27 And David said in his heart, “I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul. Is it not better for me that I save myself in the land of the Philistines—so that Saul may lose hope in seeking me anymore in all the territory of Israel—and so escape out of his hand?”

² Therefore, David arose. And he and the six hundred men who were with him went to Achish, the son of Maoch, king of Gath.

³ And David dwelt with Achish at Gath, he and his men, each man with his household and David with his two wives (Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail the wife Nabal the Carmelite).

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

⁵ And David said to Achish, “If I have now found grace in your eyes, let them give me a place in some other city of the country, so that I may dwell there. For why would your servant dwell in the head city of the kingdom with you?”

⁶ Then Achish gave him Ziklag that same day. Therefore, Ziklag belongs to the kings of Judah to this day.

⁷ And the time that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines was four months and some days.

⁸ Then David and his men went up and invaded the Geshurites and the Girzites and the Amalekites. For they inhabited the land from the beginning, as you go to Shur, even to the land of Egypt.

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

¹⁰ And Achish said, “Where have you made a raid this day?” And David answered, “Against the South of Judah and against the South of the Jerahmeelites and against the South of the Kenites.”

¹¹ And David saved neither man nor woman alive, to bring them to Gath, saying, “Lest they should tell on us, and say, “So did David! And so has been his manner all the while that he has dwelt in the country of the Philistines!’”

¹² And Achish believed David, saying, “He has made his people of Israel utterly abhor him. Therefore, he shall be my servant forever.”

28 Now at that time, the Philistines assembled their bands and army to fight with Israel. Therefore, Achish said to David, “Know assuredly that you shall go out with me to the battle, you and your men!”

² And David said to Achish, “Surely, you shall know what your servant can do.” And Achish said to David, “Surely, I will make you keeper of my head, forever.”

³ By then, Samuel had died. And all Israel had lamented him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had put the sorcerers and the soothsayers out of the land.

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

⁵ And when Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid; and his heart trembled greatly.

⁶ Therefore, Saul asked counsel of the LORD, and the LORD did not answer him, by dreams or by Urim or even by Prophets.

⁷ Then Saul said to his servants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, so that I may go to her and ask of her.” And his servants said to him, “Behold, there is a woman at En Dor who is a medium.”

⁸ Then Saul changed himself and put on other clothes. And he and two other men went. And they came to the woman at night. And he said, “Please conjure up for me, and bring up for me him whom I shall name to you.”

⁹ And the woman said to him, “Behold, you know what Saul has done, how he has destroyed the sorcerers and the soothsayers out of the land. Why, then, do you seek to entrap me, to cause me to die?

¹⁰ And Saul swore to her by the LORD, saying, “As the LORD lives, no harm shall come to you for this thing.”

¹¹ Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” And he answered, “Bring up Samuel for me.”

¹² And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice. And the woman spoke to Saul, saying, “Why have you deceived me?! For you are Saul!”

¹³ And the king said to her, “Do not be afraid. For what did you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I saw gods ascending up out of the earth!”

¹⁴ Then he said to her, “What is his form?” And she answered, “An old man comes up, wrapped in a robe.” And Saul knew that it was Samuel. And he turned his face to the ground and bowed himself.

¹⁵ And Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me, to bring me up?” Then Saul answered, “I am in great distress! For the Philistines make war against me, and God has departed from me and no longer answers me, either by Prophets or by dreams. Therefore, I have called you, so that you may tell me what I shall do.”

¹⁶ Then Samuel said, “Why, then, do you ask of me, seeing the LORD has gone from you and is your enemy?

¹⁷ “The LORD has only done for him as He spoke by my hand. For the LORD will tear the kingdom out of your hand and give it your neighbor David.

¹⁸ “Because you did not obey the Voice of the LORD or execute His fierce wrath upon the Amalekites, therefore the LORD has done this to you this day.

¹⁹ “Moreover, the LORD will deliver Israel, with you, into the hands of the Philistines. And tomorrow, you and your sons shall be with me. And the LORD shall give the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines.”

²⁰ Then Saul fell full length on the earth and was very afraid because of the words of Samuel, so that there was no strength in him. For he had eaten no bread all day or all night.

²¹ Then the woman came to Saul and saw that he was very troubled, and said to him, “See, your handmaid has obeyed your voice; and I have put my soul in my hand and have obeyed your words which you said to me.

²² “Now, therefore, you please also listen to the voice of your handmaid and let me set a morsel of bread before you, so that you may eat and strengthen yourself and go on your journey.”

²³ But he refused and said, “I will not eat.” But his servants, together with the woman, compelled him. And he obeyed their voice. So he arose from the earth and sat on the bed.

²⁴ Now, the woman had a fat calf in the house. And she hurried and killed it and took flour and kneaded it and baked unleavened bread from it.

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

29 So the Philistines were gathered together with all their armies in Aphek. And the Israelites camped by the fountain which is in Jezreel.

² And the princes of the Philistines went forth by hundreds and thousands; but David and his men came behind with Achish.

³ Then the princes of the Philistines said, “What are these Hebrews doing here?” And Achish said to the princes of the Philistines, “Is not this David, the servant of Saul, the king of Israel, who has been with me these days, or these years? And I have found nothing in him since he has dwelt with me, until this day.”

⁴ But the princes of the Philistines were angry with him. And the princes of the Philistines said to him, “Send this fellow back, so that he may go back to his place to which you have appointed him. And let him not go down with us to battle, lest that in the battle he be an adversary to us. For with what would he obtain the favor of his master if not with the heads of these men?

⁵ “Is not this that David of whom they sang in dances, saying, ‘Saul killed his thousand and David his ten thousand?’”

⁶ Then Achish called David, and said to him, “As the LORD lives, you have been upright and good in my sight when you went out and in with me in the camp. Nor have I found evil with you since you came to me until this day. But the princes do not favor you.

⁷ “Therefore, return now and go in peace, so that you do not displease the princes of the Philistines.”

⁸ And David said to Achish, “But what have I done? And what have you found in your servant for as long as I have been with you, until this day, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?”

⁹ Achish then answered and said to David, “I know you please me as an angel of God. But the princes of the Philistines have said, “Let him not go up with us to battle.

¹⁰ “Therefore, now, rise up early in the morning with your master’s servants who have come with you. And when you are up early, as soon as you have light, depart.”

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

13 There were some present at the same time who told Him of the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.

² And Jesus answered, and said to them, “Do you suppose that because they have suffered such things, these Galileans were greater sinners than all the other Galileans?

³ “I tell you no. But unless you repent, you shall all likewise perish.

⁴ “Or do you think that those eighteen upon whom the tower in Siloam fell (and it killed them) were sinners above all men living in Jerusalem?

⁵ “I tell you no. But unless you repent, you shall all likewise perish.”

⁶ He also spoke this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard. And he came and sought fruit from it and found none.

⁷ “Then he said to the dresser of his vineyard, ‘Behold, for three years I have come and sought fruit from this fig tree and found none. Cut it down! Why is it wasting ground?’

⁸ “And he answered, and said to him, ‘Lord, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it.

⁹ ‘And if it bears fruit, well. If not, then after that cut it down.’”

¹⁰ And He taught in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath Day.

¹¹ And behold, there was a woman who had had a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years. And was doubled over and could not straighten up at all.

¹² When Jesus saw her, He called her to Him, and said to her, “Woman, you are free from your disease.”

¹³ And He laid His hands on her. And immediately she was made straight again. And she glorified God.

¹⁴ And the ruler of the Synagogue answered indignantly (because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath) and said to the people, “There are six days in which we ought to work! Therefore, come and be healed on those days, and not on the Sabbath day!”

¹⁵ Then the Lord answered him, and said, “Hypocrite. Does not each one of you free his ox or his ass from the stall on the Sabbath and lead him away to the water?

¹⁶ “And ought not this daughter of Abraham (whom Satan has bound, lo, eighteen years) be freed from this bond on the Sabbath day?”

¹⁷ And when He said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed. But all the people rejoiced at all the excellent things that were done by Him.

¹⁸ Then He said, “What is the Kingdom of God like? Or, to what shall I compare it?

¹⁹ “It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his garden. And it grew and became a great tree. And the birds of the heaven made nests in its branches.”

²⁰ And again He said, “To what shall I liken the Kingdom of God?

²¹ “It is like leaven. Which a woman took and hid in three pecks of flour, till it all was leavened.”

²² And He went through all cities and towns, teaching and journeying towards Jerusalem.

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