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?"

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.

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

Now hear therefore, my lord king, the words of thy servant. If the LORD have stirred thee up against me, he shall smell the savour of sacrifice. But and if they be the children of men, cursed be they before the LORD. For they have cast me out from abiding in the inheritance of the LORD, saying, 'Hence and go serve other gods.'

And yet I hope my blood shall not fall to the earth before the face of the LORD, though the king of Israel be come out to hunt a flea, as men hunt the partridges in the mountains."

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 as thy life was much set by this time in mine eyes: so be my life set by in the eyes of the LORD, that he deliver me out of all tribulation."

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 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 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.

And it chanced in those days, that the Philistines gathered their host together to war, intending to fight with Israel. And Achish said to David, "Be sure: thou shalt go out with me in the host, and thy men also."

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 the Philistines gathered together and came and pitched in Shunem. And Saul and all Israel gathered together and pitched in Gilboa.

And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart was sore astonished.

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."

When the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice and spake to Saul, saying, "Why hast thou mocked me? For thou art Saul."

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,

and brought them before Saul and before his servants. And when they had eaten, they stood up, and went away the same night.

The Philistines gathered all their hosts together unto Aphek: And Israel pitched by a fountain in Jezreel.

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?

Is not this David to whom they sang in dances, 'Saul slew his thousand, but David his ten thousand?'"

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:

wherefore return and go in peace, that thou displease not the lords of the Philistines."

And David said again to Achish, "Why, what have I done? And what hast thou found in thy servant as long as I have been with thee unto this day, that I may not go fight against the enemies of my lord the king?"

Achish answered and said to David, "I know well thou pleasest me, as it were an angel of God. Notwithstanding, the lords of the Philistines have said that thou shalt not go with them to battle.

Wherefore rise up early in the morning, with thy master's servants that are come with thee. And when ye be up early as soon as ye have light, depart."

And so David and his men rose early to depart in the morning, and to return into the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

But yer David and his men were come to Ziklag the third day, the Amalekites had run in a running upon the south and upon Ziklag, and had smitten Ziklag and burnt it with fire,

When David and his men came to the city: behold, it was burnt with fire, and their wives, their sons and their daughters were taken prisoners.

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.

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.

We came a roving upon the south of the Cherethites, and upon them of Judah and on the south of Caleb. And we burnt Ziklag with fire."

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 David laid upon them from the twilight until the evening on the morrow: so that there escaped not a man, save four hundred young men which rode away upon camels and fled.

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.

For who should hearken unto you in this matter? But as his part is that goeth and fighteth, so good shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff: they shall part it alike."

And so from that day forward was that made a law and a custom in Israel, and endureth to this day.

When David came to Ziklag, he sent of his prey unto the elders of Judah and to his friends, saying, "See there a blessing for you, of the spoil of the enemies of the LORD."

And as the Philistines fought against Israel, the men of Israel fled away from the Philistines, and fell down dead in mount Gilboa.

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

When the men of Israel that were of the other side of the valley, and they of the other side Jordan, heard that the men of Israel were put to flight, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they left the cities, and ran away, and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.

On the morrow when the Philistines were come to strip them that were slain, they found Saul and his sons lying in mount Gilboa.

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.

And they hanged up his harness in the house of Ashtaroth, but they hanged up his carcass on the walls of Bet-Shean.

When the inhabiters of Jabesh in Gilead heard thereof what the Philistines had done to Saul,

After the death of Saul, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites and had been two days in Ziklag:

Behold, there came a man the third day out of the host from Saul with his clothes rent and earth upon his head. And when he came to David, he fell to the earth and did obeisance.

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 he said unto me, 'Come on me and slay me: For anguish is come upon me and my life is yet all in me.'

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 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 bade to teach the children of Israel the staves thereof. And behold, it is written in the book of the righteous:

Tell it not in Gath, nor publish it in the streets of Ashkelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, and that the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph thereof.

Saul and Jonathan lovely and pleasant in their lives, were in their deaths not divided; men swifter than Eagles and stronger than Lions.

Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, which clothed you in purple and garments of pleasure, and bordered your raiment with ornaments of gold.

How were the mighty slain in battle? Jonathan on the high hills was wounded to death.

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.

And the men of Judah came, and there anointed David king over the house of Judah. When it was told David, how the men of Jabesh in Gilead had buried Saul,

And Ishbosheth Saul's son was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel - and reigned two years. But the house of Judah only followed David.

And the time which David reigned in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.

And Joab the son of Zeruiah and the servants of David went out and met them by the Pool of Gibeon. And they sat down, the one part on the one side the pool and the other on the other side.

And they caught each his fellow that came against him, by the head and thrust his sword in his side, and so fell down all at once. Wherefore the place was called Helkathhazzurim which is in Gibeon.

And there began an exceeding cruel battle that same day. But Abner and the men of Israel were put to the worse of the servants of David.

Then said Abner, "Turn thee either to the righthand or to the left and catch one of the young men and take thee his spoil." But Asahel would not depart from him.

Howbeit, he would in no wise depart. Then Abner with the hinder end of the spear smote him under the short ribs, that the spear came out behind him: that he fell down in the same place and died there. And as many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died, stood still.

But Joab and Abishai followed Abner till the sun went down. And when they were come to the hill Ammah that lieth before Giah in the way that goeth through the wilderness of Gibeon,

the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together after Abner on a plump and stood still on the top of a hill.

Then Abner called to Joab, and said, "Shall the sword devour without end? Knowest thou not that bitterness is wont to come in the latter end? How long shall it be, ere thou bid the people return from following their brethren?"

And Joab answered, "As truly as God liveth, if thou hadst so said, then even in the morning had the people departed, each from following his brother."

And they took up Asahel and buried him in the sepulchre of his father in Bethlehem. And Joab and his men went all night, and came in the dawning to Hebron.

And David had children born him in Hebron: his eldest son was Amnon of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess;

the sixth, Ithream by Eglah, David's wife. These were born to David in Hebron.

And David answered, "Well said. I will make a bond with thee. But one thing I require of thee, that thou see not my face, except thou first bring Michal, Saul's daughter, when thou comest to see me."

And like words had he with Benjamin, and then went to tell in the ears of David in Hebron all that Israel was content with and the whole house of Benjamin.

And when Abner was come to David to Hebron, and twenty men with him: David made him and the men that were with him a feast.

Then Abner said unto David, "I will up and go gather all Israel unto my lord the king, that they may make an appointment with thee, that thou mayest be king over all that thine heart desireth." And so David let Abner depart, and he went in peace.

And see, the servants of David and Joab came from chasing robbers and brought a great prey with them. But Abner was not with David in Hebron: for he had sent him away to depart in peace.

When Joab and all the host that was with him were come, men told Joab, saying, "Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he hath sent him away that he is gone in peace."

And when Joab was come out from the king, he sent messengers after Abner, which brought him again from the well of Sirah - unwitting to David.

And when Abner was come again to Hebron, Joab took him aside in the gate, to speak with him guilefully, and there smote him under the short ribs that he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother.

And when it afterward came to David's ear, he said, "I and my kingdom are guiltless before the LORD forever, concerning the blood of Abner the son of Ner.