Chapter 26

David Spares Saul Again.^{[a] 1 (A)}Men from Ziph came to Saul in Gibeah, reporting that David was hiding on the hill of Hachilah at the edge of Jeshimon. ² So Saul went down to the wilderness of Ziph with three thousand of the best warriors of Israel, to search for David in the wilderness of Ziph. ³ Saul camped beside the road on the hill of Hachilah, at the edge of Jeshimon. David, who was living in the wilderness, saw that Saul had come into the wilderness after him ⁴ and sent out scouts, who confirmed Saul’s arrival. ⁵ David then went to the place where Saul was encamped and saw the spot where Saul and his general, Abner, son of Ner, had their sleeping quarters. Saul was lying within the camp, and all his soldiers were bivouacked around him.^{(B) 6} David asked Ahimelech the Hittite, and Abishai, son of Zeruiah and brother of Joab, “Who will go down into the camp with me to Saul?” Abishai replied, “I will.”^{(C) 7} So David and Abishai reached Saul’s soldiers by night, and there was Saul lying asleep within the camp, his spear thrust into the ground at his head and Abner and his troops sleeping around him.

⁸ Abishai whispered to David: “God has delivered your enemy into your hand today. Let me nail him to the ground with one thrust of the spear; I will not need to strike him twice!”^{(D) 9} But David said to Abishai, “Do not harm him, for who can lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed and remain innocent? ¹⁰ As the Lord lives,” David declared, “only the Lord can strike him: either when the time comes for him to die, or when he goes out and perishes in battle.^{[b](E) 11} But the Lord forbid that I lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed! Now take the spear at his head and the water jug, and let us be on our way.” ¹² So David took the spear and the water jug from their place at Saul’s head, and they withdrew without anyone seeing or knowing or awakening. All remained asleep, because a deep slumber^[c] from the Lord had fallen upon them.^(F)

David Taunts Abner. ¹³ Crossing over to an opposite slope, David stood on a distant hilltop. With a great distance between them ¹⁴ David called to the army and to Abner, son of Ner, “Will you not answer, Abner?” Then Abner shouted back, “Who is it that calls me?” ¹⁵ David said to Abner: “Are you not a man? Who in Israel is your equal? Why were you not guarding your lord the king when one of his subjects came to assassinate the king, your lord? ¹⁶ What you have done is not right. As the Lord lives, you people deserve death because you have not guarded your lord, the anointed of the Lord. Go, look: where are the king’s spear and the water jug that was at his head?”

Saul Admits His Guilt. ¹⁷ Saul recognized David’s voice and asked, “Is that your voice, David my son?”^[d] David answered, “Yes, my lord the king.” ¹⁸ He continued: “Why does my lord pursue his servant? What have I done? What evil am I planning? ¹⁹ Please, now, let my lord the king listen to the words of his servant. If the Lord has incited you against me, may an offering please the Lord. But if it is the people who have done so, may they be cursed before the Lord. They have driven me away so that today I have no share in the Lord’s heritage,^[e] but am told: ‘Go serve other gods!’^{(G) 20} Do not let my blood spill on the ground far from the presence of the Lord. For the king of Israel has come out to seek a single flea as if he were hunting partridge^[f] in the mountains.” ²¹ Then Saul said: “I have done wrong. Come back, David, my son! I will not harm you again, because you considered my life precious today even though I have been a fool and have made a serious mistake.” ²² But David answered: “Here is the king’s spear. Let an attendant come over to get it. ²³ The Lord repays everyone’s righteousness and faithfulness. Although the Lord delivered you into my hands today, I could not lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed.^{(H) 24} Just as I regarded your life as precious today, so may the Lord regard my life as precious and deliver me from all dangers.” ²⁵ Then Saul said to David: “Blessed are you, my son David! You shall certainly succeed in whatever you undertake.” David went his way, and Saul returned to his place.^(I)

Chapter 27

David Flees to the Philistines. ¹ David said to himself: “I shall perish some day at the hand of Saul. I have no choice but to escape to the land of the Philistines; then Saul will give up his continual search for me throughout the land of Israel, and I will be out of his reach.” ² Accordingly, David departed with his six hundred soldiers and went over to Achish, son of Maoch, king of Gath.^{(J) 3} David and his men lived in Gath with Achish; each one had his family, and David had his two wives, Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal from Carmel.^{(K) 4} When Saul learned that David had fled to Gath, he no longer searched for him.

⁵ David said to Achish: “If I meet with your approval, let me have a place to live in one of the country towns. Why should your servant live with you in the royal city?” ⁶ That same day Achish gave him Ziklag, which has, therefore, belonged to the kings of Judah^[g] up to the present time.^{(L) 7} In all, David lived a year and four months in Philistine territory.^(M)

David Raids Israel’s Foes. ⁸ David and his men went out on raids against the Geshurites, Girzites, and Amalekites—peoples living in the land between Telam, on the approach to Shur, and the land of Egypt.^{(N) 9} In attacking the land David would not leave a man or woman alive, but would carry off sheep, oxen, donkeys, camels, and clothes. Then he would return to Achish, ¹⁰ who would ask, “Against whom did you raid this time?” David would reply, “Against the Negeb of Judah,”^[h] or “Against the Negeb of Jerahmeel,” or “Against the Negeb of the Kenites.”^{(O) 11} David never left a man or woman alive to be brought to Gath. He thought, “They will betray us and say, ‘This is what David did.’” This was his custom as long as he lived in Philistine territory. ¹² Achish trusted David, thinking, “His people Israel must certainly detest him. I shall have him as my vassal forever.”

Chapter 28

¹ In those days the Philistines mustered their military forces to fight against Israel. So Achish said to David, “You realize, of course, that you and your warriors^[i] must march out for battle with me.” ² David answered Achish, “Good! Now you shall learn what your servant can do.” Then Achish said to David, “I shall appoint you as my permanent bodyguard.”

³ Now, Samuel was dead. All Israel had mourned him and buried him in his city, Ramah. Meanwhile Saul had driven mediums and diviners out of the land.^(P)

Saul in Despair. ⁴ The Philistines rallied and, coming to Shunem, they encamped. Saul, too, mustered all Israel; they camped on Gilboa. ⁵ When Saul saw the Philistine camp, he grew afraid and lost heart completely. ⁶ He consulted the Lord; but the Lord gave no answer, neither in dreams nor by Urim nor through prophets.^{(Q) 7} Then Saul said to his servants, “Find me a medium^[j] through whom I can seek counsel.” His servants answered him, “There is a woman in Endor who is a medium.”^(R)

The Medium at Endor. ⁸ So he disguised himself, putting on other clothes, and set out with two companions. They came to the woman at night, and Saul said to her, “Divine for me; conjure up the spirit I tell you.”^{(S) 9} But the woman answered him, “You know what Saul has done, how he expelled the mediums and diviners from the land. Then why are you trying to entrap me and get me killed?” ¹⁰ But Saul swore to her by the Lord, “As the Lord lives, you shall incur no blame for this.” ¹¹ “Whom do you want me to conjure up?” the woman asked him. “Conjure up Samuel for me,” he replied.

Samuel Appears. ¹² When the woman saw Samuel, she shrieked at the top of her voice and said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!” ¹³ But the king said to her, “Do not be afraid. What do you see?” “I see a god rising from the earth,” she replied. ¹⁴ “What does he look like?” asked Saul. “An old man is coming up wrapped in a robe,” she replied. Saul knew that it was Samuel, and so he bowed his face to the ground in homage.

Saul’s Doom. ^15 [k]Samuel then said to Saul, “Why do you disturb me by conjuring me up?” Saul replied: “I am in great distress, for the Philistines are waging war against me and God has turned away from me. Since God no longer answers me through prophets or in dreams, I have called upon you to tell me what I should do.”^{(T) 16} To this Samuel said: “But why do you ask me, if the Lord has abandoned you for your neighbor?^{(U) 17} The Lord has done to you what he declared through me: he has torn the kingdom from your hand and has given it to your neighbor David.

¹⁸ “Because you disobeyed the Lord’s directive and would not carry out his fierce anger against Amalek, the Lord has done this to you today.^{(V) 19} Moreover, the Lord will deliver Israel, and you as well, into the hands of the Philistines. By tomorrow you and your sons will be with me, and the Lord will have delivered the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines.”^(W)

²⁰ Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, in great fear because of Samuel’s message. He had no strength left, since he had eaten nothing all that day and night. ²¹ Then the woman came to Saul and, seeing that he was quite terror-stricken, said to him: “Remember, your maidservant obeyed you: I took my life in my hands and carried out the request you made of me. ²² Now you, in turn, please listen to your maidservant. Let me set out a bit of food for you to eat, so that you are strong enough to go on your way.” ²³ But he refused, saying, “I will not eat.” However, when his servants joined the woman in urging him, he listened to their entreaties, got up from the ground, and sat on a couch. ²⁴ The woman had a stall-fed calf in the house, which she now quickly slaughtered. Then taking flour, she kneaded it and baked unleavened bread. ²⁵ She set the meal before Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they got up and left the same night.

Psalm 129^[a]

Against Israel’s Enemies

¹ A song of ascents.

I

II

The Third Prediction of the Passion. ^32 (A)They were on the way, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus went ahead of them. They were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. Taking the Twelve aside again, he began to tell them what was going to happen to him. ³³ “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and hand him over to the Gentiles ³⁴ who will mock him, spit upon him, scourge him, and put him to death, but after three days he will rise.”

Ambition of James and John. ^35 (B)Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” ³⁶ He replied, “What do you wish [me] to do for you?” ³⁷ They answered him, “Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.” ^38 [a](C)Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” ³⁹ They said to him, “We can.” Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink, you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; ⁴⁰ but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared.” ⁴¹ When the ten heard this, they became indignant at James and John. ^42 [b]Jesus summoned them and said to them,^(D) “You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt. ⁴³ But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; ⁴⁴ whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. ⁴⁵ For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

The Blind Bartimaeus.^{[c] 46} They came to Jericho.^(E) And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging. ⁴⁷ On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.” ⁴⁸ And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he kept calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me.” ⁴⁹ Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take courage; get up, he is calling you.” ⁵⁰ He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus. ⁵¹ Jesus said to him in reply, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man replied to him, “Master, I want to see.” ⁵² Jesus told him, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.