Bible in 90 Days
16 The LORD then said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have cast him away from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and come. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons.”
2 And Samuel said, “How can I go? For if Saul shall hear it, he will kill me.” Then the LORD answered, “Take a heifer with you, and say, ‘I have come to do Sacrifice to the LORD.’
3 “And call Jesse to the Sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. And you shall anoint to Me him whom I name for you.”
4 So Samuel did what the LORD told him and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town were astonished at his coming, and said, “Do you come peaceably?”
5 And he answered, “Yea, I have come to do Sacrifice to the LORD. Sanctify yourselves and come with me to the Sacrifice.” And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and called them to the Sacrifice.
6 And when they had come, he looked at Eliab, and said, “Surely the LORD’s anointed is before Him.”
7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance, or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For I see not as man sees. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD beholds the heart.”
8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him come before Samuel. And he said, “Nor has the LORD chosen this one.”
9 Then Jesse made Shammah come. And he said, “Nor has the LORD chosen him.”
10 Again, Jesse made his seven sons come before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has chosen none of these.”
11 Finally, Samuel said to Jesse, “Are there no more children?” And he said, “There remains yet a little one who keeps the sheep.” Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and fetch him; for we will not sit down until he has come here.”
12 And he sent and brought him in. And he was ruddy with beautiful eyes, and handsome. And the LORD said, “Arise! Anoint him. For this is he.”
13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brethren. And the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. Then Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.
14 But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul; and a spirit of misery from the LORD troubled him.
15 And Saul’s servants said to him, “Behold now, the spirit of misery from God troubles you.
16 “Let our Lord therefore command your servants before you to seek a man who is a cunning player upon the harp, so that when the God’s spirit of misery comes upon you, he may play with his hand, and you may be eased.
17 Then Saul said to his servants, “Please provide me a man who can play well and bring him to me.”
18 Then one of his servants answered, and said, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse, a Bethlehemite, who can play. He is strong, valiant, a man of war, wise in matters and good-looking. And the LORD is with him.
19 Therefore, Saul sent messengers to Jesse, and said, “Send me David, your son, who is with the sheep.”
20 And Jesse took a donkey, with bread and a skin of wine and a kid, and sent them by the hand of David, his son, to Saul.
21 And David came to Saul and stood before him. And he loved him very well. And he was his armor bearer.
22 And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Let David now remain with me; for he has found favor in my sight.”
23 And so when the spirit from God came upon Saul, David took a harp and played with his hand and Saul was refreshed and was eased. For the spirit of misery departed from him.
17 Now the Philistines gathered their armies to battle, and came together to Sochoh, which is in Judah, and camped between Sochoh and Azekah, in the territory of Dammim.
2 And Saul and the men of Israel assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah, and put themselves in battle formation, to meet the Philistines.
3 And the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side. And Israel stood on a mountain on the other side. So, a valley was between them.
4 Then came a man between them both, out of the tents of the Philistines, named Goliath of Gath. His height was six cubits and a span.
5 And he had a helmet of bronze upon his head, and a brigandine upon him. And the weight of his brigandine was five thousand shekels of bronze.
6 And he had boots of bronze upon his legs, and a shield of bronze upon his shoulders.
7 And the shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam. And his spearhead weighed six hundred shekels of iron. And one bearing a shield went before him.
8 And he stood and cried against the army of Israel, and said to them, “Why have you set yourselves in battle formation? Am I not a Philistine, and you servants to Saul? Choose you a man for yourselves and let him come down to me!
9 “If he is able to fight with me, and kill me, then will we be your servants! But, if I overcome him, and kill him, then you shall be our servants, and serve us!”
10 Also the Philistine said, “I defy the army of Israel this day! Give me a man, so that we may fight together!”
11 When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were discouraged, and greatly afraid.
12 Now, this David was the son of an Ephrathite of Bethlehem Judah, named Jesse, who had eight sons. And this man was taken for an old man in the days of Saul.
13 And the three eldest sons of Jesse went and followed Saul to the battle. And the names of his three sons that went to battle were Eliab the eldest, and the next Abinadab, and the third Shammah.
14 So David was the least. And the three eldest went after Saul.
15 David also went; but he returned from Saul to feed his father’s sheep in Bethlehem.
16 And the Philistine drew near in the morning and evening and continued for forty days.
17 And Jesse said to David, his son, “Take now an ephah of this parched corn and these ten cakes for your brothers, and run to the camp, to your brothers.
18 “Also, carry these ten fresh cheeses to the captain, and see how your brothers are faring, and receive their pledge.
19 And Saul and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the Valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.
20 So, David rose up early in the morning and left the sheep with a keeper and took and went as Jesse had commanded him and came within the perimeter of the camp. And the army went out in formation and shouted in the battle.
21 For Israel and the Philistines had put themselves in formation, army against army.
22 And David left the things which he bore under the hands of the keeper of the carriage and ran into the camp, and came and asked his brothers how they were doing.
23 And as he talked with them, behold, the man who had been between the two armies (whose name was Goliath the Philistine of Gath), came up out of the army of the Philistines and spoke the same words. And David heard them.
24 And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, ran away from him and were very afraid.
25 For every man of Israel said, “Did you not see this man who comes up? He comes up to revile Israel. And to him who kills him, the king will the give great riches and will give him his daughter, yea, and will make his father’s House free in Israel.”
26 Then, David spoke to the men who stood with him, and said, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the shame from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should revile the army of the living God?”
27 And the people answered him in this way, saying, “Thus shall it be done for the man who kills him.”
28 And Eliab, his eldest brother, heard when he spoke to the men. And Eliab was very angry with David, and said, “Why did you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride, and the malice of your heart, that you have come down to see the battle!”
29 Then David said, “What have I done now? Is there no such word?”
30 And he departed from him into the presence of another and spoke of the same matter, and the people answered him according to the previous words.
31 And those who heard the words which David spoke, repeated them before Saul, who caused him to be brought.
32 So David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail him because of him! Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine!”
33 And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine, to fight with him. For you are a boy; and he is a man of war, from his youth.”
34 And David answered Saul, “Your servant kept his father’s sheep. And there came a lion, and likewise a bear, and took a sheep out of the flock.
35 “And I went out after him and struck him and took it out of his mouth. And when he arose against me, I caught him by the beard and struck him and killed him.
36 “So, your servant killed both the lion and the bear! Therefore, this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he has railed on the army of the living God!”
37 Moreover, David said, “The LORD, Who delivered me out of the paw of the lion and out of the paw of the bear, He will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine.” Then Saul said to David, “Go! And the LORD be with you!”
38 And Saul put his battle clothing upon David, and put a helmet of bronze upon his head, and put a brigandine upon him.
39 Then David fastened his sword upon his battle clothing and began to go, never testing it. But David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these. For I am not accustomed.” Therefore, David took them off.
40 Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones for himself, out of a brook, and put them in his shepherd’s bag (or scrip). And his sling was in his hand; and he drew near to the Philistine.
41 And the Philistine came and drew near to David. And the man who bare the shield went before him.
42 Now, when the Philistine looked around and saw David, he disdained him; for he was but young, ruddy and good-looking.
43 And the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, so that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
44 And the Philistine said to David, “Come to me! And I will give your flesh to the birds of the sky and to the beasts of the field!”
45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a shield! But I come to you in the Name of the LORD of Hosts, the God of the army of Israel, whom you have defied!
46 “This day the LORD shall close you in my hand! And I shall strike you, and take your head from you! And this day, I will give the carcasses of the army of the Philistines to the birds of the sky and to the beasts of the earth! So that all the world may know that Israel has a God,
47 “and that all this assembly may know that the LORD does not save with sword or with spear! For the battle is the LORD’s! And He will give you into our hands!”
48 And when the Philistine arose to come and draw near to David, David hurried and ran to fight against the Philistine.
49 And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slang it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone stuck in his forehead. And he fell to the earth, groveling.
50 So David overcame the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him, when David had no sword in his hand.
51 Then David ran and stood upon the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of his sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. So, when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.
52 And the men of Israel and Judah arose and shouted and followed after the Philistines until they came to the valley and to the gates of Ekron. And the Philistines fell down, wounded, by the road of Shaaraim, all the way to Gath and to Ekron.
53 And the children of Israel returned from pursuing the Philistines and plundered their tents.
54 And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem and put his armor in his tent.
55 When Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the captain of his army, “Abner, whose son is this young man?” And Abner answered, “As your soul lives, O king, I cannot tell.”
56 Then the King said, “Inquire whose son this young man is.”
57 And when David had returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, then Abner took him and brought him before Saul, with the head of the Philistine in his hand.
58 And Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” And David answered, “I am the son of your servant, Jesse the Bethlehemite.”
18 And when he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David. And Jonathan loved him as his own soul.
2 And Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father’s house.
3 Then Jonathan and David made a covenant; for he loved him as his own soul.
4 And Jonathan took off the robe that was upon him and gave it to David, and his garments, including his sword and his bow and his belt.
5 And David went out wherever Saul sent him, conducting himself wisely, so that Saul set him over the men of war. And he was accepted in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.
6 When they came back, and David returned from the slaughter of the Philistines, the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing to meet King Saul with tambourines, with joy, and with musical instruments.
7 And the women sang as they played, and said, “Saul has killed his thousand, and David his ten thousand!”
8 Therefore, Saul was exceedingly angry; and the saying displeased him. And he said, “They have ascribed ten thousand to David. And they have ascribed a thousand to me. And what more can he have except the kingdom?”
9 Therefore, Saul had an eye on David from that day forward.
10 And the next day, the spirit of misery from God came upon Saul. And he prophesied in the midst of the house. And David played with his hand, just as at other times. And there was a spear in Saul’s hand.
11 And Saul took the spear, and said, “I will strike David through, to the wall.” But David escaped from his presence twice.
12 And Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him and had departed from Saul.
13 Therefore, Saul removed him from his presence and made him a captain over a thousand. And he went out and in before the people.
14 And David conducted himself wisely in all his ways, for the LORD was with him.
15 Therefore, when Saul saw that he was very wise, he was afraid of him.
16 For all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and in before them.
17 Then Saul said to David, “Behold, my eldest daughter, Merab, I will give her to you as a wife. Only, be a valiant son to me and fight the LORD’s battles.” For Saul thought, “My hand shall not be upon him, but the hand of the Philistines shall be upon him.”
18 And David answered Saul, “Who am I? And what is my life, or the family of my father in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?”
19 But it happened at that time, when Merab, Saul’s daughter, should have been given to David, that she was given to Adriel, a Meholathite, as a wife.
20 Then Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved David. And they told Saul; and the thing pleased him.
21 Therefore, Saul said, “I will give her to him, so that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” Therefore, Saul said to David, “You shall, this day, be my son-in-law for a second time.”
22 And Saul commanded his servants, “Speak with David secretly, and say, ‘Behold, the king favors you; and all his servants love you. Be now, therefore, the king’s son-in-law.’”
23 And Saul’s servants spoke these words in the ears of David. And David said, “Does it seem a light thing to you to be a king’s son-in-law, seeing that I am a poor man and of small reputation?”
24 And then Saul’s servants brought him word back, saying, “David spoke such words.”
25 And Saul said, “Thus you shall say to David: ‘The king desires no dowry, but a hundred foreskins of the Philistines to be avenged of the king’s enemies.’” For Saul thought to make David fall into the hands of the Philistines.
26 And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king’s son-in-law. And before the days had expired,
27 David arose with his men and went and killed two hundred men of the Philistines. And David brought their foreskins; and they gave them wholly to the king, so that he might be the king’s son-in-law. Therefore, Saul gave him Michal, his daughter, as a wife.
28 Then Saul saw and understood that the LORD was with David, and that Michal, the daughter of Saul, loved him.
29 Then Saul was more and more afraid of David. And Saul became David’s continual enemy.
30 And when the princes of the Philistines went forth, at their going forth David conducted himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul, so that his name was highly esteemed.
19 Then Saul spoke to Jonathan, his son, and to all his servants, so that they would kill David. But Jonathan, Saul’s son, delighted greatly in David.
2 And Jonathan told David, saying, “Saul, my father, intends to kill you. Now, therefore, please be on your guard until morning and stay in a secret place and hide yourself.
3 “And I will go out and stand by my father in the field where you are and will commune with my father about you. And I will see what he says and will tell you.”
4 And Jonathan spoke good of David to Saul, his father, and said to him, “Do not let the king sin against his servant, against David. For he has not sinned against you, but his works have been very good to you.
5 “For he put his life in danger and killed the Philistine. And the LORD wrought a great salvation for all Israel. You saw it, and you rejoiced. Why, then, will you sin against innocent blood and kill David without a reason?”
6 Then Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan. And Saul swore, “As the LORD lives, he shall not die.”
7 So Jonathan called David. And Jonathan told him all those words. And Jonathan brought David to Saul. And he was in his presence, as in times past.
8 Again, the war began. And David went out and fought with the Philistines and killed them with a great slaughter. And they fled from him.
9 And the spirit of misery from the LORD was upon Saul as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. And David played with his hand.
10 And Saul intended to pin David to the wall with the spear. But he turned aside, out of Saul’s presence. And he struck the spear against the wall. But David fled and escaped that same night.
11 Saul also sent messengers to David’s house, to watch him and to kill him in the morning. And Michal, David’s wife, told it to him, saying, “If you do not save yourself this night, tomorrow you shall be killed.
12 So Michal let David down through a window. And he went and fled and escaped.
13 Then Michal took an image and laid it in the bed and put a pillow stuffed with goat’s hair under the head of it and covered it with a cloth.
14 And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, “He is sick.”
15 And Saul sent the messengers back to see David, saying, “Bring him to me in the bed, so that I may kill him.”
16 And when the messengers had come in, behold, an image was in the bed with a pillow of goat’s hair under the head of it.
17 And Saul said to Michal, “Why have you mocked me so, and sent away my enemy, so that he has escaped?” And Michal answered Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go, or else I will kill you.’”
18 So David fled and escaped and came to Samuel, to Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and dwelt in Naioth.
19 But someone told Saul, saying, “Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.”
20 And Saul sent messengers to take David. And when they saw a company of Prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as appointed over them, the Spirit of God fell upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied.
21 And when it was told to Saul, he sent other messengers, and they prophesied likewise. Again, Saul sent a third group of messengers; and they prophesied also.
22 Then, he himself went to Ramah and came to a great well that is in Sechu. And he asked, and said, “Where are Samuel and David?” And one said, “Behold, at Naioth in Ramah.”
23 And he went there, to Naioth in Ramah, and the Spirit of God came upon him also. And he went prophesying until he came to Naioth in Ramah.
24 And he stripped off his clothes; and he also prophesied before Samuel and fell down naked, all that day and all that night. Therefore, they say, “Is Saul also among the Prophets?”
20 And David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my iniquity? And what sin have I committed before your father, that he seeks my life?”
2 And he said to him, “May it never be! You shall not die. Behold, my father will do nothing great or small before he tells it to me. And why should my father hide this thing from me? He will not do it.”
3 And David swore again and said, “Your father knows that I have found grace in your eyes. Therefore, he thinks, ‘Jonathan shall not know it, lest he is grieved.’ But indeed, as the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death!”
4 Then Jonathan said to David, “Whatever your soul requires, that I will do to you.”
5 And David said to Jonathan, “Behold, tomorrow is the first day of the month, and I should sit with the king to eat. But let me go, so that I may hide myself in the fields until the third day at evening.
6 “If your father mentions me, then say, ‘David asked leave of me, so that he might go to Bethlehem, to his own city.’ For there is a yearly sacrifice for that whole family.’
7 “And if he says this: ‘It is well,’ your servant shall have peace. But if he is angry, be sure that wickedness is his conclusion.
8 “So shall you show mercy to your servant. For you have brought your servant into a Covenant of the LORD with you. And if there is iniquity in me, kill me yourself. For why should you bring me to your father?”
9 And Jonathan answered, “God keep you from that! For if I knew that my father had intended to bring wickedness upon you, would I not tell you?”
10 Then David said to Jonathan, “Who shall tell me? How shall I know if your father answers you roughly?”
11 And Jonathan said to David, “Come and let us go out into the field.” And they both went out into the field.
12 Then Jonathan said to David, “O LORD God of Israel, when I have searched my father’s mind tomorrow at this time, within these three days, and if it is well with David, and I then do not send to you and tell you,
13 “the LORD do so and much more to Jonathan! But, if my father has a mind to do you evil, I will also tell you and send you away, so that you may go in peace. and the LORD is with you as He has been with my father.
14 “Likewise, not only you will show me the mercy of the LORD while I live, so that I do not die,
15 “but you will never cut off your mercy from my house ever, not even when the LORD has destroyed the enemies of David, each one from the Earth.”
16 So, Jonathan made a bond with the House of David, saying, “Let the LORD require it at the hands of David’s enemies.”
17 And again, Jonathan swore to David, because he loved him (for he loved him as his own soul).
18 Then Jonathan said to him, “Tomorrow is the first day of the month. And you shall be missed, for your place shall be empty.
19 “Therefore you shall hide yourself for three days. Then, you shall go down quickly and come to the place where you hid yourself when this matter occurred and remain by the stone Ezel.
20 “And I will shoot three arrows to its side, as though I shot at a mark.
21 “And afterward, I will send a boy, saying, ‘Go! Seek the arrows!’ If I say to the boy, ‘See, the arrows are on this side of you. Bring them and come.’ It is well with you and there is no danger, as the LORD lives.
22 “But if I say this to the boy: ‘Behold, the arrows are beyond you,’ go your way. For the LORD has sent you away.
23 “As for the thing which you and I have spoken of, behold, the LORD is between you and me forever.”
24 So David hid himself in the field. And when the first day of the month came, the king sat to eat food.
25 And the king sat, as at other times upon his seat, upon his seat by the wall. And Jonathan arose and Abner sat by Saul’s side. But David’s place was empty.
26 And Saul said nothing that day. For he thought, “Something has befallen him. He is not clean. Surely, he was not purified.”
27 But the next day, which was the second day of the month, David’s place was empty again. And Saul said to Jonathan, his son, “Why does not the son of Jesse come to eat, neither yesterday nor today?”
28 And Jonathan answered Saul, “David earnestly asked permission of me to go to Bethlehem.
29 “For he said, ‘Please let me go. For our family offers a Sacrifice in the city and my brother has sent for me. Therefore, now, if I have found favor in your eyes, please let me go and see my brethren.’ This is why he has not come to the king’s table.”
30 Then Saul was angry with Jonathan, and said to him, “You son of the wicked rebellious woman! Do not I know that you have chosen the son of Jesse, to your shame and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness?
31 “For as long as the son of Jesse lives upon the Earth, you shall not be established, nor your kingdom! Therefore, send now and fetch him to me! For he shall surely die!”
32 And Jonathan answered Saul, his father, and said to him, “Why shall he die? What has he done?”
33 And Saul cast a spear at him, to hit him, by which Jonathan knew that his father had determined to kill David.
34 So, Jonathan arose from the table in great anger, and ate no food on the second day of the month; for he was sorry for David because his father had humiliated him.
35 The next morning, therefore, Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David. And a little boy went with him.
36 And he said to his boy, “Run now! Seek the arrows which I shoot!” And as the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.
37 And when the boy had come to the place where the arrow was that Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the boy, and said, “Is not the arrow beyond you?”
38 And Jonathan cried after the boy, “Hurry! Make haste! Do not stand still!” And Jonathan’s boy gathered up the arrows and came to his master.
39 But the boy knew nothing. Only Jonathan and David knew the matter.
40 Then, Jonathan gave his bow and arrows to the boy who was with him, and said to him, “Go. Carry them into the city.”
41 As soon as the boy was gone, David arose out of a place that was toward the South and fell on his face to the ground and bowed himself three times. And they kissed one another, and they both wept. But David more so.
42 Therefore, Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace. That which we have sworn, both of us, in the Name of the LORD, saying, ‘The LORD be between me and you, and between my seed and between your seed,’ let it stand forever.”
43 And he arose and departed. And Jonathan went into the city.
21 Then David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the Priest. And Ahimelech was afraid upon meeting David, and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no man with you?”
2 And David said to Ahimelech the Priest, “The king has commanded me a certain thing, and has said to me, ‘Let no man know where I send you, and what I have commanded you, and that I have appointed my servants to such and such places.’
3 “Now, therefore, if you have anything on hand, give me five cakes of bread or whatever there is present.”
4 And the Priest answered David, and said, “There is no common bread on hand, but here is hallowed bread, if the young men have kept themselves, at least from women.”
5 David then answered the Priest, and said to him, “Certainly women have been separated from us for these two or three days since I came out. And the vessels of the young men were holy, though the road was profane. And how much more, then, shall the vessel be sanctified this day?”
6 So the Priest gave him hallowed bread. For there was no bread there, except the showbread that was taken from before the LORD, to put hot bread there on the day that it was taken away.
7 And there was on the same day, one of the servants of Saul, abiding before the LORD, named Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul’s herdsmen.
8 And David said to Ahimelech, “Is there not here under your hand a spear or a sword? For I have neither brought my sword nor my harness with me, because the king’s business required haste.”
9 And the Priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, behold, it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will take that for yourself, take it. For there is nothing else except that here.” And David said, “There is nothing like it. Give it to me.”
10 And David arose and fled the same day from the presence of Saul and went to Achish, the king of Gath.
11 And the servants of Achish said to him, “Is not this David, the king of the land? Did they not sing to him in dances, saying, ‘Saul has killed his thousand, and David his ten thousand?’”
12 And David considered these words and was very afraid of Achish, the king of Gath.
13 And he changed his behavior before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scratched on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard.
14 Then Achish said to his servants, “Lo, you see the man is beside himself. Why have you brought him to me?
15 “Have I need of mad men, that you have brought this fellow to play the mad man in my presence? Shall he come into my house?”
22 Therefore, David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. And when his brethren and all his father’s House heard it, they went down there to him.
2 And there, all men who were troubled gathered to him, and all men who were in debt, and all those whose souls were embittered. And he was their prince. And there were about four hundred men with him.
3 And David went there to Mizpah in Moab, and said to the king of Moab, “Please, let my father and my mother come and stay with you until I know what God will do for me.”
4 And he brought them before the king of Moab, and they dwelt with him all the time that David was in the stronghold.
5 And the Prophet Gad said to David, “Do not stay in the stronghold. Depart and go into the land of Judah.” Then David departed and came into the forest of Hereth.
6 And Saul heard that David and the men who were with him had been discovered. And Saul remained in Gibeah, under a tree in Ramah, having his spear in his hand. And all his servants stood around him.
7 And Saul said to his servants who stood around him, “Hear now, sons of Benjamin! Will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards? Will he make you all captains over thousands and captains over hundreds,
8 “so that all of you have conspired against me? And there is not one who tells me that my son has made a covenant with the son of Jesse? And there is not one of you who is sorry for me or tells me that my son has stirred up my servant to lie in wait against me, as it is this day?”
9 Then Doeg the Edomite (who was appointed over the servants of Saul) answered and said, “I saw the son of Jesse when he came to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub,
10 “who asked counsel of the LORD for him and gave him provisions. And he also gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”
11 Then the king sent to call Ahimelech the Priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father’s House (the priests who were in Nob). And they all came to the king.
12 And Saul said, “Hear now, you son of Ahitub.” And he answered, “I am here, my lord.”
13 Then Saul said to him, “Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him provision, and a sword, and have asked counsel of God for him, so that he could rise against me and lie in wait, as it is this day?”
14 And Ahimelech answered the king, and said, “Who is so faithful among all your servants as David (being also the king’s son-in-law) and goes at your commandment and is honorable in your House?
15 “Have I this day first begun to ask counsel of God for him? Far be it from me. Do not let the king impute anything to his servant or to all the House of my father. For your servant knew nothing of all this, neither less nor more.”
16 Then the king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s House!”
17 And the king said to the sergeants who stood around him, “Turn and kill the priests of the LORD, because their hand is also with David and because they knew when he fled and did not tell me!” But the servants of the king would not move their hands to fall upon the priests of the LORD.
18 Then the king said to Doeg, “Turn yourselves and fall upon the priests!” And Doeg the Edomite turned and ran upon the priests and that same day killed eighty-five people who wore a linen ephod.
19 He also struck Nob, the city of the priests, with the edge of the sword, both man and woman, child and suckling, ox and donkey and sheep with the edge of the sword.
20 But one of the sons of Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub (whose name was Abiathar) escaped and fled after David.
21 And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the LORD’s priests.
22 And David said to Abiathar, “I knew it the same day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would tell Saul. I am the cause of the death of all the people of your father’s House.
23 “Stay with me. Do not fear. For he who seeks my life shall also seek your life. For you shall be safe with me.”
23 Then they told David, saying, “Behold, the Philistines fight against Keilah, and plunder the barns.”
2 Therefore, David asked counsel of the LORD, saying, “Shall I go and strike these Philistines?” And the LORD answered David, “Go and strike the Philistines and save Keilah.”
3 And David’s men said to him, “Behold, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more if we come to Keilah against the army of the Philistines?”
4 Then David asked counsel of the LORD again. And the LORD answered him, and said: “Arise, go down to Keilah. For I will deliver the Philistines into your hand.”
5 So David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines and brought away their cattle and struck them with a great slaughter. Thus David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.
6 And when Abiathar, the son of Ahimelech, fled to David, to Keilah, he brought an ephod with him.
7 And it was told to Saul that David had come to Keilah. And Saul said, “God has delivered him into my hand; for he is closed in, seeing he has come into a city that has gates and bars.”
8 Then Saul called all the people together to war, to go down to Keilah and to besiege David and his men.
9 And David, having knowledge that Saul devised mischief against him, said to Abiathar the Priest, “Bring the ephod.”
10 Then David said, “O LORD God of Israel! Your servant has heard that Saul is about to come to Keilah, to destroy the city for my sake.
11 “Will the lords of Keilah deliver me up into his hand? And will Saul come down, as Your servant has heard? O LORD God of Israel, I pray, tell Your servant!” And the LORD said: “He will come down.”
12 Then David said, “Will the lords of Keilah deliver me up, and the men who are with me, into the hand of Saul?” And the LORD said: “They will deliver you up.”
13 Then David and his men, who were about six hundred, arose and departed out of Keilah and went wherever they could. And it was told to Saul that David had fled from Keilah. And he ceased his journey.
14 And David stayed in the wilderness, in the strongholds, and remained on a mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day; but God did not deliver him into his hand.
15 And David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. And David was in the wilderness of Ziph, in the forest.
16 And Jonathan, Saul’s son, arose and went to David, into the forest, and comforted him in God,
17 and said to him, “Do not fear. For the hand of Saul, my father, shall not find you. And you shall be king over Israel. And I shall be next to you. And also, Saul, my father, knows it.”
18 So the two of them made a covenant before the LORD. And David remained in the forest; but Jonathan went to his house.
19 Then, the Ziphites came up to Saul, to Gibeah, saying, “Does not David hide himself with us in strongholds in the forest, on the hill of Hachilah, which is on the right side of Jeshimon?
20 “Now, therefore, O king, come down according to all that your heart can desire. And our part shall be to deliver him into the king’s hands.”
21 Then Saul said, “Be blessed of the LORD! For you have had compassion on me.
22 “Please go and find out more. Know and see this place that he haunts and who has seen him there. For it is said to me, ‘He is subtle and crafty.’
23 “See, therefore, and know all the secret places where he hides himself. And come back to me with certainty, and I will go with you. And if he is in the land, I will search him out throughout all the thousands of Judah.”
24 Then they arose and went to Ziph before Saul. But David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the plain, to the right of Jeshimon.
25 When Saul and his men went to seek him, they told David. Therefore, he came down to a rock and stayed in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he followed after David in the wilderness of Maon.
26 And Saul and his men went to one side of the mountain, and David and his men to the other side of the mountain. And David hurried to get away from the presence of Saul (for Saul and his men surrounded David and his men, to take them).
27 But a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come! For the Philistines have invaded the land!”
28 Therefore, Saul returned from pursuing David and went against the Philistines. So they called that place: Sela Hammahlekoth.
24 And David went from there and dwelt in strongholds at En Gedi.
2 When Saul had turned from the Philistines, they told him, saying, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of En Gedi.”
3 Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel and went to seek David and his men upon the rocks among the wild goats.
4 And he came to the sheepfolds along the way, where there was a cave. And Saul went in to relieve himself. And David and his men sat in the inner parts of the cave.
5 And the men of David said to him, “Behold, the day has come of which the LORD said to you, ‘Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.’” Then David arose and stealthily cut off the lap of Saul’s garment.
6 And afterward, David was touched in his heart, because he had cut off the lap which was on Saul’s garment.
7 And he said to his men, “The LORD keep me from doing that thing to my master, the LORD’s anointed, to lay my hand upon him. For he is the anointed of the LORD.”
8 So David overcame his servants with these words and did not allow them to rise up against Saul. For Saul got up from the cave and went away.
9 Afterward, David also arose and went out of the cave and cried after Saul, saying, “O my lord the king!” And when Saul looked behind him, David turned his face to the ground and bowed himself.
10 And David said to Saul, “Why do you listen to men’s words who say, ‘Behold, David seeks evil against you’?
11 “Behold, your eyes have just seen that the LORD had delivered you this day into my hand in the cave. And some asked me to kill you. But I had compassion on you, and said, ‘I will not lay my hand on my master. For he is the LORD’s anointed.’
12 “Moreover, my father, behold. Behold, I say, the lap of your garment in my hand! For when I cut off the lap of your garment, I did not kill you. Understand and see that there is neither evil nor wickedness in me. Nor have I sinned against you. Yet you hunt after my soul to take it.
13 “The LORD be judge between you and me. And the LORD avenge me of you. But let not my hand be upon you.
14 “Just as the old proverb says, ‘Wickedness proceeds from the wicked, but my hand be not upon you.’
15 “After whom has the king of Israel come out? After whom do you pursue, after a dead dog, after a flea?
16 “The LORD, therefore, be judge, and judge between you and me, and see and plead my cause, and deliver me out of your hand.”
17 When David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” And Saul lifted up his voice and wept,
18 and said to David, “You are more righteous than I. For you have rendered me good and I have rendered you evil.
19 “And you have shown this day that you have dealt well with me. For when the LORD had closed me in your hands, you did not kill me.
20 “For who shall find his enemy and let him depart free? Therefore, may the LORD render you good for what you have done to me this day.
21 “For now, behold, I know that you shall be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand.
22 “Swear now, therefore, to me by the LORD that you will not destroy my seed after me, and that you will not abolish my name out of my father’s House.”
23 So David swore to Saul. And Saul went home. But David and his men went up to the stronghold.
25 Then Samuel died. And all Israel assembled and mourned for him and buried him in his own house at Ramah. And David arose and went down to the wilderness of Paran.
2 Now, there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel. And the man was exceedingly mighty and had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. And he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.
3 Also, the name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife: Abigail. And she was a woman of singular wisdom and beautiful. But the man was harsh and evil in his endeavors. He was of the family of Caleb.
4 And in the wilderness, David heard that Nabal sheared his sheep.
5 Therefore, David sent ten young men; and David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel. And go to Nabal and ask him, in my name, how he is doing.
6 “And you shall say this as a greeting, “Peace to you and your house and all that you have.
7 “Behold, I have heard that you have shearers. Now, your shepherds were with us, and we did not hurt them, nor did they lose anything all the time they were in Carmel.
8 “Ask your servants and they will tell you. Therefore, let these young men find favor in your eyes, for we have come on a good day. Please give whatever comes to hand to your servants, and to your son David.”
9 And when David’s young men came, they told Nabal all those words in the name of David, and then held their peace.
10 Then, Nabal answered David’s servants, and said, “Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants nowadays who break away, each man from his master.
11 “Shall I then take my bread and my water and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers and give it to men of whose origin I do not know?”
12 So David’s servants turned their way and went back and came and told him all those things.
13 And David said to his men, “Every man gird his sword!” And every man girded his sword. David also girded his sword. And about four hundred men went up after David, and two hundred stayed by the carriage.
14 Now, one of the servants told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, “Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to greet our master and he scorned them.
15 “Nevertheless, the men were very good to us and we had no displeasure. Nor did we lose anything while we were with them, when we were in the fields.
16 “They were as a wall to us, both by night and by day, all the while we were with them keeping sheep.
17 “Now, therefore, take heed and consider what you shall do. For evil will surely come upon our master, and upon all his family. For he is so wicked that a man cannot speak to him.”
18 Then Abigail hurried and took two hundred cakes and two bottles of wine and five sheep, already dressed, and five measures of parched corn and a hundred clusters of raisins (and two hundred of figs) and laid them on donkeys.
19 Then she said to her servants, “Go before me! Behold, I will follow you.” Yet she did not tell her husband Nabal.
20 And as she rode on her donkey, she came down by a secret place of the mountain. And behold, David and his men came down opposite her. And she met them.
21 And David said, “Indeed, for nothing have I kept all that this fellow had in the wilderness, so that nothing was lost of all that pertained to him. For he has requited me evil for good.
22 “This and more also may God do to the enemies of David if I leave any male that he has before the dawning of the day.”
23 And when Abigail saw David, she hurried and dismounted her donkey, and fell before David on her face and bowed herself to the ground
24 and fell at his feet, and said, “Oh, my lord, I have committed the iniquity! And please let your handmaid speak to you, and hear the words of your handmaid!
25 “Please do not let my lord pay any attention to this wicked man, Nabal! For as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name and folly is with him. But I, your handmaid, did not see the young men of my lord whom you sent.
26 “Now, therefore, my lord. As the LORD lives, and as your soul lives (the LORD Who has restrained you from coming to shed blood, and from avenging yourself your own hand), so now your enemies shall be as Nabal, and those who intend to do my lord evil.
27 “And now, this blessing which your handmaid has brought to my lord, let it be given to the young men who follow my lord.
28 “Please forgive the trespass of your handmaid. For the LORD will make my lord a sure House, because my lord fights the battles of the LORD. And no misery has been found in you in all your life.
29 “Yet a man has risen up to persecute you, and to seek your soul. But the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the LORD your God. And the soul of your enemies God shall cast out, as out of the middle of a sling.
30 “And when the LORD shall have done to my lord all the good that He has promised you, and shall have made you ruler over Israel,
31 “then it shall be no grief to you, nor offense of mind to my lord, that he has either shed blood without cause or that my lord has not avenged himself. And when the LORD shall have dealt well with my lord, remember your handmaid.”
32 Then David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, Who sent you this day to meet me.
33 “And blessed be your counsel, and blessed be you, who hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood, and that I have not avenged myself by my own hand.
34 “For indeed, as the LORD God of Israel lives (Who has restrained me from hurting you), except that you had hurried and met me, surely no male would have been left to Nabal by the dawning of the day.”
35 Then David received from her hand that which she had brought him, and said to her, “Go up in peace to your house. Behold, I have heard your voice and have granted your petition.”
36 So Abigail came to Nabal. And behold, he made a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And Nabal’s heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk. Therefore, she told him nothing, neither less nor more, until the morning arose.
37 Then, in the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife told him those words. And his heart died within him. And he was like a stone.
38 And about ten days later, the LORD struck Nabal, so that he died.
39 Now when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed be the LORD, Who has judged the cause of my rebuke of the hand of Nabal and has kept His servant from evil! For the LORD has repaid the wickedness of Nabal upon his own head!” Also, David sent to commune with Abigail, to take her as his wife.
40 And when the servants of David had come to Abigail, to Carmel, they spoke to her, saying, “David sent us to you, to take you as his wife.”
41 And she arose and bowed herself on her face to the earth, and said, “Behold, let your handmaid be a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.”
42 And Abigail hurried and arose and rode upon a donkey. And her five maids followed her. And she went after the messengers of David and was his wife.
43 David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel. And they were both his wives.
44 Now Saul had given Michal, his daughter, David’s wife, to Palti, the son of Laish, who was of Gallim.
26 Again the Ziphites came to Saul, to Gibeah, saying, “Does not David hide himself on the hill of Hachilah, before Jeshimon?”
2 Then Saul arose and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, having three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.
3 And Saul camped on the hill of Hachilah (which is before Jeshimon), by the roadside. Now David remained in the wilderness. And he saw that Saul came after him, into the wilderness.
4 For David had sent out spies and understood that Saul had indeed come.
5 Then David arose and came to the place where Saul had camped. And David beheld the place where Saul lay and Abner, the son of Ner, who was his chief captain (for Saul lay in the fort and the people camped all around him).
6 Then David spoke, and said to Ahimelech the Hittite and to Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, brother to Joab, saying, “Who will go down with me to Saul, to the camp?” Then Abishai said, “I will go down with you.”
7 So David and Abishai came down to the people at night. And behold, Saul lay sleeping inside the fort, with his spear stuck in the ground at his head: And Abner and the people lay all around him.
8 Then Abishai said to David, “God has closed your enemy into your hand this day! Now, therefore, please let me strike him once with a spear to the earth. And I will not strike him again.”
9 And David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him. For who can lay his hand on the LORD’s anointed and be guiltless?”
10 Moreover David said, “As the LORD lives, either the LORD shall strike him, or his day shall come to die, or he shall descend into battle and perish.
11 “The LORD keep me from laying my hand upon the LORD’s anointed! But now, please take the spear that is at his head, and the pot of water, and let us go from here.”
12 So David took the spear and the pot of water from Saul’s head, and they got away. And no man saw it or knew it, nor did any awaken, but they were all asleep. For the LORD had sent a dead sleep upon them.
13 Then David went to the other side and stood on the top of a hill, far away, a great space being between them.
14 And David cried to the people, and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, “Do you not hear, Abner?” Then Abner answered, and said, “Who are you who cries to the king?”
15 And David said to Abner, “Are you not a man?! And who is like you in Israel?! Why, then, have you not kept your lord the king?! For one of the people came in to destroy the king your lord!
16 “This is not well done by you! As the LORD lives, you are worthy to die, because you have not kept your master, the LORD’s anointed! And now, see where the king’s spear is, and the pot of water that was at his head!”
17 And Saul knew David’s voice, and said, “Is this your voice, my son David?!” And David said, “It is my voice, my lord, O king!”
18 And he said, “Why does my lord persecute his servant like this?! For what have I done?! Or what evil is in my hand?!
19 “Now, therefore, please let my lord the king hear the words of his servant! If the LORD has stirred you up against me, let Him smell the savor of a Sacrifice! But if the children of men have done it, cursed be they before the LORD! For they have cast me out this day from abiding in the inheritance of the LORD, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods!’
20 “Now, therefore, do not let my blood fall to the earth before the face of the LORD! For the king of Israel has come out to seek a flea, as one would hunt a partridge in the mountains!”
21 Then Saul said, “I have sinned! Come back, my son David! For I will do you no more harm, because my soul was precious in your eyes this day! Behold, I have done foolishly and have erred exceedingly!”
22 Then David answered, and said, “Behold the king’s spear! Let one of the young men come over and fetch it!
23 “And let the LORD reward every man according to his righteousness and faithfulness! For the LORD had delivered you into my hands this day, but I would not lay my hand upon the LORD’s anointed!
24 “And behold, just as your life was highly valued this day in my eyes, so let my life be valued in the eyes of the LORD, so that He may deliver me out of all tribulation!”
25 Then Saul said to David, “Blessed are you, my son David! For you shall do great things and also prevail!” So, David went his way. And Saul returned to his place.
27 And David said in his heart, “I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul. Is it not better for me that I save myself in the land of the Philistines—so that Saul may lose hope in seeking me anymore in all the territory of Israel—and so escape out of his hand?”
2 Therefore, David arose. And he and the six hundred men who were with him went to Achish, the son of Maoch, king of Gath.
3 And David dwelt with Achish at Gath, he and his men, each man with his household and David with his two wives (Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail the wife Nabal the Carmelite).
4 And it was told to Saul that David had fled to Gath. So he sought no more for him.
5 And David said to Achish, “If I have now found grace in your eyes, let them give me a place in some other city of the country, so that I may dwell there. For why would your servant dwell in the head city of the kingdom with you?”
6 Then Achish gave him Ziklag that same day. Therefore, Ziklag belongs to the kings of Judah to this day.
7 And the time that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines was four months and some days.
8 Then David and his men went up and invaded the Geshurites and the Girzites and the Amalekites. For they inhabited the land from the beginning, as you go to Shur, even to the land of Egypt.
9 And David struck the land and left neither man nor woman alive and took sheep and oxen and donkeys and camels and apparel and returned and came to Achish.
10 And Achish said, “Where have you made a raid this day?” And David answered, “Against the South of Judah and against the South of the Jerahmeelites and against the South of the Kenites.”
11 And David saved neither man nor woman alive, to bring them to Gath, saying, “Lest they should tell on us, and say, “So did David! And so has been his manner all the while that he has dwelt in the country of the Philistines!’”
12 And Achish believed David, saying, “He has made his people of Israel utterly abhor him. Therefore, he shall be my servant forever.”
28 Now at that time, the Philistines assembled their bands and army to fight with Israel. Therefore, Achish said to David, “Know assuredly that you shall go out with me to the battle, you and your men!”
2 And David said to Achish, “Surely, you shall know what your servant can do.” And Achish said to David, “Surely, I will make you keeper of my head, forever.”
3 By then, Samuel had died. And all Israel had lamented him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had put the sorcerers and the soothsayers out of the land.
4 Then the Philistines assembled themselves and came and camped in Shunem. And Saul assembled all Israel, and they camped in Gilboa.
5 And when Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid; and his heart trembled greatly.
6 Therefore, Saul asked counsel of the LORD, and the LORD did not answer him, by dreams or by Urim or even by Prophets.
7 Then Saul said to his servants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, so that I may go to her and ask of her.” And his servants said to him, “Behold, there is a woman at En Dor who is a medium.”
8 Then Saul changed himself and put on other clothes. And he and two other men went. And they came to the woman at night. And he said, “Please conjure up for me, and bring up for me him whom I shall name to you.”
9 And the woman said to him, “Behold, you know what Saul has done, how he has destroyed the sorcerers and the soothsayers out of the land. Why, then, do you seek to entrap me, to cause me to die?
10 And Saul swore to her by the LORD, saying, “As the LORD lives, no harm shall come to you for this thing.”
11 Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” And he answered, “Bring up Samuel for me.”
12 And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice. And the woman spoke to Saul, saying, “Why have you deceived me?! For you are Saul!”
13 And the king said to her, “Do not be afraid. For what did you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I saw gods ascending up out of the earth!”
14 Then he said to her, “What is his form?” And she answered, “An old man comes up, wrapped in a robe.” And Saul knew that it was Samuel. And he turned his face to the ground and bowed himself.
15 And Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me, to bring me up?” Then Saul answered, “I am in great distress! For the Philistines make war against me, and God has departed from me and no longer answers me, either by Prophets or by dreams. Therefore, I have called you, so that you may tell me what I shall do.”
16 Then Samuel said, “Why, then, do you ask of me, seeing the LORD has gone from you and is your enemy?
17 “The LORD has only done for him as He spoke by my hand. For the LORD will tear the kingdom out of your hand and give it your neighbor David.
18 “Because you did not obey the Voice of the LORD or execute His fierce wrath upon the Amalekites, therefore the LORD has done this to you this day.
19 “Moreover, the LORD will deliver Israel, with you, into the hands of the Philistines. And tomorrow, you and your sons shall be with me. And the LORD shall give the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines.”
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