,
and the six hundred men who were with him,
And they came to the brook Besor,
where those stayed who were left behind.
But David went on with the pursuit,
he and four hundred men;
Two hundred stayed behind,
who were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor.
†
They found an Egyptian
in the open country,
And brought him to David; †
and they gave him bread and he ate,
they gave him water to drink,
And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs
and two clusters of raisins.
And when he had eaten,
his spirit revived;
For he had not eaten bread or drunk water
for three days and three nights.
And David said to him, “To whom do you belong?
And where are you from?”
He said, “I am a young man of Egypt,
servant to an Amalekite;
And my master left me behind
because I fell sick three days ago.
We had made a raid upon the Negeb of the Cherethites
and upon that which belongs to Judah
And upon the Negeb of Caleb;
and we burned Ziklag with fire.”
And David said to him, “Will you take me down to this band?”
And he said, “Swear to me by God,
That you will not kill me, †
or deliver me into the hands of my master,
and I will take you down to this band.”
And when he had taken him down, behold,
they were spread abroad over all the land,
Eating and drinking and dancing, †
because of all the great spoil they had taken from the land of the Philistines
and from the land of Judah.
And David smote them from twilight
until the evening of the next day;
And not a man of them escaped, †
except four hundred young men,
who mounted camels and fled.
David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken;
and David rescued his two wives.
Nothing was missing, whether small or great,
sons or daughters,
Spoil or anything that had been taken;
David brought back all.
David also captured all the flocks and herds;
and the people drove those cattle before him,
and said, “This is David’s spoil.”
†
Then David came to the two hundred men, †
who had been too exhausted to follow David,
and who had been left at the brook Besor;
And they went out to meet David †
and to meet the people who were with him;
and when David drew near to the people he saluted them.
Then all the wicked and base fellows among the men
who had gone with David said,
“Because they did not go with us,
we will not give them any of the spoil which we have recovered,
Except that each man may lead away his wife and children,
and depart.”
But David said, “You shall not do so, my brothers,
with what the Lord has given us;
He has preserved us
and given into our hand the band that came against us.
Who would listen to you in this matter? †
For as his share is who goes down into the battle,
so shall his share be who stays by the baggage;
They shall share alike.” †
And from that day forward he made it a statute
and an ordinance for Israel to this day.
†
When David came to Ziklag, he sent part of the spoil to his friends, the elders of Judah, saying, “Here is a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of the Lord”; it was for those in Bethel, in Ramoth of the Negeb, in Jattir, in Aro′er, in Siphmoth, in Eshtemoa, in Racal, in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, in the cities of the Kenites, in Hormah, in Borashan, in Athach, in Hebron, for all the places where David and his men had roamed.
†
31
Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines, and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchishua, the sons of Saul.
The battle pressed hard upon Saul, †
and the archers found him;
and he was badly wounded by the archers.
Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, †
“Draw your sword,
and thrust me through with it,
Lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through,
and make sport of me.”
But his armor-bearer would not;
for he feared greatly.
Therefore Saul took his own sword,
and fell upon it.
And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, †
he also fell upon his sword,
and died with him.
Thus Saul died, and his three sons, †
and his armor-bearer, and all his men,
on the same day together.
And when the men of Israel †
who were on the other side of the valley
and those beyond the Jordan
Saw that the men of Israel had fled
and that Saul and his sons were dead,
They forsook their cities and fled;
and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.
†
On the morrow,
when the Philistines came to strip the slain,
They found Saul and his three sons
fallen on Mount Gilboa.
And they cut off his head,
and stripped off his armor,
And sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines,
to carry the good news to their idols and to the people.
They put his armor in the temple of Ashtaroth;
and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan.
But when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard
what the Philistines had done to Saul,
All the valiant men arose,
and went all night,
And took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons
from the wall of Beth-shan;
And they came to Jabesh
and burnt them there.
And they took their bones
and buried them
Under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh,
and fasted seven days.
†††
