²So Saul went down to the Desert of Ziph. He took 3,000 of the best soldiers in Israel with him. They went to the desert to look for David. ³Saul set up his camp beside the road. It was on the hill of Hakilah facing Jeshimon.

But David stayed in the desert. He saw that Saul had followed him there. ⁴So he sent out scouts. From them he learned that Saul had arrived.

⁵Then David started out. He went to the place where Saul had camped. He saw where Saul and Abner were lying down. Saul was lying inside the camp. The army was camped all around him. Abner was commander of the army. He was the son of Ner.

⁶Then David spoke to Ahimelech, the Hittite. He also spoke to Joab’s brother Abishai, the son of Zeruiah. He asked them, “Who will go down with me into the camp to Saul?”

“I’ll go with you,” said Abishai.

⁷So that night David and Abishai went into the camp. They found Saul lying asleep inside the camp. His spear was stuck in the ground near his head. Abner and the soldiers were lying asleep around him.

⁸Abishai said to David, “Today God has handed your enemy over to you. So let me pin him to the ground. I can do it with one jab of my spear. I won’t even have to strike him twice.”

⁹But David said to Abishai, “Don’t destroy him! No one can lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed king and not be guilty. ¹⁰You can be sure that the Lord lives,” he said. “And you can be just as sure that the Lord himself will strike Saul down. Perhaps he’ll die a natural death. Or perhaps he’ll go into battle and be killed. ¹¹May the Lord keep me from laying a hand on his anointed king. Now get the spear and water jug that are near his head. Then let’s leave.”

¹²So David took the spear and water jug that were near Saul’s head. Then he and Abishai left. No one saw them. No one knew about what they had done. In fact, no one even woke up. Everyone was sleeping. That’s because the Lord had put them into a deep sleep.

¹³David went across to the other side of the valley. He stood on top of a hill far away from Saul’s camp. There was a wide space between them. ¹⁴He called out to the army and to Abner, the son of Ner. He said, “Abner! Aren’t you going to answer me?”

Abner replied, “Who is calling out to the king?”

¹⁵David said, “You are a great soldier, aren’t you? There isn’t anyone else like you in Israel. So why didn’t you guard the king? He’s your master, isn’t he? Someone came into the camp to destroy him. ¹⁶You didn’t guard him. And that isn’t good. You can be sure that the Lord lives. And you can be just as sure that you and your men are worthy of death. That’s because you didn’t guard your master. He’s the Lord’s anointed king. Look around you. Where are the king’s spear and water jug that were near his head?”

¹⁷Saul recognized David’s voice. He said, “My son David, is that your voice?”

David replied, “Yes it is, King Saul, my master.” ¹⁸He continued, “Why are you chasing me? What evil thing have I done? What am I guilty of?

¹⁹“King Saul, please listen to what I’m saying. Was it the Lord who made you angry with me? If it was, may he accept my offering. Was it people who made you angry at me? If it was, may the Lord send down a curse on them. They have now driven me from my share of the Lord’s land. By doing that, they might as well have said, ‘Go and serve other gods.’

²⁰“Don’t spill my blood on the ground far away from where the Lord lives. King Saul, you have come out to look for nothing but a flea. It’s as if you were hunting a partridge in the mountains.”

²¹Then Saul said, “I have sinned. My son David, come back. Today you thought my life was very special. So I won’t try to harm you again. I’ve really acted like a foolish person. I’ve made a huge mistake.”

²²“Here’s your spear,” David answered. “Send one of your young men over to get it.

²³“The Lord rewards everyone for doing what is right and being faithful. He handed you over to me today. But I wouldn’t lay a hand on you. You are the Lord’s anointed king. ²⁴Today I thought your life had great value. In the same way, may the Lord think of my life as having great value. May he save me from all trouble.”

²⁵Then Saul said to David, “My son David, may the Lord bless you. You will do great things. You will also have great success.”

So David went on his way. And Saul returned home.

David Lives in Philistine Territory

27David thought, “Some day the powerful hand of Saul will destroy me. So the best thing I can do is escape. I’ll go to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will stop looking for me everywhere in Israel. His hand won’t be able to reach me.”

²So David and his 600 men left Israel. They went to Achish, the king of Gath. He was the son of Maoch. ³David and his men settled down in Gath near Achish. Each of David’s men had his family with him. David had his two wives with him. They were Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail from Carmel. Abigail was Nabal’s widow.

⁴Saul was told that David had run away to Gath. So he didn’t look for David anymore.

⁵David said to Achish, “If you are pleased with me, give me a place in one of your country towns. I can live there. I don’t really need to live near you in the royal city.”

⁶So on that day Achish gave David the town of Ziklag. It has belonged to the kings of Judah ever since that time. ⁷David lived in Philistine territory for a year and four months.

⁸Sometimes David and his men would go up and attack the Geshurites. At other times they would attack the Girzites or the Amalekites. All of those people had lived in the land that reached all the way to Shur and Egypt. They had been there for a long time.

⁹When David would attack an area, he wouldn’t leave a man or woman alive. But he would take their sheep, cattle, donkeys, camels and clothes. Then he would return to Achish.

¹⁰Achish would ask, “Who did you attack today?” David would answer, “The people who live in the Negev Desert of Judah.” Or he would answer, “The people in the Negev Desert of Jerahmeel.” Or he would answer, “The people in the Negev Desert of the Kenites.”

¹¹David wouldn’t leave a man or woman alive to be brought back to Gath. He thought, “They might tell on us. They might tell Achish who we really attacked.” That’s what David did as long as he lived in Philistine territory.

¹²Achish trusted David. He thought, “David has made himself smell very bad to his people, the Israelites. So he’ll serve me forever.”

Saul Disobeys the Lord at Endor

28While David was living in Ziklag, the Philistines gathered their army together. They planned to fight against Israel.

Achish said to David, “I want you to understand that you and your men must march out with me and my army.”

²David said, “I understand. You will see for yourself what I can do.”

Achish replied, “All right. I’ll make you my own personal guard for life.”

³Samuel had died. The whole nation of Israel was filled with sorrow because he was dead. They had buried his body in his own town of Ramah.

Saul had gotten rid of people who get messages from those who have died. He had also gotten rid of people who talk to the spirits of the dead. He had thrown all of them out of the land.

⁴The Philistines gathered together and set up camp at Shunem. At the same time, Saul gathered all of the fighting men of Israel together. They set up camp at Gilboa.

⁵When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid. Terror filled his heart. ⁶He asked the Lord for advice. But the Lord didn’t answer him through dreams or prophets. He didn’t answer him when Saul had the priest use the Urim.

⁷Saul spoke to his attendants. He said, “Find me a woman who gets messages from those who have died. Then I can go and ask her some questions.”

“There’s a woman like that in Endor,” they said.

⁸Saul put on different clothes so people wouldn’t know who he was. At night he and two of his men went to see the woman. “I want you to talk to a spirit for me,” he said. “Bring up the spirit of the dead person I choose.”

⁹But the woman said to him, “By now you must know what Saul has done. He has cut off everyone who gets messages from those who have died. He has also cut off everyone who talks to the spirits of the dead. He has thrown all of them out of the land. Why are you trying to trap me? Why do you want to have me put to death?”

¹⁰Saul took an oath in the name of the Lord. He promised the woman, “You can be sure that the Lord lives. And you can be just as sure that you won’t be punished for helping me.”

¹¹Then the woman asked, “Whose spirit should I bring up for you?”

“Bring Samuel up,” he said.

¹²When the woman saw Samuel, she let out a loud scream. She said to Saul, “Why have you tricked me? You are King Saul!”

¹³He said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Tell me what you see.”

The woman said, “I see a spirit. He’s coming up out of the ground.”

¹⁴“What does he look like?” Saul asked.

“An old man wearing a robe is coming up,” she said.

Then Saul knew it was Samuel. He bowed down. He lay down flat with his face toward the ground.

¹⁵Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you troubled me by bringing me up from the dead?”

“I’m having big problems,” Saul said. “The Philistines are fighting against me. God has turned away from me. He doesn’t answer me anymore. He doesn’t speak to me through prophets or dreams. So I’ve called on you to tell me what to do.”

¹⁶Samuel said, “The Lord has turned away from you. He has become your enemy. So why are you asking me what you should do? ¹⁷The Lord has spoken through me and has done what he said he would do. He has torn the kingdom out of your hands. He has given it to one of your neighbors. He has given it to David. ¹⁸You didn’t obey the Lord. You didn’t carry out his burning anger against the Amalekites. So he’s punishing you today.

¹⁹“He will hand both Israel and you over to the Philistines. Tomorrow you and your sons will be down here with me. The Lord will also hand Israel’s army over to the Philistines.”

²⁰…

Read in Logos

This passage has been shortened. Keep reading 1 Samuel 26–28 in Logos