David Takes Consecrated Bread

21 Then David went to ^[a]Nob to ^[b]Ahimelech the priest; and Ahimelech came trembling [in fear] to meet David and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one with you?” ² David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has commissioned me with a matter and has told me, ‘Let no one know anything about the matter for which I am sending you and with which I have commissioned you. I have directed the young men to a certain place.’ ³ Now what [food] do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever can be found.” ⁴ The priest answered David, “There is no ordinary (unconsecrated) bread on hand, but there is ^[c]consecrated bread; [you may have it] if only the young men have kept themselves from women.” ⁵ David answered the priest, “Be assured that ^[d]women have been kept from us in these three days since I set out, and the ^[e]bodies of the young men were consecrated (ceremonially clean), although it was an ordinary (unconsecrated) journey; so how much more will their vessels be holy today?” ⁶ So the priest gave him the consecrated bread; for there was no bread there except the bread of the ^[f]Presence which was removed from before the Lord in order to put hot bread in its place when it was taken away.

⁷ Now one of Saul’s servants was there that day, detained before the Lord; his name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul’s shepherds.

⁸ David said to Ahimelech, “Do you not have a sword or spear here on hand? For I brought neither my sword nor my [other] weapons with me, because the king’s business was urgent.” ⁹ Then 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 would take it for yourself, do so. For there is no other here except for it.” And David said, “There is none like that; give it to me.”

¹⁰ Then David arose and fled from Saul that day, and went to Achish king of ^[g]Gath. ¹¹ The servants of Achish said to him, “Is this not David the king of the land? Did they not sing in praise of this one as they danced, saying,

¹² David took these words to heart and was greatly afraid of Achish king of Gath. ¹³ So [fearing for his life] he changed his behavior in their sight, and acted insanely in their hands, and he scribbled on the doors of the gate, and drooled on his beard. ¹⁴ Then Achish said to his servants, “Look, you see that the man is insane. Why have you brought him to me? ¹⁵ Do I lack madmen, that you bring this one to behave like a madman in my presence? Shall this one come into my house?”

The Priests Slain at Nob

22 So David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam; and when his brothers and all his father’s house heard about it, they went down there to him. ² Everyone who was suffering hardship, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him; and he became captain over them. There were about four hundred men with him.

³ And David went from there to Mizpah of Moab; and he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my ^[h]father and my mother come [out of Judah] and stay with you until I know what God will do for me.” ⁴ Then he left them with the king of Moab; and they stayed with him all the time that David was in the ^[i]stronghold. ⁵ Then the prophet Gad said to David, “Do not stay in the stronghold; leave, and go into the land of Judah.” So David left and went into the forest of Hereth.

⁶ But Saul heard that David and the men who were with him had been discovered. Now Saul was in Gibeah, sitting under the tamarisk tree on the high place with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing around him. ⁷ Saul said to his servants who were standing around him, “Listen now, you Benjamites! Will the son of Jesse also give every one of you fields and vineyards? Will he make you all commanders of thousands and hundreds? ⁸ For all of you have conspired against me so that no one ^[j]informs me when my son [Jonathan] makes a covenant with the son of Jesse. None of you cares about me or informs me that my son has stirred up my servant against me to lie in ambush, as he does this day?” ⁹ Then Doeg the Edomite, who was standing with Saul’s servants, replied, “I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech [the priest] the son of Ahitub. ¹⁰ Ahimelech inquired of the Lord for him, and gave him provisions and the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”

¹¹ Then the king sent someone to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father’s household, the priests who were at Nob; and all of them came to the king. ¹² Then Saul said, “Listen now, son of Ahitub.” He replied, “Here I am [at your service], my lord.” ¹³ Saul said to him, “Why have you and the son of Jesse conspired against me, in that you have given him bread and a sword and have inquired of God for him, so he would rebel against me by lying in ambush, as he does this day?”

¹⁴ Then Ahimelech answered the king, “And who among all your servants is as faithful and trustworthy as David, who is the king’s son-in-law, and who is captain over your guard [and your confidant], and is honored in your house? ¹⁵ Did I just begin to inquire of God for him today? Far be it from me! Do not let the king impute any guilt to his servant or to any of the household of my father, for your servant knows nothing at all about this entire matter.” ¹⁶ But Saul said, “Be assured that you shall die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s household (extended family).” ¹⁷ And the king said to the guards who stood around him, “Turn around and kill the priests of the Lord, because their ^[k]loyalty also is with David, and because they knew that he was fleeing and did not inform me.” But the servants of the king were not willing to put out their hands to attack the Lord’s priests. ¹⁸ So the king said to Doeg, “You turn around and attack the priests.” And Doeg the Edomite turned and ^[l]attacked the priests, and that day he killed eighty-five men who wore the [priest’s] linen ephod. ¹⁹ And he struck Nob the city of the priests with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and infants; also he struck oxen and donkeys and sheep with the edge of the sword.

²⁰ But one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled to David. ²¹ Abiathar told David that Saul had murdered the Lord’s priests. ²² Then David said to Abiathar, “I knew that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would certainly tell Saul. I have brought about the death of everyone in your father’s household (extended family). ²³ Stay with me; do not be afraid, for he who seeks my life seeks your life, but you are safe with me.”

David Rescues Keilah

23 Then they told David, saying, “Behold, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are plundering (robbing) the threshing floors [of the grain].” ² So David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” And the Lord said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah.” ³ But David’s men said to him, “Listen, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more then if we go to Keilah against the battle lines of the Philistines?” ⁴ Then David inquired of the Lord again. And the Lord answered him, “Arise, go down to Keilah, for I will hand over the Philistines to you.” ⁵ So David and his men went to Keilah and fought the Philistines; he drove away their cattle and struck them with a great slaughter. So David rescued the inhabitants of Keilah.

⁶ When Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David at Keilah, he came down with an ephod in his hand. ⁷ Now when Saul was informed that David had come to Keilah, Saul said, “God has handed him over to me, for he shut himself in by entering a city that has double gates and bars.” ⁸ So Saul summoned all the people (soldiers) for war, to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men. ⁹ But David knew that Saul was plotting evil against him; and he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod here.” ¹⁰ Then David said, “O Lord, the God of Israel, Your servant has heard for certain that Saul intends to come to Keilah, to destroy the city on my account. ¹¹ Will the men of Keilah hand me over to him? Will Saul come down just as Your servant has heard? O Lord, God of Israel, I pray, tell Your servant.” And the Lord said, “He will come down.” ¹² Then David asked, “Will the men of Keilah surrender me and my men to Saul?” The Lord said, “They will surrender you.” ¹³ Then David and his men, about six hundred, arose and left Keilah, and they went wherever they could go. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up the pursuit. ¹⁴ David stayed in the wilderness in strongholds, in the hill country of the Wilderness of Ziph. Saul searched for him every day, but God did not hand David over to him.

Saul Pursues David

¹⁵ Now David became aware that Saul had come out to seek his life. David was in the Wilderness of Ziph [in the woods] at Horesh. ¹⁶ And Jonathan, Saul’s son, arose and went [into the woods] to David at Horesh, and ^[m]encouraged him in God. ¹⁷ He said to him, “Do not be afraid; the hand of my father Saul will not find you. You will be king over Israel and I will be second in command to you; my father Saul knows this too.” ¹⁸ So the two of them made a covenant before the Lord; and David stayed [in the woods] at Horesh and Jonathan went to his house.

¹⁹ Then the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is David not hiding with us in strongholds of Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, which is south of ^[n]Jeshimon? ²⁰ Now then, O king, come down [to Ziph] in accordance with all your heart’s desire to do so [and capture him]; and our part shall be to hand him over to the king.” ²¹ Saul said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, because you have had compassion on me. ²² Go now, be very persistent and investigate, and see where his ^[o]haunt is and who has seen him there; for I am told he is very cunning. ²³ So look, and take note of all the places where he hides and come back to me with the established facts, then I will go with you. If he is [anywhere] in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah.”

²⁴ So they arose and went to Ziph ahead of Saul. Now David and his men were in the Wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah south of Jeshimon. ²⁵ Then Saul and his men went to search for him. When David was told about it, he went down to the rock and stayed [there] in the Wilderness of Maon. When Saul heard it, he pursued David in the Wilderness of Maon. ²⁶ Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain. And David was hurrying to get away from Saul, for Saul and his men were surrounding David and his men to capture them. ²⁷ But a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come, because the Philistines have attacked the land.” ²⁸ So Saul returned from pursuing David and went to meet the Philistines; therefore they called that place the Rock of Escape. ^29 [p]David went up from there and stayed in the strongholds of Engedi.

David Spares Saul’s Life

24 When Saul returned from following the Philistines, he was told, “Behold, David is in the ^[q]Wilderness of Engedi.” ² Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel and went to search for David and his men in front of the Rocks of the Wild Goats. ³ On the way he came to the ^[r]sheepfolds where there was a cave; and Saul went in to ^[s]relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the cave’s innermost recesses. ⁴ David’s men said to him, “Behold, this is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold, I will hand over your enemy to you, and you shall do to him as seems good to you.’” Then David arose [in the darkness] and stealthily cut off the hem (edge) of Saul’s robe. ⁵ Afterward, David’s ^[t]conscience bothered him because he had cut off the hem of Saul’s robe. ⁶ He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, to put out my hand against him, since he is the anointed of the Lord.” ⁷ So David strongly rebuked his men with these words and did not let them rise up against Saul. Saul got up, left the cave and went on his way.

⁸ Then David also got up afterward and went out of the cave and called after Saul, saying, “My lord the king!” And when Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the ground and lay himself face down. ⁹ David said to Saul, “Why do you listen to the words of men who say, ‘David seeks to harm you?’ ¹⁰ Behold, your eyes have seen today how the Lord had given you into my hand in the cave. Some told me to kill you, but I spared you; I said, ‘I will not reach out my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord’s anointed.’ ¹¹ Look, my father! Indeed, see the hem of your robe in my hand! Since I cut off the hem of your robe and did not kill you, know and understand [without question] that there is no evil or treason in my hands. I have not sinned against you, though you are lying in wait to take my life. ¹² May the Lord judge between me and you; and may the Lord avenge me on you; but my hand shall not be against you. ¹³ As the proverb of the ancients says, ‘Out of the wicked comes wickedness’; but my hand shall not be against you. ¹⁴ After whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom do you pursue [with three thousand men]? A dead dog, a single flea? ¹⁵ May the Lord be the judge and render judgment between me and you; and may He see and plead my cause and vindicate me by saving me from your hand.”^(A)

¹⁶ When David had finished saying these words to Saul, Saul said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” Then Saul raised his voice and wept. ¹⁷ He said to David, “You are more righteous and upright [in God’s eyes] than I; for you have done good to me, but I have done evil to you. ¹⁸ You have declared today the good that you have done to me, for when the Lord put me into your hand, you did not kill me. ¹⁹ For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go away ^[u]unharmed? So may the Lord reward you with good in return for what you have done for me this day. ²⁰ Now, behold, I know that you will certainly be king and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hand. ²¹ So now swear to me by the Lord that you will not cut off my descendants after me and that you will not destroy my name from my father’s household (extended family).” ²² David gave Saul his oath; and Saul went home, but David and his men went up to the mountain stronghold.

Samuel’s Death

25 Now Samuel died; and all Israel assembled and mourned for him, and they buried him at his house in Ramah. Then David left and went down to the Wilderness of Paran.

Nabal and Abigail

² Now there was a man in Maon whose business and possessions were in Carmel; and the man was very rich. He had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats, and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel ³ (now the man’s name was Nabal and his wife’s name was Abigail. She was intelligent and beautiful in appearance, but the man was harsh and evil in his dealings; he was a ^[v]Calebite). 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, and ^[w]greet him in my name; ⁶ and this is what you shall say, ‘^[x]Have a long life! Peace be to you, and peace to your house, and peace to all that you have. ⁷ Now I have heard that you have shearers. Now your shepherds have been with us and we have not harmed them, nor were they missing anything all the time they were in Carmel. ⁸ Ask your young men and they will tell you. Therefore let my young men find favor in your sight [and be well-treated], for we have come on a ^[y]good (festive) day. ^[z]Please, give whatever you find at hand to your servants and to your son David.’”

⁹ When David’s young men came, they spoke to Nabal according to all these words 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? ^[aa]There are many servants today, each of whom is breaking away from his master. ¹¹ So should I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men when I do not know where they are from?” ¹² So David’s young men made their way back and returned; and they came and told him everything that was said [to them by Nabal]. ¹³ David said to his men, “Each man put on your sword.” So each man put on his sword. David also put on his sword, and about four hundred men went up behind David while two hundred stayed back with the provisions and supplies.

¹⁴ But one of Nabal’s young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, “Listen, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to bless (greet) our master, and he shouted at them [in contempt]. ¹⁵ But David’s men were very good to us, and we were not harmed or treated badly, nor did we miss anything as long as we were with them, when we were in the fields. ¹⁶ They were a wall [of protection] to us both night and day, all the time that we were with them tending the sheep. ¹⁷ Now then, know this and consider what you should do, for evil is [already] planned against our master and against all his household; but he is such a ^[ab]worthless and wicked man that one cannot speak [reasonably] to him.”

Abigail Intercedes

¹⁸ Then Abigail hurried and took two hundred loaves of bread, two jugs of wine, five sheep already prepared [for roasting], five measures of roasted grain, a hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and loaded them on donkeys. ¹⁹ She said to her young men (servants), “Go on ahead of me; behold, I am coming after you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal. ²⁰ It happened that as she was riding on her donkey and coming down by [way of] the hidden part of the mountain, that suddenly David and his men were coming down toward her, and she met them. ²¹ Now David had said, “Surely in vain I have protected and guarded all that this man has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missing of all that belonged to him; and he has repaid me evil for good. ²² May God do so to the enemies of David, and more also, if by morning I leave [alive] even one ^[ac]male of any who belong to him.”

²³ When Abigail saw David, she hurried and dismounted from the donkey, and ^[ad]kneeled face downward before David and bowed down to the ground [in respect]. ^24 [ae]Kneeling at his feet she said, “My lord, let the blame and guilt be on me alone. And please let your maidservant speak ^[af]to you, and listen to the words of your maidservant. ²⁵ Please do not let my lord ^[ag]pay attention to this worthless man, Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal (fool) is his ^[ah]name and foolishness (stupidity) is with him; but I your maidservant did not see my lord’s young men whom you sent.

²⁶ So now, my lord, as the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, since the Lord has prevented you from shedding blood, and from avenging yourself by your own hand, now then let your enemies and those who seek to do evil to my lord, be as [self-destructive as] Nabal. ²⁷ Now this gift, which your maidservant has brought my lord, let it be given to the young men who ^[ai]accompany and follow my lord. ²⁸ Please forgive the transgression of your maidservant; for the Lord will certainly make my lord a secure and enduring house, because my lord is fighting the battles of the Lord, and evil will not be found in you all your days. ²⁹ Should anyone rise up to pursue you and to seek your life, then the life of my lord will be bound in the [precious] bundle of the living with the Lord your God; but the lives of your enemies—those He will hurl out as from the center of a sling. ³⁰ And it will happen when the Lord does for my lord according to all the good that He has spoken (promised) concerning you, and appoints you ruler over Israel, ³¹ that this [incident] will not cause grief or [bring] a troubled conscience to my lord, both by having shed blood without cause and by my lord having avenged himself. When the Lord deals well with my lord, then remember [with favor] your maidservant.”

³² David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who sent you to meet me this day. ³³ And blessed be your discretion and discernment, and blessed be you, who has kept me from bloodshed this day and from avenging myself by my own hand. ³⁴ Nevertheless, as the Lord the God of Israel lives, who has prevented me from harming you, if you had not come quickly to meet me, most certainly by the morning light there would not have been left to Nabal so much as one male.” ³⁵ So David ^[aj]accepted what she had brought to him and said to her, “Go up to your house in peace. See, I have listened to you and have ^[ak]granted your request.”

³⁶ Then Abigail came to Nabal, and he was holding a feast in his house [for the shearers], like the feast of a king. And Nabal’s ^[al]mood was joyous because he was very drunk; so she told him nothing at all until the morning light. ³⁷ But in the morning, when ^[am]Nabal was sober, and his wife told him these things, his ^[an]heart died within him and he became [paralyzed and helpless] like a stone. ³⁸ About ten days later, the Lord struck Nabal and he died.

David Marries Abigail

³⁹ When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed be the Lord, who has pleaded the cause of my reproach [suffered] at the hand of Nabal and has kept His servant from [retaliating with] evil. For the Lord has returned the wickedness of Nabal on his own head.” Then David sent word to Abigail, proposing to take her as his wife. ⁴⁰ When the servants of David came to Abigail at Carmel, they said to her, “David sent us to you to take you [to him] to be his wife.” ⁴¹ And she stood and bowed with her face to the ground and said, “Behold, your maidservant is [ready to be] a maid to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.” ⁴² Then Abigail quickly got up, and rode on a donkey, with five of her maidens who ^[ao]attended her; and she followed the messengers of David and became his wife.

⁴³ David had also taken Ahinoam of Jezreel, and they both became his wives.

⁴⁴ But Saul had given Michal his [younger] daughter, 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 David not hiding on the hill of Hachilah, east of Jeshimon?” ² So Saul arose and went down to the Wilderness of Ziph, taking with him three thousand chosen men of Israel, to search for David [there] in the wilderness of Ziph. ³ Saul camped on the hill of Hachilah, which is beside the road east of Jeshimon, but David stayed in the wilderness. When he saw that Saul came into the wilderness after him, ⁴ David sent out spies, and he learned that Saul was definitely coming. ⁵ So David arose and went to the place where Saul had camped, and saw the spot where Saul lay, as well as Abner the son of Ner, the commander of his army; and Saul was lying inside the circle of the camp, with the army camped around him.

⁶ Then David said to Ahimelech the Hittite and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, brother of Joab, “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 went to the army during the night, and there was Saul lying asleep inside the circle of the camp with his spear stuck in the ground by his head; and Abner and the people were lying around him. ⁸ Then Abishai said to David, “God has given your enemy into your hand this day; now then, please let me strike him with the spear driving it to the ground with one stroke, and I will not strike him the second time.” ⁹ But David said to Abishai, “Do not kill him, for who can put out his hand against the Lord’s anointed [king] and be guiltless (innocent)?” ¹⁰ David also said, “As the Lord lives, most certainly the Lord will strike him [in His own time and way], or his day will come and he will die, or he will go down into battle and be carried off [dead]. ¹¹ The Lord forbid that I would put out my hand against the Lord’s anointed; but now take the spear that is by his head and the jug of water, and let us go.” ¹² So David took the spear and the jug of water from beside Saul’s head, and they left, and no one saw or knew nor did anyone awaken, because they were all sound asleep, for a deep sleep from the Lord had fallen on them.

¹³ Then David crossed over to the other side and stood on the top of the mountain at a distance, with a large area between them. ¹⁴ David called to the army and to Abner the son of Ner, “Will you not answer, Abner?” Abner replied, “Who are you who calls [and disturbs] the king?” ¹⁵ David said to Abner, “Are you not a [brave] man? Who is like you in Israel? Why then have you not guarded your lord the king? For one of the people came [into your camp] to kill the king your lord. ¹⁶ This thing that you have done is not good. As the Lord lives, you surely ^[ap]deserve to die, because you have not guarded your lord, the Lord’s anointed. And now, see where the king’s spear is, and the jug of water that was by 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 And David said, “Why is my lord pursuing his servant? For what have I done? Or what evil is in my hand? ¹⁹ Now therefore, please let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If the Lord has incited you against me, let Him accept an offering [from me]; but if it is men, may they be cursed before the Lord, because they have driven me out this day to keep me from sharing in the inheritance of the Lord, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods.’ ²⁰ Now then, do not let my blood fall to the ground away from the presence of the Lord; for the king of Israel has come out to search for a single flea, just as when one hunts a [defenseless] partridge in the mountains.”

²¹ Then Saul said, “I have sinned. Return, my son David, for I will not harm you again because my life was precious in your sight this day. Hear me, I have played the fool and have done a very great wrong [to you].” ²² David answered, “Look, here is the king’s spear! Now let one of the young men come over and get it. ²³ The Lord will repay each man for his righteousness and his faithfulness; for the Lord handed you over to me today, but I refused to put out my hand against the Lord’s anointed. ²⁴ Now behold, just as your life was precious in my sight this day, so let my life be precious in the sight of the Lord, and may He rescue me from all distress.” ²⁵ Then Saul said to David, “May you be blessed, my son David; you will both accomplish much and certainly prevail.” So David went on his way, and Saul returned to his place.

David Flees to the Philistines

27 But David said in his heart, “Now I will die one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will give up searching for me inside the borders of Israel, and I will escape from his hand [once and for all].” ² So David and the six hundred men who were with him arose and crossed over to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath. ³ And David lived with Achish at Gath, he and his men, each man with his household, and David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the Carmelitess, [who was] Nabal’s widow. ⁴ When Saul was told that David had fled to Gath, he no longer searched for him.

⁵ Then David said to Achish, “If I have found favor in your sight, let me be given a place [of my own] in one of the cities in the country, so that I may live there; for why should your servant live in the royal city with you?” ⁶ Then Achish gave David [the town of] Ziklag that day. Therefore Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to ^[aq]this day. ⁷ The number of days that David lived in the country of the Philistines was a year and four months.

⁸ Now David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites [the enemies of Israel that Joshua had failed to annihilate]; for they had inhabited the land from ancient times, as one comes to Shur even as far as the land of Egypt.^{(B) 9} David attacked the land and did not leave a man or a woman alive, but he took the sheep, the cattle, the donkeys, the camels, and the clothing, and returned to Achish. ¹⁰ When Achish asked, “Where did you raid today?” David replied, “Against the Negev (the South country) of Judah, and against the Negev of the Jerahmeelites, and against the Negev of the Kenites.” ¹¹ David did not leave a man or a woman alive to bring news to Gath, saying [to himself], “Otherwise they will tell about us, saying, ‘This is what David has done, and this has been his practice all the time that he has lived in the country of the Philistines.’” ¹² Achish believed David, saying, “He has certainly become hated by his people in Israel; so he will always be my servant.”

Saul and the Spirit Medium

28 In those days the Philistines gathered their forces for war to fight against Israel. Achish said to David, “Understand for certain that you and your men will go out with me to battle.” ² David said to Achish, “All right, you shall know what your servant can do.” So Achish said to David, “Therefore I will make you my bodyguard for life.”

³ Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had removed the mediums and the spiritists (soothsayers) from the land. ⁴ The Philistines assembled and came and camped at Shunem; and Saul gathered all the Israelites and they camped at Gilboa. ⁵ When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid and ^[ar]badly shaken. ⁶ So Saul inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim [used like lots by the priest to determine the will of God] or by prophets.^{(C) 7} Then Saul said to his servants, “Find for me a woman who is a medium [between the living and the dead], so that I may go to her and ask her advice.” His servants said to him, “There is a woman who is a medium at En-dor.”

⁸ So Saul disguised himself by wearing different clothes, and he left with two men, and they came to the woman at night. He said to her, “Conjure up for me, please, and bring up [from the dead] for me [the spirit] whom I shall name to you.” ⁹ But the woman said to him, “See here, you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off (eliminated) those who are mediums and spiritists from the land. So why are you laying a trap for my life, to cause my death?” ¹⁰ Then Saul swore [an oath] to her by the Lord, saying, “As the Lord lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this.” ¹¹ So the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” He said, “Bring up Samuel for me.” ¹² When the woman saw Samuel, she screamed with a loud voice; and she said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!” ¹³ The king said to her, “Do not be afraid; but [tell me] what do you see?” The woman said to Saul, “I see a ^[as]divine [superhuman] being coming up from the earth.” ¹⁴ He said to her, “What is his appearance?” And she said, “An old man is coming up, wrapped in a robe.” Then Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground and paid respect [to him].

¹⁵ Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” Saul answered, “I am greatly distressed; for the Philistines are making war against me, and God has left me and no longer answers me, either through prophets or by dreams; therefore I have called you to make known to me what I should do.” ¹⁶ Samuel said, “Why then do you ask me, since the Lord has left you and has become your enemy? ¹⁷ The Lord has done [to you] just as He said through me [when I was with you]; for the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, to David.^{(D) 18} Because you did not obey the voice of the Lord and did not execute His fierce wrath on Amalek, therefore the Lord has done this thing to you this day. ¹⁹ Moreover, the Lord will also put Israel along with you into the hands of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me [among the dead]. Indeed, the Lord will put the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines.”

²⁰ Then Saul immediately fell full length on the earth [floor of the medium’s house], and was very afraid because of Samuel’s words; ^[at]and he was thoroughly exhausted because he had not eaten all day and all night. ²¹ The woman came to Saul and saw that he was greatly troubled, and she said to him, “Look, your maidservant has obeyed you, and I have taken my life in my hand and have listened to everything you said to me. ²² So now, please listen to the voice of your maidservant, and let me set a piece of bread before you, and eat, so that you may have strength when you go on your way.” ²³ But he refused and said, “I will not eat.” But his servants together with the woman urged him, and he [finally] listened to them. So he got up from the ground and sat on the bed. ²⁴ The woman had a fattened calf in the house; she quickly killed it, and took flour, kneaded it and baked unleavened bread. ²⁵ She brought it before Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they got up and went away that night.

The Philistines Mistrust David

29 Now the Philistines gathered all their forces at Aphek, while Israel camped by the spring in Jezreel. ² As the Philistine lords (governors) were proceeding on [marching] by hundreds and by thousands, and David and his men were proceeding on in the rear with Achish [the king of Gath], ³ the Philistine commanders [having noticed David] said, “What are these Hebrews doing here?” Achish said to the Philistine commanders, “Is this not David, the servant of Saul king of Israel, who has been with me these days and years, and I have found no fault in him from the day he deserted to me to this day?” ⁴ But the Philistine commanders were angry with Achish and they said to him, “Make this man return, so that he may go back to his place where you have assigned him, and do not let him go down to battle with us, or in the battle he may [turn and] become our adversary. For how could David reconcile himself to his lord [Saul]? Would it not be with the heads of these [Philistine] men? ⁵ Is this not David, of whom they used to sing in dances,

⁶ Then Achish called David and said to him, “As the Lord lives, you have been upright (righteous), and your ^[au]behavior in the army is pleasing in my sight. For from the day you came to me to this day I have found no evil in you. Nevertheless, ^[av]the [Philistine] lords do not approve of you. ⁷ So return now and go in peace [to your place], so that you do not displease the Philistine lords.” ⁸ David said to Achish, “But what have I done? What have you found in your servant from the day when I [first] came before you to this day, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?” ⁹ Achish answered David, “I know that you are blameless in my sight, like an angel of God; nevertheless the commanders of the Philistines have said, ‘He must not go up with us to the battle.’ ¹⁰ So now, get up early in the morning with your master’s servants who have come with you, and as soon as you are up in the morning and have light, leave.” ¹¹ So David and his men got up early to leave in the morning, to return to the land of the Philistines. But the Philistines went up to Jezreel [to fight against Israel].

David’s Victory over the Amalekites

30 Now it happened when David and his men came [home] to Ziklag on the third day, [they found] that the Amalekites had made a raid on the Negev (the South country) and on Ziklag, and had overthrown Ziklag and burned it with fire; ² and they had taken captive the women [and all] who were there, both small and great. They killed no one, but carried them off [to be used as slaves] and went on their way. ³ When David and his men came to the town, it was burned, and their wives and their sons and their daughters had been taken captive. ⁴ Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until ^[aw]they were too exhausted to weep [any longer]. ⁵ Now David’s two wives had been captured, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite. ⁶ Further, David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, for all of them were embittered, each man for his sons and daughters. But David felt strengthened and encouraged in the Lord his God.

⁷ David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, “Please bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought him the ephod. ⁸ David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I pursue this band [of raiders]? Will I overtake them?” And He answered him, “Pursue, for you will certainly overtake them, and you will certainly rescue [the captives].” ⁹ So David went, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and came to the brook Besor; there those [who could not continue] remained behind. ¹⁰ But David pursued [the Amalekites], he and four hundred men, for two hundred who were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor stayed behind.

¹¹ They found an Egyptian [who had collapsed] in the field and brought him to David, and gave him bread and he ate, and they gave him water to drink, ¹² and they gave him a piece of a fig cake and two clusters of raisins; and when he had eaten, his ^[ax]energy returned, for he had not eaten bread or had any water to drink for three days and three nights. ¹³ David said to him, “To whom do you belong, and where are you from?” He said, “I am a young man from Egypt, a servant of an Amalekite; and my master abandoned me [as useless] when I fell sick three days ago. ¹⁴ We made a raid on the Negev of the Cherethites, and on that which belongs to Judah, and on the Negev of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag with fire.” ¹⁵ Then David said to him, “Will you take me down to this band [of raiders]?” And he said, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or turn me over to the hand of my master, and I will bring you down to this band.”

¹⁶ When he brought David down, the Amalekites had disbanded and spread over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing because of all the great spoil they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. ¹⁷ Then David [and his men] struck them down [in battle] from twilight until the evening of the next day; and not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode camels and fled. ¹⁸ So David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and rescued his two wives. ¹⁹ Nothing of theirs was missing whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that had been taken; David recovered it all. ²⁰ So David captured all the flocks and herds [which the enemy had], and [the people] drove those animals before him and said, “This is David’s spoil.”

The Spoils Are Divided

²¹ David came to the two hundred men who were so exhausted that they could not follow him and had been left at the brook Besor [with the provisions]. They went out to meet David and the people with him, and when he approached the people, he greeted them. ²² Then all the wicked and worthless men among those who went with David said, “Because they did not go with us, we will give them none of the spoil that we have recovered, except that each man may take his wife and children away and leave.” ²³ David said, “You must not do so, my brothers, with what the Lord has given us. He has kept us safe and has handed over to us the band [of Amalekites] that came against us. ²⁴ And who will listen to you in regard to this matter? For as is the share of him who goes down into the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the provisions and supplies; they shall share alike.” ²⁵ So from that day forward he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.

²⁶ When David came to Ziklag, he sent part of the spoil to the elders of Judah, his friends, saying, “Here is a blessing (gift) for you from the spoil of the enemies of the Lord: ²⁷ For those in Bethel, Ramoth of the Negev, Jattir, ²⁸ Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa, ²⁹ Racal, the cities of the Jerahmeelites, the cities of the Kenites, ³⁰ Hormah, Bor-ashan, Athach, ³¹ Hebron, and for [those elders in] all the places where David himself and his men were accustomed to go.”

Saul and His Sons Slain

31 Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before them and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. ² The Philistines overtook Saul and his sons; and they killed Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua, Saul’s sons. ³ The battle went heavily against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was severely wounded by the archers. ⁴ Saul said to his armor bearer, “Draw your sword and pierce me through with it, otherwise these uncircumcised [Philistines] will come and pierce me through and abuse and mock me.” But his armor bearer would not, because he was terrified [of doing such a thing]. So ^[ay]Saul took his sword and fell on it. ⁵ When his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword and died with him. ⁶ So Saul, his three sons, his armor bearer, and all his men died together on that day.

⁷ When the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley [of Jezreel], and those who were beyond the Jordan, saw that the other men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned the cities and fled; then the Philistines came and lived in them.

⁸ The next day, when the Philistines came to plunder the dead, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. ⁹ So they cut off Saul’s head and stripped off his weapons and armor and sent them throughout the land of the Philistines, to bring the good news to the house of their idols and to the people. ¹⁰ And they put Saul’s weapons and armor in the temple of the Ashtaroth (female goddesses), and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan. ¹¹ When the ^[az]inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, ¹² all the brave men stood and walked all night, and they took the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and they came to Jabesh and cremated them there. ¹³ They took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and fasted [as a sign of mourning and respect] for seven days.