Bible in 90 Days

David Is Chosen as King

16 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I see a king for myself among his sons.”

² Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.”

The Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ ³ Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will let you know what you are to do. You are to anoint for me the person that I point out to you.”

⁴ So Samuel did what the Lord had told him to do and went to Bethlehem. Trembling with fear, the elders of the city came to meet him. They said, “Do you come in peace?”

⁵ He said, “Yes, in peace. I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” He consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

⁶ When they had come, he looked at Eliab and said, “Certainly this is the Lord’s anointed.”

⁷ But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at how tall he is, because I have rejected him. For the Lord does not look at things the way man does. For man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

⁸ Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.”

⁹ Then Jesse had Shammah pass by. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.”

¹⁰ Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel. Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen any of these.” ¹¹ Samuel said to Jesse, “Is that all of the young men?”

Jesse said, “There still is the youngest, but he is tending the sheep.”

Samuel said to Jesse, “Send for him, for we cannot sit down to eat until he comes.”

¹² He sent for him and brought him in. David had red hair^[a] and striking eyes, and was good-looking. The Lord said, “Get up! Anoint him, because this is the one.”

¹³ So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers. The Spirit of the Lord rushed on David with power from that day forward. After that Samuel set out and returned to Ramah.

David and Saul Meet

¹⁴ The Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil^[b] spirit from the Lord tormented him.

¹⁵ So Saul’s servants said to him, “Please listen to us. An evil spirit from God is tormenting you. ¹⁶ Our lord, please command your servants who are here with you to seek out a man who is skilled at playing the lyre. Then when the evil spirit from God is on you, he will play the lyre,^[c] and you will feel better.”

¹⁷ So Saul said to his servants, “Find a man who can play well and bring him to me.”

¹⁸ Then one of the young attendants replied, “As a matter of fact, I have seen a son of Jesse from Bethlehem who is a skillful player. He is a strong, brave man, fit for war. He shows good judgment in what he says and is a handsome man. And the Lord is with him.”

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

²⁰ Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a container of wine, and a young goat, and he sent them with his son David to Saul. ²¹ David came to Saul and stood before him. Saul loved him, and David became his armor bearer. ²² So Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Permit David to remain and serve me, for I am very pleased with him.” ²³ Whenever the spirit from God came over Saul, David would take the lyre in his hand and play. So Saul would be soothed and feel better, and the evil spirit would depart from him.

David and Goliath

17 Now the Philistines gathered their troops for battle. They gathered at Sokoh,^[d] which belongs to Judah, and they camped between Sokoh and Azekah at Ephes Dammim. ² Saul and the men of Israel also gathered together and camped in the Valley of Elah. They lined up in battle formation opposite the Philistines. ³ The Philistines took up a position in front of the mountain on one side of the valley, and the Israelites stationed themselves in front of the mountain on the other side of the valley.

⁴ A challenger who represented the Philistines came out from the camp of the Philistines. He was named Goliath of Gath. He was nine feet, six inches tall.^{[e] 5} He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he wore scaled body armor, which was made of more than one hundred pounds^[f] of bronze. ⁶ He had bronze greaves on his shins and a bronze spear slung between his shoulders. ⁷ The shaft^[g] of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his spearhead was made of fifteen pounds^[h] of iron. His shield bearer went out ahead of him.

⁸ He would stand up and shout to the armies of Israel, “Why have you come out to line up in battle formation? I am a Philistine, and you are servants of Saul, aren’t you? Choose a man to represent you, and let him come down to me. ⁹ If he is able to fight with me and kill me, we will be your servants. But if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our servants, and you will serve us.” ¹⁰ The Philistine would say, “I defy the ranks of Israel today! Give me a man, and we will fight each other!” ¹¹ When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they lost their courage and were terrified.

^{[i] 12} Now David was the son of an Ephrathite from Bethlehem in Judah, whose name was Jesse. Jesse had eight sons. In the days of Saul, Jesse was a very old man. ¹³ The three oldest sons of Jesse had accompanied Saul to the battleground. The names of his three sons who went to the battle were his firstborn Eliab, next Abinadab, and third Shammah. ¹⁴ David was the youngest son. The three oldest accompanied Saul. ¹⁵ During this time David went back and forth from Saul to take care of his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.

¹⁶ The Philistine came out each morning and evening for forty days and presented his challenge.

¹⁷ Jesse said to his son David, “Take twenty-five pounds^[j] of this roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers. Deliver them quickly to the camp for your brothers. ¹⁸ Also take these ten blocks of cheese to the commander of their unit.^[k] See how your brothers are doing and bring back some assurance they are okay.”

¹⁹ Now Saul, David’s brothers, and all the men of Israel were in the Valley of Elah to fight with the Philistines.

²⁰ David got up early in the morning and left the sheep with someone who would watch them. He took the supplies and set out as Jesse had commanded him. He arrived at the outer defense line of the camp just as the army was marching out to line up in battle formation, shouting war cries as they went. ²¹ Israel and the Philistines were lining up for battle, one formation against the other. ²² After David had handed over his provisions to the supply officer, he ran to the battlefront, where he met and greeted his brothers.

²³ As he was talking with them there, he saw the Philistine challenger named Goliath of Gath coming up out of the ranks of the Philistines. He repeated his usual words, and David heard them. ²⁴ (Whenever they saw the man, all the men of Israel fled from him and were terrified.) ²⁵ An Israelite had said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? He keeps coming up to taunt Israel. The king will give great riches to the man who kills him. He will give his daughter to him in marriage and make his father’s house exempt from taxes in Israel.”

²⁶ David spoke to the men who stood near him. He asked, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine who dares to defy the troops of the living God?”

²⁷ The people again told him what would be done for the man who killed Goliath.

²⁸ When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard David speaking to the men, he burned with anger against David. He said, “Why have you come down? Who is taking care of those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the mischief in your heart. You have come down just to see the battle.”

²⁹ David said, “What have I done now? Can’t I say anything?”^{[l] 30} So David turned away from him toward another person, and he asked the same thing again, and the soldiers again answered him the same way. ³¹ When they heard what David said, they reported it to Saul, and he sent for David. ³² David said to Saul, “Do not let anyone lose heart because of this Philistine! Your servant will go and fight him.”

³³ But Saul said to David, “You cannot go against this Philistine to fight with him, because you are just a boy, and he has been a warrior since he was a youth.”

³⁴ David said to Saul, “Your servant has been taking care of his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock, ³⁵ I went after it and struck it and rescued the lamb out of its mouth. When the lion reared up against me, I grabbed it by its mane, struck it, and killed it. ³⁶ Your servant struck both the lion and the bear. This uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has defied the ranks of the living God.” ³⁷ David added, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”

Saul said to David, “Go then! May the Lord be with you.” ³⁸ So Saul dressed David in his own gear.^[m] He placed a bronze helmet on his head and dressed him in scaled body armor. ³⁹ David strapped his sword over his gear. David tried to walk around in them, since he had never trained with this kind of equipment before.

David said to Saul, “I cannot go in these, because I have never trained with them.” So David took them off.

⁴⁰ Then David took his staff in his hand and picked five smooth stones out of the stream bed and put them into the pouch of his shepherd’s bag. He took his sling in his hand and approached the Philistine.

⁴¹ The Philistine kept walking and got closer and closer to David. The man who was carrying his shield was walking ahead of him. ⁴² When the Philistine got a good look at David, he despised him, because David was just a boy, nothing but a good-looking, red-headed boy.^[n]

⁴³ The Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come against me with sticks?” The Philistine cursed David by his gods. ⁴⁴ The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will feed your flesh to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the countryside.”

⁴⁵ Then David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord of Armies, the God of the ranks of Israel, whom you have defied. ⁴⁶ Today the Lord will hand you over to me. I will strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the earth. Then all the earth will know that there is a God in Israel, ⁴⁷ and all those gathered here will know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear, for the battle belongs to the Lord, and he will deliver you into our hand.”

⁴⁸ Then, when the Philistine started advancing to attack David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. ⁴⁹ David put his hand into his bag, took a stone from it, shot it from his sling, and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown to the ground.

⁵⁰ So David defeated the Philistine with a sling and a stone. He struck the Philistine and killed him, even though David did not have a sword in his hand. ⁵¹ So David ran, stood over the Philistine, took hold of his sword, drew it out of its sheath, killed him, and cut off his head with it.

When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. ⁵² The men of Israel and Judah got up, cheering loudly, and pursued the Philistines toward the entrance of the valley, all the way to the gates of Ekron. Fatally-wounded Philistines lined the road from Sha’araim all the way to Gath and Ekron. ⁵³ When the Israelites returned from pursuing the Philistines, they plundered their camp. ⁵⁴ David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put the Philistine’s armor and weapons into his tent.

David and Saul’s Family

⁵⁵ When Saul saw David go out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is this young man?”

Abner said, “As your soul lives, my King, I do not know.”

⁵⁶ The king said, “Inquire whose son the young man is!”

⁵⁷ As David returned from striking down the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul, with the head of the Philistine in his hand. ⁵⁸ Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?”

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

18 When David had finished speaking to Saul, the soul^[o] of Jonathan became bound to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved David as he loved his own soul.^{[p] 2} Saul took David into his service that day and would not let him go back to his father’s house anymore. ³ Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because Jonathan loved David as his own soul. ⁴ Jonathan took off the robe that he was wearing and gave it to David, as well as his other gear, including his sword, his bow, and his belt.

⁵ David went out wherever Saul sent him, and he was successful. So Saul put him in charge of a group of soldiers. All the people approved, as did Saul’s officials.

⁶ As the army was coming back from battle, when David was returning from striking down the Philistine, women came out from all the cities of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful music, with hand drums, and with noisemakers.^{[q] 7} The women sang to each other as they played:

⁸ Saul became furious, because he resented this statement. He said, “They have credited David with tens of thousands, but to me they have credited only thousands. What more can be given to him but the kingship?” ⁹ So Saul eyed David suspiciously from that day on.

¹⁰ On the next day, an evil spirit from God overcame Saul, and in a frenzy he prophesied inside the house. David had a lyre in his hand. He was playing as he did day by day. Saul had his spear in his hand. ¹¹ He hurled the spear, because he thought, “I will pin David to the wall!” But David escaped from his presence twice.

¹² Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with David but had departed from Saul. ¹³ So Saul sent David away from his court and made him a commander over a unit of a thousand. So David led the army out to battle and back again. ¹⁴ David was successful in everything he did, and the Lord was with him. ¹⁵ When Saul saw that David was so successful, he was even more afraid of him. ¹⁶ But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he led them out to battle and back again.

¹⁷ Saul said to David, “Look, here is my oldest daughter Merab. I will give her to you as your wife. Just be a strong warrior for me, and fight the Lord’s battles.” For Saul thought, “It won’t be my hand against him, but it will be the hand of the Philistines against him.”

¹⁸ David said to Saul, “Who am I, and what is the status of my father’s clan in Israel, that I would be able to become the son-in-law of the king?”

¹⁹ When the time came that Saul’s daughter Merab was supposed to have been given to David, she was given to Adriel of Meholah as his wife.

²⁰ Michal, Saul’s other daughter, loved David. When they told Saul about it, this situation pleased him. ²¹ Saul said, “I will give her to him, so that she will be a snare for him, and the hand of the Philistines will be against him.”

So Saul said to David, “Today you have another opportunity to become my son-in-law.”

²² Saul commanded his officials to speak with David privately and to say, “Look, the king is delighted with you, and all his officials love you, so you should become the king’s son-in-law.” ²³ Saul’s officials spoke those words to David’s ears.

But David said, “Does it seem to you to be a trivial thing for me to be the king’s son-in-law, since I am a poor man and not highly regarded?”

²⁴ Then Saul’s officials told him what David had said.

²⁵ So Saul said, “Tell David that the king desires no price for the bride except one hundred foreskins of the Philistines, for revenge against the king’s enemies.” Saul intended to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines.

²⁶ When Saul’s officials told David these words, David was very pleased to become the king’s son-in-law. Before the deadline, ²⁷ David got up and went out with his men and killed two hundred men of the Philistines. Then David brought their foreskins and counted them out for the king, so that he could become the king’s son-in-law.

Then Saul gave his daughter Michal to David as his wife. ²⁸ Saul realized that the Lord was with David and that Michal, his daughter, loved David. ²⁹ So Saul was even more afraid of David, and he was hostile to David all the time.

³⁰ The commanders of the Philistines were regularly going out for battle, and as often as they went out, David was more successful than all the other officers of Saul. So his name was highly regarded.

19 Saul told his son Jonathan and all his officials that they should kill David. But Saul’s son Jonathan had great admiration and respect for David. ² So Jonathan told David, “My father Saul wants to kill you. So be careful tomorrow morning. Settle down in a hiding place and conceal yourself. ³ I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will talk with my father about you. I will see what the situation is, and I will tell you.”

⁴ Jonathan spoke favorably about David to his father Saul. He said to him, “The king should not sin against his servant David, because he has not sinned against you, and his actions have served you very well. ⁵ He took his life into his hands when he struck the Philistine, and the Lord brought about a great victory for all Israel. You saw it, and you celebrated. Why then would you sin against innocent blood by killing David without cause?”

⁶ Saul listened to the advice of Jonathan, and Saul swore, “As the Lord lives, he shall not be put to death.”

⁷ So Jonathan called David and told him about all those things. Then Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he served in his presence as he had before.

⁸ Later, war broke out again. David went out and fought against the Philistines and inflicted a severe defeat on them, and they fled from him.

⁹ An evil spirit from the Lord came upon Saul as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. David was playing the lyre. ¹⁰ Saul tried to pin David to the wall with the spear, but David evaded Saul’s attempt, and Saul’s spear stuck in the wall. That night David fled and successfully escaped.

¹¹ Saul sent messengers to watch David’s house and to kill him in the morning, but David’s wife Michal told him, “If you do not do something to save your life tonight, by tomorrow you will be put to death.” ¹² So Michal let David down through the window. He took off, got away, and escaped. ¹³ Michal took a household idol and laid it in the bed. She put something made of goat hair on its head and covered the statue with clothing. ¹⁴ When Saul sent messengers to capture David, she said, “He is sick.”

¹⁵ So Saul sent the messengers to see David for themselves. He said, “Bring him to me on the bed, so I can kill him.” ¹⁶ When the messengers came in, they saw that the idol was in the bed with the goat hair on its head.

¹⁷ Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me like this and let my enemy go, so that he has escaped?”

Michal answered Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go! Why should I have to kill you?’”

¹⁸ So David ran away and successfully escaped.

David’s Flight From Saul

David came to Samuel at Ramah and told him about everything that Saul had done to him. So he and Samuel went and stayed in Naioth. ¹⁹ Saul was told, “Look, David is at Naioth in Ramah.”

²⁰ Saul sent messengers to seize David, but when they saw an assembly^[r] of the prophets prophesying, with Samuel standing there as their leader, the Spirit of God came on Saul’s messengers, and they also prophesied. ²¹ When Saul was told about it, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. So Saul sent messengers a third time, and they also prophesied.

²² Then Saul himself went to Ramah and came to the large cistern at Seku. He asked, “Where are Samuel and David?”

Someone told him, “They are at Naioth in Ramah.”

²³ So Saul headed for Naioth in Ramah. Then the Spirit of God came on him also, and he walked along prophesying, until he came to Naioth in Ramah. ²⁴ He also stripped off his clothing and prophesied in the presence of Samuel. He fell down and lay there naked all that day and all that night. Therefore it is said, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”

20 David fled from Naioth in Ramah. He came to Jonathan and asked, “What have I done? Am I guilty of something? What is my sin against your father that makes him seek my life?”

² Jonathan said to him, “A curse on me if that happens.^[s] You will not die. Look, my father does nothing whether important or unimportant without telling me about it. Why would my father hide this from me? It is not so.”

³ But David took an oath and said, “Your father certainly knows that I have found favor in your eyes, so he might say, ‘Do not let Jonathan know about this, or he will be very upset.’ But as surely as the Lord lives, and as surely as your soul lives, there is only a step between me and death.”

⁴ Then Jonathan said to David, “Ask me for whatever you really want, and I will do it for you.”

⁵ David said to Jonathan, “Listen, tomorrow is the new moon, and I am expected to dine with the king, but let me go so that I can hide in the countryside until the evening of the third day. ⁶ If your father misses me at all, say, ‘David urged me to excuse him so that he could run to Bethlehem, his hometown, because it is the annual sacrifice there for his entire family.’ ⁷ If he says, ‘That is fine,’ your servant will be at peace. But if it really displeases him, then you will know that he is planning evil. ⁸ You must show kindness to your servant, because you have made a covenant in the name of the Lord with me, your servant. But if I am guilty of anything, kill me yourself. Why should you bring me to your father?”

⁹ Jonathan said, “A curse on me if that occurs, because if I knew that my father was planning to harm you, wouldn’t I tell you?”

¹⁰ Then David said to Jonathan, “Who will tell me if your father gives you a harsh response?”

¹¹ Jonathan said to David, “Come, let’s go out into the field.” So the two of them went out into the field. ¹² Jonathan said to David, “I swear by the Lord, the God of Israel! About this time tomorrow or the day after, when I have tested my father to see if he is favorably inclined toward David, I will send word to you so that you hear about it. ¹³ May the Lord punish Jonathan severely and double it,^[t] if my father is planning to harm you and I do not disclose it to you and send you on your way, so that you may go in peace. May the Lord be with you, as he has been with my father. ¹⁴ You must show the mercy of the Lord to me, not only while I am still alive, so that I do not die, ¹⁵ but you also must not cut off your mercy from my house forever—no, not even when the Lord has cut off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.” ¹⁶ So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the Lord demand an accounting from David’s enemies.” ¹⁷ Then Jonathan had David repeat the oath, because of the love that he had for him, for he loved him as he loved his own soul.

¹⁸ Jonathan said to him, “Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty. ¹⁹ On the third day,^[u] go down quickly to the place where you hid on the previous occasion and stay by the stone named Ezel. ²⁰ I will shoot three arrows off to the side of it, as if I were shooting at a target. ²¹ I will send the boy out and say, ‘Go and find the arrows!’ If I yell to the boy, ‘Hey! The arrows are closer this way. Come and pick them up,’ then you can come to me, because you are safe and, as the Lord lives, there is no danger. ²² But if I yell to the boy, ‘Hey! The arrows are farther out,’ then go on your way, for the Lord has sent you away. ²³ Concerning this matter that you and I have spoken about, the Lord stands as a witness between you and me^[v] forever.”

²⁴ So David hid in the countryside. When the new moon came, the king sat down to eat his meal. ²⁵ The king sat at his usual seat next to the wall. Jonathan was across from him,^[w] and Abner sat next to Saul, but David’s place was empty. ²⁶ Nevertheless, Saul did not say anything that day, since he thought, “Something has happened to him to make him ceremonially unclean. That’s what it is—he must be unclean.”

²⁷ On the day after the new moon, the second day of the month, David’s place was still empty. So Saul asked his son Jonathan, “Why didn’t the son of Jesse come to the meal, either yesterday or today?”

²⁸ Jonathan answered Saul, “David begged me for permission to go to Bethlehem. ²⁹ He said, ‘Please let me go, because our family has a sacrifice in the city. My brother has ordered me to be there. Now, if I have found favor in your eyes, please excuse me so I can go and see my brothers.’ That is why he has not come to the king’s table.”

³⁰ Then Saul’s anger burned against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverted, unfaithful woman! Don’t I know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness?^{[x] 31} For as long as the son of Jesse lives on this earth, you will not be established, nor will your kingship. So send for him and bring him to me, because he must surely die!”

³² Jonathan answered his father Saul, “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?”

³³ Saul threw his spear at him to hit him. So Jonathan knew that his father was determined to put David to death. ³⁴ Jonathan got up from the table in fierce anger, and he ate no food on the second day of the month, for he grieved for David, because his father had treated David so shamefully.

³⁵ In the morning Jonathan went out into the field at the time he had set with David. He took a young servant boy with him. ³⁶ He said to his boy, “Run out and find the arrows that I shoot.” As the boy ran, Jonathan shot an arrow beyond him. ³⁷ When the boy reached the area where Jonathan’s arrow had landed, Jonathan yelled to the boy, “Isn’t the arrow farther out from you?” ³⁸ Jonathan shouted to the boy, “Go faster! Hurry up! Don’t be slow!” Jonathan’s boy picked up the arrows and came back to his master. ³⁹ The boy did not know anything about what was going on. Only Jonathan and David knew. ⁴⁰ Jonathan gave his equipment to his boy and told him, “Go on ahead. Carry these things into the city.”

⁴¹ As soon as the boy was gone, David got up from the south side of the mound.^[y] He fell down with his face to the ground and bowed three times. They kissed one another and wept together, but David wept more. ⁴² Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, because we have both sworn in the Lord’s name. May the Lord stand between you and me and between my offspring and your offspring forever.” David got up and left, and Jonathan went back into the city.

David and the Priests

21 David came to Ahimelek the priest at Nob. When he came to meet David, Ahimelek was trembling with fear, and he said to David, “Why are you alone? Why isn’t there anyone with you?”^[z]

² David said to Ahimelek the priest, “The king sent me on a mission and told me, ‘Don’t let anyone know anything about where I am sending you or about your orders.’ I have instructed the young men to wait for me at a certain place. ³ So what do you have on hand? Please give me five loaves of bread, or whatever is available.”

⁴ The priest answered David, “I do not have any ordinary bread, but there is holy^[aa] bread—I can give it to you^[ab] only if your young men have kept themselves away from women.”^[ac]

⁵ David answered the priest, “Yes indeed, women have been kept away from us just as they have been on previous occasions. Whenever I go out on a mission, the bodies^[ad] of the young men are kept holy even if it is only an ordinary journey. How much more then shall their bodies be holy today?”

⁶ So the priest gave him holy bread, because there was no bread there except for the Bread of the Presence which had been removed from the presence of the Lord and replaced with hot bread.

⁷ Now one of Saul’s servants was present that day, detained before the Lord. His name was Doeg the Edomite. He was in charge of Saul’s shepherds.

⁸ David said to Ahimelek, “Don’t you have a spear or sword on hand here? I didn’t bring my sword or my gear with me, because the king’s mission was so urgent.”

⁹ The priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here. It is wrapped in a cloth behind the place where the special vest is kept. If you would like to take that, take it, because there is nothing else here.”

David said, “There is no other like that one. Give it to me.”

David Among the Philistines

¹⁰ David quickly fled from Saul that day and went to Achish king of Gath. ¹¹ The officials of Achish said to him, “Isn’t this David, the king of the land? Didn’t they dance and sing songs about him, saying, ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands’?”

¹² David took those words to heart, so he was very afraid of Achish king of Gath. ¹³ He changed his behavior in their presence and pretended to be insane while he was in their hands. He scribbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spit run down his beard. ¹⁴ Then Achish said to his servants, “Look, can’t you see that the man is insane? Why have you brought him to me? ¹⁵ Don’t I have enough madmen? Did you have to bring this madman into my presence? Should I keep this man in my house?”

Further Stops on David’s Flight

22 So David departed from there and escaped to the cave at Adullam. When his brothers and his father’s entire household heard about it, they went down to join him there. ² Everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered around him, and he became their commander. There were about four hundred men with him.

³ David went from there to Mizpah in Moab, and he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and mother come and stay with you, until I find out what God will do for me.” ⁴ So he brought them to the king of Moab, and they stayed with him the whole time that David was in the stronghold.

⁵ The prophet Gad said to David, “Do not stay in the stronghold. Leave and go to the land of Judah.” So David left and went to the Forest of Hereth.

The Massacre of the Priests

⁶ Saul heard that David and the men with him had been located.

Saul was sitting under the tamarisk tree on an elevated location in Gibeah. He had his spear in his hand, and all his attendants were standing around him. ⁷ Saul said to his attendants who were standing around him, “Listen, you Benjaminites! Will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards? Will he make you all officers over thousands and officers over hundreds? ⁸ So why have all of you conspired against me? Why is there no one who informs me when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse? Why is there not one of you who sympathizes with me or informs me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, so that he is waiting to ambush me, as he is today?”

⁹ Then Doeg the Edomite, who was standing beside Saul’s attendants, replied, “I saw the son of Jesse come to Ahimelek son of Ahitub at Nob. ¹⁰ The priest inquired of the Lord for him and gave him supplies and the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”

¹¹ Then the king summoned the priest, Ahimelek son of Ahitub, along with all of his father’s house, that is, all the priests who were in Nob, and all of them came to the king. ¹² Saul said, “Listen, you son of Ahitub.”

He answered, “I am listening, my lord.”

¹³ Saul said to him, “Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, by giving him bread and a sword and inquiring of God for him, so that he can rise up against me and lie in ambush, as he is doing today?”

¹⁴ Then Ahimelek answered the king, “Who among all your servants is as faithful as David? He is the king’s son-in-law, the head of your elite troops,^[ae] and is honored in your house. ¹⁵ Have I just begun to inquire of God for him today? Certainly not! The king should not charge anything against his servant or against all the house of my father, for your servant knows nothing at all about this matter, in whole or in part.”

¹⁶ The king said, “You shall certainly die, Ahimelek, you and all your father’s house.” ¹⁷ Then the king said to the bodyguards^[af] who were standing around him, “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because their hand too is with David. They knew that he was fleeing, but they did not inform me.”

But the attendants of the king would not raise a hand against the priests of the Lord.

¹⁸ The king said to Doeg, “You turn and attack the priests!”

Doeg the Edomite turned and attacked the priests. On that day he killed eighty-five men who wore the special linen garment.^{[ag] 19} He struck Nob, the city of the priests, with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and nursing babies, as well as cattle, donkeys, and sheep—all of them with the edge of the sword. ²⁰ But one of the sons of Ahimelek son of Ahitub, whose name was Abiathar, escaped and fled to David.

²¹ Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the Lord’s priests.

²² David said to Abiathar, “On that day when Doeg the Edomite was present, I knew without a doubt that he would tell Saul. I am responsible for the death of all the members of your father’s house. ²³ Stay with me. Do not be afraid, for the one who seeks my life also seeks your life. You will be safe with me.”

David and the People of Keilah

23 David was told, “Here’s news! The Philistines are fighting against Keilah and plundering the threshing floors.”

² So David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go and strike these Philistines?”

The Lord said to David, “Go strike the Philistines and save Keilah.”

³ But David’s men said to him, “Look how afraid we are here in Judah! How much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines!”

⁴ Then David inquired of the Lord again, and the Lord answered him, “Set out and go down to Keilah, for I will deliver the Philistines into your hand.”

⁵ So David and his men went to Keilah and fought against the Philistines. He took away their livestock and struck a heavy blow against the Philistines. David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.

⁶ (When Abiathar son of Ahimelek fled with David to Keilah, he had brought the special vest, which was in his possession.)

⁷ When Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah, he said, “God has delivered him into my hand, since David has trapped himself by entering a city that has barred gates.” ⁸ Then Saul summoned all the fighting men to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men.

⁹ David knew that Saul was planning to harm him, so he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the special vest here.” ¹⁰ Then David said, “O Lord, the God of Israel, your servant has heard a specific report that Saul plans to come to Keilah to destroy the city because of me. ¹¹ Will the citzens of Keilah hand me over to him? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? O Lord, God of Israel, please tell your servant.”

The Lord said, “He will come down.”

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

The Lord said, “They will hand you over.”

¹³ Then David and his men, who numbered about six hundred, immediately departed from Keilah and went wherever they could.^[ah] When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up his plan to go there.

David in the Wilderness of Ziph

¹⁴ David stayed in the strongholds in the wilderness. He remained in the hill country of the Wilderness of Ziph. Saul searched for him every day, but God did not deliver him into his hand. ¹⁵ David knew that Saul had come to seek his life.

David was at Horesh in the Wilderness of Ziph. ¹⁶ Saul’s son Jonathan set out and came to David at Horesh. There he strengthened his hand in God. ¹⁷ He said to him, “Do not be afraid, because the hand of my father Saul will not find you. You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul knows that.” ¹⁸ They both made a covenant before the Lord. Then David stayed at Horesh, and Jonathan returned home.

¹⁹ Then the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah and said, “Do you know that David is hiding near us in the strongholds at Horesh near the Hill of Hakilah, in the southern part of the badlands?^{[ai] 20} So now, O King, come down! Come down whenever you wish to come, and our role will be to deliver him up into the king’s hand.”

²¹ Saul said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, for you have sympathized with me. ²² Go and make sure that you know exactly where he is and who has seen him there, for I have been told that he is very wily. ²³ Make sure that you know all the places where he hides. Then come back to me with solid information. Then I will come with you. If he is in the land, you can be sure that I will hunt him down among all the thousands of Judah.” ²⁴ So Saul’s men set out and went to Ziph ahead of Saul.

Meanwhile David and his men were in the Wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah,^[aj] south of the badlands.

David in the Wilderness of Maon

²⁵ Saul and his men went to look for David. When David was told about it, he went down to the rock and stayed in the Wilderness of Maon. When Saul heard that, he pursued David in the Wilderness of Maon. ²⁶ Saul was going along one side of the mountain, and David and his men were on the other side. David hurried to get away from Saul and his men, who were trying to surround David and his men in order to capture them. ²⁷ But a messenger came to Saul and said, “Hurry! Come back, because the Philistines have made a raid on the land!” ²⁸ So Saul turned back from pursuing David and went to confront the Philistines. That is why that place is named Sela Hamahlekoth.^[ak]

David and Saul at En Gedi

²⁹ Then David went up from there and stayed in the strongholds of En Gedi.^[al]

24 When Saul had returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, “Here’s some news. David is in the Wilderness of En Gedi.”^{[am] 2} Then Saul took three thousand specially chosen men^[an] from all Israel and went to hunt for David and his men along the rocky slopes of the wild goats.^[ao]

³ Saul came to some sheep pens that were along that route. Saul went into a cave that was there to relieve himself.^[ap] At that time David and his men were far back in the interior of the cave.

⁴ David’s men said to him, “Look, this is the day the Lord told you about when he said, ‘I will deliver your enemy into your hand, and you will do to him whatever seems good to you.’” So David got up and cut off the edge of Saul’s robe without being noticed.

⁵ Afterward, David had a guilty conscience, because he had cut off the edge of Saul’s robe. ⁶ He said to his men, “May I be cursed if I do something like this to my master, who is the Lord’s anointed—that I would stretch out my hand against him, since he is the Lord’s anointed.” ⁷ With these words David restrained his men and did not allow them to attack Saul.

Saul got up, left the cave, and went on his way. ⁸ David got up and followed him out of the cave and shouted to him, “My lord the king!”

When Saul looked back at him, David bowed facedown to the ground to show respect. ⁹ David said to Saul, “Why do you listen to the words of people who say, ‘Watch out! David is seeking to harm you’? ¹⁰ This very day you have seen with your own eyes how the Lord delivered you into my hand in the cave. Some urged me to kill you, but I spared you, because I said, ‘I will not stretch out my hand against my master, because he is the Lord’s anointed.’ ¹¹ Take a look at this! My father, take a good look at the piece of your robe that is here in my hand. Because I cut off the edge of your robe but did not kill you, you can be sure that I do not have any evil intent and I am not rebelling. I have not sinned against you, even though you keep hunting for me to take my life. ¹² May the Lord judge between you and me, and may the Lord avenge me on you, but my hand will not be against you. ¹³ As the ancient proverb says, ‘Out of the wicked come wicked deeds,’ but my hand will not be against you. ¹⁴ Against whom has the king of Israel come out? What are you pursuing? A dead dog? A flea? ¹⁵ May the Lord, therefore, be the judge who renders a verdict between you and me. May he examine my case, plead my cause, and deliver me out of your hand.”

¹⁶ When David had finished speaking these words, Saul responded, “Is that your voice, David, my son?” Saul broke down and wept. ¹⁷ He said to David, “You are more righteous than I, for you have treated me well, but I have treated you badly. ¹⁸ You have made it clear today how you have been good to me, because when the Lord delivered me into your hand, you did not kill me. ¹⁹ If a man finds his enemy, will he let him go away unharmed? May the Lord reward you with good for what you have done for me today. ²⁰ Now I know without a doubt that you will become king, and that the kingship over Israel will be established in your hand. ²¹ So swear to me now by the Lord that you will not cut off my descendants after me and that you will not destroy my name from my father’s house.”

²² David promised this to Saul with an oath.

Saul went back home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold.

The Death of Samuel

25 Samuel died. All Israel gathered together and mourned for him. They buried him at his house in Ramah.

David, Nabal, and Abigail

Then David set out and went down to the Wilderness of Paran.

² There was a man in Maon who made his livelihood in Carmel. This man was very wealthy. He had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats, and he was shearing his sheep at Carmel. ³ The man’s name was Nabal, and his wife’s name was Abigail. This woman had good judgment and was beautiful, but her husband was a harsh, unbending man, who behaved badly. He was from the family line of Caleb.

⁴ In the wilderness David heard that Nabal was shearing his sheep. ⁵ So David sent ten young men and told them, “Go up to Carmel. Approach Nabal and wish him peace in my name. ⁶ Tell him this: ‘Long life to you! Peace be with you! Peace be with your household! Peace be with all that you have! ⁷ Now I hear that you are shearing sheep. Your shepherds have recently been with us, and we did not harm them. Nothing was missing from them the whole time they were in Carmel. ⁸ Ask your young men, and they will tell you. Therefore let my young men find favor with you, for we have come on a good day. Please give whatever you can to your servants and to your son David.’”

⁹ So David’s men came and said all those things to Nabal in the name of David. When they had finished, ¹⁰ Nabal answered David’s servants, “Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? There are so many servants breaking away from their masters these days. ¹¹ Should I take my bread, my water, and my meat that I have butchered for my shearers and give it to men when I do not know where they come from?”

¹² So David’s men left and went on their way. They came back and told David all these things.

¹³ David said to his men, “Each of you, strap on your sword!”

So every man strapped on his sword. David also strapped on his sword. About four hundred men followed David, and two hundred stayed with the supplies.

¹⁴ One of Nabal’s young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, “Listen to me. You need to know what happened. David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master, but he screamed insults at them. ¹⁵ Those men have been very good to us, and we have not been harmed, nor have we had anything missing the entire time we were in the countryside with them. ¹⁶ They were a wall around us night and day, the whole time we were among them while we were taking care of the sheep. ¹⁷ So carefully consider what you should do, for they are determined to bring disaster on our master and on his entire household, since he is such a worthless good-for-nothing that no one can talk to him.”

¹⁸ Then Abigail hurried and took two hundred loaves of bread, two containers^[aq] of wine, five sheep that were already prepared, a bushel^[ar] of roasted grain, one hundred clumps of raisins, and two hundred cakes of dried figs. She loaded these supplies on donkeys. ¹⁹ She said to her young men, “Go on ahead of me. I will follow right after you.” But she did not tell her husband, Nabal. ²⁰ As she rode on her donkey and came down to the secluded trail^[as] on the mountain, she saw that David and his men were coming down toward her, and she met them.

²¹ Now David had said, “It was all for nothing that I have protected everything that this fellow has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missing from everything that belonged to him. But he has repaid me evil for good. ²² May God punish the enemies of David^[at] severely and double it, if by the morning light I leave alive so much as one person who urinates against a wall.”^[au]

²³ When Abigail saw David, she hurried and got off her donkey. She bowed and fell facedown on the ground in David’s presence. ²⁴ She fell at his feet and said, “To me, my lord—charge the guilt to me! Please let your servant speak to you. Listen to the words of your servant. ²⁵ Please, my lord, do not pay attention to this worthless good-for-nothing Nabal, for he is exactly what his name suggests. Nabal^[av] is his name, and foolishness is never far from him. But I, your servant, did not see my lord’s young men, whom you sent. ²⁶ Now therefore, my lord, as the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, since the Lord has held you back from the guilt of bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hand, now let your enemies and those who seek to do evil against my lord be like Nabal. ²⁷ Please distribute this gift that I, your servant,^[aw] have brought to my lord for the young men who follow my lord. ²⁸ Please forgive your servant’s offense. For the Lord will certainly make an enduring house^[ax] for my lord, because my lord is fighting the Lord’s battles. May no evil be found in you all your days. ²⁹ Though men may rise up to pursue you and to seek your life, may the life of my lord be safely wrapped up in the bundle of the living, with the Lord your God. But the lives of your enemies he will hurl away like a stone from the pocket of a sling. ³⁰ Then, when the Lord has done for my lord all the good things that he has spoken concerning you, and he has appointed you leader over Israel, ³¹ you will not be burdened by grief or a guilty conscience because you, my lord, have shed blood without cause or have avenged yourself. Then, when the Lord has dealt well with you, my lord, remember your servant.”

³² David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who sent you to meet me today! ³³ Your good judgment is blessed, and you are blessed, because today you have kept me from the guilt of shedding blood and from avenging myself with my own hand. ³⁴ For truly, as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, who has kept me from harming you, unless you had come quickly to meet me, certainly by the morning light there would not have been left for Nabal so much as one person who urinates against a wall.”^[ay]

³⁵ So David received from her hand what she had brought for him. Then he said to her, “Go up to your house in peace. You see, I have listened to your voice and have shown you favor.”

³⁶ Abigail came to Nabal and saw that he was holding a feast^[az] in his house, a feast fit for a king. Nabal was in good spirits, because he had drunk a lot. So she told him nothing at all until the morning light.

³⁷ In the morning, when the wine had worn off for Nabal, his wife told him about these things, and his heart died within him, and he became like a stone.^{[ba] 38} About ten days later, the Lord struck Nabal, and he died.

³⁹ When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed be the Lord, who has passed judgment on Nabal’s insults against me and has kept his servant from doing evil. The Lord has returned the evil done by Nabal back on his own head.”

Then David sent messengers to make arrangements with Abigail for him to take her as his wife. ⁴⁰ When David’s servants came to Abigail at Carmel, they spoke to her and said, “David has sent us to you to bring you to him as his wife.”

⁴¹ She got up and bowed down with her face to the ground. She said, “Behold. I, your humblest servant,^[bb] am here ready to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.” ⁴² Abigail hurried and set out, riding on a donkey, with five young women who were her attendants following her. She went with the messengers of David and became his wife.

⁴³ David also married Ahinoam of Jezre’el, so they both became his wives. ⁴⁴ But Saul gave his daughter Michal, who was David’s wife, to Palti son of Laish, who was from Gallim.

At Ziph Once Again

26 The Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah and said, “Do you know that David is hiding at the Hill of Hakilah, which is near the badlands?”^[bc]

² So Saul set out and went down to the Wilderness of Ziph with three thousand men, who were specially chosen from Israel, to search for David in the Wilderness of Ziph. ³ Saul set up camp near the road at the Hill of Hakilah, which is near the badlands. David, however, stayed in the wilderness. When David heard that Saul had come into the wilderness to search for him, ⁴ he sent out scouts, who confirmed that Saul had come.

⁵ So David moved out and came to the place where Saul had set up camp. David saw where Saul was sleeping near Abner son of Ner, the commander of his army. Saul was sleeping inside the defensive perimeter of the camp, and the rest of the men were camped around him.

⁶ David responded to the situation by saying to Ahimelek the Hittite and to Joab’s brother, Abishai son of Zeruiah, “Who will go down with me into the camp, to Saul?”

Abishai said, “I will go down with you.”

⁷ So during the night David and Abishai passed through the people in the camp, and they saw that Saul was sleeping inside the defensive perimeter of the camp, with his spear stuck into the ground beside his head. Abner and the rest of the men were lying all around him.

⁸ Then Abishai said to David, “God has delivered your enemy into your hand today. Please let me strike him and pin him to the ground with my spear. One blow! That’s all I’ll need! I won’t need to strike him a second time.”

⁹ But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can stretch out his hand against the Lord’s anointed and be guiltless?” ¹⁰ David continued, “As the Lord lives, the Lord will strike him, or his day will come and he will die, or he will go down into battle and be swept away. ¹¹ May I be cursed if I stretch out my hand against the Lord’s anointed. Now go and take the spear that is beside his head and the jar of water, and we will go.”

¹² So David took the spear and the jar of water that were next to Saul’s head, and they left. No one saw them. No one knew anything. No one woke up. They were all sound asleep, because a deep sleep from the Lord had fallen on them.

¹³ Then David moved over to a position across from the camp and stood on the top of the mountain some distance away. There was a lot of space between them. ¹⁴ David then shouted to the people and to Abner son of Ner, “Abner, are you going to answer?”

Abner responded, “Who are you to be shouting at the king?”

¹⁵ David said to Abner, “Aren’t you a man? Who is like you in Israel? So why haven’t you kept watch over your lord, the king? For someone came into the camp to destroy your lord the king. ¹⁶ This thing that you have done is not good. As the Lord lives, you deserve to die, because all of you have not kept watch over your master, the Lord’s anointed. Now look around! Where are the king’s spear and the jar of water that was next to his head?”

¹⁷ Saul recognized David’s voice and said, “Is this your voice, David, my son?”

David said, “It is my voice, my lord the king.” ¹⁸ He added, “Why does my lord pursue his servant? What have I done? What evil is there in my hand? ¹⁹ So please, let my lord the king listen to the words of his servant. If it is the Lord who has stirred you up against me, let him accept an offering. But if it is other people, may they be cursed before the Lord, for they have driven me out today so that I cannot remain in my share of the Lord’s inheritance. They keep saying, ‘Go, serve other gods!’ ²⁰ Now therefore, do not let my blood fall to the earth away from the presence of the Lord, for the king of Israel has come out searching for a flea, or like someone who hunts for a partridge in the mountains.”

²¹ Then Saul said, “I have sinned. Come back, David my son, for I will not harm you anymore, because my life was precious in your eyes today. I have acted like a fool and have made a terrible mistake.”

²² David responded, “Look, here is your spear, O King! Let one of the young men come over and get it. ²³ May the Lord deal with every man according to his righteousness and his faithfulness, because the Lord handed you over to me today, but I would not stretch out my hand against the Lord’s anointed. ²⁴ Just as your life was precious in my eyes today, so let my life be precious in the Lord’s eyes, and let him deliver me from all persecution.”

²⁵ Then Saul said to David, “May you be blessed, David my son. You will certainly accomplish great things, and you will certainly remain successful.”

So David went on his way, and Saul returned to his own place.

David Returns to the Philistines

27 David said to himself, “Any day now I will be swept away by the hand of Saul. The best plan for me is to escape immediately to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will give up searching for me within the borders of Israel, and I will escape out of his hand.”

² So David set out with the six hundred men who were with him and crossed over to Achish son of Maok, king of Gath. ³ David stayed with Achish at Gath—he and his men, each man with his family, including David with his two wives, Ahinoam from Jezre’el and Abigail from Carmel, who had been Nabal’s wife. ⁴ Saul was told that David had fled to Gath, so he did not continue searching for him anymore.

⁵ David said to Achish, “If I have now found favor in your eyes, assign me a place to live in one of the towns in the countryside. Why should your servant live in the royal city with you?”

⁶ So that day Achish gave him Ziklag. That is why Ziklag belongs to the kings of Judah to this day. ⁷ The length of time that David spent in the territory of the Philistines was a year and four months.

⁸ David and his men would go out and raid the Geshurites, the Girzites,^[bd] and the Amalekites—peoples who had been living in the land for a very long time. Their territory extended from the beginning of Shur all the way to the land of Egypt. ⁹ Whenever David attacked a land, he did not leave even one man or woman alive. He would carry off the sheep, the cattle, the donkeys, the camels, and the clothing. Then he would return and come back to Achish.

¹⁰ Achish would ask, “Where have you carried out a raid today?”

David would answer, “Against the Negev^[be] of Judah,” or “Against the Negev of the Jerahme’elites,” or “Against the Negev of the Kenites.” ¹¹ David would not keep even one man or woman alive to bring them to Gath. He said, “If I do, they would inform on us. They would say, ‘This is what David did, and this is what he has been doing the entire time he has been living in the territory of the Philistines.’”

¹² Achish trusted David, and he said, “He has made himself a real stench to his people Israel, so he will remain my servant forever.”

The Philistines Go to Fight Saul

28 In those days, the Philistines brought together their armies to prepare for war against Israel. Achish said to David, “You certainly understand that you must go along with me in the army, you and your men.”

² David said to Achish, “When I do, you will know what your servant can do.”

Achish said to David, “When you do, I will make you my bodyguard permanently.”

Saul and the Witch of Endor

³ At this time, Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, which was his hometown.

Saul had banished the mediums and spiritists^[bf] from the land.

⁴ The Philistines joined forces and set up camp at Shunem. Saul brought all Israel together, and they set up camp at Gilboa. ⁵ When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was terrified and trembled with fear. ⁶ Saul inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him through dreams, or through Urim, or through prophets. ⁷ Then Saul said to his attendants, “Find a woman who consults the spirits of the dead for me, so that I can go to her and inquire of her.”

His servants said to him, “As a matter of fact, there is a woman at Endor who consults the spirits of the dead.”

⁸ So Saul disguised himself and put on different clothing. Then he went with two men, and they visited the woman at night. He said, “Please consult a spirit for me. Bring up for me the person I name to you.”

⁹ The woman said to him, “Look, you must know what Saul has done. He has cut off mediums and spiritists from the land. Why then are you setting a death trap for me, to make me die?”

¹⁰ Saul swore to her by the Lord, “As the Lord lives, you will not be punished for this.”

¹¹ Then the woman said, “Who is it that you want me to bring up for you?”

He said, “Bring up Samuel for me.”

¹² When the woman saw Samuel, she screamed and said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!”

¹³ The king said to her, “Do not be afraid! What do you see?”

The woman said to Saul, “I see a powerful spirit^[bg] coming up out of the earth.”

¹⁴ He said to her, “What does he look like?”

She said, “An old man is coming up. He is covered with a robe.” Saul recognized that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground to show respect.

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

Saul answered, “I am in dire straits because the Philistines are waging war against me, and God has departed from me. He no longer answers me through prophets or through dreams. That is why I have called you, so that you can let me know what I should do.”

¹⁶ Samuel said, “Why do you ask me, since the Lord has departed from you and has become your adversary? ¹⁷ The Lord has done exactly what he told you through me. The Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor David. ¹⁸ Because you did not obey the Lord’s voice and did not execute his fierce wrath on Amalek, the Lord has done this to you today. ¹⁹ What’s more, the Lord will deliver Israel into the hands of the Philistines, along with you. Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also deliver the army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.”