1 Samuel 16:1 - 2 Samuel 3:14

Names of God Bible

David Chosen to Be King

16 Yahweh asked Samuel, “How long are you going to mourn for Saul now that I have rejected him as king of Israel? Fill a flask with olive oil and go. I’m sending you to Jesse in Bethlehem because I’ve selected one of his sons to be king.”

² “How can I go?” Samuel asked. “When Saul hears about it, he’ll kill me.”

Yahweh said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I’ve come to sacrifice to Yahweh.’ ³ Invite Jesse to the sacrifice. I will reveal to you what you should do, and you will anoint for me the one I point out to you.”

⁴ Samuel did what Yahweh told him. When he came to Bethlehem, the leaders of the city, trembling with fear, greeted him and said, “May peace be with you.”

⁵ “Greetings,” he replied, “I have come to sacrifice to Yahweh. Perform the ceremonies to make yourselves holy, and come with me to the sacrifice.” He performed the ceremonies for Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. ⁶ When they came, he saw Eliab and thought, “Certainly, here in Yahweh’s presence is his anointed king.”

⁷ But Yahweh told Samuel, “Don’t look at his appearance or how tall he is, because I have rejected him. Elohim does not see as humans see.^[a] Humans look at outward appearances, but Yahweh looks into the heart.”

⁸ Then Jesse called Abinadab and brought him to Samuel. But Samuel said, “Yahweh has not chosen this one either.”

⁹ Then Jesse had Shammah come to Samuel. “Yahweh has not chosen this one either,” Samuel said. ¹⁰ So Jesse brought seven more of his sons to Samuel, but Samuel told Jesse, “Yahweh has not chosen any of these. ¹¹ Are these all the sons you have?”

“There’s still the youngest one,” Jesse answered. “He’s tending the sheep.”

Samuel told Jesse, “Send someone to get him. We won’t continue until he gets here.”

¹² So Jesse sent for him. He had a healthy complexion, attractive eyes, and a handsome appearance. Yahweh said, “Go ahead, anoint him. He is the one.” ¹³ Samuel took the flask of olive oil and anointed David in the presence of his brothers. The Ruach Yahweh came over David and stayed with him from that day on. Then Samuel left for Ramah.

David Plays the Lyre for Saul

¹⁴ Now, the Ruach Yahweh had left Saul, and an evil spirit from Yahweh tormented him. ¹⁵ Saul’s officials told him, “An evil spirit from Elohim is tormenting you. ¹⁶ Your Majesty, why don’t you command us to look for a man who can play the lyre well? When the evil spirit from Elohim comes to you, he’ll strum a tune, and you’ll feel better.”

¹⁷ Saul told his officials, “Please find me a man who can play well and bring him to me.”

¹⁸ One of the officials said, “I know one of Jesse’s sons from Bethlehem who can play well. He’s a courageous man and a warrior. He has a way with words, he is handsome, and Yahweh is with him.”

¹⁹ Saul sent messengers to Jesse to say, “Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.”

²⁰ Jesse took six bushels of bread, a full wineskin, and a young goat and sent them with his son David to Saul. ²¹ David came to Saul and served him. Saul loved him very much and made David his armorbearer. ²² Saul sent this message to Jesse, “Please let David stay with me because I have grown fond of him.”

²³ Whenever Elohim’s spirit came to Saul, David took the lyre and strummed a tune. Saul got relief from his terror and felt better, and the evil spirit left him.

David and Goliath

17 The Philistines assembled their armies for war. They assembled at Socoh, which is in Judah, and camped between Socoh and Azekah at Ephes Dammim. ² So Saul and the army of Israel assembled and camped in the Elah Valley. They formed a battle line to fight the Philistines. ³ The Philistines were stationed on a hill on one side, and the Israelites were stationed on a hill on the other side. There was a ravine between the two of them.

⁴ The Philistine army’s champion came out of their camp. His name was Goliath from Gath. He was ten feet tall.^{[b] 5} He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he wore a bronze coat of armor scales weighing 125 pounds. ⁶ On his legs he had bronze shin guards and on his back a bronze javelin. ⁷ The shaft of his spear was like the beam used by weavers. The head of his spear was made of 15 pounds of iron. The man who carried his shield walked ahead of him.

⁸ Goliath stood and called to the Israelites, “Why do you form a battle line? Am I not a Philistine, and aren’t you Saul’s servants? Choose a man, and let him come down to fight me. ⁹ If he can fight me and kill me, then we will be your slaves. But if I overpower him and kill him, then you will be our slaves and serve us.” ¹⁰ The Philistine added, “I challenge the Israelite battle line today. Send out a man so that we can fight each other.” ¹¹ When Saul and all the Israelites heard what this Philistine said, they were gripped with fear.

¹² David was a son of a man named Jesse from the region of Ephrath and the city of Bethlehem in Judah. Jesse had eight sons, and in Saul’s day he was an old man.^{[c] 13} Jesse’s three oldest sons joined Saul’s army for the battle. The firstborn was Eliab, the second was Abinadab, the third was Shammah, ¹⁴ and David was the youngest. The three oldest joined Saul’s army. ¹⁵ David went back and forth from Saul’s camp to Bethlehem, where he tended his father’s flock.

¹⁶ Each morning and evening for 40 days, the Philistine came forward and made his challenge.

¹⁷ Jesse told his son David, “Take this half-bushel of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread to your brothers. Take them to your brothers in the camp right away. ¹⁸ And take these ten cheeses to the captain of the regiment. See how your brothers are doing, and bring back some news about them. ¹⁹ They, along with Saul and all the soldiers of Israel, are in the Elah Valley fighting the Philistines.”

²⁰ David got up early in the morning and had someone else watch the sheep. He took the food and went, as Jesse ordered him. He went to the camp as the army was going out to the battle line shouting their war cry. ²¹ Israel and the Philistines formed their battle lines facing each other. ²² David left the supplies behind in the hands of the quartermaster, ran to the battle line, and greeted his brothers. ²³ While he was talking to them, the Philistine champion, Goliath from Gath, came from the battle lines of the Philistines. He repeated his words, and David heard them. ²⁴ When all the men of Israel saw Goliath, they fled from him because they were terrified. ²⁵ The men of Israel said, “Did you see that man coming from the Philistine lines? He keeps coming to challenge Israel. The king will make the man who kills this Philistine very rich. He will give his daughter to that man to marry and elevate the social status of his family.”^[d]

²⁶ David asked the men who were standing near him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and gets rid of Israel’s disgrace? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should challenge the army of Elohim Chay?”

²⁷ The soldiers repeated to David how the man who kills Goliath would be treated.

²⁸ Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard David talking to the men. Then Eliab became angry with David. “Why did you come here,” he asked him, “and with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how overconfident and headstrong you are. You came here just to see the battle.”

²⁹ “What have I done now?” David snapped at him. “Didn’t I merely ask a question?” ³⁰ He turned to face another man and asked the same question, and the other soldiers gave him the same answer.

³¹ What David said was overheard and reported to Saul, who then sent for him. ³² David told Saul, “No one should be discouraged because of this. I will go and fight this Philistine.”

³³ Saul responded to David, “You can’t fight this Philistine. You’re just a boy, but he’s been a warrior since he was your age.”

³⁴ David replied to Saul, “I am a shepherd for my father’s sheep. Whenever a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, ³⁵ I went after it, struck it, and rescued the sheep from its mouth. If it attacked me, I took hold of its mane, struck it, and killed it. ³⁶ I have killed lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them because he has challenged the army of Elohim Chay.” ³⁷ David added, “Yahweh, who saved me from the lion and the bear, will save me from this Philistine.”

“Go,” Saul told David, “and may Yahweh be with you.”

³⁸ Saul put his battle tunic on David; he put a bronze helmet on David’s head and dressed him in armor. ³⁹ David fastened Saul’s sword over his clothes and tried to walk, but he had never practiced doing this. “I can’t walk in these things,” David told Saul. “I’ve never had any practice doing this.” So David took all those things off.

⁴⁰ He took his stick with him, picked out five smooth stones from the riverbed, and put them in his shepherd’s bag. With a sling in his hand, he approached the Philistine. ⁴¹ The Philistine, preceded by the man carrying his shield, was coming closer and closer to David. ⁴² When the Philistine got a good look at David, he despised him. After all, David was a young man with a healthy complexion and good looks.

⁴³ The Philistine asked David, “Am I a dog that you come to attack me with sticks?” So the Philistine called on his gods to curse David. ⁴⁴ “Come on,” the Philistine told David, “and I’ll give your body to the birds.”

⁴⁵ David told the Philistine, “You come to me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Yahweh Tsebaoth, the Elohim of the army of Israel, whom you have insulted. ⁴⁶ Today Yahweh will hand you over to me. I will strike you down and cut off your head. And this day I will give the dead bodies of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals. The whole world will know that Israel has an Elohim. ⁴⁷ Then everyone gathered here will know that Yahweh can save without sword or spear, because Yahweh determines every battle’s outcome. He will hand all of you over to us.”

⁴⁸ When the Philistine moved closer in order to attack, David quickly ran toward the opposing battle line to attack the Philistine. ⁴⁹ Then David reached into his bag, took out a stone, hurled it from his sling, and struck the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank into Goliath’s forehead, and he fell to the ground on his face. ⁵⁰ So using only a sling and a stone, David proved to be stronger than the Philistine. David struck down and killed the Philistine, even though David didn’t have a sword in his hand. ⁵¹ David ran and stood over the Philistine. He took Goliath’s sword, pulled it out of its sheath, and made certain the Philistine was dead by cutting off his head.

When the Philistines saw their hero had been killed, they fled. ⁵² Then the soldiers of Israel and Judah rose up, shouted a battle cry, and pursued the Philistines as far as Gath and to the gates of Ekron. Wounded Philistines lay on the road to Shaaraim and all the way to Gath and Ekron. ⁵³ When the Israelites came back from their pursuit of the Philistines, they looted all the goods in the Philistine camp. ⁵⁴ David took the Philistine’s head and brought it to Jerusalem, but he kept Goliath’s armor in his tent.

⁵⁵ As Saul watched David going out against the Philistine, he asked Abner, the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is this young man?”

Abner answered, “I solemnly swear, as you live, Your Majesty, I don’t know.”

⁵⁶ The king said, “Find out whose son this young man is.”

⁵⁷ When David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner brought him to Saul. David had the Philistine’s head in his hand.

⁵⁸ Saul asked him, “Whose son are you, young man?”

“The son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem,” David answered.

David’s Love for Jonathan

18 David finished talking to Saul. After that, Jonathan became David’s closest friend. He loved David as much as he loved himself. ² (From that day on Saul kept David as his servant and didn’t let him go back to his family.) ³ So Jonathan made a pledge of mutual loyalty with David because he loved him as much as he loved himself. ⁴ Jonathan took off the coat he had on and gave it to David along with his battle tunic, his sword, his bow, and his belt.

⁵ David was successful wherever Saul sent him. Saul put him in charge of the fighting men. This pleased all the people, including Saul’s officials.

David’s Success Makes Saul Jealous

⁶ As they arrived, David was returning from a campaign against the Philistines. Women from all of Israel’s cities came to meet King Saul. They sang and danced, accompanied by tambourines, joyful music, and triangles.^{[e] 7} The women who were celebrating sang,

⁸ Saul became very angry because he considered this saying to be insulting. “To David they credit tens of thousands,” he said, “but to me they credit only a few thousand. The only thing left for David is my kingdom.” ⁹ From that day on Saul kept an eye on David.

¹⁰ The next day an evil spirit from Elohim seized Saul. He began to prophesy in his house while David strummed a tune on the lyre as he did every day. Now, Saul had a spear in his hand. ¹¹ He raised the spear and thought, “I’ll nail David to the wall.” But David got away from him twice.

¹² Saul was afraid of David, because Yahweh was with David but had left Saul. ¹³ So he kept David away. He made David captain of a regiment. David led the troops out to battle and back again. ¹⁴ He was successful in everything he undertook because Yahweh was with him. ¹⁵ Saul noticed how very successful he was and became even more afraid of him. ¹⁶ Everyone in Israel and Judah loved David, because he led them in and out of battle.

¹⁷ Finally, Saul said to David, “Here is my oldest daughter Merab. I will give her to you as your wife if you prove yourself to be a warrior for me and fight Yahweh’s battles.” (Saul thought, “I must not lay a hand on him. Let the Philistines do that.”)

¹⁸ “Who am I?” David asked Saul. “And how important are my relatives or my father’s family in Israel that I should be the king’s son-in-law?”

¹⁹ But when the time came to give Saul’s daughter Merab to David, she was married to Adriel from Meholah. ²⁰ However, Saul’s daughter Michal fell in love with David. When Saul was told about it, the news pleased him. ²¹ Saul thought, “I’ll give her to David. She will trap him, and the Philistines will get him.” So he said to David a second time, “You will now be my son-in-law.”

²² Saul ordered his officers, “Talk to David in private. Tell him, ‘The king likes you, and all his officers are fond of you. Become the king’s son-in-law.’”

²³ When Saul’s officers made it a point to say this, David asked, “Do you think it’s easy to become the king’s son-in-law? I am a poor and unimportant person.”

²⁴ When the officers told Saul what David had said, ²⁵ Saul replied, “Tell David, ‘The king doesn’t want any payment for the bride except 100 Philistine foreskins so that he can get revenge on his enemies.’” In this way Saul planned to have David fall into the hands of the Philistines. ²⁶ When his officers told David this, David concluded that it was acceptable to become the king’s son-in-law. Before the time was up, ²⁷ David and his men went out and struck down 200 Philistines. David brought the foreskins, and they counted them out for the king so that David could become the king’s son-in-law. Then Saul gave him his daughter Michal as his wife. ²⁸ Saul realized that Yahweh was with David and that his daughter Michal loved David. ²⁹ Then Saul was even more afraid of David, and so Saul became David’s constant enemy.

³⁰ The Philistine generals still went out to fight Israel. But whenever they went out to fight, David was more successful than the rest of Saul’s officers. So David gained a good reputation.

Saul’s Plan to Kill David

19 Saul told his son Jonathan and all his officers to kill David. But Saul’s son Jonathan was very fond of David, ² so he reported to David, “My father Saul is trying to kill you. Please be careful tomorrow morning. Go into hiding, and stay out of sight. ³ I’ll go out and stand beside my father in the field where you’ll be. I’ll speak with my father about you. If I find out anything, I’ll tell you.”

⁴ So Jonathan spoke well of David to his father Saul. “You should not commit a sin against your servant David,” he said. “He hasn’t sinned against you. Instead, he has done some very fine things for you: ⁵ He risked his life and killed the Philistine Goliath, and Yahweh gave all Israel a great victory. When you saw it, you rejoiced. Why then should you sin by shedding David’s innocent blood for no reason?”

⁶ Saul listened to Jonathan, and he promised, “I solemnly swear, as Yahweh lives, he will not be killed.” ⁷ Jonathan told David all of this. Then Jonathan took David to Saul. So David was returned to his former status in Saul’s court.

Saul Tries to Kill David

⁸ When war broke out again, David went to fight the Philistines. He defeated them so decisively that they fled from him. ⁹ Then an evil spirit from Yahweh came over Saul while he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand. David was strumming a tune. ¹⁰ Saul tried to nail David to the wall with his spear. But David dodged it, and Saul’s spear struck the wall. David fled, escaping from Saul that night.

¹¹ Saul sent messengers to watch David’s house and kill him in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, advised him, “If you don’t save yourself tonight, you’ll be dead tomorrow!” ¹² So Michal lowered David through a window, and he ran away to escape. ¹³ Then Michal took some idols, laid them in the bed, put a goat-hair blanket at its head, and covered the idols with a garment.

¹⁴ When Saul sent messengers to get David, Michal said, “He’s sick.” ¹⁵ Then Saul sent the messengers back to see David themselves. Saul told them, “Bring him here to me in his bed so that I can kill him.” ¹⁶ The messengers came, and there in the bed were the idols with the goat-hair blanket at its head.

¹⁷ Saul asked Michal, “Why did you betray me by sending my enemy away so that he could escape?”

Michal answered, “He told me, ‘Let me go! Why should I kill you?’”

¹⁸ David escaped and went to Samuel at Ramah. He told Samuel everything Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel went to the pastures and lived there.

¹⁹ When it was reported to Saul that David was in the pastures at Ramah, ²⁰ Saul sent messengers to get David. But when they saw a group of prophets prophesying with Samuel serving as their leader, the Ruach Elohim came over Saul’s messengers so that they also prophesied. ²¹ When they told Saul about this, he sent other messengers, but they also prophesied. Saul even sent a third group of messengers, but they also prophesied. ²² Then he went to Ramah himself. He went as far as the big cistern in Secu and asked the people, “Where are Samuel and David?”

He was told, “Over there in the pastures at Ramah.” ²³ As he went toward the pastures at Ramah, the Ruach Elohim came over him too. He continued his journey, prophesying until he came to the pastures at Ramah. ²⁴ He even took off his clothes as he prophesied in front of Samuel and lay there naked all day and all night. This is where the saying, “Is Saul one of the prophets?” came from.

David Makes a Promise to Jonathan

20 David fled from the pastures at Ramah, came to Jonathan, and asked, “What have I done? What crime am I guilty of? What sin have I committed against your father that he’s trying to kill me?”

² Jonathan answered, “That’s unthinkable! You’re not going to die! My father does nothing without telling me, whether it’s important or not. Why should my father hide this from me? It’s just not that way.”

³ But David took an oath, saying, “Your father certainly knows that you support me, so he said to himself, ‘Jonathan must not know about this. It will bring him distress.’ But I solemnly swear, as Yahweh and you live, I’m only one step away from death.”

⁴ Jonathan said to David, “I’ll do whatever you say.”

⁵ David replied, “Tomorrow is the New Moon Festival, when I should sit and eat at the king’s table. But let me go and hide in the countryside for two more nights. ⁶ If your father really misses me, tell him, ‘David repeatedly begged me to let him run to Bethlehem, his hometown, because his relatives are offering the annual sacrifice there.’ ⁷ If he says, ‘Good!’ then I will be safe. But if he gets really angry, then you’ll know for sure that he has decided to harm me. ⁸ Now, be kind to me. After all, you forced me into an agreement with Yahweh. If I have committed any crime, kill me yourself. Why bother taking me to your father?”

⁹ Jonathan answered, “That’s unthinkable! If I knew for sure that my father had decided to harm you, I would have told you about it.”

¹⁰ Then David asked, “Who will tell me whether or not your father gives you a harsh answer?”

¹¹ Jonathan said, “Let’s go out into the country.” So they went out into the country.

¹² “As Yahweh Elohim of Israel is my witness,” Jonathan continued, “I’ll find out in the next two or three days how my father feels about you. If he does feel kindly toward you, then I will send someone to tell you. ¹³ If my father plans to harm you and I fail to tell you and send you away safely, may Yahweh harm me even more. May Yahweh be with you as he used to be with my father. ¹⁴ But as long as I live, promise me that you will show me kindness because of Yahweh. And even when I die, ¹⁵ never stop being kind to my family. Yahweh will wipe each of David’s enemies off the face of the earth. ¹⁶ At that time, if Jonathan’s name^[f] is cut off from David’s family, then may Yahweh punish David’s house.”^[g]

¹⁷ Once again Jonathan swore an oath to David because of his love for David. He loved David as much as he loved himself. ¹⁸ “Tomorrow is the New Moon Festival,” Jonathan told him, “and you will be missed when your seat is empty. ¹⁹ The day after tomorrow you will be missed even more.^[h] So go to the place where you hid on that other occasion, and stay by the rock. ²⁰ I will shoot three arrows from beside it toward a target. ²¹ Then I will send out a boy and say, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ Now, if I tell the boy, ‘Look, the arrows are next to you; get them,’ then come back with me. You will be safe, and there will be no trouble. I swear it, as Yahweh lives. ²² But if I tell the boy, ‘The arrows are next to you,’ then go, because Yahweh has sent you away. ²³ We have made a promise to each other, and Yahweh is a witness between you and me forever.”

²⁴ So David hid in the countryside. When the New Moon Festival came, King Saul sat down to eat the festival meal. ²⁵ He sat in his usual seat by the wall, while Jonathan stood. Abner sat beside Saul, but David’s place was empty. ²⁶ Saul didn’t say anything that day, thinking, “Something has happened to him so that he’s unclean.^[i] He must be unclean.” ²⁷ But on the second day of the month, David’s place was still empty.

Saul asked his son Jonathan, “Why hasn’t Jesse’s son come to the meal either yesterday or today?”

²⁸ Jonathan answered Saul, “David repeatedly begged me to let him go to Bethlehem. ²⁹ David said to me ‘Please let me go. Our relatives will offer a sacrifice in the city, and my brother ordered me to be there. If you will permit it, please let me go to see my brothers.’ This is why he hasn’t come to your banquet.”

³⁰ Then Saul got angry with Jonathan. “Son of a crooked and rebellious woman!” he called Jonathan. “I know you’ve sided with Jesse’s son. You have no shame. You act as if you are your mother’s son but not mine.^{[j] 31} As long as Jesse’s son lives on earth, neither you nor your right to be king is secure. Now, send some men to bring him to me. He’s a dead man!”

³² Jonathan asked his father, “Why should he be killed? What has he done?”

³³ Saul raised his spear to strike him. Then Jonathan knew his father was determined to kill David. ³⁴ Jonathan got up from the table very angry and ate nothing that second day of the month. He was worried sick about David because Jonathan had been humiliated by his own father.

³⁵ In the morning Jonathan went out to the country to the place he and David had agreed on. Jonathan had a young boy with him. ³⁶ “Run,” he told the boy, “please find the arrows I shoot.”

The boy ran, and Jonathan shot the arrow over him. ³⁷ When the boy reached the place where Jonathan’s arrow had landed, Jonathan called after him, “The arrows are next to you!” ³⁸ Jonathan added, “Quick! Hurry up! Don’t stand there!” Jonathan’s young servant gathered the arrows and came to his master. ³⁹ The boy had no idea what was going on, but Jonathan and David understood. ⁴⁰ Then Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy. He told the boy, “Take them back into town.”

⁴¹ When the boy had left, David came out from the south side of the rock and quickly bowed down three times with his face touching the ground. Then they kissed each other and cried together, but David cried the loudest.^[k]

⁴² “Go in peace!” Jonathan told David. “We have both taken an oath in Yahweh’s name, saying, ‘Yahweh will be a witness between me and you and between my descendants and your descendants forever.’”^[l]

So David left, and Jonathan went into the city.

David at Nob

21 ^[m]David went to the priest Ahimelech at Nob. Ahimelech was trembling as he went to meet David. “Why are you alone?” he asked David. “Why is no one with you?”

² “The king ordered me to do something,” David answered the priest Ahimelech, “and he told me, ‘No one must know anything about this mission I’m sending you on and about the orders I’ve given you. I’ve stationed^[n] my young men at a certain place.’” ³ David added, “Now, what do you have to eat? Give me five loaves of bread or whatever you can find.”

⁴ “I don’t have any ordinary bread,” the chief priest answered David. “But there is holy bread for the young men if they haven’t had sexual intercourse today.”

⁵ David answered the priest, “Of course women have been kept away from us as usual when we go on a mission. The young men’s bodies are kept holy even on ordinary campaigns. How much more then will their bodies be holy today?”

⁶ So the priest gave him holy bread because he only had the bread of the presence which had been taken from Yahweh’s presence and replaced with warm bread that day.

⁷ That same day one of Saul’s servants who was obligated to stay in Yahweh’s presence was there. His name was Doeg. A foreman for Saul’s shepherds, he was from Edom.

⁸ David asked Ahimelech, “Don’t you have a spear or a sword here? I didn’t take either my spear or any other weapon because the king’s business was urgent.”

⁹ The chief priest answered, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Elah Valley, is here. It is wrapped in a cloth behind the priestly ephod.^[o] If you want to take it, take it. There’s no other weapon here.”

David said, “There’s none like it. Let me have the sword.”

David at Gath

¹⁰ That day David left. He was still fleeing from Saul when he came to King Achish of Gath. ¹¹ Achish’s officers asked, “Isn’t this David, the king of his country? He’s the one they used to sing about in the dances:

¹² When David realized what they had said, he was terrified of King Achish of Gath. ¹³ So he changed his behavior when he was in their presence and acted insane as long as he was under their authority. He scribbled on the doors of the city gate and let his spit run down his beard.

¹⁴ Achish said to his officers, “Look at him! Don’t you see that he’s insane? Why bring him to me? ¹⁵ Do I have such a shortage of lunatics that you bring this man so that he can show me he is insane? Does this man have to come into my house?”

David in Judah and Moab

22 So David escaped from that place and fled to the cave at Adullam. When his brothers and all the rest of his family heard about it, they went to him. ² Then everyone who was in trouble, in debt, or bitter about life joined him, and he became their commander. There were about four hundred men with him.

³ From there David went to Mizpah in Moab. He asked the king of Moab, “Please let my father and mother stay with you until I know what Elohim is going to do for me.” ⁴ He brought them to the king of Moab, and they stayed with him as long as David was living in his fortified camp.

⁵ “Don’t live in your fortified camp,” the prophet Gad told David. “Go to the land of Judah.” So David went to the forest of Hereth.

Saul Massacres the Priests at Nob

⁶ Saul heard that David and his men had been found. Saul was staying in Gibeah under the tamarisk tree at the worship site^[p] with his spear in his hand and all his officials standing around him. ⁷ He said to his officials, “Listen here, men of Benjamin! Will Jesse’s son give every one of you fields and vineyards? Will he make you all officers over a regiment or a battalion of soldiers? ⁸ All of you are plotting against me, and no one informed me when my son entered into a loyalty pledge with Jesse’s son. No one felt sorry for me and informed me that my son has encouraged my servant David to ambush me, as he’s doing now.”

⁹ Then Doeg from Edom, standing with Saul’s officials, answered him, “I saw Jesse’s son when he came to Ahimelech, Ahitub’s son, in Nob. ¹⁰ Ahimelech prayed to Yahweh for David and gave him food and the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”

¹¹ Then the king sent for the priest Ahimelech, who was Ahitub’s son, and his entire family who were the priests in Nob. All of them came to the king. ¹² Saul said, “Listen here, son of Ahitub!”

“Yes, sir?” he responded.

¹³ Saul asked him, “Why did you and Jesse’s son plot against me? You gave him bread and a sword and prayed to Elohim for him so that he can rise up against me and ambush me, as he’s doing now.”

¹⁴ Ahimelech asked the king, “But whom among all your officials can you trust like David? Your Majesty, he’s your son-in-law, the commander of your bodyguard. He’s honored in your own household. ¹⁵ Is this the first time I have prayed to Elohim for him? Not at all! You shouldn’t blame me or anyone in my family for this. I knew nothing at all about this.”

¹⁶ Saul said, “Ahimelech, you and your entire family are going to die.”

¹⁷ “Turn and kill Yahweh’s priests because they support David,” the king said to the runners standing around him. “When they knew David was fleeing, they didn’t inform me.” But the king’s men refused to attack Yahweh’s priests.

¹⁸ So the king said to Doeg, “You turn and attack the priests.” Doeg from Edom turned and attacked the priests, and that day he killed 85 men wearing the linen priestly ephod.^{[q] 19} He also killed the people of Nob, the city of the priests. Using his sword, he killed men and women, children and infants, cows, donkeys, and sheep.

²⁰ But Ahimelech, Ahitub’s son, had one son who escaped. His name was Abiathar. He fled to David. ²¹ Abiathar told David that Saul had killed Yahweh’s priests.

²² David told Abiathar, “I knew that day when Doeg from Edom was there that he would be certain to tell Saul. I am the one responsible^[r] for all the lives of your family. ²³ Stay with me. Don’t be afraid. The one who is seeking my life is also seeking your life. However, you will be under my protection.”

David Saves the City of Keilah

23 David was asked, “Did you know that the Philistines are fighting against Keilah? They are robbing the threshing floors.”^[s]

² David asked Yahweh, “Should I go and attack these Philistines?”

“Go,” Yahweh told David, “attack the Philistines, and save Keilah.”

³ David’s men told him, “We’re afraid of staying here in Judah. How much more afraid do you think we’ll be if we go to Keilah against the Philistine army?”

⁴ David asked Yahweh again, and Yahweh answered him. He said, “Go to Keilah. I’m giving you the power to defeat the Philistines.”

⁵ David and his men went to Keilah, fought the Philistines, drove off their livestock, and decisively defeated them. So David rescued the people who lived in Keilah.

⁶ When Ahimelech’s son Abiathar fled to David at Keilah, Abiathar brought a priestly ephod^[t] with him.

⁷ When Saul was told that David went to Keilah, Saul said, “Elohim has delivered him into my hands. He has trapped himself by going into a city which has a gate with a double door held shut by a bar.” ⁸ So Saul called together all the troops to go to war and blockade Keilah, where David and his men were.

⁹ When David learned that Saul was planning to harm him, he told the priest Abiathar, “Bring the ephod.” ¹⁰ Then David said, “Yahweh Elohim of Israel, I have actually heard that Saul is going to come to Keilah and destroy the city on account of me. ¹¹ Will the citizens of Keilah hand me over to him? Will Saul come here as I have heard? Yahweh Elohim of Israel, please tell me.”

“He will come,” Yahweh answered.

¹² “Will the citizens of Keilah hand me and my men over to Saul?” David asked.

“They will hand you over,” Yahweh answered.

¹³ So David and his men, about six hundred^[u] in all, left Keilah. They went wherever they could go. Then Saul was told, “David has escaped from Keilah!” So he gave up the campaign. ¹⁴ David lived in fortified camps in the desert, and he lived in fortified camps in the mountains of the desert of Ziph. Saul was always searching for him, but Elohim didn’t let him capture David.

David in the Desert of Ziph

¹⁵ David was afraid because^[v] Saul had come to kill him at Horesh in the desert of Ziph. ¹⁶ Saul’s son Jonathan came to David at Horesh. He strengthened David’s faith in Yahweh.^{[w] 17} “Don’t be afraid,” he told David, “my father Saul won’t find you. You will rule Israel, and I will be your second-in-command. Even my father Saul knows this.” ¹⁸ Both of them made a pledge in Yahweh’s presence. David stayed in Horesh, and Jonathan went home.

¹⁹ Then the men of Ziph went to Saul in Gibeah. They said, “David is hiding with us in fortified camps at Horesh on the hills of Hachilah, south of Jeshimon. ²⁰ Come, Your Majesty, whenever you want. We will hand him over to you.”

²¹ Saul responded, “Yahweh bless you for feeling sorry for me! ²² Please make more plans, and watch where he goes. Who has seen him there? I’m told he’s very clever. ²³ Watch and learn about all the hiding places where he may be hiding, and come back to me with the facts. Then I’ll go with you, and if he’s in the country, I’ll search for him among all the families of Judah.” ²⁴ They left for Ziph ahead of Saul.

David in the Desert of Maon

David and his men were in the desert of Maon, in the plains south of Jeshimon. ²⁵ When Saul and his men came to look for him, David was told the news. So he went to his mountain stronghold in the desert of Maon. Saul heard about it and pursued David into the desert of Maon. ²⁶ Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men went on the other side of the mountain. David was hurrying to get away from Saul, and Saul and his men were going around the mountain toward David and his men, trying to capture them. ²⁷ Then a messenger came to Saul and said, “Come quickly! The Philistines are raiding the country.”

²⁸ Saul gave up pursuing David and went to fight the Philistines. So that place was called Slippery Rock.^{[x] 29} From there David went to stay in the fortified camps of En Gedi.

David Spares Saul’s Life

24 ^[y]When Saul came back from fighting the Philistines, he was told “Now David is in the desert near En Gedi.” ² Then Saul took 3,000 of the best-trained men from all Israel and went to search for David and his men on the Rocks of the Wild Goats. ³ He came to some sheep pens along the road where there was a cave. Saul went into it to relieve himself while David and his men were sitting further back in the cave.

⁴ David’s men told him, “Today is the day Yahweh referred to when he said, ‘I’m going to hand your enemy over to you. You will do to him whatever you think is right.’”

David quietly got up and cut off the border of Saul’s robe. ⁵ But afterward, David’s conscience bothered him because he had cut off the border of Saul’s robe. ⁶ He said to his men, “It would be unthinkable for me to raise my hand against His Majesty, Yahweh’s anointed king, since he is Yahweh’s anointed.” ⁷ So David stopped^[z] his men by saying this to them and didn’t let them attack Saul.

Saul left the cave and went out onto the road. ⁸ Later, David got up, left the cave, and called to Saul, “Your Majesty!” When Saul looked back, David knelt down with his face touching the ground. ⁹ David asked Saul, “Why do you listen to rumors that I am trying to harm you? ¹⁰ Today you saw how Yahweh handed you over to me in the cave. Although I was told to kill you, I spared you, saying, ‘I will not raise my hand against Your Majesty because you are Yahweh’s anointed.’ ¹¹ My master, look at this! The border of your robe is in my hand! Since I cut off the border of your robe and didn’t kill you, you should know and be able to see I mean no harm or rebellion. I haven’t sinned against you, but you are trying to ambush me in order to take my life. ¹² May Yahweh decide between you and me. May Yahweh take revenge on you for what you did to me. However, I will not lay a hand on you. ¹³ It’s like people used to say long ago, ‘Wickedness comes from wicked people.’ But I will not lay a hand on you. ¹⁴ Against whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom are you pursuing? A dead dog? One flea? ¹⁵ So Yahweh must be the judge. He will decide between you and me. He will watch and take my side in this matter and set me free from you.”

¹⁶ When David finished saying this, Saul asked, “Is that you speaking, my servant David?” and Saul cried loudly. ¹⁷ He told David, “You are more righteous than I. You treated me well while I treated you badly. ¹⁸ Today you have proved how good you’ve been to me. When Yahweh handed me over to you, you didn’t kill me. ¹⁹ When a person finds an enemy, does he send him away unharmed? Yahweh will repay you completely for what you did for me today. ²⁰ Now I know that you certainly will rule as king, and under your guidance the kingdom of Israel will prosper. ²¹ Swear an oath to Yahweh for me that you will not wipe out my descendants or destroy my name in my father’s family.”

²² So David swore to Saul. Then Saul went home, and David and his men went to their fortified camp.

Samuel Dies

25 Samuel died, and all Israel gathered to mourn for him. They buried him at his home in Ramah. Then David went to the desert of Paran.

David, Nabal, and Abigail

² Now, there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel. He was a very rich man. He had 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats. And he was shearing his sheep in Carmel. ³ This man’s name was Nabal, and his wife’s name was Abigail. She was sensible and beautiful, but he was harsh and mean. He was a descendant of Caleb.

⁴ While David was in the desert, he heard that Nabal was shearing his sheep. ⁵ So David sent ten young men and told them, “Go to Carmel, visit Nabal, and greet him for me. ⁶ Say to him, ‘May you live long! May you, your home, and all you have prosper! ⁷ I hear that your sheepshearers are with you. Your shepherds have been with us, and we have not mistreated them. Nothing of theirs has been missing as long as they’ve been in Carmel. ⁸ Ask your young men, and let them tell you. Be kind to my young men, since we have come on a special occasion. Please give us and your son David anything you can spare.’”

⁹ When David’s young men came to Nabal, they repeated all of this to him for David, and then they waited.

¹⁰ “Who is David?” Nabal answered David’s servants. “Who is Jesse’s son? So many servants nowadays are leaving their masters. ¹¹ Should I take my bread, my water, and my meat that I butchered for my shearers and give them to men coming from who knows where?”

¹² David’s young men returned and told him all this.

¹³ “Each of you put on your swords!” David told his men. And everyone, including David, put on his sword. About four hundred men went with David, while two hundred men stayed with the supplies.

¹⁴ One of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, “David sent messengers from the desert to greet our master, who yelled at them. ¹⁵ Those men were very good to us. They didn’t mistreat us, and we found that nothing was missing wherever we went with them when we were in the fields. ¹⁶ They were a wall protecting us day and night as long as we were watching the sheep near them. ¹⁷ Now, consider what you should do because our master and his whole household are doomed. And he’s such a worthless man that it’s useless to talk to him.”

¹⁸ So Abigail quickly took 200 loaves of bread, 2 full wineskins, 5 butchered sheep, a bushel of roasted grain, 100 bunches of raisins, and 200 fig cakes and loaded them on donkeys. ¹⁹ “Go on ahead,” she told her young men, “and I’ll follow you.” But she didn’t tell her husband Nabal about it.

²⁰ She was riding on her donkey down a hidden mountain path when she met David and his men coming toward her. ²¹ David had thought, “I guarded this man’s stuff in the desert for nothing! Not one of his possessions was missing. Yet, he has paid me back with evil when I was good to him. ²² May Elohim punish me^[aa] if I leave even one of his men^[ab] alive in the morning.”

²³ When Abigail saw David, she quickly got down from her donkey. She immediately bowed down in front of David with her face touching the ground. ²⁴ After she bowed at his feet, she said, “Sir, let me be held responsible for this wrong. Please let me speak with you. Please listen to my words. ²⁵ You shouldn’t take this worthless person Nabal seriously. He is like his name. His name is Nabal [Godless Fool], and he’s foolish. But I didn’t see the young men you sent.

²⁶ “Yahweh has kept you from spilling innocent blood and from getting a victory by your own efforts. Now, sir, I solemnly swear, as Yahweh and you live, may your enemies and those who are trying to harm you end up like Nabal. ²⁷ Here is a gift I am bringing to you. May it be given to the young men who are in your service. ²⁸ Please forgive my offense. Yahweh will certainly give you, sir, a lasting dynasty, because you are fighting Yahweh’s battles. May evil never be found in you as long as you live. ²⁹ Even though someone pursued you and sought your life, your life is wrapped in the bundle of life which comes from Yahweh your Elohim. But he will dispose of the lives of your enemies like stones thrown from a sling. ³⁰ When Yahweh does all the good he promised and makes you ruler of Israel, ³¹ you shouldn’t have a troubled conscience because you spilled blood for no good reason and claimed your own victory. When Yahweh has given you success, remember me.”

³² David said to Abigail, “Blessed be Yahweh Elohim of Israel, who sent you today to meet me. ³³ May your good judgment be blessed. Also, may you be blessed for keeping me from slaughtering people today and from getting a victory by my own efforts. ³⁴ But I solemnly swear—as Yahweh Elohim of Israel, who has kept me from harming you, lives—if you hadn’t come to meet me quickly, Nabal certainly wouldn’t have had one of his men left at dawn.”

³⁵ Then David accepted what she brought him and told her, “Go home in peace. I’ve listened to what you’ve said and granted your request.”

³⁶ When Abigail came to Nabal, he was holding a banquet in his home. It was like a king’s banquet. He was in a good mood and very drunk, so she didn’t tell him anything until dawn. ³⁷ But in the morning, when the effects of the wine had worn off, his wife told him what had happened. Nabal’s heart failed, and he could not move.^{[ac] 38} About ten days later Yahweh made him even more sick, and Nabal died.

³⁹ When David heard Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed be Yahweh, who defended me against the insults of Nabal and kept me from doing wrong. Yahweh has turned Nabal’s own wickedness back on him.”

Then David sent men on his behalf to propose marriage to Abigail. ⁴⁰ When David’s servants came to Abigail at Carmel, they told her, “David has sent us to you so that we can take you to him to be his wife.”

⁴¹ She bowed down with her face touching the ground. “I am ready to serve,” she said. “I am ready to wash the feet of my master’s servants.” ⁴² Then Abigail quickly got up and rode on a donkey with five of her female servants following her. So she went with David’s messengers and became his wife.

⁴³ David also married Ahinoam of Jezreel. Both she and Abigail were his wives. ⁴⁴ Saul had given his daughter Michal, David’s wife, to Palti, Laish’s son, who was from Gallim.

Saul’s Final Pursuit of David

26 The people of Ziph came to Saul at Gibeah. “David is hiding at the hill of Hachilah near Jeshimon,” they said.

² Saul went to the desert of Ziph, taking with him 3,000 of Israel’s best-trained men to search for David. ³ Saul camped by the road at the hill of Hachilah near Jeshimon, but David stayed in the desert. When he realized Saul had come to the desert for him, ⁴ David sent spies to confirm that Saul had arrived.

⁵ Then David went to the place where Saul had camped. David saw the place where Saul and Ner’s son Abner, the commander of the army, were lying. Saul was lying in the camp, and the troops were camped around him.

⁶ David asked Ahimelech the Hittite and Abishai, who was Zeruiah’s son and Joab’s brother, “Who will go with me to Saul in the camp?”

Abishai answered, “I’ll go with you.”

⁷ So David and Abishai went among Saul’s troops that night. Saul was lying asleep inside the camp with his spear stuck in the ground near his head. Abner and the soldiers were lying around him. ⁸ Abishai said to David, “Today Elohim has turned your enemy over to you. Please let me nail him to the ground with one stab of the spear. I won’t have to do it twice!”

⁹ “Don’t kill him!” David told Abishai. “No one has ever attacked Yahweh’s anointed king and remained free of guilt. ¹⁰ I solemnly swear, as Yahweh lives,” David added, “Yahweh will strike him. Either his time will come when he’ll die naturally, or he’ll go into battle and be swept away. ¹¹ It would be unthinkable for me to attack Yahweh’s anointed king. But please take that spear near his head and that jar of water, and let’s go.”

¹² David took the spear and the jar of water near Saul’s head, and they left. All of them were asleep. No one saw them, knew about it, or woke up. Yahweh had made them fall into a deep sleep.

¹³ David went over to the other side and stood on top of the hill some distance away. (There was a wide space between them.) ¹⁴ Then David called to the troops and to Ner’s son Abner. “Won’t you answer, Abner?” he asked.

“Who is calling the king?” Abner asked.

¹⁵ David asked Abner, “Aren’t you a man? Is there anyone like you in Israel? Then why didn’t you guard your master, the king? Someone came to kill His Royal Majesty. ¹⁶ What you’ve done isn’t good. I solemnly swear, as Yahweh lives, you are dead men. You didn’t guard your master, Yahweh’s anointed king. Look at the king’s spear and the jar of water that were near his head.”

¹⁷ Saul recognized David’s voice. “Is that your voice, my servant David?” he asked.

“It is my voice, Your Royal Majesty,” David answered. ¹⁸ “Why are you pursuing me?” he added. “What have I done? What crime have I committed? ¹⁹ Your Majesty, please listen to my words. If Yahweh has turned you against me, let him be satisfied with an offering. But if mere mortals have turned you against me, let them be cursed by Yahweh. They have prevented me from having a share of Yahweh’s inheritance. ‘Go and serve other gods,’ they tell me. ²⁰ Don’t let my blood fall to the ground, away from Yahweh’s presence. The king of Israel has come to search for one flea like someone hunting a partridge in the hills.”

²¹ “My servant David,” Saul said, “I have sinned. Come back. I will not harm you again, because you valued my life today. I’ve acted like a fool and made a terrible mistake.”

²² David responded, “Here’s the king’s spear. One of the young men should come over and get it. ²³ Yahweh will reward any person who is righteous and faithful. Yahweh handed you over to me today, but I refused to attack Yahweh’s anointed king. ²⁴ As I placed great value on your life today, may Yahweh place great value on my life and rescue me from all trouble.”

²⁵ Then Saul said, “Blessed are you, my servant David. You will accomplish many things and certainly will succeed.”

So David went his way, while Saul returned home.

David at Ziklag

27 David said to himself, “One of these days Saul will sweep me away. The best thing for me to do is to make sure that I escape to Philistine territory. Then Saul will give up looking all over Israel for me, and I’ll escape from him.” ² So David went with his 600 men to King Achish of Gath, Moach’s son. ³ David and his men stayed with Achish in Gath. Each one had his family, and David had his two wives, Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail (who had been Nabal’s wife) from Carmel. ⁴ When Saul was told that David had fled to Gath, he didn’t search for him anymore.

⁵ David said to Achish, “If you will permit me, let me have a place in one of the outlying towns so that I can live there. Why should I live in the royal city with you?” ⁶ So Achish immediately gave him Ziklag. (This is why Ziklag still belongs to the kings of Judah today.)

⁷ David stayed in Philistine territory for one year and four months. ⁸ Then David and his men went to raid the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites. (They lived in the territory which extends from Telaim^[ad] to Shur and Egypt.) ⁹ Whenever David attacked the territory, he left no man or woman alive. He also took sheep, cattle, donkeys, camels, and clothing and returned to Achish.

¹⁰ Achish would ask, “Whom did you raid today?”^[ae]

And David would answer, “the Negev in Judah,” or “the portion of the Negev where the descendants of Jerahmeel live,” or “the portion of the Negev where the Kenites live.” ¹¹ He did not bring a single man or woman back to Gath alive. He thought, “They could tell Achish what I really did.” This was his practice as long as he lived in Philistine territory. ¹² And Achish believed David. Achish thought, “He has definitely made his own people in Israel despise him. He’ll be my servant from now on.”

28 At that time the Philistines had gathered their army to fight against Israel. Then Achish said to David, “You need to know that you and your men will be going with me into battle.”

² “Very well,” David responded to Achish, “you will then know what I can do.”

“Very well,” Achish told David, “I will make you my bodyguard for life.”

Saul’s Sin—The Occult

³ Meanwhile, Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in his hometown Ramah. (Saul had rid the land of mediums and psychics.)

⁴ The Philistines assembled and camped in Shunem. Saul also assembled the whole Israelite army, and they camped at Gilboa. ⁵ When Saul looked at the Philistine army, he was very afraid—terrified. ⁶ He prayed to Yahweh, but Yahweh didn’t answer him through dreams, the Urim,^[af] or prophets. ⁷ Saul told his officers, “Find me a woman who conjures up the dead. Then I’ll go to her and ask for her services.”

His officers told him, “There is a woman at Endor who conjures up the dead.”

⁸ After disguising himself by putting on other clothes, Saul left with two men and came to the woman that night. He said to her, “Please consult with a dead person for me. Conjure up the person I request.”

⁹ The woman told him, “You know that Saul rid the land of mediums and psychics. Why are you trying to trap me and have me killed?”

¹⁰ But Saul took an oath in Yahweh’s name, “I solemnly swear, as Yahweh lives, you will not be harmed if you do this.”

¹¹ “Whom should I conjure up for you?” the woman asked.

“Conjure up Samuel for me,” he answered.

¹² When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out loudly and asked, “Why did you deceive me? You’re Saul!”

¹³ “Don’t be afraid,” the king said to her. “What do you see?”

“I see a god rising from the ground,” the woman answered.

¹⁴ “In what form?” he asked her.

She answered, “An old man is coming up, and he’s wearing a robe.” Then Saul knew it was Samuel. Saul knelt down with his face touching the ground.

¹⁵ Samuel asked Saul, “Why did you disturb me by conjuring me up?”

Saul answered, “I’m in serious trouble. The Philistines are at war with me, and Elohim has turned against me and doesn’t answer me anymore—either by the prophets or in dreams. So I’ve called on you to tell me what to do.”

¹⁶ Samuel said, “Why are you asking me when Yahweh has turned against you and become your enemy? ¹⁷ Yahweh has done to you exactly what he spoke through me: Yahweh has torn the kingship out of your hands and given it to your fellow Israelite David. ¹⁸ Yahweh is doing this to you today because you didn’t listen to him or unleash his burning anger on Amalek. ¹⁹ For the same reasons Yahweh will hand you and Israel over to the Philistines. Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. And then Yahweh will hand Israel’s army over to the Philistines.”

²⁰ Immediately, Saul fell flat on the ground. He was frightened by Samuel’s words. He also had no strength left, because he hadn’t eaten anything all day or all night. ²¹ The woman came over to Saul and saw that he was terrified. “I listened to you,” she told him, “and I took my life in my hands when I did what you told me to do. ²² Now please listen to me. I will serve you something to eat. Eat it so that you will have strength when you leave.”

²³ But he refused. “I don’t want to eat,” he said. Nevertheless, his officers and the woman kept urging^[ag] him until he listened to them. So he got up from the ground and sat on the bed.

²⁴ The woman immediately butchered a fattened calf that she owned. She took flour, kneaded it, and baked some unleavened bread. ²⁵ Then she served it to Saul and his officers. They ate and left that same night.

The Philistines Reject David

29 The Philistines assembled their whole army at Aphek, and Israel camped at the spring in Jezreel. ² The Philistine leaders were marching by with their companies and regiments. David and his men were marching in the rear with Achish.

³ The Philistine officers asked, “What are these Hebrews doing here?”

Achish asked the Philistine officers, “Isn’t this David, the servant of King Saul of Israel, who has been with me now for a year or two? I’ve found nothing wrong with him from the day he defected until now.”

⁴ But the Philistine officers were angry with Achish. “Send the man back,” the Philistine officers told him. “Return him to the place you assigned him. He shouldn’t go with us into battle. He shouldn’t be allowed to become our enemy during the battle. Is this man going to try to regain his master’s favor? He’ll do it with the lives of our men! ⁵ Isn’t this David of whom people sing in dances:

⁶ Then Achish called David and told him, “I solemnly swear, as Yahweh lives, you are a dependable man. I consider your campaigning with me a good thing, because I’ve never found anything wrong with you from the day you came to me until now. But the rulers don’t approve of you. ⁷ So leave peacefully without doing anything to displease the Philistine rulers.”

⁸ “What have I done?” David asked Achish. “What have you learned about me from the time I came to you until now? Why shouldn’t I fight your enemies, Your Majesty?”

⁹ Achish answered David, “I admit that in my judgment you’re as good as Elohim’s Messenger. However, the Philistine officers said, ‘He shouldn’t go into battle with us.’ ¹⁰ Get up early in the morning with Saul’s servants who came with you, and go to the place I have assigned to you. Don’t worry about the unkind words, because I still approve of you.^[ah] Get up in the morning, and leave when it’s light.”

¹¹ Early the next morning David and his men returned to Philistine territory, while the Philistines went to Jezreel.

David Defeats the Amalekites

30 Two days later, when David and his men came to Ziklag, the Amalekites had raided the Negev, including Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned it. ² Although they captured the young and old women who were there, they killed no one. Instead, they had taken the women and other prisoners and gone away. ³ By the time David and his men came to the town, it had been burned down, and their wives, sons, and daughters had been taken captive. ⁴ Then David and his men cried loudly until they didn’t have the strength to cry anymore. ⁵ The Amalekites also captured David’s two wives, Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail (who had been Nabal’s wife) from Carmel. ⁶ David was in great distress because the people in their bitterness said he should be stoned. (They were thinking of their sons and daughters. But David found strength in Yahweh his Elohim.)

⁷ David told the priest Abiathar, Ahimelech’s son, “Please bring me the priestly ephod.”^[ai] So Abiathar brought David the ephod.

⁸ Then David asked Yahweh, “Should I pursue these troops? Will I catch up with them?”

“Pursue them,” Yahweh told him. “You will certainly catch up with them and rescue the captives.”

⁹ So David and his 600 men went to the Besor Valley, where some were left behind. ¹⁰ David and 400 men went in pursuit, while 200 men who were too exhausted to cross the Besor Valley stayed behind.

¹¹ David’s men found an Egyptian in the open country and took him to David. They gave him food to eat and water to drink. ¹² They gave him a slice of fig cake and two bunches of raisins. After he had eaten, he revived. (He hadn’t eaten any food or drunk any water for three whole days.) ¹³ David asked him, “To whom do you belong? Where do you come from?”

“I’m an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite,” the young man answered. “My master left me behind because I got sick three days ago. ¹⁴ We raided the portion of the Negev where the Cherethites live, the territory of Judah, the portion of the Negev where Caleb settled, and we burned down Ziklag.”

¹⁵ “Will you lead me to these troops?” David asked him.

He answered, “Take an oath in front of Elohim that you won’t kill me or hand me over to my master, and I’ll lead you to these troops.”

¹⁶ The Egyptian led him to them. They were spread out all over the land, eating, and drinking. They were celebrating because they had taken so much loot from Philistine territory and from the land of Judah. ¹⁷ From dawn until evening the next day, David attacked them. No one escaped except 400 young men who rode away on camels. ¹⁸ David rescued everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives. ¹⁹ Nothing was missing—young or old, sons or daughters, the loot or anything else they had taken with them. David brought back everything. ²⁰ He took all the sheep and the cattle. His men drove the animals ahead of him and said, “This is David’s loot.”

²¹ David came to the 200 men who had been too exhausted to go with him and had stayed in the Besor Valley. They came to meet David and the people with him. As David approached the men, he greeted them. ²² Then every wicked and worthless man who had gone with David said, “Since they didn’t go with us, they shouldn’t be given any of the loot we recovered. Each of them should take only his wife and children and leave.”

²³ But David said, “My brothers, don’t do that with the things which Yahweh has given us. He has protected us and handed the troops that attacked us over to us. ²⁴ Besides, who is going to pay attention to what you have to say in this matter? Certainly, the share of those who go into battle must be like the share of those who stay with the supplies. They will all share alike.” ²⁵ From that time on he made this a rule and a custom in Israel as it is to this day.

²⁶ When David came to Ziklag, he sent part of the loot to his friends, the leaders of Judah. He said, “Here is a gift for you from the loot taken from Yahweh’s enemies.” ²⁷ There were shares for those in Bethel, Ramoth in the Negev, Jattir, ²⁸ Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa, ²⁹ Racal, the cities belonging to the Jerahmeelites, the cities belonging to the Kenites, ³⁰ Hormah, Borashan, Athach, ³¹ Hebron, and to all the places David and his men visited from time to time.

The Death of Saul^(A)

31 When the Philistines were fighting against Israel, the men of Israel fled from the Philistines and were killed in battle on Mount Gilboa. ² The Philistines caught up to Saul and his sons. They killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul’s sons. ³ The heaviest fighting was against Saul. When the archers got him in their range, he was badly wounded by them.

⁴ Saul told his armorbearer, “Draw your sword! Stab me, or these godless men will come, stab me, and make fun of me.” But his armorbearer refused because he was terrified. So Saul took the sword and fell on it. ⁵ When the armorbearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword and died with him. ⁶ So Saul, his three sons, his armorbearer, and all his men died together that day.

⁷ When the people of Israel on the other side of the valley and across the Jordan River saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities. So the Philistines came to live in these cities.

⁸ The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his three sons lying on Mount Gilboa. ⁹ They cut off his head and stripped off his armor. Then they sent men throughout Philistine territory to tell the people this good news in their idols’ temples. ¹⁰ They put his armor in the temple of their goddesses—the Asherahs—and fastened his corpse to the wall of Beth Shan.

¹¹ When the people living in Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, ¹² all the fighting men marched all night and took the dead bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth Shan. They came back to Jabesh and burned the bodies there. ¹³ They took the bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh. Then they fasted seven days.

The Report of Saul’s Death

1 After Saul died and David returned from defeating the Amalekites,^[aj] David stayed in Ziklag two days. ² On the third day a man came from Saul’s camp. His clothes were torn, and he had dirt on his head. When he came to David, he immediately bowed down with his face touching the ground.

³ “Where did you come from?” David asked him.

“I escaped from the camp of Israel,” he answered.

⁴ “What happened?” David asked him. “Please tell me.”

The man answered, “The army fled from the battle, and many of the soldiers died. Saul and his son Jonathan are dead too.”

⁵ “How do you know Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?” David asked the young man who had brought him the news.

⁶ The young man answered, “I happened to be on Mount Gilboa. Saul was there leaning on his spear, and the chariots and horsemen were catching up with him. ⁷ When he looked back and saw me, he called to me, and I said, ‘Yes?’”

⁸ “He asked me, ‘Who are you?’

“I said to him, ‘I’m an Amalekite.’

⁹ “He said to me, ‘Please stand over me and kill me. I’m alive, but I’m suffering.’^[ak]

¹⁰ “So I stood over him and killed him, since I knew he couldn’t survive after he had been wounded. And I took the crown that was on his head and the band that was on his arm and brought them here to you, sir.”

¹¹ Then David grabbed his own clothes and tore them in grief. All the men with him did the same. ¹² They mourned, cried, and fasted until evening because Saul, his son Jonathan, Yahweh’s army, and the nation of Israel had been defeated in battle.

¹³ David asked the young man who had brought him the news, “Where are you from?”

And the young man answered, “I’m an Amalekite, the son of a foreign resident.”

¹⁴ David asked, “Why weren’t you afraid to take it upon yourself to destroy Yahweh’s anointed king?” ¹⁵ Then David called one of his young men and told him, “Come here and attack him.” David’s young man executed him ¹⁶ while David said, “You are responsible for spilling your own blood. You testified against yourself when you said, ‘I killed Yahweh’s anointed king.’”

David’s Lament

¹⁷ David wrote this song of mourning for Saul and his son Jonathan. ¹⁸ He said,

David Becomes King of Judah

2 After this, David asked Yahweh, “Should I go to one of the cities of Judah?”

“Go,” Yahweh answered him.

“Where should I go?” David asked.

“To Hebron,” Yahweh replied.

² David went there with his two wives, Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail (who had been Nabal’s wife) from Carmel. ³ David took his men and their families with him, and they settled in the towns around Hebron. ⁴ Then the people of Judah came to Hebron and anointed David to be king over the tribe of Judah.

They told David, “The people of Jabesh Gilead were the ones who buried Saul.” ⁵ So David sent messengers to the people of Jabesh Gilead. He said to them, “May Yahweh bless you because you showed kindness to your master Saul by burying him. ⁶ May Yahweh always show you kindness. I, too, will be good to you because you did this. ⁷ Now, be strong and courageous. Because your master Saul is dead, the tribe of Judah has anointed me to be their king.”

Abner Makes Ishbosheth King of Israel

⁸ Ner’s son Abner, commander of Saul’s army, took Saul’s son Ishbosheth^[an] and brought him to Mahanaim. ⁹ Abner made him king of Gilead, Asher,^[ao] Jezreel, Ephraim, and Benjamin, that is, all Israel. ¹⁰ Saul’s son Ishbosheth was 40 years old when he became king of Israel. He ruled for two years, but the tribe of Judah followed David. ¹¹ In Hebron David was king over the tribe of Judah for seven years and six months.

Conflicts between Abner and Joab

¹² Ner’s son Abner and the officers of Saul’s son Ishbosheth went from Mahanaim to Gibeon. ¹³ Zeruiah’s son Joab and David’s officers also left Hebron. Both groups met at the pool of Gibeon. They sat down there, one group on one side of the pool and the other group on the other side of the pool.

¹⁴ Abner said to Joab, “Let’s have the young men hold a contest.” Joab agreed.

¹⁵ The men got up and were counted as they passed by. Twelve were from the tribe of Benjamin (representing Saul’s son Ishbosheth), and twelve were from David’s officers. ¹⁶ Each one grabbed his opponent by the head, stuck his sword into his opponent’s side, and they fell down together. Therefore, that place in Gibeon is called the Field of Enemies. ¹⁷ Fierce fighting broke out that day, and David’s men defeated Abner and the men of Israel.

¹⁸ Zeruiah’s three sons were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel was as fast on his feet as a wild gazelle. ¹⁹ He chased Abner and refused to leave him alone. ²⁰ When Abner looked back, he asked, “Are you Asahel?”

“Yes,” Asahel answered.

²¹ Abner told him, “Leave me alone! Catch one of the young men, and take his weapon.”^[ap]

But Asahel refused to turn away from him. ²² So Abner spoke again to Asahel. “Stop following me,” he said. “Why should I kill you? How could I look your brother Joab in the face again?”

²³ But Asahel refused to turn away. So Abner struck him with the butt of the spear. The spear went into his belly and came out his back. He fell down there and died on the spot. And everyone who came to the place where Asahel fell and died stopped there.

²⁴ But Joab and Abishai chased Abner. When the sun went down, they came to the hill of Ammah, opposite Giah on the road from Gibeon to the desert. ²⁵ The men of Benjamin rallied behind Abner, banding together and taking their position on top of a hill.

²⁶ Then Abner called to Joab, “Should this slaughter go on forever? Don’t you know this will end in bitterness? How long will it be before you will call off your troops from chasing their relatives?”

²⁷ Joab answered, “I solemnly swear, as Elohim lives, if you had not spoken, the men would not have stopped chasing their relatives until morning.” ²⁸ So Joab blew a ram’s horn, and all the troops stopped. They didn’t chase or fight Israel anymore.

²⁹ Abner and his men marched through the plains all that night. They crossed the Jordan River and passed through the entire Bithron until they came to Mahanaim.

³⁰ Joab returned from chasing Abner. When he had gathered all the troops, only 19 of David’s officers and Asahel were missing. ³¹ However, David’s officers had killed 360 of the men of Benjamin under Abner’s command. ³² They took Asahel and buried him in his father’s tomb in Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night and arrived at Hebron by daybreak.

3 As the war between the royal families of Saul and David dragged on, David’s family became stronger and stronger, and Saul’s family became weaker and weaker.

David’s Sons^(B)

² Sons were born to David while he was in Hebron. His first son was Amnon, born to Ahinoam from Jezreel. ³ The second was Chileab, born to Abigail (who had been Nabal’s wife) from Carmel. The third was Absalom, whose mother was Maacah (the daughter of King Talmai) from Geshur. ⁴ The fourth was Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith. The fifth was Shephatiah, whose mother was Abital. ⁵ The sixth was Ithream, born to David’s wife Eglah. These sons were born to David while he was in Hebron.

Abner’s Death

⁶ During the war between the families of Saul and David, Abner strengthened his position in Saul’s royal family. ⁷ Saul had a concubine^[aq] named Rizpah (Aiah’s daughter). Ishbosheth asked Abner, “Why did you have sex with my father’s concubine?”

⁸ Ishbosheth’s question made Abner very angry. “Have I been behaving like some Judean dog?”^[ar] he asked. “Until now I’ve been faithful to your father Saul’s family, to his relatives and friends, and I haven’t handed you over to David. But now you charge me with a crime because of this woman. ⁹ May Elohim strike me dead unless I do for David what Yahweh had promised him with an oath: ¹⁰ ‘I, Yahweh, will transfer the kingship from Saul’s family and establish David’s throne over Israel and Judah from Dan to Beersheba.’” ¹¹ Ishbosheth couldn’t respond to a single word, because he was afraid of Abner.

¹² Then Abner sent messengers to David to speak on his behalf. “Who owns this country?” he asked. “Make an agreement with me,” he said. “I’ll support you and bring all Israel to you.”

¹³ “Good!” David answered. “I’ll make an agreement with you. But there’s one condition: You can’t come to see me unless you bring Michal, Saul’s daughter, when you come.”

¹⁴ Then David sent messengers to Saul’s son Ishbosheth to say, “Give me my wife Michal. I made a payment of 100 Philistine foreskins for her.”