Bible in 90 Days

Samuel Goes to Bethlehem

16 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you continue to feel sorry for Saul? I have rejected him as king of Israel. Fill your container with olive oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse who lives in Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”

² But Samuel said, “If I go, Saul will hear the news. And he will try to kill me.”

The Lord said, “Take a young calf with you. Say, ‘I have come to offer a sacrifice to the Lord.’ ³ Invite Jesse to the sacrifice. Then I will show you what to do. You must appoint the one I show you.”

⁴ Samuel did what the Lord told him to do. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of Bethlehem shook with fear. They met him and asked, “Are you coming in peace?”

⁵ Samuel answered, “Yes, I come in peace. I have come to make a sacrifice to the Lord. Make yourselves holy for the Lord and come to the sacrifice with me.” Then he made Jesse and his sons holy for the Lord. And he invited them to come to the sacrifice.

⁶ When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab. Samuel thought, “Surely the Lord has appointed this person standing here before him.”

⁷ But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t look at how handsome Eliab is. Don’t look at how tall he is. I have not chosen him. God does not see the same way people see. People look at the outside of a person, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

⁸ Then Jesse called Abinadab and told him to pass by Samuel. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this man either.” ⁹ Then Jesse had Shammah pass by. But Samuel said, “No, the Lord has not chosen this one.” ¹⁰ Jesse had seven of his sons pass by Samuel. But Samuel said to him, “The Lord has not chosen any of these.”

¹¹ Then he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?”

Jesse answered, “I still have the youngest son. He is out taking care of the sheep.”

Samuel said, “Send for him. We will not sit down to eat until he arrives.”

¹² So Jesse sent and had his youngest son brought in. He was a fine boy, tanned and handsome.

The Lord said to Samuel, “Go! Appoint him. He is the one.”

¹³ So Samuel took the container of olive oil. Then he poured oil on Jesse’s youngest son to appoint him in front of his brothers. From that day on, the Lord’s Spirit entered David with power. Samuel then went back to Ramah.

David Serves Saul

¹⁴ But the Lord’s Spirit had gone out of Saul. And an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him.

¹⁵ Saul’s servants said to him, “See, an evil spirit from God is troubling you. ¹⁶ Give us the command. We will look for someone who can play the harp. When the evil spirit from the Lord enters you, he will play. Then the evil spirit will leave you alone. And you will feel better.”

¹⁷ So Saul said to his servants, “Find someone. If he plays well, bring him to me.”

¹⁸ One of the servants said, “Jesse of Bethlehem has a son who plays the harp. I have seen him play it. He is a brave man and fights well. He is a good speaker and handsome. And the Lord is with him.”

¹⁹ Then Saul sent messengers to Jesse. The message said, “Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.” ²⁰ So Jesse loaded a donkey with bread and a leather bag full of wine. He also took a young goat. He sent them all with his son David to Saul.

²¹ When David came to Saul, he began to serve him. Saul loved David very much. And David became the officer who carried Saul’s armor. ²² Saul sent a message to Jesse. He said, “Let David stay and serve me. I like him.”

²³ When the evil spirit from God entered Saul, David would take his harp and play. Then the evil spirit would go out of him. And Saul would feel relief. He would feel better again.

David and Goliath

17 The Philistines gathered their armies for war. They met at Socoh in Judah. Their camp was at Ephes Dammim between Socoh and Azekah. ² Saul and the Israelites gathered in the Valley of Elah. And they camped there. They took their positions to fight the Philistines. ³ The Philistines controlled one hill. The Israelites controlled another. The valley was between them.

⁴ The Philistines had a champion fighter named Goliath. He was from Gath. He was about nine feet four inches tall. He came out of the Philistine camp. ⁵ He had a bronze helmet on his head. And he wore a coat of scale armor. It was made of bronze and weighed about 125 pounds. ⁶ He wore bronze protectors on his legs. And he had a small spear of bronze tied on his back. ⁷ The wooden part of his larger spear was like a weaver’s rod. And its blade weighed about 15 pounds. The officer who carried his shield walked in front of him.

⁸ Goliath stood and shouted to the Israelite soldiers, “Why have you taken positions for battle? I am a Philistine, and you are Saul’s servants! Choose a man and send him to fight me. ⁹ If he can fight and kill me, we will become your servants. But if I defeat and kill him, you will become our servants.” ¹⁰ Then he said, “Today I stand and dare the army of Israel! Send one of your men to fight me!” ¹¹ When Saul and the Israelites heard the Philistine’s words, they were very afraid.

¹² Now David was the son of Jesse, an Ephrathite. Jesse was from Bethlehem in Judah. He had eight sons. In Saul’s time Jesse was an old man. ¹³ His three oldest sons followed Saul to the war. The first son was Eliab. The second son was Abinadab. And the third son was Shammah. ¹⁴ David was the youngest son. Jesse’s three oldest sons followed Saul. ¹⁵ But David went back and forth from Saul to Bethlehem. There he took care of his father’s sheep.

¹⁶ The Philistine Goliath came out every morning and evening. He stood before the Israelite army. This continued for 40 days.

¹⁷ Now Jesse said to his son David, “Take this half bushel of cooked grain. And take ten loaves of bread. Take them to your brothers in the camp. ¹⁸ Also take ten pieces of cheese. Give them to the commander of your brothers’ group of 1,000 soldiers. See how your brothers are. Bring back something to show me they are all right. ¹⁹ Your brothers are with Saul and the army in the Valley of Elah. They are fighting against the Philistines.”

²⁰ Early in the morning David left the sheep with another shepherd. He took the food and left as Jesse had told him. When David arrived at the camp, the army was leaving. They were going out to their battle positions. The soldiers were shouting their war cry. ²¹ The Israelites and Philistines were lining up their men to face each other in battle.

²² David left the food with the man who kept the supplies. Then he ran to the battle line and talked to his brothers. ²³ While he was talking with them, Goliath came out. He was the Philistine champion from Gath. He shouted things against Israel as usual, and David heard it. ²⁴ When the Israelites saw Goliath, they were very much afraid and ran away.

²⁵ They said, “Look at this man Goliath. He keeps coming out to speak against Israel. The king will give much money to the man who kills Goliath. He will also give his daughter in marriage to whoever kills him. And his father’s family will not have to pay taxes in Israel.”

²⁶ David asked the men who stood near him, “What will be done to reward the man who kills this Philistine? What will be done for whoever takes away the shame from Israel? Goliath is a Philistine. He is not circumcised. Why does he think he can speak against the armies of the living God?”

²⁷ The Israelites told David what they had been saying. They said, “This is what will be done for the man who kills Goliath.”

²⁸ David’s oldest brother Eliab heard David talking with the soldiers. He became angry with David. He asked David, “Why did you come here? Who’s taking care of those few sheep of yours in the desert? I know you are proud. Your attitude is very bad. You came down here just to watch the battle!”

²⁹ David asked, “Now what have I done wrong? Can’t I even talk?” ³⁰ He then turned to other people and asked the same questions. And they gave him the same answer as before. ³¹ Some men heard what David said and told Saul. Then Saul ordered David to be sent to him.

³² David said to Saul, “Don’t let anyone be discouraged. I, your servant, will go and fight this Philistine!”

³³ Saul answered, “You can’t go out against this Philistine and fight him. You’re only a boy. Goliath has been a warrior since he was a young man.”

³⁴ But David said to Saul, “I, your servant, have been keeping my father’s sheep. When a lion or bear came and took a sheep from the flock, ³⁵ I would chase it. I would attack it and save the sheep from its mouth. When it attacked me, I caught it by its fur. I would hit it and kill it. ³⁶ I, your servant, have killed both a lion and a bear! Goliath, the Philistine who is not circumcised, will be like the lion or bear I killed. He will die because he has stood against the armies of the living God. ³⁷ The Lord saved me from a lion and a bear. He will also save me from this Philistine.”

Saul said to David, “Go, and may the Lord be with you.” ³⁸ Saul put his own clothes on David. He put a bronze helmet on David’s head and armor on his body. ³⁹ David put on Saul’s sword and tried to walk around. But he was not used to all the armor Saul had put on him.

He said to Saul, “I can’t go in this. I’m not used to it.” Then David took it all off. ⁴⁰ He took his stick in his hand. And he chose five smooth stones from a stream. He put them in his pouch and held his sling in his hand. Then he went to meet Goliath.

⁴¹ At the same time, the Philistine was coming closer to David. The man who held his shield walked in front of him. ⁴² Goliath looked at David. He saw that David was only a boy, tanned and handsome. He looked down at David with disgust. ⁴³ He said, “Do you think I am a dog, that you come at me with a stick?” He used his gods’ names to curse David. ⁴⁴ He said to David, “Come here. I’ll feed your body to the birds of the air and the wild animals!”

⁴⁵ But David said to him, “You come to me using a sword, a large spear and a small spear. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of heaven’s armies. He’s the God of the armies of Israel! You have spoken out against him. ⁴⁶ Today the Lord will give you to me. I’ll kill you, and I’ll cut off your head. Today I’ll feed the bodies of the Philistine soldiers to the birds of the air and the wild animals. Then all the world will know there is a God in Israel! ⁴⁷ Everyone gathered here will know the Lord does not need swords or spears to save people. The battle belongs to him! And he will help us defeat all of you.”

⁴⁸ As Goliath came near to attack him, David ran quickly to meet him. ⁴⁹ He took a stone from his pouch. He put it into his sling and slung it. The stone hit the Philistine on his forehead and sank into it. Goliath fell facedown on the ground.

⁵⁰ So David defeated the Philistine with only a sling and a stone! He hit him and killed him. He did not even have a sword in his hand. ⁵¹ David ran and stood beside the Philistine. He took Goliath’s sword out of its holder and killed him. Then he cut off Goliath’s head.

When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they turned and ran. ⁵² The men of Israel and Judah shouted and started chasing the Philistines. They chased them all the way to the entrance to the city of Gath. And they chased them to the gates of Ekron.

Many of the Philistines died. Their bodies lay on the Shaaraim road as far as Gath and Ekron. ⁵³ The Israelites returned after chasing the Philistines. Then they took many things from the Philistine camp. ⁵⁴ David took Goliath’s head to Jerusalem. He also put Goliath’s weapons in his own tent.

⁵⁵ Saul had watched David go out to meet Goliath. Saul spoke to Abner, commander of the army. He said, “Abner, who is that young man’s father?”

Abner answered, “As surely as you live, my king, I don’t know.”

⁵⁶ The king said, “Find out whose son he is.”

⁵⁷ When David came back from killing Goliath, Abner brought him to Saul. David still held Goliath’s head.

⁵⁸ Saul asked him, “Young man, who is your father?”

David answered, “I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem.”

Saul Fears David

18 When David finished talking with Saul, Jonathan felt very close to David. He loved David as much as he loved himself. ² Saul kept David with him from that day on. He did not let David go home to his father’s house. ³ Jonathan made an agreement with David. He did this because he loved David as much as himself. ⁴ He took off his coat and gave it to David. He also gave David his uniform, including his sword, bow and belt.

⁵ Saul sent David to fight in different battles. And David was very successful. Then Saul put David over the soldiers. When he did this, Saul’s officers and all the other people were pleased.

⁶ After David had killed the Philistine, he and the men returned home. Women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul. They sang songs of joy, danced and played tambourines and stringed instruments. ⁷ As they played, they sang,

⁸ The women’s song upset Saul, and he became very angry. He thought, “The women say David has killed tens of thousands of enemies. But they say I killed only thousands of enemies. The only thing left for him to have is the kingdom!” ⁹ So Saul watched David closely from then on. He was jealous of him.

¹⁰ The next day an evil spirit from God entered Saul with power. And he prophesied in his house. David was playing the harp as he usually did. But Saul had a spear in his hand. ¹¹ He raised the spear and thought, “I’ll pin David to the wall.” But David got away from him two times.

¹² The Lord was with David but had left Saul. So Saul was afraid of David. ¹³ He sent David away from him. He made David commander of 1,000 soldiers. So David led them in battle. ¹⁴ He had great success in everything he did because the Lord was with him. ¹⁵ Saul saw that David was very successful. And he became even more afraid of David. ¹⁶ But all the people of Israel and Judah loved David. This was because he led them well in battle.

Saul’s Daughter and David

¹⁷ Saul said to David, “You’re a brave soldier. And you fight the Lord’s battles. Here is my older daughter Merab. I will let you marry her.” Saul had decided, “I won’t have to kill David. The Philistines will do that!”

¹⁸ But David said, “I am not good enough for this honor. And my family is not important enough for me to become the king’s son-in-law.” ¹⁹ So when the time came for Saul’s daughter Merab to marry David, Saul gave her instead to Adriel of Meholah.

²⁰ Now Saul’s other daughter Michal loved David. When they told Saul about Michal loving David, he was pleased. ²¹ He thought, “I will let Michal marry David. Then she will become a trap for him. And the Philistines will defeat him.” So Saul said to David a second time, “You may become my son-in-law.”

²² And Saul gave an order to his servants. He told them, “Speak to David in private. Say, ‘Look, the king is pleased with you. His servants like you. You should become his son-in-law.’”

²³ Saul’s servants said these words to David. But David answered, “Do you think it is easy to become the king’s son-in-law? I’m only a poor man. Nobody knows me.”

²⁴ Then Saul’s servants told him what David had said. ²⁵ Saul said, “Say to David, ‘The king doesn’t want you to pay a large price for the bride. All he wants is 100 Philistine foreskins. Then he will be even with his enemies.’” Saul planned to let the Philistines kill David.

²⁶ Saul’s servants told David these words. David was pleased that he could become the king’s son-in-law. ²⁷ So he and his men went out and killed 200 Philistines. David took all their foreskins and brought them to Saul. He wanted to become the king’s son-in-law. Then Saul gave him his daughter Michal for his wife. ²⁸ Saul saw that the Lord was with David. He also saw that his daughter Michal loved David. ²⁹ So he became even more afraid of David. And he was David’s enemy all his life.

³⁰ The Philistine commanders continued to go out to fight the Israelites. But every time, David defeated them. He had more success than Saul’s officers. And he became famous.

Saul Plans to Kill David

19 Saul told his son Jonathan and all his servants to kill David. But Jonathan cared very much for David. ² So he warned David, “My father Saul is looking for a chance to kill you. Watch out in the morning. Hide in a secret place. ³ I will go out and stand with my father in the field where you are hiding. I’ll talk to him about you. Then I’ll let you know what I find out.”

⁴ Jonathan talked to Saul his father. He said good things about David. Jonathan said, “You are the king. Don’t do wrong to your servant David. He did nothing wrong to you. What he did has helped you greatly. ⁵ David risked his life when he killed Goliath the Philistine. The Lord won a great victory for all Israel. You saw it, and you were happy. Why would you do wrong against David? He’s innocent. There’s no reason to kill him!”

⁶ Saul listened to Jonathan. Then he made this promise: “As surely as the Lord lives, David won’t be put to death.”

⁷ So Jonathan called to David. He told David everything that had been said. And he brought David to Saul. So David was with Saul as before.

⁸ When war broke out again, David went out to fight the Philistines. He defeated them, and they ran away from him.

⁹ But once again an evil spirit from the Lord entered Saul. He was sitting in his house, and he had his spear in his hand. David was playing the harp. ¹⁰ Saul tried to pin David to the wall with his spear. But David moved away from him. So Saul’s spear went into the wall. And David ran away that night.

¹¹ Saul sent men to David’s house. They watched it, wanting to kill him in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, warned him. She said, “Tonight you must run away to save your own life. If you don’t, you will be killed tomorrow morning.” ¹² Then she let David down out of a window. So he ran away and escaped. ¹³ Then Michal took an idol and laid it on the bed. She covered it with clothes and put goats’ hair at its head.

¹⁴ Saul sent messengers to take David prisoner. But Michal said, “He is sick.”

¹⁵ The men went and told Saul, but he sent them back to see David. He told them, “Bring him to me on his bed so I can kill him.”

¹⁶ But when the messengers entered David’s house, they found it was just an idol on the bed. Its hair was goats’ hair.

¹⁷ Saul said to Michal, “Why did you trick me this way? You let my enemy go. He has run away!”

Michal answered Saul, “David told me if I did not help him escape, he would kill me.”

¹⁸ After David had escaped from Saul, he went to Samuel at Ramah. He told Samuel everything Saul had done to him. Then David and Samuel went to Naioth and stayed there. ¹⁹ Saul heard that David was in Naioth at Ramah. ²⁰ So he sent men to capture him. But they met a group of prophets prophesying. Samuel was leading this group and was standing there. The Spirit of God entered Saul’s men, and they also prophesied.

²¹ Saul heard the news. So he sent other men, but they also prophesied. Then he sent men a third time, but they also prophesied. ²² Finally, Saul himself went to Ramah. He came to the well at Secu. He asked, “Where are Samuel and David?”

The people answered, “In Naioth at Ramah.”

²³ Then Saul went to Naioth at Ramah. But the Spirit of God also entered him. And he walked on, prophesying until he came to Naioth at Ramah. ²⁴ He took off his robes and prophesied in front of Samuel. He lay that way all day and all night. That is why people ask, “Is even Saul one of the prophets?”

David and Jonathan

20 Then David ran away from Naioth in Ramah. He went to Jonathan and asked, “What have I done? What is my crime? How have I sinned against your father so that he’s trying to kill me?”

² Jonathan answered, “No! You won’t die! See, my father doesn’t do anything without first telling me. It doesn’t matter if it is very important or just a small thing. Why would he refuse to tell me he wants to kill you? No, it’s not true!”

³ But David took an oath. He said, “Your father knows very well that I’m your friend. He has said to himself, ‘Jonathan must not know about it. If he knows, he will tell David.’ But as surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I am very close to death!”

⁴ Jonathan said to David, “I’ll do anything you want me to do.”

⁵ So David said, “Look, tomorrow is the New Moon festival. I am supposed to eat with the king. But let me hide in the field until the third evening. ⁶ Your father may notice I am gone. If he does, tell him, ‘David begged me to let him go to his hometown of Bethlehem. Every year at this time, his family group offers a sacrifice.’ ⁷ If your father says, ‘Fine,’ I am safe. But if he becomes angry, you can believe he wants to hurt me. ⁸ Jonathan, be kind to me, your servant. You have made an agreement with me before the Lord. If I am guilty, you may kill me yourself! Why hand me over to your father?”

⁹ Jonathan answered, “No, never! If I learn that my father plans to harm you, I will warn you!”

¹⁰ David asked, “Who will let me know if your father answers you unkindly?”

¹¹ Then Jonathan said, “Come, let’s go out into the field.” So Jonathan and David went together into the field.

¹² Jonathan said to David, “I promise this before the Lord, the God of Israel: At this same time day after tomorrow, I will find out how my father feels. If he feels good toward you, I’ll send word to you. I’ll let you know. ¹³ But my father may mean to hurt you. If so, I will let you know and send you away safely. May the Lord punish me terribly if I don’t do this. And may the Lord be with you as he has been with my father. ¹⁴ But show me the kindness of the Lord as long as I live. Do this so that I may not die. ¹⁵ You must not stop showing your kindness to my family. Don’t do this, even when the Lord has destroyed all your enemies from the earth.”

¹⁶ So Jonathan made an agreement with David. He said, “May the Lord punish David’s enemies.” ¹⁷ And Jonathan asked David to repeat his promise of love for him. He did this because he loved David as much as he loved himself.

¹⁸ Jonathan said to David, “Tomorrow is the New Moon festival. Your seat will be empty. So my father will notice you’re gone. ¹⁹ On the third day go to the place where you hid when this trouble began. Wait by the rock Ezel. ²⁰ On the third day I will shoot three arrows to the side of the rock. I will shoot as if I am shooting at a target. ²¹ Then I will send a boy and tell him to go find the arrows. I may say to him, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you. Bring them here.’ If so, you may come out of hiding. You may do this as surely as the Lord lives because you are safe. There is no danger. ²² But I may say to the boy, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you.’ If I do, you must go, because the Lord has sent you away. ²³ Remember what we talked about. The Lord is a witness between you and me forever.”

²⁴ So David hid in the field. And when the New Moon festival came, the king sat down to eat. ²⁵ He sat where he always sat, near the wall. Jonathan sat across from him, and Abner sat next to him. But David’s place was empty. ²⁶ That day Saul said nothing. He thought, “Maybe something has happened to David so that he is unclean.” ²⁷ But the next day was the second day of the month. And David’s place was empty again. So Saul said to Jonathan, “Why hasn’t the son of Jesse come to the festival yesterday or today?”

²⁸ Jonathan answered, “David begged me to let him go to Bethlehem. ²⁹ He said, ‘Let me go, because our family has a sacrifice in the town. And my brother has ordered me to be there. Now if I am your friend, please let me go and see my brothers.’ That is why he has not come to the king’s table.”

³⁰ Then Saul became very angry with Jonathan. He said, “You son of an evil and disobedient woman! I know you are on the side of David son of Jesse! You bring shame on yourself and on your mother who gave birth to you. ³¹ As long as Jesse’s son lives, you’ll never be king or have a kingdom. Now send for David and bring him to me. He must die!”

³² Jonathan asked his father, “Why should David be killed? What wrong has he done?” ³³ Then Saul threw his spear at Jonathan, trying to kill him. So Jonathan knew that his father really wanted to kill David. ³⁴ Jonathan was very angry and left the table. That second day of the month he refused to eat. He was upset about what his father wanted to do to David.

³⁵ The next morning Jonathan went out to the field. He went to meet David as they had agreed. He had a young boy with him. ³⁶ Jonathan said to the boy, “Run and find the arrows I shoot.” When he ran, Jonathan shot an arrow beyond him. ³⁷ The boy ran to the place where Jonathan’s arrow fell. But Jonathan called, “The arrow is beyond you!” ³⁸ Then he shouted, “Hurry! Go quickly! Don’t stop!” The boy picked up the arrow and brought it back to his master. ³⁹ (The boy knew nothing about what this meant. Only Jonathan and David knew.) ⁴⁰ Then Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy. He told him, “Go back to town.”

⁴¹ When the boy left, David came out from the south side of the rock. He bowed facedown on the ground before Jonathan. He did this three times. Then David and Jonathan kissed each other. They cried together, but David cried the most.

⁴² Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace. We have promised by the Lord that we will be friends. We said, ‘The Lord will be a witness between you and me, and between our descendants forever.’” Then David left, and Jonathan went back to town.

David Goes to See Ahimelech

21 David went to Nob to see Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech shook with fear when he saw David. He asked David, “Why are you alone? Why is no one with you?”

² David answered him, “The king gave me a special order. He told me, ‘No one must know about the work I am sending you to do. And no one must know what I told you to do.’ I told my men where to meet me. ³ Now, what food do you have with you? Give me five loaves of bread or anything you find.”

⁴ The priest said to David, “I don’t have any plain bread here. But I do have some holy bread^[a] here. You may eat it if your men have kept themselves from women.”

⁵ David answered, “Women have been kept from us. My men always keep their bodies holy, even when we do ordinary work. And this is especially true when the work is holy.”

⁶ There was no bread except the bread made holy for the Lord. So the priest gave David the bread that showed the people were in the presence of God. This was the bread the priests had taken from the holy table before the Lord. Each day they took this bread away and put hot bread in its place.

⁷ Now one of Saul’s servants was there that day. He had been held there before the Lord. He was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul’s shepherds.

⁸ David asked Ahimelech, “Do you have a spear or sword here? The king’s business was very important. I had to leave quickly, and I didn’t bring my sword or any other weapon.”

⁹ The priest answered, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine is here. He is the one you killed in the Valley of Elah. His sword is wrapped in a cloth. It is behind the holy vest. If you want it, you may take it. There’s no other sword here but that one.”

David said, “There is no other sword like Goliath’s. Give it to me.”

David Goes to Gath

¹⁰ That day David ran away from Saul. He went to Achish king of Gath. ¹¹ But the servants of Achish said to him, “This is David king of the Israelites. He’s the man the Israelite women sing about when they dance. They sing:

¹² David paid attention to these words. And he was very much afraid of Achish king of Gath. ¹³ So he pretended to be insane in front of Achish and his servants. While he was with them, he acted like a madman. He made marks on the doors of the gate. He let spit run down his beard.

¹⁴ Achish said to his servants, “Look at the man! He’s insane! Why do you bring him to me? ¹⁵ I have enough madmen. I don’t need you to bring him here to act like this in front of me! Don’t leave him in my house!”

David at Adullam and Mizpah

22 David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. His brothers and other relatives heard that he was there. And they went to see him. ² Many people joined David. All those who were in trouble, who owed money or who were unsatisfied gathered around him. And he became their leader. He had about 400 men with him.

³ From there David went to Mizpah in Moab. He spoke to the king of Moab. He said, “Please let my father and mother come and stay with you. Let them stay until I learn what God is going to do for me.” ⁴ So he left them with the king of Moab. And they stayed with the king as long as David was hiding in the protected place.

⁵ But the prophet Gad said to David, “Don’t stay in the protected place. Go to the land of Judah.” So David left and went to the forest of Hereth.

Saul Destroys Ahimelech’s Family

⁶ Saul heard that David and his men had been seen. He sat under the tamarisk tree on the hill at Gibeah. All his officers were standing around him. He had a spear in his hand. ⁷ Saul said to them, “Listen, men of Benjamin! Do you think the son of Jesse will give all of you fields and vineyards? Will David make you commanders over thousands of men or hundreds of men? ⁸ You have all made plans against me! No one tells me when my son makes an agreement with the son of Jesse! No one cares about me! No one tells me my son has encouraged my servant to ambush me! And David is doing this now!”

⁹ Doeg the Edomite was standing there with Saul’s officers. He said, “I saw the son of Jesse. He came to see Ahimelech son of Ahitub at Nob. ¹⁰ Ahimelech prayed to the Lord for David. He also gave him food. And he gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”

¹¹ Then the king sent for the priest Ahimelech son of Ahitub. He sent for all of Ahimelech’s relatives who were priests at Nob. And they all came to the king. ¹² Saul said to Ahimelech, “Listen now, son of Ahitub.”

Ahimelech answered, “Yes, master.”

¹³ Saul said, “Why have you and Jesse’s son made plans against me? You gave him bread and a sword! You prayed to God for him. David is waiting to attack me. He is doing this now!”

¹⁴ Ahimelech answered, “David is very loyal to you. You have no other servant who is as loyal as David. He is your own son-in-law and captain of your bodyguards. All the people in your house respect him. ¹⁵ That was not the first time I prayed to God for David. Not at all! Don’t blame me or any of my relatives. We are your servants. I know nothing about what is going on.”

¹⁶ But the king said, “Ahimelech, you and all your relatives must die!” ¹⁷ Then he told the guards at his side, “Go and kill the priests of the Lord. Do this because they are on David’s side. They knew he was running away, but they didn’t tell me!”

But the king’s officers refused to hurt the priests of the Lord.

¹⁸ Then the king ordered Doeg, “Go and kill the priests.” So Doeg the Edomite went and killed the priests. That day he killed 85 men who wore the linen holy vest. ¹⁹ He also killed the people of Nob, the city of the priests. With the sword he killed men, women, children and small babies. And he killed cattle, donkeys and sheep.

²⁰ But Abiathar escaped. He was a son of Ahimelech, who was the son of Ahitub. Abiathar ran away and joined David. ²¹ He told David that Saul had killed the Lord’s priests. ²² Then David told him, “Doeg the Edomite was there at Nob that day. I knew he would surely tell Saul. So I am responsible for the death of all your father’s family. ²³ The man who wants to kill you also wants to kill me. Stay with me. Don’t be afraid. You will be safe with me.”

David at Keilah

23 Someone told David, “Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah. They are robbing grain from the threshing floors.”

² David asked the Lord, “Should I go and fight these Philistines?”

The Lord answered him, “Go. Attack them, and save Keilah.”

³ But David’s men said to him, “We’re afraid here in Judah. We will be much more afraid if we go to Keilah where the Philistine army is.”

⁴ David again asked the Lord. And the Lord answered, “Go down to Keilah. I will help you defeat the Philistines.” ⁵ So David and his men went to Keilah. They fought the Philistines and took their cattle. David killed many Philistines and saved the people of Keilah. ⁶ (Now Abiathar son of Ahimelech had brought the holy vest with him. He brought it when he came to David at Keilah.)

Saul Chases David

⁷ Someone told Saul that David was now at Keilah. Saul said, “God has given David to me! He has trapped himself because he has entered a town with gates and bars.” ⁸ Saul called all his army together for battle. They prepared to go down to Keilah to attack David and his men.

⁹ David learned Saul was making evil plans against him. So he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the holy vest.” ¹⁰ David prayed, “Lord, God of Israel, I have heard about Saul’s plans. He is coming to Keilah to destroy the town because of me. ¹¹ Will the people of Keilah give me to Saul? Will Saul come to Keilah, as I heard? Lord, God of Israel, tell me, your servant!”

The Lord answered, “Saul will come down.”

¹² Again David asked, “Will the people of Keilah give me and my men to Saul?”

The Lord answered, “They will.”

¹³ So David and his men left Keilah. There were about 600 men who went with him. And they kept moving from place to place. When Saul found that David had escaped from Keilah, he did not go there.

¹⁴ David stayed in the protected places in the desert. He also stayed in the hills of the Desert of Ziph. Every day Saul looked for David. But the Lord did not let him take David.

¹⁵ David was at Horesh in the Desert of Ziph. He was afraid because Saul was coming to kill him. ¹⁶ But Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh. He helped David have stronger faith in God. ¹⁷ Jonathan told him, “Don’t be afraid. My father won’t touch you. You will become king of Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul knows this.” ¹⁸ The two of them made an agreement before the Lord. Then Jonathan went home. But David stayed at Horesh.

¹⁹ The people from Ziph went to Saul at Gibeah. They told him, “David is hiding in our land. He’s at the protected places of Horesh. They are on the hill of Hakilah, south of Jeshimon. ²⁰ Now, our king, come down anytime you want. It’s our duty to give David to you.”

²¹ Saul answered, “The Lord bless you for helping me. ²² Go and learn more about him. Find out where he is staying. Find out who has seen him there. I have heard that he is clever. ²³ Find all the hiding places he uses. And come back and tell me everything. Then I’ll go with you. If David is in the area, I will find him. I will track him down among all the families in Judah.”

²⁴ So they went back to Ziph ahead of Saul. David and his men were in the Desert of Maon.^[b] This was in the desert area south of Jeshimon. ²⁵ Saul and his men went to look for David. But people warned David that Saul was looking for him. David then went down to a rock and stayed in the Desert of Maon. Saul heard that David had gone there. So he went after him into the Desert of Maon.

²⁶ Saul was going along one side of the mountain. David and his men were on the other side. They were hurrying to get away from Saul. Saul and his soldiers were closing in on David and his men. ²⁷ But a messenger came to Saul. He said, “Come quickly! The Philistines are attacking our land!” ²⁸ So Saul stopped chasing David and went to fight the Philistines. That is why people call this place Rock of Parting. ²⁹ David left the Desert of Maon and lived in the protected places of En Gedi.

David Shames Saul

24 Now Saul had chased the Philistines away. Then he was told, “David is in the Desert of En Gedi.” ² So he chose 3,000 men from all Israel. He took these men and began looking for David and his men. They looked near the Rocks of the Wild Goats.

³ Saul came to the sheep pens beside the road. A cave was there, and he went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were hiding far back in the cave. ⁴ The men said to David, “Today is the day the Lord talked about! The Lord told you, ‘I will give your enemy to you. You can do anything you want with him.’”

Then David crawled near Saul. He cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. But Saul did not notice him. ⁵ Later David felt guilty because he had cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. ⁶ He said to his men, “May the Lord keep me from doing such a thing to my master! Saul is the Lord’s appointed king. I should not do anything against him, because he is the Lord’s appointed king!” ⁷ David used these words to stop his men. He did not let them attack Saul. Then Saul left the cave and went his way.

⁸ When David came out of the cave, he shouted to Saul, “My master and king!” Saul looked back, and David bowed facedown on the ground. ⁹ He said to Saul, “Why do you listen when people say, ‘David plans to harm you’? ¹⁰ You have seen something with your own eyes today. You have seen how the Lord put you in my power in the cave. But I refused to kill you. I was merciful to you. I said, ‘I won’t harm my master, because he is the Lord’s appointed king.’ ¹¹ My father, look at this piece of your robe in my hand! I cut off the corner of your robe, but I didn’t kill you. Now understand and know I am not planning any evil against you. I did nothing wrong to you, but you are hunting me to kill me. ¹² May the Lord judge between us. And may he punish you for the wrong you have done to me! But I won’t fight you. ¹³ There is an old saying: ‘Evil things come from evil people.’ So I won’t hurt you. ¹⁴ Whom is the king of Israel coming out against? Whom are you chasing? You’re not chasing someone who will hurt you! It’s as if you are chasing a dead dog or a flea. ¹⁵ May the Lord be our judge and decide between you and me. May the Lord support me and show that I am right. May he save me from you!”

¹⁶ David finished saying these words. Then Saul asked, “Is that your voice, David my son?” And he cried loudly. ¹⁷ He said, “You are right, and I am wrong. You have been good to me. But I have done wrong to you. ¹⁸ You told me what good things you did. The Lord brought me to you, but you did not kill me. ¹⁹ If a man finds his enemy, he won’t send him away with goodness, will he? May the Lord reward you because you were good to me today. ²⁰ I know you will surely be king. You will rule the kingdom of Israel. ²¹ Now make a promise to me. Promise in the name of the Lord that you will not kill my descendants. Promise me that you won’t wipe out my name from my father’s family.”

²² So David made the promise to Saul. Then Saul went back home. David and his men went up to the protected place.

David and Nabal

25 Now Samuel died. All the Israelites met and had a time of sadness for him. They buried him at his home in Ramah.

Then David moved to the Desert of Maon.^{[c] 2} A man in Maon who had land at Carmel was very rich. He had 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats. He was cutting the wool off his sheep at Carmel. ³ His name was Nabal, and he was a descendant of Caleb. His wife was named Abigail. She was a wise and beautiful woman. But Nabal was cruel and mean.

⁴ David was in the desert. He heard that Nabal was cutting the wool from his sheep. ⁵ So he sent ten young men. He told them, “Go to Nabal at Carmel. Greet him for me. ⁶ Say to Nabal, ‘May you and your family have good health! And may all who belong to you have good health. ⁷ I have heard that you are cutting the wool from your sheep. When your shepherds were with us, we did nothing wrong to them. All the time your shepherds were at Carmel, we stole nothing from them. ⁸ Ask your servants, and they will tell you. We come at a happy time. So for this reason, be kind to my young men. Please give them anything you can find for them. Please do this for your son David.’”

⁹ When the men arrived, they gave the message to Nabal. But Nabal insulted them. ¹⁰ He answered them, “Who is David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many slaves are running away from their masters today! ¹¹ I have bread and water. And I have meat that I killed for my servants who cut the wool. But I won’t give it to men I don’t know.”

¹² David’s men went back and told him all Nabal had said. ¹³ Then David said to them, “Put on your swords!” So they put on their swords, and David put on his also. About 400 men went with David. But 200 men stayed with the supplies.

¹⁴ One of Nabal’s servants spoke to Abigail, Nabal’s wife. He said, “David sent messengers from the desert to greet our master. But Nabal insulted them. ¹⁵ These men were very good to us. They did nothing wrong to us. They stole nothing from us during all the time we were out in the field with them. ¹⁶ Night and day they protected us. They were like a wall around us while we were with them caring for the sheep. ¹⁷ Now think about it, and decide what you can do. Terrible trouble is coming to our master and all his family. Nabal is such a wicked man that no one can even talk to him.”

¹⁸ Abigail hurried. She took 200 loaves of bread, 2 leather bags full of wine and 5 cooked sheep. She took about a bushel of cooked grain, 100 cakes of raisins and 200 cakes of pressed figs. She put all these on donkeys. ¹⁹ Then she told her servants, “Go on. I’ll follow you.” But she did not tell her husband.

²⁰ Abigail rode her donkey and came down into the mountain ravine. There she met David and his men coming down toward her.

²¹ David had just said, “It’s been useless! I watched over Nabal’s property in the desert. I made sure none of his sheep were missing. I did good to him, but he has paid me back with evil. ²² May God punish me terribly if I let just one of Nabal’s family live until tomorrow.”

²³ When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey. She bowed facedown on the ground before David. ²⁴ She lay at David’s feet. She said, “My master, let the blame be on me! Please let me talk to you! Listen to what I say. ²⁵ My master, don’t pay attention to this worthless man Nabal. He is the same as his name. His name means ‘fool,’ and he is truly foolish. But I, your servant, didn’t see the men you sent. ²⁶ The Lord has kept you from killing and punishing people yourself. As surely as the Lord lives and as surely as you live, may your enemies become like Nabal! ²⁷ I have brought a gift to you. Please give it to the men who follow you. ²⁸ Please forgive my wrong. The Lord will certainly let your family have many kings. He will do this because you fight his battles. As long as you live, people will find nothing bad in you. ²⁹ A man might chase you to kill you. But the Lord your God will keep you alive. He will throw away your enemies’ lives as he would throw a stone from a sling. ³⁰ The Lord will keep all his promises about good things for you. He will make you leader over Israel. ³¹ Then you won’t feel guilty. You won’t have problems about killing innocent people and punishing them yourself. Please remember me when the Lord brings you success.”

³² David answered Abigail, “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel. He sent you to meet me. ³³ May you be blessed for your wisdom. You have kept me from killing or punishing people today. ³⁴ As surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, he has kept me from hurting you. If you hadn’t come quickly to meet me, no one belonging to Nabal would have lived until tomorrow.”

³⁵ Then David accepted Abigail’s gifts. He told her, “Go home in peace. I have heard your words, and I will do what you have asked.”

Nabal’s Death

³⁶ When Abigail went back to Nabal, he was in the house. He was eating like a king. He was very drunk and in a good mood. So she told him nothing until the next morning. ³⁷ In the morning he was not drunk. Then his wife told him everything. His heart failed him, and he became like a stone. ³⁸ About ten days later the Lord struck Nabal and caused him to die.

³⁹ When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Praise the Lord! Nabal insulted me, but the Lord has supported me! He has kept me from doing wrong. And the Lord caused Nabal to die because he did wrong.”

Then David sent a message to Abigail. He asked her to become his wife. ⁴⁰ His servants went to Carmel and spoke to Abigail. They said, “David sent us to take you so you can become his wife.”

⁴¹ Abigail bowed facedown on the ground. She said, “I am your servant. I’m ready to serve you. I’m ready to wash the feet of my master’s servants.” ⁴² Abigail quickly got on a donkey and went with David’s messengers. She had five maids following her. And she became David’s wife.

⁴³ David also had married Ahinoam of Jezreel. So they were both David’s wives. ⁴⁴ Saul’s daughter Michal was also David’s wife. But Saul had given her to Paltiel son of Laish. Paltiel was from Gallim.

David Shames Saul Again

26 The people of Ziph went to see Saul at Gibeah. They said to him, “David is hiding on the hill of Hakilah opposite Jeshimon.”

² So Saul went down to the Desert of Ziph. His 3,000 chosen men of Israel went with him. They looked for David in the Desert of Ziph. ³ Saul made his camp on the hill of Hakilah, beside the road opposite Jeshimon. But David stayed in the desert. He heard Saul had followed him. ⁴ So David sent out spies and learned that Saul had come to Hakilah.

⁵ Then David went to the place where Saul had camped. He saw where Saul and Abner son of Ner were sleeping. Abner was the commander of Saul’s army. Saul was sleeping in the middle of the camp with all the army around him.

⁶ David talked to Ahimelech the Hittite and Abishai son of Zeruiah. Abishai was Joab’s brother. He asked them, “Who will go down into Saul’s camp with me?”

Abishai answered, “I’ll go with you.”

⁷ So that night David and Abishai went into Saul’s camp. Saul was asleep in the middle of the camp. His spear was stuck in the ground near his head. Abner and the army were sleeping around Saul. ⁸ Abishai said to David, “Today God has let you defeat your enemy! Let me pin Saul to the ground with the spear. I’ll only do it once! I won’t hit him twice.”

⁹ But David said to Abishai, “Don’t kill Saul! No one can harm the Lord’s appointed king and still be innocent! ¹⁰ As surely as the Lord lives, the Lord himself will punish Saul. Maybe Saul will die naturally. Or maybe he will go into battle and be killed. ¹¹ But may the Lord keep me from harming his appointed king! Now pick up the spear and water jug that are near Saul’s head. Then let’s go.”

¹² So David took the spear and water jug that were near Saul’s head. They left, and no one saw them. No one knew about it or woke up. The Lord had made them stay asleep.

¹³ David crossed over to the other side of the hill. He stood on top of the mountain far from Saul’s camp. David’s and Saul’s camps were far apart. ¹⁴ David shouted to the army and to Abner son of Ner, “Answer me, Abner!”

Abner answered, “Who is calling for the king? Who are you?”

¹⁵ David said, “You’re the greatest man in Israel. Isn’t that true? Then why didn’t you guard your master the king? Someone came into your camp to kill your master the king! ¹⁶ What you have done is not good. As surely as the Lord lives, you and your men should die. You haven’t guarded your master, the Lord’s appointed king. Look! Where are the king’s spear and water jug that were near his head?”

¹⁷ Saul knew David’s voice. He said, “Is that your voice, David my son?”

David answered, “Yes, it is, my master and king.” ¹⁸ David also said, “Why are you chasing me, my master? What wrong have I done? What evil am I guilty of? ¹⁹ My master and king, listen to me. If the Lord caused you to be angry with me, let him accept an offering. But if men caused you to be angry with me, let the Lord curse them! They have made me leave the land the Lord gave me. They have told me, ‘Go and serve other gods.’ ²⁰ Now don’t let me die far away from the Lord’s presence. The king of Israel has come out looking for a flea! You’re like a man hunting a partridge bird in the mountains!”

²¹ Then Saul said, “I have sinned. Come back, David my son. Today you respected my life. So I will not try to hurt you. I have acted foolishly. I have made a big mistake.”

²² David answered, “Here is your spear. Let one of your young men come here and get it. ²³ The Lord rewards every man for the things he does right and for his loyalty to him. The Lord put you into my power today. But I wouldn’t harm the Lord’s appointed king. ²⁴ I respected your life today. Surely, in the same way, the Lord will respect my life. Surely he will save me from all trouble.”

²⁵ Then Saul said to David, “You are blessed, my son David. You will do great things and succeed.”

So David went on his way, and Saul went back home.

David and the Philistines

27 But David thought to himself, “Saul will catch me someday. The best thing I can do is escape to the land of the Philistines. Then he will give up looking for me in Israel. That way I can get away from him.”

² So David and his 600 men left Israel. They went to Achish son of Maoch. Achish was king of Gath. ³ David, his men and their families made their home in Gath with Achish. David had his two wives with him. Their names were Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel. Abigail was the widow of Nabal. ⁴ Now Saul was told that David had run away to Gath. So he stopped looking for him.

⁵ Then David said to Achish, “If you are pleased with me, give me a place in one of the country towns. I can live there. I don’t need to live in the royal city with you.”

⁶ That day Achish gave David the town of Ziklag. That is why Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah ever since. ⁷ David lived in the Philistine land a year and four months.

⁸ David and his men went to raid the people of Geshur, Girzi and Amalek. (These people had lived for a long time in the land that reached to Shur and Egypt.) ⁹ When David fought them, he killed all the men and women. He took sheep, cattle, donkeys, camels and clothes. Then he returned to Achish.

¹⁰ Many times Achish would ask David, “Where did you go raiding today?” And David would tell him that he had gone to the southern part of Judah. Or he would say he had gone to the territory of the Jerahmeelites or of the Kenites. ¹¹ David never brought a man or woman alive to Gath. He thought, “If we bring anyone alive, he may tell Achish, ‘This is what David really did.’” David did this all the time he lived in the Philistine land. ¹² Achish trusted David. He said to himself, “David’s own people, the Israelites, now hate David very much. So David will serve me forever.”

Saul and the Medium of Endor

28 Later, the Philistines gathered their armies to fight against Israel. Achish said to David, “You understand that you and your men must join with me in my army.”

² David answered, “Certainly! Then you can see for yourself what I, your servant, can do!”

Achish said, “Fine, I’ll make you my bodyguard for life.”

³ Now Samuel was dead, and all the Israelites had shown their sadness for him. They had buried Samuel in his hometown of Ramah.

And Saul had forced out the mediums and fortune-tellers from the land of Israel.

⁴ The Philistines came together and made camp at Shunem. Saul gathered all the Israelites and made camp at Gilboa. ⁵ When he saw the Philistine army, he was afraid. His heart pounded with fear. ⁶ He prayed to the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him through dreams, Urim or prophets. ⁷ Then Saul said to his servants, “Find me a woman who is a medium. I’ll go and ask her what will happen.”

His servants answered, “There is a medium in Endor.”

⁸ Then Saul put on other clothes so no one would know who he was. At night Saul and two of his men went to see the woman. Saul said to her, “Talk to a spirit for me. Call up the person I name.”

⁹ But the woman said to him, “Surely you know what Saul has done. He has forced the mediums and fortune-tellers out from the land of Israel. You are trying to trap me and kill me.”

¹⁰ Saul made a promise to the woman in the name of the Lord. He said, “As surely as the Lord lives, you won’t be punished for doing this.”

¹¹ The woman asked, “Whom do you want me to bring up for you?”

He answered, “Bring up Samuel.”

¹² When the woman saw Samuel, she screamed loudly. She said, “Why have you tricked me? You are Saul!”

¹³ The king said to the woman, “Don’t be afraid! What do you see?”

The woman said, “I see a spirit coming up out of the ground.”

¹⁴ Saul asked, “What does he look like?”

The woman answered, “An old man wearing a coat is coming up.”

Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed facedown on the ground.

¹⁵ Samuel asked Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?”

Saul said, “I am greatly troubled. The Philistines are fighting against me. God has left me. He won’t answer me anymore, either by prophets or in dreams. That’s why I called you. I want you to tell me what to do.”

¹⁶ Samuel said, “The Lord has left you. He has become your enemy. So why do you call on me? ¹⁷ He has done what he said he would do. He said these things through me. He has torn the kingdom out of your hands. He has given it to one of your neighbors, David. ¹⁸ You did not obey the Lord. You did not show the Amalekites how angry he was with them. That’s why he has done this to you today. ¹⁹ The Lord will give both Israel and you to the Philistines. Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will let the Philistines defeat the army of Israel.”