2Then came David to Nob to Ahim- elech the priest; and Ahimelech came to meet David trembling, and said unto him: 'Why art thou alone, and no man with thee?' 3And David said unto Ahimelech the priest: 'The king hath commanded me a business, and hath said unto me: ^ Let no man know any thing of the business whereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee; and the young men have I appointed to such and such a place. 4Now therefore what is under thy hand? five loaves of bread? give them in my hand, or whatsoever there is present.' 5And the priest answered David, and said: 'There is no common bread under my hand, but there is holy bread; if only the young men have kept themselves from women.' 6And David answered the priest, and said unto him: 'Of a truth women have been kept from us about these three days; when I came out, the vessels of the young men were holy, though it was but a common journey; how much more then to-day, when there shall be holy bread in their vessels?' 7So the priest gave him holy bread; for there was no bread there but the showbread, that was taken from before the LORD, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away. — 8Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the LORD; and his name was Doeg the Edomite, the chiefest of the herd- men^ that belonged to Saul. — 9And David said unto Ahimelech: 'And FIRST SAMUEL is there peraclventure here under thy hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor n weapons with me, because the king's business^ required haste/ 10And the priest said: 'The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the vale of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod; if thou wilt take that, take it; for there is no other save that here.' And David said: ' There is none like that; give it me.'
nAnd David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath. ^And the servants of Achish said unto him. 'Is not this David ^ the king of the land? Did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying: Saul hath slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands?' 13 And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath. 14And he changed his demeanour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard. 15Then said Achish unto his servants: ' Lo, when ye see a man that is mad, wherefore do ye bring him to me? 16Do I lack mad- men, that ye have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence? shall this fellow come into my house?'
OO David therefore departed thence, ^ ^ and escaped to the cave of Adul- lam; and when his brethren and all his father's house heard it, they went down thither to him. 2And every one that was in distress, and every one that was1 in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became captain over them; and there were with him about four hundred men.
3And David went thence to Mizpeh of Moab; and he said unto the king of Moab: 'Let my father and my mother, I pray thee, come forth, and be with you, till I know what God will do for me.' 4And he brought them before the king of Moab; and they dwelt with him all the while that David was in the stronghold. 5And the prophet Gad said unto David: 'Abide not in the stronghold; depart, and get thee into the land of Judah.' Then David departed and came into the forest of Hereth.
6And Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men that were with him; now Saul was sitting in Gibeah, under the tamarisk-tree in Ramah, with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him. 7And Saul said unto his servants that stood about him: 'Hear now, ye Benjamites; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, will he make you all captains of thousands and captains of hundreds; "that all of you have con- spired against me, and there was none that disclosed it to me when my son made a league with the son of Jesse, and there is none of you that is sorry for me, or discloseth unto me that my son hath stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?' 9Then answered Doeg the Edomite, who was set over the serv- ants of Saul, and said: 'I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahim- elech the son of Ahitub. 10And he inquired of the LORD for hi™, and gave him victuals, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.'
uThen the king sent to call AJbim- elech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father's house, the priests that were in Nob; and they came all of them to the king. 12And Saul FIRST SAMUEL said: 'Hear now, thou son of Ahitub.' And he answered: 'Here I am, my lord.' MAnd Saul said unto him: 'Why have ye conspired against me, thou and the son of Jesse, in that thou hast given him bread, and a sword, and hast inquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?' 14Then Ahimelech answered the king, and said: ' And who among all thy servants is so trusted as David, who is the king's son-in-law, and giveth heed unto thy bidding, and is honourable in thy house? uHave I to-day be- gun to inquire of God for him? be it far from me; let not^ the king im- pute any thing unto his servant, nor to all the house of my father; for thy servant knoweth nothing of all $*is, less or more.' 16And the king said: 'Thou shalt surely die, Ahim- elech, thou, and all thy father's house.' 17And the king said^ unto the guard that stood about him: 'Turn, and slay the priests of the LOED; because their hand also is with David, and because they knew that he fled, and did not disclose it to me.' But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the LORD. 18And the king said to Doeg: 'Turn thou, and fall upon the priests/ And Doeg the Edqmite turned, and he fell upon the priests, and he slew on that day fourscore and five persons that did wear a linen ephod. "And Nob, the city of the priests, smote he with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and sucklings, and oxen and asses and sheep, with the edge of the sword. 20And one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped, and fled after David. ^And Abiathar told David that Saul had slain the LORD'S i priests. ^And David said unto Abiathar: 'I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul; I have brought about the death of all the persons of thy father's house. ^Abide thou with me, fear not; for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life; for with me thou shalt be in safeguard.' OO And they told David, saying: ^° 'Behold, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah, and they rob the threshing-floors.' 2Therefore David inquired of the LORD, saying: 'Shall I go and smite these Philistines?' And the LORD said unto David: 'Go, and smite the Philistines, and save Keilah.' 3And David's men said unto him: 'Behold, we are afraid here in Judah; how much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?' ^hen David in- quired of the LORD yet again. And the LORD answered him and said: 'Arise, go down to Keilah; for I will deliver the Philistines into thy hand/ 6And David and his men went to Keilah, and fought with the Philis- tines, and brought away their cattle, and slew them with a great slaughter. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.
6And it came to pass, when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David to Keilah, that he came down with an ephod in his hand. 7And it was told Saul that David was come to Keilah. And jSaul said: 'God hath delivered him into my hand; for he is shut in, by entering into a town that hath gates and bars.' 8And Saul summoned all the people to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men. 9And David ^ knew that Saul devised mischief against him; and he said to Abiathar the priest: 'Bring hither the ephod.' 10Then said David: '0 FIRST SAMUEL LORD, the God of Israel, Thy serv- ant hath surely heard that Saul seeketh to come to Keilah, to destroy the city for my sake. uWill the men of Keilah deliver me up into his hand? will Saul come down, as Thy serv- ant hath heard? 0 LORD, the God of Israel, I beseech Thee, tell Thy servant.' And the LORD said: 'He will come down.' 12Then said David- 'Will the men of Keilah deliver up me and my men into the hand of Saul?' And the LORD said: 'They will deliver thee up.' 13Then David and his men, who were about six hundred, arose and departed out of Keilah, and went whithersoever they could go. And it was told Saul that David was escaped from Keilah; and he forbore to go forth.
14And David abode in the wilderness in the strongholds, and remained in the hill-country in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God delivered him not into his hand. 15And David saw that Saul was come out to seek his life; and David was in the wilderness of Ziph in the wood. 16And Jonathan Saul's son arose, and went to David into the wood, and strengthened his hand in God. 17And he said unto him: 'Fear not; for the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee; and thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next unto thee; and that also Saul my father knoweth.' 18And they two made a covenant before the LORD; and David abode in the wood, and Jonathan went to his house.
"Then came up the Ziphites to Saul to Gibeah, saying: 'Doth not David hide himself with us in the strong- holds in the wood, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of Jeshimon? *°Now therefore, O king, come down, according to all the desire of thy soul to come down; and our part shall be to deliver him up into the king's hand.' ^And Saul said: 'Blessed be ye of the LORD; for ye have had compassion on me. ^o, I pray you, make^yet more sure, 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 subtly. ^See therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurking- places where he hideth himself, and come ye back 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 search him out among all the thousands of Judah.' MAnd they arose, and went to Ziph before Saul; but David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah on the south of Jeshimon. ^And Saul and his men went to seek him. And they told David; wherefore he came down ^ to the rock, and abode in the wilderness of Maon. And when ^ heard that, he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon. 2SAnd 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 SauLand his men compassed David and his men round about to take them. 27But there came a messenger unto Saul, saying: 'Haste thee, and come; for the Philistines have made a raid upon the land.' 28So Saul returned from pursuing after David, and went against the Philistines; therefore they called that 24 P^0? aSela-ha,mm ahlekoth. *And David went up from thence, and dwelt in the strongholds of En-gedi.
2And it came to pass, when Saul was returned from following the Phi- listines, that it was told him, say- ing: 'Behold, David is in the wilder- That is, The rock of divisions.
FIRST SAMUEL ness of En-gedi.' 3Then 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. 4And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where was a cave; and Saul went in to cover his^ feet. ^ Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost parts of the cave. 5And the men of David said unto him 'Behold the day in which the LORD hath said unto thee: Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into tlr$r hand, and thou shalt do to him as it shall seem good unto thee/ Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe privily. 6And it came to pass afterward, that David's heart smote him, because he had cut off SauPs skirt. 7And he said unto his men: 'The LORD forbid it me, that I should do this thing unto my lord, the LORD'S anointed, to put forth my hand against him, seeing he is the LORD'S anointed.' 8So David checked his men with these words, and suffered them not to rise against Saul. And Saul rose up out of the cave, and went on his way.
9David also arose afterward, and went out of the cave, and cried after Saul, saying: 'My lord the king.' And when Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the earth, and prostrated himself. 10And David said to Saul 'Wherefore hearkenest thou to men's words, saying: Behold, David seeketh thy hurt? "Behold, this day thine eyes have seen how that the LORD had de- livered 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. Moreover, my father, see, yea, see the skirt of thy robe in I my hand; for in that I cut off the slart of thy robe, and killed thee not, know thou and see that there is neither evil nor transgression in my hand, and I have not sinned against thee, though thou layest wait for my soul to take it. ^The LORD judge between me and thee, and the LORD avenge me of thee; but my hand shall not be upon thee. 14As saith the proverb of the ancients: Out of the wicked cometh forth wickedness; but my hand shall not be upon thee. 1 lifter whom is the king of Israel come out? after whom dost thou pur- sue? after a dead dog, after a flea. 16The LORD therefore be judge, and give sentence between me and thee, and see, and plead my cause, and deliver me out of thy hand.'
17And 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. 18And he said to David: 'Thou art more righteous than I; for thou hast rendered unto me good, whereas I have rendered unto thee evil. 19And thou hast declared this day how that thou hast dealt well with me; foras- much as when the LORD had de- livered me up into thy hand, thou didst not kill me. 20For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away? wherefore the LORD reward thee good for that which thou hast done unto me this day. 21And now, behold, I know that thou shalt surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in thy hand. ^Swear now therefore unto me by the 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.' ^And David swore unto Saul. And Saul went home; but FIRST SAMUEL David and his men got them up unto the stronghold.
O£J And Samuel died; and all Israel ^^ gathered themselves together, and lamented him, and buried him in his house at Ramah And David arose, and went down to the wilder- ness of Paran.
2And there was a man in Maon, whose possessions were in Carmel; and the man was very great, and he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats; and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel 3Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail; and the woman was of good understanding, and of a beautiful form; but the man was churlish and evil in his doings; and he was of the house of Caleb. *And David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep. 5And David sent ten young men, and David said unto the young men: 'Get you up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name; 6and thus ye shall say: All hail! and peace be both unto thee, and peace be to thy house, and peace be unto all that thou hast. 7And now I have heard that thou hast shearers; thy shepherds have now been with us, and we did them no hurt, neither was there aught missing unto them, all the while they were in Carmel. 8Ask thy young men, and they will tell thee; wherefore let the young men find favour in thine eyes; for we come on a good day; give, I pray thee, whatsoever cometh to thy hand, unto thy servants, and to thy son David.'
9And when David's young men came, they spoke to Nabal according to all those words in the name of David, and ceased. 10And Nabal answered David's servants, and said: 'Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? there are many servants now-a-days that break away every man from his master; ushall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men of whom I know not whence they are?' 12So David's young men turned on their way, and went back, and came and told him according to all these words. 13And David said unto his men* 'Gird ye on every man his sword.' And they girded on every man his sword; and David also girded on his sword; and there went up after David about four hundred men; and two hundred abode by the baggage.
14But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, saying: 'Be- hold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to salute our master; and he flew upon them. 15But the men were very good unto us, and we were not hurt, neither missed we any thing, as long as we went with them, when we were hi the fields; 1Gthey were a wall unto us both by night and by day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep. 17Now therefore know and consider what thou wilt do; for evil is determined against our master, and against all his house; for he is such a base fellow, that one cannot speak to him/ 18Then Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched corn, and a hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on asses. 19And she said unto her young men: fGo on before me; behold, I come after you.' But she told not her husband Nabal. 20And it was so, as she rode on her ass, and came down by the covert of the mountain, that, behold, FIRST SAMUEL David and his men came down to- wards her: and she met them — ^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 pertained unto him; and he hath returned me evil for good, ^od do so unto the enemies of David, and more also, if I leave of all that pertain 'to him by the morning light so much as one male.'—^And when Abigail saw David, she made haste, and alighted from her ass, and fell before David on her face, and bowed down to the ground. MAnd she fell at his feet, and said: 'Upon me, my lord, upon me be the iniquity; and let thy handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine ears, and hear thou the words of thy handmaid. ^Let not my lord, I pray thee, regard this base fellow, even Nabal; for as his name is, so is he: aNabal is his name, and churlish- ness is with him; but I thy handmaid saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send. ^Now there- fore, my lord, as the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, seeing the LORD hath withholden thee from blood- guiltiness, and from finding redress for thyself with thine own hand, now therefore let thine enemies, and them that seek evil to my lord, be as Na- bal. 27And now this present which thy servant hath brought unto my lord, let it be given unto the young men that follow my lord. 28Forgive, I pray thee, the trespass of thy hand- maid; for the LORD will certainly make my lord a sure house, because my lord fighteth the battles of the LORD; and evil is not found in thee all thy days. 29And though man be risen up to pursue thee, and to seek thy soul, yet the soul of my lor<J shall be bound in the bundle of life with the LORD thy God; and the souls of thine enemies, them shall he sling out, as from the hollow of a sling. 30And it shall come to pass, when the LORD shall have done to my lord according to all the good that He hath spoken concerning thee, and shall have appointed thee prince over Israel; 31that this shall be no stum- blingblock unto thee, nor offence of heart unto my lord, either that thou hast shed blood without cause, or that my lord hath found redress for himself. And when the LORD shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember thy handmaid.'
32And David said to b Abigail: 'Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who sent thee this day to meet me; ^and blessed be thy dis- cretion, and blessed be thou, that hast kept me this day from bloodguiltiness, and from finding redress for myself with mine own hand. wFor in very deed, as the LORD, the God of Israel, liveth, who hath withholden me from hurting thee, except thou hadst made haste and come to meet me, surely there had not been left unto Nabal by the morning light so much as one male.' 88Sot David received of her hand that which she had brought him; and he said unto her: 'Go up in peace to thy house; see, I have hearkened to thy voice, and have accepted thy person/ 36And 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. 37And it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, that his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him, and he became as a stone. 88And it came to pass about That is, Churl. *>Heb Ahgal.
FIRST SAMUEL ten days after, that the LORD smote Nabal, so that he died.
39And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said: 'Blessed be the LORD, that hath pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and hath kept back His servant from evil; and the evil-doing of Nabal hath the LORD returned upon his own head/ And David sent and spoke concerning Abigail, to take her to him to wife. 40And when the servants of David were come to Abigail to Carmel, they spoke unto her, saying: 'David hath sent us unto thee, to take thee to him to wife.' ^And she arose, and bowed down with her face to the earth, and said: 'Behold, thy handmaid is a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.' ^And Abigail hastened, and arose, and rode upon an ass, with five damsels of hers that followed her; and she went after the messengers of David, and became his wife.
^David also took Ahinoam of Jez- reel; and they became both of them his wives. ^Now Saul had given Michal his daughter, David's wife, to Palti the son of Laish, who was of Gallim.
Oft And the Ziphites came unto AU Saul to Gibeah, saying: 'Doth not David hide himself in the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshi- mon?' 2Then Saul arose, and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, having three thousand chosen men of Israel with Mm., to seek David in the wilder- • ness of Ziph. 3And Saul pitched in 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 of a certainty. 5And 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 within the barri- cade, and the people pitched round about him.
^hen answered David 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?' Aiid 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 barricade, with his spear stuck in the ground at his head; and Abner and the people lay round about him. 8Then said Abishai to David: 'God hath de- livered up thine enemy into thy hand this day; now therefore let me smite him, I pray thee, with the spear to the earth at one stroke, and I will not smite him the second time.' 9And David said to Abishai: 'Destroy him not; for who can put forth his hand against the LORD'S anointed, and be guiltless?' 10And David said: 'As the LORD liveth, nay, but the LORD shall smite him; or his day shall come to die; or he shall go down into battle, and be swept away. uThe LORD for- bid it me, that I should put forth my hand against the LOBD'S anointed; but now take, I pray thee, the spear that is at his head, and the cruse of water, and let us go.' 12So David took the spear and the cruse of water from Saul's head; and they got them away, and no man saw it, nor knew it, neither did any awake; for they were all asleep; because a deep sleep from the LORD was fallen upon them.
wThen David went over to the other side, and stood on the top of the moun- tain afar off; a great space being FIRST SAMUEL 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?' 16And David said to Abner: ' Art not thou a valiant man? and who is like to thee in Israel? wherefore then hast thou not kept watch over thy lord the king? for there came one of the people in to destroy the kin] thy lord. 16This thing is not goo< that thou hast done. As the LORD liveth, ye deserve to die, because ye have not kept watch over your lord, the LORD'S anointed. And now, s< where the king's spear is, and the cruse of water that was at his head.: 17And Saul knew David's voice, and said: 'Is this thy voice, my son David?' And David said: 'It is my voice, my lord, 0 king.' 18And he said* 'Wherefore doth my lord pursue after his servant? for what have I done? or what evil is in my hand? 19Now therefore, I pray thee, let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If it be the LORD that hath stirred thee up against me, let Him accept an offering; but if it be the children of men, cursed be they before the LORD; for they have driven me out this day that I should not cleave unto the inheritance of the LORD, saying: Go, serve other gods. ^Now there- fore, let not my blood fall to the earth away from the presence of the LORD; for the king of Israel is come out to seek a single flea, as when one doth hunt a partridge in the mountains.'
^Then said Saul: 'I have sinned; return, my son David; for I will no more do thee harm, because my life was precious in thine eyes this day; behold, I have played the fool and erred exceedingly.' ^And David an- swered and said: 'Behold the king's spear! let then one of the young men come over and fetch it. ^And the LORD will render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness; forasmuch as the LORD delivered thee into my hand to-day, and I would not put forth my hand against the LORD'S anointed. MAnd, 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.' ssThen Saul said to David: 'Blessed be thou, my son David; thou shalt both do mightily, and shalt surely prevail ' So David went his way, and Saul returned to his place. 07 And David said in his heart: 1 'I shall now be swept away one day by the hand of Saul; there is nothing better for me than that I should escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul will despair of me, to seek me any more in all the borders of Israel; so shall I escape out of his hand.' 2And David arose, and passed over, he and the six hundred men that were with him, unto Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath. 3And David dwelt with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, even David with his two wives, Ahmoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal's wife. 4A.nd it was told Saul that David was fled to Gath; and he sought no