David awens at En-gear.

1 SAMUEL.-CHAP. XXIV.

19 Then came up the Ziphites to Saul tou on the Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide himself with us in strong holds in the wood, in the hill of Hachilah, which is "on the south of ▾ Jeshimon?

v or, the
wilder
ness.

w Ps. 54. 3.

x Ju.17.2
Mi.3.11.

He cuts off Saul's skirt. thy hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe privily. 5 And it came to pass afterward, that David's heart i smote him, because he had cut off Saul's skirt.

6 And he said unto his men, The LORI forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the LORD's anointed, to stretch forth my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD.

7 So David stayed his servants with these words, and suffered them not to rise against Saul. But Saul rose up out of the cave, and went on his way.

8

David also arose afterward, and went 20 Now therefore, O king, come down acout of the cave, and cried after Saul, saying, cording to all the desire of thy soul to come My lord the king. And when Saul looked down; and our part shall be to deliver himy foot shall behind him, David stooped with his face to the into the king's hand.

21 And Saul said, Blessed be ye of the LORD; for ye have compassion on me.

22 Go, I pray you, prepare yet, and know and see his place where his haunt is, and who hath seen him there: for it is told me that he dealeth very subtlely.

бе.

z Jn. 18.2,3.

a 1Ki.18.10.

M1936

Mi. 5.2.

© c.25.2.

d or, from
the.

P.31.22
P17.9,11.

140.1..9.
g 2 Ki. 19.9.

23 See therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurking places where he hideth himself, and come ye again to me with the certainty, and I will go with you: and it shall come to pass, if he be in the land, that I will spread search him out throughout all the thousands b of Judah.

24 And they arose, and went to Ziph before Saul: but David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the plain on the south of Jeshimon.

с

25 Saul also and his men went to seek him. And they told David: wherefore he came down into a rock, and abode in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon.

26 And Saul went on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on that side of the mountain: and David made haste to get away for fear of Saul; for Saul and his men compassed David and his men round about to take them.

themecives
upon.

i i. e. the
rock of
divisions.

12 Ch.20.2
c.23.28,29.

b after.

P.38.12 a Ps. 141.6.

e Ju.3.24.

f P&.57; 142.
g c.26.8..11.

earth, and bowed himself.

9 And David said to Saul, Wherefore hearest thou men's words, saying, Behold, David seeketh thy hurt?

10 Behold, this day thine eyes have seen how that the LORD had delivered thee to-day into my hand in the cave: and some bade me kill thee: but mine eye spared thee; and I said, I will not put forth my hand against my lord; for he is the LORD's anointed.

11 Moreover, my father, see, yea, see the skirt of thy robe in my hand: for in that I cut off the skirt of thy robe, and killed thee not, know thou and see that there is neither evil P nor transgression in my hand, and I have not sinned against thee; yet thou huntest my soul to take it.

12 The LORD judge between me and thee, and the LORD avenge me of thee: but my hand shall not be upon thee.

13 As saith the proverb of the ancients, Wickedness proceedeth from the wicked: but my hand shall not be upon thee.

14 After whom is the king of Israel come out? after whom dost thou pursue? after a dead dog, after a flea.

15 The LORD therefore be judge, and judge between me and thee, and see, and plead my cause, and deliver "me out of thy hand.

16 And it came to pass, when David had made an end of speaking these words unto Saul, that Saul said, Is this thy voice, my son David? And Saul lifted up his voice, and wept.

17 And he said to David, Thou art more 2022 righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil.

O ver.4.

p Pa.35.7.

9 c.26.20.

r2Ch.24.22

P.35.1.
43.1.
119.154.
Mi. 7.9.

V

18 And thou hast showed this day how that thou hast dealt well with me: forasmuch as when the LORD had delivered me into thy hand, thou killedst me not.

19 For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away? wherefore the LORD reward thee good for that thou hast done unto me this day.

t judge.
u c.26.24. 20 And now, behold, I know y well that thou
Mat.5.44. shalt surely be king, and that the kingdom o.
Israel shall be established in thy hand.

w shut up.
c. 23.12.

2 Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats. 3 And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where was a cave; and Saul went in to cover x his feet: and David and his men remained in the sides of the cave.

e

26.8.

21 Swear now therefore unto me by the P18.20. LORD, that thou wilt not cut off my seed after me, and that thou wilt not destroy my name out of my father's house.

Pr. 25. 21, 22.

y c.23.17.

z 2 Sa. 21.6,

8.

4 And the men of David said unto him, Behold the day of which the LORD said unto thee Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into a c. 23.29.

22 And David sware unto Saul. And Saul went home; but David and his men gat them up unto the hold.

19 And she said unto her servants, Go on before me; behold, I come after you. But she told not her husband Nabal.

20 And it was so, as she rode on the ass, that she came down by the covert of the hill, and, behold, David and his men came down against her; and she met them.

21 Now David had said, Surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow hath in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that Ch.12.18. pertained unto him: and he hath requited me evil for good.

22 So and more also do God unto the eneNe.8.10.. mies of David, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall.

33 And blessed be thy advice, and blessed L23.42 be thou, which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging my. self with mine own hand.

Saul comes to Hachilah.

1 SAMUEL.-CHAP. XXVI.

come to meet me, surely there had not been left unto Nabal by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall.

35 So David received of her hand that which she had brought him, and said unto her, *Go up in peace to thy house; see, I have hearkened to thy voice, and have accepted thy person.

36 And Abigail came to Nabal; and, behold, he held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king; and Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was very drunken: wherefore she told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light.

a

B. C. 1060.

x 2 Sa. 15 9.
Lu.7.50.

y 28a. 13.23.

* Pr.20.1.
Ec 10.19.

25.3,7.
a Job 15.21.

Pr. 23.29.

35.

b 2 Ki. 15.5.
Ac. 12.23.

c ver.32

d Pr.22.23.

e ver. 26,34.

f 1 Ki.2.44.
Ps. 7. 16.

g Ru.2.10,
13.

Pr. 15.33.

37 But it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became as a stone. 38 And it came to pass about ten days after, that the LORD Smote Nabal, that he died. 39 And when David heard that Nabal wash at her feet. dead, he said, Blessed be the LORD, that hath pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and hath kept his servant from evil: for the LORD hath returned the wickedness of Nabal upon his own head. And David sent and communed with Abigail, to take her to him to wife.

40 And when the servants of David were come to Abigail to Carmel, they spake unto her, saying, David sent us unto thee, to take thee to him to wife.

41 And she arose, and bowed herself on her face to the earth, and said, Behold, let thy handmaid be a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.

42 And Abigail hasted, and arose, and rode upon an ass, with five damsels of her's that went after her; and she went after the messengers of David, and became his wife.

1

43 David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel; and they were also both of them his wives.

44 But Saul had given Michal his daughter, David's wife, to Phalti the son of Laish, which was of Gallim.

David saves Saul's life.

in the trench; and his spear stuck in the ground at his bolster: but Abner and the people lay round about him.

8 Then said Abishai to David, God hath delivered thine enemy into thy 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.

9 And David said to Abishai, Destroy him not: for who can stretch forth his hand against the LORD's anointed, and be guiltless?

10 David said furthermore, As the LORD liveth, the LORD shall smite him; or his day b shall come to die; or he shall descend into battle, and perish.

11 The LORD forbid that I should stretch forth my hand against the LORD's anointed: but, I pray thee, take thou now the spear that is at his bolster, and the cruise of water, and let us go.

12 So David took the spear and the cruise 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 a deep sleep from the LORD was fallen upon them.

13 Then David went over to the other side, and stood on the top of a hill afar off; a great space being between them:

14 And David cried to the people, and to e or midst Abner the son of Ner, saying, Answerest thou not, Abner? Then Abner answered and said, Who art thou that criest to the king?

of his car
riages.
c. 17.20.

d 1 Ch.2.16.

e shut up.
c. 24.18.

f.24.6,&c.

2 Sa. 1.16.

g Ps. 94 23.
Lu. 18.7.

h De.31.14.
Job 7.1.
Pa 37.13.
Ec.3.2.

He. 9.27.

ND the Ziphites came unto Saul to GiA beah, saying, Doth not David hide him-ic.31.6. self in the hill of Hachilah, which is 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.

But

3 And Saul pitched in the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon, by the way. David abode in the wilderness, and he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness. 4 David therefore sent out spies, and understood that Saul was come in very deed. 5 And David arose, and came to the place where Saul had pitched: and David beheld the place where Saul lay, and Abner the son of Ner, the captain of his host: and Saul lay in the trench, and the people pitched round about him.

jc.24.6,12.

Ge 2.21.

15. 12.

of death.

16 The thing is not good that thou hast done. As the LORD liveth, ye are worthy to die, because ye have not kept your master, the LORD's anointed. And now see where the king's spear is, and the cruise of water that was at his bolster.

17 And Saul knew David's voice, and said, Is this thy voice, my son David? And David said, It is my voice, my lord, O king.

18 And he said, Wherefore doth my lord thus pursue after his servant? for what have I done? or what evil is in my hand?

19 Now therefore, I pray thee, let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If the LORD have stirred " thee up against me, the sons let him accept an offering: but if they be 2 Sa. 125. the children of men, cursed be they before the LORD; for they have driven me out this day from abiding in the inheritance of the LORD, saying, Go, serve other gods.

m c.24.16.

n 28a. 16.11.
24.1.

o smell.

Ge. 8.21.

20 Now therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth before the face of the LORD: for the Le 26.31 king of Israel is come out to seek a flea, as when one doth hunt a partridge in the mountains.

p Pa. 119.
108.

21 ¶ Then said Saul, I have sinned: return, my son David: for I will no more do thee harm, because my soul was precious" in thine eyes this day: behold, I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly.

22 And David answered and said, Behold the king's spear! and let one of the young men come over and fetch it.

23 The LORD render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness: for the LORD delivered thee into my hand to-day, but

David dwells in Ziklag. 1 SAMUEL.-CHAP. XXVII., XXVIII. A witch raises Samuel.

I would not stretch forth my hand against the
LORD'S anointed.

24 And, 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.

25 Then Saul said to David, Blessed be thou, my son David; thou shalt both do great things, and also shalt still x prevail. So David went on his way, and Saul returned to his place. CHAPTER XXVII.

1 Saul bearing David to be in Gath, seeketh no more for him. 5 David beggeth Ziklag of Achish. He, invading other countries, persuadeth Achish he fought against Judab.

AN

ND 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.

C

g Jos. 19.5.

the num

ber of days.

year of

days.

2 And David arose, and he passed over with the six hundred men that were with him unto Achish, the son of Maoch, king of Gath.ia 3 And David dwelt with Achish at Gath, he c. 29.3. and his men, every man with his household, even David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal's wife.

4 And it was told Saul that David was fled to Gath: and he sought no more again for him.

5 ¶ And David said unto Achish, If I have now found grace in thine eyes, let them give me a place fin some town in the country, that I may dwell there: for why should thy servant dwell in the royal city with thee? 6 Then Achish gave him Ziklag & that day: wherefore Ziklag pertaineth unto the kings of Judah unto this day.

7 And the time that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines was a full year and four months.

m

n

A. M. 2918.

B. C. 1056.

Jos.13.2.

k or, Ger-
zites.

1 Ju.1.29.
m Ex.17.16.

n Ge. 25.18.
o or, did
you not
make.

PCh.2.9,

q Ju. 1.16.

r to stink.

e

5 And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled.

6 And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.

h

7 T Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that 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 that hath a familiar spirit at En-dor. 8 And Saul disguised 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, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me him up, whom I shall name unto thee.

9 And the woman said unto him, Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut 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?

10 And Saul sware to her by the LORD, SayGe.34.30. ing, As the LORD liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing.

a c.251.
b Le 20.27.

De. 18.10,
11.

© Jos. 19.18.
2 Ki. 4.8.

d c.31.1.

8 And David and his men went up, and invaded the Geshurites, and the Gezrites, and the Amalekites: for those nations were of old the inhabitants of the land, as thoue Job 18.11. goest to Shur, even unto the land of Egypt. f Pr.1.28. 9 And David smote the land, and left neither man nor woman alive, and took away the sheep, and the oxen, and the asses, and the camels, and the apparel, and returned, and came to Achish.

La. 2.9.

g Nu. 12.6.

h Nu.27.21.

i Le. 19.31.
1 Ch. 19.
13.
Is.8.19.

11 And David saved 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. 12 And Achish believed David, saying, Hever.6. nath made his people Israel utterly to abhor hand of him; therefore he shall be my servant for 2 Ki.6.27.

q by the

11 Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel.

12 And 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.

13 And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth.

14 And he said unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself.

15 And 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 God is departed from me, and Panswereth 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. 16 Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the LORD is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy? 17 And the LORD hath done to him, as he spake by me: for the LORD hath rent the kingdom out of thy hand, and given it to thy 1K2042 neighbour, even to David:

8 La.2.5.
tor, for
himself.

Pr. 16.4.
u c. 15.28.
V my

hand.

w c. 13.9,13.

1 Ch. 10.
13.

Je.48. 10.

x P.50.21,
22.

y e. 31.1..6

Da. 5.26..

23.

z made

The Philistines suspect David. 1 SAMUEL.-CHAP. XXIX., XXX. The Amalekites spoil Ziklag. Israel with thee into the hand of the Philis-angel of God: notwithstanding the princes tines and to-morrow shalt thou and thy sons of the Philistines have said, "He shall not go be with me: the LORD also shall deliver the haste and up with us to the battle. host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines. 20 Then Saul fell straightway all along on the earth, and was sore afraid, because of the words of Samuel: and there was no strength in him; for he had eaten no bread all the day, nor all the night.

fell with
the ful-
ness of
his sta
ture.

a Job 15.20.

b c.19.5.

22 Now therefore, I pray thee, hearken dc.25.28. thou also unto the voice of thy handmaid, and let me set a morsel of bread before thee; and eat, that thou mayest have strength, when thou goest on thy way.

23 But he refused, and said, I will not eat. But his servants, together with the woman, compelled him; and he hearkened unto their voice. So he arose from the earth, and sat upon the bed.

e 1Ch. 12. 19.

f c.14.21.

g c. 18.7.

h 2 Sa. 3.25.
2KL. 19.27.

24 And the woman had a fat calf in the ver.3. house; and she hasted, and killed it, and took flour, and kneaded it, and did bake unleavened bread thereof:

25 And she brought it before Saul, and before his servants; and they did eat. Then they rose up, and went away that night.

CHAPTER XXIX.

1 David marching with the Philistines, 3 is disallowed by their princes 6 Achish dismisseth him, with commendations of his fidelity.

NOW the Philistines gathered together all

J thou art
not good

2 And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way.

3 So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives.

4 Then David and the people that were with in the eyes him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.

of the

lords.

k do not

5 And David's two wives were taken capevil in the tives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.

eyes of.

1 before.

their armies to Aphek: and the Israelites m 2 Sa. 14. pitched by a fountain which is in Jezreel.

2 And the lords of the Philistines passed on by hundreds, and by thousands: but David and his men passed on in the rere-ward with Achish.

3 Then said the princes of the Philistines, What do these Hebrews here? And Achish said unto the princes of the Philistines, Is not this David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, which hath been with me these days, or these years, and I have found no fault din him since he fell unto me unto this day?

e

с

4 And the princes of the Philistines were wroth with him; and the princes of the Philistines said unto him, Make this fellow return, that he may go again to his place which thou hast appointed him, and let him not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he be an adversary to us: for wherewith should he reconcile himself unto his master? should it not be with the heads of these men ?

5 Is not this David, of whom they sang one to another in dances, saying, Saul slew his thousands, and David his ten thousands?

i

17; 19.27.

n ver. 4.

o 28a.4.4.

a Ps. 76.10.

b c. 25.42,

43.

Ex.17.4.

d

6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.

7 And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David.

8 And David inquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue : for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.

9 So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind stayed.

10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men: for two hundred ‹ abode behind, which were so faint that they could not go over the 2 Sa. 17.8. brook Besor.

6 Then Achish called David, and said unto him, Surely, as the LORD liveth, thou hast been upright, and thy going out and thy coming in with me in the host is good in my sight: for I have not found evil in thee since the day of thy coming unto me unto this day: nevertheless the lords favour thee not. 7 Wherefore now return, and go in peace, that thou displease not the lords of the Philistines. 8 And David said unto Achish, But what h J.15.19. have I done? and what hast thou found in thy servant so long as I have been with thee unto this day, that I may not go fight against the enemies of my lord the king?

11 And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they made him drink water;

h

12 And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins: and when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him: for he had eaten no bread, nor drank any water, three days and three nights.

13 And David said unto him, To whom belongest thou? and whence art thou? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days agone I fell sick.

14 We made an invasion upon the south of the Cherethites, and upon the coast which belongeth to Judah, and upon the south of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.

15 And David said to him, Canst thou bring me down to this company? And he said, Swear