24 And when Saul turned again, after that he pursued [the] Philistines, they told to him, and said, Lo! David is in the desert of Engedi (Lo! David is in the wilderness of Engedi).

² Therefore Saul took three thousand chosen men of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men, yea upon the most broken rocks, the which be thorough-ways to wild goats alone (which be thoroughfares only for wild goats).

³ And he came to the folds of sheep, that offered themselves to the way-goer. And there was a cave, into which Saul entered, that he would purge his womb; forsooth David and his men were hid in the inner part of the den. (And he came to the sheepfolds, or the pens, that offered themselves to the way-goer. And there was a cave, into which Saul entered, where he could empty his bowels; and David and his men were hid in the inner part of that cave.)

⁴ And the servants of David said to him, Lo! the day of which the Lord spake to thee, (and said,) I shall betake to thee thine enemy, that thou do to him as it pleaseth in thine eyes. Therefore David rose up, and cutted the hem off the mantle of Saul privily. (And David’s servants said to him, Lo! this is the day of which the Lord spoke to thee, and said, I shall deliver thy enemy to thee, so that thou can do to him as it pleaseth thee. And David rose up, and secretly cut off the hem of Saul’s mantle.)

⁵ After these things, David smote his heart, that is, his conscience reproved him, for he had cut away the hem of the mantle of Saul. (But after doing this, David’s heart struck him, that is, his conscience reproved him, for he had cut away the hem of Saul’s mantle.)

⁶ And David said to his men, The Lord be merciful to me, lest I do this thing to my lord, the anointed of the Lord, or that I send mine hand on him, for he is the christ of the Lord. (And David said to his men, The Lord forbid that I do this to my lord, who is the Lord’s anointed, or that I put my hand against him, for he is the Lord’s anointed.)

⁷ The Lord liveth, for but the Lord smite him, either his day come, that he die, either he go down into battle, and perish, the Lord be merciful to me, that I send not mine hand into the christ of the Lord; and David brake his men by such words, and suffered not them, that they rised against Saul. And Saul rose out of the den, and went in the way begun. (As the Lord liveth, but the Lord strike him down, or his day come that he die, or that he go down to the battle, and perish, the Lord forbid that I put my hand against the Lord’s anointed; and David convicted his men with such words, and did not allow them to rise up against Saul. And so Saul left the cave without any harm, and went on the way begun.)

⁸ And David rose up after him, and he went out of the den, and cried after the back of Saul, and said, My lord, the king! And Saul beheld behind himself; and David bowed himself low to the earth, and worshipped him (and David bowed low to the ground, and honoured him).

⁹ And David said to Saul, Why hearest thou the words of men speaking, David seeketh evil against thee? (And David said to Saul, Why hearest thou the words of men who say that David seeketh to harm thee.)

¹⁰ Lo! today thine eyes saw, that the Lord betook thee in mine hand in the den, and I thought that I would slay thee, but mine eye spared thee; for I said, I shall not hold forth mine hand into my lord, for he is the anointed of the Lord. (Lo! today thine eyes can see that the Lord delivered thee into my hands in the cave, and I thought that I would kill thee, but instead, I spared thee; for I said, I shall not put my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord’s anointed.)

¹¹ But rather, my father, see thou, and know the hem of thy mantle in mine hand; for when I cutted away the hem off thy mantle, I would not hold forth mine hand against thee (for when I cut off the hem of thy mantle, I would not put forth my hand against thee); perceive thou, and see, for neither evil neither wickedness is in mine hand, neither I have sinned against thee; but thou ambushest my life, that thou do it away.

¹² The Lord deem betwixt me and thee, and the Lord venge me of thee (and the Lord avenge me upon thee); but mine (own) hand be not against thee,

¹³ as it is said in [the] eld proverb, Wickedness shall go out of wicked men; therefore mine hand be not against thee (and so my hand shall not be against thee).

¹⁴ Whom pursuest thou, king of Israel, whom pursuest thou? Thou pursuest a dead hound, and a quick flea.

¹⁵ The Lord be judge, and the Lord deem betwixt me and thee, and see, and deem my cause, and deliver me from thine hand.

¹⁶ And when David had filled, or ended, speaking such manner words to Saul, Saul said, Whether this is thy voice, my son David? And Saul raised up his voice, and wept.

¹⁷ And he said to David, Thou art more just than I; for thou gavest good things to me; but I have yielded evils to thee. (And he said to David, Thou art more in the right than I; for thou gavest good to me; but I yielded only evil to thee.)

¹⁸ And thou hast showed to me today, what goods thou hast done to me, how the Lord betook me in thine hand, and thou killedest not me. (And thou hast shown me today the good that thou hast done for me, yea, how the Lord delivered me into thy hands, but thou didest not kill me.)

¹⁹ For who, when he findeth his enemy, shall deliver him into (a) good way? But the Lord yield to thee this while, for that, (that) thou hast wrought today in me (for what thou hast done for me today).

²⁰ And now, for I know, that thou shalt reign most certainly, and shalt have in thine hand the realm of Israel, (And now, for I know, that most certainly thou shalt reign, and shalt have in thy hands the kingdom of Israel,)

²¹ swear thou to me in the Lord, that thou do not away my seed after me, neither take away my name from the house of my father. (swear thou to me by the Lord, that thou shalt not do away my descendants after me, nor take away my name from my father’s house.)

²² And David swore to Saul. Therefore Saul went into his house (And then Saul went back to his house), and David and his men went up to (the) secure places.