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1 Samuel 26
New English Translation

David Spares Saul’s Life Again

26 The Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah and said, “Isn’t David hiding on the hill of Hakilah near[a] Jeshimon?” 2 So Saul arose and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, accompanied by 3,000 select men of Israel, to look for David in the wilderness of Ziph. 3 Saul camped by the road on the hill of Hakilah near Jeshimon, but David was staying in the wilderness. When he realized that Saul had come to the wilderness to find[b] him, 4 David sent scouts and verified that Saul had indeed arrived.[c]

5 So David set out and went to the place where Saul was camped. David saw the place where Saul and Abner son of Ner, the general in command of his army, were sleeping. Now Saul was lying in the entrenchment, and the army was camped all around him. 6 David said to Ahimelech the Hittite and Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, “Who will go down with me to Saul in the camp?” Abishai replied, “I will go down with you.”

7 So David and Abishai approached the army at night and found Saul lying asleep in the entrenchment with his spear stuck in the ground by his head. Abner and the army were lying all around him. 8 Abishai said to David, “Today God has delivered your enemy into your hands. Now let me drive the spear[d] right through him into the ground with one swift jab![e] A second jab won’t be necessary!”

9 But David said to Abishai, “Don’t kill him! Who can extend his hand against the Lord’s chosen one[f] and remain guiltless?” 10 David went on to say, “As the Lord lives, the Lord himself will strike him down. Either his day will come and he will die, or he will go down into battle and be swept away. 11 But may the Lord prevent me from extending my hand against the Lord’s chosen one! Now take the spear by Saul’s head and the jug of water, and let’s get out of here!” 12 So David took the spear and the jug of water by Saul’s head, and they got out of there. No one saw them or was aware of their presence or woke up. All of them were asleep, for the Lord had caused a deep sleep to fall on them.

13 Then David crossed to the other side and stood on the top of the hill some distance away; there was a considerable distance between them. 14 David called to the army and to Abner son of Ner, “Won’t you answer, Abner?” Abner replied, “Who are you, that you have called to the king?” 15 David said to Abner, “Aren’t you a man? After all, who is like you in Israel? Why then haven’t you protected your lord the king? One of the soldiers came to kill your lord the king. 16 This failure on your part isn’t good![g] As surely as the Lord lives, you people who have not protected your lord, the Lord’s chosen one, are as good as dead![h] Now look where the king’s spear and the jug of water that was by his head are!”

17 When Saul recognized David’s voice, he said, “Is that your voice, my son David?” David replied, “Yes, it’s my voice, my lord the king.” 18 He went on to say, “Why is my lord chasing his servant? What have I done? What wrong have I done?[i] 19 So let my lord the king now listen to the words of his servant. If the Lord has incited you against me, may he take delight in[j] an offering. But if men have instigated this,[k] may they be cursed before the Lord! For they have driven me away this day from being united with the Lord’s inheritance, saying, ‘Go on, serve other gods!’ 20 Now don’t let my blood fall to the ground away from the Lord’s presence, for the king of Israel has gone out to look for a flea the way one looks for a partridge[l] in the hill country.”

21 Saul replied, “I have sinned. Come back, my son David. I won’t harm you anymore, for you treated my life with value[m] this day. I have behaved foolishly and have made a very terrible mistake!”[n] 22 David replied, “Here is the king’s spear! Let one of your servants cross over and get it. 23 The Lord rewards each man for his integrity and loyalty.[o] Even though today the Lord delivered you into my hand, I was not willing to extend my hand against the Lord’s chosen one. 24 In the same way that I valued your life this day,[p] may the Lord value my life[q] and deliver me from all danger.” 25 Saul replied to David, “May you be rewarded,[r] my son David! You will without question be successful!”[s] So David went on his way, and Saul returned to his place.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 26:1 tn Heb “upon the face of.”
  2. 1 Samuel 26:3 tn Heb “after.”
  3. 1 Samuel 26:4 tn Heb “and David sent scouts and he knew that Saul had certainly come.”
  4. 1 Samuel 26:8 tn Here “the spear” almost certainly refers to Saul’s own spear, which according to the previous verse was stuck into the ground beside him as he slept. This is reflected in a number of English versions: TEV, CEV “his own spear”; NLT “that spear.” Cf. NIV, NCV “my spear,” in which case Abishai refers to his own spear rather than Saul’s, but this is unlikely since (1) Abishai would probably not have carried a spear along since such a weapon would be unwieldy when sneaking into the enemy camp; and (2) this would not explain the mention of Saul’s own spear stuck in the ground beside him in the previous verse.
  5. 1 Samuel 26:8 tn Heb “let me strike him with the spear and into the ground one time.”
  6. 1 Samuel 26:9 tn Heb “anointed” (also in vv. 11, 16, 23).
  7. 1 Samuel 26:16 tn Heb “Not good [is] this thing which you have done.”
  8. 1 Samuel 26:16 tn Heb “you are sons of death.”
  9. 1 Samuel 26:18 tn Heb “What in my hand [is] evil?”
  10. 1 Samuel 26:19 tn Heb “may he smell.” The implication is that Saul should seek to appease God, for such divine instigation to evil would be a sign of God’s disfavor. For a fuller discussion of this passage see R. B. Chisholm, Jr., “Does God Deceive?” BSac 155 (1998): 19-21.
  11. 1 Samuel 26:19 tn Heb “but if the sons of men.”
  12. 1 Samuel 26:20 tn Heb “the calling [one],” which apparently refers to a partridge.
  13. 1 Samuel 26:21 tn Heb “my life was valuable in your eyes.”
  14. 1 Samuel 26:21 tn Heb “and I have erred very greatly.”
  15. 1 Samuel 26:23 tn Heb “and the Lord returns to the man his righteousness and his faithfulness.”
  16. 1 Samuel 26:24 tn Heb “your life was great this day in my eyes.”
  17. 1 Samuel 26:24 tn Heb “may my life be great in the eyes of the Lord.”
  18. 1 Samuel 26:25 tn Heb “blessed.”
  19. 1 Samuel 26:25 tn Heb “you will certainly do and also you will certainly be able.” The infinitive absolutes placed before the finite verbal forms lend emphasis to the statement.
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1 Samuel 26
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

David Spares Saul’s Life a Second Time

26 Then the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “David is in hiding on the hill of Hachilah, which is opposite Jeshimon.”[a](A) 2 So Saul rose and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, with three thousand chosen men of Israel, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.(B) 3 Saul encamped on the hill of Hachilah, which is opposite Jeshimon,[b] beside the road. But David remained in the wilderness. When he learned that Saul had come after him into the wilderness, 4 David sent out spies and learned that Saul had indeed arrived. 5 Then David set out and came to the place where Saul had encamped, and David saw the place where Saul lay, with Abner son of Ner, the commander of his army. Saul was lying within the encampment, while the army was encamped around him.(C)

6 Then David said to Ahimelech the Hittite and to Joab’s brother Abishai son of Zeruiah, “Who will go down with me into the camp to Saul?” Abishai said, “I will go down with you.”(D) 7 So David and Abishai went to the army by night; there Saul lay sleeping within the encampment, with his spear stuck in the ground at his head, and Abner and the army lay around him. 8 Abishai said to David, “God has given your enemy into your hand today; now, therefore, let me pin him to the ground with one stroke of the spear; I will not strike him twice.” 9 But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can raise his hand against the Lord’s anointed and be guiltless?”(E) 10 David said, “As the Lord lives, the Lord will strike him down, or his day will come to die, or he will go down into battle and perish.(F) 11 The Lord forbid that I should raise my hand against the Lord’s anointed, but now take the spear that is at his head and the water jar, and let us go.”(G) 12 So David took the spear that was at Saul’s head and the water jar, and they went away. No one saw it or knew it, nor did anyone awake, for they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from the Lord had fallen upon them.(H)

13 Then David went over to the other side and stood on top of a hill far away, with a great distance between them. 14 David called to the army and to Abner son of Ner, saying, “Abner! Will you not answer?” Then Abner replied, “Who are you who calls to the king?” 15 David said to Abner, “Are you not a man? Who is like you in Israel? Why then have you not kept watch over your lord the king? For one of the people came in to destroy your lord the king. 16 This thing that you have done is not good. As the Lord lives, you deserve to die because you have not kept watch over your lord, the Lord’s anointed. See now, where is the king’s spear or the water jar that was at his head?”

17 Saul recognized David’s voice and said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” David said, “It is my voice, my lord, O king.”(I) 18 And he added, “Why does my lord pursue his servant? For what have I done? What guilt is on my hands?(J) 19 Now, therefore, let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If it is the Lord who has stirred you up against me, may he accept an offering, but if it is mortals, may they be cursed before the Lord, for they have driven me out today from my share in the heritage of the Lord, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods.’(K) 20 Now therefore, do not let my blood fall to the ground away from the presence of the Lord, for the king of Israel has come out to seek a single flea, like one who hunts a partridge in the mountains.”(L)

21 Then Saul said, “I have done wrong; come back, my son David, for I will never harm you again, because my life was precious in your sight today; I have been a fool and have made a great mistake.”(M) 22 David replied, “Here is the spear, O king! Let one of the young men come over and get it.(N) 23 The Lord rewards everyone for his righteousness and his faithfulness, for the Lord gave you into my hand today, but I would not raise my hand against the Lord’s anointed. 24 As your life was precious today in my sight, so may my life be precious in the sight of the Lord, and may he rescue me from all tribulation.”(O) 25 Then Saul said to David, “Blessed be you, my son David! You will do many things and will succeed in them.” So David went his way, and Saul returned to his place.

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Footnotes

  1. 26.1 Or opposite the wasteland
  2. 26.3 Or opposite the wasteland
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New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)

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