1 Samuel 24:1-7

New Catholic Bible

Chapter 24

David Spares Saul’s Life. ¹ David went up from there and dwelt in the strongholds of En-gedi. ² When Saul returned from pursuing after the Philistines, he was told, “David is in the desert in En-gedi.” ³ Saul took three thousand chosen men from out of all of Israel, and he went out and sought David and his men on the rocks of the wild goats.

⁴ He came to the sheepfolds along the way, and there was a cave there. Saul entered it to relieve himself, and David and his men stayed in the recesses of the cave. ⁵ David’s men said to him, “This is the day that the Lord spoke of when he said, ‘I will deliver your enemy into your hands, you may do to him as you see fit.’ ” David got up and secretly cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. ⁶ But David’s conscience began to bother him because he had cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. ⁷ He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my lord, lifting my hand against the Lord’s anointed, for he is the Lord’s anointed.”