1 Samuel 26–28

26And the ^aZiphites came unto Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide himself in the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon? ²Then Saul arose, and went down to ^bthe wilderness of Ziph, having three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph. ³And Saul pitched ^ain the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon, by the way. But David abode in the wilderness, and he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness. ⁴David therefore sent out spies, and understood that Saul was come ^cin very deed. ⁵And David arose, and came to the place where Saul had pitched: and David beheld the place where Saul lay, and ^dAbner the son of Ner, the captain of his host: and Saul lay in the ^||trench, and the people pitched round about him. ⁶Then answered David and said to Ahimelech ^ethe Hittite, and to ^fAbishai ^gthe son of Zeruiah, brother to Joab, saying, Who will ^hgo down with me to Saul to the camp? And Abishai said, I will go down with thee. ⁷So David and Abishai came to the people by night: and, behold, Saul lay sleeping within the trench, and his spear stuck in the ground ⁱat his bolster: but Abner and the people lay round about him. ⁸Then said Abishai to David, ^kGod hath ^†delivered thine enemy into thine hand this day: now therefore let me smite him, I pray thee, with the spear even to the earth at once, and I will not smite him the second time. ⁹And David said to Abishai, Destroy him not: for who can stretch forth his hand against ^lthe Lord’s anointed, and be guiltless? ¹⁰David said furthermore, ^mAs the Lord liveth, ⁿthe Lord shall smite him; or ^ohis day shall come to die; or he shall descend ^pinto battle, and perish. ¹¹The ^qLord forbid that I should stretch forth mine hand against ^lthe Lord’s anointed: but, I pray thee, take thou now the spear that is at his bolster, and the cruse of water, and let us go. ¹²So David took the spear and the cruse of water from Saul’s bolster; and they gat them away, and no man saw it, nor knew it, neither awaked: for they were all asleep; because ^ra deep sleep from the Lord was fallen upon them.

¹³Then David went over to the other side, and stood on the top of an hill afar off; a great space being between them: ¹⁴And David cried to the people, and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, Answerest thou not, Abner? Then Abner answered and said, Who art thou that criest to the king? ¹⁵And David said to Abner, Art not thou a valiant man? and who is like to thee in Israel? wherefore then hast thou not kept thy lord the king? for there came one of the people in to destroy the king thy lord. ¹⁶This thing is not good that thou hast done. ^mAs the Lord liveth, ye are ^†worthy to die, because ye have not kept your master, ^lthe Lord’s anointed. And now see where the king’s spear is, and the cruse of water that was at his bolster. ¹⁷And Saul knew David’s voice, and said, ^sIs this thy voice, my son David? And David said, It is my voice, my lord, O king. ¹⁸And he said, ^tWherefore doth my lord thus pursue after his servant? for what have I done? or what evil is in mine hand? ¹⁹Now therefore, I pray thee, let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If the Lord have ^ustirred thee up against me, let him ^†accept an offering: but if they be the children of men, cursed be they before the Lord; for ^wthey have driven me out this day from ^†abiding in ^xthe inheritance of the Lord, saying, Go, serve other gods. ²⁰Now therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth before the face of the Lord: for the king of Israel is come out to seek ^ya flea, as when one doth hunt a ^zpartridge in the mountains. ²¹Then said Saul, ^aI have sinned: return, my son David: for I will no more do thee harm, because my soul ^bwas precious in thine eyes this day: behold, ^cI have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly. ²²And David answered and said, Behold the king’s spear! and let one of the young men come over and fetch it. ^23dThe Lord render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness: for the Lord delivered thee into my hand to day, but I would not stretch forth mine hand against the Lord’s anointed. ²⁴And, behold, as thy life was much set by this day in mine eyes, so let my life be much set by in the eyes of the Lord, and let him deliver me out of all tribulation. ²⁵Then Saul said to David, ^eBlessed be thou, my son David: thou shalt both do great things, and also shalt still ^fprevail. So David went on 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: there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul shall despair of me, to seek me any more in any coast of Israel: so shall I escape out of his hand. ²And David arose, and he passed over with ^athe six hundred men that were with him ^bunto Achish, the son of Maoch, king of ^cGath. ³And David dwelt with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, even David ^dwith his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal’s wife. ⁴And it was told Saul that David was fled to Gath: and he sought no more again for him. ⁵And David said unto Achish, If ^eI have now found grace in thine eyes, let them give me a place in some town in the country, that I may dwell there: for why should thy servant dwell in ^fthe royal city with thee? ⁶Then Achish gave him ^gZiklag that day: wherefore Ziklag pertaineth unto the kings of Judah unto this day. ⁷And ^†the time that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines was ^†a full year and four months.

^8*And David and ^hhis men went up, and invaded ⁱthe Geshurites, and the ^||Gezrites, and the ^jAmalekites: for those nations were of old the inhabitants of the land, ^kas thou goest to Shur, even unto the land of Egypt. ⁹And David smote the land, and left neither man nor woman alive, and took away the sheep, and the oxen, and the asses, and ^lthe camels, and the apparel, and returned, and came to Achish. ¹⁰And Achish said, ^||Whither have ye made a road to day? And David said, Against the south of Judah, and against the south of ^mthe Jerahmeelites, and against the south of ⁿthe Kenites. ¹¹And David ^osaved neither man nor woman alive, to bring tidings to Gath, saying, Lest they should tell on us, saying, So did David, and so will be his manner all the while he dwelleth in the country of the Philistines. ¹²And Achish believed David, saying, He hath made his people Israel ^†utterly to abhor him; therefore he shall be my servant for ever.

28^*And ^ait came to pass in those days, that the Philistines gathered their armies together for warfare, to fight with Israel. And Achish said unto David, Know thou assuredly, that thou shalt go out with me to battle, thou and thy men. ²And David said to Achish, Surely thou shalt know what thy servant can do. And Achish said to David, Therefore will I make thee keeper of mine head for ever.

³Now ^bSamuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in ^cRamah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away ^dthose that had familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land. ⁴And the Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and pitched in ^eShunem: and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they pitched in ^fGilboa. ⁵And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled. ⁶And when Saul inquired of the Lord, ^gthe Lord answered him not, neither by ^hdreams, nor by ⁱUrim, nor by prophets. ⁷Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman ^jthat hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and inquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman ^jthat hath a familiar spirit at ^kEn-dor. ⁸And Saul ^ldisguised himself, and put on other raiment, and he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, I pray thee, ^mdivine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me him up, whom I shall name unto thee. ⁹And the woman said unto him, Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath ⁿcut off those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die? ¹⁰And Saul sware to her by the Lord, saying, ^oAs the Lord liveth, there shall no ^ppunishment happen to thee for this thing. ¹¹Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel. ¹²And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul. ¹³And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw ^qgods ascending out of the earth. ¹⁴And he said unto her, ^†What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with ^ra mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself.

¹⁵And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and ^sGod is departed from me, and ^tanswereth me no more, neither ^†by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do. ¹⁶Then said Samuel, ^uWherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the Lord is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy? ¹⁷And the Lord hath done ^||to him, ^xas he spake by ^†me: for ^xthe Lord hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David: ^18yBecause thou obeyedst not the voice of the Lord, nor executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the Lord done this thing unto thee this day. ¹⁹Moreover the Lord will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and to morrow shalt thou and ^zthy sons be with me: the Lord also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.

²⁰Then Saul ^†fell straightway all along on the earth, and was sore afraid, because of the words of Samuel:…