⁴ David’s men said to him, “Look, this is the day the Lord told you about when he said, ‘I will deliver your enemy into your hand, and you will do to him whatever seems good to you.’” So David got up and cut off the edge of Saul’s robe without being noticed.

⁵ Afterward, David had a guilty conscience, because he had cut off the edge of Saul’s robe. ⁶ He said to his men, “May I be cursed if I do something like this to my master, who is the Lord’s anointed—that I would stretch out my hand against him, since he is the Lord’s anointed.” ⁷ With these words David restrained his men and did not allow them to attack Saul.

Saul got up, left the cave, and went on his way. ⁸ David got up and followed him out of the cave and shouted to him, “My lord the king!”

When Saul looked back at him, David bowed facedown to the ground to show respect. ⁹ David said to Saul, “Why do you listen to the words of people who say, ‘Watch out! David is seeking to harm you’?

⁴ But the word of the king overruled Joab.

Joab went throughout all Israel and came back to Jerusalem.

⁵ He reported the total number of the people to David: In all Israel there were one million one hundred thousand men who could draw the sword, including four hundred seventy thousand from Judah who could draw the sword.

²³ David did not count those twenty years old and under, because the Lord had said he would increase Israel like the stars of the sky.

²⁴ Joab son of Zeruiah began to take a census but did not finish, and wrath came on Israel because of this. The number was not put into the account in the annals of King David.