1 Samuel 24
24
1And it cometh to pass when Saul hath turned back from after the Philistines, that they declare to him, saying, ‘Lo, David [is] in the wilderness of En-gedi.’
2And Saul taketh three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and goeth to seek David and his men, on the front of the rocks of the wild goats,
3and he cometh in unto folds of the flock, on the way, and there [is] a cave, and Saul goeth in to cover his feet; and David and his men in the sides of the cave are abiding.
4And the men of David say unto him, ‘Lo, the day of which Jehovah said unto thee, Lo, I am giving thine enemy into thy hand, and thou hast done to him as it is good in thine eyes;’ and David riseth and cutteth off the skirt of the upper robe which [is] on Saul — gently.
5And it cometh to pass afterwards that the heart of David smiteth him, because that he hath cut off the skirt which [is] on Saul,
6and he saith to his men, ‘Far be it from me, by Jehovah; I do not do this thing to my lord — to the anointed of Jehovah — to put forth my hand against him, for the anointed of Jehovah he [is].’
7And David subdueth his men by words, and hath not permitted them to rise against Saul; and Saul hath risen from the cave, and goeth on the way;
8and David riseth afterwards, and goeth out from the cave, and calleth after Saul, saying, ‘My lord, O king!’ And Saul looketh attentively behind him, and David boweth — face to the earth — and doth obeisance.
9And David saith to Saul, ‘Why dost thou hear the words of man, saying, Lo, David is seeking thine evil?
10Lo, this day have thine eyes seen how that Jehovah hath given thee to-day into my hand in the cave; and [one] said to slay thee, and [mine eye] hath pity on thee, and I say, I do not put forth my hand against my lord, for the anointed of Jehovah he [is].
11‘And, my father, see, yea see the skirt of thine upper robe in my hand; for by cutting off the skirt of thy upper robe, and I have not slain thee, know and see that there is not in my hand evil and transgression, and I have not sinned against thee, and thou art hunting my soul to take it!
12‘Jehovah doth judge between me and thee, and Jehovah hath avenged me of thee, and my hand is not on thee;
13as saith the simile of the ancients, From the wicked goeth out wickedness, and my hand is not on thee.
14‘After whom hath the king of Israel come out? after whom art thou pursuing? — after a dead dog! after one flea!
15And Jehovah hath been for judge, and hath judged between me and thee, yea, he seeth and pleadeth my cause, and doth deliver me out of thy hand.’
16And it cometh to pass, when David completeth to speak these words unto Saul, that Saul saith, ‘Is this thy voice, my son David?’ and Saul lifteth up his voice, and weepeth.
17And he saith unto David, ‘More righteous thou [art] than I; for thou hast done me good, and I have done thee evil;
18and thou hast declared to-day how that thou hast done good with me, how that Jehovah shut me up into thy hand, and thou didst not slay me,
19and that a man doth find his enemy, and hath sent him away in a good manner; and Jehovah doth repay thee good for that which thou didst to me this day.
20‘And, now, lo, I have known that thou dost certainly reign, and the kingdom of Israel hath stood in thy hand;
21and, now, swear to me by Jehovah — thou dost not cut off my seed after me, nor dost thou destroy my name from the house of my father.’
22And David sweareth to Saul, and Saul goeth unto his house, and David and his men have gone up unto the fortress.
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1 Samuel 24: YLT98
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1 Samuel 24
24
David spares Saul’s life
1 # 24.1 24:2 in Heb Even as Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was informed that David was in the En-gedi wilderness. 2So Saul took three thousand men selected from all Israel and went to look for David and his soldiers near the rocks of the wild goats. 3He came to the sheep pens beside the road where there was a cave. Saul went into the cave to use the restroom.#24.3 Or to cover his feet (a euphemism) Meanwhile, David and his soldiers were sitting in the very back of the cave.
4David’s soldiers said to him, “This is the day the LORD spoke of when he promised you, ‘I will hand your enemy over to you, and you can do to him whatever you think best.’” So David snuck up and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. 5But immediately David felt horrible that he had cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.#24.5 LXX, Syr, Targ; MT lacks robe.
6“The LORD forbid,” he told his men, “that I should do something like that to my master, the LORD’s anointed, or lift my hand against him, because he’s the LORD’s anointed!” 7So David held his soldiers in check by what he said,#24.7 Heb uncertain and he wouldn’t allow them to attack Saul. Saul then left the cave and went on his way.
8Then David also went out of the cave and yelled after Saul, “My master the king!” Saul looked back, and David bowed low out of respect, nose to the ground.
9David said to Saul, “Why do you listen when people say, ‘David wants to ruin you’? 10Look! Today your own eyes have seen that the LORD handed you over to me in the cave. But I refused#24.10 LXX; MT Some said to kill you. I spared you, saying, ‘I won’t lift a hand against my master because he is the LORD’s anointed.’ 11Look here, my protector! See the corner of your robe in my hand? I cut off the corner of your robe but didn’t kill you. So know now that I am not guilty of wrongdoing or rebellion. I haven’t wronged you, but you are hunting me down, trying to kill me. 12May the LORD judge between me and you! May the LORD take vengeance on you for me, but I won’t lift a hand against you. 13As the old proverb goes, ‘Evil deeds come from evildoers!’ but I won’t lift a hand against you. 14So who is Israel’s king coming after? Who are you chasing? A dead dog? A single flea? 15May the LORD be the judge and decide between you and me. May he see what has happened, argue my case, and vindicate me against you!”
16As soon as David finished saying all this to Saul, Saul said, “David, my son, is that your voice?” Then he broke down in tears, 17telling David, “You are more righteous than I am because you have treated me generously, but I have treated you terribly. 18Today you’ve told me the good you have done for me—how the LORD handed me over to you, but how you didn’t kill me. 19When someone finds an enemy, do they send the enemy away in peace? May the LORD repay you with good for what you have done for me today. 20Now even I know that you will definitely become king, and Israel’s kingdom will flourish in your hands. 21Because of that, make a solemn pledge to me by the LORD that you won’t kill off my descendants after I’m gone and that you won’t destroy my name from my family lineage.”
22David made a solemn pledge to Saul. Then Saul went back home, but David and his soldiers went up to the fortress.
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