To The Word – Day 78

₁Some men from Ziph came to Saul at Gibeah and told him that David was hiding on Mount Hachilah at the edge of the Judean wilderness. ₂Saul went at once with 3,000 of the best soldiers in Israel to the wilderness of Ziph to look for David, ₃and camped by the road on Mount Hachilah. David was still in the wilderness, and when he learnt that Saul had come to look for him, ₄he sent spies and found out that Saul was indeed there. ₅He went at once and located the exact place where Saul and Abner son of Ner, commander of Saul's army, slept. Saul slept inside the camp, and his men camped round him.

₆Then David asked Ahimelech the Hittite, and Abishai the brother of Joab (their mother was Zeruiah), “Which of you two will go to Saul's camp with me?”

“I will,” Abishai answered.

₇So that night David and Abishai entered Saul's camp and found Saul sleeping in the centre of the camp with his spear stuck in the ground near his head. Abner and the troops were sleeping round him. ₈Abishai said to David, “God has put your enemy in your power tonight. Now let me plunge his own spear through him and pin him to the ground with just one blow — I won't have to strike twice!”

₉But David said, “You must not harm him! The LORD will certainly punish whoever harms his chosen king. ₁₀By the living LORD,” David continued, “I know that the LORD himself will kill Saul, either when his time comes to die a natural death or when he dies in battle. ₁₁The LORD forbid that I should try to harm the one whom the LORD has made king! Let's take his spear and his water jar, and go.” ₁₂So David took the spear and the water jar from just beside Saul's head, and he and Abishai left. No one saw it or knew what had happened or even woke up — they were all sound asleep, because the LORD had sent a heavy sleep on them all.

₁₃Then David crossed over to the other side of the valley to the top of the hill, a safe distance away, ₁₄and shouted to Saul's troops and to Abner, “Abner! Can you hear me?”

“Who is that shouting and waking up the king?” Abner asked.

₁₅David answered, “Abner, aren't you the greatest man in Israel? So why aren't you protecting your master, the king? Just now someone entered the camp to kill your master. ₁₆You failed in your duty, Abner! I swear by the living LORD that all of you deserve to die, because you have not protected your master, whom the LORD made king. Look! Where is the king's spear? Where is the water jar that was beside his head?”

₁₇Saul recognized David's voice and asked, “David, is that you, my son?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” David answered. ₁₈And he added, “Why, sir, are you still pursuing me, your servant? What have I done? What crime have I committed? ₁₉Your Majesty, listen to what I have to say. If it is the LORD who has turned you against me, an offering to him will make him change his mind; but if human beings have done it, may the LORD's curse fall on them. For they have driven me out from the LORD's land to a country where I can only worship foreign gods. ₂₀Don't let me be killed on foreign soil, away from the LORD. Why should the king of Israel come to kill a flea like me? Why should he hunt me down like a wild bird?”

₂₁Saul answered, “I have done wrong. Come back, David, my son! I will never harm you again, because you have spared my life tonight. I have been a fool! I have done a terrible thing!”

₂₂David replied, “Here is your spear, Your Majesty. Let one of your men come over and get it. ₂₃The LORD rewards those who are faithful and righteous. Today he put you in my power, but I did not harm you, whom the LORD made king. ₂₄Just as I have spared your life today, may the LORD do the same to me and free me from all troubles!”

₂₅Saul said to David, “God bless you, my son! You will succeed in everything you do!”

So David went on his way, and Saul returned home.

₁David said to himself, “One of these days Saul will kill me. The best thing for me to do is to escape to Philistia. Then Saul will give up looking for me in Israel, and I will be safe.” ₂So David and his 600 men went over at once to Achish son of Maoch, king of Gath. ₃David and his men settled there in Gath with their families. David had his two wives with him, Ahinoam from Jezreel, and Abigail, Nabal's widow, from Carmel. ₄When Saul heard that David had fled to Gath, he gave up trying to find him.

₅David said to Achish, “If you are my friend, let me have a small town to live in. There is no need, sir, for me to live with you in the capital city.” ₆So Achish gave him the town of Ziklag, and for this reason Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah ever since. ₇David lived in Philistia for sixteen months.

₈During that time David and his men would attack the people of Geshur, Girzi, and Amalek, who had been living in the region a very long time. He would raid their land as far as Shur, all the way down to Egypt, ₉killing all the men and women and taking the sheep, cattle, donkeys, camels, and even the clothes. Then he would come back to Achish, ₁₀who would ask him, “Where did you go on a raid this time?” and David would tell him that he had gone to the southern part of Judah or to the territory of the clan of Jerahmeel or to the territory where the Kenites lived. ₁₁David would kill everyone, men and women, so that no one could go back to Gath and report what he and his men had really done. This is what David did the whole time he lived in Philistia. ₁₂But Achish trusted David and said to himself, “He is hated so much by his own people the Israelites that he will have to serve me all his life.”

₁Some time later, the Philistines gathered their troops to fight Israel, and Achish said to David, “Of course you understand that you and your men are to fight on my side.”

₂“Of course,” David answered. “I am your servant, and you will see for yourself what I can do.”

Achish said, “Good! I will make you my permanent bodyguard.”

₃Now Samuel had died, and all the Israelites had mourned for him and had buried him in his own city of Ramah. Saul had forced all the fortune tellers and mediums to leave Israel.

₄The Philistine troops assembled and camped near the town of Shunem; Saul gathered the Israelites and camped at Mount Gilboa. ₅When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was terrified, ₆and so he asked the LORD what to do. But the LORD did not answer him at all, either by dreams or by the use of Urim and Thummim or by prophets. ₇Then Saul ordered his officials, “Find me a woman who is a medium, and I will go and consult her.”

“There is one in Endor,” they answered.

₈So Saul disguised himself; he put on different clothes, and after dark he went with two of his men to see the woman. “Consult the spirits for me and tell me what is going to happen,” he said to her. “Call up the spirit of the man I name.”

₉The woman answered, “Surely you know what King Saul has done, how he forced the fortune tellers and mediums to leave Israel. Why, then, are you trying to trap me and get me killed?”

₁₀Then Saul made a sacred vow. “By the living LORD I promise that you will not be punished for doing this,” he told her.

₁₁“Whom shall I call up for you?” the woman asked.

“Samuel,” he answered.

₁₂When the woman saw Samuel, she screamed and said to Saul, “Why have you tricked me? You are King Saul!”

₁₃“Don't be afraid!” the king said to her. “What do you see?”

“I see a spirit coming up from the earth,” she answered.

₁₄“What does it look like?” he asked.

“It's an old man coming up,” she answered. “He is wearing a cloak.”

Then Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed to the ground in respect.

₁₅Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me? Why did you make me come back?”

Saul answered, “I am in great trouble! The Philistines are at war with me, and God has abandoned me. He doesn't answer me any more, either by prophets or by dreams. And so I have called you, for you to tell me what I must do.”

₁₆Samuel said, “Why do you call me when the LORD has abandoned you and become your enemy? ₁₇The LORD has done to you what he told you through me: he has taken the kingdom away from you and given it to David instead. ₁₈You disobeyed the LORD's command and did not completely destroy the Amalekites and all they had. That is why the LORD is doing this to you now. ₁₉He will hand you and Israel over to the Philistines. Tomorrow you and your sons will join me, and the LORD will also hand the army of Israel over to the Philistines.”

₂₀At once Saul fell down and lay stretched out on the ground, terrified by what Samuel had said. He was weak, because he had not eaten anything all day and all night. ₂₁The woman went over to him and saw that he was terrified, so she said to him, “Please, sir, I risked my life by doing what you asked. ₂₂Now please do what I ask. Let me prepare some food for you. You must eat so that you will be strong enough to travel.”

₂₃Saul refused and said he would not eat anything. But his officers also urged him to eat. He finally gave in, got up from the ground, and sat on the bed. ₂₄The woman quickly killed a calf which she had been fattening. Then she took some flour, prepared it, and baked some bread without yeast. ₂₅She set the food before Saul and his officers, and they ate it. And they left that same night.

₁The Philistines brought all their troops together at Aphek, while the Israelites camped at the spring in the Valley of Jezreel. ₂The five Philistine kings marched out with their units of a hundred and of a thousand men; David and his men marched in the rear with King Achish. ₃The Philistine commanders saw them and asked, “What are these Hebrews doing here?”

Achish answered, “This is David, an official of King Saul of Israel. He has been with me for quite a long time now. He has done nothing I can find fault with since the day he came over to me.”

₄But the Philistine commanders were angry with Achish and said to him, “Send that fellow back to the town you gave him. Don't let him go into battle with us; he might turn against us during the fighting. What better way is there for him to win back his master's favour than by the death of our men? ₅After all, this is David, the one about whom the women sang, as they danced, ‘Saul has killed thousands, but David has killed tens of thousands.’ ”

₆Achish called David and said to him, “I swear by the living GOD of Israel that you have been loyal to me; and I would be pleased to let you go with me and fight in this battle. I have not found any fault in you from the day you came over to me. But the other kings don't approve of you. ₇So go back home in peace, and don't do anything that would displease them.”

₈David answered, “What have I done wrong, sir? If, as you say, you haven't found any fault in me since the day I started serving you, why shouldn't I go with you, my master and king, and fight your enemies?”

₉“I agree,” Achish replied. “I consider you as loyal as an angel of God. But the other kings have said that you can't go with us into battle. ₁₀So then, David, tomorrow morning all of you who left Saul and came over to me will have to get up early and leave as soon as it's light.”

₁₁So David and his men started out early the following morning to go back to Philistia, and the Philistines went on to Jezreel.

₁Two days later David and his men arrived back at Ziklag. The Amalekites had raided southern Judah and attacked Ziklag. They had burnt down the town ₂and captured all the women; they had not killed anyone, but had taken everyone with them when they left. ₃When David and his men arrived, they found that the town had been burnt down and that their wives, sons, and daughters had been carried away. ₄David and his men started crying and did not stop until they were completely exhausted. ₅Even David's two wives, Ahinoam and Abigail, had been taken away.

₆David was now in great trouble, because his men were all very bitter about losing their children, and they were threatening to stone him; but the LORD his God gave him courage. ₇David said to the priest Abiathar son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod,” and Abiathar brought it to him. ₈David asked the LORD, “Shall I go after those raiders? And will I catch them?”

He answered, “Go after them; you will catch them and rescue the captives.”

₉So David and his 600 men started out, and when they arrived at the brook of Besor, some of them stayed there. ₁₀David continued on his way with 400 men; the other 200 men were too tired to cross the brook and so stayed behind. ₁₁The men with David found an Egyptian out in the country and brought him to David. They gave him some food and water, ₁₂some dried figs, and two bunches of raisins. After he had eaten, his strength returned; he had not had anything to eat or drink for three full days. ₁₃David asked him, “Who is your master, and where are you from?”

“I am an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite,” he answered. “My master left me behind three days ago because I was ill. ₁₄We had raided the territory of the Cherethites in the southern part of Judah and the territory of the clan of Caleb, and we burnt down Ziklag.”

₁₅“Will you lead me to those raiders?” David asked him.

He answered, “I will if you promise me in God's name that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master.” ₁₆And he led David to them.

The raiders were scattered all over the place, eating, drinking, and celebrating because of the enormous amount of loot they had captured from Philistia and Judah. ₁₇At dawn the next day David attacked them and fought until evening. Except for 400 young men who mounted camels and got away, none of them escaped. ₁₈David rescued everyone and everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives; ₁₉nothing at all was missing. David got back all his men's sons and daughters, and all the loot the Amalekites had taken. ₂₀He also recovered all the flocks and herds; his men drove all the livestock in front of them and said, “This belongs to David!”

₂₁Then David went back to the 200 men who had been too weak to go with him and had stayed behind at the brook of Besor. They came forward to meet David and his men, and David went up to them and greeted them warmly. ₂₂But some mean and worthless men who had gone with David said, “They didn't go with us, and so we won't give them any of the loot. They can take their wives and children and go away.”

₂₃But David answered, “My brothers, you can't do this with what the LORD has given us! He kept us safe and gave us victory over the raiders. ₂₄No one can agree with what you say! All must share alike: whoever stays behind with the supplies gets the same share as the one who goes into battle.” ₂₅David made this a rule, and it has been followed in Israel ever since.

₂₆When David returned to Ziklag, he sent part of the loot to his friends, the leaders of Judah, with the message, “Here is a present for you from the loot we took from the LORD's enemies.” ₂₇He sent it to the people in Bethel, to the people in Ramah in the southern part of Judah, and to the people in the towns of Jattir, ₂₈Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa, ₂₉and Racal; to the clan of Jerahmeel, to the Kenites, ₃₀and to the people in the towns of Hormah, Borashan, Athach, ₃₁and Hebron. He sent it to all the places where he and his men had roamed.

₁The Philistines fought a battle against the Israelites on Mount Gilboa. Many Israelites were killed there, and the rest of them, including King Saul and his sons, fled. ₂But the Philistines caught up with them and killed three of Saul's sons, Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua. ₃The fighting was heavy round Saul, and he himself was hit by enemy arrows and badly wounded. ₄He said to the young man carrying his weapons, “Draw your sword and kill me, so that these godless Philistines won't gloat over me and kill me.” But the young man was too terrified to do it. So Saul took his own sword and threw himself on it. ₅The young man saw that Saul was dead, so he too threw himself on his own sword and died with Saul. ₆And that is how Saul, his three sons, and the young man died; all of Saul's men died that day. ₇When the Israelites on the other side of the Valley of Jezreel and east of the River Jordan heard that the Israelite army had fled and that Saul and his sons had been killed, they abandoned their towns and fled. Then the Philistines came and occupied them.

₈The day after the battle the Philistines went to plunder the corpses, and they found the bodies of Saul and his three sons lying on Mount Gilboa. ₉They cut off Saul's head, stripped off his armour, and sent messengers with them throughout Philistia to tell the good news to their idols and to their people. ₁₀Then they put his weapons in the temple of the goddess Astarte, and they nailed his body to the wall of the city of Beth Shan.

₁₁When the people of Jabesh in Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, ₁₂the bravest men started out and marched all night to Beth Shan. They took down the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall, brought them back to Jabesh, and burnt them there. ₁₃Then they took the bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in the town, and fasted for seven days.