David flees Saul

19 Saul commanded Jonathan his son and all his servants to put David to death. But Jonathan, Saul’s son, was very fond of David, 2 and told David, ‘Saul my father is seeking to put you to death. Now, I beg you, take care in the morning and stay in concealment and hide yourself. 3 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 whatever I discover I will tell you.’ 4 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 conduct toward you has been exceedingly good. 5 He took his life in his hand and killed the Philistine, and the Lord wrought a great deliverance for Israel. You saw it and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against innocent blood, in slaying David without a cause?’ 6 And Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan and gave an oath, ‘As the Lord lives, David will not be put to death.’ 7 And Jonathan called David, and told him all these words. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, so that he was again in his presence as before.

8 But when there was war again, David went out and fought against the Philistines, and slew great numbers of them, so that they fled before him. 9 Then an evil spirit from the Lord came upon Saul, while he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand, and David was playing on the lyre. 10 And Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he slipped away out of Saul’s presence, so that Saul hurled the spear into the wall, and David fled and escaped.

11 That night Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him, so as to kill him in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, told him, ‘If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be slain.’ 12 Michal let David down through the window; he fled away and escaped. 13 Michal took the household god and laid it in the bed, and put a cloth of goat’s hair for its head and covered it with the garment. 14 When Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, ‘He is sick.’ 15 Then Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying, ‘Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may put him to death.’ 16 When the messengers came in, there the household god was in the bed, with the cloth of goat’s hair for its pillow. 17 And Saul said to Michal, ‘Why have you deceived me like this, 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?’

18 Now David fled and escaped and came to Samuel to Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. He and Samuel went and stayed in Naioth. 19 When Saul was told thqt David was there at Naioth in Ramah, 20 he sent messengers to take David. But when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying with Samuel standing as head over them, the spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, so that they also prophesied. 21 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. 22 Then Saul himself went to Ramah. When he came to the great cistern in Secu, he asked, ‘Where are Samuel and David?’ Someone answered, ‘They are at Naioth in Ramah.’ 23 But on his journey to Naioth in Ramah, the spirit of God also came upon him, and he went along prophesying, until he came to Naioth in Ramah. 24 He too stripped off his clothes and prophesied before Samuel, and lay naked all that day and all that night. Therefore they say, ‘Is Saul also among the prophets?’

20 David fled from Naioth in Ramah. He came to Jonathan and said, ‘What have I done? What is my guilt? What is my sin against your father, that he is seeking my life?’ 2 He replied to him, ‘Far from it! You will not die. See, my father does nothing great or small, but that he discloses it to than me; and why should my father hide this from me? It can’t be true!’ 3 David answered, ‘Your father well knows that I have found favour in your eyes, and he is saying to himself, “Let not Jonathan know this or he will be pained.” Nevertheless as surely as the Lord lives, and as you live, there is but a step between me and death.’ 4 Then Jonathan said to David, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ 5 And David answered Jonathan, ‘Tomorrow is the new moon and I should not fail to sit at the table with the king. Therefore let me go and I will hide myself in the field until evening. 6 If your father misses me, then say, “David urgently asked leave of me to run to Bethlehem his city; for the yearly sacrifice is there for all the family.” 7 If he says “Good,” then it is well with your servant, but if it arouses his anger, then know that he intends evil on me. 8 Now deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a sacred covenant with you. If there is guilt in me, slay me yourself, for why should you bring me to your father?’ 9 And Jonathan said, ‘No! For if I should learn that my father had determined that evil should come upon you, I would tell you.’ 10 Then David said to Jonathan, ‘Who will tell me, if your father answers you harshly?’ 11 And Jonathan replied to David, ‘Come, and let us go out into the field.’ So the two of them went out into the field. 12 And Jonathan said to David, ‘The Lord, the God of Israel, be witness that I will sound my father about this time tomorrow or the next day, and if is well disposed toward David, then I will send and disclose it to you. 13 May God do to Jonathan whatever he will, should my father be disposed to do you evil, and I disclose it not to you and send you away that you may go in peace. May the Lord be with you, as he has been with my father. 14 If I am yet alive, show me the kindness of the Lord! But if I should die, 15 continue your kindness to my household forever, even if the Lord has cut off every one of David’s enemies from the face of the earth.’ 16 So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, ‘May the Lord seek out the enemies of David.’ 17 Jonathan took an oath again with David, because of his love to him. With all his heart he loved him. 18 Then Jonathan said to him, ‘Tomorrow is the new moon and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty. 19 On the third day you will be greatly missed. Then you should go to the place where you hid yourself the other time, and sit down there beside the heap of stones. 20 I will shoot three arrows on one side of it, as though I shot at a mark. 21 Then I will send the boy, saying, “Go, find the arrows.” If I say to the boy, “See, the arrows are on this side of you, pick them up!” – then come; for it is safe for you, and, as the Lord lives, there is no danger. 22 But if I say to the boy, “See, the arrows are beyond you,”, go, for then the Lord sends you away. 23 As to the word which you and I have spoken, behold, the Lord is witness between you and me forever.

24 So David hid himself in the field; and when the new moon came, the king sat down at the table to eat. 25 The king sat upon his seat as usual, on the seat by the wall, with Jonathan opposite, and Abner sat by Saul’s side; but David’s place was empty. 26 Nevertheless Saul did not say anything that day, for he thought, “It is an accident, he is not ceremonially clean, for he has not been cleansed.” 27 But when on the day following the new moon, David’s place was empty, Saul said to Jonathan his son, ‘Why has not the son of Jesse come to the meal, either yesterday or today?’ 28 And Jonathan answered Saul, ‘David urgently asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem, 29 for he said, “Let me go, since our family has a sacrifice in the city; and my brothers have commanded me. Now if I have found favour in your sight, let me slip away and see my brothers.” Hence he has not come to the king’s table.’

30 Then Saul’s anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said to him, ‘Son of a depraved woman! Don’t I know that you are associated with the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness? 31 For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. Now send and bring him to me, for he is doomed to die.’ 32 Then Jonathan answered Saul his father ‘Why should he be put to death? What has he done?’ 33 But Saul lifted up his spear at him to strike him. So Jonathan knew that his father had determined to put David to death. 34 Jonathan rose from the table in hot anger and ate no food the second day of the month, for he was grieved for David, because his father reviled him.

35 In the morning Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little boy with him. 36 He said to his boy, ‘Run, find and the arrows which I shoot.’ As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. 37 When the boy came to the place where the arrow which Jonathan had shot lay, Jonathan cried after the boy, and said, ‘Isn’t the arrow beyond you?’ 38 Jonathan cried after the boy, ‘Hurry, quick, do not stop!’ So Jonathan’s boy gathered up the arrows, and brought them to his master. 39 But the boy had no knowledge of anything. Only Jonathan and David understood what this meant. 40 Jonathan gave his weapons to his boy, and said to him, ‘Go, carry them to the city.’ 41 As soon as the lad had gone, David rose from beside the stone heap, and fell on his face to the ground and prostrated himself three times, and they kissed each other and wept at length with each other. 42 Then Jonathan said to David, ‘Go in peace! As to what we two have sworn in the name of the Lord – the Lord will be between me and you and between my descendants and your descendants forever.’ Then David rose and departed and Jonathan went into the city.

21 David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech came trembling to meet David and said to him, ‘Why are you alone and no one with you?’ 2 David answered Ahimelech the priest, ‘The king has entrusted me with a matter and has said to me, “Let no one know anything about the matter upon which I am sending you and which I have commanded you.” I have directed the young men to meet me at a certain place. 3 Now if you have five loaves of bread at hand, or whatever can be found, give it to me.’ 4 The priest answered David, ‘There is no ordinary bread at hand. There is holy bread, but only if the young men have kept themselves from women.’ 5 David answered the priest, ‘Women have been kept from us, as always when I set out on an expedition. The weapons of the young men were consecrated even on an ordinary journey; how much more then today will their weapons be holy!’ 6 So the priest gave him holy bread, for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presense, that was taken from before the Lord in order to put hot bread there the day it was taken away.

7 (Now one of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord. His name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chief of Saul’s herdsmen.) 8 David said to Ahimelech, ‘Have you not here at hand a spear or sword? For I brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s matter required haste.’ 9 The priest said, ‘The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you slew in the valley of Elah, is here, wrapped in a garment behind the ephod. If you wish to take that, take it, for there is no other except that here.’ And David said, ‘There is none like that, give it to me.’ 10 Then David rose and fled that day from before Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath. 11 The servants of Achish said to him, ‘Isn’t this David the king of the land? Was it not of him that they used to sing to each other in the dances, saying,

Saul has slain his thousands,

But David his ten thousands?’

12 David took these words to his heart and was greatly afraid of Achish the king of Gath. 13 He pretended to be insane before them, and raved in their hands and drummed on the doors and let his spittle run down his beard. 14 Achish said to his servants, ‘You see plainly that the man is mad; why do you bring him to me? 15 Do I lack madmen that you have brought this fellow to act the madman in my presence? Should this one come into my house?’

22 So David left there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and all his father’s clan heard of it, they went down there to him. 2 Everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was embittered gathered about him, and he became their leader. There were about four hundred men with him. 3 David went from there to Mizpeh in Moab. He said to the king of Moab, ‘Let my father and my mother shelter with you, until I know what God will do for me.’ 4 He left them in the presences of the king of Moab, and they stayed with him all the while that David was in the stronghold. 5 Then the prophet Gad said to David, ‘Do not remain in the stronghold. Depart and go to the land of Judah.’ So David left and went into the forest of Hereth.

6 When Saul heard that David and the men with him were discovered, he was sitting in Gibeah, under the tamarisk tree on the high place, with his spear in his hand, and all his servants standing about him. 7 Saul said to his servants who were standing before him, ‘Listen Benjamites! Will the son of Jesse give you all fields and vineyards? Will he make you all commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds? 8 Is that why all of you have conspired against me, and no one discloses to me that my son has made a covenant with the son of Jesse, and none of you has pity on me or discloses to me that my son has stirred up my servant to be an enemy against me, as is now the case?’ 9 Then Doeg the Edomite, who was standing by the servants of Saul, answered, ‘I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. 10 He inquired of the Lord for him and gave him provisions and the sword of Goliath the Philistine.’

11 Then the king summoned Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father’s house, the priests who were in Nob, and they came all of them to the king. 12 Saul said, ‘Listen, son of Ahitub!’ He answered, ‘Here am I, my lord!’ 13 And Saul said to him, ‘Why have you conspired against me with the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread and a sword and have inquired of God for him, so that he should rise against me as an enemy, as is now the case?’ 14 Then Ahimelech answered the king, ‘But who among all your servants is like David, trusted and the king’s son-in-law and captain over your retainers and honoured in your household? 15 Is this the first time I have inquired of God for him? Of course not! Let not the king impute anything to his servant nor to any one of my clan, for your servant did not know the slightest thing about all this.’ 16 But the king said, ‘You will surely die, Ahimelech, together with all your clan.’ 17 The king said to the runners who stood before him, ‘Turn about and slay the priests of the Lord, for their hand also was with David, and, although they knew that he was fleeing, they did not disclose it to me.’ But the servants of the king would not put forth their hands to strike down the priests of the Lord. 18 Then the king said to Doeg, ‘Turn and strike down the priests.’ And Doeg the Edomite turned and himself struck down the priests. So he slew on that day eighty-five men who wore the ephod. 19 The priestly city Nob he put to the sword, both men and women, children and infants, oxen and donkeys and sheep.

20 One of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled to David. 21 And Abiathar told David that Saul had slain the priests of the Lord. 22 David said to Abiathar, ‘I knew that day, because Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I myself am guilty of all the lives of your clan. 23 Remain with me, fear not; for whoever seeks your life must also seek mine. You will be safe with me.’

23 David was told that Philistines were fighting against Keilah and are robbing the threshing floors. 2 David inquired of the Lord, ‘Should I go and attack these Philistines?’ And the Lord said to David, ‘Go, attack the Philistines, and save Keilah.’ 3 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?’ 4 Then David inquired of the Lord yet again. And the Lord answered him, ‘Arise, go down to Keilah, for I will deliver the Philistines into your hand.’ 5 So David and his men went to Keilah, and fought with the Philistines and drove away their cattle, inflicting heavy losses on them. In this way David delivered the inhabitants of Keilah.

6 When Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David at Keilah, he came down with the ephod in his hand. 7 When Saul was told that David had come to Keilah, Saul said, ‘God has sold him into my hand, for he has entrapped himself in entering into a town that has doors and bars.’ 8 And Saul summoned all the people to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men. 9 When David knew that Saul was devising evil against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, ‘Bring here the ephod.’ 10 And David said, ‘Lord, God of Israel, your servant has surely heard that Saul is seeking to come to Keilah, to destroy the city because of me. 11 Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? Lord, God of Israel, I beseech you, tell your servant.’ And the Lord said, ‘He will come down.’ 12 Then David said, ‘Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul?’ And the Lord said, ‘They will deliver you up.’ 13 Then David and his men, who were about six hundred, arose and departed from Keilah, and moving from place to place. When it was reported to Saul that David had escaped from Keilah, he abandoned his expedition. 14 So David stayed in the wilderness in the strongholds and remained in the hill-country in the Wilderness of Ziph. Saul sought him continually, but the Lord did not deliver him into his hand.

15 Now David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. At that time, he was in the Wilderness of Ziph in Horesha. 16 And Jonathan, Saul’s son, came to David in Horesha and strengthened his hand in God. 17 He said to him, ‘Fear not, for the hand of Saul my father will not find you, and you will be king over Israel and I will be next to you. This Saul my father well knows.’ 18 The two of them made a covenant before the Lord, and David stayed in Horesha, and Jonathan returned home.

19 Then the Ziphites came up to Saul to Gibeah, saying, ‘Is not David hiding himself with us in the strongholds in Horesha, in the hill of Hachilah, which is to the south of Jeshimon? 20 Now therefore, O king, according to all your heart’s desire, come down, and it will be our part to deliver him into the king’s hand.’ 21 Then Saul said, ‘Blessed may you be of the Lord, for you have had compassion on me. 22 Go, I pray, make yet more sure, and know and see the place where his haunt is and who has seen him there, for I am told that he is very cunning. 23 See therefore, and gain knowledge of all the lurking-places where he hides, and return to me, with sure information, and I will go with you, and, if he be in the land, I will search him out of all the thousands of Judah.’

24 So they arose and went to Ziph before Saul. But David and his men were in the Wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah to the south of Jeshimon. 25 When Saul and his men went to seek him, David found out and he went down to the rock which is in the Wilderness of Maon. When Saul heard, he pursued after David in the Wilderness of Maon. 26 Saul went on the one side of the mountain and David and his men on the other side of the mountain. David was anxiously trying to escape from Saul, for Saul and his men were about to surround David and his men, to seize them, 27 when a messenger came to Saul, saying, ‘Come quickly, for the Philistines have made a raid upon the land.’ 28 So Saul returned from pursuing after David and went against the Philistines. This is why they call that place the Rock of Divisions. 29 David went up from there, and stayed in the strongholds of En-gedi.

24 When Saul returned from following the Philistines, he was told, ‘David is in the Wilderness of En-gedi.’ 2 So Saul took three thousand men chosen from all Israel and went to seek David and his men upon the Wild Goats’ Crags. 3 He came to the sheepfolds by the way, and there was a cave. And Saul went in to relieve himself, while David and his men were staying in the recesses of the cave. 4 The men of David said to him, ‘See this is the day of which the Lord said to you, “Behold, I give your enemy into your hand and you will do to him as you please.”’ Then David arose, and secretly cut off the skirt of Saul’s robe. 5 But afterward David was seized with remorse because he had cut off Saul’s robe. 6 He said to his men, ‘The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord’s anointed, to lift my hand against him, since he is the Lord’s anointed.’ 7 So David upbraided his men with these words, and did not permit them to attack Saul. When Saul rose from the cave and went on his way, 8 David also rose after him and went from the cave and cried after Saul, saying, ‘My lord the king.’ When Saul looked behind him, David bowed his face to the earth, and did obeisance. 9 And David said to Saul, ‘Why did you listen to the words of the men who said, “See, David seeks to harm you?” 10 Today your eyes see that the Lord gave you into my hand in the cave, but I refused to kill you and had pity on you, and I said, “I will not lift my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord’s anointed.” 11 Moreover, my father, see the corner of your robe in my hand, for in that I cut off the corner of your robe and did not kill you, know and see that there is neither evil nor guilt on my hands, and I have not sinned against you, though you are aiming to take my life. 12 May the Lord judge between me and you, but my hand will not be against you. 13 As runs the proverb of the ancients,

Out of the wicked comes forth wickedness.

But my hand will not be raised against you. 14 After whom is the king of Israel come out? After whom are you pursuing? After a dead dog? After a flea? 15 The Lord therefore be judge and decide between me and you and see and plead my cause and obtain justice for me from you.’

16 Now when David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, ‘Is this not your voice, my son David?’ Then Saul lifted up his voice and wept. 17 He said to David, ‘You are more righteous than I, for you have done to me that which is good, while I have done to you that which is evil. 18 You have done great good to me in that today, when the Lord had shut me up in your hand, you did not kill me. 19 For when a man finds his enemy, does he send him on his way safe and sound? Therefore may the Lord reward you richly for what you have done to me this day. 20 Now see, I know that you will surely be king, and that through you the kingdom of Israel will be established. 21 Swear now therefore to me by the Lord, that you will not cut off my descendants after me and that you will not destroy my name from my father’s house.’ 22 So David took oath to Saul. And Saul went to his home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold.

25 Samuel died; and all Israel gathered themselves together, and lamented him, and buried him in his house at Ramah.

Then David arose and went into the Wilderness of Maon. 2 There was a man in Maon, whose business was in Carmel. The man was very rich, and he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats, and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel. 3 The man’s name was Nabal, and his wife’s name was Abigail. The woman was sensible and beautiful, but the man was rough and ill-mannered. He was a Calebite. 4 David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep. 5 So he sent ten young men, saying, ‘Go up to Carmel and enter Nabal’s house and greet him in my name, 6 and say to him and to his clan, “Peace be to you and your house and all that you have. 7 Now I have heard that you have shearers. Your shepherds were with us, and we did not jeer at them, and nothing of theirs was missing all the while they were in Carmel. 8 Ask your young men and they will tell you. Therefore let the young men find favour in your eyes, for we have come on a feast day. Give, therefore, whatever you have at hand to your servants and to your son David.”’

9 When David’s young men came, they spoke to Nabal in the name of David and waited as directed. 10 But Nabal answered David’s servants, ‘Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? Many are the slaves these days who break away, each from his master! 11 Should I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have butchered for my shearers, and give it to men of whom I know not where they came from?’ 12 So David’s young men turned back on their way, and came and reported all these words to him. 13 And David said to his men, ‘Let every man buckle on his sword.’ Each man buckled on his sword. And David also buckeled on his sword, and there went up after David about four hundred men while two hundred remained with the baggage.

14 But one of the young men had told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, ‘David has just sent messengers from the wilderness to salute our master, and he railed at them. 15 But the men have been very good to us and we have not been jeered at nor have we missed anything, as long as we went with them, when we were in the fields. 16 They were a wall about us both by night and by day all the while we were with them keeping the sheep. 17 Now therefore know and consider what you will do, for evil is determined against our master and against all his house, for he is such a base scoundrel that no one speak to him.’

18 Then Abigail quickly took two hundred loaves of bread and two skins of wine and five roasted sheep and five mesures of parched grain and a hundred bunches of raisins and two hundred cakes of figs and laid them on donkeys. 19 She said to her young men, ‘Go on before me, I am coming after you.’ But she said nothing about it to her husband Nabal. 20 Just as she was riding on the donkey and coming down under cover of the mountain, David and his men were also coming down toward her, so that she met them. 21 Now David had said, ‘Surely for nothing did I guard all that belongs to this fellow in the wilderness, so that nothing of all that belongs to him was missing, for he has returned me evil for good. 22 God do whatever he will to David, if I leave by daybreak of all who belong to him as much as a single man.’

23 When Abigail saw David, she alighted quickly from her donkey and fell on her face before David and bowed to the ground. 24 She fell at his feet and said, ‘Upon me, my lord, upon me be the guilt. Only let your maid-servant speak in your ears, and heed the words of your servant. 25 Let not my lord pay any attention to that base scoundrel, Nabal, for as his name is, so is he, “Reckless Fool,” is his name and folly is his master, but your maid-servant didn’t see the young men of my lord, whom you sent.

26 Now my lord, as the Lord lives and as you live, since the Lord has kept you from committing an act of bloodshed and from delivering yourself by your own hand – and may your enemies and those who seek to do evil to my lord be as Nabal – 27 let this present, which your servant has brought to my lord, be given to the young men who follow my lord 28 Forgive, I pray the trespass of your servant, for the Lord will certainly make for my lord a secure house, for my lord is fighting the wars of the Lord, and no evil will be found in you as long as you live. 29 Should a man rise up to pursue you and to seek your life, the life of my lord will be bound in the bundle of the living in the care of the Lord your God, but the lives of your enemies will he sling out as from the hollow of a sling. 30 When the Lord has done to my lord all the good that he has promised you and has made you prince over Israel, 31 then this will not be a qualm or a burden on the conscience of my lord, that you have shed blood without cause or that my lord has delivered himself by his own hand. When the Lord gives prosperity to my lord, then remember your servant.’

32 David said to Abigail, ‘Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me, 33 and blessed be your discretion, and blessed be you yourself, who have kept me this day from committing an act of bloodshed and from avenging myself by my own hand. 34 For as sure as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, who has kept me from doing you harm, except you had quickly come to meet me, surely there would not have been left to Nabal by daybreak so much as one man.’ 35 So David received from her hand that which she had brought him, and to her he said, ‘Go up in peace to your house. See, I have heeded your advice, and granted your request.’

36 But when Abigail came to Nabal, he was just having a banquet in his house, like a king. And Nabal’s heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk, so that she did not tell him anything at all until day break. 37 But then in the morning when the effects of the wine were gone from Nabal, his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him and he became a stone. 38 At the end of about ten days the Lord struck Nabal, so that he died.

39 Now when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, ‘Blessed be the Lord who has avenged the case of my insult at the hand of Nabal and has kept back his servant from evil. The evil-doing of Nabal the Lord brought back upon his own head.’ Then David sent and wooed Abigail to take her to him to be his wife.

40 When the servants of David came to Abigail at Carmel and said to her, ‘David has sent us to you to take you to him to be his wife,’ 41 She rose and bowed with her face to the earth and said, ‘See, your slave is willing to be a servant to wash the feet of my lord’s servants.’ 42 Abigail quickly arose and mounted an donkey, and five maids followed as servants. So she accompanied the messengers of David and became his wife.

43 David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and they both became his wives. 44 But Saul had given Michal his daughter, David’s wife, to Palti the son of Laish to Gallim.

26 Then the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, ‘David is hiding in the hill of Hachilah, which is east of the desert.’ 2 Accordingly Saul arose, and went down to the Wilderness of Ziph, with three thousand men of Israel, to seek David in the Wilderness of Ziph. 3 Saul encamped beside the road on the hill of Hachilah overlooking Jeshimon. But David remained in the wilderness. When he saw that Saul was pursuing him into the wilderness, 4 David sent out spies and learned that Saul had come there after him, 5 so he arose 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 lay within the barricade, and the people were encamped around about him.

6 Then David spoke to Ahimelech the Hittite and to Abishai the son Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, saying, ‘Who will go down with me into the camp to Saul?’ And Abishai said, ‘I will go down with you.’ 7 So David and Abishai went to the army by night. Saul was lying there asleep within the barricade, with his spear stuck into the earth at his head, with Abner and the people lying around about him. 8 Abishai said to David, ‘God has delivered your enemy into your hand today. Now therefore let me strike him with his spear to the earth at one stroke, and I will not need to strike him twice!’ 9 But David said to Abishai, ‘Do not destroy him, for who can lay his hand upon the Lord’s anointed and be innocent?’ 10 David said, ‘As the Lord lives, either the Lord will strike him, or his day will come to die, or he will go down into battle and be destroyed. 11 The Lord forbid that I should lift my hand against the Lord’s anointed, but now take the spear that is at his head and the jug of water and let us go.’ 12 So David took the spear and the jug of water from Saul’s head and they departed. No man saw it of knew it neither did any awake, for they were all asleep because a deep sleep from the Lord had fallen upon them.

13 Then David went over to the other side and stood on the top of a mountain at a distance, a great space being between them. 14 And David cried to the army and to Abner, the son of Ner, ‘Do you make no answer Abner?’ Then Abner answered, ‘Who are you that calls to the king?’ 15 And David said to Abner, ‘Are you not a man? Who is like you in Israel? Why then have you not kept guard over your lord the king? For one of the people came to destroy your lord. 16 This that you have done is not good. As the Lord lives, you are deserving death, because you have not kept watch over your lord, the Lord’s anointed. Now see where the king’s spear is and the jug of water that was at his head.’ 17 Then Saul recognised David’s voice and said, ‘Is this your voice, my son David?’ And David said, ‘It is my voice, my lord the king.’ 18 He said, ‘Why is my lord pursuing his servant? For what have I done? Or of what kind of evil have I been guilty? 19 Now therefore let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If the Lord has stirred you up against me, let him accept an offering, but if it was men, cursed be they before the Lord, for they have driven me out today, so that I have no part in the inheritance of the Lord, saying, “Go serve other gods.” 20 Now therefore, may my blood not fall to the earth far away from the presence of the Lord, for the king of Israel has come out to look for a flea, as one hunts a partridge on the mountains.’

21 Then Saul said, ‘I have done wrong. Return, my son David, for I will do you no more harm, because my life was regarded as sacred by you today. I have acted foolishly and have erred exceedingly.’ 22 And David answered, ‘There is the king’s spear! Let one of the young men come over and take it. 23 And the Lord will reward each man’s righteousness and fidelity, for the Lord delivered you into my hand today, but I would not raise my hand against the Lord’a anointed. 24 Just as your life was today of great value in my sight, so may my life be of great value in the Lord’s sight, and let him deliver me out of all affliction.’ 25 Then Saul said to David, ‘Be blessed, my son David; you will do great things and will surely succeed!’ So David went his way, but Saul returned to his place.