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III. Saul and David
Chapter 13
[Saul was…years old when he became king and he reigned…-two years over Israel.]
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Samuel Anoints David. Samuel did as the Lord had commanded him. When he entered Bethlehem, the elders of the city came trembling to meet him and asked, “Is your visit peaceful, O seer?”
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Then Samuel, with the horn of oil in hand, anointed him in the midst of his brothers, and from that day on, the spirit of the Lord rushed upon David. Then Samuel set out for Ramah.
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David Wins Saul’s Approval. The spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and he was tormented by an evil spirit from the Lord.
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David Made Armor-Bearer. Accordingly, Saul dispatched messengers to ask Jesse to send him his son David, who was with the flock.
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Then Jesse took five loaves of bread, a skin of wine, and a young goat, and sent them to Saul with his son David.
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Thus David came to Saul and entered his service. Saul became very fond of him and made him his armor-bearer.
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Saul sent Jesse the message, “Let David stay in my service, for he meets with my approval.”
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Whenever the spirit from God came upon Saul, David would take the harp and play, and Saul would be relieved and feel better, for the evil spirit would leave him.
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When Saul and all Israel heard this challenge of the Philistine, they were stunned and terrified. David Comes to the Camp.
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David was the son of an Ephrathite named Jesse from Bethlehem in Judah who had eight sons. In the days of Saul Jesse was old and well on in years.
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David was the youngest. While the three oldest had joined Saul,
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David would come and go from Saul’s presence to tend his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.
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Now Jesse said to his son David: “Take this ephah of roasted grain and these ten loaves for your brothers, and bring them quickly to your brothers in the camp.
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Early the next morning, having left the flock with a shepherd, David packed up and set out, as Jesse had commanded him. He reached the barricade of the camp just as the army, on their way to the battleground, were shouting their battle cry.
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David entrusted what he had brought to the keeper of the baggage and hastened to the battle line, where he greeted his brothers.
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While he was talking with them, the Philistine champion, by name Goliath of Gath, came up from the ranks of the Philistines and spoke as before, and David listened.
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David now said to the men standing near him: “How will the man who kills this Philistine and frees Israel from disgrace be rewarded? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should insult the armies of the living God?”
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When Eliab, his oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he grew angry with David and said: “Why did you come down? With whom have you left those sheep in the wilderness? I know your arrogance and dishonest heart. You came down to enjoy the battle!”
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David protested, “What have I done now? I was only talking.”
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The words that David had spoken were overheard and reported to Saul, who sent for him.
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David Challenges Goliath. Then David spoke to Saul: “My lord should not lose heart. Let your servant go and fight this Philistine.”
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But Saul answered David, “You cannot go up against this Philistine and fight with him, for you are only a youth, while he has been a warrior from his youth.”
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Then David told Saul: “Your servant used to tend his father’s sheep, and whenever a lion or bear came to carry off a sheep from the flock,
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David continued: “The same Lord who delivered me from the claws of the lion and the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul answered David, “Go! the Lord will be with you.”
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Preparation for the Encounter. Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic, putting a bronze helmet on his head and arming him with a coat of mail.
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David also fastened Saul’s sword over the tunic. He walked with difficulty, however, since he had never worn armor before. He said to Saul, “I cannot go in these, because I am not used to them.” So he took them off.
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Then, staff in hand, David selected five smooth stones from the wadi and put them in the pocket of his shepherd’s bag. With his sling in hand, he approached the Philistine.
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David’s Victory. With his shield-bearer marching before him, the Philistine advanced closer and closer to David.
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When he sized David up and saw that he was youthful, ruddy, and handsome in appearance, he began to deride him.
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He said to David, “Am I a dog that you come against me with a staff?” Then the Philistine cursed David by his gods
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David answered him: “You come against me with sword and spear and scimitar, but I come against you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel whom you have insulted.
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The Philistine then moved to meet David at close quarters, while David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine.
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David put his hand into the bag and took out a stone, hurled it with the sling, and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone embedded itself in his brow, and he fell on his face to the ground.
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Thus David triumphed over the Philistine with sling and stone; he struck the Philistine dead, and did it without a sword in his hand.
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Then David ran and stood over him; with the Philistine’s own sword which he drew from its sheath he killed him, and cut off his head. Flight of the Philistines. When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they fled.
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David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem; but he kept Goliath’s armor in his own tent.
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David Presented to Saul. As Saul watched David go out to meet the Philistine, he asked his general Abner, “Abner, whose son is that young man?” Abner replied, “On your life, O king, I have no idea.”
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So when David returned from slaying the Philistine, Abner escorted him into Saul’s presence. David was still holding the Philistine’s head.
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Saul then asked him, “Whose son are you, young man?” David replied, “I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem.”
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Chapter 18
David and Jonathan. By the time David finished speaking with Saul, Jonathan’s life became bound up with David’s life; he loved him as his very self.
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Saul retained David on that day and did not allow him to return to his father’s house.
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Jonathan and David made a covenant, because Jonathan loved him as his very self.
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Jonathan took off the cloak he was wearing and handed it over to David, along with his military dress, even his sword, bow, and belt.
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David then carried out successfully every mission on which Saul sent him. So Saul put him in charge of his soldiers; this met with the approval of the whole army, even Saul’s officers.
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Saul’s Jealousy. At the approach of Saul and David, on David’s return after striking down the Philistine, women came out from all the cities of Israel to meet Saul the king, singing and dancing, with tambourines, joyful songs, and stringed instruments.
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The women played and sang: “Saul has slain his thousands, David his tens of thousands.”
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Saul was very angry and resentful of the song, for he thought: “They give David tens of thousands, but only thousands to me. All that remains for him is the kingship.”
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From that day on, Saul kept a jealous eye on David.
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The next day an evil spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he raged in his house. David was in attendance, playing the harp as at other times, while Saul was holding his spear.
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Saul poised the spear, thinking, “I will nail David to the wall!” But twice David escaped him.
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Saul then began to fear David because the Lord was with him but had turned away from Saul.
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Saul sent him out of his presence and appointed him a field officer. So David led the people on their military expeditions
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Seeing how he prospered, Saul feared David.
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But all Israel and Judah loved David, since he led them on their expeditions.
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Saul Plots Against David. Saul said to David, “Look, I will give you my older daughter, Merob, in marriage if you become my warrior and fight the battles of the Lord.” Saul thought, “I will not lay a hand on him. Let the hand of the Philistines strike him.”
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But David answered Saul: “Who am I? And who are my kindred or my father’s clan in Israel that I should become the king’s son-in-law?”
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But when the time came for Saul’s daughter Merob to be given to David, she was given as wife to Adriel the Meholathite instead.
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Now Saul’s daughter Michal loved David. When this was reported to Saul, he was pleased.
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He thought, “I will offer her to him as a trap, so that the hand of the Philistines may strike him.” So for the second time Saul said to David, “You shall become my son-in-law today.”
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Saul then ordered his servants, “Speak to David privately and say: The king favors you, and all his officers love you. You should become son-in-law to the king.”
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But when Saul’s servants mentioned this to David, he said: “Is becoming the king’s son-in-law a trivial matter in your eyes? I am poor and insignificant.”
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When his servants reported David’s answer to him,
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Saul commanded them, “Say this to David: The king desires no other price for the bride than the foreskins of one hundred Philistines, that he may thus take vengeance on his enemies.” Saul intended to have David fall into the hands of the Philistines.
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When the servants reported this offer to David, he was pleased with the prospect of becoming the king’s son-in-law. Before the year was up,
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David arose and went with his men and slew two hundred Philistines. He brought back their foreskins and counted them out before the king that he might become the king’s son-in-law. So Saul gave him his daughter Michal as wife.
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Then Saul realized that the Lord was with David and that his own daughter Michal loved David.
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So Saul feared David all the more and was his enemy ever after.
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The Philistine chiefs continued to make forays, but each time they took the field, David was more successful against them than any of Saul’s other officers, and his name was held in great esteem.
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Chapter 19
Persecution of David. Saul discussed his intention to kill David with his son Jonathan and with all his servants. But Saul’s son Jonathan, who was very fond of David,
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Jonathan then spoke well of David to his father Saul, telling him: “The king should not harm his servant David. He has not harmed you, but has helped you very much by his deeds.
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When he took his life in his hands and killed the Philistine, and the Lord won a great victory for all Israel, you were glad to see it. Why, then, should you become guilty of shedding innocent blood by killing David without cause?”
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So Jonathan summoned David and repeated the whole conversation to him. He then brought David to Saul, and David served him as before.
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David Escapes from Saul. When war broke out again, David went out to fight against the Philistines and inflicted such a great defeat upon them that they fled from him.
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Then an evil spirit from the Lord came upon Saul as he was sitting in his house with spear in hand while David was playing the harp nearby.
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Saul tried to pin David to the wall with the spear, but David eluded Saul, and the spear struck only the wall, while David got away safely.
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The same night, Saul sent messengers to David’s house to guard it, planning to kill him in the morning. David’s wife Michal informed him, “Unless you run for your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.”
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Then Michal let David down through a window, and he made his escape in safety.
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When Saul sent officers to arrest David, she said, “He is sick.”
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Saul, however, sent the officers back to see David and commanded them, “Bring him up to me in his bed, that I may kill him.”
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David and Saul in Ramah. When David got safely away, he went to Samuel in Ramah, informing him of all that Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel went to stay in Naioth.
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When Saul was told that David was at Naioth in Ramah,
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he sent officers to arrest David. But when they saw the band of prophets presided over by Samuel in a prophetic state, the spirit of God came upon them and they too fell into the prophetic ecstasy.
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Saul Among the Prophets. Finally Saul went to Ramah himself. Arriving at the large cistern in Secu, he asked, “Where are Samuel and David?” Someone answered, “At Naioth in Ramah.”
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Chapter 20
David Consults with Jonathan. David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and went to Jonathan. “What have I done?” he asked him. “What crime or what offense does your father hold against me that he seeks my life?”
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But David replied: “Your father is well aware that I am favored with your friendship, so he has decided, ‘Jonathan must not know about this or he will be grieved.’ Nevertheless, as the Lord lives and as you live, there is only a step between me and death.”
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Jonathan then said to David, “I will do whatever you say.”
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David answered: “Tomorrow is the new moon, when I should in fact dine with the king. Let me go and hide in the open country until evening.
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If it turns out that your father misses me, say, ‘David urged me to let him go on short notice to his city Bethlehem, because his whole clan is holding its seasonal sacrifice there.’
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David then asked Jonathan, “Who will tell me if your father gives you a harsh answer?”
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Mutual Agreement. Jonathan replied to David, “Come, let us go out into the field.” When they were out in the open country together,
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Jonathan said to David: “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, I will sound out my father about this time tomorrow. Whether he is well disposed toward David or not, I will inform you.
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never cut off your kindness from my house. And when the Lord cuts off all the enemies of David from the face of the land,
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the name of Jonathan must never be cut off from the family of David, or the Lord will make you answer for it.”
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And in his love for David, Jonathan renewed his oath to him, because he loved him as he loved himself.
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So David hid in the open country. David’s Absence. On the day of the new moon, when the king sat down at the feast to dine,
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he took his usual place against the wall. Jonathan sat facing him, while Abner sat at the king’s side. David’s place was vacant.
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On the next day, the second day of the month, David’s place was still vacant. So Saul asked his son Jonathan, “Why has the son of Jesse not come to table yesterday or today?”
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Jonathan explained to Saul: “David pleaded with me to let him go to Bethlehem.
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At this Saul brandished his spear to strike him, and thus Jonathan learned that his father was determined to kill David.
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Jonathan sprang up from the table in a rage and ate nothing that second day of the month, because he was grieved on David’s account, and because his father had humiliated him.
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Jonathan’s Farewell. The next morning Jonathan, accompanied by a young boy, went out into the field for his appointment with David.
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The boy suspected nothing; only Jonathan and David knew what was meant.
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When the boy had gone, David rose from beside the mound and fell on his face to the ground three times in homage. They kissed each other and wept aloud together.
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At length Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, in keeping with what the two of us have sworn by the name of the Lord: ‘The Lord shall be between you and me, and between your offspring and mine forever.’”
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Chapter 21
Then David departed on his way, while Jonathan went back into the city.
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The Holy Bread. David went to Ahimelech, the priest of Nob, who came trembling to meet him. He asked, “Why are you alone? Is there no one with you?”
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David answered the priest: “The king gave me a commission and told me, ‘Do not let anyone know anything about the business on which I have sent you or the commission I have given you.’ For that reason I have arranged a particular meeting place with my men.
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But the priest replied to David, “I have no ordinary bread on hand, only holy bread; if the men have abstained from women, you may eat some of that.”
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David answered the priest: “We have indeed stayed away from women. In the past whenever I went out on a campaign, all the young men were consecrated—even for an ordinary campaign. All the more so are they consecrated with their weapons today!”
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The Sword of Goliath. David then asked Ahimelech: “Do you have a spear or a sword on hand? I brought along neither my sword nor my weapons, because the king’s business was urgent.”
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The priest replied: “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here wrapped in a garment behind an ephod. If you wish to take it, do so; there is no sword here except that one.” “There is none like it,” David cried, “give it to me!”
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David a Fugitive. That same day David fled from Saul, going to Achish, king of Gath.
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But the servants of Achish said to him, “Is this not David, the king of the land? Is it not for him that during their dances they sing out, ‘Saul has slain his thousands, David his tens of thousands’?”
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David took note of these remarks and became very much afraid of Achish, king of Gath.
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Chapter 22
David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and the rest of his family heard about it, they came down to him there.
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From there David went to Mizpeh of Moab and said to the king of Moab, “Let my father and mother stay with you, until I learn what God will do for me.”
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He left them with the king of Moab; they stayed with him as long as David remained in the stronghold.
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But Gad the prophet said to David: “Do not remain in the stronghold! Leave! Go to the land of Judah.” And so David left and went to the forest of Hereth.
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Doeg Betrays Ahimelech. Now Saul heard that David and his men had been located. At the time he was sitting in Gibeah under a tamarisk tree on the high place, holding his spear, while all his servants stood by him.
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Ahimelech answered the king: “Who among all your servants is as loyal as David, the king’s son-in-law, captain of your bodyguard, and honored in your own house?
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The king then commanded his guards standing by him: “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, for they gave David a hand. They knew he was a fugitive and yet failed to inform me.” But the king’s servants refused to raise a hand to strike the priests of the Lord.
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Abiathar Escapes. One son of Ahimelech, son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled to David.
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When Abiathar told David that Saul had slain the priests of the Lord,
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David said to him: “I knew that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would certainly tell Saul. I am responsible for the slaughter of all your family.
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Chapter 23
Keilah Liberated. David was informed that the Philistines were attacking Keilah and plundering the threshing floors.
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But David’s men said to him: “Even in Judah we have reason to fear. How much more so if we go to Keilah against the forces of the Philistines!”
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Again David consulted the Lord, who answered: Go down to Keilah, for I will deliver the Philistines into your power.
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So David went with his men to Keilah and fought against the Philistines. He drove off their cattle and inflicted a severe defeat on them, and freed the inhabitants of Keilah.
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Abiathar, son of Ahimelech, who had fled to David, went down with David to Keilah, taking the ephod with him.
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Flight from Keilah. When Saul was told that David had entered Keilah, he thought: “God has put him in my hand, for he has boxed himself in by entering a city with gates and bars.”
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Saul then called all the army to war, in order to go down to Keilah and besiege David and his men.
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When David found out that Saul was planning to harm him, he said to the priest Abiathar, “Bring the ephod here.”
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“Lord God of Israel,” David prayed, “your servant has heard that Saul plans to come to Keilah, to destroy the city on my account.
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David then asked, “Will the citizens of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul?” The Lord answered: They will deliver you.
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So David and his men, about six hundred in number, left Keilah and wandered from place to place. When Saul was informed that David had fled from Keilah, he did not go forth.
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David and Jonathan in Horesh. David now lived in the strongholds in the wilderness, or in the barren hill country near Ziph. Though Saul sought him continually, the Lord did not deliver David into his hand.
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While David was in the wilderness of Ziph at Horesh he was afraid that Saul had come out to seek his life.
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Then Saul’s son, Jonathan, came down to David at Horesh and encouraged him in the Lord.
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The two of them made a covenant before the Lord in Horesh, where David remained, while Jonathan returned to his home.
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Treachery of the Ziphites. Some of the Ziphites went up to Saul in Gibeah and said, “David is hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh on the hill of Hachilah, south of Jeshimon.
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So they went off to Ziph ahead of Saul. At this time David and his men were in the wilderness below Maon, in the Arabah south of the wasteland.
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Escape from Saul. When Saul and his men came looking for him, David got word of it and went down to the gorge in the wilderness below Maon. Saul heard of this and pursued David into the wilderness below Maon.
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As Saul moved along one side of the gorge, David and his men took to the other. David was anxious to escape Saul, while Saul and his men were trying to outflank David and his men in order to capture them.
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Saul interrupted his pursuit of David and went to meet the Philistines. This is how that place came to be called the Rock of Divisions.
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Chapter 24
David Spares Saul. David then went up from there and stayed in the strongholds of Engedi.
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When Saul returned from the pursuit of the Philistines, he was told that David was in the desert near Engedi.
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So Saul took three thousand of the best men from all Israel and went in search of David and his men in the direction of the wild goat crags.
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When he came to the sheepfolds along the way, he found a cave, which he entered to relieve himself. David and his men were occupying the inmost recesses of the cave.
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David’s servants said to him, “This is the day about which the Lord said to you: I will deliver your enemy into your hand; do with him as you see fit.” So David moved up and stealthily cut off an end of Saul’s robe.
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Afterward, however, David regretted that he had cut off an end of Saul’s robe.
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With these words David restrained his men and would not permit them to attack Saul. Saul then left the cave and went on his way.
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David also stepped out of the cave, calling to Saul, “My lord the king!” When Saul looked back, David bowed, his face to the ground in homage,
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and asked Saul: “Why do you listen to those who say, ‘David is trying to harm you’?
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Saul’s Remorse. When David finished saying these things to Saul, Saul answered, “Is that your voice, my son David?” And he wept freely.
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Saul then admitted to David: “You are more in the right than I am. You have treated me graciously, while I have treated you badly.
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David gave Saul his oath and Saul returned home, while David and his men went up to the stronghold.
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Chapter 25
Death of Samuel. Samuel died, and all Israel gathered to mourn him; they buried him at his home in Ramah. Then David went down to the wilderness of Paran.
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While in the wilderness, David heard that Nabal was shearing his flock,
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Ask your servants and they will tell you. Look kindly on these young men, since we come at a festival time. Please give your servants and your son David whatever you can.’”
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When David’s young men arrived, they delivered the entire message to Nabal in David’s name, and then waited.
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But Nabal answered the servants of David: “Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? Nowadays there are many servants who run away from their masters.
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So David’s young men retraced their steps and on their return reported to him all that had been said.
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Thereupon David said to his men, “Let everyone strap on his sword.” And everyone did so, and David put on his own sword. About four hundred men went up after David, while two hundred remained with the baggage.
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Abigail, Nabal’s wife, was informed of this by one of the servants, who said: “From the wilderness David sent messengers to greet our master, but he screamed at them.
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Hidden by the mountain, she came down riding on a donkey, as David and his men were coming down from the opposite direction. When she met them,
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David had just been saying: “Indeed, it was in vain that I guarded all this man’s possessions in the wilderness, so that nothing of his was missing. He has repaid good with evil.
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May God do thus to David, and more, if by morning I leave a single male alive among all those who belong to him.”
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As soon as Abigail saw David, she dismounted quickly from the donkey and, falling down, bowed low to the ground before David in homage.
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David said to Abigail: “Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel, who sent you to meet me today.
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David then took from her what she had brought him and said to her: “Go to your home in peace! See, I have listened to your appeal and have granted your request.”
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Hearing that Nabal was dead, David said: “Blessed be the Lord, who has defended my cause against the insult from Nabal, and who restrained his servant from doing evil, but has repaid Nabal for his evil deeds.” David Marries Abigail and Ahinoam. David then sent a proposal of marriage to Abigail.
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When David’s servants came to Abigail in Carmel, they said to her, “David has sent us to make his proposal of marriage to you.”
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She got up immediately, mounted a donkey, and followed David’s messengers, with her five maids attending her. She became his wife.
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David also married Ahinoam of Jezreel. Thus both of them were his wives.
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But Saul gave David’s wife Michal, Saul’s own daughter, to Palti, son of Laish, who was from Gallim.
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Chapter 26
David Spares Saul Again. Men from Ziph came to Saul in Gibeah, reporting that David was hiding on the hill of Hachilah at the edge of Jeshimon.
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So Saul went down to the wilderness of Ziph with three thousand of the best warriors of Israel, to search for David in the wilderness of Ziph.
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Saul camped beside the road on the hill of Hachilah, at the edge of Jeshimon. David, who was living in the wilderness, saw that Saul had come into the wilderness after him
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David then went to the place where Saul was encamped and saw the spot where Saul and his general, Abner, son of Ner, had their sleeping quarters. Saul was lying within the camp, and all his soldiers were bivouacked around him.
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David asked Ahimelech the Hittite, and Abishai, son of Zeruiah and brother of Joab, “Who will go down into the camp with me to Saul?” Abishai replied, “I will.”
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So David and Abishai reached Saul’s soldiers by night, and there was Saul lying asleep within the camp, his spear thrust into the ground at his head and Abner and his troops sleeping around him.
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Abishai whispered to David: “God has delivered your enemy into your hand today. Let me nail him to the ground with one thrust of the spear; I will not need to strike him twice!”
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But David said to Abishai, “Do not harm him, for who can lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed and remain innocent?
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As the Lord lives,” David declared, “only the Lord can strike him: either when the time comes for him to die, or when he goes out and perishes in battle.
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So David took the spear and the water jug from their place at Saul’s head, and they withdrew without anyone seeing or knowing or awakening. All remained asleep, because a deep slumber from the Lord had fallen upon them.
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David Taunts Abner. Crossing over to an opposite slope, David stood on a distant hilltop. With a great distance between them
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David called to the army and to Abner, son of Ner, “Will you not answer, Abner?” Then Abner shouted back, “Who is it that calls me?”
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David said to Abner: “Are you not a man? Who in Israel is your equal? Why were you not guarding your lord the king when one of his subjects came to assassinate the king, your lord?
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Saul Admits His Guilt. Saul recognized David’s voice and asked, “Is that your voice, David my son?” David answered, “Yes, my lord the king.”
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Then Saul said: “I have done wrong. Come back, David, my son! I will not harm you again, because you considered my life precious today even though I have been a fool and have made a serious mistake.”
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But David answered: “Here is the king’s spear. Let an attendant come over to get it.
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Then Saul said to David: “Blessed are you, my son David! You shall certainly succeed in whatever you undertake.” David went his way, and Saul returned to his place.
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Chapter 27
David Flees to the Philistines. David said to himself: “I shall perish some day at the hand of Saul. I have no choice but to escape to the land of the Philistines; then Saul will give up his continual search for me throughout the land of Israel, and I will be out of his reach.”
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Accordingly, David departed with his six hundred soldiers and went over to Achish, son of Maoch, king of Gath.
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David and his men lived in Gath with Achish; each one had his family, and David had his two wives, Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal from Carmel.
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When Saul learned that David had fled to Gath, he no longer searched for him.
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David said to Achish: “If I meet with your approval, let me have a place to live in one of the country towns. Why should your servant live with you in the royal city?”
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In all, David lived a year and four months in Philistine territory.
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David Raids Israel’s Foes. David and his men went out on raids against the Geshurites, Girzites, and Amalekites—peoples living in the land between Telam, on the approach to Shur, and the land of Egypt.
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In attacking the land David would not leave a man or woman alive, but would carry off sheep, oxen, donkeys, camels, and clothes. Then he would return to Achish,
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who would ask, “Against whom did you raid this time?” David would reply, “Against the Negeb of Judah,” or “Against the Negeb of Jerahmeel,” or “Against the Negeb of the Kenites.”
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David never left a man or woman alive to be brought to Gath. He thought, “They will betray us and say, ‘This is what David did.’” This was his custom as long as he lived in Philistine territory.
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Achish trusted David, thinking, “His people Israel must certainly detest him. I shall have him as my vassal forever.”
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Chapter 28
In those days the Philistines mustered their military forces to fight against Israel. So Achish said to David, “You realize, of course, that you and your warriors must march out for battle with me.”
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David answered Achish, “Good! Now you shall learn what your servant can do.” Then Achish said to David, “I shall appoint you as my permanent bodyguard.”
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The Lord has done to you what he declared through me: he has torn the kingdom from your hand and has given it to your neighbor David.
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Chapter 29
David’s Aid Rejected. Now the Philistines had mustered all their forces in Aphek, and the Israelites were encamped at the spring in Jezreel.
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As the Philistine lords were marching their units of a hundred and a thousand, David and his warriors were marching in the rear guard with Achish.
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The Philistine commanders asked, “What are those Hebrews doing here?” Achish answered them: “Why, that is David, the officer of Saul, king of Israel. He has been with me for a year or two, and from the day he came over to me until now I have never found fault in him.”
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Is this not the David for whom they sing during their dances, ‘Saul has slain his thousands, David his tens of thousands’?”
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So Achish summoned David and said to him: “As the Lord lives, you are honest, and I would want you with me in all my battles. To this day I have found nothing wrong with you since you came to me. But in the view of the chiefs you are not welcome.
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But David said to Achish: “What have I done? What fault have you found in your servant from the day I entered your service until today, that I cannot go to fight against the enemies of my lord the king?”
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“I recognize,” Achish answered David, “that you are trustworthy, like an angel of God. But the Philistine commanders are saying, ‘He must not go with us into battle.’
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So David and his warriors left early in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines, and the Philistines went on up to Jezreel.
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Chapter 30
Ziklag in Ruins. Before David and his men reached Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had raided the Negeb and Ziklag. They stormed Ziklag, and set it on fire.
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David and his men arrived at the city to find it burned to the ground and their wives, sons, and daughters taken captive.
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Then David and those who were with him wept aloud until they could weep no more.
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David’s two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal from Carmel, had also been carried off.
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Now David found himself in great danger, for the soldiers spoke of stoning him, so bitter were they over the fate of their sons and daughters. David took courage in the Lord his God
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David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I pursue these raiders? Can I overtake them?” The Lord answered him: Go in pursuit, for you will certainly overtake them and bring about a rescue.
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Raid on the Amalekites. So David went off with his six hundred as far as the Wadi Besor, where those who were to remain behind halted.
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David continued the pursuit with four hundred, but two hundred were too exhausted to cross the Wadi Besor and remained behind.
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An Egyptian was found in the open country and brought to David. They gave him food to eat and water to drink;
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Then David asked him, “To whom do you belong? Where did you come from?” “I am an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite,” he replied. “My master abandoned me three days ago because I fell sick.
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David then asked him, “Will you lead me down to these raiders?” He answered, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will lead you down to the raiders.”
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The Plunder Recovered. From dawn to sundown the next day David attacked them, allowing no one to escape except four hundred young men, who mounted their camels and fled.
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David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, and he rescued his two wives.
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Nothing was missing, small or great, plunder or sons or daughters, of all that the Amalekites had taken. David brought back everything.
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Moreover, David took all the sheep and oxen, and as they drove these before him, they shouted, “This is David’s plunder!”
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Division of the Plunder. When David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow him, whom he had left behind at the Wadi Besor, they came out to meet David and the men with him. As David approached, he greeted them.
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But all the greedy and worthless among those who had accompanied David said, “Since they did not accompany us, we will not give them anything from the plunder, except for each man’s wife and children.”
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But David said: “You must not do this, my brothers, after what the Lord has given us. The Lord has protected us and delivered into our hands the raiders that came against us.
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David’s Gifts to Judah. When David came to Ziklag, he sent part of the plunder to his friends, the elders of Judah, saying, “This is a gift to you from the plunder of the enemies of the Lord,” namely,
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Hebron, and to all the places that David and his men had frequented.