Verse
BSB
Berean Standard Bible
ASV
American Standard Version
Then
the Ziphites came to
Saul at
Gibeah and
said
, “Is
not David hiding
on
the hill of Hachilah, opposite
Jeshimon
? ”
And
the Ziphites came unto
Saul to
Gibeah, saying,
Doth
not David hide
himself
in
the hill of Hachilah, which
is
before
the
desert
?
So
Saul, accompanied
by
three thousand chosen men of Israel, went
down
to the Wilderness of Ziph to
search
for
David
there
.
Then
Saul arose
, and
went
down
to
the
wilderness
of
Ziph,
having
three thousand chosen men of Israel with
him
, to seek
David
in
the wilderness of Ziph.
Saul camped
beside
the
road
at
the hill of Hachilah opposite
Jeshimon
, but David was
living
in the wilderness .
When
he realized
that Saul had
followed
him there,
And
Saul encamped
in
the hill of Hachilah, which
is
before
the
desert,
by
the
way.
But David abode
in the wilderness ,
and
he saw
that Saul came
after
him into
the
wilderness.
David sent out spies to
verify
that Saul had
arrived
.
David therefore
sent out spies ,
and
understood
that Saul was
come
of
a
certainty
.
Then
David set
out
and went
to the place where Saul had camped.
He
saw
the place where Saul and Abner son of Ner, the general
of his army,
had
lain
down.
Saul was
lying
inside
the inner
circle
of the camp
, with
the troops
camped
around
him.
And
David arose,
and came
to the place where Saul had encamped;
and
David
beheld
the place where Saul lay,
and Abner the
son of Ner, the captain
of his host:
and
Saul lay
within
the place
of the wagons
, and
the people
were
encamped
round
about
him.
And
David asked
Ahimelech the Hittite and Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab’s
brother, “
Who will go down with me to Saul in
the camp? ”
“
I will go with you,”
answered
Abishai
.
Then
answered
David and
said
to
Ahimelech the Hittite ,
and to
Abishai the
son of Zeruiah, brother to
Joab
, saying,
Who will go down with me to Saul to
the camp? And
Abishai
said,
I will go down
with thee
.
That
night
David and Abishai came to the troops,
and Saul was
lying
there
asleep
in
the inner
circle
of the camp
, with his spear stuck in the ground by
his head .
And Abner and the troops
were
lying
around
him.
So
David and Abishai came to the people
by
night:
and ,
behold,
Saul lay
sleeping
within
the place
of the wagons
, with his spear stuck in the ground at
his head ;
and Abner and the people
lay
round
about
him.
Abishai
said to David, “Today
God has
delivered your
enemy into your
hand .
Now ,
therefore ,
please
let me thrust
the spear through
him
into
the ground
with
one stroke .
I will not need
to
strike
him twice!”
Then
said Abishai
to David, God hath
delivered up
thine
enemy into thy
hand this
day:
now therefore let me smite
him,
I
pray
thee,
with
the spear to
the earth
at
one stroke ,
and
I will not smite
him the
second
time.
But
David said to Abishai, “Do
not
destroy him ,
for who can lift
a
hand against the
LORD’s
anointed and be guiltless? ”
And
David said to Abishai, Destroy him not;
for who can put
forth
his
hand against Jehovah's
anointed ,
and be guiltless?
David added
, “
As surely
as
the
LORD
lives
, the
LORD
Himself
will strike
him down
; either
his day will
come and
he
will
die ,
or he will
go into battle and perish.
And
David said
, As Jehovah
liveth
, Jehovah
will smite
him; or
his day shall
come to
die ;
or he shall
go down
into battle and perish.
But
the
LORD
forbid that I should stretch
out
my hand against the
LORD’s
anointed .
Instead,
take the spear and
water
jug
by
his head, and let us go. ”
Jehovah
forbid that I should put
forth
my hand against Jehovah's
anointed :
but
now
take ,
I
pray
thee,
the spear that
is
at
his head, and the
cruse
of
water,
and
let us go.
So David took the spear and water jug
by
Saul’s
head ,
and they departed.
No one
saw them
or
knew
about
it, nor did anyone
wake
up
; they all remained
asleep, because a deep sleep from the
LORD
had
fallen on
them.
So David took the spear and the
cruse
of
water from
Saul's
head ;
and they gat
them
away:
and
no man
saw it, nor knew
it,
neither
did any
awake
; for
they were
all asleep, because a deep sleep from Jehovah
was
fallen upon
them.
Then David crossed
to the other side and stood atop
the mountain at
a
distance
; there
was
a wide
gulf
between them .
Then David went
over
to the other side ,
and stood on
the top
of
the
mountain afar
off
; a great
space
being
between them ;
And David shouted
to the troops
and to Abner son of Ner, “Will
you
not answer
me
, Abner? ”
“
Who calls
to the king? ”
Abner
replied.
and David cried
to the people,
and to Abner the
son of Ner, saying,
Answerest
thou
not, Abner? Then
Abner
answered
and
said,
Who art
thou
that
criest
to the king?
So
David said to Abner, “You
are
a man ,
aren’t
you
? And who in Israel is
your
equal
? Why
then did
you
not protect
your
lord the king when
one of the people came
to destroy him?
And
David said to Abner, Art
not
thou
a `valiant'
man? and who is
like
to
thee
in Israel? wherefore
then hast
thou
not kept
watch
over
thy
lord the king ?
for
there
came
one of the people in
to destroy the
king
thy
lord.
This thing you
have
done
is not good. As surely
as
the
LORD
lives
, all
of
you
deserve
to die, since
you
did
not protect
your lord, the
LORD’s
anointed. Now look
around.
Where are
the king’s
spear and water jug
that were
by
his head ?”
This thing is not good that
thou
hast
done
. As Jehovah
liveth
, ye
are
worthy
to die, because
ye
have
not kept
watch
over
your lord, Jehovah's
anointed. And
now see
where the king's
spear is,
and the
cruse
of
water that was
at
his head .
Then
Saul recognized
David’s
voice and asked
, “
Is that
your
voice, David
my son? ”
“
It is my voice, my lord and
king
, ”
David
said
.
And
Saul knew
David's
voice ,
and said
, Is this
thy
voice, my son David
? And
David
said,
It is my voice, my lord, O
king
.
And he continued
, “Why
is
my lord pursuing
his servant? What have I done? What evil is in my hand?
And he said
, Wherefore
doth
my lord pursue
after
his servant? for
what have I done? or
what evil is in my hand?
Now please
, may
my lord the king hear the words of his servant :
If the
LORD
has
stirred you
up against me, then
may
He
accept an offering .
But if men
have
done
it ,
may
they
be cursed
in
the presence
of the
LORD!
For today
they have driven me away
from
sharing
in
the inheritance of the
LORD
, saying, ‘
Go, serve other gods. ’
Now therefore
, I
pray
thee,
let
my lord the king hear the words of his servant .
If it
be
Jehovah
that
hath
stirred thee
up against me, let
him
accept an offering :
but if it be the children
of men,
cursed
be
they
before
Jehovah:
for they have driven me out
this
day
that
I
should
not
cleave
unto
the inheritance of Jehovah
, saying, Go, serve other gods.
So
do
not
let my blood fall to the ground
far
from the presence of the
LORD.
For the king of Israel has
come out to look
for
a flea, like
one who
hunts
a partridge in the mountains. ”
Now
therefore,
let not
my blood fall to the earth
away
from the presence of Jehovah:
for the king of Israel is
come out to seek
a flea, as
when
one doth
hunt
a partridge in the mountains.
Then Saul replied
, “
I have sinned .
Come
back
, David
my son .
I will never
harm you
again
, because today
you
considered
my life precious .
I have played the fool and have committed
a
grave
error!”
Then said
Saul, I have sinned :
return
, my son David;
for
I will no
more
do
thee
harm, because my life was
precious in
thine
eyes
this
day:
behold,
I have played the fool ,
and have erred
exceedingly.
“Here
is
the king’s
spear, ”
David
answered.
“
Let one of the young men come over and get
it.
And
David
answered
and
said,
Behold
the spear, O
king!
let then
one of the young men come over and fetch
it.
May
the
LORD
repay
every man for
his righteousness and faithfulness .
For
the
LORD
delivered you
into my hand today
, but
I would not stretch
out
my hand against the
LORD’s
anointed.
And
Jehovah
will
render
to
every man his righteousness and his
faithfulness ;
forasmuch
as
Jehovah
delivered thee
into my hand to-day
, and
I would not put
forth
my hand against Jehovah's
anointed.
As
surely
as I
valued
your
life today
, so may
the
LORD
value
my life and rescue
me from
all trouble
. ”
And,
behold,
as thy
life was
much
set
by
this
day
in
mine
eyes
, so let
my life be
much
set
by
in
the
eyes
of
Jehovah,
and let
him
deliver
me out
of
all tribulation
.
Saul said to him
, “May
you
be
blessed, David
my son .
You
will
accomplish
great
things
and will
surely prevail. ”
So David went on
his way, and Saul returned home
.
Then
Saul said to David
, Blessed be
thou
, my son David:
thou
shalt
both
do
mightily,
and shalt
surely prevail. So David went his way, and Saul returned to
his
place
.
Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible and American Standard Version. Public domain; source text distributed by BSB Publishing, LLC.; Public domain..