1 Samuel 24:1-10

New American Standard Bible

David Spares Saul’s Life

24 ^[a]Now ^(A)when Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, ^(B)it was reported to him, saying, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.” ² Then ^(C)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 ^(D)went in to ^[b]relieve himself. Now ^(E)David and his men were sitting in the inner recesses of the cave. ⁴ Then David’s men said to him, “Behold, ^(F)this is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold; ^(G)I am about to hand your enemy over to you, and you shall do to him as it seems good ^[c]to you.’” Then David got up and cut off the edge of Saul’s robe secretly. ⁵ But it came about afterward that ^(H)David’s ^[d]conscience bothered him because he had cut off the edge of Saul’s robe. ⁶ So he said to his men, “^(I)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, ^[e]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, ^(J)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 ^[f]who say, ‘Behold, David is seeking ^[g]to harm you’? ^10 (K)Behold, this day your eyes have seen that the Lord had handed you over to me today in the cave, and ^(L)someone said to kill you, but ^[h]I spared you; and I said, ‘I will not reach out with my hand against my lord, because he is the Lord’s anointed.’