1 Samuel 26:18-20
The Message
17-20 By now, Saul had recognized David’s voice and said, “Is that you, my son David?”
David said, “Yes, it’s me, O King, my master. Why are you after me, hunting me down? What have I done? What crime have I committed? Oh, my master, my king, listen to this from your servant: If God has stirred you up against me, then I gladly offer my life as a sacrifice. But if it’s men who have done it, let them be banished from God’s presence! They’ve expelled me from my rightful place in God’s heritage, sneering, ‘Out of here! Go get a job with some other god!’ But you’re not getting rid of me that easily; you’ll not separate me from God in life or death. The absurdity! The king of Israel obsessed with a single flea! Hunting me down—a mere partridge—out in the hills!”
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1 Samuel 26:18-20
New International Version
18 And he added, “Why is my lord pursuing his servant? What have I done, and what wrong(A) am I guilty of? 19 Now let my lord the king listen(B) to his servant’s words. If the Lord has incited you against me, then may he accept an offering.(C) If, however, people have done it, may they be cursed before the Lord! They have driven me today from my share in the Lord’s inheritance(D) and have said, ‘Go, serve other gods.’(E) 20 Now do not let my blood(F) fall to the ground far from the presence of the Lord. The king of Israel has come out to look for a flea(G)—as one hunts a partridge in the mountains.(H)”
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
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