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the LORD said, He will come there: for it is told me that he deal

down.

D 12 Then said David, Will the
men of Keilah deliver me and my
men into the hand of Saul? And
and the LORD said, they will de-
deliver thee up.

f13 Then David and his men,
which 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 for-
bare to go
forth.

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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 search him out throughout all the thousands of Judah. g 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

g 14 And David abode in the wil- Jeshimon. derness in strong holds, and remain- g 25 Saul also and his men went to ed in a mountain in the wilderness seek him. And they told David: of Ziph. And Saul sought him wherefore he came down into a every day, but God delivered him rock, and abode in the wilderness of not into his hand. Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon.

15 And David saw that Saul was come out to seek his life: and David was in the wilderness of Ziph in a wood.

c 16 And Jonathan Saul's son arose, and went to David into the wood, and strengthened his hand in God. c 17 And 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.

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. ƒ 27 But there came a messenger unto Saul, saying, Haste thee, and come; for the Philistines have invaded the land.

18 And they two made a covenantg 23 Wherefore Saul returned from before the LORD: and David abode pursuing after David, and went in the wood, and Jonathan went to against the Philistines: therefore his house. they called that place Sela-hammah-lekoth.

g 19 Then came up the Ziphites to Saul to 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?

f 20 Now therefore, O king, come down according to all the desire of thy soul to coine down; and our part shall be to deliver him 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

g 29 And David went up from thence, and dwelt in strong holds at En-gedi.

CHAP. XXIV.

AND it came to pass, when Saul

was returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, Behold, David is in the wilderness of En-gedi.

f 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 sheep-cotes by the way, where was a cave; and Saul went in to cover his feet and

sides of the cave.

David and his men remained in the 13 As saith the proverb of the ancients, Wickedness proceedeth from the wicked: but my hand shall not be upon thee.

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 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.

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, 5 And it came to pass afterward, and see, and plead my cause, and that David's heart smote him, be-deliver me out of thy hand. cause he had cut off Saul's skirt. f 16 And it came to pass when c6 And he said unto his men, The David had made an end of speaking LORD forbid that I should do this these words unto Saul, that Saul thing unto my master, the LORD's said, Is this thy voice, my son Daanointed, to stretch forth my hand vid? And Saul lifted up his voice, against him, seeing he is the anoint- and wept. ed of the LORD.

f7 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 rose afterward, and went out of the cave, and cried after Saul, saying, My lord the king. And when Saul looked behind him, David stooped with his face to the earth, and bowed himself.

f9 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 hath delivered thee to-day into my band 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.

E 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 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.

17 And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than 1: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil.

18 And thou hast shewed 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.

e 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.

20 And now, behold, I know well that thou shalt surely be king, and that the kingdon of Israel shall be established in thy hand.

21 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."

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

g

CHAP. XXV.

the Israelites were gathered together, and lamented him, and buried him in his house at Ramah. And David arose, and went down to the wilderness of Paran. g 2 And there was a man in Maon, whose possessions arere in Carmel;

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and the man was very great, and he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats: and he was shear- 13 And David said unto his men, Gird ye on every man his sword. ing his sheep in Carmel. 3 Now the name of the man was And they girded on every man his Nabal; and the name of his wife sword; and David also girded on Abigail and she was a woman of his sword: and there went up after good understanding, and of a beau- David about four hundred men; and tiful countenance: but the man was two hundred abode by the stuff. churlish and evil in his doings; and f 14 T But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, saying, he was of the house of Caleb. f4 T And David heard in the Behold, David sent messengers out wilderness that Nabal did shear his of the wilderness to salute our master; and he railed on them. sheep.

f 10 T And Nabal answered David's servants, and said, Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? there be many servants now-a-days that break away every 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 unto men, whom I know not whence they be?

12 So David's young men turned their way, and went again, and

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 pertained unto him: and he hath requited me evil for good.

u 22 So and more also do God unto the enemies of David, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the

morning light any that against the wall.)

pisseth | hath avenged himself: but when the LORD shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember thy handmaid.

23 And when Abigail saw David, she hasted, and lighted off the ass,

and fell before David on her face, 32 ¶ And David said to Abigail, and bowed herself to the ground. Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me:

24 And fell at his feet, and said, Upon me, my lord, upon me let this iniquity be: and let thy handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine audience, and hear the words of thy handmaid.

e 25 Let not my lord, I pray thee, regard this man of Belial, even Nabal for as his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him but I thy handmaid saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send.

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

34 For in very deed, as the LORD God of Israel liveth, which hath kept me back from hurting thee, except thou hadst hasted and come to meet me, surely there had not been left unto Nabal by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall.

26 Now therefore, my lord, as the LORD liveth, and as thy soul 35 So David received of her liveth, seeing the LORD hath with- hand that which she had brought holden thee from coming to shed him, and said unto her, Go up in blood, and from avenging thyself peace to thy house; see, I have with thine own hand, now let thine hearkened to thy voice, and have enemies, and they that seek evil to accepted thy person. my lord, be as Nabal.

27 And now this blessing which thy handmaid hath brought unto my lord, let it even be given unto the young men that follow my lord.

e 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.

28 I pray thee, forgive the trespass of thy handmaid: for the LORD will certainly make my lord a suref 37 But it came to pass in the house; because my lord fighteth the morning, when the wine was gone battles of the LORD, and evil hath out of Nabal, and his wife had told not been found in thee all thy days. him these things, that his heart died S29 Yet a man is risen to pursue within him, and he became as a thee, and to seek thy soul: but the stone. soul of my lord 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 out of the middle of a sling.

30 And 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 ruler over Israel;

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 was 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.

31 That this shall be no grief unto thee, nor offence of heart unto my lord, either that thou hast shed 40 And when the servants of Dablood causeless, or that my lord vid were come to Abigail to Car

mel they spake unto her, saying, David sent us unto thee, to take thee to him to wife.

41 And she arose, and bowed her self 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 hers that went after her; and she went after the messengers of David, and became his wife.

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.

CHAP. XXVI.

ND the Ziphites came unto

the people by night and behold, Saul lay sleeping within 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.

c 9 And David said to Abishai, De-
stroy him not: for who can stretch
forth his hand against the LORD'S
anointed, and be guiltless?
r 10 David said furthermore, As
the LORD liveth, the LORD shall
smite him; or his day shall come to
die; or he shall descend into battle,
and perish.

11 The LORD forbid that I should

A Saul hibeah, saying, stretch forth my hand against the

Doth not David hide himself in the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon ?

f 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.

g3 And 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. 4 David therefore sent out spies, and understood that Saul was come in very deed.

f5 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 Jay in the trench, and the people pitched round about him.

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.

t 12 So 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 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 Abner the son of Ner, saying, Answerest thou not, Abner? Then Abner answered and said, Who art thou that criest to the king?

15 And David said to Abner, Art not thou a valiant man? and who is like to thee in Israel? Wherefore 6 Then answered David and said then hast thou not kept thy lord the to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to king? for there came one of the peoAbishai the son of Zeruiah, brother ple in to destroy the king thy lord. to Joab, saying, Who will go down 16 This thing is not good that with me to Saul to the camp? And thou hast done. As the LORD Abishai said, I will go down with liveth, ye are worthy to die, because thee. ye have not kept your master the ƒ7 So David and Abishai came to LORD's anointed. And now see

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