Bible in 90 Days
David Is Anointed
16 Then Yahweh said to Samuel, “How long[a] will you mourn about Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel! Fill up your horn with oil and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have chosen a king for myself among his sons.” 2 But Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears, he will kill me.” Yahweh said, “You must take a heifer from the herd with you,[b] and you must say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to Yahweh.’ 3 You will invite Jesse to the sacrifice and I will make known to you what you must do. You will anoint for me the one whom I tell you.”
4 So Samuel did what Yahweh said. He came to Bethlehem, and the elders of the city came trembling to meet him. They said, “Have you come in peace?”[c] 5 He said, “I come in peace. I have come to sacrifice to Yahweh. Sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” So he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
6 When they came,[d] he[e] saw Eliab and said, “Surely his anointed one is before Yahweh!” 7 But Yahweh said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For God does not see what man sees, for a man looks on the outward appearance,[f] but Yahweh looks on the heart.”[g] 8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel, and he said, “This one also Yahweh has not chosen.” 9 So Jesse made Shammah pass before Samuel, but he said, “Yahweh also has not chosen this one.” 10 And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to Jesse, “Yahweh has not chosen any of these.”
11 Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all the young men here?”[h] And he said, “The youngest still remains, but look, he is shepherding the flock.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him, for we cannot sit down[i] until he comes here.” 12 So he sent and brought him. Now he was ruddy with beautiful eyes and of handsome[j] appearance. And Yahweh said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” 13 So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. Then the Spirit of Yahweh rushed upon David from that day on.[k] Then Samuel got up and went to Ramah.
Saul in Torment
14 Now the Spirit of Yahweh departed from Saul and an evil spirit from Yahweh tormented him. 15 So the servants of Saul said to him, “Look please, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you. 16 Please, let our lord command your servants who are before you! Let them seek a man skilled in playing on the lyre. When[l] the evil spirit from God is upon you, he can play on it[m] and you will feel better.”[n] 17 So Saul said to his servants, “Please select a man who plays a stringed instrument well[o] and bring him to me.”
18 One of the servants answered and said, “Look, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is skillful in playing a stringed instrument, a brave man, a warrior, prudent in speech, and handsome.[p] And Yahweh is with him.” 19 So Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me David your son who is with the sheep.” 20 And Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread and a skin of wine and one young goat[q] and sent them to Saul by the hand of David his son. 21 So David came to Saul and entered his service.[r] He[s] loved him greatly and he became Saul’s armor bearer.[t] 22 Then Saul sent word to Jesse, saying, “Please let David stand before me, because he has found favor in my sight.”[u] 23 So whenever the evil spirit from God came to Saul, David would take the stringed instrument and play it with his hand. Then it would bring relief[v] for Saul; he would feel better[w] and the evil spirit would depart from him.
The Philistine Champion Taunts Israel
17 The Philistines gathered their camps[x] for battle and they were gathered at Socoh which belongs to Judah. They camped between Socoh and Azekah in Ephes Dammim. 2 Then Saul and the men of Israel were gathered and encamped in the valley of Elah, and they formed ranks for the battle to meet the Philistines. 3 The Philistines were standing on the hill on one side and the army of Israel was standing on the hill on the other side with the valley between them. 4 Then a champion[y] went out from the camps of the Philistines, whose name was Goliath from Gath. His height was six cubits and a span.[z] 5 A bronze helmet was on his head, and he was clothed with scale body armor; the weight of the body armor was five thousand bronze shekels. 6 Bronze greaves[aa] were on his legs,[ab] and a bronze javelin was slung between his shoulders. 7 The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam and the point of his spear weighed six hundred iron shekels. His shield bearer[ac] was walking in front of him.
8 He stood and called to the battle lines of Israel and said to them, “Why have you come out to form ranks for battle? Am I not the Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Commission for yourselves a man and let him come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight with me and he defeats me, then we will be your servants; but if I prevail over him and defeat him, then you will be our servants and you will serve us.” 10 Then the Philistine said, “I hereby defy the battle lines of Israel today! Give me a man so that we may fight each other!” 11 When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and very afraid.
David Enters the Scene of Battle
12 Now David was the son of an Ephrathite. This man was from Bethlehem of Judah, and his name was Jesse. He had[ad] eight sons; in the days of Saul this man was old, yet he still walked among[ae] the men. 13 The three oldest sons of Jesse had gone and followed[af] Saul to the battle. The names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, his second oldest was Abinadab, and the third was Shammah. 14 Now David was the youngest. The three oldest followed[ag] Saul, 15 but David went back and forth[ah] from Saul to feed the sheep of his father in Bethlehem. 16 Now the Philistine came forward early and late, and he took his stand for forty days.
17 Then Jesse said to his son David, “Please take for your brothers an ephah of this roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread, and bring them quickly to the camp for your brothers. 18 And these ten portions of cheese you will bring to the commander of the thousand; find out how your brothers are doing,[ai] and take their pledge.”[aj] 19 Now Saul and they[ak] and all the men of Israel were in the valley of Elah fighting the Philistines.
20 David rose early in the morning and left the sheep with a keeper, and he took the provisions and went as Jesse had commanded him. He came to the encampment while the troops were going to the battle line, and they raised the war cry. 21 Israel and the Philistines drew up in battle lines, one battle line against the other.[al] 22 David left the baggage he had with him in the care[am] of the baggage keeper, ran to the battle line, and came and asked how his brothers were doing.[an] 23 While he was speaking to them, the champion,[ao] whose name was Goliath the Philistine from Gath, was coming up from the caves[ap] of the Philistines. He spoke just as he had previously,[aq] and David heard his words. 24 When all the men of Israel saw the man, they fled from his presence and were very afraid. 25 And the men of Israel said, “Did you see this man who has come up? For he is going up to defy Israel! It will be that the man who defeats him, the king will make him[ar] very rich with great wealth and will give him his daughter in marriage and will make his father’s house free in Israel.”[as] 26 Now David had spoken to the men who were standing with him, saying, “What will be done for the man who defeats this Philistine and removes the disgrace from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he defies the battle lines of the living God?” 27 And the troops had spoken to him according to this word, saying, “So it will be done for the man who defeats[at] him.”
28 His oldest brother Eliab heard while he was speaking to the men, and Eliab became very angry against David[au] and said, “Why have you come down today, and with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your presumptuousness and the evil of your heart! For you have come down in order to see the battle!” 29 David replied, “What have I done now? I merely asked a question![av] 30 He turned around from him to another opposite him and he spoke to him in the same way,[aw] and the people[ax] answered him as before.[ay]
David Appears before Saul
31 Now the words which David had spoken were heard and they reported them to[az] Saul, and he summoned him. 32 David said to Saul, “Do not let anyone’s heart fail concerning him! Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” 33 But Saul said to David, “You will not be able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, because you are only a boy, whereas he has been a man of war since his childhood!” 34 And David said to Saul, “Your servant has been a shepherd of the flock for his father. If the lion or the bear would come and carry off a sheep from the group, 35 I would go out after it and strike it down and rescue the sheep from its mouth. If it rose against me, I would grab it by its beard and strike it down and kill it. 36 Your servant has struck down both the lion and the bear, and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he defied the battle lines of the living God.”
37 And David said, “Yahweh, who rescued me from the hand of the lion and from the hand of the bear, will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine!” Then Saul said to David, “Go and may Yahweh be with you!” 38 Then Saul clothed David with his own fighting attire and put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with body armor. 39 Then David strapped on his sword over his fighting attire, but he tried in vain to walk around, for he was not trained to use them. So David said to Saul, “I am not able to walk with these, because I am not trained to use them.” So David removed them. 40 Then he took his staff in his hand, picked out for himself five smooth stones from the wadi,[ba] and he put them in his shepherd’s bag, in the pouch. And with his sling in his hand, he approached the Philistine.
41 Then the Philistine came on, getting nearer and nearer[bb] to David, with his shield bearer[bc] in front of him. 42 When the Philistine looked and saw David, he despised him, for he was only a boy and ruddy with a handsome appearance. 43 So the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you are coming to me with sticks?” Then the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 The Philistine said to David, “Come to me so that I can give your flesh to the birds of heaven and to the wild animals of the field!” 45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You are coming to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I am coming to you in the name of Yahweh of hosts, the God of the battle lines of Israel, whom you have defied! 46 This day Yahweh will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head![bd] Then I will give the corpses of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of heaven and to the animals of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God who is for Israel. 47 And all of this assembly will know that Yahweh does not rescue with sword or with spear, for the battle belongs to Yahweh, and he will give you into our hands!”
David Defeats Goliath
48 When[be] the Philistine got up and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly[bf] to the battle line to meet the Philistine. 49 Then David put his hand into the bag and took a stone from it and slung it. He struck the Philistine on his forehead, and the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground. 50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with the sling and with the stone, and he struck down the Philistine and killed him, but there was no sword in David’s hand.
51 Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it from its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. 52 The men of Israel and Judah got up, raised the war cry, and pursued the Philistines as far as[bg] the valley[bh] and up to the gates of Ekron. So the slain of the Philistines fell on the way[bi] to Shaaraim up to Gath and as far as Ekron. 53 Then the Israelites[bj] returned from pursuing the Philistines and plundered their camp. 54 And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem and placed his weapons in his tent.
55 Now when Saul saw David going out to meet the Philistine, he said to Abner, the commander of the army, “Whose son is this young man, Abner?” And Abner said, “As your soul lives, O king, I do not know.” 56 Then the king said, “You inquire whose son this young man is.” 57 So when David returned from striking down the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul. The head of the Philistine was in his hand. 58 Then Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” And David said, “I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”
The Friendship of David and Jonathan
18 When[bk] he finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan became attached to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. 2 Saul took him on that very day and did not allow him to return to his father’s house. 3 Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul. 4 Jonathan stripped off the robe that he was wearing[bl] and gave it to David, along with his fighting attire,[bm] and even his sword, his bow, and his belt.
David’s Successes Arouse Saul’s Suspicions
5 David went out whenever[bn] Saul sent him, and he succeeded. So Saul appointed him over the men of the war, and it pleased[bo] all the people and even pleased[bp] the servants of Saul. 6 When they were coming back[bq] after David had returned from striking down the Philistine, the women went out from all the cities of Israel singing and dancing to meet King Saul with tambourines, with joy, and with three-stringed instruments. 7 And the women sang as they danced, and they said,
“Saul has struck down his thousands,
but David his ten thousands!”
8 Saul became very angry,[br] and this saying displeased him,[bs] and he thought, “They have attributed to David ten thousands, but to me they have attributed thousands! What more can he have but the kingdom?”[bt] 9 So Saul was watching[bu] David with suspicion from that day onward.
10 On[bv] the next day, the evil spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he prophesied in the middle of the house. Now David was playing the lyre with his hand on that day as usual,[bw] and the spear was in Saul’s hand. 11 Then Saul hurled the spear and thought, “I will pin David to the wall.”[bx] But David eluded him twice. 12 Now Saul was threatened by the presence of David[by] because Yahweh was with him, but had departed from Saul. 13 So Saul removed him from his presence,[bz] and made him commander of a thousand, so he[ca] marched in and out at the front of the army.[cb] 14 And David was achieving success in all his ways and Yahweh was with him, 15 but when Saul saw that he was very successful, he was severely threatened by him.[cc] 16 However, all of Israel and Judah were loving David, for he was going forth and marching ahead of them.
David Marries Saul’s Daughter Michal
17 Then Saul said to David, “Here is my older daughter Merab. I will give her to you as your wife. Only be a brave warrior[cd] for me and fight the battles of Yahweh.” For Saul thought, “My hand will not be against him, but let the hand of the Philistines be against him.” 18 But David said to Saul, “Who am I, and who are my relatives, the clan of my father in Israel, that I should be a son-in-law to the king?” 19 But[ce] at the time Saul’s daughter Merab was to be given to David, she was given instead to Adriel the Meholathite as wife.
20 Now Saul’s daughter Michal loved David, so they told Saul, and the matter pleased him.[cf] 21 And Saul thought, “I will give her to him, so that she may be a snare for him and the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” So Saul said to David, “For a second time you can become my son-in-law today.” 22 Then Saul commanded his servants, “Speak to David in secret, saying, ‘Look, the king is pleased with you, and all his servants love you. So then, become a son-in-law of the king.’” 23 And Saul’s servants spoke these words to David privately.[cg] But David said, “Is it insignificant in your sight[ch] to become the son-in-law of the king, as I am a poor and lightly esteemed man?” 24 So the servants of Saul informed him, saying, “This is what David said.”[ci] 25 Then Saul said, “This is what you must say to David: ‘The king desires no bride price[cj] except for a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to avenge himself on the enemies of the king.’” (Now Saul had planned to allow David to fall by the hand of the Philistines.) 26 So his servants told David these words, and the matter pleased David[ck] to become the son-in-law of the king as the specified time had not expired.[cl]
27 And David got up, and he and his men went and struck down two hundred men of the Philistines. Then David brought their foreskins, and they presented the full number[cm] to become the king’s son-in-law. Then Saul gave him Michal his daughter as his wife. 28 When Saul realized[cn] that Yahweh was with David and his own daughter Michal[co] loved him, 29 Saul was threatened by David still more,[cp] so Saul became a perpetual enemy of David.[cq] 30 Then the commanders of the Philistines went out for battle, and as often as they went out, David succeeded more than all the servants of Saul, and his name became very esteemed.
Jonathan Intercedes for David
19 Now Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants about killing David, but Saul’s son Jonathan liked David very much.[cr] 2 So Jonathan informed David, saying, “My father Saul is trying to kill you; now please take care! In the morning you should stay in the hiding place and conceal yourself. 3 I will go out and stand at my father’s side[cs] in the field where you are, and I will speak about you to my father; if I find out anything[ct] I will tell it to you.” 4 So Jonathan spoke well about David to his father Saul and said to him, “The king should not sin against his servant David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his service for you has been very good. 5 He put his life in his hand and attacked the Philistine, and Yahweh brought about a great victory for all of Israel, and you saw it and rejoiced! Now why should you sin against innocent blood by killing David without cause?” 6 And Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan and swore, “As Yahweh lives,[cu] he will not be put to death!” 7 Jonathan called to David and told him all of these words. Then Jonathan brought David to Saul and he was before him as formerly.[cv]
David Has to Flee Again
8 War came again, so David went out and fought against the Philistines and defeated them thoroughly[cw] so that they fled before him. 9 Then the evil spirit from Yahweh came upon Saul while he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand. And David was playing a stringed instrument in his hand. 10 So Saul tried to pin David to the wall with the spear,[cx] but he eluded Saul,[cy] so that he struck the spear into the wall, and David fled and escaped that same night.
11 Then Saul sent messengers to David’s house to guard him and to kill him in the morning, but Michal his wife told David, saying, “If you do not save your life[cz] tonight, then tomorrow you will be killed!” 12 So Michal lowered David through the window, and he went and fled and escaped. 13 Then Michal took the household god[da] and put it on the bed and put a quilt of goat’s hair at its head and covered it with the clothes. 14 And Saul sent messengers to arrest David, but she said, “He is ill.” 15 So Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me in the bed, so that I can kill him.” 16 When the messengers came, to their surprise[db] the idol was on the bed with the quilt of goat’s hair at the head. 17 Then Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me like this and sent away my enemy, so that he escaped?” Michal said to Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go, why should I kill you?’”
18 So David fled and escaped, and he came to Samuel at Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel went and stayed in Naioth. 19 And it was told to Saul, “David is in Naioth in Ramah.” 20 So Saul sent messengers to capture David. When they saw the company of the prophets prophesying and Samuel standing as chief over them, then the Spirit of God came upon Saul’s messengers, and they also prophesied. 21 So they told Saul, and he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. Again Saul sent messengers a third time, and they also prophesied. 22 Then he also went to Ramah. When he came to the great cistern which was in Secu, he asked and said, “Where are Samuel and David?” Someone said, “Look they are in Naioth in Ramah.” 23 So he went there to Naioth in Ramah and the Spirit of God came upon him also, and he walked along prophesying[dc] until he came to Naioth in Ramah. 24 He also stripped off his clothes and prophesied before Samuel. He lay naked all that day and all night. Therefore they say, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”
Jonathan Supports David over Saul
20 Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah and came and said before Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my guilt and what is my sin before your father that he is trying to kill me?[dd] 2 And he said to him, “Far from it! You will not die! Look, my father does not do[de] anything large or small unless he reveals it to me.[df] Why should my father hide this thing or anything from me?” 3 Then David took an oath[dg] again and said, “Your father knows very well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he thought, ‘Do not let Jonathan know this, lest he worry.’ But as Yahweh lives[dh] and as your soul lives,[di] surely there is merely a step between me and death!” 4 Then Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you wish,[dj] I will do for you.” 5 David said to Jonathan, “Look, tomorrow is the new moon, and I should certainly sit with the king to eat. You must send me away so that I can hide myself in the field until the third evening. 6 If your father misses me at all, then you must say, ‘David earnestly asked from me to run to Bethlehem his city, for the yearly sacrifice[dk] is there for all the clan.’ 7 If he says ‘Good,’ it will mean peace for your servant; but if he is very angry, know that he has decided to do me harm.[dl] 8 So you must show loyal love to your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of Yahweh with you. But if there is guilt in me, then kill me yourself! But why should you bring me to your father?” 9 Then Jonathan said, “Far be it from you! For if I know for certain that my father decided evil should come upon you,[dm] would I not have told it to you?” 10 Then David said to Jonathan, “Who will tell me if what your father answers you is harsh?” 11 And Jonathan said to David, “Come, let us go out to the field.” So the two of them went out to the field.
12 Then Jonathan said to David, “Yahweh the God of Israel is my witness[dn] that I will question my father by this time the day after tomorrow.[do] And look, if he is well disposed toward you,[dp] will I not send word to you and disclose it to you?[dq] 13 So may Yahweh punish Jonathan and more[dr] if my father decides to do you harm[ds] and if I fail to disclose it to you[dt] and send word to you that you can go safely. And may Yahweh be with you, as he has been with my father. 14 And not while I am still alive, will you not show the loyal love of Yahweh with me, that I may not die?[du] 15 And do not cut off your loyal love from my family[dv] forever, not even when Yahweh exterminates[dw] each of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.” 16 So Jonathan made a covenant[dx] with the house of David, saying, “May Yahweh call the enemies of David to account.”[dy] 17 And Jonathan again made David swear an oath, because he loved him; for with the love of his soul he loved him.
18 Then Jonathan said to him, “Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed, for your seat will stay empty. 19 On the third day you must go down quickly and go to the place where you hid yourself on the day all this started[dz] and remain beside the stone Ezel. 20 I will shoot three arrows to the side as if I were shooting at a target. 21 Then[ea] I will send word to my servant, ‘Go, find the arrows!’ If I clearly say to the boy, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you;[eb] bring[ec] it,’ then[ed] come, for it means peace for you. And there is no problem, as Yahweh lives.[ee] 22 But if I say this to the young man, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you,’[ef] go, for Yahweh has sent you away. 23 And as for the matter about which you and I spoke, look, Yahweh is between you and me forever.”
24 So David hid himself in the field. When the new moon came,[eg] the king was seated at the feast.[eh] 25 The king sat at his seat as before,[ei] the seat by the wall, and Jonathan got up, and Abner sat beside Saul, but David’s place was empty. 26 But Saul said nothing on that day, for he thought, “Something happened to him.[ej] He is not ceremonially clean; surely he is not clean.” 27 And then[ek] on the next day, the second day of the new moon, that David’s place was empty. So Saul asked Jonathan his son, “Why did the son of Jesse not come either yesterday or today to the feast?” 28 Jonathan answered Saul, “David earnestly asked permission from me to go up to Bethlehem. 29 He said, ‘Send me away, please, for our clan sacrifice is in the city, and my brother commanded[el] me to be present. So then, if I have found favor in your eyes, please let me slip away and see my brothers.’ Therefore he has not come to the table of the king.” 30 Then Saul became angry[em] at Jonathan and said to him, “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman![en] Do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your shame and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness? 31 For as long as[eo] the son of Jesse is alive on the earth, you and your kingdom will not be established! So then, send and bring him to me, for he will surely die!”[ep] 32 But Jonathan answered his father Saul and said to him, “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?” 33 Then Saul hurled his[eq] spear at him to kill him. So Jonathan knew that his father had decided[er] to kill David.
34 Jonathan got up from the table enraged,[es] and did not eat on the second day of the new moon because he was upset about David, because his father had disgraced him. 35 And then[et] in the morning Jonathan went out to the field for the appointment with David, and a young boy[eu] was with him. 36 He said to his servant,[ev] “Run, please find the arrows that I am shooting!” The boy[ew] ran, and he shot the arrow to pass over him. 37 When the boy came up to the place of the arrow that Jonathan had shot, Jonathan called out after the boy and said, “Is not the arrow beyond you?”[ex] 38 Then Jonathan called out after the boy, “Quick, hurry, do not linger!” And Jonathan’s servant collected the arrows and came to his master. 39 But the boy did not know anything about this; only Jonathan and David knew the matter. 40 Jonathan gave his weapons to his servant and said to him, “Go, bring them to the city.” 41 The boy left, and then David got up from the south side,[ey] and he fell on his face to the ground and bowed three times. And they kissed each other[ez] and wept together,[fa] but David wept the most. 42 Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, because we have sworn, the two of us, an oath in the name of Yahweh, saying, “Yahweh will be between me and you, and between my offspring and your offspring forever.”[fb] Then he got up and left, and Jonathan went into the city.
David Encounters the Priests of Nob
21 Now David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech came trembling to meet David, and he said to him, “Why are you alone and there are no men with you?” 2 So David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king charged me with a matter and said to me, ‘No one must know anything about this matter on which I am sending you, with which I have charged you and the servants.’” So I have arranged to meet with my servants at a certain place.[fc] 3 Now then, what do you have at hand?[fd] Give me five loaves of bread or whatever is here.”[fe] 4 The priest answered David and said, “There is no ordinary bread here at hand;[ff] there is only holy bread, but only if the young men have kept themselves from women.” 5 David answered the priest and said to him, “Indeed, women were held back from us as it has been when I’ve gone out before.[fg] And the things[fh] of the young men are holy when[fi] it is an ordinary journey. How much more[fj] today[fk] will the things[fl] be holy?” 6 So the priest gave him the holy bread, for there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence, which was removed from before Yahweh, in order to set hot bread there on the day when it was taken away.
7 Now there was a man from the servants of Saul on that day, detained before Yahweh, whose name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul’s shepherds. 8 David asked Ahimelech, “Is there not at your disposal[fm] a spear or a sword? For I took neither my sword nor my weapons with me because the king’s matter was urgent.” 9 So the priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine whom you killed in the valley of Elah is here, wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you want to take it for yourself, then take it, for there is no other except it here.” And David said, “There is none like it; give it to me.”
David Flees to Achish in Gath
10 So David got up and fled on that day from the presence of Saul, and he came to Achish the king of Gath. 11 The servants of Achish said to him, “Is not this David the king of the land? Is it not for this one that they sang in the dances, saying, ‘Saul killed his thousands, but David his ten thousands?’” 12 David took these words seriously[fn] and felt severely threatened by[fo] Achish the king of Gath. 13 So he changed his behavior before them[fp] and pretended to be mad in their presence.[fq] He made scratches on the doors of the gate and let his saliva run down into his beard. 14 Then Achish said to his servants, “Look, you see a madman! Why did you bring him to me? 15 Do I lack madmen that you have brought this one to act like a madman before me? Should this one enter my household?”
Saul Takes Revenge on the Priests Who Helped David
22 David went from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and all his father’s household[fr] heard, they came down to him there. 2 Every man in distress and every man who had a creditor and every embittered man gathered to him, and he became their commander.[fs] Now there were about four hundred men with him. 3 And David went up from there to Mizpah of Moab. He said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and my mother stay[ft] with you until I know what God will do for me.” 4 So he brought them before the king of Moab,[fu] and they stayed with him all the days David was in the stronghold.
5 Then Gad the prophet said to David, “You should not stay in the stronghold; leave and go into the land of Judah.” So David left and came to the forest of Hereth. 6 Now Saul heard that David and the men who were with him had been located. Saul was sitting at Gibeah under the tamarisk tree at Ramah. Now his spear was in his hand and all his servants were stationed around him. 7 Then Saul said to the servants who were standing around him, “Please listen, Benjaminites![fv] Will the son of Jesse give you all fields and vineyards? Will he make all of you commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds? 8 For all of you have conspired against me, and no one discloses to me[fw] the making[fx] of an agreement between my son and the son of Jesse! None of you have had sympathy for me or disclosed to me[fy] that my son commissioned my servant against me to ambush me[fz] as has been done this day!”
9 But Doeg the Edomite, who was stationed among the servants of Saul, answered and said, “I saw the son of Jesse going to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. 10 And he inquired of Yahweh for him and gave him provisions and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.” 11 So the king sent to summon Ahimelech the son of Ahitub the priest, and all his father’s household, the priests who were at Nob. So all of them came to the king. 12 Saul said, “Listen please, son of Ahitub.” He said, “Here I am, my lord.” 13 Then Saul said to him, “Why did you conspire against me, you and the son of Jesse, when you gave to him bread and a sword, and by inquiring of God for him so that he might arise against me to ambush me as has been done this day?” 14 But Ahimelech answered the king and said, “And who among all your servants is as faithful as David? He is the son-in-law of the king who moves quickly to safeguard you and is honored in your house. 15 Only today I began to inquire of God for him. Far be it from me that the king should impute anything against his servant[ga] or against my father’s household, for your servant has not known any of this matter, little or much.” 16 Then the king said, “You must certainly die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s household!” 17 So the king said to the runners who were stationed around him, “Turn and kill the priests of Yahweh, because they also support David[gb] and because they knew that he was fleeing and did not disclose it to me.”[gc] But the servants of the king were not willing to raise their hand to attack the priests of Yahweh. 18 Then the king said to Doeg, “You turn and attack the priests!” So Doeg the Edomite turned and attacked the priests himself, and on that day he killed eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod. 19 And he put to the sword[gd] Nob, the city of the priests, from man to woman, from child to infant, and ox and donkey and sheep;[ge] all to the sword.[gf]
20 But, one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, whose name was Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. 21 Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of Yahweh. 22 Then David said to Abiathar, “I knew on that day that Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would certainly tell Saul. I am responsible for the deaths of all your father’s household![gg] 23 Stay with me! Do not fear, because he who seeks my life seeks your life. You are in good care with me.”
David Defeats the Philistines at Keilah
23 Now they told David, “Look, the Philistines are fighting in Keilah and they are raiding the threshing floors.” 2 So David inquired of Yahweh, saying, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” And Yahweh said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines and save[gh] Keilah.” 3 But David’s men said to him, “Look, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more[gi] if we go to Keilah to the battle lines of the Philistines?” 4 So David again inquired of Yahweh, and Yahweh answered him and said, “Get up, go down to Keilah, for I am giving the Philistines into your hand.” 5 So David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines. They drove off their livestock and dealt them a heavy blow.[gj] So David saved[gk] the inhabitants of Keilah.
David Flees from Saul at Keilah
6 Now when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled[gl] to David at Keilah, he went down with an ephod in his hand. 7 When it was told to Saul that David had gone to Keilah, Saul said, “God has given him[gm] into my hand, because he has shut himself in by going into a city with two barred gates.[gn] 8 Saul then summoned all of the army for the battle, to go down to Keilah to lay a siege against David and his men. 9 When David learned that Saul was plotting evil against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod here.” 10 And David said, “O Yahweh, God of Israel, your servant has clearly heard that Saul is seeking to come to Keilah to destroy the city because of me. 11 Will the rulers of Keilah deliver me into his hand? Will Saul come down as your servant has heard? O Yahweh, God of Israel, please tell your servant!” And Yahweh said, “He will come down.” 12 Then David said, “Will the rulers of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul?” And Yahweh said, “They will deliver you.” 13 So David and his men got up, about six hundred men, and went out from Keilah and wandered wherever they could go. When it was told to Saul that David had escaped from Keilah, he stopped his pursuit.[go]
David Eludes Saul’s Pursuit
14 David remained in the wilderness, in the strongholds, and in the hill country in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him continually,[gp] but God did not give him into his hand. 15 When David realized that Saul had gone out to seek his life, David was in the wilderness of Ziph at Horesh. 16 So Jonathan the son of Saul got up and went to David at Horesh, and encouraged him[gq] through God. 17 He said to him, “Do not be afraid, for the hand of my father Saul will not find you. You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you.[gr] My father Saul knows this also.” 18 Then the two of them made[gs] a covenant before Yahweh. David remained at Horesh, and Jonathan went to his house.
19 Then the Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh on the hill of Hakilah, which is south of Jeshimon? 20 So then, O king, whenever you want[gt] to come down, come down, and it will be for us to deliver him into the hand of the king.” 21 And Saul said to them, “May you be blessed by Yahweh, for you have shown me compassion! 22 Go, please, make certain again! Find out and see exactly where he is[gu] and who has seen him there! For they have said to me, ‘He is very cunning.’ 23 Look, find out all of the hiding places where he hides. Then return to me with dependable information,[gv] and I will go with you. And then if he is there in the land, then I will seek him among all the thousands of Judah.” 24 Then they got up and went to Ziph before Saul.
Now David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon in the Arabah, to the south of Jeshimon. 25 And Saul and his men went to seek him, and they told David, so he went down to the rock and stayed in the wilderness of Maon. When Saul heard this, he pursued David into the wilderness of Maon. 26 Saul went on one side of the mountain,[gw] and David and his men went on the other side of the mountain.[gx] David was hurrying to get away from Saul, while Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them. 27 But a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come, because the Philistines have made a raid on the land!” 28 So Saul returned from pursuing David, and he went to confront[gy] the Philistines. Therefore, they called that place the Rock of Division.[gz] 29 [ha] David went up from there and stayed in the strongholds of En Gedi.
David Spares Saul in the Cave at En Gedi
24 When Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, they told him, “Look, David is in the wilderness of En Gedi.” 2 So Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel, and he and his men went to search for David in the direction of[hb] the Rocks of the Mountain Goats.[hc] 3 He came to the sheep pens beside the road, and a cave was there. Then Saul went in to relieve himself.[hd] Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost part of the cave. 4 And David’s men said to him, “Look, today is the day about which Yahweh said to you, ‘See, I am giving your enemy[he] into your hand, and you can do to him whatever seems good to you.’”[hf] So David got up and secretly cut the hem of Saul’s robe. 5 And then[hg] afterward David felt guilty,[hh] because he had cut the hem of Saul’s robe.[hi] 6 He said to his men, “Far be it from me in[hj] Yahweh, that I do this thing to my lord, to Yahweh’s anointed one, by stretching out my hand against him! For he is the anointed one of Yahweh.” 7 So David rebuked his men with the words and did not allow them to rise against Saul. And Saul got up from the cave, and he went on his[hk] way.
8 Then David got up afterward and went out of the cave and called after Saul, “My lord the king!” When Saul looked after him, David knelt down with his face to the ground and bowed down. 9 Then David said to Saul, “Why do you listen to the words of people who say: ‘Look, David is seeking to do you harm’?[hl] 10 Look, this day your eyes have seen that Yahweh gave you today into my hand in the cave, and some said to kill you. But I took pity[hm] on you and said, ‘I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, because he is Yahweh’s anointed one.’ 11 Now, my father, see, yes, see, the hem of your robe in my hand! For when I cut[hn] the hem of your robe I did not kill you. Know and realize[ho] that there is no evil or rebellion in my hand. I did not sin against you, but you are hunting down my life to take it. 12 May Yahweh judge between me and you, and may Yahweh avenge me on you, but my hand will not be against you! 13 Just as the ancient proverb says, ‘From the wicked, wickedness goes out,’ but my hand will not be against you! 14 After whom did the king of Israel go out? After whom are you pursuing? After a dead dog? After one flea? 15 May Yahweh be the judge, and let him judge between me and you, and may he see and plead my case. May he vindicate me against you!”[hp]
16 When David finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” And Saul lifted up his voice and wept. 17 Then he said to David, “You are more righteous than I, for you have repaid me the good, but I have repaid you the evil. 18 You have explained to me today that you have dealt well with me, how[hq] Yahweh delivered me into your hand but you did not kill me. 19 For a man has found his enemy but sent him on his way safely. Now may Yahweh reward you with good in return for this day, for what you have done for me. 20 So now then, look, I know that you will certainly be king and the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hand. 21 So then, swear to me by Yahweh that you will not cut off my descendants[hr] after me and that you will not wipe out my name from my father’s house.” 22 So David swore this on oath to Saul, and Saul went to his house, but David and his men went up to the stronghold.
Samuel’s Death
25 Now Samuel died, and all Israel assembled and mourned for him. They buried him at his house at Ramah. Then David got up and went down to the wilderness of Paran.
David and Abigail
2 Now there was a man in Maon, whose business was in Carmel. The man was very rich and owned[hs] three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. Now[ht] the shearing of his sheep was taking place in Carmel. 3 The name of the man was Nabal,[hu] and the name of his wife was Abigail.[hv] Now the woman was wise and beautiful, but the man was stubborn and mean,[hw] and he was as his heart.[hx] 4 David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep. 5 So David sent ten young men, and David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel and go to Nabal; you will greet him in my name.[hy] 6 Then you must say to him, ‘Long life to you, and may it go well with you, with your house, and with all that is yours.[hz] 7 Now I have heard that you have shearers.[ia] Now while your shepherds were with us, we did not mistreat them, and nothing of theirs was missing, all the days they were in Carmel. 8 Ask your servants[ib] and they will tell you! Let the young men[ic] find favor in your eyes because we have come on a feast day. Please give whatever you have on hand[id] for your servants and for your son David.”
9 So David’s young men came and they spoke all these words to Nabal in the name of David. Then they waited. 10 But Nabal answered David’s servants and said, “Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse? Today, there are many servants breaking away from the presence of their masters. 11 Should I take my bread and my water and my meat which I have slaughtered for my shearers and give it to men whom I do not know where they are from? 12 So David’s young men turned on their way and returned and came and told him according to all these words. 13 Then David said to his men, “Each man strap on his sword!” So each one strapped on his sword, and David also strapped on his sword. About four hundred men went up after David, while two hundred remained with the baggage.
14 But a young man of the servants told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, “Look, David sent messengers from the desert to greet[ie] our master, but he addressed them angrily, 15 even though the men were very good to us; we were not mistreated and did not miss anything all the days we went about with them while we were[if] in the field. 16 They were a wall to us both night and day, all the days we were[ig] with them keeping the sheep. 17 And so then, know and consider[ih] what you should do, for evil has been decided against our master and against all his household, and he is such a wicked man,[ii] nobody can reason with him!”[ij]
18 Then Abigail quickly took[ik] two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five prepared sheep, five seahs of roasted grain, a hundred raisin cakes, and two hundred fig cakes, and she put them on the donkeys. 19 Then she said to her servants, “Go ahead before me; look, I am coming after you,” but she did not tell her husband Nabal. 20 And then,[il] as she was riding on the donkey and was going down the ravine of the mountain, David and his men were coming down to meet her, and she met them. 21 Now David had said, “Surely in vain[im] I guarded all that this fellow had in the desert. And nothing was missed of all that was his, but he returned evil against me in place of good! 22 May God severely punish the enemies of David[in] and again do thus if I leave behind anything that is his[io] until the morning, not even one male!”[ip] 23 When Abigail saw David, she hurried and got down from the donkey and fell on her face before David’s anger,[iq] and she bowed down to the ground. 24 She fell at his feet and said, “On me, my lord, be the guilt! Please let your female servant speak to you personally![ir] Hear the words of your female servant! 25 Please do not let my lord set his heart against this worthless man,[is] Nabal; for as his name, so is he. Nabal is his name, and stupidity is with him! But I, your female servant, did not see the young men[it] of my lord whom you sent. 26 So then, my lord, as Yahweh lives and as your soul lives,[iu] since Yahweh restrained you from bloodguilt by taking matters into your own hand,[iv] so then, may your enemies be like Nabal, even those who seek to do my lord harm.[iw] 27 So then, this gift which your female servant has brought to my lord, may it be given to the young men who follow my lord.[ix] 28 Please forgive the transgression of your female servant, because Yahweh will certainly make a lasting house[iy] for my lord, because my lord is fighting the battles of Yahweh, and evil will not be found in you as long as you live.[iz] 29 Should a man arise to pursue you and to seek your life, may the life of my lord be wrapped in the pouch[ja] of the living with Yahweh your God. But as for the life of your enemy, he will sling it from within[jb] the pocket of the sling! 30 And then[jc] when Yahweh has done for my lord according to all the good that he has spoken concerning you, and has appointed you as leader over Israel, 31 then this will not be an obstacle for you or a stumbling block of conscience for my lord either by the shedding of blood without cause or by my lord taking matters into his own hands.[jd] And when Yahweh does good to my lord, then remember your female servant.”
32 Then David said to Abigail, “Blessed be Yahweh the God of Israel who has sent you this day to meet me! 33 And blessed be your discretion, and blessed be you who have prevented me this day from bloodguilt and from delivering myself by my own hand. 34 But as Yahweh lives,[je] the God of Israel who has prevented me from harming you, if you had not hurried and come to meet me, surely there would not have been one male[jf] left alive for Nabal by the light of morning!” 35 Then David took from her hand what she had brought for him, and he said to her, “Go up to your house in peace. See, I have listened to your voice, and I have granted your request.”[jg]
36 Then Abigail went to Nabal, and look, he was holding a feast[jh] in his house like the feast of the king. Nabal was enjoying himself,[ji] and he was very drunk, so she did not tell him a thing, nothing at all,[jj] until the light of morning. 37 And then[jk] in the morning when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these words. Then his heart died within him,[jl] and he became like a stone. 38 And then,[jm] about ten days later, Yahweh struck Nabal and he died.
39 When David heard that Nabal had died, he said, “Blessed be Yahweh who has vindicated the case of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and he has kept back his servant from evil; but Yahweh has returned the evil of Nabal on his own head.” Then David sent and spoke with Abigail to take her for his wife. 40 So the servants of David came to Abigail at Carmel, and they spoke to her, saying, “David has sent us to you to take you for his wife.” 41 She got up and bowed down with her face to the ground and said, “Here is your female servant, as a slave to wash the feet of my lord’s servants.” 42 Then Abigail quickly got up[jn] and rode on the donkey, along with five of her maidservants who attended her,[jo] and she went after the messengers of David and became his wife.
43 David had also taken Ahinoam from Jezreel, and both of them became his wives. 44 (Now Saul had given his daughter Michal, David’s wife, to Palti the son of Laish, who was from Gallim.)
David Again Spares Saul
26 The Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is not David hiding on the hill of Hakilah opposite Jeshimon?” 2 Then Saul got up and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, and three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.
3 Now Saul was on the hill of Hakilah, which is opposite Jeshimon by the road, but David was staying in the wilderness. When he realized that Saul had come to the wilderness after him, 4 David sent spies, and he learned that Saul had come for certain.[jp] 5 Then David got up and came to the place where Saul had encamped, and David saw the place where Saul was lying down, as well as[jq] Abner the son of Ner, the commander of his army. (Now Saul was lying in the encampment, and the army was encamping around him.)
6 David answered and said to Ahimelech the Hittite and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah the brother of Joab, saying, “Who will go down with me to Saul, in the camp?” And Abishai said, “I will go down with you.” 7 So David and Abishai came to the army by night, and there was[jr] Saul lying asleep in the encampment with[js] his spear thrust into the ground near his head, and Abner and the army were lying all around him. 8 Then Abishai said to David, “God has handed over your enemy into your hand today! So then, please let me pin him to the ground with the spear[jt] one time,[ju] and I will not strike him twice.”[jv] 9 But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy[jw] him! For who has stretched out his hand against Yahweh’s anointed one and remained blameless?” 10 And David said, “As Yahweh lives,[jx] certainly[jy] Yahweh will strike him, or his day will come and he will die, or he will go down in the battle and perish.[jz] 11 Yahweh forbid me[ka] from stretching out my hand against Yahweh’s anointed one! So then, please take the spear that is near his head and the jar of water, and let us go.” 12 So David took the spear and the jar of water from near Saul’s head, and they went away. No one saw, no one knew, and no one awakened,[kb] for all of them were sleeping because a deep sleep of Yahweh had fallen upon them.
13 Then David went to the other side and stood on the top of the hill at a distance; the distance was great between them. 14 David called out to the army and to Abner the son of Ner, “Will you not answer, Abner?” And Abner answered and said, “Who are you that you call to the king?” 15 So David said to Abner, “Are you not a man? And who is like you in Israel? Why did you not keep watch over your lord the king? For one of the people came to destroy[kc] your lord the king. 16 This thing that you have done is not good. As Yahweh lives,[kd] surely you people deserve to die[ke] since you have not kept watch over your lord, over Yahweh’s anointed one! So then, see where the king’s spear is and the jar of water that was near his head!” 17 Then Saul recognized David’s voice and said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” And David said, “It is my voice, my lord the king.” 18 Then he said, “Why is my lord pursuing after his servant? For what have I done? And what evil is in my hand? 19 And so then, please let my lord the king listen to the words of his servant: If Yahweh has incited you against me, may he delight in an offering; but if it is mortals,[kf] may they be accursed before[kg] Yahweh, for they have driven me away today from sharing in the inheritance of Yahweh, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods!’ 20 And so then, do not let my blood fall to the ground away from[kh] the presence of Yahweh, for the king of Israel has gone out to seek a single flea, as one hunts a partridge in the mountains.”
21 Then Saul said, “I have sinned! Come back, David my son, for I will not harm you again, because my life was precious in your eyes this day. Look, I have acted like a fool and have made a terrible mistake.”[ki] 22 David answered and said, “Here is the king’s spear; let one of the young men[kj] come over and take it. 23 Yahweh repays to each one his righteousness and his faithfulness, for Yahweh gave you into my hand today, but I was not willing to stretch out my hand against Yahweh’s anointed. 24 Look, as your life was precious in my eyes this day, may my life be great in the eyes of Yahweh, and may he rescue me from all trouble.” 25 Then Saul said to David, “Blessed are you, my son David; you will not only do many things, but also will always succeed!”[kk] Then David went on his way and Saul returned to his place.
David Returns to Achish
27 Then David thought to himself,[kl] “Now I will perish one day by the hand of Saul! There is nothing better for me but that I must certainly escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will desist from searching for me further in all of the territories of Israel, and so I will escape from his hand.” 2 So David got up and crossed over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish the son of Maoch, the king of Gath. 3 David settled with Achish in Gath, he and his men, each with his household.[km] David took along his two wives Ahinoam from Jezreel[kn] and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. 4 And it was reported to Saul that David had fled to Gath, so he no longer searched for him.[ko]
5 Then David said to Achish, “Please, if I have found favor in your eyes, then let them give me a place in one of the country towns[kp] that I can live there. Why should your servant live in the royal city[kq] with you?” 6 So Achish gave him Ziklag on that day. (Therefore, Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah until this day.) 7 The number of days that David lived in the countryside of the Philistines was one year and four months.
8 Now David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites and the Girzites and the Amalekites, for they had been living in the land for a long time in the direction of[kr] Shur and as far as[ks] the land of Egypt. 9 So David struck the land and did not leave a man or a woman alive; he took the sheep,[kt] the cattle, the donkeys, the camels, and the clothing. Then he returned and came to Achish. 10 And Achish said, “Against whom have you raided today?” David said, “Against the Negev of Judah and against the Negev of the Jerahmeelites and against the Negev of the Kenites.” 11 And David did not leave alive a man or a woman to bring them back to Gath, thinking,[ku] “So that they will not report about us, saying, ‘David did thus and so.’” Thus was his practice all the days that he lived in the countryside of the Philistines. 12 And Achish trusted David, saying, “He has made himself utterly hated[kv] among his people in Israel, and he will be my servant forever.”
28 Now[kw] in those days the Philistines gathered their forces for war to fight against Israel. So Achish said to David, “Certainly you realize that you must go out with me in the army, you and your men.” 2 David said to Achish, “Very well, you will know what your servant can do.” Achish said to David, “Very well, I will make you my bodyguard[kx] for life.”
Saul Inquires of the Medium at Endor
3 (Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him, and they had buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had expelled the mediums[ky] and the soothsayers from the land.) 4 Then the Philistines assembled and came and encamped at Shunem, so Saul assembled all Israel, and they encamped at Gilboa. 5 When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid and his heart trembled greatly. 6 And Saul inquired of Yahweh, but Yahweh did not answer him, not by dreams or by the Urim[kz] or by the prophets. 7 So Saul said to his servants, “Search for me a woman who is a medium[la] so that I may go to her and inquire of her.” His servants said to him, “Look there is a woman who is a medium in Endor.” 8 So Saul disguised himself and put on other clothes, and he went with two of his men.[lb] And they came to the woman by night and he said, “Please consult a spirit for me through the ritual pit,[lc] and bring up for me the one whom I tell you.” 9 But the woman said to him, “Look, you know what Saul did, how he exterminated the mediums[ld] and the soothsayers from the land! Why are you setting a trap for my life to kill me?” 10 Then Saul swore to her by Yahweh, “As Yahweh lives,[le] you will not be punished[lf] for this thing.” 11 So the woman asked, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” He said, “Bring up Samuel for me.” 12 When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice, and the woman said to Saul, “Why did you deceive me? You are Saul!” 13 The king said to her, “Do not be afraid! What do you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I see a god[lg] coming up from the ground!” 14 Then he said to her, “What is his appearance?” She said, “An old man is coming up, and he is wrapped in a robe.”[lh] Then Saul realized that it was Samuel, and he knelt with his face to the ground and bowed down.
15 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” And Saul said, “I am in distress![li] For the Philistines are about to make war against me, but God has turned away from me, and he does not answer me any more, not by the prophets[lj] or by the dreams. So I called to you to let me know what I should do.” 16 Then Samuel said, “Why do you ask me, since Yahweh has turned away from you and has become your enemy? 17 Yahweh has done to you just as he spoke by my hand! Yahweh has torn the kingdom from your hand and has given it to your neighbor, to David. 18 Because you did not obey[lk] Yahweh and did not carry out the fierce anger of his wrath[ll] against Amalek, therefore Yahweh has done this thing to you today. 19 And Yahweh will also give Israel with you into the hands of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me, and Yahweh will also give the army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.”
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