1 Samuel 20-31

1599 Geneva Bible

20 2 Jonathan comforteth David. 3 They renew their league. 33 Saul would have killed Jonathan. 38 Jonathan advertiseth David by three arrows, of his father’s fury.

¹ And David ^[a]fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, What have I done? what is mine iniquity? and what sin have I committed before thy father, that he seeketh my life?

² And he said unto him, God forbid, thou shalt not die: behold, my father will do nothing great nor small, but he will ^[b]show it me: and why should my father hide this thing from me? he will not do it.

³ And David swore again and said, Thy father knoweth that I have found grace in thine eyes: therefore he thinketh, Jonathan shall not know it, lest he be sorry: but indeed, as the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, there is but a ^[c]step between me and death.

⁴ Then said Jonathan unto David, Whatsoever thy soul ^[d]requireth, that I will do unto thee.

⁵ And David said unto Jonathan, Behold, tomorrow is the ^[e]first day of the month, and I should sit with the king at meat: but let me go, that I may hide myself in the fields unto the third day at even.

⁶ If thy father make mention of me, then say, David asked leave of me, that he might go to Bethlehem to his own city: for there is a ^[f]yearly sacrifice for all that family.

⁷ And if he say thus, It is well, thy servant shall have peace: but if he be angry, be sure that wickedness is concluded of him.

⁸ So shalt thou show mercy unto thy servant: ^(A)for thou hast joined thy servant into a covenant of the Lord with thee, and if there be in me iniquity, slay thou me? for why shouldest thou bring me to thy father?

⁹ ¶ And Jonathan answered, God keep that from thee: for if I knew that wickedness were ^[g]concluded of my father to come upon thee, would not I tell it thee?

¹⁰ Then said David to Jonathan, Who ^[h]shall tell me? how shall I know, if thy father answer thee cruelly?

¹¹ And Jonathan said to David, Come and let us go out into the field: and they twain went out into the field.

¹² Then Jonathan said to David, O Lord God of Israel, when I have groped my father’s mind tomorrow at this time, or within this three days, and if it be well with David, and I then send not unto thee, and show it thee,

¹³ The Lord ^[i]do so and much more unto Jonathan: but if my father have mind to do thee evil, I will show thee also, and send thee away, that thou mayest go in peace: and the Lord be with thee as he hath been with my father.

¹⁴ Likewise I require not whiles I live: for I doubt not but thou wilt show me the mercy of the Lord, ^[j]that I die not.

¹⁵ But I require that thou cut not off thy mercy from mine house forever: no, not when the Lord hath destroyed the enemies of David, every one from the earth.

¹⁶ So Jonathan made a bond with the house of David, saying, Let the Lord require it at the hands of David’s enemies.

¹⁷ And again Jonathan swore unto David, because he loved him (for he loved him as his own soul,)

¹⁸ Then said Jonathan to him, Tomorrow is the first day of the month: and thou shalt be ^[k]looked for, for thy place shall be empty.

¹⁹ Therefore thou shalt hide thyself three days, then thou shalt go down quickly and come to the place where thou didst hide thyself, when this matter was in hand, and shalt remain by the stone ^[l]Ezel.

²⁰ And I will shoot three arrows on the side thereof, as though I shot at a mark.

²¹ And after I will send a boy, saying, Go, seek the arrows. If I say unto the boy, See, the arrows are on this side thee, bring them, and come thou: for it is ^[m]well with thee, and no hurt, as the Lord liveth.

²² But if I say thus unto the boy, Behold, the arrows are beyond thee, go thy way: for the ^[n]Lord hath sent thee away.

²³ As touching the thing which thou and I have spoken of, behold, the Lord be between thee and me forever.

²⁴ ¶ So David hid himself in the field: and when the first day of the month came, the king sat to eat meat.

²⁵ And the king sat, as at other times upon his seat, even upon his seat by the wall: and Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul’s side, but David’s place was empty.

²⁶ And Saul said nothing that day: for he thought, Something hath befallen him, though he were ^[o]clean, or else because he was not purified.

²⁷ But on the morrow which was the second day of the month, David’s place was empty again: and Saul said unto Jonathan his son, Wherefore cometh not ^[p]the son of Jesse to meat, neither yesterday nor today?

²⁸ And Jonathan answered unto Saul, David required of me, that he might go to Bethlehem.

²⁹ For he said, Let me go, I pray thee: for our family offereth ^[q]a sacrifice in the city, and my brother hath sent for me: therefore now, if I have found favor in thine eyes, let me go, I pray thee, and see my ^[r]brethren: this is the cause that he cometh not unto the king’s table.

³⁰ Then was Saul angry with Jonathan, and said unto him, Thou ^[s]son of the wicked rebellious woman, do not I know, that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thy confusion, and to the confusion and shame of thy mother?

³¹ For as long as the son of Jesse liveth upon the earth, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom: wherefore now send and fet him unto me, for he ^[t]shall surely die.

³² And Jonathan answered unto Saul his father, and said unto him, Wherefore shall he ^[u]die? what hath he done?

³³ And Saul cast a spear at him to hit him, whereby Jonathan knew, that it was determined of his father to slay David.

³⁴ ¶ So Jonathan arose from the table in a great anger, and did eat no meat the second day of the month: for he was sorry for David, and because his father had reviled him.

³⁵ On the next morning therefore Jonathan went out into the field, ^[v]at the time appointed with David, and a little boy with him.

³⁶ And he said unto his boy, Run now, seek the arrows which I shoot, and as the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.

³⁷ And when the boy was come to the place where the arrow was that Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the boy, and said, Is not the arrow beyond thee?

³⁸ And Jonathan cried after the boy, ^[w]Make speed, haste and stand not still: and Jonathan’s boy gathered up the arrows, and came to his master,

³⁹ But the boy knew nothing: only Jonathan and David knew the matter.

⁴⁰ Then Jonathan gave his ^[x]bow and arrows unto the boy that was with him, and said unto him, Go, carry them into the city.

⁴¹ ¶ As soon as the boy was gone, David arose out of a place that was toward the ^[y]South, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times: and they kissed one another, and wept both twain, till David exceeded.

⁴² Therefore Jonathan said to David, Go in peace: that which we have ^[z]sworn both of us in the name of the Lord, saying, The Lord be between me and thee, and between my seed and between thy seed, let it stand forever.

⁴³ And he arose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city.

21 1 David fleeth to Nob to Ahimelech the Priest. 6 He getteth of him the showbread to satisfy his hunger. 7 Doeg Saul’s servant was present. 10 David fleeth to King Achish, 13 and there feigneth himself mad.

¹ Then came David to ^[aa]Nob, to Ahimelech the Priest, and Ahimelech was astonied at the meeting of David, and said unto him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee?

² And David said to Ahimelech the Priest, The ^[ab]King hath commanded me a certain thing, and hath said unto me, Let no man know whereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee: and I have appointed my servants to such and such places.

³ Now therefore if thou hast ought under thine hand, give me five cakes of bread, or what cometh to hand.

⁴ And the Priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under mine hand, but here is ^(B)hallowed bread, if the young men have kept themselves, at least from ^[ac]women.

⁵ David then answered the Priest, and said unto him, Certainly women have been separate from us these two or three days since I came out: and the ^[ad]vessels of the young men were holy, though the way were profane, and how much more then shall every one ^[ae]be sanctified this day in the vessel?

⁶ So the Priest gave him hallowed bread: for there was no bread there, save the showbread that was taken from before the Lord, to put hot bread there, the day that it was taken away.

⁷ (And there was the same day one of the servants of Saul ^[af]abiding before the Lord, named Doeg the Edomite, the ^[ag]chiefest of Saul’s herdmen.)

⁸ And David said unto Ahimelech, Is there not here under thine hand a spear or a sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor mine harness with me, because the king’s business required haste.

⁹ And the Priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the ^(C)valley of Elah, behold, it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ^[ah]Ephod: if thou wilt take that to thee, take it: for there is none other save that here: And David said, There is none to that, give it me.

¹⁰ And David arose and fled the same day from the ^[ai]presence of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.

¹¹ And the servants of Achish said unto him, Is not this David the ^(D)King of the land? did they not sing unto him in dances, saying, ^(E)Saul hath slain his thousand, and David his ten thousand?

¹² And David ^[aj]considered these words, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath.

¹³ And he changed his behavior before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and ^[ak]scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard.

¹⁴ Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man is beside himself, wherefore have ye brought him to me?

¹⁵ Have I need of mad men, that ye have brought this fellow to play the mad man in my presence? ^[al]shall he come into mine house?

22 1 David hideth himself in a cave. 2 Many that were in trouble came unto him. 9 Doeg accuseth Ahimelech. 18 Saul causeth the Priests to be slain. 20 Abiathar escapeth.

¹ David therefore departed thence, and saved himself in the cave ^[am]of Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father’s house heard it, they went down thither to him.

² And there gathered unto him all men that were in trouble, and all men that were in debt, and all those that were vexed in mind, and he was their ^[an]prince, and there were with him about four hundred men.

³ ¶ And David went thence to Mizpah in ^[ao]Moab, and said unto the King of Moab, I pray thee, let my father and my mother come and abide with you, till I know what God will do for me.

⁴ And he ^[ap]brought them before the King of Moab, and they dwelt with him all the while that David was in ^[aq]the hold.

⁵ And the Prophet Gad said unto David, Abide not in the hold, but depart and go into the land of Judah. Then David departed and came into the forest of Hereth.

⁶ ¶ And Saul heard that David was ^[ar]discovered, and the men that were with him, and Saul remained in Gibeah under a tree in Ramah, having his spear in his hand, and all his servants stood about him.

⁷ And Saul said unto his servants that stood about him, Hear now, the sons ^[as]of Benjamin, will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards: will he make you all captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds:

⁸ That all ye have conspired against me, and there is none that telleth me that my son hath made a covenant with the son of Jesse? and there is none of you that is sorry for me, or showeth me, that my ^[at]son hath stirred up my servant to lie in wait against me, as appeareth this day?

⁹ ¶ Then answered Doeg the Edomite, (who was appointed over the servants of Saul) and said, I saw the son of Jesse, when he came to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub,

¹⁰ Who asked counsel of the Lord for him, and gave him victuals, and he gave him also the sword of Goliath the Philistine.

¹¹ Then the King sent to call Ahimelech the Priest the son of Ahitub, and all his father’s house, to wit, ^[au]the Priests that were in Nob: and they came all to the King.

¹² And Saul said, Hear now thou son of Ahitub. And he answered, Here I am, my lord.

¹³ Then Saul said unto him, Why have ye conspired against me, thou and the son of Jesse, in that thou hast given him victual, and a sword, and hast asked counsel of God for him, that he should rise against me, and lie in wait as appeareth this day?

¹⁴ And Ahimelech answered the King, and said, Who is so faithful among all thy servants as David, being also the king’s son-in-law, and goeth at thy commandment, and is honorable in thine house?

^15 [av]Have I this day first begun to ask counsel of God for him? be it far from me, let not the king impute anything unto his servant, nor to all the house of my father: for thy servant knew nothing of all this, less nor more.

¹⁶ Then the King said, Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all thy father’s house.

¹⁷ And the King said unto the ^[aw]sergeants that stood about him, Turn, and slay the Priests of the Lord, because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled, and showed it not unto me. But the servants of the King ^[ax]would not move their hands to fall upon the Priests of the Lord.

¹⁸ Then the King said to Doeg, Turn thou and fall upon the Priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned, and ran upon the Priests, and slew that same day fourscore and five persons, that did wear a linen Ephod.

¹⁹ Also Nob the city of the Priests smote he with the edge of the sword, both man and woman, both child and suckling, both ox and ass, and sheep with the edge of the sword.

²⁰ But one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub (whose name was Abiathar) ^[ay]escaped and fled after David.

²¹ And Abiathar showed David, that Saul had slain the Lord’s Priests.

²² And David said unto Abiathar, I knew it the same day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would tell Saul. I am the cause of the death of all the persons of thy father’s house.

²³ Abide thou with me, and fear not: for ^[az]he that seeketh my life, shall seek thy life also: for with me thou shalt be in safeguard.

23 5 David chaseth the Philistines from Keilah. 13 David departeth from Keilah, and remaineth in the wilderness of Ziph. 16 Jonathan comforteth David. 28 Saul’s enterprise is broken in pursuing David. 

¹ Then they told David, saying, Behold, the Philistines fight against ^[ba]Keilah, and spoil the barns.

² Therefore David asked counsel of the Lord, saying, Shall I go and smite these Philistines? And the Lord answered David, Go and smite the Philistines, and save Keilah.

³ And David’s men said unto him, See, we be afraid here in ^[bb]Judah, how much more if we come to Keilah against the host of the Philistines?

⁴ Then David asked counsel of the Lord again. And the Lord answered him, and said, Arise, go down to Keilah: for I will deliver the Philistines into thine hand.

⁵ ¶ So David and his men went to Keilah, and fought with the Philistines, and brought away their cattle, and smote them with a great slaughter: thus David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.

⁶ (And when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech ^(F)fled to David to Keilah, he brought an ^[bc]Ephod ^[bd]with him.)

⁷ ¶ And it was told Saul that David was come to Keilah, and Saul said, God hath delivered him into mine hand: for he is shut in, seeing he is come into a city that hath gates and bars.

⁸ Then Saul called all the people together to war for to go down to Keilah, and to besiege David and his men.

⁹ ¶ And David having knowledge that Saul imagined mischief against him, said to Abiathar the Priest, ^[be]Bring the Ephod.

¹⁰ Then said David, O Lord God of Israel, thy servant hath heard, that Saul is about to come to Keilah to destroy the city for my sake.

¹¹ Will the lords of Keilah deliver me up into his hand? and will Saul come down, as thy servant hath heard? O Lord God of Israel, I beseech thee, tell thy servant. And the Lord said, He will come down.

¹² Then said David, Will the ^[bf]lords of Keilah deliver me up, and the men that are with me, into the hand of Saul? And the Lord said, They will deliver thee up.

¹³ ¶ Then David and his men, which were about six hundred, arose and departed out of Keilah, and went ^[bg]whither they could. And it was told Saul, that David was fled from Keilah, and he left off his journey.

¹⁴ And David abode in the wilderness in the ^[bh]holds, and remained in a mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God ^[bi]delivered him not into his hand.

¹⁵ And David saw that Saul was come out for to seek his life: and David was in the wilderness of Ziph in the wood.

¹⁶ ¶ And Jonathan Saul’s son arose and went to David into the wood, and comforted ^[bj]him in God,

¹⁷ And said unto him, Fear not: for the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee, and thou shalt be ^[bk]king over Israel, and I shall be next unto thee: and also Saul my father knoweth it.

¹⁸ So they twain made a covenant before the Lord: and David did remain in the wood: but Jonathan went to his house.

¹⁹ ¶ Then came up the Ziphites to Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide himself by us in holds, in the wood in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the right side ^[bl]of Jeshimon?

²⁰ Now therefore, O king, come down according to all that thine heart can desire, and our part shall be to deliver him into the King’s hands.

²¹ Then Saul said, ^[bm]Be ye blessed of the Lord: for ye have had compassion on me.

²² Go, I pray you, and prepare ye yet better: know and see his place where he ^[bn]haunteth, and who hath seen him there: for it is said to me, He is subtle, and crafty.

²³ See therefore and know all the secret places where he hideth himself, and come ye again to me with the certainty, and I will go with you: and if he be in the ^[bo]land, I will search him out throughout all the thousands of Judah.

²⁴ Then they arose and went to Ziph before Saul, but David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the plain on the right hand of Jeshimon.

²⁵ Saul also and his men went to seek him, and they told David: wherefore he came down unto a rock, and abode in the wilderness of ^[bp]Maon. And when Saul heard that, he followed after David in the wilderness of Maon.

²⁶ And Saul and his men went on the one side of the mountain: and David and his men on the other side of the mountain: and David made haste to get from the presence of Saul: for Saul and his men compassed David and his men round about, to take them.

²⁷ But there came a ^[bq]messenger to Saul, saying, Haste thee, and come: for the Philistines have invaded the land.

²⁸ Wherefore Saul returned from pursuing David, and went against the Philistines. Therefore they called that place, ^[br]Sela Hammahlekoth.

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 ^[bs]holds at En Gedi.

² When Saul was turned from the Philistines, they told him, saying, Behold, David is in the wilderness of ^[bt]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 ^[bu]to do his easement: and David and his men sat in the ^[bv]inward parts of the cave.

⁵ And the men of David said unto him, See, the day is ^[bw]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 ^[bx]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, ^[by]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 ^[bz]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 ^[ca]deliver me out of thine hand.

¹⁷ When David had made an end of speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, ^[cb]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 ^[cc]free? wherefore the Lord render thee good for that thou hast done unto me this day.

²¹ For now behold, I ^[cd]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.

25 1 Samuel dieth. 3 Nabal and Abigail. 38 The Lord killeth Nabal. 43 Abigail and Ahinoam David’s wives. 44 Michal is given to Palti.

¹ Then ^(G)Samuel died, and all Israel assembled, and mourned for him, and buried him in his ^[ce]own house at Ramah. And David arose and went down to the wilderness of Paran.

² Now in ^[cf]Maon was a man, who had his possession in Carmel, and the man was exceeding mighty, and had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats, and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.

³ The name also of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail, and she was a woman of singular wisdom, and beautiful, but the man was churlish, and evil conditioned, and was of the family of Caleb.

⁴ And David heard in the wilderness, that Nabal did shear his sheep.

⁵ Therefore David sent ten young men, and David said unto the young men, Go up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and ask him in my name ^[cg]how he doeth.

⁶ And thus shall ye say ^[ch][ci]for salutation, Both thou, and thine house, and all that thou hast, be in peace, wealth and prosperity.

⁷ Behold, I have heard, that thou hast shearers: now thy shepherds were with us, and we did them no hurt, neither did they miss anything all the while they were in Carmel.

⁸ Ask thy servants, and they will show thee. Wherefore let these young men find favor in thine eyes: (for we come in a good season) give, I pray thee, whatsoever ^[cj]cometh to thine hand unto thy servants, and to thy son David.

⁹ ¶ And when David’s young men came, they told Nabal all those words in the name of David, and held their peace.

¹⁰ Then Nabal answered David’s servants, and said, Who is David? and who is the ^[ck]son of Jesse? there be many servants nowadays, that break away every man from his master.

¹¹ Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men, whom I know not whence they be?

¹² ¶ So David’s servants turned their way, and went again, and came and told him all those things.

¹³ And David said unto his men, Gird every man his sword about him. And they girded every man his sword: David also girded his sword. And about four hundred men went up after David, and two hundred abode by the ^[cl]carriage.

¹⁴ Now one of the servants told Abigail Nabal’s wife, saying, Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to salute our master, and he ^[cm]railed on them.

¹⁵ Notwithstanding, the men were very good ^[cn]unto us, and we had no displeasure, neither missed we anything as long as we were conversant with them, when we were in the fields.

¹⁶ They were as a wall unto us both by night and by day, all the while we were with them keeping sheep.

¹⁷ Now therefore take heed, and see what thou shalt do: for evil ^[co]will surely come upon our master, and upon all his family: for he is so wicked, that a man cannot speak to him.

¹⁸ ¶ Then Abigail made haste, and took two hundred ^[cp]cakes, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched corn, and an hundred ^[cq]frails of raisins, and two hundred of figs, and laid them on asses.

¹⁹ Then she said unto her servants, Go ye before me: behold, I will come after you: yet she told not her ^[cr]husband Nabal.

²⁰ And as she rode on her ass, she came down by a secret place of the mountain, and behold, David and his men came down against her, and she met them.

²¹ And David said, Indeed I have kept all in vain that this fellow had in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that pertained unto him: for he hath requited me evil for good.

²² So and more also do God unto the enemies of David: for surely I will not leave of all that he hath by the dawning of the day, any that ^[cs]pisseth against the wall.

²³ And when Abigail saw David, she hasted and lighted off her ass, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground,

²⁴ And fell at his feet, and said, Oh, my lord, I have committed the iniquity, and I pray thee, let thine handmaid speak ^[ct]to thee, and hear thou the words of thine handmaid.

²⁵ Let not my lord, I pray thee, regard this wicked man, Nabal: for as his name is, so is he: ^[cu]Nabal is his name, and folly is with him: but I thine handmaid saw not the young men of my lord whom thou sentest.

²⁶ Now therefore my lord, as the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth (the Lord, I say, that hath withholden thee from coming to shed blood, and that thine ^[cv]hand should not save thee) so now thine enemies shall be as Nabal, and they that intend to do my lord evil.

²⁷ And now this ^[cw]blessing which thine handmaid hath brought unto my lord, let it be given unto the young men, that ^[cx]follow my lord.

²⁸ I pray thee, forgive the trespass of thine handmaid: for the Lord will make my lord a ^[cy]sure house, because my lord fighteth the battles of the Lord, and none evil hath been found in thee ^[cz]in all thy life.

²⁹ Yet ^[da]a man hath risen up to persecute thee, and to seek thy soul, but the soul of my lord shall be bound in the ^[db]bundle of life with the Lord thy God: and the soul of thine enemies shall God cast out, as out of the middle of a sling.

³⁰ And when the Lord shall have done to my lord all the good that he hath promised thee, and shall have made thee ruler over Israel,

³¹ Then shall it be no grief unto thee, nor offence of mind unto my lord, that he hath not shed blood causeless, nor that my lord hath ^[dc]not preserved himself: and when the Lord shall have dealt well with my lord, remember thine handmaid.

³² Then David said to Abigail, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me.

³³ And blessed be thy counsel, and blessed be thou, which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood, ^[dd]and that mine hand hath not saved me.

³⁴ For indeed, as the Lord God of Israel liveth, ^[de]who hath kept me back from hurting thee, except thou hadst hasted and met me, surely there had not been left unto Nabal by the dawning of the day, any that pisseth against the wall.

³⁵ Then David received of her hand that which she had brought him, and said to her, Go up in peace to thine house: behold, I have heard thy voice, and have ^[df]granted thy petition.

³⁶ ¶ So Abigail came to Nabal, and behold, he made a feast in his house, like the feast of a king, and Nabal’s heart was merry within him, for he was very drunken: wherefore she told him ^[dg]nothing, neither less nor more, until the morning arose.

³⁷ Then in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, his wife told him those words, and his heart died within him, and he was like ^[dh]a stone.

³⁸ And about ten days after, the Lord smote Nabal, that he died.

³⁹ ¶ Now when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be the Lord, that hath ^[di]judged the cause of my rebuke of the hand of Nabal, and hath kept his servant from evil: for the Lord hath recompensed the wickedness of Nabal upon his own head. Also David sent to commune with Abigail, to ^[dj]take her to his wife.

⁴⁰ And when the servants of David were come to Abigail to Carmel, they spake unto her, saying, David sent us to thee, to take thee to his wife.

⁴¹ And she arose, and bowed herself on her face to the earth, and said, Behold, let thine handmaid be a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.

⁴² And Abigail hasted, and arose, and rode upon an ass, and her five maids ^[dk]followed her, and she went after the messengers of David, and was his wife.

⁴³ David also took Ahinoam of ^(H)Jezreel, and they were both his wives.

⁴⁴ Now Saul had given ^(I)Michal his daughter, David’s wife, to Palti the son of Laish, which was of ^[dl]Gallim.

26 1 David was discovered unto Saul by the Ziphites. 12 David taketh away Saul’s spear, and a pot of water that stood at his head. 21 Saul confesseth his sin.

¹ Again the Ziphites came unto Saul to Gibeah, saying, ^(J)Doth not David hide himself ^[dm]in the hill of Hachilah before ^[dn]Jeshimon?

² Then Saul arose, and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, having three thousand ^[do]chosen men of Israel with him, for to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.

³ And Saul pitched in the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon by the wayside. Now David abode in the wilderness, and he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness.

⁴ (For David had sent out spies, and understood that Saul was come ^[dp]in very deed.)

⁵ Then David arose, and came to the place where Saul had pitched, and when David beheld the place where Saul lay, and ^(K)Abner the son of Ner which was his chief captain, (for Saul lay in the fort, and the people pitched round about him.)

⁶ Then spake David, and said to Ahimelech the ^[dq]Hittite, and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, brother to ^[dr]Joab, saying, Who will go down with me to Saul to the host? Then Abishai said, I will go down with thee.

⁷ So David and Abishai came down to the people by night: and behold, Saul lay sleeping within the fort, and his spear did stick in the ground at his ^[ds]head: and Abner and the people lay round about him.

⁸ ¶ Then said Abishai to David, God hath closed thine enemy into thine hand this day: now therefore, I pray thee, let me smite him once with a spear to the earth, and I will not smite him ^[dt]again.

⁹ And David said to Abishai, Destroy him not: for who can lay his hand ^[du]on the Lord’s anointed, and be guiltless?

¹⁰ Moreover David said, As the Lord liveth, either the Lord shall smite him, or his day shall come to die, or he shall descend into battle, and perish.

¹¹ The Lord keep me from laying mine hand upon the Lord’s anointed: but, I pray thee, take now the spear that is at his head, and the pot of water, and let us go hence.

¹² So David took the spear and the pot of water from Saul’s head, and they got them away, and no man saw it, nor marked it, neither did any awake, but they were all asleep: for ^[dv]the Lord had sent a dead sleep upon them.

¹³ Then David went unto the other side, and stood on the top of an hill a far off, a great space being between them.

¹⁴ And David cried to the people, and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, ^[dw]Hearest thou not, Abner? Then Abner answered, and said, Who art thou that cryest to the King?

¹⁵ ¶ And David said to Abner, Art not thou a ^[dx]man? and who is like thee in Israel? wherefore then hast thou not kept thy Lord the King? for there came one of the folk in to destroy the king thy lord.

¹⁶ This is not well done of thee: as the Lord liveth, ye are ^[dy]worthy to die, because ye have not kept your master the Lord’s anointed: and now see where the King’s spear is, and the pot of water that was at his head.

¹⁷ And Saul knew David’s voice, and said, Is this thy voice, ^[dz]my son David? And David said, It is my voice, my lord, O King.

¹⁸ And he said, Wherefore doth my lord thus persecute his servant? for what have I done? or what evil is in mine hand?

¹⁹ Now therefore, I beseech thee, let my Lord the King hear the words of his servant. If the Lord have stirred thee up against me, ^[ea]let him smell the savor of a sacrifice: but if the children of men have done it, cursed be they before the Lord: for they have cast me out this day from abiding in the inheritance of the Lord, saying, Go, serve ^[eb]other gods.

²⁰ Now therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth before the face of the Lord: for the King of Israel is come out to seek a flea, as one would hunt a partridge in the mountains.

²¹ Then said Saul, I have sinned: Come again, my son David: for I will do thee no more harm, because my soul was ^[ec]precious in thine eyes this day: behold, I have done foolishly, and have erred exceedingly.

²² Then David answered, and said, Behold the King’s spear, let one of the young men come over and fet it.

²³ And let the Lord reward every man according to his ^[ed]righteousness and faithfulness: for the Lord had delivered thee into mine hands this day, but I would not lay mine hand upon the Lord’s anointed.

²⁴ And behold, like as thy life was much set by this day in mine eyes: so let my life be set by in the eyes of the Lord, that he may deliver me out of all tribulation.

²⁵ Then Saul said to David, Blessed art thou, my son David: for thou shalt do great things, and also prevail. So David went his way, and Saul returned to his ^[ee]place.

27 2 David fleeth to Achish King of Gath, who giveth him Ziklag. 8 David destroyeth certain of the Philistines. 10 Achish is deceived by David.

¹ And David said in his heart, I shall now ^[ef]perish one day by the hand of Saul: is it not better for me that I save myself in the land of the Philistines, and that Saul may have no hope of me to seek me anymore in all the coasts of Israel, and so escape out of his hand?

² David therefore arose, and he, and the six hundred men that were with him, went unto Achish the son of Maoch king of Gath.

³ And David ^[eg]dwelt with Achish at Gath, he, and his men, every man with his household, David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelite, and Abigail Nabal’s wife the Carmelite.

⁴ And it was told Saul that David was fled to Gath: so he sought no more for him.

⁵ And David said unto Achish, If I have now found grace in thine eyes, ^[eh]let them give me a place in some other city of the country, that I may dwell there: for why should thy servant dwell in the head city of the kingdom with thee?

⁶ Then Achish gave him Ziklag that same day: therefore Ziklag pertaineth unto the kings of Judah unto this day.

⁷ ¶ And ^[ei]the time that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines, was four months and certain days.

⁸ Then David and his men went up, and invaded the ^[ej]Geshurites, and the Girzites, and the Amalekites: for they inhabited the land from the beginning, from the way, as thou goest to Shur, even unto the land of Egypt.

⁹ And David smote the land, and left neither man nor woman alive, and took sheep, and oxen, and asses, and camels, and apparel, and returned and came to Achish.

¹⁰ And Achish said, ^[ek]Where have ye been a roving this day? And David answered, Against the South of Judah, and against the South of the ^[el]Jerahmeelites, and against the South of the Kenites.

¹¹ And David saved neither man nor woman alive, to bring them to Gath, saying, Lest they should tell on us, and say, So did David, and so will be his manner all the while that he dwelleth in the country of the Philistines.

¹² And Achish believed David, saying, ^[em]He hath made his people of Israel utterly to abhor him: therefore he shall be my servant forever.

28 1 David hath the chief charge promised about Achish.  8 Saul consulteth with a witch, and she causeth him to speak with Samuel, 18 Who declareth his ruin.

¹ Now at that time the Philistines assembled their bands and army to fight with Israel: therefore Achish said to David, ^[en]Be sure, thou shalt go out with me to the battle, thou, and thy men.

² And David said to Achish, Surely thou shalt know what thy servant can do. And Achish said to David, Surely I will make thee keeper of mine head forever.

³ (^(L)Samuel was then dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah his own city: and Saul had ^[eo]put away the sorcerers, and the Soothsayers out of the land.)

⁴ Then the Philistines assembled themselves, and came and pitched in Shunem: and Saul assembled all Israel, and they pitched in Gilboa.

⁵ And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart was sore astonied.

⁶ Therefore Saul asked counsel of the Lord, and the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by ^[ep]Urim, nor yet by Prophets.

⁷ ¶ Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and ask of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman at En Dor that hath a familiar spirit.

⁸ Then Saul ^[eq]changed himself, and put on other raiment, and he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, I pray thee, conjecture unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me him up whom I shall name unto thee.

⁹ And the woman said unto him, Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath destroyed the sorcerers, and the soothsayers out of the land: wherefore then seekest thou to take me in a snare to cause me to die?

¹⁰ And Saul swore to her by the Lord, saying, As the Lord liveth, no ^[er]harm shall come to thee for this thing.

¹¹ Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he answered, Bring me up ^[es]Samuel.

¹² And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice, and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul.

¹³ And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw ^[et]gods ascending up out of the earth.

¹⁴ Then he said unto her, What fashion is he of? And she answered, An old man cometh up lapped in a mantel: and Saul knew that it was ^[eu]Samuel, and he inclined his face to the ground, and bowed himself.

¹⁵ ¶ And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? Then Saul answered, I am in great distress: for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither ^[ev]by Prophets, neither by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest tell me, what I shall do.

¹⁶ Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing, the Lord is gone from thee, and is thine enemy?

¹⁷ Even the Lord hath done to ^[ew]him, as he spake ^(M)by mine ^[ex]hand: for the Lord will rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and give it thy neighbor David.

¹⁸ Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the Lord, nor executedst his fierce wrath upon the Amalekites, therefore hath the Lord done this unto thee this day.

¹⁹ Moreover the Lord will deliver Israel with thee into the hands of the Philistines: ^[ey]and tomorrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me, and the Lord shall give the host of Israel into the hands of the Philistines.

²⁰ Then Saul fell straightway all along on the earth, and was sore ^[ez]afraid because of the words of Samuel, so that there was no strength in him: for he had eaten no bread all the day nor all the night.

²¹ Then the woman came unto Saul, and saw that he was sore troubled, and said unto him, See, thine handmaid hath obeyed thy voice, and I ^[fa]have put my soul in mine hand, and have obeyed thy words which thou saidest unto me.

²² Now therefore, I pray thee, hearken thou also unto the voice of thine handmaid, and let me set a morsel of bread before thee, that thou mayest eat and get thee strength, and go on thy journey.

²³ But he refused and said, I will not eat: but his servants and the woman together compelled him, and he obeyed their voice: so he arose from the earth, and sat on the bed.

²⁴ Now the woman had a fat calf in the house, and she hasted, and killed it, and took flour, and kneaded it, and baked of it ^[fb]unleavened bread.

²⁵ Then she brought them before Saul, and before his servants: and when they had eaten, they stood up, and went away the same night.

29 4 The princes of the Philistines cause David to be sent back from the battle against Israel, because they distrusted him.

¹ So the Philistines were gathered together with all their armies in Aphek: and the Israelites pitched ^[fc]by the fountain, which is in Jezreel.

² And the ^[fd]princes of the Philistines went forth by ^[fe]hundreds and thousands, but David and his men came behind with Achish.

³ Then said the Princes of the Philistines, What do these Hebrews here? And Achish said unto the princes of the Philistines, Is not this David the servant of Saul the King of Israel, who hath been with me these days, ^[ff]or these years, and I have found nothing in him, since he ^[fg]dwelt with me unto this day?

⁴ But the princes of the Philistines were wroth with him, and the princes of the Philistines said unto him, ^(N)Send this fellow back, that he may go again to his place which thou hast appointed him, and let him not go down with us to battle, lest that in the battle he be an adversary to us: for wherewith should he obtain the favor of his master? should it not be with the ^[fh]heads of these men?

⁵ Is not this David, of whom they sang in dances, saying, ^(O)Saul slew his thousand, and David his ten thousand?

⁶ ¶ Then Achish called David, and said unto him, As the Lord liveth, thou hast been upright and good in my sight, when thou ^[fi]wentest out and in with me in the host, neither have I found evil with thee, since thou camest to me unto this day, but ^[fj]the princes do not favor thee.

⁷ Wherefore now return, and go in peace, that thou displease not the princes of the Philistines.

⁸ ¶ And David said unto Achish, But what have I done? and what hast thou found in thy servant as long as I have been with thee unto this day, that I may ^[fk]not go and fight against the enemies of my Lord the King?

⁹ Achish then answered and said to David, I know thou pleasest me as an Angel of God: but the princes of the Philistines have said, Let him not go up with us to battle.

¹⁰ Wherefore now rise up early in the morning with thy ^[fl]master’s servants that are come with thee: and when ye be up early, as soon as ye have light, depart.

¹¹ So David and his men rose up early to depart in the morning, and to return into the land of the Philistines: and the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

30 1 The Amalekites burn Ziklag. 5 David’s two wives are taken prisoners. 6 The people would stone him. 8 He asketh counsel of the Lord, and pursuing his enemies recovereth the prey. 24 He divideth it equally, 26 And sendeth part to his friends.

¹ But when David and his men were come to Ziklag ^[fm]the third day, the Amalekites had invaded upon the South, even unto Ziklag, and had ^[fn]smitten Ziklag, and burnt it with fire,

² And had taken the women that were therein, prisoners, both small and great, and slew not a man, but carried them away, and went their ways.

³ ¶ So David and his men came to the city, and behold, it was burnt with fire, and their ^[fo]wives and their sons, and their daughters were taken prisoners.

⁴ Then David and the people that were with him, lift up their voices and wept, until they could weep no more.

⁵ David’s two wives were taken prisoners also, Ahinoam the Jezreelite, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.

⁶ And David was in great sorrow: for the people ^[fp]intended to stone him, because the hearts of all the people were vexed every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David comforted himself in the Lord his God.

⁷ ¶ And David said to Abiathar the Priest Ahimelech’s son, I pray thee, bring me the Ephod. And Abiathar brought the Ephod to David.

⁸ Then David asked counsel of the Lord, saying, Shall I follow after this company? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Follow: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and ^[fq]recover all.

⁹ ¶ So David and the six hundred men that were with him, went, and came to the river Besor, where a part of them abode:

¹⁰ But David and four hundred men followed (for two hundred abode behind, being too weary to go over the river Besor.)

¹¹ And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him ^[fr]bread, and he did eat, and they gave him water to drink.

¹² Also they gave him a few figs, and two clusters of raisins: and when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him: for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water in three days, and three nights.

¹³ ¶ And David said unto him, To whom belongest thou? and whence art thou? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, and servant to an Amalekite: and my master left me three days ago because I fell sick.

¹⁴ We roved upon the South of Chereth, and upon the coast belonging to Judah, and upon the South of Caleb, and we burnt Ziklag with fire.

¹⁵ And David said unto him, Canst thou bring me to this company? And he said, ^[fs]Swear unto me by God, that thou will neither kill me, nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee to this company.

¹⁶ ¶ And when he had brought him thither, behold, they lay scattered abroad upon all the earth, ^[ft]eating and drinking, and dancing, because of all the great prey that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah.

¹⁷ And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening ^[fu]of the next morrow, so that there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, which rode upon camels, and fled.

¹⁸ And David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken: also David rescued his two wives.

¹⁹ And they lacked nothing, small or great, son or daughter, or of the spoil of all that they had taken away: David recovered them all.

²⁰ David also took all the sheep, and the oxen, and they drove them before his cattle, and said, This is David’s ^[fv]prey.

²¹ ¶ And David came to the two hundred men that were too weary for to follow David: whom they had made also to abide at the river Besor: and they came to meet David, and to meet the people that were with him: so when David came near to the people, he saluted them.

²² Then answered all the evil and wicked of the men that went with David, and said, Because they went not with us, therefore will we give them none of the prey that we have recovered, save to every man his ^[fw]wife and his children: therefore let them carry them away and depart.

²³ Then said David, Ye shall not do so, my brethren, with that which the Lord hath given us, who hath preserved us, and delivered the company that came against us, into our hands.

²⁴ For who will obey you in this matter? but as his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be, that tarrieth by the stuff: they shall part alike.

^25 [fx]So from that day forward he made it a statute and a law in Israel, until this day.

²⁶ ¶ When David therefore came to Ziklag, he sent of the prey unto the Elders of Judah and to his friends, saying, See there is a blessing for you of the spoil of the enemies of the Lord.

²⁷ He sent to them of Bethel, and to them of South Ramoth, and to them of Jattir,

²⁸ And to them of Aroer, and to them of Siphmoth, and to them of Eshtemoa,

²⁹ And to them of Rachal, and to them of the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to them of the cities of the Kenites,

³⁰ And to them of Hormah, and to them of Chorashan, and to them of Athach,

³¹ And to them of Hebron, and ^[fy]to all the places where David and his men had haunted.

31 4 Saul killeth himself. 6 His children are slain in the battle. 12 The men of Jabesh took down his body, which was hanged on the wall.

¹ Now ^(P)the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled away from the Philistines, and they fell down ^[fz]wounded in mount Gilboa.

² And the Philistines pressed sore upon Saul and his sons, and slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua Saul’s sons.

³ And when the battle went sore against Saul, the archers and bowmen ^[ga]hit him, and he was sore ^[gb]wounded of the archers.

⁴ Then said Saul unto his armor bearer, ^[gc]Draw out thy sword, and thrust me through therewith, lest the uncircumcised come and thrust me through and mock me: but his armor bearer would not, for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword and fell upon it.

⁵ And when his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword, and died with him.

⁶ So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor bearer, and all his men that same day together.

⁷ ¶ And when the men of Israel that were on the other side of the ^[gd]valley, and they of the other side ^[ge]Jordan saw that the men of Israel were put to flight, and that Saul and his sons were dead, then they left the cities, and ran away: and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.

⁸ ¶ And on the morrow when the Philistines were come to spoil them that were slain, they found Saul and his three sons lying in mount Gilboa,

⁹ And they cut off his head, and stripped him out of his armor, and sent into the land of the Philistines on every side, that they should ^[gf]publish it in the temple of their idols, and among the people.

¹⁰ And they laid up his armor in the house of Ashtoreth, but they hanged up his body on the wall of Beth Shan.

¹¹ ¶ When the inhabitants of ^[gg]Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,

¹² Then they arose (as many as were strong men) and went all night, and took the body of Saul, and the bodies of his sons, from the wall of Beth Shan, and came to Jabesh, and ^(Q)burnt them there,

¹³ And took their bones and buried them under a tree at Jabesh, ^(R)and ^[gh]fasted seven days.