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1 Samuel Part 1
1 Samuel Part 2
1 Samuel 21:1 ¶Then came David to
Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of
David, and said unto him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee?
2 And 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 I have appointed
my servants to such and such a place.
3 Now therefore what is under thine hand? give me five loaves of bread in
mine hand, or what there is present.
4 And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under
mine hand, but there is hallowed bread; if the young men have kept
themselves at least from women.
5 And David answered the priest, and said unto him, Of a truth women have
been kept from us about these three days, since I came out, and the vessels
of the young men are holy, and the bread is in a manner common, yea, though
it were sanctified this day in the vessel.
6 So the priest gave him hallowed bread: for there was no bread there but
the shewbread, that was taken from before the LORD, to put hot bread in the
day when it was taken away.
7 Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained
before the LORD; and his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chiefest of the
herdmen that belonged to Saul.
8 And David said unto Ahimelech, And is there not here under thine hand
spear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me,
because the king's business required haste.
9 And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou
slewest in the valley 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.
10 ¶And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish
the king of Gath.
11 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?
12 And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish
the king of Gath.
13 And he changed his behaviour 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.
14 Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man is mad: wherefore
then have ye brought him to me?
15 Have I need of mad men, that ye have brought this fellow to play the mad
man in my presence? shall this fellow come into my house?
1 Samuel 22:1 ¶David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave
Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father's house heard it, they
went down thither to him.
2 And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and
every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became
a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men.
3 And 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.
4 And he brought them before the king of Moab: and they dwelt with him all
the while that David was in the hold.
5 And the prophet Gad said unto David, Abide not in the hold; depart, and
get thee into the land of Judah. Then David departed, and came into the
forest of Hareth.
6 ¶When Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men that were with
him, (now Saul abode in Gibeah under a tree in Ramah, having his spear in
his hand, and all his servants were standing about him;)
7 Then 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, and make you all captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds;
8 That all of you have conspired against me, and there is none that sheweth
me that my son hath made a league with the son of Jesse, and there is none
of you that is sorry for me, or sheweth unto me that my son hath stirred up
my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?
9 Then answered Doeg the Edomite, which was set over the servants of Saul,
and said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of
Ahitub.
10 And he enquired of the LORD for him, and gave him victuals, and gave him
the sword of Goliath the Philistine.
11 Then the king sent to call Ahimelech 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.
12 And Saul said, Hear now, thou son of Ahitub. And he answered, Here I am,
my lord.
13 And 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
enquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as
at this day?
14 Then Ahimelech answered the king, and said, And who is so faithful among
all thy servants as David, which is the king's son in law, and goeth at thy
bidding, and is honourable in thine house?
15 Did I then begin to enquire of God for him? be it far from me: let not
the king impute any thing unto his servant, nor to all the house of my
father: for thy servant knew nothing of all this, less or more.
16 And the king said, Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all thy
father's house.
17 And the king said unto the footmen that stood about him, Turn, and slay
the priests of the LORD; because their hand also is with David, and because
they knew when he fled, and did not shew it to me. But the servants of the
king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the LORD.
18 And the king said to Doeg, Turn thou, and fall upon the priests. And Doeg
the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests, and slew on that day
fourscore and five persons that did wear a linen ephod.
19 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.
20 ¶And one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar,
escaped, and fled after David.
21 And Abiathar shewed David that Saul had slain the LORD'S priests.
22 And David said unto Abiathar, I knew it that day, when Doeg the Edomite
was there, that he would surely tell Saul: I have occasioned the death of
all the persons of thy father's house.
23 Abide thou with me, fear not: for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy
life: but with me thou shalt be in safeguard.
1 Samuel 23:1 ¶Then they told David, saying, Behold, the Philistines fight
against Keilah, and they rob the threshingfloors.
2 Therefore David enquired 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.
3 And David's men said unto him, Behold, we be afraid here in Judah: how
much more then if we come to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?
4 Then David enquired of the LORD yet again. And the LORD answered him and
said, Arise, go down to Keilah; for I will deliver the Philistines into
thine hand.
5 So David and his men went to Keilah, and fought with the Philistines, and
brought away their cattle, and smote them with a great slaughter. So David
saved the inhabitants of Keilah.
6 And 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.
7 ¶And it was told Saul that David was come to Keilah. And Saul said, God
hath delivered him into mine hand; for he is shut in, by entering into a
town that hath gates and bars.
8 And Saul called all the people together to war, to go down to Keilah, to
besiege David and his men.
9 And David knew that Saul secretly practised mischief against him; and he
said to Abiathar the priest, Bring hither the ephod.
10 Then said David, O LORD God of Israel, thy servant hath certainly heard
that Saul seeketh to come to Keilah, to destroy the city for my sake.
11 Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into his hand? will Saul come down,
as thy servant hath heard? O LORD God of Israel, I beseech thee, tell thy
servant. And the LORD said, He will come down.
12 Then said David, Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the
hand of Saul? And the LORD said, They will deliver thee up.
13 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 forbare to go forth.
14 ¶And David abode in the wilderness in strong holds, and remained in a
mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God
delivered him not into his hand.
15 And David saw that Saul was come out to seek his life: and David was in
the wilderness of Ziph in a wood.
16 And Jonathan Saul's son arose, and went to David into the wood, and
strengthened his hand in God.
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.
18 And they two made a covenant before the LORD: and David abode in the
wood, and Jonathan went to his house.
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?
20 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 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
subtilly.
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.
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.
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.
27 But there came a messenger unto Saul, saying, Haste thee, and come; for
the Philistines have invaded the land.
28 Wherefore Saul returned from pursuing after David, and went against the
Philistines: therefore they called that place Selahammahlekoth.
29 And David went up from thence, and dwelt in strong holds at Engedi.
1 Samuel 24:1 ¶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 Engedi.
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 his feet: and David and his men remained in the sides of the
cave.
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 thine 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 smote him, because he
had cut off Saul's skirt.
6 And he said unto his men, The LORD forbid that I should do this thing unto
my master, the LORD'S anointed, to stretch forth mine 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 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.
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 mine hand in the cave: and some bade me kill thee: but mine
eye spared thee; and I said, I will not put forth mine 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 nor transgression in mine 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
mine hand shall not be upon thee.
13 As saith the proverb of the ancients, Wickedness proceedeth from the
wicked: but mine 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 thine 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 righteous than I: 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 thine 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.
20 And now, behold, I know well that thou shalt surely be king, and that the
kingdom of Israel shall be established in thine 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.
22 And David sware unto Saul. And Saul went home; but David and his men gat
them up unto the hold.
1 Samuel 25:1 ¶And Samuel died; and all 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.
2 ¶And 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.
3 Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail: and
she was a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance: but
the man was churlish and evil in his doings; and he was of the house of
Caleb.
4 And David heard in the wilderness that Nabal did shear his sheep.
5 And David sent out 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:
6 And thus shall ye say to him that liveth in prosperity, Peace be both to
thee, and peace be to thine house, and peace be unto all that thou hast.
7 And now I have heard that thou hast shearers: now thy shepherds which were
with us, we hurt them not, neither was there ought missing unto them, all
the while they were in Carmel.
8 Ask thy young men, and they will shew thee. Wherefore let the young men
find favour in thine eyes: for we come in a good day: give, I pray thee,
whatsoever cometh to thine hand unto thy servants, and to thy son David.
9 And when David's young men came, they spake to Nabal according to all
those words in the name of David, and ceased.
10 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 came and told
him all those sayings.
13 And 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
stuff.
14 But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, saying, Behold,
David sent messengers out of the wilderness to salute our master; and he
railed on them.
15 But the men were very good unto us, and we were not hurt, neither missed
we any thing, as long as we were conversant with them, when we were in the
fields:
16 They were a wall unto us both by night and day, all the while we were
with them keeping the sheep.
17 Now therefore know and consider what thou wilt do; for evil is determined
against our master, and against all his household: for he is such a son of
Belial, that a man cannot speak to him.
18 ¶Then 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
an hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them
on asses.
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 pertained unto
him: and he hath requited me evil for good.
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 pisseth against the wall.
23 And when Abigail saw David, she hasted, and lighted off the ass, and fell
before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground,
24 And fell at his feet, and said, Upon me, my lord, upon me let this
iniquity be: and let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine audience,
and hear the words of thine handmaid.
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
thine handmaid saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send.
26 Now therefore, my lord, as the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth,
seeing the LORD hath withholden thee from coming to shed blood, and from
avenging thyself with thine own hand, now let thine enemies, and they that
seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal.
27 And now this blessing which thine handmaid hath brought unto my lord, let
it even be given unto the young men that follow my lord.
28 I pray thee, forgive the trespass of thine handmaid: for the LORD will
certainly make my lord a sure house; because my lord fighteth the battles of
the LORD, and evil hath not been found in thee all thy days.
29 Yet a man is risen to pursue thee, and to seek thy soul: but the 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;
31 That this shall be no grief unto thee, nor offence of heart unto my lord,
either that thou hast shed blood causeless, or that my lord hath avenged
himself: but when the LORD shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember
thine handmaid.
32 ¶And David said to Abigail, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which sent
thee this day to meet me:
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.
35 So David received of her hand that which she had brought him, and said
unto her, Go up in peace to thine 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.
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 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.
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 thine 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.
1 Samuel 26:1 ¶And the Ziphites came unto Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not
David hide himself 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.
3 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.
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.
6 ¶Then 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? And Abishai said, I will go down with thee.
7 So David and Abishai came to 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 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.
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 shall come to die; or he shall descend into battle, and perish.
11 The LORD forbid that I should stretch forth mine hand against the 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.
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 an 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 then hast thou not kept thy lord the king? for
there came one of the people in to destroy the king thy lord.
16 This 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 cruse 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 mine 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, let him accept an
offering: but if they be 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.
20 Now 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 a flea, as when one doth
hunt a partridge in the mountains.
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 I would not stretch forth
mine 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 prevail. So David went on his way, and
Saul returned to his place.
1 Samuel 27:1 ¶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.
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.
3 And David dwelt with Achish at Gath, he 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 in 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.
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 thou goest to Shur, even unto the land of Egypt.
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.
10 And Achish said, Whither have ye made a road to day? And David said,
Against the south of Judah, and against the south of the Jerahmeelites, and
against the south of the Kenites.
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, He hath made his people Israel utterly
to abhor him; therefore he shall be my servant for ever.
1 Samuel 28:1 ¶And it 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.
2 And 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.
3 Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in
Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away those that had familiar
spirits, and the wizards, out of the land.
4 And the Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and pitched in
Shunem: and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they pitched in Gilboa.
5 And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his
heart greatly trembled.
6 And when Saul enquired of the LORD, the LORD answered him not, neither by
dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.
7 ¶Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar
spirit, that I may go to her, and enquire of her. And his servants said to
him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor.
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, saying, As the LORD liveth, there
shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing.
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 answereth 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 thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David:
18 Because 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.
19 Moreover the LORD will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the
Philistines: and to morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me: the LORD also
shall deliver the 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.
21 And the woman came unto Saul, and saw that he was sore troubled, and said
unto him, Behold, thine handmaid hath obeyed thy voice, and I have put my
life in my hand, and have hearkened unto thy words which thou spakest unto
me.
22 Now therefore, I pray thee, hearken thou also unto the voice of thine
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.
24 And the woman had a fat calf in the 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.
1 Samuel 29:1 ¶Now the Philistines gathered together all their armies to
Aphek: and the Israelites 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 rereward 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 in him since he fell unto me unto
this day?
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?
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 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?
9 And Achish answered and said to David, I know that thou art good in my
sight, as an angel of God: notwithstanding the princes of the Philistines
have said, He shall not go up with us to the battle.
10 Wherefore now rise up early in the morning with thy master's servants
that are come with thee: and as soon as ye be up early in the morning, and
have light, depart.
11 So David and his men rose up early to depart in the morning, to return
into the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.
1 Samuel 30:1 ¶And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to
Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and
Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire;
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 him lifted up their voice and
wept, until they had no more power to weep.
5 And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and
Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
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 enquired 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 brook Besor.
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;
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 drunk 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 unto me by God, that thou wilt neither kill me, nor deliver me
into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee down to this company.
16 And when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread abroad upon
all the earth, eating and drinking, and dancing, because of all the great
spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the
land of Judah.
17 And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next
day: and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, which
rode upon camels, and fled.
18 And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David
rescued his two wives.
19 And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither
sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor any thing that they had taken to
them: David recovered all.
20 And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drave before
those other cattle, and said, This is David's spoil.
21 ¶And David came to the two hundred men, which were so faint that they
could not follow David, whom they had made also to abide at the brook Besor:
and they went forth to meet David, and to meet the people that were with
him: and when David came near to the people, he saluted them.
22 Then answered all the wicked men and men of Belial, of those that went
with David, and said, Because they went not with us, we will not give them
ought of the spoil that we have recovered, save to every man his wife and
his children, that they may lead them away, and depart.
23 Then said David, Ye shall not do so, my brethren, with that which the
LORD hath given us, who hath preserved us, and delivered the company that
came against us into our hand.
24 For who will hearken unto you in this matter? but as his part is that
goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff:
they shall part alike.
25 And it was so from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an
ordinance for Israel unto this day.
26 And when David came to Ziklag, he sent of the spoil unto the elders of
Judah, even to his friends, saying, Behold a present for you of the spoil of
the enemies of the LORD;
27 To them which were in Bethel, and to them which were in south Ramoth, and
to them which were in Jattir,
28 And to them which were in Aroer, and to them which were in Siphmoth, and
to them which were in Eshtemoa,
29 And to them which were in Rachal, and to them which were in the cities of
the Jerahmeelites, and to them which were in the cities of the Kenites,
30 And to them which were in Hormah, and to them which were in Chorashan,
and to them which were in Athach,
31 And to them which were in Hebron, and to all the places where David
himself and his men were wont to haunt.
1 Samuel 31:1 ¶Now the Philistines fought against Israel: and the men of
Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount
Gilboa.
2 And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and the
Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul's sons.
3 And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was
sore wounded of the archers.
4 Then said Saul unto his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me
through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and
abuse me. But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore
Saul took a sword, and fell upon it.
5 And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon
his sword, and died with him.
6 So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armourbearer, and all his men,
that same day together.
7 And when the men of Israel that were on the other side of the valley, and
they that were on the other side Jordan, saw that the men of Israel fled,
and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities, and fled; and
the Philistines came and dwelt in them.
8 ¶And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the
slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen in mount Gilboa.
9 And they cut off his head, and stripped off his armour, and sent into the
land of the Philistines round about, to publish it in the house of their
idols, and among the people.
10 And they put his armour in the house of Ashtaroth: and they fastened his
body to the wall of Bethshan.
11 And when the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead heard of that which the
Philistines had done to Saul;
12 All the valiant men arose, and went all night, and took the body of Saul
and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Bethshan, and came to Jabesh,
and burnt them there.
13 And they took their bones, and buried them under a tree at Jabesh, and
fasted seven days.
1 Samuel Part 1
1 Samuel Part 2
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