David Again Spares Saul’s Life

26 The Ziphites^(A) went to Saul at Gibeah and said, “Is not David hiding^(B) on the hill of Hakilah, which faces Jeshimon?^(C)”

² So Saul went down to the Desert of Ziph, with his three thousand select Israelite troops, to search^(D) there for David. ³ Saul made his camp beside the road on the hill of Hakilah^(E) facing Jeshimon, but David stayed in the wilderness. When he saw that Saul had followed him there, ⁴ he sent out scouts and learned that Saul had definitely arrived.

⁵ Then David set out and went to the place where Saul had camped. He saw where Saul and Abner^(F) son of Ner, the commander of the army, had lain down. Saul was lying inside the camp, with the army encamped around him.

⁶ David then asked Ahimelek the Hittite^(G) and Abishai^(H) son of Zeruiah,^(I) Joab’s brother, “Who will go down into the camp with me to Saul?”

“I’ll go with you,” said Abishai.

⁷ So David and Abishai went to the army by night, and there was Saul, lying asleep inside the camp with his spear stuck in the ground near his head. Abner and the soldiers were lying around him.

⁸ Abishai said to David, “Today God has delivered your enemy into your hands. Now let me pin him to the ground with one thrust of the spear; I won’t strike him twice.”

⁹ But David said to Abishai, “Don’t destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed^(J) and be guiltless?^{(K) 10} As surely as the Lord lives,” he said, “the Lord himself will strike^(L) him, or his time^(M) will come and he will die,^(N) or he will go into battle and perish. ¹¹ But the Lord forbid that I should lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed. Now get the spear and water jug that are near his head, and let’s go.”

¹² So David took the spear and water jug near Saul’s head, and they left. No one saw or knew about it, nor did anyone wake up. They were all sleeping, because the Lord had put them into a deep sleep.^(O)

¹³ Then David crossed over to the other side and stood on top of the hill some distance away; there was a wide space between them. ¹⁴ He called out to the army and to Abner son of Ner, “Aren’t you going to answer me, Abner?”

Abner replied, “Who are you who calls to the king?”

¹⁵ David said, “You’re a man, aren’t you? And who is like you in Israel? Why didn’t you guard your lord the king? Someone came to destroy your lord the king. ¹⁶ What you have done is not good. As surely as the Lord lives, you and your men must die, because you did not guard your master, the Lord’s anointed. Look around you. Where are the king’s spear and water jug that were near his head?”

¹⁷ Saul recognized David’s voice and said, “Is that your voice,^(P) David my son?”

David replied, “Yes it is, my lord the king.” ¹⁸ And he added, “Why is my lord pursuing his servant? What have I done, and what wrong^(Q) am I guilty of? ¹⁹ Now let my lord the king listen^(R) to his servant’s words. If the Lord has incited you against me, then may he accept an offering.^(S) 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^(T) and have said, ‘Go, serve other gods.’^{(U) 20} Now do not let my blood^(V) fall to the ground far from the presence of the Lord. The king of Israel has come out to look for a flea^(W)—as one hunts a partridge in the mountains.^(X)”

²¹ Then Saul said, “I have sinned.^(Y) Come back, David my son. Because you considered my life precious^(Z) today, I will not try to harm you again. Surely I have acted like a fool and have been terribly wrong.”

²² “Here is the king’s spear,” David answered. “Let one of your young men come over and get it. ²³ The Lord rewards^(AA) everyone for their righteousness^(AB) and faithfulness. The Lord delivered^(AC) you into my hands today, but I would not lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed. ²⁴ As surely as I valued your life today, so may the Lord value my life and deliver^(AD) me from all trouble.”

²⁵ Then Saul said to David, “May you be blessed,^(AE) David my son; you will do great things and surely triumph.”

So David went on his way, and Saul returned home.

David Destroys the Amalekites

30 David and his men reached Ziklag^(A) on the third day. Now the Amalekites^(B) had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned^(C) it, ² and had taken captive the women and everyone else in it, both young and old. They killed none of them, but carried them off as they went on their way.

³ When David and his men reached Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive.^{(D) 4} So David and his men wept^(E) aloud until they had no strength left to weep. ⁵ David’s two wives^(F) had been captured—Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. ⁶ David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning^(G) him; each one was bitter^(H) in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength^(I) in the Lord his God.

⁷ Then David said to Abiathar^(J) the priest, the son of Ahimelek, “Bring me the ephod.^(K)” Abiathar brought it to him, ⁸ and David inquired^(L) of the Lord, “Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?”

“Pursue them,” he answered. “You will certainly overtake them and succeed^(M) in the rescue.^(N)”

⁹ David and the six hundred men^(O) with him came to the Besor Valley, where some stayed behind. ¹⁰ Two hundred of them were too exhausted^(P) to cross the valley, but David and the other four hundred continued the pursuit.

¹¹ They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David. They gave him water to drink and food to eat— ¹² part of a cake of pressed figs and two cakes of raisins. He ate and was revived,^(Q) for he had not eaten any food or drunk any water for three days and three nights.

¹³ David asked him, “Who do you belong to? Where do you come from?”

He said, “I am an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite.^(R) My master abandoned me when I became ill three days ago. ¹⁴ We raided the Negev of the Kerethites,^(S) some territory belonging to Judah and the Negev of Caleb.^(T) And we burned^(U) Ziklag.”

¹⁵ David asked him, “Can you lead me down to this raiding party?”

He answered, “Swear to me before God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master,^(V) and I will take you down to them.”

¹⁶ He led David down, and there they were, scattered over the countryside, eating, drinking and reveling^(W) because of the great amount of plunder^(X) they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from Judah. ¹⁷ David fought^(Y) them from dusk until the evening of the next day, and none of them got away, except four hundred young men who rode off on camels and fled.^{(Z) 18} David recovered^(AA) everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives. ¹⁹ Nothing was missing: young or old, boy or girl, plunder or anything else they had taken. David brought everything back. ²⁰ He took all the flocks and herds, and his men drove them ahead of the other livestock, saying, “This is David’s plunder.”

²¹ Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted^(AB) to follow him and who were left behind at the Besor Valley. They came out to meet David and the men with him. As David and his men approached, he asked them how they were. ²² But all the evil men and troublemakers among David’s followers said, “Because they did not go out with us, we will not share with them the plunder we recovered. However, each man may take his wife and children and go.”

²³ David replied, “No, my brothers, you must not do that with what the Lord has given us. He has protected us and delivered into our hands the raiding party that came against us. ²⁴ Who will listen to what you say? The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike.^(AC)” ²⁵ David made this a statute and ordinance for Israel from that day to this.

²⁶ When David reached Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah, who were his friends, saying, “Here is a gift^(AD) for you from the plunder of the Lord’s enemies.”

²⁷ David sent it to those who were in Bethel,^(AE) Ramoth^(AF) Negev and Jattir;^{(AG) 28} to those in Aroer,^(AH) Siphmoth,^(AI) Eshtemoa^{(AJ) 29} and Rakal; to those in the towns of the Jerahmeelites^(AK) and the Kenites;^{(AL) 30} to those in Hormah,^(AM) Bor Ashan,^(AN) Athak ³¹ and Hebron;^(AO) and to those in all the other places where he and his men had roamed.

Saul Takes His Life^(AP)

31 Now the Philistines fought against Israel; the Israelites fled before them, and many fell dead on Mount Gilboa.^{(AQ) 2} The Philistines were in hot pursuit of Saul and his sons,^(AR) and they killed his sons Jonathan,^(AS) Abinadab and Malki-Shua.^{(AT) 3} The fighting grew fierce around Saul, and when the archers overtook him, they wounded^(AU) him critically.

⁴ Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through,^(AV) or these uncircumcised^(AW) fellows will come and run me through and abuse me.”

But his armor-bearer was terrified and would not do it; so Saul took his own sword and fell on it. ⁵ When the armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died with him. ⁶ So Saul and his three sons and his armor-bearer and all his men died^(AX) together that same day.

⁷ When the Israelites along the valley and those across the Jordan saw that the Israelite army had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their towns and fled. And the Philistines came and occupied them.

⁸ The next day, when the Philistines^(AY) came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. ⁹ They cut off his head and stripped off his armor, and they sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news^(AZ) in the temple of their idols and among their people.^{(BA) 10} They put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths^(BB) and fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan.^(BC)

¹¹ When the people of Jabesh Gilead^(BD) heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, ¹² all their valiant men^(BE) marched through the night to Beth Shan. They took down the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth Shan and went to Jabesh, where they burned^(BF) them. ¹³ Then they took their bones^(BG) and buried them under a tamarisk^(BH) tree at Jabesh, and they fasted^(BI) seven days.^(BJ)