1 Samuel 16-24

New International Reader's Version

Samuel Anoints David to Be Israel’s King

16 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you be filled with sorrow because of Saul? I have refused to have him as king over Israel. Fill your animal horn with olive oil and go on your way. I am sending you to Jesse in Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”

² But Samuel said, “How can I go? Suppose Saul hears about it. Then he’ll kill me.”

The Lord said, “Take a young cow with you. Tell the elders of Bethlehem, ‘I’ve come to offer a sacrifice to the Lord.’ ³ Invite Jesse to the sacrifice. Then I will show you what to do. You must anoint for me the one I point out to you.”

⁴ Samuel did what the Lord said. He arrived at Bethlehem. The elders of the town met him. They were trembling with fear. They asked, “Have you come in peace?”

⁵ Samuel replied, “Yes, I’ve come in peace. I’ve come to offer a sacrifice to the Lord. Set yourselves apart to him and come to the sacrifice with me.” Then he set Jesse and his sons apart to the Lord. He invited them to the sacrifice.

⁶ When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab. He thought, “This has to be the one the Lord wants me to anoint for him.”

⁷ But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider how handsome or tall he is. I have not chosen him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outside of a person. But the Lord looks at what is in the heart.”

⁸ Then Jesse called for Abinadab. He had him walk in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “The Lord hasn’t chosen him either.” ⁹ Then Jesse had Shammah walk by. But Samuel said, “The Lord hasn’t chosen him either.” ¹⁰ Jesse had seven of his sons walk in front of Samuel. But Samuel said to him, “The Lord hasn’t chosen any of them.” ¹¹ So he asked Jesse, “Are these the only sons you have?”

“No,” Jesse answered. “My youngest son is taking care of the sheep.”

Samuel said, “Send for him. We won’t sit down to eat until he arrives.”

¹² So Jesse sent for his son and had him brought in. He looked very healthy. He had a fine appearance and handsome features.

Then the Lord said, “Get up and anoint him. This is the one.”

¹³ So Samuel got the animal horn that was filled with olive oil. He anointed David in front of his brothers. From that day on, the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully on David. Samuel went back to Ramah.

David Serves Saul

¹⁴ The Spirit of the Lord had left Saul. And an evil spirit sent by the Lord terrified him.

¹⁵ Saul’s attendants said to him, “An evil spirit sent by God is terrifying you. ¹⁶ Give us an order to look for someone who can play the harp. He will play it when the evil spirit sent by God comes on you. Then you will feel better.”

¹⁷ So Saul said to his attendants, “Find someone who plays the harp well. Bring him to me.”

¹⁸ One of the servants said, “I’ve seen someone who knows how to play the harp. He is a son of Jesse from Bethlehem. He’s a brave man. He would make a good soldier. He’s a good speaker. He’s very handsome. And the Lord is with him.”

¹⁹ Then Saul sent messengers to Jesse. He said, “Send me your son David, the one who takes care of your sheep.” ²⁰ So Jesse got some bread and a bottle of wine. The bottle was made out of animal skin. He also got a young goat. He loaded everything on the back of a donkey. He sent all of it to Saul with his son David.

²¹ David went to Saul and began to serve him. Saul liked him very much. David became one of the men who carried Saul’s armor. ²² Saul sent a message to Jesse. Saul said, “Let David stay here. I want him to serve me. I’m pleased with him.”

²³ When the evil spirit sent by God would come on Saul, David would get his harp and play it. That would help Saul. He would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him.

David and Goliath

17 The Philistines gathered their army together for war. They came to Sokoh in Judah. They set up camp at Ephes Dammim. It was between Sokoh and Azekah. ² Saul and the army of Israel gathered together. They camped in the Valley of Elah. They lined up their men to fight against the Philistines. ³ The Philistine army was camped on one hill. Israel’s army was on another. The valley was between them.

⁴ A mighty hero named Goliath came out of the Philistine camp. He was from Gath. He was more than nine feet tall. ⁵ He had a bronze helmet on his head. He wore bronze armor that weighed 125 pounds. ⁶ On his legs he wore bronze guards. He carried a bronze javelin on his back. ⁷ His spear was as big as a weaver’s rod. Its iron point weighed 15 pounds. The man who carried his shield walked along in front of him.

⁸ Goliath stood there and shouted to the soldiers of Israel. He said, “Why do you come out and line up for battle? I’m a Philistine. You are servants of Saul. Choose one of your men. Have him come down and face me. ⁹ If he’s able to fight and kill me, we’ll become your slaves. But if I win and kill him, you will become our slaves and serve us.” ¹⁰ Goliath continued, “This day I dare the soldiers of Israel to send a man down to fight against me.” ¹¹ Saul and the whole army of Israel heard what the Philistine said. They were terrified.

¹² David was the son of an Ephrathite whose name was Jesse. Jesse was from Bethlehem in Judah and had eight sons. When Saul was king, Jesse was already very old. ¹³ Jesse’s three oldest sons had followed Saul into battle. The oldest son was Eliab. The second was Abinadab. The third was Shammah. ¹⁴ David was the youngest. The three oldest sons followed Saul. ¹⁵ But David went back and forth from Saul’s camp to Bethlehem. He went to Bethlehem to take care of his father’s sheep.

¹⁶ Every morning and evening Goliath came forward and stood there. He did it for 40 days.

¹⁷ Jesse said to his son David, “Get at least half a bushel of grain that has been cooked. Also get ten loaves of bread. Take all of it to your brothers. Hurry to their camp. ¹⁸ Take along these ten chunks of cheese to the commander of their military group. Find out how your brothers are doing. Bring me back some word about them. ¹⁹ They are with Saul and all the men of Israel. They are in the Valley of Elah. They are fighting against the Philistines.”

²⁰ Early in the morning David left his father’s flock in the care of a shepherd. David loaded up the food and started out, just as Jesse had directed. David reached the camp as the army was going out to its battle positions. The soldiers were shouting the war cry. ²¹ The Israelites and the Philistines were lining up their armies for battle. The armies were facing each other. ²² David left what he had brought with the man who took care of the supplies. He ran to the battle lines and asked his brothers how they were. ²³ As David was talking with them, Goliath stepped forward from his line. Goliath was a mighty Philistine hero from Gath. He again dared someone to fight him, and David heard it. ²⁴ Whenever Israel’s army saw Goliath, all of them ran away from him. That’s because they were so afraid.

²⁵ The Israelites had been saying, “Just look at how this man keeps daring Israel to fight him! The king will make the man who kills Goliath very wealthy. The king will also give his own daughter to be that man’s wife. The king won’t require anyone in the man’s family to pay any taxes in Israel.”

²⁶ David spoke to the men standing near him. He asked them, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine? Goliath is bringing shame on Israel. What will be done for the one who removes it? This Philistine isn’t even circumcised. He dares the armies of the living God to fight him. Who does he think he is?”

²⁷ The men told David what Israel’s soldiers had been saying. The men told him what would be done for the man who killed Goliath.

²⁸ David’s oldest brother Eliab heard him speaking with the men. So Eliab became very angry with him. Eliab asked David, “Why have you come down here? Who is taking care of those few sheep in the desert for you? I know how proud you are. I know how evil your heart is. The only reason you came down here was to watch the battle.”

²⁹ “What have I done now?” said David. “Can’t I even speak?” ³⁰ Then he turned away to speak to some other men. He asked them the same question he had asked before. And they gave him the same answer. ³¹ Someone heard what David said and reported it to Saul. So Saul sent for David.

³² David said to Saul, “Don’t let anyone lose hope because of that Philistine. I’ll go out and fight him.”

³³ Saul replied, “You aren’t able to go out there and fight that Philistine. You are too young. He’s been a warrior ever since he was a boy.”

³⁴ But David said to Saul, “I’ve been taking care of my father’s sheep. Sometimes a lion or a bear would come and carry off a sheep from the flock. ³⁵ Then I would go after it and hit it. I would save the sheep it was carrying in its mouth. If it turned around to attack me, I would grab its hair. I would strike it down and kill it. ³⁶ In fact, I’ve killed both a lion and a bear. I’ll do the same thing to this Philistine. He isn’t even circumcised. He has dared the armies of the living God to fight him. ³⁷ The Lord saved me from the paw of the lion. He saved me from the paw of the bear. And he’ll save me from the powerful hand of this Philistine too.”

Saul said to David, “Go. And may the Lord be with you.”

³⁸ Then Saul dressed David in his own military clothes. He put a coat of armor on him. He put a bronze helmet on his head. ³⁹ David put on Saul’s sword over his clothes. He walked around for a while in all that armor because he wasn’t used to it.

“I can’t go out there in all this armor,” he said to Saul. “I’m not used to it.” So he took it off. ⁴⁰ Then David picked up his wooden staff. He went down to a stream and chose five smooth stones. He put them in the pocket of his shepherd’s bag. Then he took his sling in his hand and approached Goliath.

⁴¹ At that same time, the Philistine kept coming closer to David. The man carrying Goliath’s shield walked along in front of him. ⁴² Goliath looked David over. He saw how young he was. He also saw how healthy and handsome he was. And he hated him. ⁴³ He said to David, “Why are you coming at me with sticks? Do you think I’m only a dog?” The Philistine cursed David in the name of his gods. ⁴⁴ “Come over here,” he said. “I’ll feed your body to the birds and wild animals!”

⁴⁵ David said to Goliath, “You are coming to fight against me with a sword, a spear and a javelin. But I’m coming against you in the name of the Lord who rules over all. He is the God of the armies of Israel. He’s the one you have dared to fight against. ⁴⁶ This day the Lord will give me the victory over you. I’ll strike you down. I’ll cut your head off. This day I’ll feed the bodies of the Philistine army to the birds and wild animals. Then the whole world will know there is a God in Israel. ⁴⁷ The Lord doesn’t rescue people by using a sword or a spear. And everyone here will know it. The battle belongs to the Lord. He will hand all of you over to us.”

⁴⁸ As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly to the battle line to meet him. ⁴⁹ He reached into his bag. He took out a stone. He put it in his sling. He slung it at Goliath. The stone hit him on the forehead and sank into it. He fell to the ground on his face.

⁵⁰ So David won the fight against Goliath with a sling and a stone. He struck down the Philistine and killed him. He did it without even using a sword.

⁵¹ David ran and stood over him. He picked up Goliath’s sword and cut off his head with it.

The Philistines saw that their hero was dead. So they turned around and ran away. ⁵² Then the men of Israel and Judah shouted and rushed forward. They chased the Philistines to the entrance of Gath. They chased them to the gates of Ekron. Bodies of dead Philistines were scattered all along the road to Gath and Ekron. That’s the road that leads to Shaaraim. ⁵³ Israel’s army returned from chasing the Philistines. They had taken everything from the Philistine camp.

⁵⁴ David picked up Goliath’s head. He brought it to Jerusalem. He put Goliath’s weapons in his own tent.

⁵⁵ Saul had been watching David as he went out to meet the Philistine. He spoke to Abner, the commander of the army. Saul said to him, “Abner, whose son is that young man?”

Abner replied, “Your Majesty, I don’t know. And that’s just as sure as you are alive.”

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

⁵⁷ After David killed Goliath, he returned to the camp. Then Abner brought him to Saul. David was still carrying Goliath’s head.

⁵⁸ “Young man, whose son are you?” Saul asked him.

David said, “I’m the son of Jesse from Bethlehem.”

Saul’s Growing Fear of David

18 David finished talking with Saul. After that, Jonathan and David became close friends. Jonathan loved David just as he loved himself. ² From that time on, Saul kept David with him. He didn’t let him return home to his family. ³ Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him just as he loved himself. ⁴ Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David. He also gave him his military clothes. He even gave him his sword, his bow and his belt.

⁵ David did everything Saul sent him to do. He did it so well that Saul gave him a high rank in the army. That pleased Saul’s whole army, including his officers.

⁶ After David had killed Goliath, the men of Israel returned home. The women came out of all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul. They danced and sang joyful songs. They played harps and tambourines. ⁷ As they danced, they sang,

⁸ That song made Saul very angry. It really upset him. He said to himself, “They are saying David has killed tens of thousands of men. But they are saying I’ve killed only thousands. The only thing left for him to get is the kingdom itself.” ⁹ From that time on, Saul watched David closely.

¹⁰ The next day an evil spirit sent by God came powerfully on Saul. Saul began to prophesy in his house. At that same time David began to play the harp, just as he usually did. Saul was holding a spear. ¹¹ He threw it at David. As he did, he said to himself, “I’ll pin David to the wall.” But David got away from him twice.

¹² The Lord had left Saul and was with David. So Saul was afraid of David. ¹³ He sent David away. He put him in command of 1,000 men. David led the troops in battle. ¹⁴ In everything he did, he was very successful. That’s because the Lord was with him. ¹⁵ When Saul saw how successful David was, he became afraid of him. ¹⁶ But all the troops of Israel and Judah loved David. That’s because he led them in battle.

¹⁷ Saul said to David, “Here is my older daughter Merab. I’ll give her to you to be your wife. Just serve me bravely and fight the Lord’s battles.” Saul said to himself, “I won’t have to lift my hand to strike him down. The Philistines will do that!”

¹⁸ But David said to Saul, “Who am I? Is anyone in my whole family that important in Israel? Am I worthy to become the king’s son-in-law?” ¹⁹ The time came for Saul to give his daughter Merab to David. Instead, Saul gave her to Adriel from Meholah to be his wife.

²⁰ Saul’s daughter Michal was in love with David. When they told Saul about it, he was pleased. ²¹ “I’ll give her to David to be his wife,” Saul said to himself. “Then maybe she’ll trap him. And maybe the Philistines will strike him down.” So Saul said to David, “Now you have a second chance to become my son-in-law.”

²² Then Saul gave an order to his attendants. He said, “Speak to David in private. Tell him, ‘The king likes you. All his attendants love you. So become his son-in-law.’ ”

²³ Saul’s attendants spoke those very words to David. But David said, “Do you think it’s a small thing to become the king’s son-in-law? I’m only a poor man. I’m not very well known.”

²⁴ Saul’s attendants told him what David had said. ²⁵ Saul said, “Tell David, ‘Here’s the price the king wants for the bride. He wants you to kill 100 Philistines. Then bring back the skins you cut off when you circumcise them. That’s how Saul will get even with his enemies.’ ” Saul hoped that the Philistines would strike David down.

²⁶ Saul’s attendants also told David those things. Then David was pleased to become the king’s son-in-law. So before the wedding day, ²⁷ David and his men went out and killed 200 Philistines. They circumcised the Philistines. Then David brought back all the skins. They counted out the full number and gave them to the king. By doing that, David could become the king’s son-in-law. So Saul gave David his daughter Michal to be his wife.

²⁸ Saul realized that the Lord was with David. He also realized that his daughter Michal loved David. ²⁹ So Saul became even more afraid of him. As long as Saul lived, he remained David’s enemy.

³⁰ The Philistine commanders kept on going out to battle. Every time they did, David had more success against them than the rest of Saul’s officers. So his name became well known.

Saul Tries to Kill David

19 Saul told his son Jonathan and all the attendants to kill David. But Jonathan liked David very much. ² So Jonathan warned him, “My father Saul is looking for a chance to kill you. Be very careful tomorrow morning. Find a place to hide and stay there. ³ My father and I will come and stand in the field where you are hiding. I’ll speak to him about you. Then I’ll tell you what I find out.”

⁴ Jonathan told his father Saul some good things about David. He said to him, “Please don’t do anything to harm David. He hasn’t done anything to harm you. And what he’s done has helped you a lot. ⁵ He put his own life in danger when he killed Goliath. The Lord used him to win a great battle for the whole nation of Israel. When you saw it, you were glad. So why would you do anything to harm a man like David? He isn’t guilty of doing anything to harm you. Why would you want to kill him without any reason?”

⁶ Saul paid attention to Jonathan. Saul made a promise. He said, “You can be sure that the Lord lives. And you can be just as sure that David will not be put to death.”

⁷ So Jonathan sent for David and told him everything he and Saul had said. Then he brought David to Saul. David served Saul as he had done before.

⁸ Once more war broke out. So David went out and fought against the Philistines. He struck them down with so much force that they ran away from him.

⁹ But an evil spirit sent by the Lord came on Saul. It happened as he was sitting in his house and holding his spear. While David was playing the harp, ¹⁰ Saul tried to pin him to the wall with his spear. But David got away from him just as Saul drove the spear into the wall. That night David escaped.

¹¹ Saul sent some men to watch David’s house. He told them to kill David the next morning. But David’s wife Michal warned him. She said, “You must run for your life tonight. If you don’t, tomorrow you will be killed.” ¹² So Michal helped David escape through a window. He ran and got away. ¹³ Then Michal got a statue of a god. She laid it on David’s bed. She covered it with clothes. And she put some goat hair at the place where David’s head would have been.

¹⁴ Saul sent the men to capture David. But Michal told them, “He’s sick.”

¹⁵ Then Saul sent the men back to see David. He told them, “Bring him up here to me in his bed. Then I’ll kill him.” ¹⁶ But when the men entered, the only thing they found in the bed was the statue. Some goat hair was at the place where David’s head would have been.

¹⁷ Saul said to Michal, “Why did you trick me like this? Why did you help my enemy escape?”

Michal told him, “He said to me, ‘Help me get away. If you don’t, I’ll kill you.’ ”

¹⁸ After David had run away and escaped, he went to Samuel at Ramah. He told him everything Saul had done to him. Then David and Samuel went to Naioth and stayed there. ¹⁹ Saul was told, “David is in Naioth at Ramah.” ²⁰ So Saul sent some men to capture him. When they got there, they saw a group of prophets who were prophesying. Samuel was standing there as their leader. Then the Spirit of God came on Saul’s men. So they also began to prophesy. ²¹ Saul was told about it. So he sent some more men. They began to prophesy too. Saul sent some men a third time. And they also began to prophesy. ²² Finally, Saul decided to go to Ramah himself. He went to the large well at Seku. He asked some people, “Where are Samuel and David?”

“Over in Naioth at Ramah,” they said.

²³ So Saul went to Naioth at Ramah. But the Spirit of God even came on him. He walked along and prophesied until he came to Naioth. ²⁴ There he took off his clothes. Then he also prophesied in front of Samuel. He lay there without his clothes on all that day and night. That’s why people say, “Is Saul also one of the prophets?”

David and Jonathan

20 David was in Naioth at Ramah. He ran away from there to where Jonathan was. He asked him, “What have I done? What crime have I committed? I haven’t done anything to harm your father. So why is he trying to kill me?”

² “That will never happen!” Jonathan replied. “You aren’t going to die! My father doesn’t do anything at all without letting me know. So why would he hide this from me? He isn’t going to kill you!”

³ But David strongly disagreed. He said, “Your father knows very well that you are pleased with me. He has said to himself, ‘I don’t want Jonathan to know I’m planning to kill David. If he finds out, he’ll be very sad.’ But I’m very close to being killed. And that’s just as sure as the Lord and you are alive.”

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

⁵ So David said, “Tomorrow is the time for the New Moon feast. I’m supposed to eat with the king. But let me go and hide in the field. I’ll stay there until the evening of the day after tomorrow. ⁶ Your father might miss me. If he does, then tell him, ‘David begged me to let him hurry home to Bethlehem. A yearly sacrifice is being offered there for his whole family group.’ ⁷ Your father might say, ‘That’s all right.’ If he does, it will mean I’m safe. But he might become very angry. If he does, you can be sure he’s made up his mind to harm me. ⁸ Please be kind to me. You have made a covenant with me in front of the Lord. If I’m guilty, kill me yourself! Don’t hand me over to your father!”

⁹ “I would never do that!” Jonathan said. “Suppose I had even the smallest clue that my father had made up his mind to harm you. Then I would tell you.”

¹⁰ David asked, “Who will tell me if your father answers you in a mean way?”

¹¹ “Come on,” Jonathan said. “Let’s go out to the field.” So they went there together.

¹² Then Jonathan spoke to David. He said, “I promise you that I’ll find out what my father is planning to do. I’ll find out by this time the day after tomorrow. The Lord, the God of Israel, is my witness. Suppose my father has kind feelings toward you. Then I’ll send you a message and let you know. ¹³ But suppose he wants to harm you. And I don’t let you know about it. Suppose I don’t help you get away in peace. Then may the Lord punish me greatly. May he be with you, just as he has been with my father. ¹⁴ But always be kind to me, just as the Lord is. Be kind to me as long as I live. Then I won’t be killed. ¹⁵ And never stop being kind to my family. Don’t stop even when the Lord has cut off every one of your enemies from the face of the earth.”

¹⁶ So Jonathan made a covenant of friendship with David and his family. He said, “May the Lord hold David’s enemies responsible for what they’ve done.” ¹⁷ Jonathan had David promise his friendship again because he loved him. In fact, Jonathan loved David just as he loved himself.

¹⁸ Then Jonathan said to David, “Tomorrow is the time for the New Moon feast. You will be missed, because your seat at the table will be empty. ¹⁹ Go to the place where you hid when all this trouble began. Go there the day after tomorrow, when evening is approaching. There’s a stone out there called Ezel. ²⁰ Wait by it. I’ll shoot three arrows to one side of the stone. I’ll pretend I’m practicing my shooting. ²¹ Then I’ll send a boy out there. I’ll tell him, ‘Go and find the arrows.’ Suppose I say to him, ‘The arrows are on this side of you. Bring them here.’ Then come. That will mean you are safe. You won’t be in any danger. And that’s just as sure as the Lord is alive. ²² But suppose I tell the boy, ‘The arrows are far beyond you.’ Then go. That will mean the Lord is sending you away. ²³ And remember what we talked about. Remember that the Lord is a witness between you and me forever.”

²⁴ So David hid in the field. When the time for the New Moon feast came, the king sat down to eat. ²⁵ He sat in his usual place by the wall. Jonathan sat across from him. Abner sat next to Saul. But David’s place was empty. ²⁶ Saul didn’t say anything that day. He said to himself, “Something must have happened to David to make him ‘unclean.’ That must be why he isn’t here.” ²⁷ But the next day, David’s place was empty again. It was the second day of the month. Finally, Saul spoke to his son Jonathan. He said, “Why hasn’t the son of Jesse come to the meal? He hasn’t been here yesterday or today.”

²⁸ Jonathan replied, “David begged me to let him go to Bethlehem. ²⁹ He said, ‘Let me go. Our family is offering a sacrifice in the town. My brother has ordered me to be there. Are you pleased with me? If you are, let me go and see my brothers.’ That’s why he hasn’t come to eat at your table.”

³⁰ Saul became very angry with Jonathan. He said to him, “You are an evil son. You have refused to obey me. I know that you are on the side of Jesse’s son. You should be ashamed of that. And your mother should be ashamed of having a son like you. ³¹ You will never be king as long as Jesse’s son lives on this earth. And you will never have a kingdom either. So send someone to bring the son of Jesse to me. He must die!”

³² “Why do you want to put him to death?” Jonathan asked his father. “What has he done?” ³³ But Saul threw his spear at Jonathan to kill him. Then Jonathan knew that his father wanted to kill David.

³⁴ So Jonathan got up from the table. He was very angry. On that second day of the feast, he refused to eat. He was very sad that his father was treating David so badly.

³⁵ The next morning Jonathan went out to the field to meet David. He took a young boy with him. ³⁶ He said to the boy, “Run and find the arrows I shoot.” As the boy ran, Jonathan shot an arrow far beyond him. ³⁷ The boy came to the place where Jonathan’s arrow had fallen. Then Jonathan shouted to him, “The arrow went far beyond you, didn’t it?” ³⁸ He continued, “Hurry up! Run fast! Don’t stop!” The boy picked up the arrow and returned to his master. ³⁹ The boy didn’t know what was going on. Only Jonathan and David knew. ⁴⁰ Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy. He told him, “Go back to town. Take the weapons with you.”

⁴¹ After the boy had gone, David got up from the south side of the stone. He bowed down in front of Jonathan with his face to the ground. He did it three times. Then they kissed each other and cried. But David cried more than Jonathan did.

⁴² Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace. In the name of the Lord we’ve promised to be friends. We have said, ‘The Lord is a witness between you and me. He’s a witness between your children and my children forever.’ ” Then David left, and Jonathan went back to the town.

David at Nob

21 David went to Ahimelek the priest at Nob. Ahimelek trembled with fear when he met him. He asked David, “Why are you alone? Why isn’t anyone with you?”

² David answered Ahimelek the priest, “The king gave me a special job to do. He said to me, ‘I don’t want anyone to know what I’m sending you to do. So don’t say anything about it.’ I’ve told my men to meet me at a certain place. ³ Do you have anything for us to eat? Give me five loaves of bread, or anything else you can find.”

⁴ But the priest answered David, “I don’t have any bread that isn’t holy. I only have some holy bread here. But it’s for men who haven’t slept with women recently.”

⁵ David replied, “Well, we haven’t slept with women recently. That’s the way it is every time I lead my men out to battle. We keep ourselves holy even when we do jobs that aren’t holy. And that’s even more true today.” ⁶ So the priest gave him the holy bread. It was the only bread he had. It had been removed from the table that was in front of the Lord. On the same day, hot bread had been put in its place.

⁷ One of Saul’s servants was there that day. He had been made to stay at the holy tent for a while. He was Doeg from Edom. Doeg was Saul’s chief shepherd.

⁸ David asked Ahimelek, “Don’t you have a spear or sword here? I haven’t brought my sword or any other weapon. That’s because the job the king gave me to do had to be done right away.”

⁹ The priest replied, “The sword of Goliath, the Philistine, is here. You killed him in the Valley of Elah. His sword is wrapped in a cloth. It’s behind the sacred linen apron. If you want it, take it. It’s the only sword here.”

David said, “There isn’t any sword like it. Give it to me.”

David at Gath

¹⁰ That day David ran away from Saul. He went to Achish, the king of Gath. ¹¹ But the servants of Achish spoke to him. They said, “Isn’t this David, the king of the land? Isn’t he the one the Israelites sing about when they dance? They sing,

¹² David paid close attention to what the servants were saying. He became very much afraid of what Achish, the king of Gath, might do. ¹³ So he pretended to be out of his mind when he was with them. As long as he was in Gath, he acted like a crazy person. He made marks on the doors of the city gate. He let spit run down his beard.

¹⁴ Achish said to his servants, “Just look at the man! He’s out of his mind! Why are you bringing him to me? ¹⁵ Don’t I have enough crazy people around me already? So why do you have to bring this fellow here? Just look at how he’s carrying on in front of me! Why do you have to bring this man into my house?”

David at Adullam and Mizpah

22 David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. His brothers and the other members of his family heard about it. So they went down to join him there. ² Everyone who was in trouble or owed money or was unhappy gathered around him. He became their commander. About 400 men were 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 will do for me.” ⁴ So David left his parents with the king of Moab. They stayed with him as long as David was in his usual place of safety.

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

Saul Kills the Priests at Nob

⁶ Saul heard that the place where David and his men were hiding had been discovered. Saul was sitting under a tamarisk tree on the hill at Gibeah. He was holding his spear. All his officials were standing at his side. ⁷ Saul said to them, “Men of Benjamin, listen to me! Do you think Jesse’s son will give all of you fields and vineyards? Do you think he’ll make some of you commanders of thousands of men? Do you think he’ll make the rest of you commanders of hundreds? ⁸ Is that why all of you have joined together against me? No one tells me when my son makes a covenant with Jesse’s son. None of you is concerned about me. No one tells me that my son has stirred up Jesse’s son to hide and wait to attack me. But that’s exactly what’s happening now.”

⁹ Doeg was standing with Saul’s officials. He was from Edom. He said, “I saw Jesse’s son David come to Ahimelek at Nob. Ahimelek is the son of Ahitub. ¹⁰ Ahimelek asked the Lord a question for David. He also gave him food and the sword of Goliath, the Philistine.”

¹¹ Then the king sent for the priest Ahimelek, the son of Ahitub. The king also sent for all the men in his family. They were the priests at Nob. All of them came to the king. ¹² Saul said, “Son of Ahitub, listen to me.”

“Yes, master,” he answered.

¹³ Saul said to him, “Why have you and Jesse’s son joined together against me? Why did you give him bread and a sword? Why did you ask God a question for him? Now he has turned against me. He is hiding and waiting to attack me right now.”

¹⁴ Ahimelek answered the king, “David is faithful to you. In fact, he’s more faithful to you than anyone else who serves you. He’s your own son-in-law. He’s the captain of your own personal guards. He’s highly respected by everyone in your palace. ¹⁵ Was that day the first time I asked God a question for him? Of course not! Please don’t bring charges against me. Please don’t bring charges against anyone in my family. I don’t know anything at all about this whole matter.”

¹⁶ But the king said, “Ahimelek, you will certainly be put to death. You and your whole family will be put to death.”

¹⁷ Then the king gave an order to the guards at his side. He said, “Go and kill the priests of the Lord. They are on David’s side too. They knew he was running away from me. And they didn’t even tell me.”

But the king’s officials wouldn’t raise a hand to strike down the priests of the Lord.

¹⁸ Then the king ordered Doeg, “You go and strike down the priests.” So Doeg, the Edomite, went and struck them down. That day he killed 85 priests who wore linen aprons. ¹⁹ He also killed the people of Nob with his sword. Nob was a town where priests lived. Doeg killed its men and women. He killed its children and babies. He also destroyed its cattle, donkeys and sheep.

²⁰ But Abiathar, a son of Ahimelek, escaped. Ahimelek was the son of Ahitub. Abiathar ran away and joined David. ²¹ He told David that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord. ²² Then David said to Abiathar, “One day I was at Nob. I saw Doeg, the Edomite, there. I knew he would be sure to tell Saul. Your whole family has been killed. And I’m responsible for it. ²³ So stay with me. Don’t be afraid. The man who wants to kill you wants to kill me too. You will be safe with me.”

David Saves the People of Keilah

23 David was told, “The Philistines are fighting against the town of Keilah. They are stealing grain from the threshing floors.” ² So he asked the Lord for advice. He said, “Should I go and attack those Philistines?”

The Lord answered him, “Go and attack them. Save Keilah.”

³ But David’s men said to him, “We’re afraid here in Judah. Suppose we go to Keilah and fight against the Philistine army. Then we’ll be even more afraid.”

⁴ Once again David asked the Lord what he should do. The Lord answered him, “Go down to Keilah. I am going to hand the Philistines over to you.” ⁵ So David and his men went to Keilah. They fought against the Philistines and carried off their livestock. David wounded and killed large numbers of Philistines. And he saved the people of Keilah. ⁶ Abiathar, the son of Ahimelek, had brought down the sacred linen apron with him from Nob. He did it when he ran away to David at Keilah.

Saul Chases David

⁷ Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah. He said, “God has handed him over to me. David has trapped himself by entering a town that has gates with metal bars.” ⁸ So Saul brought together all his soldiers to go to battle. He ordered them to go down to Keilah. He told them to surround David and his men. He told them to get ready to attack them.

⁹ David learned that Saul was planning to attack him. So he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the linen apron.” ¹⁰ Then David said, “Lord, you are the God of Israel. I know for sure that Saul plans to come to Keilah. He plans to destroy the town because of me. ¹¹ Will the citizens of Keilah hand me over to him? Will Saul come down here, as I’ve heard he would? Lord, you are the God of Israel. Please answer me.”

The Lord said, “He will come down.”

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

And the Lord said, “They will.”

¹³ So David and his men left Keilah. The total number of them was about 600. They kept moving from place to place. Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah. So he didn’t go there.

¹⁴ Sometimes David stayed in places of safety in the desert. At other times he stayed in the hills of the Desert of Ziph. Day after day Saul looked for him. But God didn’t hand David over to him.

¹⁵ David was at Horesh in the Desert of Ziph. There he learned that Saul had come out to kill him. ¹⁶ Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh. He told David that God would make him strong. ¹⁷ “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “My father Saul won’t harm you. You will be king over Israel. And I will be next in command. Even my father Saul knows this.” ¹⁸ The two of them made a covenant of friendship in front of the Lord. Then Jonathan went home. But David remained at Horesh.

¹⁹ The people of Ziph went up to Saul at Gibeah. They said, “David is hiding among us. He’s hiding in places of safety at Horesh. Horesh is south of Jeshimon on the hill of Hakilah. ²⁰ Your Majesty, come down when it pleases you to come. It will be our duty to hand David over to you.”

²¹ Saul replied, “May the Lord bless you because you were concerned about me. ²² Make sure you are right. Go and check things out again. Find out where David usually goes. Find out who has seen him there. People tell me he’s very tricky. ²³ Find out about all the hiding places he uses. Come back to me with all the facts. I’ll go with you. Suppose he’s in the area. Then I’ll track him down among all the family groups of Judah.”

²⁴ So they started out. They went to Ziph ahead of Saul. David and his men were in the Desert of Maon. Maon is south of Jeshimon in the Arabah Valley. ²⁵ Saul and his men started out to look for David. David was told about it. So he went down to a rock in the Desert of Maon to hide. Saul heard he was there. So he went into the Desert of Maon to chase David.

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 army were closing in on David and his men. They were about to capture them. ²⁷ Just then a messenger came to Saul. He said, “Come quickly! The Philistines are attacking the land.” ²⁸ So Saul stopped chasing David. He went to fight against the Philistines. That’s why they call that place Sela Hammahlekoth. ²⁹ David left that place. He went and lived in places of safety near En Gedi.

David Doesn’t Kill Saul When He Has the Chance

24 Saul returned from chasing the Philistines. Then he was told, “David is in the Desert of En Gedi.” ² So Saul took 3,000 of the best soldiers from the whole nation of Israel. He started out to look for David and his men. He planned to look near the Rocky Cliffs of the Wild Goats.

³ He came to some sheep pens along the way. A cave was there. Saul went in to go to the toilet. David and his men were far back in the cave. ⁴ David’s men said, “This is the day the Lord told you about. He said to you, ‘I will hand your enemy over to you. Then you can deal with him as you want to.’ ” So David came up close to Saul without being seen. He cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.

⁵ Later, David felt sorry that he had cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. ⁶ He said to his men, “May the Lord keep me from doing a thing like that again to my master. He is the Lord’s anointed king. So I promise that I will never lay my hand on him. The Lord has anointed him.”