1 Samuel 17-24

New American Standard Bible

Goliath’s Challenge

17 Now ^(A)the Philistines gathered their armies for battle; and they were gathered at Socoh which belongs to Judah, and they camped between ^(B)Socoh and ^(C)Azekah, in ^(D)Ephes-dammim. ² Saul and the men of Israel were assembled and camped in ^(E)the Valley of Elah, and they drew up in battle formation to confront the Philistines. ³ The Philistines were standing on the mountain on one side, while Israel was standing on the mountain on the other side, with the valley between them. ⁴ Then a champion came forward from the army encampment of the Philistines, named ^(F)Goliath, from ^(G)Gath. His height was ^[a]six cubits and a ^[b]span. ⁵ And he had a bronze helmet on his head, and he wore scale-armor ^[c]which weighed ^[d]five thousand shekels of bronze. ⁶ He also had bronze ^[e]greaves on his legs and a ^(H)bronze ^[f]saber slung between his shoulders. ^7 (I)The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and the head of his spear weighed ^[g]six hundred shekels of iron; and ^(J)his shield-carrier walked in front of him. ⁸ He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel and said to them, “Why do you come out to draw up in battle formation? Am I not the Philistine, and you the ^(K)servants of Saul? Choose a man as your representative and have him come down to me. ^9 (L)If he is able to fight me and ^[h]kill me, then we will become your servants; but if I prevail against him and ^[i]kill him, then you shall become our servants and serve us.” ¹⁰ Then the Philistine said, “^(M)I have defied the ranks of Israel this day! Give me a man, so that we may fight together.” ¹¹ When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and very fearful.

¹² Now David was ^(N)the son of ^[j]the ^(O)Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, the man whose name was Jesse, and ^(P)he had eight sons. And ^[k]Jesse was old in the days of Saul, advanced in years among men. ¹³ The three older sons of Jesse had ^[l]followed Saul to the battle. And ^(Q)the names of his three sons who had gone into the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and second to him, Abinadab, and the third, Shammah. ¹⁴ So ^(R)David was the youngest. Now the three oldest followed Saul, ^15 (S)but David went back and forth from Saul ^(T)to tend his father’s flock at Bethlehem. ¹⁶ And the Philistine came forward morning and evening, and took his stand for forty days.

¹⁷ Then Jesse said to his son David, “^(U)Take now for your brothers an ephah of this roasted grain and these ten loaves, and run to the camp to your brothers. ^18 (V)Bring also these ten slices of cheese to the commander of their thousand, ^(W)and look into the well-being of your brothers and bring back ^[m]confirmation from them. ¹⁹ For Saul and they and all the men of Israel are in the Valley of Elah, fighting the Philistines.”

David Accepts the Challenge

²⁰ So David got up early in the morning and left the flock with a keeper, and took the supplies and went as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the ^(X)entrenchment encircling the camp while the army was going out in battle formation, shouting the war cry. ²¹ Israel and the Philistines drew up in battle formation, army against army. ²² Then David left the ^(Y)baggage in the ^[n]care of the baggage keeper and ran to the battle line. And he entered and ^[o]greeted his brothers. ²³ As he was speaking with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine from Gath named Goliath, was coming up from the army of the Philistines, and he spoke ^(Z)these same words; and David heard him.

²⁴ When all the men of Israel saw the man, they fled from him and were very fearful. ²⁵ And the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who is coming up? Surely he is coming up to defy Israel. And it will be that the king will make the man who kills him wealthy with great riches, and ^(AA)will give him his daughter and make his father’s house ^[p]free in Israel.”

²⁶ Then David said to the men who were standing by him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and rids Israel of ^(AB)the disgrace? For who is this ^(AC)uncircumcised Philistine, that he has dared to ^(AD)defy the armies of ^(AE)the living God?” ²⁷ The people ^[q]answered him in agreement with this statement, saying, “^(AF)This is what will be done for the man who kills him.”

²⁸ Now Eliab his oldest brother heard him when he spoke to the men; and ^(AG)Eliab’s anger burned against David and he said, “Why is it that you have come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I myself know your insolence and the wickedness of your heart; for you have come down in order to see the battle.” ²⁹ But David said, “What have I done now? Was it not just a ^[r]question?” ³⁰ Then he turned ^[s]away from him to another and ^(AH)said the same thing; and the people replied with the same words as ^[t]before.

David Kills Goliath

³¹ When the words that David spoke were heard, they informed ^[u]Saul, and he ^[v]sent for him. ³² And David said to Saul, “^(AI)May no one’s heart fail on account of him; ^(AJ)your servant will go and fight this Philistine!” ³³ But Saul said to David, “^(AK)You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight him; for you are only a youth, while he has been a warrior since his youth.” ³⁴ But David said to Saul, “Your servant was tending his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a sheep from the flock, ³⁵ I went out after it and ^[w]attacked it, and ^(AL)rescued the sheep from its mouth; and when it rose up against me, I grabbed it by its mane and struck it and killed it. ³⁶ Your servant has ^[x]killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God.” ³⁷ And David said, “^(AM)The Lord who saved me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear, He will save me from the hand of this Philistine.” So Saul said to David, “^(AN)Go, and may the Lord be with you.” ³⁸ Then Saul clothed David with his military attire and put a bronze helmet on his head, and outfitted him with armor. ³⁹ And David strapped on his sword over his military attire and struggled at walking, for he had not trained with the armor. So David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, because I have not trained with them.” And David took them ^[y]off. ⁴⁰ Then he took his staff in his hand and chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in the shepherd’s bag which he had, that is, in his shepherd’s pouch, and ^(AO)his sling was in his hand; and he approached the Philistine.

⁴¹ Then the Philistine came and approached David, with the shield-bearer in front of him. ⁴² When the Philistine looked and saw David, ^(AP)he was contemptuous of him; for he was only a youth, and ^[z](AQ)reddish, with a handsome appearance. ⁴³ So the Philistine said to David, “^(AR)Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And ^(AS)the Philistine cursed David by his gods. ⁴⁴ The Philistine also said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh ^(AT)to the birds of the sky and the ^[aa]wild animals.” ⁴⁵ But David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a ^[ab]saber, ^(AU)but I come to you in the name of the Lord of armies, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. ⁴⁶ This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I will strike you and remove your head from you. Then I will give the ^(AV)dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild animals of the earth, ^(AW)so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, ⁴⁷ and that this entire assembly may know that ^(AX)the Lord does not save by sword or by spear; ^(AY)for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will hand you over to us!”

⁴⁸ Then it happened, when the Philistine ^[ac]came closer to meet David, that ^(AZ)David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. ⁴⁹ And David put his hand into his bag and took from it a stone and slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead. And the stone penetrated his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground.

⁵⁰ So David prevailed over the Philistine with the sling and the stone: he struck the Philistine and killed him, and there was no sword in David’s hand. ⁵¹ Then David ran and stood over the Philistine, and ^(BA)took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and finished him, and cut off his head with it. ^(BB)When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. ⁵² Then the men of Israel and Judah rose up and shouted, and they pursued the Philistines ^[ad]as far as the valley, and to the gates of ^(BC)Ekron. And the Philistine dead ^[ae]lay along the way to ^(BD)Shaaraim, even to Gath and Ekron. ⁵³ Then the sons of Israel returned from their close pursuit of the Philistines, and plundered their camps. ⁵⁴ And David took the Philistine’s head and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his weapons in his tent.

⁵⁵ Now when Saul had seen David going out against the Philistine, he said to Abner the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is ^(BE)this young man?” And Abner said, “By your life, O king, I do not know.” ⁵⁶ And the king said, “You then, ask whose son the youth is.” ⁵⁷ So when David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and ^(BF)brought him before Saul with the Philistine’s head in his hand. ⁵⁸ Then Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” And David answered, “^(BG)I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”

Jonathan and David

18 Now it came about, when he had finished speaking to Saul, that ^[af](BH)Jonathan committed himself to David, and ^(BI)Jonathan loved him as himself. ² And Saul took him that day and ^(BJ)did not let him return to his father’s house. ³ Then ^(BK)Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. ^4 (BL)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 ^[ag]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 ^(BM)the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with joy and with other ^[ah]musical instruments. ⁷ The women ^(BN)sang as they ^[ai]played, and said,

⁸ Then Saul became very angry, for this lyric ^[aj]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 ^(BQ)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 ^(BR)an evil spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and ^(BS)he raved in the midst of the house while David was playing the harp with his hand, ^[ak](BT)as usual; and ^[al](BU)a spear was in Saul’s hand. ¹¹ Then ^(BV)Saul hurled the spear, for he thought, “I will ^[am]pin David to the wall.” But David ^[an]escaped from his presence, twice.

¹² Now ^(BW)Saul was afraid of David, ^(BX)because the Lord was with him but ^(BY)had left Saul. ¹³ So Saul removed him from ^[ao]his presence and appointed him as his commander of a thousand; and ^(BZ)he went out and came in before the people. ¹⁴ David was ^[ap]successful in all his ways, for ^(CA)the Lord was with him. ¹⁵ When Saul saw that he was ^[aq]very successful, he was afraid of him. ¹⁶ But ^(CB)all Israel and Judah loved David, for he would go out to battle and ^[ar]return ^[as]before them.

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

David Marries Saul’s Daughter

²⁰ Now ^(CI)Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved David. When they informed Saul, the thing was pleasing ^[at]to him. ²¹ For Saul thought, “I will give her to him so that she may become a trap for him, and ^(CJ)that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” Therefore Saul said to David, “^(CK)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 ^[au]to David. But David said, “Is it trivial in your sight to become the king’s son-in-law, ^(CL)since I am only a poor man and insignificant?” ²⁴ Then Saul’s servants reported to him, saying, “^[av]These are the words David spoke.” ²⁵ Saul then said, “This is what you shall say to David: ‘The king does not desire any ^(CM)dowry except a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, ^(CN)to take vengeance on the king’s enemies.’” But ^(CO)Saul plotted to have David fall by the hand of the Philistines. ²⁶ When his servants told David these words, ^[aw]it pleased David to become the king’s son-in-law. So ^[ax](CP)before the time had expired, ²⁷ David set out and went, ^(CQ)he and his men, and fatally struck two hundred men among the Philistines. Then ^(CR)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 ^(CS)went to battle, and it happened as often as they went out, that David ^(CT)was more ^[ay]successful than all the servants of Saul. So his name was held in high esteem.

David Protected from Saul

19 Now Saul told his son Jonathan and all his servants ^(CU)to put David to death. But ^(CV)Jonathan, Saul’s son, greatly delighted in David. ² So Jonathan informed David, saying, “My father Saul is seeking to put you to death. Now then, please be on your guard in the morning, and stay in a hiding place and conceal yourself. ³ And as for me, I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are hiding, and I will speak with my father about you; and ^(CW)whatever I ^[az]find out, I will tell you.” ⁴ Then Jonathan ^(CX)spoke well of David to his father Saul and said to him, “^(CY)May the king not sin against his servant David, since he has not sinned against you, and since his deeds have been very ^[ba]beneficial to you. ⁵ For ^(CZ)he took his life in his hand and struck the Philistine, and ^(DA)the Lord brought about a great ^[bb]victory for all Israel; you saw it and rejoiced. ^(DB)Why then would you sin against innocent blood by putting David to death ^[bc]for no reason?” ⁶ Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan, and Saul vowed, “As the Lord lives, David shall not be put to death.” ⁷ Then Jonathan called David, and Jonathan told him all these words. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as ^(DC)before.

⁸ When there was war again, David went out and fought the Philistines and ^[bd]defeated them with great slaughter, so that they fled from him. ⁹ Now there was ^(DD)an evil spirit from the Lord on Saul as he was sitting in his house ^(DE)with his spear in his hand, ^(DF)and David was playing the harp with his hand. ^10 (DG)And Saul tried to ^[be]pin David to the wall with the spear, but he escaped from Saul’s presence, so that he stuck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night.

¹¹ Then ^(DH)Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him, in order to put him to death in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, informed him, saying, “If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be put to death!” ^12 (DI)So Michal let David down through a window, and he went and fled, and escaped. ¹³ And Michal took ^(DJ)the ^[bf]household idol and laid it on the bed, and put a quilt of goats’ hair at its head, and covered it with clothing. ¹⁴ When Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, “^(DK)He is sick.” ¹⁵ Then Saul sent messengers to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me on ^[bg]his bed, so that I may put him to death.” ¹⁶ When the messengers entered, behold, the ^[bh]household idol was on the bed with the quilt of goats’ hair at its head. ¹⁷ So Saul said to Michal, “Why have you betrayed me like this and let my enemy go, so that he has escaped?” And Michal said to Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go! ^(DL)Why should I put you to death?’”

¹⁸ So David fled and escaped, and came ^(DM)to Samuel at Ramah; and he informed him of everything that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and stayed in ^(DN)Naioth. ¹⁹ But it was reported to Saul, saying, “Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.” ²⁰ Then ^(DO)Saul sent messengers to take David, but when they saw ^(DP)the company of prophets prophesying, with Samuel standing and presiding over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul; and ^(DQ)they also prophesied. ²¹ When Saul was informed of this, he sent other messengers, but they also prophesied. So Saul sent messengers again the third time, yet they prophesied. ²² Then he went to Ramah himself and came as far as the large well that is in Secu; and he ^[bi]asked, “Where are Samuel and David?” And someone said, “Behold, they are at Naioth in Ramah.” ²³ So he ^[bj]proceeded there to Naioth in Ramah; but ^(DR)the Spirit of God came upon him also, so that he went along prophesying continually until he came to Naioth in Ramah. ²⁴ He also stripped off his clothes, and he too prophesied before Samuel and ^[bk]lay down ^[bl](DS)naked all that day and all night. Therefore they say, “^(DT)Is Saul also among the prophets?”

David and Jonathan’s Covenant

20 Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and he came and ^(DU)said ^[bm]to Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my guilt? And what is my sin before your father, that he is seeking my life?” ² He said to him, “Far from it, you shall not die! Behold, my father does nothing either great or small ^[bn]without informing me. So why would my father hide this thing from me? It is not so!” ³ Yet David ^(DV)vowed again, ^[bo]saying, “Your father is well aware that I have found favor in your sight, and he has said, ‘Jonathan is not to know this, otherwise he will be worried.’ But indeed ^(DW)as the Lord lives and as your soul lives, there is ^[bp]just a step between me and death.” ⁴ Then Jonathan said to David, “Whatever ^[bq]you say, I will do for you.” ⁵ So David said to Jonathan, “Behold, tomorrow is ^(DX)the new moon, and I am obligated ^(DY)to sit down to eat with the king. But let me go ^(DZ)so that I may hide myself in the field until the third evening. ⁶ If your father misses me at all, then say, ‘David earnestly requested leave of me to run to ^(EA)Bethlehem, his city, because it is ^(EB)the yearly sacrifice there for the whole family.’ ⁷ If he ^[br]says, ‘That is good,’ your servant will be safe; but if he is very angry, ^(EC)be aware that he has decided on evil. ⁸ So deal kindly with your servant, for ^(ED)you have brought your servant into a covenant of the Lord with you. But ^(EE)if ^[bs]I am guilty of wrongdoing, kill me yourself; for why then should you bring me to your father?” ⁹ Jonathan said, “Far be it from you! For if I in fact learn that my father has decided ^[bt]to inflict harm on you, would I not inform you?” ¹⁰ Then David said to Jonathan, “Who will inform me ^[bu]if your father answers you harshly?” ¹¹ Jonathan said to David, “Come, and let’s go out to the field.” So both of them went out to the field.

¹² Then Jonathan said to David, “The Lord, the God of Israel, is my witness! When I have sounded out my father about this time tomorrow or the third day, behold, if he has a good feeling toward ^[bv]you, shall I not then send word to you and ^[bw]inform you? ¹³ If it pleases my father to do you harm, ^(EF)may the Lord do so to ^[bx]me and more so, if I fail to ^[by]inform you and send you away, so that you may go in safety. And ^(EG)may the Lord be with you as He has been with my father. ¹⁴ And if I am still alive, will you not show me the faithfulness of the Lord, so that I do not die? ¹⁵ And ^(EH)you shall never cut off your loyalty to my house, not even when the Lord cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.” ¹⁶ So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “^(EI)May the Lord demand it from the hands of David’s enemies.” ¹⁷ And Jonathan made David vow again because of his love for him, because ^(EJ)he loved him as he loved his own life.

¹⁸ Then Jonathan said to him, “^(EK)Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed since your seat will be empty. ¹⁹ When you have stayed for three days, you shall go down quickly and come to the place where you hid yourself on that eventful day, and you shall remain beside the stone Ezel. ²⁰ And I will shoot three arrows to the side, as though I shot at a target. ²¹ Then behold, I will send the boy, telling him, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I specifically say to the boy, ‘Behold, the arrows are on this side of you, get them,’ then come, because it is safe for you and there is nothing to harm you, as the Lord lives. ²² But if I ^[bz]say to the youth, ‘^(EL)Behold, the arrows are beyond you,’ go, because the Lord has sent you away. ^23 (EM)As for the ^[ca]agreement of which you and I have spoken, behold, ^(EN)the Lord is between you and me forever.”

²⁴ So David hid himself in the field; and when the new moon came, the king sat down to eat food. ²⁵ Now the king sat on his seat as usual, the seat by the wall; then Jonathan stood up and Abner sat down by Saul’s side; but ^(EO)David’s place was empty. ²⁶ Nevertheless Saul did not say anything that day, because he thought, “It must have been an ^[cb]accident; ^(EP)he is not clean, undoubtedly he is not clean.” ²⁷ But it came about the next day, the second day of the new moon, that David’s place was empty again; so Saul said to his son Jonathan, “Why has the son of Jesse not come to the meal, either yesterday or today?” ²⁸ And Jonathan answered Saul, “^(EQ)David earnestly requested leave of me to go to Bethlehem. ²⁹ He said, ‘Please let me go, because our family has a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has ordered me to attend. So now, if I have found favor in your sight, please let me slip away so that I may see my brothers.’ For this reason he has not come to the king’s table.”

Saul Is Angry with Jonathan

³⁰ Then Saul’s anger burned against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman! Do I not know that you are choosing the son of Jesse to your own shame, and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness? ³¹ For, ^[cc]as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. Now then, send men and bring him to me, for ^(ER)he is ^[cd]doomed to die!” ³² But Jonathan replied to his father Saul and said to him, “^(ES)Why must he be put to death? What has he done?” ³³ Then ^(ET)Saul hurled his spear at him to strike and kill him; ^(EU)so Jonathan knew that his father had decided to put David to death. ³⁴ Then Jonathan got up from the table in the heat of anger, and did not eat food on the second day of the new moon, because he was worried about David since his father had insulted him.

³⁵ Now it came about in the morning that Jonathan went out to the field at the time agreed upon with David, and a little boy was with him. ³⁶ He said to his boy, “^(EV)Run, find now the arrows which I am about to shoot.” The boy ran, and he shot ^[ce]an arrow past him. ³⁷ When the boy reached the location of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan called after the boy and said, “^(EW)Is the arrow not beyond you?” ³⁸ Then Jonathan called after the boy, “Hurry, be quick, do not stay!” And Jonathan’s boy picked up the arrow and came to his master. ³⁹ But the boy was not aware of anything; only Jonathan and David knew about the matter. ⁴⁰ Then Jonathan gave his weapons to his boy and said to him, “Go, bring them to the city.” ⁴¹ When the boy was gone, David got up from the south side, then he fell on his face to the ground and ^(EX)bowed three times. And they kissed each other and wept together, until ^(EY)David wept immeasurably. ⁴² Then Jonathan said to David, “^(EZ)Go ^[cf]in safety, since we have sworn to each other in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘^(FA)The Lord will be between me and you, and between my ^[cg]descendants and your ^[ch]descendants forever.’” ^[ci]So David set out and went on his way, while Jonathan went into the city.

David Takes Consecrated Bread

21 Then David came to ^(FB)Nob, to Ahimelech the priest; and Ahimelech ^(FC)came trembling to meet David and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one with you?” ² David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has commissioned me with a matter and has said to me, ‘^(FD)No one is to know anything about the matter on which I am sending you and with which I have commissioned you; and I have directed the young men to a certain place.’ ³ Now then, what ^[cj]do you have on hand? Give ^[ck]me five loaves of bread, or whatever can be found.” ⁴ The priest answered David and said, “There is no ordinary bread ^[cl]on hand, but there is ^(FE)consecrated bread, if only the young men have ^(FF)kept themselves from women.” ⁵ David answered the priest and said to him, “^(FG)Be assured, women have been denied to us as previously when I left and the ^[cm](FH)bodies of the young men were consecrated, though it was an ordinary journey; how much more then will ^[cn]their bodies be consecrated today?” ⁶ So ^(FI)the priest gave him consecrated bread; for there was no bread there except the ^(FJ)bread of the Presence which was removed from its place before the Lord, in order to put hot bread in its place on the day it was taken away.

⁷ Now one of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord; and his name was ^(FK)Doeg the Edomite, the ^(FL)chief of Saul’s shepherds.

⁸ David said to Ahimelech, “Now is there no spear or sword ^[co]on hand? For I brought neither my sword nor my weapons ^[cp]with me, because the king’s matter was urgent.” ⁹ Then the priest said, “^(FM)The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you ^[cq]killed ^(FN)in the Valley of Elah, behold, it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod; if you would take it for yourself, take it. For there is no other except it here.” And David said, “There is none like it; give it to me.”

¹⁰ Then David set out and fled that day from Saul, and went to ^(FO)Achish king of Gath. ¹¹ But the ^(FP)servants of Achish said to him, “Is this not David, the king of the land? ^(FQ)Did they not sing of this one as they danced, saying,

¹² David ^(FR)took these words ^[cr]to heart and greatly feared Achish king of Gath. ¹³ So he ^(FS)disguised his sanity while in their sight and acted insanely in their ^[cs]custody, and he scribbled on the doors of the gate, and drooled on his beard. ¹⁴ Then Achish said to his servants, “Look, you see the man is behaving like an insane person. Why do you bring him to me? ¹⁵ Do I lack insane people, that you have brought this one to behave like an insane person in my presence? Shall this one come into my house?”

Priests Killed at Nob

22 So David departed from there and ^(FT)escaped to ^(FU)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 ^[ct]was in debt, and everyone who was ^[cu]discontented gathered to him; and he became captain over them. Now there were ^(FV)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 ^[cv]left them with the king of Moab; and they stayed with him all the time that David was in the stronghold. ⁵ But ^(FW)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 ^(FX)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? ^(FY)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 ^[cw]informs me ^(FZ)when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse, and there is none of you ^(GA)who cares about me or ^[cx]informs me that my son has stirred up my servant against me to lie in ambush, as it is this day.” ⁹ Then ^(GB)Doeg the Edomite, who was ^[cy]standing in front of the servants of Saul, responded and said, “^(GC)I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to ^(GD)Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. ¹⁰ And ^(GE)he inquired of the Lord for him, ^(GF)gave him provisions, and ^(GG)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 ^[cz]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 ^(GH)by lying in ambush as it is this day?”

^14 (GI)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 ^[da]is commander over your bodyguard, and is honored in your house? ¹⁵ Did I just begin ^(GJ)to inquire of God for him today? Far be it from me! ^(GK)Do not let the king impute anything against his servant or against any of the household of my father, because your servant knows nothing ^[db]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 ^(GL)the king said to the ^[dc]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 ^[dd]inform me.” But the ^(GM)servants of the king were unwilling to reach out with their hands to ^[de]attack the priests of the Lord. ¹⁸ Then the king said to Doeg, “You, turn around and ^[df]attack the priests!” And Doeg the Edomite turned around and ^[dg]attacked the priests, and ^(GN)he killed on that day eighty-five men ^(GO)who wore the linen ephod. ^19 (GP)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 ^(GQ)one son of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, ^(GR)escaped and fled ^[dh]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 ^(GS)Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would certainly tell Saul. I myself ^[di]have turned against every person in your father’s household. ²³ Stay with me; do not be afraid, ^[dj]even though ^(GT)he who is seeking my life is seeking your life. For you are safe with me.”

David Saves Keilah

23 Then they informed David, saying, “Behold, the Philistines are fighting against ^(GU)Keilah and are plundering the threshing floors.” ² So David ^(GV)inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go and ^[dk]attack these Philistines?” And the Lord said to David, “Go and ^[dl]attack the Philistines and save Keilah.” ³ But David’s men said to him, “Behold, we are fearful here in Judah. How much more then if we go to Keilah against the ranks of the Philistines?” ⁴ So David inquired of the Lord once more. And the Lord answered him and said, “Arise, go down to Keilah, for ^(GW)I am going to hand the Philistines over to you.” ⁵ Then David and his men went to Keilah and fought the Philistines; and he drove away their livestock and struck them with a great slaughter. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.

⁶ Now it came about, when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech ^(GX)fled to David at Keilah, that he came down with an ephod in his hand. ⁷ When it was reported to Saul that David had come to Keilah, Saul said, “God has handed him over to me, for he shut himself in by entering a city with double gates and bars.” ⁸ So Saul summoned all the people for war, to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men. ⁹ But David knew that Saul was plotting evil against him; so he said to ^(GY)Abiathar the priest, “^(GZ)Bring the ephod here.” ¹⁰ Then David said, “Lord God of Israel, Your servant has heard for certain that Saul is seeking to come to Keilah to destroy the city on my account. ¹¹ Will the citizens of Keilah hand me over to him? Will Saul come down just as Your servant has heard? Lord God of Israel, please, tell Your servant.” And the Lord said, “He will come down.” ¹² Then David said, “Will the citizens of Keilah hand me and my men over to Saul?” And the Lord said, “^(HA)They will hand you over.” ¹³ Then David and his men, ^(HB)about six hundred, rose up and departed from Keilah, and they went ^(HC)wherever they could go. When it was reported to Saul that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up ^[dm]the pursuit. ¹⁴ David stayed in the wilderness in the strongholds, and remained in the hill country in the wilderness of ^(HD)Ziph. And Saul searched for him every day, but ^(HE)God did not hand him over to him.

Saul Pursues David

¹⁵ Now David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life while David was in the wilderness of Ziph, at Horesh. ¹⁶ And Jonathan, Saul’s son, set out and went to David at Horesh, and ^[dn](HF)encouraged him in God. ¹⁷ He said to him, “^(HG)Do not be afraid, because the hand of Saul my father will not find you, and you will be king over Israel, and I will be second in command to you; and ^(HH)Saul my father knows that as well.” ¹⁸ So ^(HI)the two of them made a covenant before the Lord; and David stayed at Horesh, while Jonathan went to his house.

¹⁹ Then ^(HJ)Ziphites came up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is David not keeping himself hidden with us in the strongholds at Horesh, on ^(HK)the hill of Hachilah, which is south of ^[do]Jeshimon? ²⁰ Now then, O king, come down, ^[dp]since you fully desire to ^[dq]do so; and ^(HL)our part shall be to hand him over to the king.” ²¹ Saul said, “May you be blessed of the Lord, ^(HM)since you have had compassion on me. ²² Go now, be more persistent, and investigate and see his place where ^[dr]he is hiding, and who has seen him there; for I am told that he is very cunning. ²³ So look, and learn about all the hiding places where he keeps himself hidden, and return to me with certainty, and I will go with you; and if he is in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah.”

²⁴ So they set out and went to Ziph ahead of Saul. Now David and his men were in the wilderness of ^(HN)Maon, in the Arabah to the south of ^[ds]Jeshimon. ²⁵ When Saul and his men went to seek him, they informed David, and he came down to the rock and stayed in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard about it, he pursued David in the wilderness of Maon. ²⁶ Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain; and David was hurrying to get away from Saul, while Saul and his men ^(HO)were surrounding David and his men to apprehend them. ²⁷ But a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come, for the Philistines have launched an attack against the land!” ²⁸ So Saul returned from pursuing David and went to confront the Philistines; therefore they called that place ^[dt]the Rock of Division. ^29 [du]And David went up from there and stayed in the strongholds of ^(HP)Engedi.

David Spares Saul’s Life

24 ^[dv]Now ^(HQ)when Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, ^(HR)it was reported to him, saying, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.” ² Then ^(HS)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 ^(HT)went in to ^[dw]relieve himself. Now ^(HU)David and his men were sitting in the inner recesses of the cave. ⁴ Then David’s men said to him, “Behold, ^(HV)this is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold; ^(HW)I am about to hand your enemy over to you, and you shall do to him as it seems good ^[dx]to you.’” Then David got up and cut off the edge of Saul’s robe secretly. ⁵ But it came about afterward that ^(HX)David’s ^[dy]conscience bothered him because he had cut off the edge of Saul’s robe. ⁶ So he said to his men, “^(HY)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, ^[dz]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, ^(HZ)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 ^[ea]who say, ‘Behold, David is seeking ^[eb]to harm you’? ^10 (IA)Behold, this day your eyes have seen that the Lord had handed you over to me today in the cave, and ^(IB)someone said to kill you, but ^[ec]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, ^(IC)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 ^[ed]rebellion in my hands, and I have not sinned against you, though you ^(ID)are lying in wait for my life, to take it. ^12 (IE)May the Lord judge between ^[ee]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, ‘^(IF)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? ^(IG)A dead dog, ^(IH)a single flea? ¹⁵ May ^(II)the Lord therefore be judge and decide between ^[ef]you and me; and may He see and ^(IJ)plead my cause and save me from your hand.”

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