Then said his servants unto him, "Behold, an evil spirit sent of God vexeth thee.

And Saul said unto his servants, "Seek me a man that can well play, and bring him to me."

Then answered one of his servants and said, "Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that can play upon instruments, and is an active fellow and a man of war and prudent and well made, and the LORD is with him."

Whereupon Saul sent messengers unto Jesse and said, "Send me David thy son which is with the sheep."

And he stood and called unto the host of Israel, and said unto them, "What needeth that ye should come out in array to battle? Am not I a Philistine, and you servants to Saul? Choose you a man, and let him come down to me:

And the Philistine said, "I have defied the host of Israel this day; give me a man and let us fight together."

And Jesse said unto David his son, "Take for thy brethren this ephah of parched corn, and these ten loaves, and run to the host, to thy brethren.

And every man of Israel said, "See ye this man that is come forth; even to revile Israel is he come. And to him that beateth him will the king give great riches, and will give him his daughter thereto: yea and make his father's house free in Israel."

Then spake David to the men that stood by and said, "What shall be done to the man that beateth this Philistine and taketh away the shame from Israel? For what is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should revile the host of the living God?"

And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the man and was angry with David and said, "Why camest thou away, and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride and the malice of thine heart, that thou art come to see the battle."

And David said to Saul, "Let no man's heart fail him because of him. Thy servant will go and fight with his Philistine."

And Saul said to David again, "Thou art not able to go unto this Philistine, to fight with him. For thou art but a lad, and he hath been a man of war even from his youth."

Then said David unto Saul, "As thy servant kept his father's sheep, there came a Lion and likewise a Bear, and took a sheep out of the flock.

And David spake moreover, "The LORD that delivered me out of the hands of the Lion and out of the hands of the Bear, he shall deliver me also out of the hands of the Philistine." Then said Saul to David, "Go, and the LORD be with thee."

and gird David with his own sword upon his raiment. And he assayed to go, for he never proved it. Then said David unto Saul, "I cannot go in these, for I have not been used thereto." And put them off him,

And the Philistine said unto David, "Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with a staff?" And he cursed David in the name of his gods.

And he said to David, "Come to me and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field."

Then said David to the Philistine, "Thou comest to me with a sword, a spear, and a shield: But I come to thee in the name of the LORD of Hosts, the God of the host of Israel whom thou hast railed upon.

When Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said unto Abner the captain of his host, "Abner, whose son is this lad?" And Abner answered, "As truly as thy soul liveth, O king, I cannot tell."

Then said the king, "Enquire thou, whose son the youngling is."

And Saul said to him, "Whose son art thou, thou lad?" And David answered, "The son of thy servant Jesse the Bethlehemite."

And the women that played sang thereto, and said, "Saul hath slain his thousand, and David his ten thousand."

Then was Saul exceeding wroth and that saying displeased him, and he said, "They have ascribed unto David ten thousand, and to me but a thousand. And what more can he have, save the kingdom?"

Then said Saul to David, "Behold, my eldest daughter Merab: her I will give thee to wife; only play the man and fight the LORD's battles." For Saul thought, "Mine hand shall not be upon him, but the hand of the Philistines."

And he said, "I will give him her that she may be a snare to him, to bring the hand of the Philistines upon him." And Saul said to David, "Thou shalt this day be my son-in-law again."

Then said Saul, "This wise say to David: 'The king careth for no other dowry but for a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king's enemies." For Saul thought to make David fall into the hands of the Philistines.

And Jonathan spake the best of David unto Saul his father and said unto him, "Let not the king sin against his servant David, for he hath not sinned against thee, and his works are to thee ward very good.

And when Saul sent messengers to fetch David, she said that he was sick.

Then said Saul to Michal, "Why hast thou mocked me so, and sent away mine enemy, that he is escaped?" And Michal answered Saul, "He said unto me, 'Let me go, or else I will kill thee.'"

Then went he himself to Ramah, and when he came to a great well that is in Secu, he asked and said, "Where are Samuel and David?" And they said, "See, they be at Naioth in Ramah."

And David fled from Naioth in Ramah and went and said before Jonathan, "What have I done? Wherein am I faulty? What is the sin that I have committed before thy father that he seeketh my life?"

And David sware again and said, "Thy father knoweth that I have found grace in thine eyes and therefore he thinketh, 'Jonathan shall not know it, lest he be sorry.' For in very deed even as truly as the LORD liveth, and as truly as thy soul liveth, there is but a step between me and death."

Then said Jonathan unto David, "Whatsoever thy soul desireth, that I will do unto thee."

And David said unto Jonathan, "Behold, tomorrow is the first day of the month, and I should sit with the king at meat. But let me go that I may hide myself in the fields unto this day three days at evening.

Then said David, "Who shall tell me, if thy father answer cruelly?"

Then said Jonathan to David, "Come, and let us go out into the fields." And they went out both of them into the fields.

And Jonathan said unto David, "O LORD God of Israel, when I have groped my father's mind, one time or other within this three days, that it stand well with David: and I then send not unto thee and show it thee, the LORD do so and so unto Jonathan.

Then said Jonathan to David, "Tomorrow shall be the first day of the moon. And thou shalt be missed, because the place shall appear empty.

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

But on the morrow which was the second day of the moon, when David's place appeared empty, Saul said unto Jonathan his son, "Wherefore cometh not the son of Jesse to meat, neither yesterday nor today?"

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?

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

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 said to Ahimelech the priest, "The king hath commanded me to do a certain thing and said unto me, 'Let no man know whereabouts I send and what I have commanded thee to do.' And therefore I have appointed my servants to such and such places.

And the priest answered David and said, "There is no common bread under mine hand - but there is hallowed bread, if the young men have abstained only from women."

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 David said unto Ahimelech, "Is not here under thine hand other spear or sword? For I have neither brought my sword nor mine harness with me, because the king's business required haste."

Then the priest answered, "The sword of Goliath, the Philistine whom thou slewest in Oakdale; that is here, wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If thou wilt take that, take it: for there is no other save that here." And David said, "There is none to that, give it me."

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 went thence to Mizpeh in the land of Moab, and said unto the king of Moab, "Let my father and mother, I pray thee, have their abiding with you, till I know what God will do with me."

And the prophet Gad said unto David, "Abide not in castles, but depart and go to the land of Judah." Then David departed and came into the forest of Hereth.

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,

Then answered Doeg the Edomite, which had the oversight of the servants of Saul, and said, "I saw the son of Jesse, when he came to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub,

And Saul said, "Hear, thou son of Ahitub." And he said, "Here I am, my lord."

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?"

And Ahimelech answered the king, and said, "Who is so faithful among all thy servants as David and thereto the king's son-in-law, and goeth at thy bidding, and is had in honour in thine house?

But for all that, the king said, "Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech; both thou and all thy father's house."

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 the king to Doeg, "Turn thou and smite the priests." And Doeg the Edomite turned and ran upon the priests, and slew that same day four score and five persons that did wear each man a linen ephod.

And David said unto Abiathar, "I wist it the same day, that Doeg the Edomite which was there would tell it Saul. And I am cause of the death of all the souls of thy father's house.

Then David asked the LORD's advice, saying, "Shall I go and smite the Philistines?" And the LORD said unto David, "Go, and smite the Philistines and save Keilah."

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."

Then said David, "O LORD God of Israel, thy servant heareth that Saul is about to come to Keilah to destroy the city for my sake.

Will the men of Keilah deliver me into his hand? Or will Saul come as thy servant heareth say? LORD God of Israel, tell thy servant." And the LORD said, "He will come."

Then said David, "Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul?" And the LORD said, "They will deliver you."

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."

Then said Saul, "Blessed are ye in the LORD: for ye have compassion on me.

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 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 said to Saul, "Wherefore giveth thou an ear to men's words, that say, 'David seeketh thee evil?'

Behold, this day thine eyes have seen how that the LORD had delivered thee this day into mine hand, in the cave. When they bade kill thee, mine eye had compassion on thee: and I said, 'I will not lay my hands on my master, for he is the LORD's anointed.'

When David had made an end of speaking all these words to Saul, Saul said, "Is this thy voice, my son David?" And he lifted up his voice and wept,

and said to David, "Thou art more righteous than I, for thou hast rewarded me with good, and I have rewarded thee with evil.

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 Nabal answered David's servants and said, "What is David? And what is the son of Jesse? There is plenty of servants nowadays, that break away every man from his master.

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.

and said unto her young men, "Go before me, and see I come after you," and told her husband Nabal nothing thereof.

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.

and fell at his feet and said, "Let this unhappy deed be counted mine, my lord, and let thine handmaid speak in thine audience, and hear the words of thy handmaid.

Then said David to Abigail, "Blessed be the LORD God of Israel which sent thee this day to meet me.

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 David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, "Blessed be the LORD that hath judged the cause of my rebuke of the hand of Nabal, and hath kept his servant from evil, and hath turned the wickedness of Nabal again upon his own head." And David sent to commune with Abigail, to the intent to take her to his wife.

And she arose and bowed herself on her face to the earth, and said, "Behold thy handmaid, to be a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord."

Then answered David, and spake to Ahimelech the Hittite and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah and brother to Joab, saying, "Who will go down with me to Saul, to the host?" Abishai said, "I will go down with thee."

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 cried to the people and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, "Answerest thou not Abner?" And Abner answered, and said, "What art thou that criest to the king?"

And David said to Abner, "Art not thou a man? And who is like thee in Israel? But wherefore hast thou not kept thy lord the king? For there came one of the folk to destroy the king thy lord.

Then Saul knew David's voice and said, "Is this thy voice, my son David?" And David said, "It is my voice, my lord king."

And he said thereto, "Wherefore doth my lord persecute his servant? For what have I done? Or what evil is in mine hand?

Then said Saul, "I have sinned. Come again, my son David, for I will do thee no more harm; because my soul was precious in thine eyes this day. Behold, I have played the fool and have erred exceeding much."