1 Samuel 24
Louis Segond
24 (24:2) Lorsque Saül fut revenu de la poursuite des Philistins, on vint lui dire: Voici, David est dans le désert d'En Guédi.
2 (24:3) Saül prit trois mille hommes d'élite sur tout Israël, et il alla chercher David et ses gens jusque sur les rochers des boucs sauvages.
3 (24:4) Il arriva à des parcs de brebis, qui étaient près du chemin; et là se trouvait une caverne, où il entra pour se couvrir les pieds. David et ses gens étaient au fond de la caverne.
4 (24:5) Les gens de David lui dirent: Voici le jour où l'Éternel te dit: Je livre ton ennemi entre tes mains; traite-le comme bon te semblera. David se leva, et coupa doucement le pan du manteau de Saül.
5 (24:6) Après cela le coeur lui battit, parce qu'il avait coupé le pan du manteau de Saül.
6 (24:7) Et il dit à ses gens: Que l'Éternel me garde de commettre contre mon seigneur, l'oint de l'Éternel, une action telle que de porter ma main sur lui! car il est l'oint de l'Éternel.
7 (24:8) Par ces paroles David arrêta ses gens, et les empêcha de se jeter sur Saül. Puis Saül se leva pour sortir de la caverne, et continua son chemin.
8 (24:9) Après cela, David se leva et sortit de la caverne. Il se mit alors à crier après Saül: O roi, mon seigneur! Saül regarda derrière lui, et David s'inclina le visage contre terre et se prosterna.
9 (24:10) David dit à Saül: Pourquoi écoutes-tu les propos des gens qui disent: Voici, David cherche ton malheur?
10 (24:11) Tu vois maintenant de tes propres yeux que l'Éternel t'avait livré aujourd'hui entre mes mains dans la caverne. On m'excitait à te tuer; mais je t'ai épargné, et j'ai dit: Je ne porterai pas la main sur mon seigneur, car il est l'oint de l'Éternel.
11 (24:12) Vois, mon père, vois donc le pan de ton manteau dans ma main. Puisque j'ai coupé le pan de ton manteau et que je ne t'ai pas tué, sache et reconnais qu'il n'y a dans ma conduite ni méchanceté ni révolte, et que je n'ai point péché contre toi. Et toi, tu me dresses des embûches, pour m'ôter la vie!
12 (24:13) L'Éternel sera juge entre moi et toi, et l'Éternel me vengera de toi; mais je ne porterai point la main sur toi.
13 (24:14) Des méchants vient la méchanceté, dit l'ancien proverbe. Aussi je ne porterai point la main sur toi.
14 (24:15) Contre qui le roi d'Israël s'est-il mis en marche? Qui poursuis-tu? Un chien mort, une puce!
15 (24:16) L'Éternel jugera et prononcera entre moi et toi; il regardera, il défendra ma cause, il me rendra justice en me délivrant de ta main.
16 (24:17) Lorsque David eut fini d'adresser à Saül ces paroles, Saül dit: Est-ce bien ta voix, mon fils David? Et Saül éleva la voix et pleura.
17 (24:18) Et il dit à David: Tu es plus juste que moi; car tu m'as fait du bien, et moi je t'ai fait du mal.
18 (24:19) Tu manifestes aujourd'hui la bonté avec laquelle tu agis envers moi, puisque l'Éternel m'avait livré entre tes mains et que tu ne m'as pas tué.
19 (24:20) Si quelqu'un rencontre son ennemi, le laisse-t-il poursuivre tranquillement son chemin? Que l'Éternel te récompense pour ce que tu m'as fait en ce jour!
20 (24:21) Maintenant voici, je sais que tu régneras, et que la royauté d'Israël restera entre tes mains.
21 (24:22) Jure-moi donc par l'Éternel que tu ne détruiras pas ma postérité après moi, et que tu ne retrancheras pas mon nom de la maison de mon père.
22 (24:23) David le jura à Saül. Puis Saül s'en alla dans sa maison, et David et ses gens montèrent au lieu fort.
1 Samuel 24
1599 Geneva Bible
24 1 David hid in a cave spareth Saul. 10 He showeth to Saul his innocency. 18 Saul acknowledgeth his fault. 22 He causeth David to swear unto him to be favorable to his.
1 And David went thence, and dwelt in [a]holds at En Gedi.
2 When Saul was turned from the Philistines, they told him, saying, Behold, David is in the wilderness of [b]En Gedi.
3 Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men upon the rocks among the wild goats.
4 And he came to the sheepcotes by the way where there was a cave, and Saul went in [c]to do his easement: and David and his men sat in the [d]inward parts of the cave.
5 And the men of David said unto him, See, the day is [e]come, whereof the Lord said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, and thou shalt do to him as it shall seem good to thee. Then David arose and cut off the lap of Saul’s garment privily.
6 And afterward David [f]was touched in his heart, because he had cut off the lap which was on Saul’s garment.
7 And he said unto his men, The Lord keep me from doing that thing unto my master the Lord’s anointed, to lay mine hand upon him: for he is the Anointed of the Lord.
8 So David overcame his servants with these words, and suffered them not to arise against Saul: for Saul rose up out of the cave and went away.
9 ¶ David also arose afterward, and went out of the cave, and cried after Saul, saying, O my lord the King. And when Saul looked behind him, David inclined his face to the earth, and bowed himself.
10 And David said to Saul, [g]Wherefore givest thou an ear to men’s words, that say, Behold, David seeketh evil against thee?
11 Behold, this day thine eyes have seen, that the Lord had delivered thee this day into mine hand in the cave, and some bade me kill thee, but I had compassion on thee, and said, I will not lay mine hand on my master: for he is the Lord’s Anointed.
12 Moreover my father, behold: behold, I say, the lap of thy garment in mine hand: for when I cut off the lap of thy garment, I killed thee not. Understand and see, that there is neither evil nor wickedness in me, neither have I sinned against thee, yet thou huntest after my soul, to take it.
13 The Lord be judge between thee and me, and the Lord avenge me of thee, and let not mine hand be upon thee.
14 According as the [h]old proverb saith, Wickedness proceedeth from the wicked, but mine hand be not upon thee.
15 After whom is the king of Israel come out? after whom dost thou pursue? after a dead dog, and after a flea?
16 The Lord therefore be judge, and judge between thee and me, and see, and plead my cause, and [i]deliver me out of thine hand.
17 When David had made an end of speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, [j]Is this thy voice, my son David? and Saul lift up his voice, and wept,
18 And said to David, Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rendered me good, and I have rendered thee evil.
19 And thou hast showed this day, that thou hast dealt well with me: forasmuch as when the Lord had closed me in thine hands, thou killedst me not.
20 For who shall find his enemy, and let him depart [k]free? wherefore the Lord render thee good for that thou hast done unto me this day.
21 For now behold, I [l]know that thou shalt be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be stablished in thine hand.
22 Swear now therefore unto me by the Lord, that thou wilt not destroy my seed after me, and that thou wilt not abolish my name out of my father’s house.
23 So David swore unto Saul, and Saul went home: but David and his men went up unto the hold.
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 24:1 That is, in strong places, which were defensed by nature.
- 1 Samuel 24:2 A city of Judah, Josh. 15:62.
- 1 Samuel 24:4 Hebrew, to cover his feet.
- 1 Samuel 24:4 Hebrew, in the sides.
- 1 Samuel 24:5 Here we see how ready we are to hasten God’s promise, if the occasion serve never so little.
- 1 Samuel 24:6 For seeing it was his own private cause, he repented that he had touched his enemy.
- 1 Samuel 24:10 Contrary to the false report of them that said, David was Saul’s enemy, he proveth himself to be his friend.
- 1 Samuel 24:14 Or, the proverb of an ancient man.
- 1 Samuel 24:16 Hebrew, judge.
- 1 Samuel 24:17 Though he was a most cruel enemy to David, yet by his great gentleness his conscience compelled him to yield.
- 1 Samuel 24:20 Hebrew, a good way.
- 1 Samuel 24:21 Though this tyrant saw and confessed the favor of God toward David, yet he ceaseth not to persecute him against his own conscience.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
