Jonathan and David

18 Now it came about, when he had finished speaking to Saul, that ^[a](A)Jonathan committed himself to David, and ^(B)Jonathan loved him as himself. ² And Saul took him that day and ^(C)did not let him return to his father’s house. ³ Then ^(D)Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. ^4 (E)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 ^[b]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 ^(F)the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with joy and with other ^[c]musical instruments. ⁷ The women ^(G)sang as they ^[d]played, and said,

⁸ Then Saul became very angry, for this lyric ^[e]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 ^(J)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 ^(K)an evil spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and ^(L)he raved in the midst of the house while David was playing the harp with his hand, ^[f](M)as usual; and ^[g](N)a spear was in Saul’s hand. ¹¹ Then ^(O)Saul hurled the spear, for he thought, “I will ^[h]pin David to the wall.” But David ^[i]escaped from his presence, twice.

¹² Now ^(P)Saul was afraid of David, ^(Q)because the Lord was with him but ^(R)had left Saul. ¹³ So Saul removed him from ^[j]his presence and appointed him as his commander of a thousand; and ^(S)he went out and came in before the people. ¹⁴ David was ^[k]successful in all his ways, for ^(T)the Lord was with him. ¹⁵ When Saul saw that he was ^[l]very successful, he was afraid of him. ¹⁶ But ^(U)all Israel and Judah loved David, for he would go out to battle and ^[m]return ^[n]before them.

¹⁷ Then Saul said to David, “^(V)Here is my older daughter Merab; I will give her to you as a wife, only be a valiant man for me and fight ^(W)the Lord’s battles.” For Saul thought, “My hand shall not be against him, but ^(X)let the hand of the Philistines be against him.” ¹⁸ But David said to Saul, “^(Y)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 ^(Z)Adriel ^(AA)the Meholathite as a wife.

David Marries Saul’s Daughter

²⁰ Now ^(AB)Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved David. When they informed Saul, the thing was pleasing ^[o]to him. ²¹ For Saul thought, “I will give her to him so that she may become a trap for him, and ^(AC)that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” Therefore Saul said to David, “^(AD)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 ^[p]to David. But David said, “Is it trivial in your sight to become the king’s son-in-law, ^(AE)since I am only a poor man and insignificant?” ²⁴ Then Saul’s servants reported to him, saying, “^[q]These are the words David spoke.” ²⁵ Saul then said, “This is what you shall say to David: ‘The king does not desire any ^(AF)dowry except a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, ^(AG)to take vengeance on the king’s enemies.’” But ^(AH)Saul plotted to have David fall by the hand of the Philistines. ²⁶ When his servants told David these words, ^[r]it pleased David to become the king’s son-in-law. So ^[s](AI)before the time had expired, ²⁷ David set out and went, ^(AJ)he and his men, and fatally struck two hundred men among the Philistines. Then ^(AK)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 ^(AL)went to battle, and it happened as often as they went out, that David ^(AM)was more ^[t]successful than all the servants of Saul. So his name was held in high esteem.

Priests Killed at Nob

22 So David departed from there and ^(A)escaped to ^(B)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 ^[a]was in debt, and everyone who was ^[b]discontented gathered to him; and he became captain over them. Now there were ^(C)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 ^[c]left them with the king of Moab; and they stayed with him all the time that David was in the stronghold. ⁵ But ^(D)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 ^(E)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? ^(F)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 ^[d]informs me ^(G)when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse, and there is none of you ^(H)who cares about me or ^[e]informs me that my son has stirred up my servant against me to lie in ambush, as it is this day.” ⁹ Then ^(I)Doeg the Edomite, who was ^[f]standing in front of the servants of Saul, responded and said, “^(J)I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to ^(K)Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. ¹⁰ And ^(L)he inquired of the Lord for him, ^(M)gave him provisions, and ^(N)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 ^[g]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 ^(O)by lying in ambush as it is this day?”

^14 (P)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 ^[h]is commander over your bodyguard, and is honored in your house? ¹⁵ Did I just begin ^(Q)to inquire of God for him today? Far be it from me! ^(R)Do not let the king impute anything against his servant or against any of the household of my father, because your servant knows nothing ^[i]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 ^(S)the king said to the ^[j]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 ^[k]inform me.” But the ^(T)servants of the king were unwilling to reach out with their hands to ^[l]attack the priests of the Lord. ¹⁸ Then the king said to Doeg, “You, turn around and ^[m]attack the priests!” And Doeg the Edomite turned around and ^[n]attacked the priests, and ^(U)he killed on that day eighty-five men ^(V)who wore the linen ephod. ^19 (W)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 ^(X)one son of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, ^(Y)escaped and fled ^[o]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 ^(Z)Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would certainly tell Saul. I myself ^[p]have turned against every person in your father’s household. ²³ Stay with me; do not be afraid, ^[q]even though ^(AA)he who is seeking my life is seeking your life. For you are safe with me.”

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.’ ¹¹ So, ^(M)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 ^[i]rebellion in my hands, and I have not sinned against you, though you ^(N)are lying in wait for my life, to take it. ^12 (O)May the Lord judge between ^[j]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, ‘^(P)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? ^(Q)A dead dog, ^(R)a single flea? ¹⁵ May ^(S)the Lord therefore be judge and decide between ^[k]you and me; and may He see and ^(T)plead my cause and save me from your hand.”

¹⁶ When David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, “^(U)Is this your voice, my son David?” Then Saul raised his voice and wept. ^17 (V)And he said to David, “You are more righteous than I; for ^(W)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 ^(X)the Lord handed me over to you and yet you did not kill me. ¹⁹ Though if a man ^(Y)finds his enemy, will he let him go away ^[l]unharmed? May the Lord therefore reward you with good in return for what you have done to me this day. ²⁰ Now, behold, ^(Z)I know that you will certainly be king, and that ^(AA)the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hand. ²¹ So now ^(AB)swear to me by the Lord that you will not cut off my ^[m]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 ^(AC)the stronghold.

David Again Spares Saul

26 Then the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “^(A)Is David not keeping himself hidden on the hill of Hachilah, which is opposite ^[a]Jeshimon?” ² So Saul set out and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, ^[b]taking with him ^(B)three thousand chosen men of Israel, to search for David in the wilderness of Ziph. ³ And Saul camped on the hill of Hachilah, which is opposite ^[c]Jeshimon, ^(C)beside the road, and David was staying in the wilderness. When ^(D)he saw that Saul had come after him into the wilderness, ⁴ David sent out spies, and he learned that Saul was definitely coming. ⁵ David then set out and came to the place where Saul had camped. And David saw the place where Saul lay, and ^(E)Abner the son of Ner, the commander of his army; and Saul was lying in the circle of the camp, and the people were camped around him.

⁶ Then David said to Ahimelech ^(F)the Hittite and to ^(G)Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, saying, “Who ^(H)will go down with me to Saul in the camp?” And Abishai said, “I will go down with you.” ⁷ So David and Abishai came to the people by night, and behold, Saul lay sleeping inside the circle of the camp with his spear stuck in the ground at his head; and Abner and the people were lying around him. ⁸ Then Abishai said to David, “Today God has handed your enemy over to you; now then, please let me ^[d]pin him with the spear to the ground with one thrust, and I will not ^[e]do it to him a second time.” ⁹ But David said to Abishai, “Do not ^[f]kill him, for ^(I)who can reach out with his hand against the Lord’s anointed and remain innocent?” ¹⁰ David also said, “As the Lord lives, ^(J)the Lord certainly will strike him, or ^(K)his day will come that he dies, or ^(L)he will go down in battle and ^[g]perish. ^11 (M)The Lord forbid that I would reach out with my hand against the Lord’s anointed! But now please take the spear that is at his head and the jug of water, and let’s go.” ¹² So David took the spear and the jug of water that were at Saul’s head, and they left; and no one saw or knew about it, nor did anyone awaken, for they were all asleep, because ^(N)a deep sleep from the Lord had fallen on them.

¹³ Then David crossed over to the other side and stood on top of the mountain at a distance with a large area between them. ¹⁴ And David called to the people and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, “Will you not answer, Abner?” Then Abner replied, “Who are you who calls to the king?” ¹⁵ So David said to Abner, “Are you not a man? And who is like you in Israel? Why then have you not guarded your lord the king? For one of the people came to ^[h]kill the king your lord! ¹⁶ This thing that you have done is not good. As the Lord lives, all of you undoubtedly ^[i](O)must die, because you did not guard your lord, the Lord’s anointed. And now, see where the king’s spear is and the jug of water that was at his head!”

¹⁷ Then Saul recognized David’s voice and said, “^(P)Is this your voice, my son David?” And David said, “It is my voice, my lord the king.” ¹⁸ He also said, “^(Q)Why then is my lord pursuing his servant? For what have I done? Or what evil is in my hand? ¹⁹ Now then, please let my lord the king listen to the words of his servant. If ^(R)the Lord has incited you against me, ^(S)may He ^[j]accept an offering; but ^(T)if it is ^[k]people, cursed ^[l]are they before the Lord, because ^(U)they have driven me out today so that I would have no share in the inheritance of the Lord, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods.’ ²⁰ Now then, do not let my blood fall to the ground far from the presence of the Lord; for the king of Israel has come out to search for ^(V)a single flea, just as one hunts a partridge in the mountains.”

²¹ Then Saul said, “^(W)I have sinned. Return, my son David, for I will not harm you again since my life was precious in your sight this day. Behold, I have played the fool and have made a very great mistake.” ²² David replied, “Behold, the spear of the king! Now have one of the young men come over and take it. ²³ And ^(X)the Lord will repay each man for his righteousness and his faithfulness; for the Lord handed you over to me today, but ^(Y)I refused to reach out with my hand against the Lord’s anointed. ²⁴ Therefore behold, just as your life was ^(Z)highly valued in my sight this day, so may my life be highly valued in the sight of the Lord, and may He ^(AA)rescue me from all distress.” ²⁵ Then Saul said to David, “^(AB)Blessed are you, my son David; you will both accomplish much and assuredly prevail.” So ^(AC)David went on his way, and Saul returned to his place.

Saul and the Spirit Medium

28 Now it came about in those days that ^(A)the Philistines gathered their armed camps for war, to fight against Israel. And Achish said to David, “Know for certain that you will go out with me in the camp, you and your men.” ² David said to Achish, “Very well, you will learn what your servant can do.” So Achish said to David, “Then I will assuredly make you ^[a]my bodyguard ^(B)for ^[b]life!”

³ Now ^(C)Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned him and buried him ^(D)in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had removed the ^(E)mediums and spiritists from the land. ⁴ So the Philistines assembled and came and camped ^(F)in Shunem; and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they camped in ^(G)Gilboa. ⁵ When Saul saw the camp of the Philistines, he was afraid and his heart trembled greatly. ^6 (H)So Saul inquired of the Lord, but ^(I)the Lord did not answer him, either in ^(J)dreams, or by the ^(K)Urim, or by the prophets. ⁷ Then Saul said to his servants, “Find for me a woman who is a medium, so that I may go to her and inquire of her.” And his servants said to him, “Behold, ^(L)there is a woman who is a medium at ^(M)En-dor.”

⁸ Then Saul ^(N)disguised himself by putting on different clothes, and went, he and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night; and he said, “^(O)Consult the spirit for me, please, and ^(P)bring up for me the one whom I shall ^[c]name for you.” ⁹ But the woman said to him, “Behold, you know ^(Q)what Saul has done, that he has eliminated the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why are you then setting a trap for my life, to bring about my death?” ¹⁰ So Saul swore an oath to her by the Lord, saying, “As the Lord lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.” ¹¹ Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” And he said, “Bring up Samuel for me.” ¹² When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice; and the woman spoke to Saul, saying, “Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul!” ¹³ But the king said to her, “Do not be afraid; but what do you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I see a ^[d]divine being coming up from the earth.” ¹⁴ He said to her, “^[e]How does he appear?” And she said, “An old man is coming up, and ^(R)he is wrapped in a robe.” Then Saul knew that it was Samuel, and ^(S)he bowed with his face to the ground and paid ^[f]homage.

¹⁵ And Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” Saul replied, “I am very distressed, for the Philistines are waging war against me, and ^(T)God has abandoned me and ^(U)no longer answers me, either through prophets or in dreams; therefore I have called you, so that you may let me know what I should do.” ¹⁶ Samuel said, “But why ask me, since the Lord has abandoned you and has become your enemy? ¹⁷ And the Lord has done ^[g]just ^(V)as He spoke through me; for the Lord has torn the kingdom from your hand and given it to your neighbor, to David. ¹⁸ Just as ^(W)you did not ^[h]obey the Lord and did not execute His fierce wrath on Amalek, so the Lord has done this thing to you this day. ¹⁹ Furthermore, the Lord will also hand Israel along with you over to the Philistines; so tomorrow ^(X)you and your sons will be with me. Indeed, the Lord will hand the army of Israel over to the Philistines!”

²⁰ Then Saul immediately fell full length to the ground and was very afraid because of Samuel’s words; there was no strength in him either, because he had eaten no ^[i]food all day and all night. ²¹ The woman came to Saul and saw that he was utterly horrified, and she said to him, “Behold, your servant has ^[j]obeyed you, and ^(Y)I have ^[k]taken my life in my hand and have listened to your words which you spoke to me. ²² So now you too, please listen to the voice of your servant, and let me serve you a piece of bread, and eat it, so that you will have strength when you go on your way.” ²³ But he refused and said, “^(Z)I will not eat.” ^(AA)However, his servants together with the woman urged him, and he listened to ^[l]them. So he got up from the ground and sat on ^(AB)the bed. ²⁴ Now the woman had a ^(AC)fattened calf in the house, and she quickly slaughtered it; then she ^(AD)took flour, kneaded it and baked unleavened bread from it. ²⁵ She then served it to Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they got up and left that night.

Saul and His Sons Killed in Battle

31 ^(A)Now the Philistines were fighting against Israel, and the men of Israel fled from the Philistines but fell fatally wounded ^(B)on Mount Gilboa. ² And the Philistines also overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines ^[a]killed ^(C)Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul. ^3 (D)The battle went heavily against Saul, and the archers found him; and he was gravely wounded by the archers. ^4 (E)Then Saul said to his armor bearer, “Draw your sword and pierce me through with it, otherwise ^(F)these uncircumcised Philistines will come and pierce me through, and abuse me.” But his armor bearer was unwilling, because he was very fearful. ^(G)So Saul took ^[b]his sword and fell on it. ⁵ When his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword and died with him. ⁶ So Saul died with his three sons, his armor bearer, and all his men on that day together.

⁷ Now when the people of Israel who were on the other side of the valley, with those who were beyond the Jordan, saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned the cities and fled; then the Philistines came and settled in them.

⁸ It came about on the next day, when the Philistines came to strip those killed, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. ⁹ They cut off his head and stripped off his weapons, and sent them ^[c]throughout the land of the Philistines, ^(H)to bring the good news ^(I)to the house of their idols and to the people. ¹⁰ They put his weapons in the ^[d]temple of ^(J)Ashtaroth, and ^(K)they nailed his body to the wall of ^(L)Beth-shan. ¹¹ Now when ^(M)the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard ^[e]what the Philistines had done to Saul, ^12 (N)all the valiant men got up and walked all night, and they took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and they came to Jabesh and ^(O)burned them there. ¹³ And they took their bones and ^(P)buried them under ^(Q)the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and ^(R)fasted for seven days.