1 Samuel 26:6-12

New American Standard Bible 1995

⁶ Then David said to Ahimelech ^(A)the Hittite and to ^(B)Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, saying, “Who ^(C)will go down with me to Saul in the camp?” And Abishai said, “I will go down with you.” ⁷ So David and Abishai came to the people by night, and behold, Saul lay sleeping inside the circle of the camp with his spear stuck in the ground at his head; and Abner and the people were lying around him. ⁸ Then Abishai said to David, “Today God has delivered your enemy into your hand; now therefore, please let me strike him with the spear ^[a]to the ground with one stroke, and I will not ^[b]strike him the second time.” ⁹ But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for ^(D)who can stretch out his hand against the Lord’s anointed and be without guilt?” ¹⁰ David also said, “As the Lord lives, ^(E)surely the Lord will strike him, or ^(F)his day will come that he dies, or ^(G)he will go down into battle and perish. ^11 (H)The Lord forbid that I should stretch out my hand against the Lord’s anointed; but now please take the spear that is at his head and the jug of water, and let us go.” ¹² So David took the spear and the jug of water from beside Saul’s head, and they went away, but no one saw or knew it, nor did any awake, for they were all asleep, because ^(I)a sound sleep from the Lord had fallen on them.