David went to Saul and began to serve him. Saul loved him very much, and he became his armor bearer.

Saul sent a messenger to Jesse to tell him, "Allow David to serve me, because I'm pleased with him."

Whenever an evil spirit from God came to Saul, David would take the lyre and play it. Relief would come to Saul and he would be better, because the evil spirit would leave him.

The shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam and the iron point of his spear weighed 600 shekels. A man carrying his shield walked in front of him.

If he's able to fight me and strike me down, then we will become your servants; but if I prevail against him and strike him down, then you will become our servants and serve us."

David got up early in the morning, left the sheep with a keeper, took the supplies, and went as Jesse had directed him. He arrived at the encampment as the army was going out to the battle line, shouting the battle cry.

David left the supplies he had with him in the care of the supply keeper and ran to the battle line. When he arrived there, he asked his brothers about their well-being.

When all the Israelis saw the man, they fled from him and were very frightened.

"Did all of you see this man coming up?" one Israeli asked. "He comes up to defy Israel, and the king will richly reward the man who kills him. He will give his daughter to him and will make his father's house tax free in Israel."

David asked the men who were standing by him, "What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? Indeed, who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?"

The people also told him the same thing, saying, "This is what will be done for the man who kills him."

Eliab his oldest brother heard him talking to the men. Eliab was angry with David and said, "Why did you come down here? And who did you leave those few sheep with in the wilderness? I know your insolence and wicked intentions. You came down just to see the battle!"

Then he turned from him toward another person and asked the same thing. The people replied to him the same way as the first one had.

When the words that David had spoken were heard, they were reported to Saul, and he sent for him.

David told Saul, "Let no one's courage fail because of him; your servant will go fight this Philistine."

Saul told David, "You can't go against this Philistine and fight him. You are only a young man, but he has been a warrior since his youth."

Saul put his garments on David, set a bronze helmet on his head, and put armor on him.

With a man carrying his shield in front of him, the Philistine kept coming closer to David.

When the Philistine looked and saw David, he had contempt for him, because he was only a young man. David had a dark, healthy complexion and was handsome.

David defeated the Philistine with a sling and a stone; he struck down the Philistine and killed him, and there was no sword in David's hand.

David ran and stood over the Philistine. He took the Philistine's sword, pulled it from its sheath, killed him, and then he cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.

When David returned from striking down the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him to Saul with the Philistine's head in his hand.

Saul told him, "Whose son are you, young man?" David said, "The son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem."

When David finished speaking with Saul, Jonathan became a close friend to David, and Jonathan loved him as himself.

Saul took David that day and did not let him return to his father's house.

Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as he loved himself.

David went out and was successful everywhere Saul sent him, and Saul put him in charge of the troops. This pleased the entire army, as well as Saul's officials.

Saul hurled it, thinking, "I'll pin David to the wall." But David escaped from him twice.

Now Saul was afraid of David because the LORD was with him and had departed from Saul.

Saul removed David from his presence and made him an officer over a division of soldiers. So David led the troops in battle.

David was successful in all that he did, for the LORD was with him.

When Saul saw that David was highly successful, he feared him.

Saul told David, "Here is my older daughter Merab. I'll give her to you as a wife. Just be an excellent soldier for me and fight the LORD's battles." Now Saul told himself, "I won't harm him myself. Instead, I'll let the Philistines harm him."

Saul told himself, "I'll give her to him and she can be a snare to him and the Philistines will harm him." So Saul told David, "For a second time you can be my son-in-law today."

Saul's officials reported to him: "This is what David said."

David got up, went out with his men, and struck down 200 Philistine men. David brought their foreskins and gave them all to the king so he could become the king's son-in-law. So Saul gave him his daughter Michal as a wife.

As Saul continued to observe, he realized that the LORD was with David and that Saul's daughter Michal loved him.

Jonathan summoned David and told him all this. Then Jonathan brought David to Saul, and David served him as before.

Saul sent messengers to David's house to watch him so they could kill him in the morning. David's wife, Michal, told him, "If you don't escape with your life tonight, tomorrow you'll be put to death."

Then Saul sent messengers to check on David. He told them, "Bring him to me on the bed so I may kill him."

David escaped and fled. He came to Samuel at Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel went and stayed at Naioth.

Someone replied, "They're at Naioth in Ramah." Saul went to Naioth in Ramah, and the Spirit of God came on him also. He continued in prophetic ecstasy until he came to Naioth in Ramah.

Jonathan told him, "Far from it! You won't die. Look, my father never does anything, great or small, without telling me; so why should my father hide this thing from me? It's not like that!"

If your father actually notices that I'm not there, then you are to say, "David urgently requested that I allow him to run to his hometown of Bethlehem because the yearly sacrifice for the entire family was taking place there.'

Jonathan made David vow again out of his love for him, because he loved him as himself.

Jonathan told him, "Tomorrow is the New Moon, and you will be missed because your seat is empty.

Jonathan answered Saul, "David urgently requested that I let him go to Bethlehem.

Then Saul threw the spear that was beside him to strike Jonathan down. So Jonathan realized that his father was determined to kill David.

So on the second day of the New Moon Jonathan angrily got up from the table without eating because he was upset about David, and because his father had humiliated him.

Jonathan told his servant, "Run, find the arrows that I'm shooting." As the servant ran, Jonathan shot the arrow beyond him.

The servant came to the place where Jonathan had shot it, and Jonathan called out to him, "The arrow is beyond you, isn't it?"

Then Jonathan gave his equipment to the servant who was with him and told him, "Go, take these things to the city."

David came to Nob to Ahimelech the priest, and Ahimelech was trembling as he came to meet David. Ahimelech told him, "Why are you alone, and no one with you?"

David answered the priest, saying to him, "Indeed, women were kept from us as is usual whenever I go out on a mission, and the equipment of the young men is consecrated even when it's an ordinary journey, so how much more is their equipment consecrated today?"

So the priest gave him consecrated bread because no bread was there except the Bread of the Presence that had been removed from the LORD's presence and replaced with hot bread on the day it was taken away.

The officials of Achish told him, "Isn't this David, king of the land? Isn't this the one about whom they sang as they danced, "Saul has struck down his thousands, but David his ten thousands'?"

Achish told his officials, "Look, you see a person acting like a madman. Why'd you bring him to me?

David left from there and escaped to the Cave of Adullam. His brothers and all his father's family heard about this and went down to him there.

Everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was malcontent gathered around him, and he became their leader. There were about 400 men with him.

David left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed with him all the time David was in the stronghold.

When Saul heard that David and the men who were with him had been found, he was sitting in Gibeah, under the tamarisk tree on the hill, with his spear in his hand. All his officials were standing around him.

Saul told his officials who were standing around him, "Listen, men of Benjamin! Will Jesse's son also give fields and vineyards to all of you? Will he make all of you officers over thousands and officers over hundreds?

Ahimelech inquired of the LORD for him, gave him provisions, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine."

Then Saul asked him, "Why have you conspired against me you and Jesse's son by giving him food and a sword, and by inquiring of God for him, so he can rise up against me to lie in wait, as he's doing today?"

Is today the first time I inquired of God for him? Absolutely not! The king shouldn't accuse his servant, or any of my father's family of anything, because your servant didn't know anything at all about this."

The king told the guards, who were standing beside him, "Turn and kill the priests of the LORD because they supported David, and because they knew he was fleeing, but didn't inform me." But the officials of the king did not want to lift their hands to attack the priests of the LORD.

David's men told him, "Look, we're afraid here in Judah. How much then, if we go to Keilah against the Philistine army?"

David inquired of the LORD again, and the LORD answered him: "Get up, go down to Keilah. I'll give the Philistines into your control."

Now when Ahimelech's son Abiathar had fled to David in Keilah, the ephod had come down with him.

It was reported to Saul that David had come to Keilah, and Saul said, "The LORD has delivered him into my hand because he has shut himself in by going into a town with double gates and bars."

David knew that Saul was devising evil plans against him, and so he told Abiathar the priest, "Bring the ephod."

Will the people of Keilah hand me over to him? Will Saul come down just as your servant has heard? LORD God of Israel, please inform your servant." The LORD said, "He will come down."

David stayed in the wilderness in the strongholds, and he lived in the hill country in the wilderness of Ziph. Saul sought him every day, but God did not let David slip into Saul's control.

Saul's son Jonathan got up and went to David at Horesh, and he encouraged him to trust in God.

Jonathan told him, "Don't be afraid. My father Saul won't find you, and you will be king over Israel. I'll be your second-in-command. My father Saul also knows this."

People from Ziph came up to Saul at Gibeah and informed him, "David is hiding with us in the strongholds in Horesh and on the hill of Hachilah south of Jeshimon, isn't he?

Now, your majesty, whenever you want to come down, come down, and our part will be to hand him over to the king."

Go and again make sure, find out and investigate where he is and who has seen him there, for people tell me that he's very clever.

Investigate and find out all the hiding places there where he hides, and return to me with reliable information. Then I'll go down with you, and if he's in the land, I'll search him out among all the thousands of Judah."

David's men told him, "Look, today is the day about which the LORD spoke to you when he said, "I'll give your enemy into your hand.' Do to him whatever you want!"

David rose and stealthily cut off the corner of Saul's robe. Afterwards, David's conscience bothered him because he had cut off the corner of Saul's robe.

He told his men, "God forbid that I should do this thing to your majesty, the LORD's anointed, by stretching out my hand against him, since he's the LORD's anointed."

Then David got up, went out of the cave, and called out to Saul: "Your majesty!" Saul looked behind him, and David bowed down with his face to the ground and prostrated himself.

For who would find his enemy and then send him away safely? May the LORD repay you for what you have done for me today.

Samuel died and all Israel assembled to mourn for him. They buried him at his home in Ramah.

David sent ten young men, saying to the young men, "Go up to Carmel, find Nabal, and greet him in my name.

David's young men came to Nabal and told him all this in David's name, and then they waited.

Now, be aware of this and consider what you should do. Calamity is being planned against our master and against his entire household. He's such a worthless person that no one can talk to him."

Now David had said, "Surely it was for nothing that I protected everything that belonged to this man in the wilderness, and nothing was missing of all that belonged to him. But he has repaid me with evil for good!

May the LORD do this to the enemies of David and more also if by the morning I've left alive a single male of all those who belong to him."

David took from her what she had brought him and told her, "Go up to your house in peace. Look, I've heard your request and will grant it."

Abigail returned to Nabal, and he was there in his house holding a festival like the festival of a king. Nabal's heart was glad, and he was very drunk, so she didn't tell him anything at all until morning.

After Nabal became sober the next morning, his wife told him all that had happened. Nabal's heart failed and he became paralyzed.

Then David sent word to Abigail that he would take her as his wife. David's servants went to Abigail at Carmel and told her, "David sent us to you to take you to him as his wife."

People from Ziph came to Saul in Gibeah and informed him, "David is hiding on the hill of Hachilah which is across from Jeshimon, isn't he?"

Saul camped by the road on the hill of Hachilah, across from Jeshimon, while David was staying in the wilderness. When he realized that Saul had come after him in the wilderness,

David rose and went to the place where Saul was camped. David saw the place where Saul and Abner, his Commander-in-Chief, lay down. Saul was lying down within the encampment, and the army was camped all around him.

David and Abishai went to the army at night, and Saul was lying there asleep in the encampment. His spear was stuck in the ground at his head, and Abner and the army were lying all around him.

Abishai told David, "Today God has delivered your enemy into your hand. Let me run the spear through him into the ground with a single blow. I won't need to strike him twice!"

David told Abishai, "Don't destroy him. Who can raise his hand to strike the LORD's anointed and remain innocent?