1 Samuel 26

1 And the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, and said, Is not David waiting secretly near us in the hill of Hachilah, before the waste land?

And the Ziphites came unto Saul to Gib'ah, saying, Behold, David hideth himself on the hill of Chachilah, before the desert.

2 Then Saul went down to the waste land of Ziph, taking with him three thousand of the best men of Israel, to make search for David in the waste land of Ziph.

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

3 And Saul put up his tents on the hill of Hachilah, which is in front of the waste land on the road. But David was in the waste land, and he saw that Saul was coming after him.

And Saul encamped on the hill of Chachilah, which is before the desert by the way; but David abode in the wilderness, and he saw that Saul was coming after him into the wilderness.

4 And so David sent out watchers, and got word from them that Saul was certainly coming.

David thereupon sent out spies, and understood that Saul was come for a certainty.

5 And David got up and came to the place where Saul's tents were: and David had a view of the place where Saul was sleeping with Abner, the son of Ner, the captain of his army: and Saul was sleeping inside the ring of carts, and the tents of the people were all round him.

And David arose, and came to the place where Saul was encamped; and David beheld the place where Saul lay, with Abner the son of Ner, the captain of his army; and Saul was lying in the midst of the ring, and the people were encamped round about him.

6 Then David said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, brother of Joab, Who will go down with me to the tents of Saul? And Abishai said, I will go down with you.

Then commenced David and said to Achimelech the Hittite, and to Abishai the son of Zeruyah, the brother of Joab, saying, Who will go down with me to Saul to the camp? And Abishai said, I will readily go down with thee.

7 So David and Abishai came down to the army by night: and Saul was sleeping inside the ring of carts with his spear planted in the earth by his head: and Abner and the people were sleeping round him.

So David and Abishai came to the people by night: and, behold, Saul lay sleeping within the ring, with his spear stuck in the ground by his head; but Abner and the people were lying round about him.

8 Then Abishai said to David, God has given up your hater into your hands today; now let me give him one blow through to the earth with his spear, and there will be no need to give him a second.

Then said Abishai to David, God hath surrendered this day thy enemy into thy hand: and now let me strike him through, I pray thee, with the spear, even to the earth with one blow, and I will not give him a second one.

9 And David said to Abishai Do not put him to death; for who, without sin, may put out his hand against the man on whom the Lord has put the holy oil?

But David said to Abishai, Destroy him not; for who hath stretched forth his hand against the Lord's anointed, and remained guiltless?

10 And David said, By the living Lord, the Lord will send destruction on him; the natural day of his death will come, or he will go into the fight and come to his end.

David said farthermore, As the Lord liveth, the Lord alone shall strike him down: either his day shall come that he die; or he shall go down into battle, and perish.

11 Never will my hand be stretched out against the man marked with the holy oil; but take the spear which is by his head and the vessel of water, and let us go.

Far be this from me for the sake of the Lord, that I should stretch forth my hand against the Lord's anointed; but now, I pray thee, take thou the spear that is by his head, and the cruise of water, and let us go our way.

12 So David took the spear and the vessel of water from Saul's head; and they got away without any man seeing them, or being conscious of their coming, or awaking; for they were all sleeping because a deep sleep from the Lord had come on them.

So David took the spear and the cruise of water by the head of Saul, and they went their way; and no one saw it, and no one perceived it, and-no one awaked; for they were all sleeping; because a deep sleep from the Lord was fallen upon them.

13 Then David went over to the other side, and took his place on the top of a mountain some distance away, with a great space between them;

Then went David over to the other side, and stood on the top of the mount afar off, the space between them being great.

14 And crying out to the people and to Abner, the son of Ner, David said, Have you no answer to give, Abner? Then Abner said, Who is that crying out to the king?

And David called to the people, and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, Wilt thou not answer, Abner? And Abner answered and said, Who art thou that callest to the king?

15 And David said to Abner, Are you not a man of war? is there any other like you in Israel? why then have you not kept watch over your lord the king? for one of the people came in to put the king your lord to death.

And David said to Abner, Art thou not a man? and who is like to thee in Israel? why then hast thou not kept guard over thy lord the king? for there came one of the people to destroy the king thy lord.

16 What you have done is not good. By the living Lord, death is the right fate for you, because you have not kept watch over your lord, the man on whom the Lord has put the holy oil. Now see, where is the king's spear, and the vessel of water which was by his head?

This thing which thou hast done is not good. As the Lord liveth, ye deserve to die; because ye have not kept guard over your master, over the Lord's anointed. And now see, where is the king's spear, and the cruise of water that was by his head?

17 And Saul, conscious that the voice was David's, said, Is that your voice, David, my son? And David said, It is my voice, O my lord king.

And Saul recognized David's voice, and he said, Is this thy voice, my son David? And David said, It is my voice, my Lord, O king.

18 And he said, Why does my lord go armed against his servant? what have I done? or what evil is there in me?

And he said, Why is this that my lord doth pursue after his servant? for what have I done? or what evil is in my hand?

19 Let my lord the king give ear now to the words of his servant. If it is the Lord who is moving you against me, let him take an offering: but if it is the children of men, may they be cursed before the Lord, for driving me out today and keeping me from my place in the heritage of the Lord, saying, Go, be the servant of other gods.

And now, I pray thee, let my Lord the king hear the words of his servant! If the Lord have stirred thee up against me, then may he accept the savor of an offering; but if they be the children of men, then be they cursed before the Lord; because they have driven me out this day so that I cannot attach myself on the inheritance of the Lord, saying, Go, serve other gods.

20 Then do not let my blood be drained out on the earth away from the face of the Lord: for the king of Israel has come out to take my life, like one going after birds in the mountains.

Now, therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth far from the presence of the Lord; for the king of Israel is come out to seek a single flea, as one doth usually pursue a partridge on the mountains.

21 Then Saul said, I have done wrong: come back to me, David my son: I will do you no more wrong, because my life was dear to you today truly, I have been foolish and my error is very great.

Then said Saul, I have sinned; return, my son David; for I will not do thee harm any more, for the cause that my life was precious in thy eyes this day: behold, I have acted foolishly, and have erred exceedingly much.

22 Then David said, Here is the king's spear! let one of the young men come over and get it.

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

23 And the Lord will give to every man the reward of his righteousness and his faith: because the Lord gave you into my hands today, and I would not put out my hand against the man who has been marked with the holy oil.

And may the Lord recompense to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness; since the Lord delivered thee into my hand today, and I would not stretch forth my hand against the anointed of the Lord.

24 And so, as your life was dear to me today, may my life be dear to the Lord, and may he make me free from all my troubles.

And behold, as thy life was highly valued this day in my eyes, so may my life be highly valued in the eyes of the Lord, and may he deliver me out of all tribulation.

25 Then Saul said to David, May a blessing be on you, David, my son; you will do great things and without doubt you will overcome. Then David went on his way, and Saul went back to his place.

Then said Saul to David, Blessed be thou my son David: thou wilt both do great things, and wilt also surely prevail. And David went then on his way, and Saul returned to his place.