Nevertheless, yet Saul said nothing at all that day. For he thought, 'Something has chanced him that he is not clean.'

Then was Saul angry with Jonathan and said unto him, "O froward and rebellious, thinkest thou I know not how thou hast chosen the son of Jesse unto thine own rebuke, and unto the rebuke and shame of thy mother?

For as long as the son of Jesse lieth upon the earth, thou shalt not be established, nor yet thy kingdom; wherefore now send and fetch him unto me, for he is the child of death."

But Jonathan answered Saul his father and said to him, "Wherefore should he die? What hath he done?"

Then Saul cast a spear at him to hit him, whereby Jonathan wist well, that it was utterly determined of his father to slay David.

And so Jonathan arose from the table in a great anger and did eat no meat the second day of the month, for he was sorry for David, because his father had done him shame.

On the next morning, Jonathan went out unto the field, at the time appointed with David, and a little lad with him.

And he said unto the boy, "Run and find out mine arrows which I shoot." And as the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.

And when the lad was come to the place whither Jonathan had shot the arrow, Jonathan cried after him and said, "The arrow is beyond thee."

Then Jonathan gave his weapons unto the lad and said unto him, "Go and carry them to the town."

And Jonathan said unto David, "Go thy way in peace. Whatsoever we both have sworn and spoken together in the name of the LORD, the LORD be witness between me and thee, and between my seed and thine forever." And Jonathan gat him up, and came into the city.

Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech was astonished at his coming, and said unto him, "Why cometh thou thyself alone, and no man with thee?"

And David answered the priest and said unto him, "Of a truth, women hath been locked up from us about a three days, when I came out: and the vessels of the young men were holy. Howbeit, this way is impure: but it shall be hallowed in the vessel."

And so the priest gave him hallowed bread, for there was none other bread there save showbreads that were taken from before the LORD; to put fresh bread there the day that it was taken away.

And the servants of Achish said of him, "Is not this David the king of the land? Did they not sing unto this fellow in dances saying, 'Saul hath slain his thousand, and David his ten thousand'?"

Then said Achish unto his servant, "Lo, ye saw that this man was beside himself; wherefore then have ye brought him to me?

And David departed thence and escaped, and came unto the cave of Adullam. When his brethren and all his father's house heard it, they went thither to him.

And there gathered unto him all men that were in cumbrance and in debt and troubled in their hearts, and he became a captain over them. And there were with him upon a four hundred men.

And he left them with the king of Moab, and they dwelt with him all the while that David kept himself in holds.

And Saul heard of it: for David was known, and also the men that were with him. And as Saul sat in Gibeah under a grove upon a high bank with his spear in his hand and all his men about him,

he said unto his servants that stood about him, "Hear I pray you, you sons of Benjamin: will the son of Jesse also give every one of you fields and vineyards, and make you all captains over thousands and over hundreds,

which asked counsel of the LORD for him, and gave him victuals, and the sword of Goliath the Philistine also."

Then said Saul to him, "Why have ye conspired against me, thou and the son of Jesse, insomuch that thou hast given him victuals and a sword, and hast asked counsel of God for him that he should arise against me and lie await as it is come to pass this day?"

Have I this day begun first to ask counsel of God for him? God forbid that from me: let not the king put such a thing unto his servant and on all the house of my father. For thy servant knoweth nothing of all this, either less or more."

Then said the king unto his footmen that stood about him, "Turn and slay the priests of the LORD, both because their hand is with David and because they knew when David fled and showed it not to me." But the servants of the king would not move their hands, to run upon the priests of the LORD.

Then said David's men unto him, "See, we be afraid here in Judah. What shall we then be, when we come to Keilah, to the host of the Philistines?"

Then David asked the LORD again. And the LORD answered him and said, "Up, and go to Keilah; for I will deliver the Philistines into thine hands."

And it was told Saul, that David was come to Keilah. Then said Saul, "God hath delivered him into mine hand. For he is shut in, that he is come into a town with gates and bars."

But David had knowledge that Saul imagined mischief against him, and said therefore to Abiathar the priest, "Bring the ephod."

And David abode in the wilderness in strongholds, and in a mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him all his life, but God delivered him not into his hand.

And Jonathan Saul's son arose and went to David to the thicket, and strengthened him in God,

and said unto him, "Fear not, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee, and thou shalt be king over Israel, and I must be next unto thee: And Saul my father thereto knoweth that it shall be so."

Now therefore, sir king, come down with all the lust that thy soul hath to come. And our part shall be to deliver him into the hands of the king."

Go, I pray you, and mark more diligently; and know and see his haunt, where his foot hath been, and who hath seen him there: for it is told me that he is very subtle.

See therefore and know all the lurking places where he lurketh, and come again to me with the certainty, and I will go with you. And then if he be in the land, I will hunt him out with all the thousands of Judah.

Then Saul was come again from the Philistines, it was told him, "Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi."

And the men of David said unto him, "See, the day is come of which the LORD said unto thee, 'Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, and thou shalt do with him what it pleaseth thee.'" Then David arose and cut off the tip of Saul's coat privily.

And immediately David's heart smote him, because he had cut off the tip of Saul's coat.

And he said unto his men, "The LORD keep me from doing that thing unto my master that is the LORD's anointed, to lay mine hand upon him: seeing he is the LORD's anointed."

And when Saul was up out of the cave and gone away, David arose and went out of the cave and cried after Saul, saying, "My lord king!" And Saul looked behind him. And David stooped to the earth and bowed himself,

For who shall find his enemy, and let him depart a good way? Wherefore the LORD reward thee with good, for that thou hast done unto me this day.

And then Samuel died, and all Israel gathered together and lamented him, and buried him in his own house at Ramah. And David arose and gat him to the wilderness of Paran.

he sent out ten of his young men, and said unto them, "Get you up to Carmel and go to Nabal and greet him in my name.

And David's servants turned their way and went again, and came and told him according to all those sayings.

Then David said unto his men, "Gird every man his sword about him." And they girded every man his sword on, and David thereto girded on his sword. And there followed David upon a four hundred men, and two hundred abode by the stuff.

But one of the lads told Abigail, Nabal's wife, saying, "See, David sent messengers unto our master out of the wilderness to salute him, and he railed on them.

And David said, "In vain have I kept all that this fellow had in the wilderness: so that nought was missed that pertained unto him, for he hath quite me with evil for good.

Let not my lord regard this unthrifty man Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name and folly is with him. But I thine handmaid saw not the young men of my lord which thou sendest.

And so David received of her hand that she brought him, and said to her, "Go in peace to thine house. And see, I have obeyed thy voice and have received thee to grace."

And when Abigail came to Nabal, behold, he held a feast in his house like the feast of a king; and Nabal's heart was merry within him, and he was drunk a good. Wherefore she told him nought, neither little nor more, until the morrow day.

But in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these words, and his heart died within him, and he became as a stone,

Then Saul arose and went to the wilderness of Ziph, and three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, for to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.

And Saul pitched in the hill of Hachilah which lieth before the wilderness, by the wayside. But David dwelt in the wilderness. And when he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness,

Wherefore David arose and went to the place where Saul had pitched, and beheld the place where Saul lay with Abner the son of Ner his chief captain. For Saul lay within a round bank and the people pitched round about him.

And so David and Abishai came to the people by night. And behold, Saul lay sleeping within a round bank and his spear pitched in the ground at his head, Abner and the people lying round about him.

The said Abishai to David, "God hath closed in thine enemy unto thine hand this day. Now therefore let me smite him a fellowship with my spear to the earth, even one stroke, and I will not smite him the second time."

But David said to Abishai, "Destroy him not - for who can lay his hand on the LORD's anointed and be guiltless?"

And David said furthermore, "As sure as the LORD liveth, the LORD shall smite him, or his day shall come to die, or he shall descend into battle and there perish:

And David arose, and he and the six hundred men that were with him went unto Achish, the son of Maoch, king of Gath.

And when it was told Saul that David was fled to Gath, he sought no more for him.

Then Achish gave him Ziklag the same day; for which cause Ziklag pertaineth unto the kings of Judah unto this day.

Samuel was then dead, and all Israel had lamented him and buried him in Ramah his own city. And Saul had put the soothsayers and expounders of tokens out of the land.

And Saul asked counsel of the LORD, but the LORD answered him not: neither by dream, nor by the light, nor yet by prophets.

Then said Saul unto his servants, "Seek me a woman that is mistress of a spirit of prophecy; that I may go to her and ask of her." And his servants said to him, "See, there is a woman that hath a spirit of Prophecy in her possession at Endor."

And Saul changed his clothes and put on other raiment; and then went he, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night. And he said, "Prophesy unto me by the spirit, and bring me him up whom I shall name unto thee."

And the woman said unto him, "Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath destroyed the women that had prophesying spirits, and the sorcerers, out of the land. Wherefore then layest thou a net for my soul to kill me?"

And he said, "What fashion is he of?" And the woman said, "There cometh up an old man with a mantle upon him." And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and stooped with his face to the ground and bowed himself.

Then Saul fell straightway flat on the earth as long as he was, and was sore a dread of the words of Samuel. And thereto there was no strength in him: for he had not eaten all the day and the night before.

And the woman came unto Saul and saw that he was sore troubled, and said unto him, "See, thine handmaid hath obeyed thy voice and have put my soul in thy hand, and have hearkened unto thy words which thou saidst unto me.

But he refused it and said, "I will not eat." But his servants and the woman together compelled him, that he heard their voice. And so he arose from the earth and sat him on a bed.

The woman had a fat calf in the house, and that she hasted and killed it, and took flour and kneaded it and did bake him sweet cakes,

Then said the lords of the Philistines, "What are yonder Hebrews?" And Achish said unto the lords of the Philistines, "Is not this David the servant of Saul the king of Israel, which hath been with me days or years? And I have found no fault in him since he fled unto me unto this day."

Nevertheless the lords of the Philistines were wroth with him and said unto him, "Make this fellow return, and let him go again to his place which thou hast appointed him. For he shall not go with us to do battle, lest he be an adversary to us in the battle. For wherewith could he better obtain the favour of his master, than upon the heads of our men?

Then Achish called David and said unto him, "As sure as the LORD liveth thou art honest, and it pleaseth me well that thou shouldest accompany me in the host, for I have found none evil with thee since thou camest to me unto this day. Nevertheless, the lords of the Philistines favour thee not:

Then David and the people that was with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they could weep no more.

And David was in a shrewd strait: for the people intended to stone him because the hearts of the people were vexed for their sons and their daughters.

But David took a good courage to him in the LORD his God and said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, "Bring me the ephod." And Abiathar brought the ephod to David.

And David asked the LORD, saying, "Shall I follow after this company? And shall I overtake them?" And he said to him, "Follow, for thou shalt overtake them and recover the prey."

And he went, and the six hundred men that were with him, and they came to the river Besor, where a part of them abode.

Then they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David and gave him bread to eat and water to drink,

and gave him a few figs and two clusters of raisins. And when he had eaten his spirits came again to him: for he had eaten no bread nor drunk no water in three days and three nights.

Then David said unto him, "To whom belongest thou and whence art thou?" And the lad answered, "I am an Egyptian and servant to an Amalekite: and my master left me behind, because it is three days a gone that I fell sick.

And David said to him, "Canst thou bring me to this company?" And he said, "Swear unto me by God, that thou wilt neither kill me nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee unto them."

And when he had brought him: see, they lay scattered abroad upon the earth, eating and drinking and triumphing over all the great prey that they had carried away out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah.

And then David came to the two hundred men that were too weary for to follow David which they made to abide at the river Besor. And they came to meet David and the people that were with him. And when David came to the people, he saluted them.

And the battle went sore against Saul, insomuch that shooters with bows had found him, and he was sore wounded of the shooters.

And when his harness bearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword and died with him.

And they cut off his head and stripped him out of his harness, and sent unto the land of the Philistines everywhere, to publish in the houses of their gods and to the people.

To whom David said, "Whence comest thou?" And the other answered him, "Out of the host of Israel am I escaped."

And David said to him again, "How hath it chanced? Tell me." And he said, "The people fled from the battle, and many of the people are overthrown and dead: and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead thereto."

And David said unto the young man that told him, "How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son be dead?"

And the young man that told him, said, "I was by chance in mount Gilboa. And see, Saul leaned upon his spear, and the chariots and horsemen followed him at the heels.

And he said unto me, 'What art thou?' And I said unto him, 'I am an Amalekite.'

And I went on him and slew him: for I was sure that he could not live, after that he was fallen. And I took the crown that was upon his head and the bracelet that was on his arm and have brought them unto my lord hither."

Then David took his clothes and rent them, and so did all the men that were with him.

Then said David unto the young man that brought him tidings, "Whence art thou?" And he said, "I am the son of an alien, an Amalekite."

And David said unto him, "How is it that thou wast not afraid to lay thine hand on the LORD's anointed, to destroy him?"

And David called one of his young men, and said, "Go and run upon him." And he smote him that he died.

Then said David unto him, "Thy blood upon thine own head; for thine own mouth hath testified against thee, saying, 'I have slain the LORD's anointed.'"

And the men that were with him, did David carry up also, every man with his house. And they dwelt in the towns of Hebron.