David’s Followers in the Wilderness

12 The following are those who came to David at Ziklag, while he could not move about freely because of Saul son of Kish; they were among the mighty warriors who helped him in war.^(A)

² So David set out and went over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to King Achish son of Maoch of Gath.^{(A) 3} David stayed with Achish at Gath, he and his troops, every man with his household, and David with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, Nabal’s widow.^{(B) 4} When Saul was told that David had fled to Gath, he no longer sought for him.

⁵ Then David said to Achish, “If I have found favor in your sight, let a place be given me in one of the country towns so that I may live there, for why should your servant live in the royal city with you?” ⁶ So that day Achish gave him Ziklag; therefore Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day.^(C)

²⁴ Such were the things Benaiah son of Jehoiada did, and he won a name beside the three warriors. ²⁵ He was renowned among the Thirty, but he did not attain to the Three. And David put him in charge of his bodyguard.

¹⁹ and said, “My God forbid that I should do this. Can I drink the blood of these men? For at the risk of their lives they brought it.” Therefore he would not drink it. The three warriors did these things.

David’s Mighty Men and Their Exploits

¹⁰ Now these are the chiefs of David’s warriors, who gave him strong support in his kingdom, together with all Israel, to make him king, according to the word of the Lord concerning Israel.^(A)

³⁹ Ner became the father of Kish, Kish of Saul, Saul of Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Esh-baal;^(A)

³³ Ner became the father of Kish, Kish of Saul,^[a] Saul^[b] of Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Esh-baal;^(A)

¹⁰ when the one who told me, ‘See, Saul is dead,’ thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and killed him at Ziklag—this was the reward I gave him for his news.^(A)

David Mourns for Saul and Jonathan

1 After the death of Saul, when David had returned from defeating the Amalekites, David remained two days in Ziklag.^(A)