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The Wonder of the Wilderness

New International Version

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 <div class="p">18Then Jonathan said to David, &#8220;Tomorrow is the New Moon feast. You will be missed, because your seat will be empty. 19The day after tomorrow, toward evening, go to the place where you hid when this trouble began, and wait by the stone Ezel. 20I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I were shooting at a target. 21Then I will send a boy and say, &#8216;Go, find the arrows.&#8217; If I say to him, &#8216;Look, the arrows are on this side of you; bring them here,&#8217; then come, because, as surely as the Lord lives, you are safe; there is no danger. 22But if I say to the boy, &#8216;Look, the arrows are beyond you,&#8217; then you must go, because the Lord has sent you away. 23And about the matter you and I discussed&#8212;remember, the Lord is witness between you and me forever.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 24So David hid in the field, and when the New Moon feast came, the king sat down to eat. 25He sat in his customary place by the wall, opposite Jonathan,#20:25 Septuagint; Hebrew wall. Jonathan arose and Abner sat next to Saul, but David&#8217;s place was empty. 26Saul said nothing that day, for he thought, &#8220;Something must have happened to David to make him ceremonially unclean&#8212;surely he is unclean.&#8221; 27But the next day, the second day of the month, David&#8217;s place was empty again. Then Saul said to his son Jonathan, &#8220;Why hasn&#8217;t the son of Jesse come to the meal, either yesterday or today?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 28Jonathan answered, &#8220;David earnestly asked me for permission to go to Bethlehem. 29He said, &#8216;Let me go, because our family is observing a sacrifice in the town and my brother has ordered me to be there. If I have found favor in your eyes, let me get away to see my brothers.&#8217; That is why he has not come to the king&#8217;s table.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 30Saul&#8217;s anger flared up at Jonathan and he said to him, &#8220;You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Don&#8217;t I know that you have sided with the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of the mother who bore you? 31As long as the son of Jesse lives on this earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. Now send someone to bring him to me, for he must die!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 32&#8220;Why should he be put to death? What has he done?&#8221; Jonathan asked his father. 33But Saul hurled his spear at him to kill him. Then Jonathan knew that his father intended to kill David.</div><div class="p"> 34Jonathan got up from the table in fierce anger; on that second day of the feast he did not eat, because he was grieved at his father&#8217;s shameful treatment of David.</div><div class="p"> 35In the morning Jonathan went out to the field for his meeting with David. He had a small boy with him, 36and he said to the boy, &#8220;Run and find the arrows I shoot.&#8221; As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. 37When the boy came to the place where Jonathan&#8217;s arrow had fallen, Jonathan called out after him, &#8220;Isn&#8217;t the arrow beyond you?&#8221; 38Then he shouted, &#8220;Hurry! Go quickly! Don&#8217;t stop!&#8221; The boy picked up the arrow and returned to his master. 39(The boy knew nothing about all this; only Jonathan and David knew.) 40Then Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy and said, &#8220;Go, carry them back to town.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 41After the boy had gone, David got up from the south side of the stone and bowed down before Jonathan three times, with his face to the ground. Then they kissed each other and wept together&#8212;but David wept the most.</div><div class="p"> 42Jonathan said to David, &#8220;Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other in the name of the Lord, saying, &#8216;The Lord is witness between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants forever.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221; Then David left, and Jonathan went back to the town.#20:42 In Hebrew texts this sentence (20:42b) is numbered 21:1.</div>
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The Listener’s Bible®: NIV Edition

New International Version™  (Anglicised), Audio Edition

Holy Bible, New International Version™ (Anglicised), South Asian Audio Edition

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 <div class="label">21</div><div class="s1">David at Nob</div><div class="p"> # In Hebrew texts 21:1-15 is numbered 21:2-16. 1David went to Nob, to Ahimelek the priest. Ahimelek trembled when he met him, and asked, &#8220;Why are you alone? Why is no one with you?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 2David answered Ahimelek the priest, &#8220;The king sent me on a mission and said to me, &#8216;No one is to know anything about the mission I am sending you on.&#8217; As for my men, I have told them to meet me at a certain place. 3Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever you can find.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 4But the priest answered David, &#8220;I don&#8217;t have any ordinary bread on hand; however, there is some consecrated bread here&#8212;provided the men have kept themselves from women.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 5David replied, &#8220;Indeed women have been kept from us, as usual whenever#21:5 Or from us in the past few days since I set out. The men&#8217;s bodies are holy even on missions that are not holy. How much more so today!&#8221; 6So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, since there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence that had been removed from before the Lord and replaced by hot bread on the day it was taken away.</div><div class="p"> 7Now one of Saul&#8217;s servants was there that day, detained before the Lord; he was Doeg the Edomite, Saul&#8217;s chief shepherd.</div><div class="p"> 8David asked Ahimelek, &#8220;Don&#8217;t you have a spear or a sword here? I haven&#8217;t brought my sword or any other weapon, because the king&#8217;s mission was urgent.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 9The priest replied, &#8220;The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here; it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you want it, take it; there is no sword here but that one.&#8221;</div><div class="p">David said, &#8220;There is none like it; give it to me.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">David at Gath</div><div class="p"> 10That day David fled from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath. 11But the servants of Achish said to him, &#8220;Isn&#8217;t this David, the king of the land? Isn&#8217;t he the one they sing about in their dances:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;Saul has slain his thousands,</div><div class="q2">and David his tens of thousands&#8217;?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 12David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish king of Gath. 13So he pretended to be insane in their presence; and while he was in their hands he acted like a madman, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard.</div><div class="p"> 14Achish said to his servants, &#8220;Look at the man! He is insane! Why bring him to me? 15Am I so short of madmen that you have to bring this fellow here to carry on like this in front of me? Must this man come into my house?&#8221;</div>
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 <div class="label">22</div><div class="s1">David at Adullam and Mizpah</div><div class="p"> 1David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and his father&#8217;s household heard about it, they went down to him there. 2All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their commander. About four hundred men were with him.</div><div class="p"> 3From there David went to Mizpah in Moab and said to the king of Moab, &#8220;Would you let my father and mother come and stay with you until I learn what God will do for me?&#8221; 4So he left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed with him as long as David was in the stronghold.</div><div class="p"> 5But the prophet Gad said to David, &#8220;Do not stay in the stronghold. Go into the land of Judah.&#8221; So David left and went to the forest of Hereth.</div><div class="s1">Saul Kills the Priests of Nob</div><div class="p"> 6Now Saul heard that David and his men had been discovered. And Saul was seated, spear in hand, under the tamarisk tree on the hill at Gibeah, with all his officials standing at his side. 7He said to them, &#8220;Listen, men of Benjamin! Will the son of Jesse give all of you fields and vineyards? Will he make all of you commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds? 8Is that why you have all conspired against me? No one tells me when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse. None of you is concerned about me or tells me that my son has incited my servant to lie in wait for me, as he does today.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 9But Doeg the Edomite, who was standing with Saul&#8217;s officials, said, &#8220;I saw the son of Jesse come to Ahimelek son of Ahitub at Nob. 10Ahimelek inquired of the Lord for him; he also gave him provisions and the sword of Goliath the Philistine.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 11Then the king sent for the priest Ahimelek son of Ahitub and all the men of his family, who were the priests at Nob, and they all came to the king. 12Saul said, &#8220;Listen now, son of Ahitub.&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;Yes, my lord,&#8221; he answered.</div><div class="p"> 13Saul said to him, &#8220;Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, giving him bread and a sword and inquiring of God for him, so that he has rebelled against me and lies in wait for me, as he does today?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 14Ahimelek answered the king, &#8220;Who of all your servants is as loyal as David, the king&#8217;s son-in-law, captain of your bodyguard and highly respected in your household? 15Was that day the first time I inquired of God for him? Of course not! Let not the king accuse your servant or any of his father&#8217;s family, for your servant knows nothing at all about this whole affair.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 16But the king said, &#8220;You will surely die, Ahimelek, you and your whole family.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 17Then the king ordered the guards at his side: &#8220;Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because they too have sided with David. They knew he was fleeing, yet they did not tell me.&#8221;</div><div class="p">But the king&#8217;s officials were unwilling to raise a hand to strike the priests of the Lord.</div><div class="p"> 18The king then ordered Doeg, &#8220;You turn and strike down the priests.&#8221; So Doeg the Edomite turned and struck them down. That day he killed eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod. 19He also put to the sword Nob, the town of the priests, with its men and women, its children and infants, and its cattle, donkeys and sheep.</div><div class="p"> 20But one son of Ahimelek son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled to join David. 21He told David that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord. 22Then David said to Abiathar, &#8220;That day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, I knew he would be sure to tell Saul. I am responsible for the death of your whole family. 23Stay with me; don&#8217;t be afraid. The man who wants to kill you is trying to kill me too. You will be safe with me.&#8221;</div>
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 <div class="label">23</div><div class="s1">David Saves Keilah</div><div class="p"> 1When David was told, &#8220;Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are looting the threshing floors,&#8221; 2he inquired of the Lord, saying, &#8220;Shall I go and attack these Philistines?&#8221;</div><div class="p">The Lord answered him, &#8220;Go, attack the Philistines and save Keilah.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 3But David&#8217;s men said to him, &#8220;Here in Judah we are afraid. How much more, then, if we go to Keilah against the Philistine forces!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 4Once again David inquired of the Lord, and the Lord answered him, &#8220;Go down to Keilah, for I am going to give the Philistines into your hand.&#8221; 5So David and his men went to Keilah, fought the Philistines and carried off their livestock. He inflicted heavy losses on the Philistines and saved the people of Keilah. 6(Now Abiathar son of Ahimelek had brought the ephod down with him when he fled to David at Keilah.)</div><div class="s1">Saul Pursues David</div><div class="p"> 7Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah, and he said, &#8220;God has delivered him into my hands, for David has imprisoned himself by entering a town with gates and bars.&#8221; 8And Saul called up all his forces for battle, to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men.</div><div class="p"> 9When David learned that Saul was plotting against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, &#8220;Bring the ephod.&#8221; 10David said, &#8220;Lord, God of Israel, your servant has heard definitely that Saul plans to come to Keilah and destroy the town on account of me. 11Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me to him? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? Lord, God of Israel, tell your servant.&#8221;</div><div class="p">And the Lord said, &#8220;He will.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 12Again David asked, &#8220;Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me and my men to Saul?&#8221;</div><div class="p">And the Lord said, &#8220;They will.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 13So David and his men, about six hundred in number, left Keilah and kept moving from place to place. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he did not go there.</div><div class="p"> 14David stayed in the wilderness strongholds and in the hills of the Desert of Ziph. Day after day Saul searched for him, but God did not give David into his hands.</div><div class="p"> 15While David was at Horesh in the Desert of Ziph, he learned that#23:15 Or he was afraid because Saul had come out to take his life. 16And Saul&#8217;s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God. 17&#8220;Don&#8217;t be afraid,&#8221; he said. &#8220;My father Saul will not lay a hand on you. You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul knows this.&#8221; 18The two of them made a covenant before the Lord. Then Jonathan went home, but David remained at Horesh.</div><div class="p"> 19The Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah and said, &#8220;Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hakilah, south of Jeshimon? 20Now, Your Majesty, come down whenever it pleases you to do so, and we will be responsible for giving him into your hands.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 21Saul replied, &#8220;The Lord bless you for your concern for me. 22Go and get more information. Find out where David usually goes and who has seen him there. They tell me he is very crafty. 23Find out about all the hiding places he uses and come back to me with definite information. Then I will go with you; if he is in the area, I will track him down among all the clans of Judah.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 24So they set out and went to Ziph ahead of Saul. Now David and his men were in the Desert of Maon, in the Arabah south of Jeshimon. 25Saul and his men began the search, and when David was told about it, he went down to the rock and stayed in the Desert of Maon. When Saul heard this, he went into the Desert of Maon in pursuit of David.</div><div class="p"> 26Saul was going along one side of the mountain, and David and his men were on the other side, hurrying to get away from Saul. As Saul and his forces were closing in on David and his men to capture them, 27a messenger came to Saul, saying, &#8220;Come quickly! The Philistines are raiding the land.&#8221; 28Then Saul broke off his pursuit of David and went to meet the Philistines. That is why they call this place Sela Hammahlekoth.#23:28 Sela Hammahlekoth means rock of parting. 29And David went up from there and lived in the strongholds of En Gedi.#23:29 In Hebrew texts this verse (23:29) is numbered 24:1.</div>
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 <div class="label">24</div><div class="s1">David Spares Saul&#8217;s Life</div><div class="p"> # In Hebrew texts 24:1-22 is numbered 24:22-23. 1After Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, &#8220;David is in the Desert of En Gedi.&#8221; 2So Saul took three thousand able young men from all Israel and set out to look for David and his men near the Crags of the Wild Goats.</div><div class="p"> 3He came to the sheep pens along the way; a cave was there, and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were far back in the cave. 4The men said, &#8220;This is the day the Lord spoke of when he said#24:4 Or &#8220;Today the Lord is saying to you, &#8216;I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221; Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul&#8217;s robe.</div><div class="p"> 5Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe. 6He said to his men, &#8220;The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord&#8217;s anointed, or lay my hand on him; for he is the anointed of the Lord.&#8221; 7With these words David sharply rebuked his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. And Saul left the cave and went his way.</div><div class="p"> 8Then David went out of the cave and called out to Saul, &#8220;My lord the king!&#8221; When Saul looked behind him, David bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground. 9He said to Saul, &#8220;Why do you listen when men say, &#8216;David is bent on harming you&#8217;? 10This day you have seen with your own eyes how the Lord delivered you into my hands in the cave. Some urged me to kill you, but I spared you; I said, &#8216;I will not lay my hand on my lord, because he is the Lord&#8217;s anointed.&#8217; 11See, my father, look at this piece of your robe in my hand! I cut off the corner of your robe but did not kill you. See that there is nothing in my hand to indicate that I am guilty of wrongdoing or rebellion. I have not wronged you, but you are hunting me down to take my life. 12May the Lord judge between you and me. And may the Lord avenge the wrongs you have done to me, but my hand will not touch you. 13As the old saying goes, &#8216;From evildoers come evil deeds,&#8217; so my hand will not touch you.</div><div class="p"> 14&#8220;Against whom has the king of Israel come out? Who are you pursuing? A dead dog? A flea? 15May the Lord be our judge and decide between us. May he consider my cause and uphold it; may he vindicate me by delivering me from your hand.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 16When David finished saying this, Saul asked, &#8220;Is that your voice, David my son?&#8221; And he wept aloud. 17&#8220;You are more righteous than I,&#8221; he said. &#8220;You have treated me well, but I have treated you badly. 18You have just now told me about the good you did to me; the Lord delivered me into your hands, but you did not kill me. 19When a man finds his enemy, does he let him get away unharmed? May the Lord reward you well for the way you treated me today. 20I know that you will surely be king and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hands. 21Now swear to me by the Lord that you will not kill off my descendants or wipe out my name from my father&#8217;s family.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 22So David gave his oath to Saul. Then Saul returned home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold.</div>
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 <div class="label">25</div><div class="s1">David, Nabal and Abigail</div><div class="p"> 1Now Samuel died, and all Israel assembled and mourned for him; and they buried him at his home in Ramah. Then David moved down into the Desert of Paran.#25:1 Hebrew and some Septuagint manuscripts; other Septuagint manuscripts Maon</div><div class="p"> 2A certain man in Maon, who had property there at Carmel, was very wealthy. He had a thousand goats and three thousand sheep, which he was shearing in Carmel. 3His name was Nabal and his wife&#8217;s name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband was surly and mean in his dealings&#8212;he was a Calebite.</div><div class="p"> 4While David was in the wilderness, he heard that Nabal was shearing sheep. 5So he sent ten young men and said to them, &#8220;Go up to Nabal at Carmel and greet him in my name. 6Say to him: &#8216;Long life to you! Good health to you and your household! And good health to all that is yours!</div><div class="p"> 7&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;Now I hear that it is sheep-shearing time. When your shepherds were with us, we did not mistreat them, and the whole time they were at Carmel nothing of theirs was missing. 8Ask your own servants and they will tell you. Therefore be favorable toward my men, since we come at a festive time. Please give your servants and your son David whatever you can find for them.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 9When David&#8217;s men arrived, they gave Nabal this message in David&#8217;s name. Then they waited.</div><div class="p"> 10Nabal answered David&#8217;s servants, &#8220;Who is this David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants are breaking away from their masters these days. 11Why should I take my bread and water, and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men coming from who knows where?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 12David&#8217;s men turned around and went back. When they arrived, they reported every word. 13David said to his men, &#8220;Each of you strap on your sword!&#8221; So they did, and David strapped his on as well. About four hundred men went up with David, while two hundred stayed with the supplies.</div><div class="p"> 14One of the servants told Abigail, Nabal&#8217;s wife, &#8220;David sent messengers from the wilderness to give our master his greetings, but he hurled insults at them. 15Yet these men were very good to us. They did not mistreat us, and the whole time we were out in the fields near them nothing was missing. 16Night and day they were a wall around us the whole time we were herding our sheep near them. 17Now think it over and see what you can do, because disaster is hanging over our master and his whole household. He is such a wicked man that no one can talk to him.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 18Abigail acted quickly. She took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five dressed sheep, five seahs#25:18 That is, probably about 60 pounds or about 27 kilograms of roasted grain, a hundred cakes of raisins and two hundred cakes of pressed figs, and loaded them on donkeys. 19Then she told her servants, &#8220;Go on ahead; I&#8217;ll follow you.&#8221; But she did not tell her husband Nabal.</div><div class="p"> 20As she came riding her donkey into a mountain ravine, there were David and his men descending toward her, and she met them. 21David had just said, &#8220;It&#8217;s been useless&#8212;all my watching over this fellow&#8217;s property in the wilderness so that nothing of his was missing. He has paid me back evil for good. 22May God deal with David,#25:22 Some Septuagint manuscripts; Hebrew with David&#8217;s enemies be it ever so severely, if by morning I leave alive one male of all who belong to him!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 23When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed down before David with her face to the ground. 24She fell at his feet and said: &#8220;Pardon your servant, my lord, and let me speak to you; hear what your servant has to say. 25Please pay no attention, my lord, to that wicked man Nabal. He is just like his name&#8212;his name means Fool, and folly goes with him. And as for me, your servant, I did not see the men my lord sent. 26And now, my lord, as surely as the Lord your God lives and as you live, since the Lord has kept you from bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hands, may your enemies and all who are intent on harming my lord be like Nabal. 27And let this gift, which your servant has brought to my lord, be given to the men who follow you.</div><div class="p"> 28&#8220;Please forgive your servant&#8217;s presumption. The Lord your God will certainly make a lasting dynasty for my lord, because you fight the Lord&#8217;s battles, and no wrongdoing will be found in you as long as you live. 29Even though someone is pursuing you to take your life, the life of my lord will be bound securely in the bundle of the living by the Lord your God, but the lives of your enemies he will hurl away as from the pocket of a sling. 30When the Lord has fulfilled for my lord every good thing he promised concerning him and has appointed him ruler over Israel, 31my lord will not have on his conscience the staggering burden of needless bloodshed or of having avenged himself. And when the Lord your God has brought my lord success, remember your servant.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 32David said to Abigail, &#8220;Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me. 33May you be blessed for your good judgment and for keeping me from bloodshed this day and from avenging myself with my own hands. 34Otherwise, as surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, who has kept me from harming you, if you had not come quickly to meet me, not one male belonging to Nabal would have been left alive by daybreak.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 35Then David accepted from her hand what she had brought him and said, &#8220;Go home in peace. I have heard your words and granted your request.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 36When Abigail went to Nabal, he was in the house holding a banquet like that of a king. He was in high spirits and very drunk. So she told him nothing at all until daybreak. 37Then in the morning, when Nabal was sober, his wife told him all these things, and his heart failed him and he became like a stone. 38About ten days later, the Lord struck Nabal and he died.</div><div class="p"> 39When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, &#8220;Praise be to the Lord, who has upheld my cause against Nabal for treating me with contempt. He has kept his servant from doing wrong and has brought Nabal&#8217;s wrongdoing down on his own head.&#8221;</div><div class="p">Then David sent word to Abigail, asking her to become his wife. 40His servants went to Carmel and said to Abigail, &#8220;David has sent us to you to take you to become his wife.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 41She bowed down with her face to the ground and said, &#8220;I am your servant and am ready to serve you and wash the feet of my lord&#8217;s servants.&#8221; 42Abigail quickly got on a donkey and, attended by her five female servants, went with David&#8217;s messengers and became his wife. 43David had also married Ahinoam of Jezreel, and they both were his wives. 44But Saul had given his daughter Michal, David&#8217;s wife, to Paltiel#25:44 Hebrew Palti, a variant of Paltiel son of Laish, who was from Gallim.</div>
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 <div class="chapter ch26" data-usfm="1SA.26">
 <div class="label">26</div><div class="s1">David Again Spares Saul&#8217;s Life</div><div class="p"> 1The Ziphites went to Saul at Gibeah and said, &#8220;Is not David hiding on the hill of Hakilah, which faces Jeshimon?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 2So Saul went down to the Desert of Ziph, with his three thousand select Israelite troops, to search there for David. 3Saul made his camp beside the road on the hill of Hakilah facing Jeshimon, but David stayed in the wilderness. When he saw that Saul had followed him there, 4he sent out scouts and learned that Saul had definitely arrived.</div><div class="p"> 5Then David set out and went to the place where Saul had camped. He saw where Saul and Abner son of Ner, the commander of the army, had lain down. Saul was lying inside the camp, with the army encamped around him.</div><div class="p"> 6David then asked Ahimelek the Hittite and Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab&#8217;s brother, &#8220;Who will go down into the camp with me to Saul?&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;I&#8217;ll go with you,&#8221; said Abishai.</div><div class="p"> 7So David and Abishai went to the army by night, and there was Saul, lying asleep inside the camp with his spear stuck in the ground near his head. Abner and the soldiers were lying around him.</div><div class="p"> 8Abishai said to David, &#8220;Today God has delivered your enemy into your hands. Now let me pin him to the ground with one thrust of the spear; I won&#8217;t strike him twice.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 9But David said to Abishai, &#8220;Don&#8217;t destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the Lord&#8217;s anointed and be guiltless? 10As surely as the Lord lives,&#8221; he said, &#8220;the Lord himself will strike him, or his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. 11But the Lord forbid that I should lay a hand on the Lord&#8217;s anointed. Now get the spear and water jug that are near his head, and let&#8217;s go.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 12So David took the spear and water jug near Saul&#8217;s head, and they left. No one saw or knew about it, nor did anyone wake up. They were all sleeping, because the Lord had put them into a deep sleep.</div><div class="p"> 13Then David crossed over to the other side and stood on top of the hill some distance away; there was a wide space between them. 14He called out to the army and to Abner son of Ner, &#8220;Aren&#8217;t you going to answer me, Abner?&#8221;</div><div class="p">Abner replied, &#8220;Who are you who calls to the king?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 15David said, &#8220;You&#8217;re a man, aren&#8217;t you? And who is like you in Israel? Why didn&#8217;t you guard your lord the king? Someone came to destroy your lord the king. 16What you have done is not good. As surely as the Lord lives, you and your men must die, because you did not guard your master, the Lord&#8217;s anointed. Look around you. Where are the king&#8217;s spear and water jug that were near his head?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 17Saul recognized David&#8217;s voice and said, &#8220;Is that your voice, David my son?&#8221;</div><div class="p">David replied, &#8220;Yes it is, my lord the king.&#8221; 18And he added, &#8220;Why is my lord pursuing his servant? What have I done, and what wrong am I guilty of? 19Now let my lord the king listen to his servant&#8217;s words. If the Lord has incited you against me, then may he accept an offering. If, however, people have done it, may they be cursed before the Lord! They have driven me today from my share in the Lord&#8217;s inheritance and have said, &#8216;Go, serve other gods.&#8217; 20Now do not let my blood fall to the ground far from the presence of the Lord. The king of Israel has come out to look for a flea&#8212;as one hunts a partridge in the mountains.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 21Then Saul said, &#8220;I have sinned. Come back, David my son. Because you considered my life precious today, I will not try to harm you again. Surely I have acted like a fool and have been terribly wrong.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 22&#8220;Here is the king&#8217;s spear,&#8221; David answered. &#8220;Let one of your young men come over and get it. 23The Lord rewards everyone for their righteousness and faithfulness. The Lord delivered you into my hands today, but I would not lay a hand on the Lord&#8217;s anointed. 24As surely as I valued your life today, so may the Lord value my life and deliver me from all trouble.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 25Then Saul said to David, &#8220;May you be blessed, David my son; you will do great things and surely triumph.&#8221;</div><div class="p">So David went on his way, and Saul returned home.</div>
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 <div class="label">27</div><div class="s1">David Among the Philistines</div><div class="p"> 1But David thought to himself, &#8220;One of these days I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul. The best thing I can do is to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will give up searching for me anywhere in Israel, and I will slip out of his hand.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 2So David and the six hundred men with him left and went over to Achish son of Maok king of Gath. 3David and his men settled in Gath with Achish. Each man had his family with him, and David had his two wives: Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, the widow of Nabal. 4When Saul was told that David had fled to Gath, he no longer searched for him.</div><div class="p"> 5Then David said to Achish, &#8220;If I have found favor in your eyes, let a place be assigned to me in one of the country towns, that I may live there. Why should your servant live in the royal city with you?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 6So on that day Achish gave him Ziklag, and it has belonged to the kings of Judah ever since. 7David lived in Philistine territory a year and four months.</div><div class="p"> 8Now David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Girzites and the Amalekites. (From ancient times these peoples had lived in the land extending to Shur and Egypt.) 9Whenever David attacked an area, he did not leave a man or woman alive, but took sheep and cattle, donkeys and camels, and clothes. Then he returned to Achish.</div><div class="p"> 10When Achish asked, &#8220;Where did you go raiding today?&#8221; David would say, &#8220;Against the Negev of Judah&#8221; or &#8220;Against the Negev of Jerahmeel&#8221; or &#8220;Against the Negev of the Kenites.&#8221; 11He did not leave a man or woman alive to be brought to Gath, for he thought, &#8220;They might inform on us and say, &#8216;This is what David did.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221; And such was his practice as long as he lived in Philistine territory. 12Achish trusted David and said to himself, &#8220;He has become so obnoxious to his people, the Israelites, that he will be my servant for life.&#8221;</div>
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 <div class="label">28</div><div class="p"> 1In those days the Philistines gathered their forces to fight against Israel. Achish said to David, &#8220;You must understand that you and your men will accompany me in the army.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 2David said, &#8220;Then you will see for yourself what your servant can do.&#8221;</div><div class="p">Achish replied, &#8220;Very well, I will make you my bodyguard for life.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">Saul and the Medium at Endor</div><div class="p"> 3Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in his own town of Ramah. Saul had expelled the mediums and spiritists from the land.</div><div class="p"> 4The Philistines assembled and came and set up camp at Shunem, while Saul gathered all Israel and set up camp at Gilboa. 5When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid; terror filled his heart. 6He inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets. 7Saul then said to his attendants, &#8220;Find me a woman who is a medium, so I may go and inquire of her.&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;There is one in Endor,&#8221; they said.</div><div class="p"> 8So Saul disguised himself, putting on other clothes, and at night he and two men went to the woman. &#8220;Consult a spirit for me,&#8221; he said, &#8220;and bring up for me the one I name.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 9But the woman said to him, &#8220;Surely you know what Saul has done. He has cut off the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why have you set a trap for my life to bring about my death?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 10Saul swore to her by the Lord, &#8220;As surely as the Lord lives, you will not be punished for this.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 11Then the woman asked, &#8220;Whom shall I bring up for you?&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;Bring up Samuel,&#8221; he said.</div><div class="p"> 12When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out at the top of her voice and said to Saul, &#8220;Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 13The king said to her, &#8220;Don&#8217;t be afraid. What do you see?&#8221;</div><div class="p">The woman said, &#8220;I see a ghostly figure#28:13 Or see spirits; or see gods coming up out of the earth.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 14&#8220;What does he look like?&#8221; he asked.</div><div class="p">&#8220;An old man wearing a robe is coming up,&#8221; she said.</div><div class="p">Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground.</div><div class="p"> 15Samuel said to Saul, &#8220;Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;I am in great distress,&#8221; Saul said. &#8220;The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has departed from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what to do.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 16Samuel said, &#8220;Why do you consult me, now that the Lord has departed from you and become your enemy? 17The Lord has done what he predicted through me. The Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors&#8212;to David. 18Because you did not obey the Lord or carry out his fierce wrath against the Amalekites, the Lord has done this to you today. 19The Lord will deliver both Israel and you into the hands of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also give the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 20Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, filled with fear because of Samuel&#8217;s words. His strength was gone, for he had eaten nothing all that day and all that night.</div><div class="p"> 21When the woman came to Saul and saw that he was greatly shaken, she said, &#8220;Look, your servant has obeyed you. I took my life in my hands and did what you told me to do. 22Now please listen to your servant and let me give you some food so you may eat and have the strength to go on your way.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 23He refused and said, &#8220;I will not eat.&#8221;</div><div class="p">But his men joined the woman in urging him, and he listened to them. He got up from the ground and sat on the couch.</div><div class="p"> 24The woman had a fattened calf at the house, which she butchered at once. She took some flour, kneaded it and baked bread without yeast. 25Then she set it before Saul and his men, and they ate. That same night they got up and left.</div>
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 <div class="label">29</div><div class="s1">Achish Sends David Back to Ziklag</div><div class="p"> 1The Philistines gathered all their forces at Aphek, and Israel camped by the spring in Jezreel. 2As the Philistine rulers marched with their units of hundreds and thousands, David and his men were marching at the rear with Achish. 3The commanders of the Philistines asked, &#8220;What about these Hebrews?&#8221;</div><div class="p">Achish replied, &#8220;Is this not David, who was an officer of Saul king of Israel? He has already been with me for over a year, and from the day he left Saul until now, I have found no fault in him.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 4But the Philistine commanders were angry with Achish and said, &#8220;Send the man back, that he may return to the place you assigned him. He must not go with us into battle, or he will turn against us during the fighting. How better could he regain his master&#8217;s favor than by taking the heads of our own men? 5Isn&#8217;t this the David they sang about in their dances:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;Saul has slain his thousands,</div><div class="q2">and David his tens of thousands&#8217;?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 6So Achish called David and said to him, &#8220;As surely as the Lord lives, you have been reliable, and I would be pleased to have you serve with me in the army. From the day you came to me until today, I have found no fault in you, but the rulers don&#8217;t approve of you. 7Now turn back and go in peace; do nothing to displease the Philistine rulers.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 8&#8220;But what have I done?&#8221; asked David. &#8220;What have you found against your servant from the day I came to you until now? Why can&#8217;t I go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 9Achish answered, &#8220;I know that you have been as pleasing in my eyes as an angel of God; nevertheless, the Philistine commanders have said, &#8216;He must not go up with us into battle.&#8217; 10Now get up early, along with your master&#8217;s servants who have come with you, and leave in the morning as soon as it is light.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 11So David and his men got up early in the morning to go back to the land of the Philistines, and the Philistines went up to Jezreel.</div>
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 <div class="label">30</div><div class="s1">David Destroys the Amalekites</div><div class="p"> 1David and his men reached Ziklag on the third day. Now the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned it, 2and had taken captive the women and everyone else in it, both young and old. They killed none of them, but carried them off as they went on their way.</div><div class="p"> 3When David and his men reached Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. 4So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep. 5David&#8217;s two wives had been captured&#8212;Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 6David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God.</div><div class="p"> 7Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelek, &#8220;Bring me the ephod.&#8221; Abiathar brought it to him, 8and David inquired of the Lord, &#8220;Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;Pursue them,&#8221; he answered. &#8220;You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 9David and the six hundred men with him came to the Besor Valley, where some stayed behind. 10Two hundred of them were too exhausted to cross the valley, but David and the other four hundred continued the pursuit.</div><div class="p"> 11They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David. They gave him water to drink and food to eat&#8212; 12part of a cake of pressed figs and two cakes of raisins. He ate and was revived, for he had not eaten any food or drunk any water for three days and three nights.</div><div class="p"> 13David asked him, &#8220;Who do you belong to? Where do you come from?&#8221;</div><div class="p">He said, &#8220;I am an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me when I became ill three days ago. 14We raided the Negev of the Kerethites, some territory belonging to Judah and the Negev of Caleb. And we burned Ziklag.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 15David asked him, &#8220;Can you lead me down to this raiding party?&#8221;</div><div class="p">He answered, &#8220;Swear to me before God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will take you down to them.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 16He led David down, and there they were, scattered over the countryside, eating, drinking and reveling because of the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from Judah. 17David fought them from dusk until the evening of the next day, and none of them got away, except four hundred young men who rode off on camels and fled. 18David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives. 19Nothing was missing: young or old, boy or girl, plunder or anything else they had taken. David brought everything back. 20He took all the flocks and herds, and his men drove them ahead of the other livestock, saying, &#8220;This is David&#8217;s plunder.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 21Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow him and who were left behind at the Besor Valley. They came out to meet David and the men with him. As David and his men approached, he asked them how they were. 22But all the evil men and troublemakers among David&#8217;s followers said, &#8220;Because they did not go out with us, we will not share with them the plunder we recovered. However, each man may take his wife and children and go.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 23David replied, &#8220;No, my brothers, you must not do that with what the Lord has given us. He has protected us and delivered into our hands the raiding party that came against us. 24Who will listen to what you say? The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike.&#8221; 25David made this a statute and ordinance for Israel from that day to this.</div><div class="p"> 26When David reached Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah, who were his friends, saying, &#8220;Here is a gift for you from the plunder of the Lord&#8217;s enemies.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 27David sent it to those who were in Bethel, Ramoth Negev and Jattir; 28to those in Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa 29and Rakal; to those in the towns of the Jerahmeelites and the Kenites; 30to those in Hormah, Bor Ashan, Athak 31and Hebron; and to those in all the other places where he and his men had roamed.</div>
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 <div class="label">31</div><div class="s1">Saul Takes His Life</div><div class="p"> 1Now the Philistines fought against Israel; the Israelites fled before them, and many fell dead on Mount Gilboa. 2The Philistines were in hot pursuit of Saul and his sons, and they killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malki-Shua. 3The fighting grew fierce around Saul, and when the archers overtook him, they wounded him critically.</div><div class="p"> 4Saul said to his armor-bearer, &#8220;Draw your sword and run me through, or these uncircumcised fellows will come and run me through and abuse me.&#8221;</div><div class="p">But his armor-bearer was terrified and would not do it; so Saul took his own sword and fell on it. 5When the armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died with him. 6So Saul and his three sons and his armor-bearer and all his men died together that same day.</div><div class="p"> 7When the Israelites along the valley and those across the Jordan saw that the Israelite army had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their towns and fled. And the Philistines came and occupied them.</div><div class="p"> 8The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 9They cut off his head and stripped off his armor, and they sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news in the temple of their idols and among their people. 10They put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths and fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan.</div><div class="p"> 11When the people of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12all their valiant men marched through the night to Beth Shan. They took down the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth Shan and went to Jabesh, where they burned them. 13Then they took their bones and buried them under a tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.</div>
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 <div class="label">1</div><div class="s1">David Hears of Saul&#8217;s Death</div><div class="p"> 1After the death of Saul, David returned from striking down the Amalekites and stayed in Ziklag two days. 2On the third day a man arrived from Saul&#8217;s camp with his clothes torn and dust on his head. When he came to David, he fell to the ground to pay him honor.</div><div class="p"> 3&#8220;Where have you come from?&#8221; David asked him.</div><div class="p">He answered, &#8220;I have escaped from the Israelite camp.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 4&#8220;What happened?&#8221; David asked. &#8220;Tell me.&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;The men fled from the battle,&#8221; he replied. &#8220;Many of them fell and died. And Saul and his son Jonathan are dead.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 5Then David said to the young man who brought him the report, &#8220;How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 6&#8220;I happened to be on Mount Gilboa,&#8221; the young man said, &#8220;and there was Saul, leaning on his spear, with the chariots and their drivers in hot pursuit. 7When he turned around and saw me, he called out to me, and I said, &#8216;What can I do?&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 8&#8220;He asked me, &#8216;Who are you?&#8217;</div><div class="p">&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;An Amalekite,&#8217; I answered.</div><div class="p"> 9&#8220;Then he said to me, &#8216;Stand here by me and kill me! I&#8217;m in the throes of death, but I&#8217;m still alive.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 10&#8220;So I stood beside him and killed him, because I knew that after he had fallen he could not survive. And I took the crown that was on his head and the band on his arm and have brought them here to my lord.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 11Then David and all the men with him took hold of their clothes and tore them. 12They mourned and wept and fasted till evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the army of the Lord and for the nation of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.</div><div class="p"> 13David said to the young man who brought him the report, &#8220;Where are you from?&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;I am the son of a foreigner, an Amalekite,&#8221; he answered.</div><div class="p"> 14David asked him, &#8220;Why weren&#8217;t you afraid to lift your hand to destroy the Lord&#8217;s anointed?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 15Then David called one of his men and said, &#8220;Go, strike him down!&#8221; So he struck him down, and he died. 16For David had said to him, &#8220;Your blood be on your own head. Your own mouth testified against you when you said, &#8216;I killed the Lord&#8217;s anointed.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="s1">David&#8217;s Lament for Saul and Jonathan</div><div class="p"> 17David took up this lament concerning Saul and his son Jonathan, 18and he ordered that the people of Judah be taught this lament of the bow (it is written in the Book of Jashar):</div><div class="q1"> 19&#8220;A gazelle#1:19 Gazelle here symbolizes a human dignitary. lies slain on your heights, Israel.</div><div class="q2">How the mighty have fallen!</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 20&#8220;Tell it not in Gath,</div><div class="q2">proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon,</div><div class="q1">lest the daughters of the Philistines be glad,</div><div class="q2">lest the daughters of the uncircumcised rejoice.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 21&#8220;Mountains of Gilboa,</div><div class="q2">may you have neither dew nor rain,</div><div class="q2">may no showers fall on your terraced fields.#1:21 Or / nor fields that yield grain for offerings</div><div class="q1">For there the shield of the mighty was despised,</div><div class="q2">the shield of Saul&#8212;no longer rubbed with oil.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 22&#8220;From the blood of the slain,</div><div class="q2">from the flesh of the mighty,</div><div class="q1">the bow of Jonathan did not turn back,</div><div class="q2">the sword of Saul did not return unsatisfied.</div><div class="q1"> 23Saul and Jonathan&#8212;</div><div class="q2">in life they were loved and admired,</div><div class="q2">and in death they were not parted.</div><div class="q1">They were swifter than eagles,</div><div class="q2">they were stronger than lions.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 24&#8220;Daughters of Israel,</div><div class="q2">weep for Saul,</div><div class="q1">who clothed you in scarlet and finery,</div><div class="q2">who adorned your garments with ornaments of gold.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 25&#8220;How the mighty have fallen in battle!</div><div class="q2">Jonathan lies slain on your heights.</div><div class="q1"> 26I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother;</div><div class="q2">you were very dear to me.</div><div class="q1">Your love for me was wonderful,</div><div class="q2">more wonderful than that of women.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 27&#8220;How the mighty have fallen!</div><div class="q2">The weapons of war have perished!&#8221;</div>
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 <div class="chapter ch2" data-usfm="2SA.2">
 <div class="label">2</div><div class="s1">David Anointed King Over Judah</div><div class="p"> 1In the course of time, David inquired of the Lord. &#8220;Shall I go up to one of the towns of Judah?&#8221; he asked.</div><div class="p">The Lord said, &#8220;Go up.&#8221;</div><div class="p">David asked, &#8220;Where shall I go?&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;To Hebron,&#8221; the Lord answered.</div><div class="p"> 2So David went up there with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 3David also took the men who were with him, each with his family, and they settled in Hebron and its towns. 4Then the men of Judah came to Hebron, and there they anointed David king over the tribe of Judah.</div><div class="p">When David was told that it was the men from Jabesh Gilead who had buried Saul, 5he sent messengers to them to say to them, &#8220;The Lord bless you for showing this kindness to Saul your master by burying him. 6May the Lord now show you kindness and faithfulness, and I too will show you the same favor because you have done this. 7Now then, be strong and brave, for Saul your master is dead, and the people of Judah have anointed me king over them.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">War Between the Houses of David and Saul</div><div class="p"> 8Meanwhile, Abner son of Ner, the commander of Saul&#8217;s army, had taken Ish-Bosheth son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim. 9He made him king over Gilead, Ashuri and Jezreel, and also over Ephraim, Benjamin and all Israel.</div><div class="p"> 10Ish-Bosheth son of Saul was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he reigned two years. The tribe of Judah, however, remained loyal to David. 11The length of time David was king in Hebron over Judah was seven years and six months.</div><div class="p"> 12Abner son of Ner, together with the men of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, left Mahanaim and went to Gibeon. 13Joab son of Zeruiah and David&#8217;s men went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. One group sat down on one side of the pool and one group on the other side.</div><div class="p"> 14Then Abner said to Joab, &#8220;Let&#8217;s have some of the young men get up and fight hand to hand in front of us.&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;All right, let them do it,&#8221; Joab said.</div><div class="p"> 15So they stood up and were counted off&#8212;twelve men for Benjamin and Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, and twelve for David. 16Then each man grabbed his opponent by the head and thrust his dagger into his opponent&#8217;s side, and they fell down together. So that place in Gibeon was called Helkath Hazzurim.#2:16 Helkath Hazzurim means field of daggers or field of hostilities.</div><div class="p"> 17The battle that day was very fierce, and Abner and the Israelites were defeated by David&#8217;s men.</div><div class="p"> 18The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai and Asahel. Now Asahel was as fleet-footed as a wild gazelle. 19He chased Abner, turning neither to the right nor to the left as he pursued him. 20Abner looked behind him and asked, &#8220;Is that you, Asahel?&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;It is,&#8221; he answered.</div><div class="p"> 21Then Abner said to him, &#8220;Turn aside to the right or to the left; take on one of the young men and strip him of his weapons.&#8221; But Asahel would not stop chasing him.</div><div class="p"> 22Again Abner warned Asahel, &#8220;Stop chasing me! Why should I strike you down? How could I look your brother Joab in the face?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 23But Asahel refused to give up the pursuit; so Abner thrust the butt of his spear into Asahel&#8217;s stomach, and the spear came out through his back. He fell there and died on the spot. And every man stopped when he came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died.</div><div class="p"> 24But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner, and as the sun was setting, they came to the hill of Ammah, near Giah on the way to the wasteland of Gibeon. 25Then the men of Benjamin rallied behind Abner. They formed themselves into a group and took their stand on top of a hill.</div><div class="p"> 26Abner called out to Joab, &#8220;Must the sword devour forever? Don&#8217;t you realize that this will end in bitterness? How long before you order your men to stop pursuing their fellow Israelites?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 27Joab answered, &#8220;As surely as God lives, if you had not spoken, the men would have continued pursuing them until morning.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 28So Joab blew the trumpet, and all the troops came to a halt; they no longer pursued Israel, nor did they fight anymore.</div><div class="p"> 29All that night Abner and his men marched through the Arabah. They crossed the Jordan, continued through the morning hours#2:29 See Septuagint; the meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain. and came to Mahanaim.</div><div class="p"> 30Then Joab stopped pursuing Abner and assembled the whole army. Besides Asahel, nineteen of David&#8217;s men were found missing. 31But David&#8217;s men had killed three hundred and sixty Benjamites who were with Abner. 32They took Asahel and buried him in his father&#8217;s tomb at Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night and arrived at Hebron by daybreak.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk2SA">
 <div class="chapter ch3" data-usfm="2SA.3.1+2SA.3.2+2SA.3.3+2SA.3.4+2SA.3.5+2SA.3.6+2SA.3.7+2SA.3.8+2SA.3.9+2SA.3.10+2SA.3.11+2SA.3.12+2SA.3.13+2SA.3.14+2SA.3.15+2SA.3.16+2SA.3.17+2SA.3.18+2SA.3.19+2SA.3.20+2SA.3.21">
 <div class="p">1The war between the house of Saul and the house of David lasted a long time. David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.</div><div class="li1"> 2Sons were born to David in Hebron:</div><div class="li2">His firstborn was Amnon the son of Ahinoam of Jezreel;</div><div class="li2"> 3his second, Kileab the son of Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel;</div><div class="li2">the third, Absalom the son of Maakah daughter of Talmai king of Geshur;</div><div class="li2"> 4the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith;</div><div class="li2">the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital;</div><div class="li2"> 5and the sixth, Ithream the son of David&#8217;s wife Eglah.</div><div class="li2">These were born to David in Hebron.</div><div class="s1">Abner Goes Over to David</div><div class="p"> 6During the war between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner had been strengthening his own position in the house of Saul. 7Now Saul had had a concubine named Rizpah daughter of Aiah. And Ish-Bosheth said to Abner, &#8220;Why did you sleep with my father&#8217;s concubine?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 8Abner was very angry because of what Ish-Bosheth said. So he answered, &#8220;Am I a dog&#8217;s head&#8212;on Judah&#8217;s side? This very day I am loyal to the house of your father Saul and to his family and friends. I haven&#8217;t handed you over to David. Yet now you accuse me of an offense involving this woman! 9May God deal with Abner, be it ever so severely, if I do not do for David what the Lord promised him on oath 10and transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and establish David&#8217;s throne over Israel and Judah from Dan to Beersheba.&#8221; 11Ish-Bosheth did not dare to say another word to Abner, because he was afraid of him.</div><div class="p"> 12Then Abner sent messengers on his behalf to say to David, &#8220;Whose land is it? Make an agreement with me, and I will help you bring all Israel over to you.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 13&#8220;Good,&#8221; said David. &#8220;I will make an agreement with you. But I demand one thing of you: Do not come into my presence unless you bring Michal daughter of Saul when you come to see me.&#8221; 14Then David sent messengers to Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, demanding, &#8220;Give me my wife Michal, whom I betrothed to myself for the price of a hundred Philistine foreskins.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 15So Ish-Bosheth gave orders and had her taken away from her husband Paltiel son of Laish. 16Her husband, however, went with her, weeping behind her all the way to Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, &#8220;Go back home!&#8221; So he went back.</div><div class="p"> 17Abner conferred with the elders of Israel and said, &#8220;For some time you have wanted to make David your king. 18Now do it! For the Lord promised David, &#8216;By my servant David I will rescue my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and from the hand of all their enemies.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 19Abner also spoke to the Benjamites in person. Then he went to Hebron to tell David everything that Israel and the whole tribe of Benjamin wanted to do. 20When Abner, who had twenty men with him, came to David at Hebron, David prepared a feast for him and his men. 21Then Abner said to David, &#8220;Let me go at once and assemble all Israel for my lord the king, so that they may make a covenant with you, and that you may rule over all that your heart desires.&#8221; So David sent Abner away, and he went in peace.</div>
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