But the lad knew nothing of the matter: only Jonathan and David wist it.

And as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of a place that was toward the south and fell on his face to the ground and bowed himself three times. And they kissed one another and wept together - but David more abundantly.

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 David arose and fled the same day from the presence of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.

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'?"

And David put those words into his heart and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath.

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

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.

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,

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?

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.

But yet one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled to David,

and showed David how that Saul had slain the LORD's priests.

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 men told David, saying, "Behold, the Philistines fight against Keilah, and spoil the barns."

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 so David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines, and drave away their cattle and slew a great slaughter of them. And so David saved the inhabiters of Keilah.

And it chanced when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David to Keilah that he brought an ephod in his hand.

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."

And Saul called all the people to war, for to go to Keilah to besiege David and his men.

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.

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."

Then David and his men, which were upon a six hundred, arose and departed out of Keilah and went whither chance drave them. And when it was told Saul, that David was fled from Keilah, he let the journey alone.

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 David saw that Saul was come out, to seek his life, while David was in the wilderness of Ziph in a thicket.

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

And they made a bond both of them together before the LORD. And David tarried still in the thicket, and Jonathan went to his house.

Then came the Ziphites to Saul, to Gibeah, saying, "David hideth himself fast by us in strongholds that are in a thicket in the hill of Hachilah on the rightside of the wilderness.

And they arose and went to Ziph before Saul. But David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the wild field, on the righthand of the wilderness.

For when Saul was gone with his men to seek, it was told David. And therefore he went unto a rock and dwelt in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he followed after David into the wilderness of Maon.

And Saul and his men went on the one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other. And David, as a man amazed, made haste to get from Saul. For Saul and his men had compassed David and his men round about, to take them.

Wherefore Saul returned from persecuting David, and went against the Philistines. And therefore the place is called Selahammahelekoth.

And then David went thence and dwelt in holds at Engedi.

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

Then Saul took three thousand men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men in the rocks, where nothing haunted but wild goats.

And he came to the flocks of the sheep by a wayside where was a cave. And Saul went in to cover his feet. And David and his men sat along by the sides of the cave.

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 so David kept off his servants with words, and suffered them not to go upon Saul.

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,

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

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.

And David sware unto Saul, and Saul went home. But David and his men gat up unto a hold.

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.

And when David heard in the wilderness, that Nabal shore his sheep,

ask thy lads, and they will show thee. Wherefore let these young men find favour in thine eyes - for we come in a good season - and give, I pray thee, whatsoever cometh to thine hand unto thy servants and to thine son David."

And David's young men came and told Nabal all those words in the name of David and then stopped.

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.

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 as she rode on her ass and was coming down in a slade of the hill, David and his men came down against her, and she met 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.

God do this and yet more unto the enemies of David, if until tomorrow in the morning I leave this man, of all that he hath, so much as one that pisseth against the wall."

When Abigail saw David, she hasted and lighted off her ass and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground,

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 when the servants of David were come to Abigail to Carmel, they spake unto her saying, "David sent us unto thee, to take thee to his wife."

And Abigail hasted and arose and gat her up upon an ass, with five damsels of hers that went at her feet, and went after the messengers of David and was his wife.

David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and they were both his wives.

But Saul gave Michal his daughter David's wife to Palti the son of Laish of Gallim.

After that came the Ziphites unto Saul to Gibeah saying, "David hideth himself in the hill of Hachilah even before the wilderness."

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.

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."

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 took the spear and the cruse of water that were at Saul's head, and they gat them away, and no man saw or wist it or awoke. For they were all asleep, because the LORD had sent a slumber upon them.

Then David went over to the other side and stood on the top of a hill afar off - a great space being between them -

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."

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."

And David answered and said, "Behold the king's spear: let one of the young men come over and fetch it.

And Saul said to David, "Blessed art thou, my son David: for thou shalt be a doer and prevail." And so David went his way, and Saul turned to his place again.

Then thought David in his heart, "I may perish, one day or other, by the hands of Saul. There is no better for me, than to flee into the land of the Philistines; that Saul, of very despair to find me, may cease to seek me anymore in all the coasts of Israel: for so I may escape his hand."

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 David dwelt with Achish at Gath, both he and his men, every man with his household; and David with his two wives: Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail, Nabal's wife of Carmel.

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

And David said unto Achish, "If I have found grace in thine eyes, let me have a place in some town in the fields, that I may dwell there. For what should thy servant dwell in the head city of the kingdom with thee?"

And the time that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines, was a year and four months.

And David and his men went and ran upon the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites: which nations were from the beginning the inhabiters of the land, as men go to Shur, and so forth to Egypt.

And David smote the land and left neither man nor woman alive, and took the sheep, the oxen, the asses, camels, and clothes, and removed and came to Achish.

And Achish said, "Have ye not been a roving this day?" And David answered, "Yes, in the south of Judah, and in the south of the Jezreelites, and in the south of the Kenites."

But David let neither man nor woman come living unto Gath, and thought, "They might peradventure speak, and report against us, 'Thus did David.'" And this was his manner as long as he dwelt in the land of the Philistines.