1 Samuel 26
26
1And the Ziphites come in unto Saul, at Gibeah, saying, ‘Is not David hiding himself in the height of Hachilah, on the front of the desert?’
2And Saul riseth, and goeth down unto the wilderness of Ziph, and with him three thousand men, chosen ones of Israel, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.
3And Saul encampeth in the height of Hachilah, which [is] on the front of the desert, by the way, and David is abiding in the wilderness, and he seeth that Saul hath come after him in to the wilderness;
4and David sendeth spies, and knoweth that Saul hath come unto Nachon,
5and David riseth, and cometh in unto the place where Saul hath encamped, and David seeth the place where Saul hath lain, and Abner son of Ner, head of his host, and Saul is lying in the path, and the people are encamping round about him.
6And David answereth and saith unto Ahimelech the Hittite, and unto Abishai son of Zeruiah, brother of Joab, saying, ‘Who doth go down with me unto Saul, unto the camp?’ and Abishai saith, ‘I — I go down with thee.’
7And David cometh — and Abishai — unto the people by night, and lo, Saul is lying sleeping in the path, and his spear struck into the earth at his pillow, and abner and the people are lying round about him.
8And Abishai saith unto David, ‘God hath shut up to-day thine enemy into thy hand; and, now, let me smite him, I pray thee, with a spear, even into the earth at once — and I do repeat [it] to him.’
9And David saith unto Abishai, ‘Destroy him not; for who hath put forth his hand against the anointed of Jehovah, and been acquitted?’
10And David saith, ‘Jehovah liveth; except Jehovah doth smite him, or his day come that he hath died, or into battle he go down, and hath been consumed —
11far be it from me, by Jehovah, from putting forth my hand against the anointed of Jehovah; and, now, take, I pray thee, the spear which [is] at his pillow, and the cruse of water, and we go away.’
12And David taketh the spear, and the cruse of water at the pillow of Saul, and they go away, and there is none seeing, and there is none knowing, and there is none awaking, for all of them are sleeping, for a deep sleep [from] Jehovah hath fallen upon them.
13And David passeth over to the other side, and standeth on the top of the hill afar off — great [is] the place between them;
14and David calleth unto the people, and unto Abner son of Ner, saying, ‘Dost thou not answer, Abner?’ and Abner answereth and saith, ‘Who [art] thou [who] hast called unto the king?’
15And David saith unto Abner, ‘Art not thou a man? and who [is] like thee in Israel? but why hast thou not watched over thy lord the king? for one of the people had come in to destroy the king, thy lord.
16Not good is this thing which thou hast done; Jehovah liveth, but ye [are] sons of death, in that ye have not watched over your lord, over the anointed of Jehovah; and now, see where the king's spear [is], and the cruse of water which [is] at his bolster.’
17And Saul discerneth the voice of David, and saith, ‘Is this thy voice, my son David?’ and David saith, ‘My voice, my lord, O king!’
18and he saith, ‘Why [is] this — my lord is pursuing after his servant? for what have I done, and what [is] in my hand evil?
19And, now, let, I pray thee, my lord the king hear the words of his servant: if Jehovah hath moved thee against me, let Him accept a present; and if the sons of men — cursed [are] they before Jehovah, for they have cast me out to-day from being admitted into the inheritance of Jehovah, saying, Go, serve other gods.
20‘And now, let not my blood fall to the earth over-against the face of Jehovah, for the king of Israel hath come out to seek one flea, as [one] pursueth the partridge in mountains.’
21And Saul saith, ‘I have sinned; turn back, my son David, for I do evil to thee no more, because that my soul hath been precious in thine eyes this day; lo, I have acted foolishly, and do err very greatly.’
22And David answereth and saith, ‘Lo, the king's spear; and let one of the young men pass over, and receive it;
23and Jehovah doth turn back to each his righteousness and his faithfulness, in that Jehovah hath given thee to-day into [my] hand, and I have not been willing to put forth my hand against the anointed of Jehovah,
24and lo, as thy soul hath been great this day in mine eyes, so is my soul great in the eyes of Jehovah, and He doth deliver me out of all distress.’
25And Saul saith unto David, ‘Blessed [art] thou, my son David, also working thou dost work, and also prevailing thou dost prevail.’ And David goeth on his way, and Saul hath turned back to his place.
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1 Samuel 26: YLT98
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1 Samuel 26
26
David Spares Saul Again
1Now some men from Ziph came to Saul at Gibeah to tell him, “David is hiding on the hill of Hakilah, which overlooks Jeshimon.”
2So Saul took 3,000 of Israel’s elite troops and went to hunt him down in the wilderness of Ziph. 3Saul camped along the road beside the hill of Hakilah, near Jeshimon, where David was hiding. When David learned that Saul had come after him into the wilderness, 4he sent out spies to verify the report of Saul’s arrival.
5David slipped over to Saul’s camp one night to look around. Saul and Abner son of Ner, the commander of his army, were sleeping inside a ring formed by the slumbering warriors. 6“Who will volunteer to go in there with me?” David asked Ahimelech the Hittite and Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother.
“I’ll go with you,” Abishai replied. 7So David and Abishai went right into Saul’s camp and found him asleep, with his spear stuck in the ground beside his head. Abner and the soldiers were lying asleep around him.
8“God has surely handed your enemy over to you this time!” Abishai whispered to David. “Let me pin him to the ground with one thrust of the spear; I won’t need to strike twice!”
9“No!” David said. “Don’t kill him. For who can remain innocent after attacking the Lord’s anointed one? 10Surely the Lord will strike Saul down someday, or he will die of old age or in battle. 11The Lord forbid that I should kill the one he has anointed! But take his spear and that jug of water beside his head, and then let’s get out of here!”
12So David took the spear and jug of water that were near Saul’s head. Then he and Abishai got away without anyone seeing them or even waking up, because the Lord had put Saul’s men into a deep sleep.
13David climbed the hill opposite the camp until he was at a safe distance. 14Then he shouted down to the soldiers and to Abner son of Ner, “Wake up, Abner!”
“Who is it?” Abner demanded.
15“Well, Abner, you’re a great man, aren’t you?” David taunted. “Where in all Israel is there anyone as mighty? So why haven’t you guarded your master the king when someone came to kill him? 16This isn’t good at all! I swear by the Lord that you and your men deserve to die, because you failed to protect your master, the Lord’s anointed! Look around! Where are the king’s spear and the jug of water that were beside his head?”
17Saul recognized David’s voice and called out, “Is that you, my son David?”
And David replied, “Yes, my lord the king. 18Why are you chasing me? What have I done? What is my crime? 19But now let my lord the king listen to his servant. If the Lord has stirred you up against me, then let him accept my offering. But if this is simply a human scheme, then may those involved be cursed by the Lord. For they have driven me from my home, so I can no longer live among the Lord’s people, and they have said, ‘Go, worship pagan gods.’ 20Must I die on foreign soil, far from the presence of the Lord? Why has the king of Israel come out to search for a single flea? Why does he hunt me down like a partridge on the mountains?”
21Then Saul confessed, “I have sinned. Come back home, my son, and I will no longer try to harm you, for you valued my life today. I have been a fool and very, very wrong.”
22“Here is your spear, O king,” David replied. “Let one of your young men come over and get it. 23The Lord gives his own reward for doing good and for being loyal, and I refused to kill you even when the Lord placed you in my power, for you are the Lord’s anointed one. 24Now may the Lord value my life, even as I have valued yours today. May he rescue me from all my troubles.”
25And Saul said to David, “Blessings on you, my son David. You will do many heroic deeds, and you will surely succeed.” Then David went away, and Saul returned home.
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Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation.
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