And then the children of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines and robbed their tents.

And so when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul, with the head of the Philistine in his hand.

And it happened as they went, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that women came out of all cities of Israel singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with timbrels, with joy, and with fiddles.

Wherefore Saul looked sourly upon David from that day forward.

For Saul was afraid of David: because the LORD was with him, and was departed from Saul.

And then Saul put David from him and made him a captain over a thousand, and he went out and in before the people.

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 Jonathan answered him, "God forbid, thou shalt not die. For see, my father will do nothing either great or small, but that he will show it me. For why should my father hide this thing from me? There shall be no such thing."

And Jonathan answered, "God keep that from thee: that I should know that wickedness were concluded of my father to come upon thee, and should not tell it thee."

And thou shalt perform unto me the mercy of the LORD, not only while I live; but even when I am dead pluck not thy mercy away from my house forever.

No, not when the LORD hath destroyed the enemies of David, every one, from the face of the earth."

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.

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

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 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 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.

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

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 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 now my lord as sure as the LORD liveth and as thy soul liveth, the LORD hath withholden thee from coming to shed blood and from avenging thyself with thine own hand. Furthermore, I pray God that thine enemies and they that intend to do my lord evil, may be as Nabal.

And blessed be thy behaviour, and blessed be thou which hath kept me this day from coming to shed blood and from avenging myself with mine own hand.

For in very deed - as sure as the LORD God of Israel liveth which hath kept me back from hurting thee - except thou hadst hasted and met me, there had not been left Nabal, by the dawning of the day, a pisser against the wall."

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.

but the LORD keep me from laying mine hand upon the LORD's anointed. Now then take a fellowship the spear that is at his head, and the cruse of water, and let us go."

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 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 Samuel said to Saul, "Why hast thou unquieted me, to make me be brought up?" And Saul answered, "I am sore encumbered. For the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me and answered me no more, neither by prophets, neither by dreams. And therefore have I called thee, to tell me what I shall do."

Then said Samuel, "Wherefore dost thou ask of me? While the LORD is gone from thee and is thine enemy,

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.

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

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

they arose as many as were men of war and went all night and took the carcass of Saul and the carcasses of his sons from the walls of Bet-Shean and brought them to Jabesh and burnt them there,

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 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."

Ye mountains of Gilboa, upon you be neither dew nor rain, nor fields whence heave offerings come: For there the shields of the mighty were cast from them, the shield of Saul as though he had not been anointed with oil.

The bow of Jonathan and the sword of Saul turned never back again empty, from the blood of the wounded and from the fat of the mighty warriors.

and followed after Abner and turned neither to the righthand nor to the left from Abner.

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.

And Abner said again to Asahel, "Turn from me! Why wilt thou that I smite thee to the ground? For then how should I hold up my face before Joab thy brother?"

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 Joab returned from after Abner and gathered all the people together. And there lacked, of David's servants, nineteen persons and Asahel.

and bring the kingdom from the house of Saul, and set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, even from Dan to Beersheba."

And Ishbosheth sent and took her from her husband Paltiel the son of Laish.

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.

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 how much more ought I to deal with wicked men that have slain a righteous person in his own house upon his bed? Now therefore think ye that I will not require his blood of your hands and take you from the earth?"

And David dwelt in the tower and called it the city of David. And David built round about it from Mello inward.

And David took him more concubines and wives out of Jerusalem, after he was come from Hebron, and more sons and daughters were yet born to David.

And David asked the LORD, and he said, "Go not. But compass them on the back side and come down upon them from the pear trees.

And David did as the LORD commanded him, and smote the Philistines from Gibeah to Gezer.

And when it was told king David how that the LORD had blessed the house of Obededom and all that pertained unto him, because of the Ark of God, he went and brought the Ark of God from the house of Obededom unto the city of David with gladness.

And in process, as the king dwelt in his house after that the LORD had given him rest round about from all his enemies,

Now therefore so say unto my servant David, thus sayeth the LORD of Hosts, 'I took thee out of a shepherd's cote from following sheep to be a ruler over my people Israel.

and since the time I commanded judges to be over my people Israel; and I will give thee rest from all thine enemies. And the LORD telleth thee that he will build thee a household.

But my mercy will I not take away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put down before thee.

And what one people in the earth is like thy people Israel? Which God went and delivered to be his people, and to make him a name, and to show them great and terrible things in the earth, before thy people which thou redeemest to thee out of Egypt, even from the people and from their gods.

And David made him a name after he returned from the slaughter of the Syrians in the valley of salt where he slew eighteen thousand men.

And when the children of Ammon saw that the Syrians were fled, then fled they also before Abishai, and entered into the city. And so Joab returned from the children of Ammon and came to Jerusalem.

And it chanced in an evening that David arose from his couch and walked upon the roof of the king's palace; and from the roof saw a very beautiful woman washing herself. And he sent to enquire what woman it should be.

And David said moreover to Uriah, "Go down to thine house and wash thy feet." And Uriah departed out of the king's palace, and there followed him a service from the king's table.

Then they told David, saying, "Uriah descended not into his house." Then said David unto Uriah, "Seeing that thou art come from journeying, why dost thou not go down unto thine house?"

And he wrote in the letter saying, "Put Uriah in the forefront of the battle where it is most strong, and come back from him that he may be smitten to death."

if he begin to fume and say unto thee, 'Wherefore approached ye so nigh unto the city to fight? Wist ye not that men would hurl and shoot from the walls?

Who smote Abimelech son of Jerubbosheth? Did not a woman cast a piece of a millstone upon him from off the walls, that he died in Thebes? Why then went ye nigh the walls?" Then say thou, 'Thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.'"

And the shooters shot from the walls, and some of the servants of the king be dead. And thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also."

Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house, because thou hast despised me and taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite, to be thy wife.'

And the elders of his house arose and went to him to take him up from the earth. But he would not, neither yet eat meat with them.

Then David arose from the earth and washed and anointed himself and changed his apparel, and went into the house of the LORD and prayed; and after came to his own house and bade that they should set meat before him, and he did eat.

and sent messengers to David, saying, "I have made assault to Rabbah, and also have taken the castle from whence they had their water.

And he took the king's crown from off his head, which weighed a hundred weight of gold, and was set with precious stones. And David wore it on his head. And he brought out the spoil of the city in exceeding great abundance.

and took a platter and poured them out before him. And Amnon would not eat, but commanded to have out all men from him. And they went all out from him.

but called his lad that waited upon him, and said, "Put her out at the doors from me and bolt the door after her."

And by that time, the king turned his mind from pursuing Absalom. For he had left mourning for the death of Amnon.

For we must needs die, and perish as water spilt on the ground which cannot be gathered up again: and God will not take away the life, but find the means that the banished be not utterly expelled from him.

Then the king answered and said unto the woman, "Hide not from me, I pray thee, the thing that I shall ask thee." And the woman said, "Let my lord the king say on."

Moreover, in all Israel there was not so goodly a man as Absalom, or so greatly praised - from the sole of his foot to the top of his head there was no blemish in him.

And Absalom said to Joab, "Behold, I sent for thee desiring thee to come; because I would have sent thee to the king, for to say wherefore I am come from Geshur. It had been as good for me to have bidden there still. Now therefore let me come to the king's presence, or else if there be any trespass in me, kill me."

Then said David unto all his servants that were with him at Jerusalem, "Up, and let us flee; for we shall not else escape from Absalom. Make speed to depart; lest he come suddenly and catch us and bring some mischief upon us, and smite the city with the edge of the sword."

And so the king and all the people went out afoot and tarried far from the house.

And all his servants went by his side. And all the Cherethites and all the Pelethites, and all the Hittites, even six hundred men which were come afoot from Gath, went before the king.

Then said the king to Ittai the Gittite, "Wherefore shouldest thou go with us also? Return and abide with the king, for thou art a stranger and art removed from thine own place.

And see, I will tarry in the fields of the wilderness until there come some word from you to be told me."

But my counsel is, that all Israel be gathered unto thee, from Dan to Beersheba, as the sand of the sea in number, and that thou go to battle in thine own person.

Moreover though I had jeoparded my life and done falsely thereto, yet could nought of all the matter have been hid from the king: yea, and thou thyself wouldest be against me."

Then Joab blew a trumpet, and the people returned from following Israel: for Joab spared the people.

Now therefore up and come out, and speak kindly unto thy servants, I swear by the LORD, except thou come out, there will not tarry one man with thee this night. And that will be worse unto thee, than all the evil that fell on thee from thine youth unto this hour."

And king David sent to Zadok and Abiathar the priests, saying, "Speak unto the elders of Judah and say, 'Why should ye be the last that should bring again the king to his house, seeing that such tidings is come from all Israel unto the king, even to his house?

And Mephibosheth the son of Saul came to meet the king, and had neither dressed his feet nor shaved his beard nor washed his clothes from the time the king departed, until he came again in peace.

And Barzillai the Gileadite came from Rogelim and went over Jordan with the king, to accompany him over Jordan:

I am this day four score year old: and therefore can not discern savoury from unsavoury, neither hath thy servant pleasure in that he eateth or drinketh: nor yet delectation in the songs of men or women. It is no need that thy servant be a burden unto my lord the king:

Let us depart therefore every man to his tent." And all Israel went from David and followed Sheba the son of Bichri. But the men of Judah clave fast unto the king, from Jordan to Jerusalem.

The matter is not so: But there is a man of mount Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name, which hath lifted up his hand against king David. Deliver us him only, and I will depart from the city." And the woman said unto Joab, "Behold, his head shall be thrown through the wall to thee."

And then the woman went unto all the people in her wisdom. And they smote off the head of Sheba son of Bichri, and cast it to Joab. And he blew a trumpet, and they scattered from the city every man to his tent, and Joab returned to Jerusalem unto the king.