1 Samuel 21-31

Contemporary English Version

Ahimelech Helps David

21 ^(A) David went to see Ahimelech, a priest who lived in the town of Nob. Ahimelech was trembling with fear as he came out to meet David. “Why are you alone?” Ahimelech asked. “Why isn't anyone else with you?”

² “I'm on a mission for King Saul,” David answered. “He ordered me not to tell anyone what the mission is all about, so I ordered my soldiers to stay somewhere else. ³ Do you have any food you can give me? Could you spare five loaves of bread?”

⁴ “The only bread I have is the sacred bread,” the priest told David. “You can have it if your soldiers didn't sleep with women last night.”^[a]

⁵ “Of course we didn't sleep with women,” David answered. “I never let my men do that when we're on a mission. They have to be acceptable to worship God even when we're on a regular mission, and today we're on a special mission.”

^6 (B) The only bread the priest had was the sacred bread that he had taken from the place of worship after putting out the fresh loaves. So he gave it to David.

⁷ It so happened that one of Saul's officers was there, worshiping the Lord that day. His name was Doeg the Edomite,^[b] and he was the strongest of^[c] Saul's shepherds.

⁸ David asked Ahimelech, “Do you have a spear or a sword? I had to leave so quickly on this mission for the king that I didn't bring along my sword or any other weapons.”

^9 (C) The priest answered, “The only sword here is the one that belonged to Goliath the Philistine. You were the one who killed him in Elah Valley, and so you can take his sword if you want to. It's wrapped in a cloth behind the statue.”

“It's the best sword there is,” David said. “I'll take it!”

David Tries To Find Safety in Gath

¹⁰ David kept on running from Saul that day until he came to Gath,^[d] where he met with King Achish. ^11 (D) The officers of King Achish were also there, and they asked Achish, “Isn't David a king back in his own country? Don't the Israelites dance and sing,

^12 (E) David thought about what they were saying, and it made him afraid of Achish. ^13 (F) So right there in front of everyone, he pretended to be insane. He acted confused and started making scratches on the doors of the town gate, while drooling in his beard.

¹⁴ “Look at him!” Achish said to his officers. “You can see he's crazy. Why did you bring him to me? ¹⁵ I have enough crazy people without your bringing another one here. Keep him away from my palace!”

People Join David

22 ^(G) When David escaped from the town of Gath, he went to Adullam Cave. His brothers and the rest of his family found out where he was, and they followed him there. ² A lot of other people joined him too. Some were in trouble, others were angry or in debt, and David was soon the leader of 400 men.

³ David left Adullam Cave and went to the town of Mizpeh in Moab, where he talked with the king of Moab. “Please,” David said, “let my father and mother stay with you until I find out what God will do with me.” ⁴ So he brought his parents to the king of Moab, and they stayed with him while David was in hiding.

⁵ One day the prophet Gad told David, “Don't stay here! Go back to Judah.” David then left and went to Hereth Forest.

Saul Kills the Priests of the Lord

⁶ Saul was sitting under a small tree on top of the hill at Gibeah when he heard that David and his men had been located. Saul was holding his spear, and his officers were standing in front of him. ⁷ He told them:

Listen to me! You belong to the Benjamin tribe,^[e] so if that son of Jesse ever becomes king, he won't give you fields or vineyards. He won't make you officers in charge of thousands or hundreds as I have done. ⁸ But you're all plotting against me! Not one of you told me that my own son Jonathan had made an agreement with him. Not one of you cared enough to tell me that Jonathan had helped one of my officers^[f] rebel. Now that son of Jesse is trying to ambush me.

^9 (H) Doeg the Edomite was standing with the other officers and spoke up, “When I was in the town of Nob, I saw that son of Jesse. He was visiting the priest Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. ¹⁰ Ahimelech talked to the Lord for him, then gave him food and the sword that had belonged to Goliath the Philistine.”

¹¹ Saul sent a message to Ahimelech and his whole family of priests at Nob, ordering them to come to him. When they came, ¹² Saul told them, “Listen to me, you son of Ahitub.”

“Certainly, Your Majesty,” Ahimelech answered.

¹³ Saul demanded, “Why did you plot against me with that son of Jesse? You helped him rebel against me by giving him food and a sword, and by talking with God for him. Now he's trying to ambush me!”

¹⁴ “Your Majesty, none of your officers is more loyal than David!” Ahimelech replied. “He's your son-in-law and the captain of your bodyguard. Everyone in your family respects him. ¹⁵ This isn't the first time I've talked with God for David, and it's never made you angry before! Please don't accuse me or my family like this. I have no idea what's going on!”

¹⁶ “Ahimelech,” Saul said, “you and your whole family are going to die.”

¹⁷ Saul shouted to his bodyguards, “These priests of the Lord helped David! They knew he was running away, but they didn't tell me. Kill them!”

But the king's officers would not attack the priests of the Lord.

¹⁸ Saul turned to Doeg, who was from Edom, and said, “Kill the priests!”

On that same day, Doeg killed 85 priests. ¹⁹ Then he attacked the town of Nob, where the priests had lived, and he killed everyone there—men, women, children, and babies. He even killed their cattle, donkeys, and sheep.

Only Abiathar Escapes from Nob

²⁰ Ahimelech's son Abiathar was the only one who escaped. He ran to David ²¹ and told him, “Saul has murdered the Lord's priests at Nob!”

²² David answered, “That day when I saw Doeg, I knew he would tell Saul! Your family died because of me. ²³ Stay here. Isn't the same person trying to kill both of us? Don't worry! You'll be safe here with me.”

David Rescues the Town of Keilah

23 One day some people told David, “The Philistines keep attacking the town of Keilah and stealing grain from the threshing place.”

² David asked the Lord, “Should I attack these Philistines?”

“Yes,” the Lord answered. “Attack them and rescue Keilah.”

³ But David's men said, “Look, even here in Judah we're afraid of the Philistines. We will be terrified if we try to fight them at Keilah!”^[g]

⁴ David asked the Lord about it again. “Leave at once,” the Lord answered. “I will give you victory over the Philistines at Keilah.”

⁵ David and his men went there and fiercely attacked the Philistines. They killed many of them, then led away their cattle, and rescued the people of Keilah.

^6-8 Meanwhile, Saul heard that David was in Keilah. “God has let me catch David,” Saul said. “David is trapped inside a walled town where the gates can be locked.” Saul decided to go there and surround the town, in order to trap David and his men. He sent messengers who told the towns and villages, “Send men to serve in Saul's army!”

By this time, Abiathar had joined David in Keilah and had brought along everything he needed to get answers from God.

⁹ David heard about Saul's plan to capture him, and he told Abiathar, “Let's ask God what we should do.”

¹⁰ David prayed, “Lord God of Israel, I was told that Saul is planning to come here. What should I do? Suppose he threatens to destroy the town because of me. ¹¹ Would the leaders of Keilah turn me over to Saul? Or is he really coming? Please tell me, Lord.”

“Yes, he will come,” the Lord answered.

¹² David asked, “Would the leaders of Keilah hand me and my soldiers over to Saul?”

“Yes, they would,” the Lord answered.

¹³ David and his 600 men got out of there fast and started moving from place to place. Saul heard that David had left Keilah, and he decided not to go after him.

Jonathan Says David Will Be King

¹⁴ David stayed in hideouts in the hill country of Ziph Desert. Saul kept searching, but God never let Saul catch him.

¹⁵ One time, David was at Horesh in Ziph Desert. He was afraid because^[h] Saul had come to the area to kill him. ¹⁶ But Jonathan went to see David, and God helped him encourage David. ¹⁷ “Don't be afraid,” Jonathan said. “My father Saul will never get his hands on you. In fact, you're going to be the next king of Israel, and I'll be your highest official. Even my father knows it's true.”

^18 (I) They both promised the Lord that they would always be loyal to each other. Then Jonathan went home, but David stayed at Horesh.

David Escapes from Saul

^19 (J) Some people from the town of Ziph went to Saul at Gibeah and said, “Your Majesty, David has a hideout not far from us! It's near Horesh, somewhere on Mount Hachilah south of Jeshimon.^{[i] 20} If you come, we will help you catch him.”

²¹ Saul told them:

You've done me a big favor, and I pray that the Lord will bless you. ²² Now please do just a little more for me. Find out exactly where David is, as well as where he goes, and who has seen him there. I've been told that he's very tricky. ²³ Find out where all his hiding places are and come back when you're sure. Then I'll go with you. If he is still in the area, or anywhere among the clans of Judah, I'll find him.

²⁴ The people from Ziph went back ahead of Saul, and they found out that David and his men were still south of Jeshimon in the Maon Desert. ²⁵ Saul and his army set out to find David. But David heard that Saul was coming, and he went to a place called The Rock, one of his hideouts in Maon Desert.

Saul found out where David was and started closing in on him. ²⁶ Saul was going around a hill on one side, and David and his men were on the other side, trying to get away. Saul and his soldiers were just about to capture David and his men, ²⁷ when a messenger came to Saul and said, “Come quickly! The Philistines are attacking Israel and taking everything.”

²⁸ Saul stopped going after David and went back to fight the Philistines. That's why the place is called “Escape Rock.”

²⁹ David left and went to live in the hideouts at En-Gedi.

David Lets Saul Live

24 When Saul got back from fighting off the Philistines, he heard that David was in the desert around En-Gedi. ² Saul led 3,000 of Israel's best soldiers out to look for David and his men near Wild Goat Rocks at En-Gedi. ^3 (K) There were some sheep pens along the side of the road, and one of them was built around the entrance to a cave. Saul went into the cave to relieve himself.

David and his men were hiding at the back of the cave. ⁴ They whispered to David, “The Lord told you he was going to let you defeat your enemies and do whatever you want with them. This must be the day the Lord was talking about.”

David sneaked over and cut off a small piece^[j] of Saul's robe, but Saul didn't notice a thing. ⁵ Afterwards, David was sorry that he had even done that, ^6-7 (L) and he told his men, “Stop talking foolishly. We're not going to attack Saul. He's my king, and I pray that the Lord will keep me from doing anything to harm his chosen king.”

Saul left the cave and started down the road. ⁸ Soon, David also got up and left the cave. “Your Majesty!” he shouted from a distance.

Saul turned around to look. David bowed down very low ⁹ and said:

Your Majesty, why do you listen to people who say that I'm trying to harm you? ¹⁰ You can see for yourself that the Lord gave me the chance to catch you in the cave today. Some of my men wanted to kill you, but I wouldn't let them do it. I told them, “I will not harm the Lord's chosen king!” ¹¹ Your Majesty, look at what I'm holding. You can see that it's a piece of your robe. If I could cut off a piece of your robe, I could have killed you. But I let you live, and that should prove I'm not trying to harm you or to rebel. I haven't done anything to you, and yet you keep trying to ambush and kill me.

¹² I'll let the Lord decide which one of us has done right. I pray that the Lord will punish you for what you're doing to me, but I won't do anything to you. ¹³ An old proverb says, “Only evil people do evil things,” and so I won't harm you.

^14 (M) Why should the king of Israel be out chasing me, anyway? I'm as worthless as a dead dog or a flea. ¹⁵ I pray that the Lord will help me escape and show that I am in the right.

¹⁶ “David, my son—is that you?” Saul asked. Then he started crying ¹⁷ and said:

David, you're a better person than I am. You treated me with kindness, even though I've been cruel to you. ¹⁸ You've told me how you were kind enough not to kill me when the Lord gave you the chance. ¹⁹ If you really were my enemy, you wouldn't have let me leave here alive. I pray that the Lord will give you a big reward for what you did today.

²⁰ I realize now that you will be the next king, and a powerful king at that. ²¹ Promise me with the Lord as your witness, that you won't wipe out my descendants. Let them live to keep my family name alive.

²² So David promised, and Saul went home. David and his men returned to their hideout.

Samuel Dies

25 Samuel died, and people from all over Israel gathered to mourn for him when he was buried at his home^[k] in Ramah. Meanwhile, David moved his camp to Paran Desert.^[l]

Abigail Keeps David from Killing Innocent People

^2-3 Nabal was a very rich man who lived in Maon. He owned 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats, which he kept at Carmel.^[m] His wife Abigail was sensible and beautiful, but he was from the Caleb clan^[n] and was rough and mean.

⁴ One day, Nabal was in Carmel where his servants were cutting the wool from his sheep. David was in the desert when he heard about it. ^5-6 So he sent ten men to Carmel with this message for Nabal:

I hope that you and your family are healthy and that all is going well for you. ⁷ I've heard that you are cutting the wool from your sheep.

When your shepherds were with us in Carmel, we didn't harm them, and nothing was ever stolen from them. ⁸ Ask your shepherds, and they'll tell you the same thing.

My servants are your servants, and you are like a father to me. This is a day for celebrating,^[o] so please be kind and share some of your food with us.

⁹ David's men went to Nabal and gave him David's message, then they waited for Nabal's answer.

¹⁰ This is what he said:

Who does this David think he is? That son of Jesse is just one more slave on the run from his master, and there are too many of them these days. ¹¹ What makes you think I would take my bread, my water, and the meat that I've had cooked for my own servants^[p] and give it to you? Besides, I'm not sure that David sent you!^[q]

¹² The men returned to their camp and told David everything Nabal had said.

¹³ “Everybody get your swords!” David ordered.

They all strapped on their swords. Two hundred men stayed behind to guard the camp, but the other 400 followed David.

^14-16 Meanwhile, one of Nabal's servants told Abigail:

David's men were often nearby while we were taking care of the sheep in the fields. They were very good to us, they never hurt us, and nothing was ever stolen from us while they were nearby. With them around day or night, we were as safe as we would have been inside a walled city.

David sent some messengers from the desert to wish our master well, but he shouted insults at them. ¹⁷ He's a bully who won't listen to anyone.

Isn't there something you can do? Please think of something! Or else our master and his family and everyone who works for him are all doomed.

¹⁸ Abigail quickly got together 200 loaves of bread, two large clay jars of wine, the meat from five sheep, a large sack of roasted grain, 100 handfuls of raisins, and 200 handfuls of dried figs. She loaded all the food on donkeys ¹⁹ and told her servants, “Take this on ahead, and I'll catch up with you.” She didn't tell her husband Nabal what she was doing.

²⁰ Abigail was riding her donkey on the path that led around the hillside, when suddenly she met David and his men heading straight at her.

²¹ David had just been saying, “I surely wasted my time guarding Nabal's things in the desert and keeping them from being stolen! I was good to him, and now he pays me back with insults. ²² I swear that by morning, there won't be a man or boy left from his family or his servants' families. I pray that God will punish me^[r] if I don't do it!”

²³ Abigail quickly got off her donkey and bowed down in front of David. ²⁴ Then she said:

Sir, please let me explain! ²⁵ Don't pay any attention to that good-for-nothing Nabal. His name means “fool,” and it really fits him!

I didn't see the men you sent, ^26-27 but please take this gift of food that I've brought and share it with your followers. The Lord has kept you from taking revenge and from killing innocent people. But I hope your enemies and anyone else who wants to harm you will end up like Nabal. I swear this by the living Lord and by your life.

²⁸ Please forgive me if I say a little more. The Lord will always protect you and your family, because you fight for him. I pray that you won't ever do anything evil as long as you live. ²⁹ The Lord your God will keep you safe when your enemies try to kill you. But he will snatch away their lives quicker than you can throw a rock from a sling.

³⁰ The Lord has promised to do many good things for you, even to make you the ruler of Israel. The Lord will keep his promises to you, ³¹ and now your conscience will be clear, because you won't be guilty of taking revenge and killing innocent people.

When the Lord does all those good things for you, please remember me.

³² David told her:

I praise the Lord God of Israel! He must have sent you to meet me today. ³³ And you should also be praised. Your good sense kept me from taking revenge and killing innocent people. ³⁴ If you hadn't come to meet me so quickly, every man and boy in Nabal's family and in his servants' families would have been killed by morning. I swear by the living Lord God of Israel who protected you that this is the truth.

³⁵ David accepted the food Abigail had brought. “Don't worry,” he said. “You can go home now. I'll do what you asked.”

³⁶ Abigail went back home and found Nabal throwing a party fit for a king. He was very drunk and feeling good, so she didn't tell him anything that night. ³⁷ But when he sobered up the next morning, Abigail told him everything that had happened. Nabal had a heart attack, and he lay in bed as still as a stone. ³⁸ Ten days later, the Lord took his life.

^39-40 David heard that Nabal had died. “I praise the Lord!” David said. “He has judged Nabal guilty for insulting me. The Lord kept me from doing anything wrong, and he made sure that Nabal hurt only himself with his own evil.”

David and Abigail Are Married

Abigail was still at Carmel. So David sent messengers to ask her if she would marry him.

⁴¹ She bowed down and said, “I would willingly be David's slave and wash his servants' feet.”

⁴² Abigail quickly got ready and went back with David's messengers. She rode on her donkey, while five of her servant women walked alongside. She and David were married as soon as she arrived.

⁴³ David had earlier married Ahinoam from the town of Jezreel, so both she and Abigail were now David's wives.^{[s] 44 (N)} Meanwhile, Saul had arranged for Michal^[t] to marry Palti the son of Laish, who came from the town of Gallim.

David Again Lets Saul Live

26 ^(O) Once again,^[u] some people from Ziph went to Gibeah to talk with Saul. “David has a hideout on Mount Hachilah near Jeshimon out in the desert,” they told him.

² Saul took 3,000 of Israel's best soldiers and went to look for David there in Ziph Desert. ³ Saul set up camp on Mount Hachilah, which is across the road from Jeshimon. But David was hiding out in the desert.

When David heard that Saul was following him, ⁴ he sent some spies to find out if it was true. ⁵ Then he sneaked up to Saul's camp. He noticed that Saul and his army commander Abner the son of Ner were sleeping in the middle of the camp, with soldiers sleeping all around them. ⁶ David asked Ahimelech the Hittite and Joab's brother Abishai,^[v] “Which one of you will go with me into Saul's camp?”

“I will!” Abishai answered.

⁷ That same night, David and Abishai crept into the camp. Saul was sleeping, and his spear was stuck in the ground not far from his head. Abner and the soldiers were sound asleep all around him.

⁸ Abishai whispered, “This time God has let you get your hands on your enemy! I'll pin him to the ground with one thrust of his own spear.”

⁹ “Don't kill him!” David whispered back. “The Lord will punish anyone who kills his chosen king. ¹⁰ As surely as the Lord lives, the Lord will kill Saul, or Saul will die a natural death or be killed in battle. ^11 (P) But I pray that the Lord will keep me from harming his chosen king. Let's grab his spear and his water jar and get out of here!”

¹² David took the spear and the water jar, then left the camp. None of Saul's soldiers knew what had happened or even woke up—the Lord had made all of them fall sound asleep. ¹³ David and Abishai crossed the valley and went to the top of the next hill, where they were at a safe distance. ¹⁴ “Abner!” David shouted toward Saul's army. “Can you hear me?”

Abner shouted back. “Who dares disturb the king?”

¹⁵ “Abner, what kind of a man are you?” David replied. “Aren't you supposed to be the best soldier in Israel? Then why didn't you protect your king? Anyone who went into your camp could have killed him tonight.^{[w] 16} You're a complete failure! I swear by the living Lord that you and your men deserve to die for not protecting the Lord's chosen king. Look and see if you can find the king's spear and the water jar that were near his head.”

¹⁷ Saul could tell it was David's voice, and he called out, “David, my son! Is that you?”

“Yes it is, Your Majesty. ¹⁸ Why are you hunting me down? Have I done something wrong, or have I committed a crime? ¹⁹ Please listen to what I have to say. If the Lord has turned you against me, maybe a sacrifice will make him change his mind. But if some people have turned you against me, I hope the Lord will punish them! They have forced me to leave the land that belongs to the Lord and have told me to worship foreign gods.^{[x] 20} Don't let me die in a land far away from the Lord. I'm no more important than a flea! Why should the king of Israel hunt me down as if I were a bird in the mountains?”

²¹ “David, you had the chance to kill me today. But you didn't. I was very wrong about you. It was a terrible mistake for me to try to kill you. I've acted like a fool, but I'll never try to harm you again. You're like a son to me, so please come back.”

²² “Your Majesty, here's your spear! Let one of your soldiers come and get it. ²³ The Lord put you in my power today, but you are his chosen king and I wouldn't harm you. The Lord rewards people who are faithful and live right. ²⁴ I spared your life today, and I pray that the Lord will spare my life and keep me safe.”

²⁵ “David, my son, I pray that the Lord will bless you and make you successful!”

David in Philistia

Saul went back home. David also left, 27 ¹ but he thought to himself, “One of these days, Saul is going to kill me. The only way to escape from him is to go to Philistia. Then I'll be outside of Israel, and Saul will give up trying to catch me.”

^2-3 David and his 600 men went across the border to stay in Gath with King Achish the son of Maoch. His men brought their families with them. David brought his wife Ahinoam whose hometown was Jezreel, and he also brought his wife Abigail who had been married to Nabal from Carmel. ⁴ When Saul found out that David had run off to Gath, he stopped trying to catch him.

⁵ One day, David was talking with Achish and said, “If you are happy with me, then let me live in one of the towns in the countryside. I'm not important enough to live here with you in the royal city.”

⁶ Achish gave David the town of Ziklag that same day, and Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah ever since.

⁷ David was in Philistia for a year and four months. ⁸ The Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites lived in the area from Telam to Shur^[y] and on as far as Egypt, and David often attacked their towns. ⁹ Whenever David and his men attacked a town, they took the sheep, cattle, donkeys, camels, and the clothing, and killed everyone who lived there.

After he returned from a raid, David always went to see Achish, ¹⁰ who would ask, “Where did you attack today?”^[z]

David would answer, “Oh, we attacked some desert town that belonged to the Judah tribe.” Sometimes David would say, “Oh, we attacked a town in the desert where the Jerahmeel clan lives” or “We attacked a town in the desert where the Kenites^[aa] live.” ¹¹ That's why David killed everyone in the towns he attacked. He thought, “If I let any of them live, they might come to Gath and tell what I've really been doing.”

David made these raids all the time he was in Philistia. ¹² But Achish trusted David and thought, “David's people must be furious with him. From now on he will have to take orders from me.”

Saul Asks To Talk with Samuel's Ghost

28 ^1-3 (Q) Samuel had died some time earlier,^[ab] and people from all over Israel had attended his funeral in his hometown of Ramah.

Meanwhile, Saul had been trying to get rid of everyone who spoke with the spirits of the dead.^[ac] But one day the Philistines brought their soldiers together to attack Israel.

Achish told David, “Of course, you know that you and your men must fight as part of our Philistine army.”

David answered, “That will give you a chance to see for yourself just how well we can fight!”

“In that case,” Achish said, “you and your men will always be my bodyguards.”

⁴ The Philistines went to Shunem and set up camp. Saul called the army of Israel together, and they set up their camp in Gilboa. ⁵ Saul took one look at the Philistine army and started shaking with fear. ^6 (R) So he asked the Lord what to do. But the Lord would not answer, either in a dream or by a priest or a prophet. ⁷ Then Saul told his officers, “Find me a woman who can talk to the spirits of the dead. I'll go to her and find out what's going to happen.”

His servants told him, “There's a woman at Endor who can talk to spirits of the dead.”

⁸ That night, Saul put on different clothing so nobody would recognize him. Then he and two of his men went to the woman, and asked, “Will you bring up the ghost of someone for us?”

⁹ The woman said, “Why are you trying to trick me and get me killed? You know King Saul has killed everyone who talks to the spirits of the dead!”

¹⁰ Saul replied, “I swear by the living Lord that nothing will happen to you because of this.”

^11 (S) “Who do you want me to bring up?” she asked.

“Bring up the ghost of Samuel,” he answered.

¹² When the woman saw Samuel, she screamed. Then she turned to Saul and said, “You've tricked me! You're the king!”

¹³ “Don't be afraid,” Saul replied. “Just tell me what you see.”

She answered, “I see a spirit rising up out of the ground.”

¹⁴ “What does it look like?”

“It looks like an old man wearing a robe.”

Saul knew it was Samuel, so he bowed down low.

¹⁵ “Why are you bothering me by bringing me up like this?” Samuel asked.

“I'm terribly worried,” Saul answered. “The Philistines are about to attack me. God has turned his back on me and won't answer any more by prophets or by dreams. What should I do?”

¹⁶ Samuel said:

If the Lord has turned away from you and is now your enemy, don't ask me what to do. ^17 (T) I've already told you: The Lord has sworn to take the kingdom from you and give it to David. And that's just what he's doing! ^18 (U) When the Lord was angry with the Amalekites, he told you to destroy them, but you didn't do it. That's why the Lord is doing this to you. ¹⁹ Tomorrow the Lord will let the Philistines defeat Israel's army, then you and your sons will join me down here in the world of the dead.

²⁰ At once, Saul collapsed and lay stretched out on the floor, terrified at what Samuel had said. He was weak because he had not eaten anything since the day before.

²¹ The woman came over to Saul, and when she saw that he was completely terrified, she said, “Your Majesty, I listened to you and risked my life to do what you asked. ²² Now please listen to me. Let me get you a little something to eat. It will give you strength for your walk back to camp.”

²³ “No, I won't eat!”

But his officers and the woman kept on urging Saul, until he finally agreed. He got up off the floor and sat on the bed. ²⁴ At once the woman killed a calf that she had been fattening up. She cooked part of the meat and baked some thin bread.^{[ad] 25} Then she served the food to Saul and his officers, who ate and left before daylight.

The Philistines Send David Back

29 The Philistines had brought their whole army to Aphek,^[ae] while Israel's army was camping near Jezreel Spring. ^2-3 The Philistine rulers and their troops were marching past the Philistine army commanders in groups of 100 and 1,000. When David and his men marched by at the end with Achish, the commanders said, “What are these worthless Israelites doing here?”

“They are David's men,” Achish answered. “David used to be one of Saul's officers, but he left Saul and joined my army a long time ago. I've never had even one complaint about him.”

⁴ The Philistine army commanders were angry and shouted:

Send David back to the town you gave him. We won't have him going into the battle with us. He could turn and fight against us! Saul would take David back as an officer if David brought him the heads of our soldiers. ^5 (V) The Israelites even dance and sing,

⁶ Achish called David over and said:

I swear by the living Lord that you've been honest with me, and I want you to fight by my side. I don't think you've done anything wrong from the day you joined me until this very moment. But the other Philistine rulers don't want you to come along. ⁷ Go on back home and try not to upset them.

⁸ “But what have I done?” David asked. “Do you know of anything I've ever done that would keep me from fighting the enemies of my king?”^[af]

⁹ Achish said:

I believe that you're as good as an angel of God, but our army commanders have decided that you can't fight in this battle. ¹⁰ You and your troops will have to go back to the town I gave you.^[ag] Get up and leave tomorrow morning as soon as it's light. I'm pleased with you, so don't let any of this bother you.^[ah]

¹¹ David and his men got up early in the morning and headed back toward Philistia, while the Philistines left for Jezreel.

David Rescues His Soldiers' Families

30 It took David and his men three days to reach Ziklag. But while they had been away, the Amalekites had been raiding in the desert around there. They had attacked Ziklag, burned it to the ground, ² and had taken away the women and children. ³ When David and his men came to Ziklag, they saw the burned-out ruins and learned that their families had been taken captive. ⁴ They started crying and kept it up until they were too weak to cry any more. ^5 (W) David's two wives, Ahinoam and Abigail, had been taken captive with everyone else.

⁶ David was desperate. His soldiers were so upset over what had happened to their sons and daughters that they were thinking about stoning David to death. But he felt the Lord God giving him strength, ^7 (X) and he said to the priest, “Abiathar, let's ask God what to do.”

Abiathar brought everything he needed to get answers from God, and he went over to David. ⁸ Then David asked the Lord, “Should I go after the people who raided our town? Can I catch up with them?”

“Go after them,” the Lord answered. “You will catch up with them, and you will rescue your families.”

^9-10 David led his 600 men to Besor Gorge, but 200 of them were too tired to go across. So they stayed behind, while David and the other 400 men crossed the gorge.

¹¹ Some of David's men found an Egyptian out in a field and took him to David. They gave the Egyptian some bread, and he ate it. Then they gave him a drink of water, ¹² some dried figs, and two handfuls of raisins. This was the first time in three days he had tasted food or water. Now he felt much better.

¹³ “Who is your master?” David asked. “And where do you come from?”

“I'm from Egypt,” the young man answered. “I'm the servant of an Amalekite, but he left me here three days ago because I was sick. ¹⁴ We had attacked some towns in the desert where the Cherethites live, in the area that belongs to Judah, and in the desert where the Caleb clan lives. And we burned down Ziklag.”

¹⁵ “Will you take me to those Amalekites?” David asked.

“Yes, I will, if you promise with God as a witness that you won't kill me or hand me over to my master.”

¹⁶ He led David to the Amalekites. They were eating and drinking everywhere, celebrating because of what they had taken from Philistia and Judah. ¹⁷ David attacked just before sunrise the next day and fought until sunset.^[ai] Four hundred Amalekites rode away on camels, but they were the only ones who escaped.

¹⁸ David rescued his two wives and everyone else the Amalekites had taken from Ziklag. ¹⁹ No one was missing—young or old, sons or daughters. David brought back everything that had been stolen, ²⁰ including their livestock.

David also took the sheep and cattle that the Amalekites had with them, but he kept these separate from the others. Everyone agreed that these would be David's reward.

²¹ On the way back, David went to the 200 men he had left at Besor Gorge, because they had been too tired to keep up with him. They came toward David and the people who were with him. When David was close enough, he greeted the 200 men and asked how they were doing.

²² Some of David's men were good-for-nothings, and they said, “Those men didn't go with us to the battle, so they don't get any of the things we took back from the Amalekites. Let them take their wives and children and go!”

²³ But David said:

My friends, don't be so greedy with what the Lord has given us! The Lord protected us and gave us victory over the people who attacked. ²⁴ Who would pay attention to you, anyway? Soldiers who stay behind to guard the camp get as much as those who go into battle.

²⁵ David made this a law for Israel, and it has been the same ever since.

²⁶ David went back to Ziklag with everything they had taken from the Amalekites. He sent some of these things as gifts to his friends who were leaders of Judah, and he told them, “We took these things from the Lord's enemies. Please accept them as a gift.”

^27-31 This is a list of the towns where David sent gifts: Bethel,^[aj] Ramoth in the Southern Desert, Jattir, Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa, Racal, the towns belonging to the Jerahmeelites and the Kenites, Hormah, Bor-Ashan, Athach, and Hebron. He also sent gifts to the other towns where he and his men had traveled.

Saul and His Sons Die

31 Meanwhile, the Philistines were fighting Israel at Mount Gilboa. Israel's soldiers ran from the Philistines, and many of them were killed. ² The Philistines closed in on Saul and his sons, and they killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua. ³ The fighting was fierce around Saul, and he was badly wounded by enemy arrows.

⁴ Saul told the soldier who carried his weapons, “Kill me with your sword! I don't want these worthless Philistines to torture and make fun of me.” But the soldier was afraid to kill him.

Saul then took out his own sword; he stuck the blade into his stomach, and fell on it. ⁵ When the soldier knew that Saul was dead, he killed himself in the same way.

⁶ Saul was dead, his three sons were dead, and the soldier who carried his weapons was dead. They and all his soldiers died on that same day. ⁷ The Israelites on the other side of Jezreel Valley^[ak] and the other side of the Jordan learned that Saul and his sons were dead. They saw that the Israelite army had run away. So they ran away too, and the Philistines moved into the towns the Israelites had left behind.

⁸ The day after the battle, when the Philistines returned to the battlefield to take the weapons of the dead Israelite soldiers, they found Saul and his three sons lying dead on Mount Gilboa. ^9-10 The Philistines cut off Saul's head and pulled off his armor. Then they put his armor in the temple of the goddess Astarte, and they nailed his body to the city wall of Beth-Shan. They also sent messengers everywhere in Philistia to spread the good news in the temples of their idols and among their people.

¹¹ The people who lived in Jabesh in Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul's body. ¹² So one night, some brave men from Jabesh went to Beth-Shan. They took down the bodies of Saul and his sons, then brought them back to Jabesh and burned them. ¹³ They buried the bones under a small tree in Jabesh, and for seven days, they went without eating to show their sorrow.