1 Samuel 22:1-2
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Saul’s Increasing Paranoia
22 So David left Gath and took refuge in the cave of Adullam.(A) When David’s brothers and his father’s whole family heard, they went down and joined him there. 2 In addition, every man who was desperate, in debt, or discontented rallied around him, and he became their leader. About 400 men were with him.(B)
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Psalm 57
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Psalm 57
Praise for God’s Protection
For the choir director: “Do Not Destroy.”[a] A Davidic Miktam. When he fled before Saul into the cave.(A)
1 Be gracious to me, God, be gracious to me,
for I take refuge in You.
I will seek refuge in the shadow of Your wings
until danger passes.(B)
2 I call to God Most High,
to God who fulfills His purpose for me.[b](C)
3 He reaches down from heaven and saves me,
challenging the one who tramples me.(D)
God sends His faithful love and truth.(E)
4 I am surrounded by lions;
I lie down with those who devour men.
Their teeth are spears and arrows;
their tongues are sharp swords.(F)
5 God, be exalted above the heavens;
let Your glory be over the whole earth.(G)
6 They prepared a net for my steps;
I was despondent.
They dug a pit ahead of me,
but they fell into it!(H)
7 My heart is confident, God, my heart is confident.
I will sing; I will sing praises.(I)
8 Wake up, my soul![c]
Wake up, harp and lyre!
I will wake up the dawn.(J)
9 I will praise You, Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to You among the nations.(K)
10 For Your faithful love is as high as the heavens;
Your faithfulness reaches the clouds.(L)
11 God, be exalted above the heavens;(M)
let Your glory be over the whole earth.(N)
Footnotes
- Psalm 57:1 Possibly a tune
- Psalm 57:2 Or who avenges me
- Psalm 57:8 Lit glory
Psalm 142
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Psalm 142
A Cry of Distress
A Davidic Maskil. When he was in the cave.(A) A prayer.
1 I cry aloud to the Lord;(B)
I plead aloud to the Lord for mercy.(C)
2 I pour out my complaint before Him;
I reveal my trouble to Him.(D)
3 Although my spirit is weak within me,
You know my way.(E)
Along this path I travel
they have hidden a trap for me.(F)
4 Look to the right and see:[a]
no one stands up for me;
there is no refuge for me;
no one cares about me.(G)
5 I cry to You, Lord;
I say, “You are my shelter,
my portion in the land of the living.”(H)
6 Listen to my cry,
for I am very weak.(I)
Rescue me from those who pursue me,
for they are too strong for me.(J)
7 Free me from prison
so that I can praise Your name.
The righteous will gather around me
because You deal generously with me.(K)
Footnotes
- Psalm 142:4 DSS, LXX, Syr, Vg, Tg read I look to the right and I see
1 Chronicles 12:8-18
Holman Christian Standard Bible
8 Some Gadites defected to David at his stronghold in the desert. They were fighting men, trained for battle, expert with shield and spear. Their faces were like the faces of lions, and they were as swift as gazelles on the mountains.(A)
9 Ezer was the chief, Obadiah second, Eliab third,
10 Mishmannah fourth, Jeremiah fifth,
11 Attai sixth, Eliel seventh,
12 Johanan eighth, Elzabad ninth,
13 Jeremiah tenth, and Machbannai eleventh.
14 These Gadites were army commanders; the least of them was a match for a hundred, and the greatest of them for a thousand.(B) 15 These are the men who crossed the Jordan in the first month[a] when it was overflowing all its banks,(C) and put to flight all those in the valleys to the east and to the west.
16 Other Benjaminites and men from Judah also went to David at the stronghold.(D) 17 David went out to meet them and said to them, “If you have come in peace to help me, my heart will be united with you, but if you have come to betray me to my enemies even though my hands have done no wrong, may the God of our ancestors look on it and judge.”
18 Then the Spirit took control of[b](E) Amasai,(F) chief of the Thirty, and he said:
We are yours, David,
we are with you, son of Jesse!
Peace, peace to you,
and peace to him who helps you,(G)
for your God helps you.
So David received them and made them leaders of his troops.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Chronicles 12:15 = Nisan (March–April)
- 1 Chronicles 12:18 Lit Spirit clothed Himself with; Jdg 6:34; 2Ch 24:20
1 Samuel 22:3-23
Holman Christian Standard Bible
3 From there David went to Mizpeh of Moab where he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and mother stay with you until I know what God will do for me.” 4 So he left them in the care of the king of Moab, and they stayed with him the whole time David was in the stronghold.
5 Then the prophet Gad(A) said to David, “Don’t stay in the stronghold. Leave and return to the land of Judah.” So David left and went to the forest of Hereth.
6 Saul heard that David and his men had been discovered. At that time Saul was in Gibeah, sitting under the tamarisk tree(B) at the high place. His spear was in his hand, and all his servants were standing around him. 7 Saul said to his servants, “Listen, men of Benjamin: Is Jesse’s son going to give all of you fields and vineyards? Do you think he’ll make all of you commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds?(C) 8 That’s why all of you have conspired against me! Nobody tells me[a] when my own son makes a covenant with Jesse’s son.(D) None of you cares about me(E) or tells me[b] that my son has stirred up my own servant to wait in ambush for me, as is the case today.”
9 Then Doeg the Edomite,(F) who was in charge of Saul’s servants, answered: “I saw Jesse’s son come to Ahimelech son of Ahitub at Nob.(G) 10 Ahimelech inquired of the Lord for him(H) and gave him provisions.(I) He also gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”(J)
Slaughter of the Priests
11 The king sent messengers to summon Ahimelech the priest, son of Ahitub, and his father’s whole family, who were priests in Nob. All of them came to the king. 12 Then Saul said, “Listen, son of Ahitub!”
“I’m at your service,(K) my lord,” he said.
13 Saul asked him, “Why did you and Jesse’s son conspire against me? You gave him bread and a sword and inquired of God for him, so he could rise up against me and wait in ambush, as is the case today.”(L)
14 Ahimelech replied to the king: “Who among all your servants is as faithful as David?(M) He is the king’s son-in-law, captain of your bodyguard, and honored in your house. 15 Was today the first time I inquired of God for him?(N) Of course not! Please don’t let the king make an accusation against your servant or any of my father’s household, for your servant didn’t have any idea[c] about all this.”
16 But the king said, “You will die, Ahimelech—you and your father’s whole family!”
17 Then the king ordered the guards standing by him, “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord(O) because they sided with David. For they knew he was fleeing, but they didn’t tell me.”[d] But the king’s servants would not lift a hand to execute the priests of the Lord.
18 So the king said to Doeg, “Go and execute the priests!” So Doeg the Edomite went and executed the priests himself. On that day, he killed 85 men(P) who wore linen ephods.(Q) 19 He also struck down Nob, the city of the priests, with the sword—both men and women, children and infants, oxen, donkeys, and sheep.(R)
20 However, one of the sons of Ahimelech son of Ahitub escaped. His name was Abiathar,(S) and he fled to David.(T) 21 Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord. 22 Then David said to Abiathar, “I knew that Doeg the Edomite(U) was there that day and that he was sure to report to Saul. I myself am responsible for[e] the lives of everyone in your father’s family. 23 Stay with me. Don’t be afraid, for the one who wants to take my life wants to take your life.(V) You will be safe with me.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Samuel 22:8 Lit No one uncovers my ear
- 1 Samuel 22:8 Lit or uncovers my ear
- 1 Samuel 22:15 Lit didn’t know a thing, small or large
- 1 Samuel 22:17 Lit didn’t uncover my ear
- 1 Samuel 22:22 LXX, Syr, Vg; MT reads I myself turn in
Psalm 52
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Psalm 52
God Judges the Proud
For the choir director. A Davidic Maskil. When Doeg the Edomite went and reported to Saul, telling him, “David went to Ahimelech’s house.”(A)
1 Why brag about evil, you hero!(B)
God’s faithful love is constant.(C)
2 Like a sharpened razor,
your tongue devises destruction,
working treachery.(D)
3 You love evil instead of good,
lying instead of speaking truthfully.(E)
4 You love any words that destroy,
you treacherous tongue!(F)
5 This is why God will bring you down forever.
He will take you, ripping you out of your tent;
He will uproot you from the land of the living.(G)
6 The righteous will look on with awe
and will ridicule him:(H)
7 “Here is the man
who would not make God his refuge,
but trusted in the abundance of his riches,
taking refuge in his destructive behavior.”[a](I)
8 But I am like a flourishing olive tree
in the house of God;(J)
I trust in God’s faithful love forever and ever.(K)
9 I will praise You forever for what You have done.
In the presence of Your faithful people,
I will put my hope in Your name, for it is good.(L)
Footnotes
- Psalm 52:7 Or riches, and grew strong in his evil desire; lit his destruction
1 Samuel 23:1-12
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Deliverance at Keilah
23 It was reported to David: “Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah(A) and raiding the threshing floors.”
2 So David inquired of the Lord:(B) “Should I launch an attack against these Philistines?”
The Lord answered David, “Launch an attack against the Philistines and rescue Keilah.”
3 But David’s men said to him, “Look, we’re afraid here in Judah; how much more if we go to Keilah against the Philistine forces!”
4 Once again, David inquired of the Lord, and the Lord answered him: “Go at once to Keilah, for I will hand the Philistines over to you.”(C) 5 Then David and his men went to Keilah, fought against the Philistines, drove their livestock away, and inflicted heavy losses on them. So David rescued the inhabitants of Keilah. 6 Abiathar son of Ahimelech fled to David at Keilah, and he brought an ephod with him.
7 When it was reported to Saul that David had gone to Keilah, he said, “God has handed him over to me, for he has trapped himself by entering a town with barred gates.” 8 Then Saul summoned all the troops to go to war at Keilah and besiege David and his men.
9 When David learned that Saul was plotting evil against him, he said to Abiathar the priest,(D) “Bring the ephod.”(E)
10 Then David said, “Lord God of Israel, Your servant has heard that Saul intends to come to Keilah and destroy the town because of me. 11 Will the citizens of Keilah hand me over to him? Will Saul come down as Your servant has heard? Lord God of Israel, please tell Your servant.”
The Lord answered, “He will come down.”
12 Then David asked, “Will the citizens of Keilah hand me and my men over to Saul?”
“They will,”(F) the Lord responded.
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