1 Samuel 16-25
New American Standard Bible
Samuel Goes to Bethlehem
16 Now the Lord said to Samuel, “(A)How long are you going to mourn for [a]Saul, since (B)I have rejected him from being king over Israel? (C)Fill your horn with oil and go; I will send you to (D)Jesse the Bethlehemite, because I have (E)chosen a king for Myself among his sons.” 2 But Samuel said, “How can I go? When Saul hears about it, he will kill me.” But the Lord said, “(F)Take a heifer [b]with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ 3 And you shall invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and (G)I will let you know what you shall do; and (H)you shall anoint for Me the one whom I [c]designate to you.” 4 So Samuel did what the Lord told him, and he came to (I)Bethlehem. Then the elders of the city came trembling to meet him and said, “(J)Do you come in peace?” 5 And he said, “In peace; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. (K)Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” He also consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
6 When they entered, he looked at (L)Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is standing before Him.” 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for [d]God does not see as man sees, since man looks at [e]the outward appearance, (M)but the Lord looks at the heart.” 8 Then Jesse called (N)Abinadab and had him pass before Samuel. But he said, “The Lord has not chosen this one, either.” 9 Next Jesse had [f](O)Shammah pass by. And he said, “The Lord has not chosen this one, either.” 10 So Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.” 11 Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are these all the boys?” And he said, “(P)The youngest is still left, but behold, he is tending the sheep.” So Samuel said to Jesse, “Send word and bring him; for we will not take our places at the table until he comes here.”
David Anointed
12 So he sent word and brought him in. Now he was [g]reddish, with (Q)beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. And the Lord said, “(R)Arise, anoint him; for this is he.” 13 So Samuel took the horn of oil and (S)anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and (T)the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel set out and went to Ramah.
14 (U)Now the Spirit of the Lord left Saul, and (V)an evil spirit from the Lord terrified him. 15 Saul’s servants then said to him, “Behold now, an evil spirit from God is terrifying you. 16 May our lord now command your servants who are before you. Have them search for a man who is a skillful musician on the harp; and it shall come about whenever the evil spirit from God is upon you, that (W)he shall play the harp with his hand, and you will become well.” 17 So Saul said to his servants, “Now select for me a man who can play well, and bring him to me.” 18 Then one of the young men responded and said, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is a skillful musician, (X)a valiant mighty man, a warrior, skillful in speech, and a handsome man; and (Y)the Lord is with him.” 19 So Saul sent messengers to Jesse [h]to say, “Send me your son David, who is with the flock.” 20 And Jesse (Z)took a donkey loaded with bread and a jug of wine, and he took a young goat, and sent them to Saul by his son David. 21 Then David came to Saul and [i](AA)attended him; and Saul greatly loved him, and he became his armor bearer. 22 So Saul sent word to Jesse, saying, “Let David now [j]be my attendant for he has found favor in my sight.” 23 So it came about whenever (AB)the evil spirit from God came to Saul, David would take the harp and play it with his hand; and Saul would feel relieved and become well, and the evil spirit would leave him.
Goliath’s Challenge
17 Now (AC)the Philistines gathered their armies for battle; and they were gathered at Socoh which belongs to Judah, and they camped between (AD)Socoh and (AE)Azekah, in (AF)Ephes-dammim. 2 Saul and the men of Israel were assembled and camped in (AG)the Valley of Elah, and they drew up in battle formation to confront the Philistines. 3 The Philistines were standing on the mountain on one side, while Israel was standing on the mountain on the other side, with the valley between them. 4 Then a champion came forward from the army encampment of the Philistines, named (AH)Goliath, from (AI)Gath. His height was [k]six cubits and a [l]span. 5 And he had a bronze helmet on his head, and he wore scale-armor [m]which weighed [n]five thousand shekels of bronze. 6 He also had bronze [o]greaves on his legs and a (AJ)bronze [p]saber slung between his shoulders. 7 (AK)The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and the head of his spear weighed [q]six hundred shekels of iron; and (AL)his shield-carrier walked in front of him. 8 He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel and said to them, “Why do you come out to draw up in battle formation? Am I not the Philistine, and you the (AM)servants of Saul? Choose a man as your representative and have him come down to me. 9 (AN)If he is able to fight me and [r]kill me, then we will become your servants; but if I prevail against him and [s]kill him, then you shall become our servants and serve us.” 10 Then the Philistine said, “(AO)I have defied the ranks of Israel this day! Give me a man, so that we may fight together.” 11 When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and very fearful.
12 Now David was (AP)the son of [t]the (AQ)Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, the man whose name was Jesse, and (AR)he had eight sons. And [u]Jesse was old in the days of Saul, advanced in years among men. 13 The three older sons of Jesse had [v]followed Saul to the battle. And (AS)the names of his three sons who had gone into the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and second to him, Abinadab, and the third, Shammah. 14 So (AT)David was the youngest. Now the three oldest followed Saul, 15 (AU)but David went back and forth from Saul (AV)to tend his father’s flock at Bethlehem. 16 And the Philistine came forward morning and evening, and took his stand for forty days.
17 Then Jesse said to his son David, “(AW)Take now for your brothers an ephah of this roasted grain and these ten loaves, and run to the camp to your brothers. 18 (AX)Bring also these ten slices of cheese to the commander of their thousand, (AY)and look into the well-being of your brothers and bring back [w]confirmation from them. 19 For Saul and they and all the men of Israel are in the Valley of Elah, fighting the Philistines.”
David Accepts the Challenge
20 So David got up early in the morning and left the flock with a keeper, and took the supplies and went as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the (AZ)entrenchment encircling the camp while the army was going out in battle formation, shouting the war cry. 21 Israel and the Philistines drew up in battle formation, army against army. 22 Then David left the (BA)baggage in the [x]care of the baggage keeper and ran to the battle line. And he entered and [y]greeted his brothers. 23 As he was speaking with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine from Gath named Goliath, was coming up from the army of the Philistines, and he spoke (BB)these same words; and David heard him.
24 When all the men of Israel saw the man, they fled from him and were very fearful. 25 And the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who is coming up? Surely he is coming up to defy Israel. And it will be that the king will make the man who kills him wealthy with great riches, and (BC)will give him his daughter and make his father’s house [z]free in Israel.”
26 Then David said to the men who were standing by him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and rids Israel of (BD)the disgrace? For who is this (BE)uncircumcised Philistine, that he has dared to (BF)defy the armies of (BG)the living God?” 27 The people [aa]answered him in agreement with this statement, saying, “(BH)This is what will be done for the man who kills him.”
28 Now Eliab his oldest brother heard him when he spoke to the men; and (BI)Eliab’s anger burned against David and he said, “Why is it that you have come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I myself know your insolence and the wickedness of your heart; for you have come down in order to see the battle.” 29 But David said, “What have I done now? Was it not just a [ab]question?” 30 Then he turned [ac]away from him to another and (BJ)said the same thing; and the people replied with the same words as [ad]before.
David Kills Goliath
31 When the words that David spoke were heard, they informed [ae]Saul, and he [af]sent for him. 32 And David said to Saul, “(BK)May no one’s heart fail on account of him; (BL)your servant will go and fight this Philistine!” 33 But Saul said to David, “(BM)You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight him; for you are only a youth, while he has been a warrior since his youth.” 34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant was tending his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a sheep from the flock, 35 I went out after it and [ag]attacked it, and (BN)rescued the sheep from its mouth; and when it rose up against me, I grabbed it by its mane and struck it and killed it. 36 Your servant has [ah]killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37 And David said, “(BO)The Lord who saved me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear, He will save me from the hand of this Philistine.” So Saul said to David, “(BP)Go, and may the Lord be with you.” 38 Then Saul clothed David with his military attire and put a bronze helmet on his head, and outfitted him with armor. 39 And David strapped on his sword over his military attire and struggled at walking, for he had not trained with the armor. So David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, because I have not trained with them.” And David took them [ai]off. 40 Then he took his staff in his hand and chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in the shepherd’s bag which he had, that is, in his shepherd’s pouch, and (BQ)his sling was in his hand; and he approached the Philistine.
41 Then the Philistine came and approached David, with the shield-bearer in front of him. 42 When the Philistine looked and saw David, (BR)he was contemptuous of him; for he was only a youth, and [aj](BS)reddish, with a handsome appearance. 43 So the Philistine said to David, “(BT)Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And (BU)the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 The Philistine also said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh (BV)to the birds of the sky and the [ak]wild animals.” 45 But David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a [al]saber, (BW)but I come to you in the name of the Lord of armies, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I will strike you and remove your head from you. Then I will give the (BX)dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild animals of the earth, (BY)so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that this entire assembly may know that (BZ)the Lord does not save by sword or by spear; (CA)for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will hand you over to us!”
48 Then it happened, when the Philistine [am]came closer to meet David, that (CB)David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. 49 And David put his hand into his bag and took from it a stone and slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead. And the stone penetrated his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground.
50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with the sling and the stone: he struck the Philistine and killed him, and there was no sword in David’s hand. 51 Then David ran and stood over the Philistine, and (CC)took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and finished him, and cut off his head with it. (CD)When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. 52 Then the men of Israel and Judah rose up and shouted, and they pursued the Philistines [an]as far as the valley, and to the gates of (CE)Ekron. And the Philistine dead [ao]lay along the way to (CF)Shaaraim, even to Gath and Ekron. 53 Then the sons of Israel returned from their close pursuit of the Philistines, and plundered their camps. 54 And David took the Philistine’s head and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his weapons in his tent.
55 Now when Saul had seen David going out against the Philistine, he said to Abner the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is (CG)this young man?” And Abner said, “By your life, O king, I do not know.” 56 And the king said, “You then, ask whose son the youth is.” 57 So when David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and (CH)brought him before Saul with the Philistine’s head in his hand. 58 Then Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” And David answered, “(CI)I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”
Jonathan and David
18 Now it came about, when he had finished speaking to Saul, that [ap](CJ)Jonathan committed himself to David, and (CK)Jonathan loved him as himself. 2 And Saul took him that day and (CL)did not let him return to his father’s house. 3 Then (CM)Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. 4 (CN)Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his military gear, including his sword, his bow, and his belt. 5 And David went into battle wherever Saul sent him, and always [aq]achieved success; so Saul put him in charge of the men of war. And it was pleasing in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.
6 Now it happened as they were coming, when David returned from killing the Philistine, that (CO)the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with joy and with other [ar]musical instruments. 7 The women (CP)sang as they [as]played, and said,
8 Then Saul became very angry, for this lyric [at]displeased him; and he said, “They have given David credit for ten thousands, but to me they have given credit for only thousands! Now what more can he have but the (CS)kingdom?” 9 And Saul eyed David with suspicion from that day on.
Saul Turns against David
10 Now it came about on the next day that (CT)an evil spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and (CU)he raved in the midst of the house while David was playing the harp with his hand, [au](CV)as usual; and [av](CW)a spear was in Saul’s hand. 11 Then (CX)Saul hurled the spear, for he thought, “I will [aw]pin David to the wall.” But David [ax]escaped from his presence, twice.
12 Now (CY)Saul was afraid of David, (CZ)because the Lord was with him but (DA)had left Saul. 13 So Saul removed him from [ay]his presence and appointed him as his commander of a thousand; and (DB)he went out and came in before the people. 14 David was [az]successful in all his ways, for (DC)the Lord was with him. 15 When Saul saw that he was [ba]very successful, he was afraid of him. 16 But (DD)all Israel and Judah loved David, for he would go out to battle and [bb]return [bc]before them.
17 Then Saul said to David, “(DE)Here is my older daughter Merab; I will give her to you as a wife, only be a valiant man for me and fight (DF)the Lord’s battles.” For Saul thought, “My hand shall not be against him, but (DG)let the hand of the Philistines be against him.” 18 But David said to Saul, “(DH)Who am I, and who is my family, or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be the king’s son-in-law?” 19 So it came about at the time that Merab, Saul’s daughter, was to be given to David, that she was given instead to (DI)Adriel (DJ)the Meholathite as a wife.
David Marries Saul’s Daughter
20 Now (DK)Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved David. When they informed Saul, the thing was pleasing [bd]to him. 21 For Saul thought, “I will give her to him so that she may become a trap for him, and (DL)that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” Therefore Saul said to David, “(DM)For a second time you may become my son-in-law, today.” 22 Then Saul commanded his servants, “Speak to David in secret, saying, ‘Behold, the king delights in you, and all his servants love you; now then, become the king’s son-in-law.’” 23 So Saul’s servants spoke these words [be]to David. But David said, “Is it trivial in your sight to become the king’s son-in-law, (DN)since I am only a poor man and insignificant?” 24 Then Saul’s servants reported to him, saying, “[bf]These are the words David spoke.” 25 Saul then said, “This is what you shall say to David: ‘The king does not desire any (DO)dowry except a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, (DP)to take vengeance on the king’s enemies.’” But (DQ)Saul plotted to have David fall by the hand of the Philistines. 26 When his servants told David these words, [bg]it pleased David to become the king’s son-in-law. So [bh](DR)before the time had expired, 27 David set out and went, (DS)he and his men, and fatally struck two hundred men among the Philistines. Then (DT)David brought their foreskins, and they presented all two hundred of them to the king, so that he might become the king’s son-in-law. And Saul gave him his daughter Michal as a wife. 28 When Saul saw and realized that the Lord was with David, and that Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved him, 29 then Saul was even more afraid of David. So Saul was David’s enemy continually.
30 Then the commanders of the Philistines (DU)went to battle, and it happened as often as they went out, that David (DV)was more [bi]successful than all the servants of Saul. So his name was held in high esteem.
David Protected from Saul
19 Now Saul told his son Jonathan and all his servants (DW)to put David to death. But (DX)Jonathan, Saul’s son, greatly delighted in David. 2 So Jonathan informed David, saying, “My father Saul is seeking to put you to death. Now then, please be on your guard in the morning, and stay in a hiding place and conceal yourself. 3 And as for me, I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are hiding, and I will speak with my father about you; and (DY)whatever I [bj]find out, I will tell you.” 4 Then Jonathan (DZ)spoke well of David to his father Saul and said to him, “(EA)May the king not sin against his servant David, since he has not sinned against you, and since his deeds have been very [bk]beneficial to you. 5 For (EB)he took his life in his hand and struck the Philistine, and (EC)the Lord brought about a great [bl]victory for all Israel; you saw it and rejoiced. (ED)Why then would you sin against innocent blood by putting David to death [bm]for no reason?” 6 Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan, and Saul vowed, “As the Lord lives, David shall not be put to death.” 7 Then Jonathan called David, and Jonathan told him all these words. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as (EE)before.
8 When there was war again, David went out and fought the Philistines and [bn]defeated them with great slaughter, so that they fled from him. 9 Now there was (EF)an evil spirit from the Lord on Saul as he was sitting in his house (EG)with his spear in his hand, (EH)and David was playing the harp with his hand. 10 (EI)And Saul tried to [bo]pin David to the wall with the spear, but he escaped from Saul’s presence, so that he stuck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night.
11 Then (EJ)Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him, in order to put him to death in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, informed him, saying, “If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be put to death!” 12 (EK)So Michal let David down through a window, and he went and fled, and escaped. 13 And Michal took (EL)the [bp]household idol and laid it on the bed, and put a quilt of goats’ hair at its head, and covered it with clothing. 14 When Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, “(EM)He is sick.” 15 Then Saul sent messengers to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me on [bq]his bed, so that I may put him to death.” 16 When the messengers entered, behold, the [br]household idol was on the bed with the quilt of goats’ hair at its head. 17 So Saul said to Michal, “Why have you betrayed me like this and let my enemy go, so that he has escaped?” And Michal said to Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go! (EN)Why should I put you to death?’”
18 So David fled and escaped, and came (EO)to Samuel at Ramah; and he informed him of everything that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and stayed in (EP)Naioth. 19 But it was reported to Saul, saying, “Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.” 20 Then (EQ)Saul sent messengers to take David, but when they saw (ER)the company of prophets prophesying, with Samuel standing and presiding over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul; and (ES)they also prophesied. 21 When Saul was informed of this, he sent other messengers, but they also prophesied. So Saul sent messengers again the third time, yet they prophesied. 22 Then he went to Ramah himself and came as far as the large well that is in Secu; and he [bs]asked, “Where are Samuel and David?” And someone said, “Behold, they are at Naioth in Ramah.” 23 So he [bt]proceeded there to Naioth in Ramah; but (ET)the Spirit of God came upon him also, so that he went along prophesying continually until he came to Naioth in Ramah. 24 He also stripped off his clothes, and he too prophesied before Samuel and [bu]lay down [bv](EU)naked all that day and all night. Therefore they say, “(EV)Is Saul also among the prophets?”
David and Jonathan’s Covenant
20 Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and he came and (EW)said [bw]to Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my guilt? And what is my sin before your father, that he is seeking my life?” 2 He said to him, “Far from it, you shall not die! Behold, my father does nothing either great or small [bx]without informing me. So why would my father hide this thing from me? It is not so!” 3 Yet David (EX)vowed again, [by]saying, “Your father is well aware that I have found favor in your sight, and he has said, ‘Jonathan is not to know this, otherwise he will be worried.’ But indeed (EY)as the Lord lives and as your soul lives, there is [bz]just a step between me and death.” 4 Then Jonathan said to David, “Whatever [ca]you say, I will do for you.” 5 So David said to Jonathan, “Behold, tomorrow is (EZ)the new moon, and I am obligated (FA)to sit down to eat with the king. But let me go (FB)so that I may hide myself in the field until the third evening. 6 If your father misses me at all, then say, ‘David earnestly requested leave of me to run to (FC)Bethlehem, his city, because it is (FD)the yearly sacrifice there for the whole family.’ 7 If he [cb]says, ‘That is good,’ your servant will be safe; but if he is very angry, (FE)be aware that he has decided on evil. 8 So deal kindly with your servant, for (FF)you have brought your servant into a covenant of the Lord with you. But (FG)if [cc]I am guilty of wrongdoing, kill me yourself; for why then should you bring me to your father?” 9 Jonathan said, “Far be it from you! For if I in fact learn that my father has decided [cd]to inflict harm on you, would I not inform you?” 10 Then David said to Jonathan, “Who will inform me [ce]if your father answers you harshly?” 11 Jonathan said to David, “Come, and let’s go out to the field.” So both of them went out to the field.
12 Then Jonathan said to David, “The Lord, the God of Israel, is my witness! When I have sounded out my father about this time tomorrow or the third day, behold, if he has a good feeling toward [cf]you, shall I not then send word to you and [cg]inform you? 13 If it pleases my father to do you harm, (FH)may the Lord do so to [ch]me and more so, if I fail to [ci]inform you and send you away, so that you may go in safety. And (FI)may the Lord be with you as He has been with my father. 14 And if I am still alive, will you not show me the faithfulness of the Lord, so that I do not die? 15 And (FJ)you shall never cut off your loyalty to my house, not even when the Lord cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.” 16 So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “(FK)May the Lord demand it from the hands of David’s enemies.” 17 And Jonathan made David vow again because of his love for him, because (FL)he loved him as he loved his own life.
18 Then Jonathan said to him, “(FM)Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed since your seat will be empty. 19 When you have stayed for three days, you shall go down quickly and come to the place where you hid yourself on that eventful day, and you shall remain beside the stone Ezel. 20 And I will shoot three arrows to the side, as though I shot at a target. 21 Then behold, I will send the boy, telling him, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I specifically say to the boy, ‘Behold, the arrows are on this side of you, get them,’ then come, because it is safe for you and there is nothing to harm you, as the Lord lives. 22 But if I [cj]say to the youth, ‘(FN)Behold, the arrows are beyond you,’ go, because the Lord has sent you away. 23 (FO)As for the [ck]agreement of which you and I have spoken, behold, (FP)the Lord is between you and me forever.”
24 So David hid himself in the field; and when the new moon came, the king sat down to eat food. 25 Now the king sat on his seat as usual, the seat by the wall; then Jonathan stood up and Abner sat down by Saul’s side; but (FQ)David’s place was empty. 26 Nevertheless Saul did not say anything that day, because he thought, “It must have been an [cl]accident; (FR)he is not clean, undoubtedly he is not clean.” 27 But it came about the next day, the second day of the new moon, that David’s place was empty again; so Saul said to his son Jonathan, “Why has the son of Jesse not come to the meal, either yesterday or today?” 28 And Jonathan answered Saul, “(FS)David earnestly requested leave of me to go to Bethlehem. 29 He said, ‘Please let me go, because our family has a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has ordered me to attend. So now, if I have found favor in your sight, please let me slip away so that I may see my brothers.’ For this reason he has not come to the king’s table.”
Saul Is Angry with Jonathan
30 Then Saul’s anger burned against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman! Do I not know that you are choosing the son of Jesse to your own shame, and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness? 31 For, [cm]as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. Now then, send men and bring him to me, for (FT)he is [cn]doomed to die!” 32 But Jonathan replied to his father Saul and said to him, “(FU)Why must he be put to death? What has he done?” 33 Then (FV)Saul hurled his spear at him to strike and kill him; (FW)so Jonathan knew that his father had decided to put David to death. 34 Then Jonathan got up from the table in the heat of anger, and did not eat food on the second day of the new moon, because he was worried about David since his father had insulted him.
35 Now it came about in the morning that Jonathan went out to the field at the time agreed upon with David, and a little boy was with him. 36 He said to his boy, “(FX)Run, find now the arrows which I am about to shoot.” The boy ran, and he shot [co]an arrow past him. 37 When the boy reached the location of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan called after the boy and said, “(FY)Is the arrow not beyond you?” 38 Then Jonathan called after the boy, “Hurry, be quick, do not stay!” And Jonathan’s boy picked up the arrow and came to his master. 39 But the boy was not aware of anything; only Jonathan and David knew about the matter. 40 Then Jonathan gave his weapons to his boy and said to him, “Go, bring them to the city.” 41 When the boy was gone, David got up from the south side, then he fell on his face to the ground and (FZ)bowed three times. And they kissed each other and wept together, until (GA)David wept immeasurably. 42 Then Jonathan said to David, “(GB)Go [cp]in safety, since we have sworn to each other in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘(GC)The Lord will be between me and you, and between my [cq]descendants and your [cr]descendants forever.’” [cs]So David set out and went on his way, while Jonathan went into the city.
David Takes Consecrated Bread
21 Then David came to (GD)Nob, to Ahimelech the priest; and Ahimelech (GE)came trembling to meet David and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one with you?” 2 David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has commissioned me with a matter and has said to me, ‘(GF)No one is to know anything about the matter on which I am sending you and with which I have commissioned you; and I have directed the young men to a certain place.’ 3 Now then, what [ct]do you have on hand? Give [cu]me five loaves of bread, or whatever can be found.” 4 The priest answered David and said, “There is no ordinary bread [cv]on hand, but there is (GG)consecrated bread, if only the young men have (GH)kept themselves from women.” 5 David answered the priest and said to him, “(GI)Be assured, women have been denied to us as previously when I left and the [cw](GJ)bodies of the young men were consecrated, though it was an ordinary journey; how much more then will [cx]their bodies be consecrated today?” 6 So (GK)the priest gave him consecrated bread; for there was no bread there except the (GL)bread of the Presence which was removed from its place before the Lord, in order to put hot bread in its place on the day it was taken away.
7 Now one of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord; and his name was (GM)Doeg the Edomite, the (GN)chief of Saul’s shepherds.
8 David said to Ahimelech, “Now is there no spear or sword [cy]on hand? For I brought neither my sword nor my weapons [cz]with me, because the king’s matter was urgent.” 9 Then the priest said, “(GO)The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you [da]killed (GP)in the Valley of Elah, behold, it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod; if you would take it for yourself, take it. For there is no other except it here.” And David said, “There is none like it; give it to me.”
10 Then David set out and fled that day from Saul, and went to (GQ)Achish king of Gath. 11 But the (GR)servants of Achish said to him, “Is this not David, the king of the land? (GS)Did they not sing of this one as they danced, saying,
‘Saul has slain his thousands,
And David his ten thousands’?”
12 David (GT)took these words [db]to heart and greatly feared Achish king of Gath. 13 So he (GU)disguised his sanity while in their sight and acted insanely in their [dc]custody, and he scribbled on the doors of the gate, and drooled on his beard. 14 Then Achish said to his servants, “Look, you see the man is behaving like an insane person. Why do you bring him to me? 15 Do I lack insane people, that you have brought this one to behave like an insane person in my presence? Shall this one come into my house?”
Priests Killed at Nob
22 So David departed from there and (GV)escaped to (GW)the cave of Adullam; and when his brothers and all his father’s household heard about it, they went down there to him. 2 Then everyone who was in distress, and everyone who [dd]was in debt, and everyone who was [de]discontented gathered to him; and he became captain over them. Now there were (GX)about four hundred men with him.
3 And David went from there to Mizpah of Moab; and he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and my mother come and stay with you until I know what God will do for me.” 4 Then he [df]left them with the king of Moab; and they stayed with him all the time that David was in the stronghold. 5 But (GY)Gad the prophet said to David, “Do not stay in the stronghold; leave, and go into the land of Judah.” So David left and went into the forest of Hereth.
6 Then Saul heard that David and the men who were with him had been discovered. Now (GZ)Saul was in Gibeah, sitting under the tamarisk tree on the height with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing in front of him. 7 Saul said to his servants who were standing in front of him, “Hear now, you Benjaminites! Will the son of Jesse really give all of you fields and vineyards? (HA)Will he make you all commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds? 8 For all of you have conspired against me so that there is no one who [dg]informs me (HB)when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse, and there is none of you (HC)who cares about me or [dh]informs me that my son has stirred up my servant against me to lie in ambush, as it is this day.” 9 Then (HD)Doeg the Edomite, who was [di]standing in front of the servants of Saul, responded and said, “(HE)I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to (HF)Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. 10 And (HG)he inquired of the Lord for him, (HH)gave him provisions, and (HI)gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”
11 Then the king sent a messenger to summon Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father’s household, the priests who were in Nob; and all of them came to the king. 12 Saul said, “Listen now, son of Ahitub.” And he [dj]replied, “Here I am, my lord.” 13 Saul then said to him, “Why have you and the son of Jesse conspired against me, in that you have given him bread and a sword, and have inquired of God for him, so that he would rise up against me (HJ)by lying in ambush as it is this day?”
14 (HK)Then Ahimelech answered the king and said, “And who among all your servants is as faithful as David, the king’s own son-in-law, who [dk]is commander over your bodyguard, and is honored in your house? 15 Did I just begin (HL)to inquire of God for him today? Far be it from me! (HM)Do not let the king impute anything against his servant or against any of the household of my father, because your servant knows nothing [dl]at all of this whole affair.” 16 But the king said, “You shall certainly die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s household!” 17 And (HN)the king said to the [dm]guards who were attending him, “Turn around and put the priests of the Lord to death, because their hand also is with David and because they knew that he was fleeing and did not [dn]inform me.” But the (HO)servants of the king were unwilling to reach out with their hands to [do]attack the priests of the Lord. 18 Then the king said to Doeg, “You, turn around and [dp]attack the priests!” And Doeg the Edomite turned around and [dq]attacked the priests, and (HP)he killed on that day eighty-five men (HQ)who wore the linen ephod. 19 (HR)He also struck Nob the city of the priests with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and infants; he also struck oxen, donkeys, and sheep with the edge of the sword.
20 But (HS)one son of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, (HT)escaped and fled [dr]to David. 21 Abiathar informed David that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord. 22 Then David said to Abiathar, “I knew on that day, when (HU)Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would certainly tell Saul. I myself [ds]have turned against every person in your father’s household. 23 Stay with me; do not be afraid, [dt]even though (HV)he who is seeking my life is seeking your life. For you are safe with me.”
David Saves Keilah
23 Then they informed David, saying, “Behold, the Philistines are fighting against (HW)Keilah and are plundering the threshing floors.” 2 So David (HX)inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go and [du]attack these Philistines?” And the Lord said to David, “Go and [dv]attack the Philistines and save Keilah.” 3 But David’s men said to him, “Behold, we are fearful here in Judah. How much more then if we go to Keilah against the ranks of the Philistines?” 4 So David inquired of the Lord once more. And the Lord answered him and said, “Arise, go down to Keilah, for (HY)I am going to hand the Philistines over to you.” 5 Then David and his men went to Keilah and fought the Philistines; and he drove away their livestock and struck them with a great slaughter. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.
6 Now it came about, when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech (HZ)fled to David at Keilah, that he came down with an ephod in his hand. 7 When it was reported to Saul that David had come to Keilah, Saul said, “God has handed him over to me, for he shut himself in by entering a city with double gates and bars.” 8 So Saul summoned all the people for war, to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men. 9 But David knew that Saul was plotting evil against him; so he said to (IA)Abiathar the priest, “(IB)Bring the ephod here.” 10 Then David said, “Lord God of Israel, Your servant has heard for certain that Saul is seeking to come to Keilah to destroy the city on my account. 11 Will the citizens of Keilah hand me over to him? Will Saul come down just as Your servant has heard? Lord God of Israel, please, tell Your servant.” And the Lord said, “He will come down.” 12 Then David said, “Will the citizens of Keilah hand me and my men over to Saul?” And the Lord said, “(IC)They will hand you over.” 13 Then David and his men, (ID)about six hundred, rose up and departed from Keilah, and they went (IE)wherever they could go. When it was reported to Saul that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up [dw]the pursuit. 14 David stayed in the wilderness in the strongholds, and remained in the hill country in the wilderness of (IF)Ziph. And Saul searched for him every day, but (IG)God did not hand him over to him.
Saul Pursues David
15 Now David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life while David was in the wilderness of Ziph, at Horesh. 16 And Jonathan, Saul’s son, set out and went to David at Horesh, and [dx](IH)encouraged him in God. 17 He said to him, “(II)Do not be afraid, because the hand of Saul my father will not find you, and you will be king over Israel, and I will be second in command to you; and (IJ)Saul my father knows that as well.” 18 So (IK)the two of them made a covenant before the Lord; and David stayed at Horesh, while Jonathan went to his house.
19 Then (IL)Ziphites came up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is David not keeping himself hidden with us in the strongholds at Horesh, on (IM)the hill of Hachilah, which is south of [dy]Jeshimon? 20 Now then, O king, come down, [dz]since you fully desire to [ea]do so; and (IN)our part shall be to hand him over to the king.” 21 Saul said, “May you be blessed of the Lord, (IO)since you have had compassion on me. 22 Go now, be more persistent, and investigate and see his place where [eb]he is hiding, and who has seen him there; for I am told that he is very cunning. 23 So look, and learn about all the hiding places where he keeps himself hidden, and return to me with certainty, and I will go with you; and if he is in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah.”
24 So they set out and went to Ziph ahead of Saul. Now David and his men were in the wilderness of (IP)Maon, in the Arabah to the south of [ec]Jeshimon. 25 When Saul and his men went to seek him, they informed David, and he came down to the rock and stayed in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard about it, he pursued David in the wilderness of Maon. 26 Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain; and David was hurrying to get away from Saul, while Saul and his men (IQ)were surrounding David and his men to apprehend them. 27 But a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come, for the Philistines have launched an attack against the land!” 28 So Saul returned from pursuing David and went to confront the Philistines; therefore they called that place [ed]the Rock of Division. 29 [ee]And David went up from there and stayed in the strongholds of (IR)Engedi.
David Spares Saul’s Life
24 [ef]Now (IS)when Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, (IT)it was reported to him, saying, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.” 2 Then (IU)Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel and went to search for David and his men in front of the Rocks of the Mountain Goats. 3 And he came to the sheepfolds on the way, where there was a cave; and Saul (IV)went in to [eg]relieve himself. Now (IW)David and his men were sitting in the inner recesses of the cave. 4 Then David’s men said to him, “Behold, (IX)this is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold; (IY)I am about to hand your enemy over to you, and you shall do to him as it seems good [eh]to you.’” Then David got up and cut off the edge of Saul’s robe secretly. 5 But it came about afterward that (IZ)David’s [ei]conscience bothered him because he had cut off the edge of Saul’s robe. 6 So he said to his men, “(JA)Far be it from me because of the Lord that I would do this thing to my lord, the Lord’s anointed, to reach out with my hand against him, since he is the Lord’s anointed.” 7 And David rebuked his men with these words and did not allow them to rise up against Saul. And Saul got up, [ej]left the cave, and went on his way.
8 Afterward, however, David got up and went out of the cave, and called after Saul, saying, “My lord the king!” And when Saul looked behind him, (JB)David bowed with his face to the ground and prostrated himself. 9 And David said to Saul, “Why do you listen to the words of men [ek]who say, ‘Behold, David is seeking [el]to harm you’? 10 (JC)Behold, this day your eyes have seen that the Lord had handed you over to me today in the cave, and (JD)someone said to kill you, but [em]I spared you; and I said, ‘I will not reach out with my hand against my lord, because he is the Lord’s anointed.’ 11 So, (JE)my father, look! Indeed, look at the edge of your robe in my hand! For by the fact that I cut off the edge of your robe but did not kill you, know and understand that there is no evil or [en]rebellion in my hands, and I have not sinned against you, though you (JF)are lying in wait for my life, to take it. 12 (JG)May the Lord judge between [eo]you and me, and may the Lord take vengeance on you for me; but my hand shall not be against you. 13 As the proverb of the ancients says, ‘(JH)Out of the wicked comes wickedness’; but my hand shall not be against you. 14 After whom has the king of Israel gone out? Whom are you pursuing? (JI)A dead dog, (JJ)a single flea? 15 May (JK)the Lord therefore be judge and decide between [ep]you and me; and may He see and (JL)plead my cause and save me from your hand.”
16 When David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, “(JM)Is this your voice, my son David?” Then Saul raised his voice and wept. 17 (JN)And he said to David, “You are more righteous than I; for (JO)you have dealt well with me, while I have dealt maliciously with you. 18 You have declared today that you have done good to me, that (JP)the Lord handed me over to you and yet you did not kill me. 19 Though if a man (JQ)finds his enemy, will he let him go away [eq]unharmed? May the Lord therefore reward you with good in return for what you have done to me this day. 20 Now, behold, (JR)I know that you will certainly be king, and that (JS)the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hand. 21 So now (JT)swear to me by the Lord that you will not cut off my [er]descendants after me, and that you will not eliminate my name from my father’s household.” 22 And David swore an oath to Saul. Then Saul went to his home, but David and his men went up to (JU)the stronghold.
Samuel’s Death
25 (JV)Then Samuel died; and all Israel assembled and (JW)mourned for him, and they (JX)buried him at his house in Ramah. And David set out and went down to the (JY)wilderness of Paran.
Nabal and Abigail
2 Now there was a man in (JZ)Maon whose business was in (KA)Carmel; and the man was very [es]rich, and he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. And it came about while (KB)he was shearing his sheep in Carmel 3 (now the man’s name was Nabal, and his (KC)wife’s name was Abigail. And the woman was [et]intelligent and beautiful in appearance, but the man was harsh and evil in his dealings, and he was (KD)a Calebite), 4 that David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep. 5 So David sent ten young men; and David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel and [eu]visit Nabal, and greet him in my name; 6 and this is what you shall say: ‘[ev]Have a long life, (KE)peace to you, and peace to your house, and peace to all that you have! 7 Now then, I have heard (KF)that you have shearers. Now, your shepherds have been with us; we have not harmed them, (KG)nor has anything of theirs gone missing all the days they were in Carmel. 8 Ask your young men and they will tell you. Therefore let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we have come on (KH)a [ew]festive day. Please give whatever you find at hand to your servants and to your son David.’”
9 When David’s young men came, they spoke to Nabal in accordance with all these words in David’s name; then they waited. 10 But Nabal answered David’s servants and said, “(KI)Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants today who are each breaking away from his master. 11 Shall I then (KJ)take my bread and my water and my meat that I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men [ex]whose origin I do not know?” 12 So David’s young men made their way back and returned; and they came and informed him in accordance with all these words. 13 Then David said to his men, “Each of you strap on his sword.” So each man strapped on his sword. And David also strapped on his sword, and about (KK)four hundred men went up behind David, while two hundred (KL)stayed with the baggage.
14 Now one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, “Behold, David sent messengers from the wilderness to [ey](KM)greet our master, and he spoke to them in anger. 15 Yet the men were very good to us, and we were not (KN)harmed, nor did anything go missing [ez]as long as we went with them, while we were in the fields. 16 (KO)They were a wall to us both by night and by day, all the time we were with them tending the sheep. 17 Now then, be aware and [fa]consider what you should do, because harm is plotted against our master and against all his household; and he is such a [fb]worthless man that no one can speak to him.”
Abigail Intercedes
18 Then Abigail hurried and (KP)took two hundred loaves of bread and two jugs of wine, and five sheep already prepared and five measures of roasted grain, and a hundred cakes of raisins and two hundred cakes of figs, and she loaded them on donkeys. 19 Then she said to her young men, “(KQ)Go on ahead of me; behold, I am coming after you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal. 20 And it happened as she was riding on her donkey and coming down by the hidden part of the mountain, that behold, David and his men were coming down toward her; so she met them. 21 Now David had said, “It is certainly for nothing that I have guarded everything that this man has in the wilderness, so that nothing has gone missing of all that belonged to him! For he has (KR)returned me evil for good. 22 (KS)May God do so to the enemies of David, and more so, (KT)if by morning I leave alive as much as one [fc]male of any who belong to him.”
23 When Abigail saw David, she hurried and dismounted from her donkey, and fell on her face in front of David (KU)and bowed herself to the ground. 24 She fell at his feet and said, “On me [fd]alone, my lord, be the blame. And please let your slave speak [fe]to you, and listen to the words of your slave. 25 Please do not let my lord [ff]pay attention to this [fg]worthless man, Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. [fh]Nabal is his name, and stupidity is with him; but I your slave did not see the young men of my lord whom you sent.
26 “Now then, my lord, as the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, since the Lord has restrained you from [fi]shedding blood, and (KV)from [fj]avenging yourself by your own hand, now then, (KW)may your enemies and those who seek evil against my lord, be like Nabal. 27 And now let (KX)this [fk]gift which your servant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who [fl]accompany my lord. 28 Please forgive (KY)the offense of your slave; for (KZ)the Lord will certainly make for my lord an [fm]enduring house, because my lord is (LA)fighting the battles of the Lord, and (LB)evil will not be found in you all your days. 29 Should anyone rise up to pursue you and to seek your [fn]life, then the [fo]life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living with the Lord your God; but the [fp]lives of your enemies (LC)He will sling out [fq]as from the hollow of a sling. 30 And when the Lord does for my lord in accordance with all the good that He has spoken concerning you, and (LD)appoints you ruler over Israel, 31 this will not become an obstacle to you, or a [fr]troubled heart to my lord, both by having shed blood without cause and by my lord’s having [fs]avenged himself. (LE)When the Lord deals well with my lord, then remember your slave.”
32 Then David said to Abigail, “(LF)Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me, 33 and blessed be your discernment, and blessed be you, (LG)who have kept me this day from [ft]bloodshed and from [fu]avenging myself by my own hand. 34 Nevertheless, as the Lord God of Israel lives, (LH)who has restrained me from harming you, if you had not come quickly to meet me, there certainly would not have been left to Nabal until the morning light as much as one [fv]male.” 35 So David accepted from her hand what she had brought him, and said to her, “(LI)Go up to your house in peace. See, I have listened to [fw]you and [fx](LJ)granted your request.”
36 Then Abigail came to Nabal, and behold, he was having (LK)a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And Nabal’s heart was cheerful within him, (LL)for he was very drunk; so (LM)she did not tell him anything [fy]at all until the morning light. 37 But in the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him so that he became like a stone. 38 About ten days later, (LN)the Lord struck Nabal and he died.
David Marries Abigail
39 When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed be the Lord, who has (LO)pleaded the cause of the shame inflicted on me by the hand of Nabal, and (LP)has kept back His servant from evil. The Lord has also returned the evildoing of Nabal on his own head.” Then David sent [fz](LQ)a proposal to Abigail, to take her as his wife. 40 When the servants of David came to Abigail at Carmel, they spoke to her, saying, “David has sent us to you to take you to him as his wife.” 41 And she got up (LR)and bowed with her face to the ground, and said, “Behold, your slave is a servant (LS)to wash the feet of my lord’s servants.” 42 Then (LT)Abigail got up quickly, and rode on a donkey, with her five female attendants who [ga]accompanied her; and she followed the messengers of David and became his wife.
43 David had also taken Ahinoam of (LU)Jezreel, and (LV)they both became his wives.
44 But Saul had given his daughter (LW)Michal, David’s wife, to Palti the son of Laish, who was from (LX)Gallim.
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