The Quest for Life Network

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22:1 David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam:  and
 when his brethren and all his father's house heard it, they went down
 thither to him.
22:2 And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt,
 and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he
 became a captain over them:  and there were with him about four hundred
 men.
22:3 And David went thence to Mizpeh of Moab:  and he said unto the king of
 Moab, Let my father and my mother, I pray thee, come forth, and be with
 you, till I know what God will do for me.
22:4 And he brought them before the king of Moab:  and they dwelt with him
 all the while that David was in the hold.
22:5 And the prophet Gad said unto David, Abide not in the hold; depart, and
 get thee into the land of Judah.  Then David departed, and came into the
 forest of Hareth.
22:6 When Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men that were with
 him, (now Saul abode in Gibeah under a tree in Ramah, having his spear in
 his hand, and all his servants were standing about him;)
22:7 Then Saul said unto his servants that stood about him, Hear now, ye
 Benjamites; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and
 vineyards, and make you all captains of thousands, and captains of
 hundreds;
22:8 That all of you have conspired against me, and there is none that
 showeth me that my son hath made a league with the son of Jesse, and there
 is none of you that is sorry for me, or showeth unto me that my son hath
 stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?
22:9 Then answered Doeg the Edomite, which was set over the servants of
 Saul, and said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son
 of Ahitub.
22:10 And he inquired of the LORD for him, and gave him victuals, and gave
 him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.
22:11 Then the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub,
 and all his father's house, the priests that were in Nob:  and they came
 all of them to the king.
22:12 And Saul said, Hear now, thou son of Ahitub.  And he answered, Here I
 am, my lord.
22:13 And Saul said unto him, Why have ye conspired against me, thou and the
 son of Jesse, in that thou hast given him bread, and a sword, and hast
 inquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as
 at this day?
22:14 Then Ahimelech answered the king, and said, And who is so faithful
 among all thy servants as David, which is the king's son in law, and goeth
 at thy bidding, and is honourable in thine house?
22:15 Did I then begin to inquire of God for him?  be it far from me:  let
 not the king impute any thing unto his servant, nor to all the house of
 my father:  for thy servant knew nothing of all this, less or more.
22:16 And the king said, Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all thy
 father's house.
22:17 And the king said unto the footmen that stood about him, Turn, and
 slay the priests of the LORD; because their hand also is with David, and
 because they knew when he fled, and did not show it to me.  But the
 servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the
 priests of the LORD.
22:18 And the king said to Doeg, Turn thou, and fall upon the priests.  And
 Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests, and slew on that day
 fourscore and five persons that did wear a linen ephod.
22:19 And Nob, the city of the priests, smote he with the edge of the sword,
 both men and women, children and sucklings, and oxen, and asses, and sheep,
 with the edge of the sword.
22:20 And one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar,
 escaped, and fled after David.
22:21 And Abiathar showed David that Saul had slain the LORD'S priests.
22:22 And David said unto Abiathar, I knew it that day, when Doeg the
 Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul:  I have occasioned
 the death of all the persons of thy father's house.
22:23 Abide thou with me, fear not:  for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy
 life:  but with me thou shalt be in safeguard.

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23:1 Then they told David, saying, Behold, the Philistines fight against
 Keilah, and they rob the threshingfloors.
23:2 Therefore David inquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go and smite
 these Philistines?  And the LORD said unto David, Go, and smite the
 Philistines, and save Keilah.
23:3 And David's men said unto him, Behold, we be afraid here in Judah:  how
 much more then if we come to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?
23:4 Then David inquired of the LORD yet again.  And the LORD answered him
 and said, Arise, go down to Keilah:  for I will deliver the Philistines
 into thine hand.
23:5 So David and his men went to Keilah, and fought with the Philistines,
 and brought away their cattle, and smote them with a great slaughter.  So
 David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.
23:6 And it came to pass, when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David
 to Keilah, that he came down with an ephod in his hand.
23:7 And it was told Saul that David was come to Keilah.  And Saul said, God
 hath delivered him into mine hand; for he is shut in, by entering into a
 town that hath gates and bars.
23:8 And Saul called all the people together to war, to go down to Keilah,
 to besiege David and his men.
23:9 And David knew that Saul secretly practiced mischief against him; and
 he said to Abiathar the priest, Bring hither the ephod.
23:10 Then said David, O LORD God of Israel, thy servant hath certainly
 heard that Saul seeketh to come to Keilah, to destroy the city for my sake.
23:11 Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into his hand?  will Saul come
 down, as thy servant hath heard?  O LORD God of Israel, I beseech thee,
 tell thy servant.  And the LORD said, He will come down.
23:12 Then said David, Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the
 hand of Saul?  And the LORD said, They will deliver thee up.
23:13 Then David and his men, which were about six hundred, arose and
 departed out of Keilah, and went whithersoever they could go.  And it was
 told Saul that David was escaped from Keilah; and he forbare to go forth.
23:14 And David abode in the wilderness in strong holds, and remained in a
 mountain in the wilderness of Ziph.  And Saul sought him every day, but God
 delivered him not into his hand.
23:15 And David saw that Saul was come out to seek his life:  and David
 was in the wilderness of Ziph in a wood.
23:16 And Jonathan Saul's son arose, and went to David into the wood, and
 strengthened his hand in God.
23:17 And he said unto him, Fear not:  for the hand of Saul my father shall
 not find thee; and thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next unto
 thee; and that also Saul my father knoweth.
23:18 And they two made a covenant before the LORD:  and David abode in the
 wood, and Jonathan went to his house.
23:19 Then came up the Ziphites to Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David
 hide himself with us in strong holds in the wood, in the hill of Hachilah,
 which is on the south of Jeshimon?
23:20 Now therefore, O king, come down according to all the desire of thy
 soul to come down; and our part shall be to deliver him into the king's
 hand.
23:21 And Saul said, Blessed be ye of the LORD; for ye have compassion on
 me.
23:22 Go, I pray you, prepare yet, and know and see his place where his
 haunt is, and who hath seen him there:  for it is told me that he
 dealeth very subtly.
23:23 See therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurking places where he
 hideth himself, and come ye again to me with the certainty, and I will go
 with you:  and it shall come to pass, if he be in the land, that I will
 search him out throughout all the thousands of Judah.
23:24 And they arose, and went to Ziph before Saul:  but David and his men
 were in the wilderness of Maon, in the plain on the south of Jeshimon.
23:25 Saul also and his men went to seek him.  And they told David: 
 wherefore he came down into a rock, and abode in the wilderness of Maon. 
 And when Saul heard that, he pursued after David in the wilderness of
 Maon.
23:26 And Saul went on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on
 that side of the mountain:  and David made haste to get away for fear of
 Saul; for Saul and his men compassed David and his men round about to take
 them.
23:27 But there came a messenger unto Saul, saying, Haste thee, and come;
 for the Philistines have invaded the land.
23:28 Wherefore Saul returned from pursuing after David, and went against
 the Philistines:  therefore they called that place Selahammahlekoth.
23:29 And David went up from thence, and dwelt in strong holds at Engedi.

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24:1 And it came to pass, when Saul was returned from following the
 Philistines, that it was told him, saying, Behold, David is in the
 wilderness of Engedi.
24:2 Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to
 seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats.
24:3 And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where was a cave; and Saul
 went in to cover his feet:  and David and his men remained in the sides of
 the cave.
24:4 And the men of David said unto him, Behold the day of which the LORD
 said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, that
 thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee.  Then David arose,
 and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe privily.
24:5 And it came to pass afterward, that David's heart smote him, because he
 had cut off Saul's skirt.
24:6 And he said unto his men, The LORD forbid that I should do this thing
 unto my master, the LORD'S anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against
 him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD.
24:7 So David stayed his servants with these words, and suffered them not to
 rise against Saul.  But Saul rose up out of the cave, and went on his
 way.
24:8 David also arose afterward, and went out of the cave, and cried after
 Saul, saying, My lord the king.  And when Saul looked behind him, David
 stooped with his face to the earth, and bowed himself.
24:9 And David said to Saul, Wherefore hearest thou men's words, saying,
 Behold, David seeketh thy hurt?
24:10 Behold, this day thine eyes have seen how that the LORD had delivered
 thee to day into mine hand in the cave:  and some bade me kill thee: 
 but mine eye spared thee; and I said, I will not put forth mine hand
 against my lord; for he is the LORD'S anointed.
24:11 Moreover, my father, see, yea, see the skirt of thy robe in my hand: 
 for in that I cut off the skirt of thy robe, and killed thee not, know thou
 and see that there is neither evil nor transgression in mine hand, and I
 have not sinned against thee; yet thou huntest my soul to take it.
24:12 The LORD judge between me and thee, and the LORD avenge me of thee: 
 but mine hand shall not be upon thee.
24:13 As saith the proverb of the ancients, Wickedness proceedeth from the
 wicked:  but mine hand shall not be upon thee.
24:14 After whom is the king of Israel come out?  after whom dost thou
 pursue?  after a dead dog, after a flea.
24:15 The LORD therefore be judge, and judge between me and thee, and see,
 and plead my cause, and deliver me out of thine hand.
24:16 And it came to pass, when David had made an end of speaking these
 words unto Saul, that Saul said, Is this thy voice, my son David?  And
 Saul lifted up his voice, and wept.
24:17 And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I:  for thou hast
 rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil.
24:18 And thou hast showed this day how that thou hast dealt well with me: 
 forasmuch as when the LORD had delivered me into thine hand, thou killedst
 me not.
24:19 For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away?  wherefore
 the LORD reward thee good for that thou hast done unto me this day.
24:20 And now, behold, I know well that thou shalt surely be king, and that
 the kingdom of Israel shall be established in thine hand.
24:21 Swear now therefore unto me by the LORD, that thou wilt not cut off my
 seed after me, and that thou wilt not destroy my name out of my father's
 house.
24:22 And David sware unto Saul.  And Saul went home; but David and his men
 gat them up unto the hold.

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25:1 And Samuel died; and all the Israelites were gathered together, and
 lamented him, and buried him in his house at Ramah.  And David arose, and
 went down to the wilderness of Paran.
25:2 And there was a man in Maon, whose possessions were in Carmel; and
 the man was very great, and he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand
 goats:  and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.
25:3 Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail: 
 and she was a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful
 countenance:  but the man was churlish and evil in his doings; and he
 was of the house of Caleb.
25:4 And David heard in the wilderness that Nabal did shear his sheep.
25:5 And David sent out ten young men, and David said unto the young men,
 Get you up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name:
25:6 And thus shall ye say to him that liveth in prosperity, Peace be
 both to thee, and peace be to thine house, and peace be unto all that
 thou hast.
25:7 And now I have heard that thou hast shearers:  now thy shepherds which
 were with us, we hurt them not, neither was there ought missing unto them,
 all the while they were in Carmel.
25:8 Ask thy young men, and they will show thee.  Wherefore let the young
 men find favour in thine eyes:  for we come in a good day:  give, I pray
 thee, whatsoever cometh to thine hand unto thy servants, and to thy son
 David.
25:9 And when David's young men came, they spake to Nabal according to all
 those words in the name of David, and ceased.
25:10 And Nabal answered David's servants, and said, Who is David?  and
 who is the son of Jesse?  there be many servants now a days that break
 away every man from his master.
25:11 Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have
 killed for my shearers, and give it unto men, whom I know not whence they
 be?
25:12 So David's young men turned their way, and went again, and came and
 told him all those sayings.
25:13 And David said unto his men, Gird ye on every man his sword.  And they
 girded on every man his sword; and David also girded on his sword:  and
 there went up after David about four hundred men; and two hundred abode by
 the stuff.
25:14 But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, saying, Behold,
 David sent messengers out of the wilderness to salute our master; and he
 railed on them.
25:15 But the men were very good unto us, and we were not hurt, neither
 missed we any thing, as long as we were conversant with them, when we were
 in the fields:
25:16 They were a wall unto us both by night and day, all the while we were
 with them keeping the sheep.
25:17 Now therefore know and consider what thou wilt do; for evil is
 determined against our master, and against all his household:  for he is
 such a son of Belial, that a man cannot speak to him.
25:18 Then Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two bottles
 of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched corn,
 and an hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid
 them on asses.
25:19 And she said unto her servants, Go on before me; behold, I come after
 you.  But she told not her husband Nabal.
25:20 And it was so, as she rode on the ass, that she came down by the
 covert of the hill, and, behold, David and his men came down against her;
 and she met them.
25:21 Now David had said, Surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow
 hath in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that pertained
 unto him:  and he hath requited me evil for good.
25:22 So and more also do God unto the enemies of David, if I leave of all
 that pertain to him by the morning light any that pisseth against the
 wall.
25:23 And when Abigail saw David, she hasted, and lighted off the ass, and
 fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground,
25:24 And fell at his feet, and said, Upon me, my lord, upon me let this
 iniquity be:  and let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine
 audience, and hear the words of thine handmaid.
25:25 Let not my lord, I pray thee, regard this man of Belial, even Nabal:
  for as his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with
 him:  but I thine handmaid saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou
 didst send.
25:26 Now therefore, my lord, as the LORD liveth, and as thy soul
 liveth, seeing the LORD hath withholden thee from coming to shed blood,
 and from avenging thyself with thine own hand, now let thine enemies, and
 they that seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal.
25:27 And now this blessing which thine handmaid hath brought unto my lord,
 let it even be given unto the young men that follow my lord.
25:28 I pray thee, forgive the trespass of thine handmaid:  for the LORD
 will certainly make my lord a sure house; because my lord fighteth the
 battles of the LORD, and evil hath not been found in thee all thy days.
25:29 Yet a man is risen to pursue thee, and to seek thy soul:  but the soul
 of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the LORD thy God; and
 the souls of thine enemies, them shall he sling out, as out of the middle
 of a sling.
25:30 And it shall come to pass, when the LORD shall have done to my lord
 according to all the good that he hath spoken concerning thee, and shall
 have appointed thee ruler over Israel;
25:31 That this shall be no grief unto thee, nor offence of heart unto my
 lord, either that thou hast shed blood causeless, or that my lord hath
 avenged himself:  but when the LORD shall have dealt well with my lord,
 then remember thine handmaid.
25:32 And David said to Abigail, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which
 sent thee this day to meet me:
25:33 And blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou, which hast kept me
 this day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself with mine
 own hand.
25:34 For in very deed, as the LORD God of Israel liveth, which hath kept
 me back from hurting thee, except thou hadst hasted and come to meet me,
 surely there had not been left unto Nabal by the morning light any that
 pisseth against the wall.
25:35 So David received of her hand that which she had brought him, and
 said unto her, Go up in peace to thine house; see, I have hearkened to thy
 voice, and have accepted thy person.
25:36 And Abigail came to Nabal; and, behold, he held a feast in his house,
 like the feast of a king; and Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he
 was very drunken:  wherefore she told him nothing, less or more, until
 the morning light.
25:37 But it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of
 Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within
 him, and he became as a stone.
25:38 And it came to pass about ten days after, that the LORD smote Nabal,
 that he died.
25:39 And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be the
 LORD, that hath pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal,
 and hath kept his servant from evil:  for the LORD hath returned the
 wickedness of Nabal upon his own head.  And David sent and communed with
 Abigail, to take her to him to wife.
25:40 And when the servants of David were come to Abigail to Carmel, they
 spake unto her, saying, David sent us unto thee, to take thee to him to
 wife.
25:41 And she arose, and bowed herself on her face to the earth, and said,
 Behold, let thine handmaid be a servant to wash the feet of the
 servants of my lord.
25:42 And Abigail hasted, and arose, and rode upon an ass, with five damsels
 of hers that went after her; and she went after the messengers of David,
 and became his wife.
25:43 David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel; and they were also both of them
 his wives.
25:44 But Saul had given Michal his daughter, David's wife, to Phalti the
 son of Laish, which was of Gallim.

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26:1 And the Ziphites came unto Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide
 himself in the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon?
26:2 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.
26:3 And Saul pitched in the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon,
 by the way.  But David abode in the wilderness, and he saw that Saul came
 after him into the wilderness.
26:4 David therefore sent out spies, and understood that Saul was come in
 very deed.
26:5 And David arose, and came to the place where Saul had pitched:  and
 David beheld the place where Saul lay, and Abner the son of Ner, the
 captain of his host:  and Saul lay in the trench, and the people pitched
 round about him.
26:6 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.
26:7 So David and Abishai came to the people by night:  and, behold, Saul
 lay sleeping within the trench, and his spear stuck in the ground at his
 bolster:  but Abner and the people lay round about him.
26:8 Then said Abishai to David, God hath delivered thine enemy into thine
 hand this day:  now therefore let me smite him, I pray thee, with the spear
 even to the earth at once, and I will not smite him the second time.
26:9 And David said to Abishai, Destroy him not:  for who can stretch forth
 his hand against the LORD'S anointed, and be guiltless?
26:10 David said furthermore, As the LORD liveth, the LORD shall smite
 him; or his day shall come to die; or he shall descend into battle, and
 perish.
26:11 The LORD forbid that I should stretch forth mine hand against the
 LORD'S anointed:  but, I pray thee, take thou now the spear that is at
 his bolster, and the cruse of water, and let us go.
26:12 So David took the spear and the cruse of water from Saul's bolster;
 and they gat them away, and no man saw it, nor knew it, neither awaked:
  for they were all asleep; because a deep sleep from the LORD was fallen
 upon them.
26:13 Then David went over to the other side, and stood on the top of an
 hill afar off; a great space being between them:
26:14 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?
26:15 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 thy lord the
 king?  for there came one of the people in to destroy the king thy lord.
26:16 This thing is not good that thou hast done.  As the LORD liveth,
 ye are worthy to die, because ye have not kept your master, the LORD'S
 anointed.  And now see where the king's spear is, and the cruse of water
 that was at his bolster.
26:17 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.
26:18 And he said, Wherefore doth my lord thus pursue after his servant? 
 for what have I done?  or what evil is in mine hand?
26:19 Now therefore, I pray thee, let my lord the king hear the words of his
 servant.  If the LORD have stirred thee up against me, let him accept an
 offering:  but if they be the children of men, cursed be they before
 the LORD; for they have driven me out this day from abiding in the
 inheritance of the LORD, saying, Go, serve other gods.
26:20 Now therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth before the face of
 the LORD:  for the king of Israel is come out to seek a flea, as when one
 doth hunt a partridge in the mountains.
26:21 Then said Saul, I have sinned:  return, my son David:  for I will no
 more do thee harm, because my soul was precious in thine eyes this day: 
 behold, I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly.
26:22 And David answered and said, Behold the king's spear!  and let one of
 the young men come over and fetch it.
26:23 The LORD render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness: 
 for the LORD delivered thee into my hand to day, but I would not stretch
 forth mine hand against the LORD'S anointed.
26:24 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 the LORD, and let him deliver me out
 of all tribulation.
26:25 Then Saul said to David, Blessed be thou, my son David:  thou shalt
 both do great things, and also shalt still prevail.  So David went on his
 way, and Saul returned to his place.

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27:1 And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of
 Saul:  there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape
 into the land of the Philistines; and Saul shall despair of me, to seek me
 any more in any coast of Israel:  so shall I escape out of his hand.
27:2 And David arose, and he passed over with the six hundred men that
 were with him unto Achish, the son of Maoch, king of Gath.
27:3 And David dwelt with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his
 household, even David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and
 Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal's wife.
27:4 And it was told Saul that David was fled to Gath:  and he sought no
 more again for him.
27:5 And David said unto Achish, If I have now found grace in thine eyes,
 let them give me a place in some town in the country, that I may dwell
 there:  for why should thy servant dwell in the royal city with thee?
27:6 Then Achish gave him Ziklag that day:  wherefore Ziklag pertaineth unto
 the kings of Judah unto this day.
27:7 And the time that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines was a
 full year and four months.
27:8 And David and his men went up, and invaded the Geshurites, and the
 Gezrites, and the Amalekites:  for those nations were of old the
 inhabitants of the land, as thou goest to Shur, even unto the land of
 Egypt.
27:9 And David smote the land, and left neither man nor woman alive, and
 took away the sheep, and the oxen, and the asses, and the camels, and the
 apparel, and returned, and came to Achish.
27:10 And Achish said, Whither have ye made a road to day?  And David said,
 Against the south of Judah, and against the south of the Jerahmeelites, and
 against the south of the Kenites.
27:11 And David saved neither man nor woman alive, to bring tidings to
 Gath, saying, Lest they should tell on us, saying, So did David, and so
 will be his manner all the while he dwelleth in the country of the
 Philistines.
27:12 And Achish believed David, saying, He hath made his people Israel
 utterly to abhor him; therefore he shall be my servant for ever.

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28:1 And it came to pass in those days, that the Philistines gathered their
 armies together for warfare, to fight with Israel.  And Achish said unto
 David, Know thou assuredly, that thou shalt go out with me to battle, thou
 and thy men.
28:2 And David said to Achish, Surely thou shalt know what thy servant can
 do.  And Achish said to David, Therefore will I make thee keeper of mine
 head for ever.
28:3 Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in
 Ramah, even in his own city.  And Saul had put away those that had familiar
 spirits, and the wizards, out of the land.
28:4 And the Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and pitched
 in Shunem:  and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they pitched in
 Gilboa.
28:5 And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his
 heart greatly trembled.
28:6 And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD answered him not, neither
 by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.
28:7 Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar
 spirit, that I may go to her, and inquire of her.  And his servants said to
 him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor.
28:8 And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and he went, and
 two men with him, and they came to the woman by night:  and he said, I pray
 thee, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me him up, whom I
 shall name unto thee.
28:9 And the woman said unto him, Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done,
 how he hath cut off those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out
 of the land:  wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me
 to die?
28:10 And Saul sware to her by the LORD, saying, As the LORD liveth, there
 shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing.
28:11 Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee?  And he said,
 Bring me up Samuel.
28:12 And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice:  and the
 woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me?  for thou art
 Saul.
28:13 And the king said unto her, Be not afraid:  for what sawest thou?  And
 the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth.
28:14 And he said unto her, What form is he of?  And she said, An old man
 cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle.  And Saul perceived that it
 was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed
 himself.
28:15 And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? 
 And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war
 against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither
 by prophets, nor by dreams:  therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest
 make known unto me what I shall do.
28:16 Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the LORD
 is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy?
28:17 And the LORD hath done to him, as he spake by me:  for the LORD hath
 rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even
 to David:
28:18 Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the LORD, nor executedst his
 fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the LORD done this thing unto thee
 this day.
28:19 Moreover the LORD will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of
 the Philistines:  and to morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me: 
 the LORD also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the
 Philistines.
28:20 Then Saul fell straightway all along on the earth, and was sore
 afraid, because of the words of Samuel:  and there was no strength in him;
 for he had eaten no bread all the day, nor all the night.
28:21 And the woman came unto Saul, and saw that he was sore troubled, and
 said unto him, Behold, thine handmaid hath obeyed thy voice, and I have put
 my life in my hand, and have hearkened unto thy words which thou spakest
 unto me.
28:22 Now therefore, I pray thee, hearken thou also unto the voice of thine
 handmaid, and let me set a morsel of bread before thee; and eat, that thou
 mayest have strength, when thou goest on thy way.
28:23 But he refused, and said, I will not eat.  But his servants, together
 with the woman, compelled him; and he hearkened unto their voice.  So he
 arose from the earth, and sat upon the bed.
28:24 And the woman had a fat calf in the house; and she hasted, and killed
 it, and took flour, and kneaded it, and did bake unleavened bread
 thereof:
28:25 And she brought it before Saul, and before his servants; and they
 did eat.  Then they rose up, and went away that night.

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29:1 Now the Philistines gathered together all their armies to Aphek:  and
 the Israelites pitched by a fountain which is in Jezreel.
29:2 And the lords of the Philistines passed on by hundreds, and by
 thousands:  but David and his men passed on in the rereward with Achish.
29:3 Then said the princes of the Philistines, What do these Hebrews
 here?  And Achish said unto the princes of the Philistines, Is not this
 David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, which hath been with me
 these days, or these years, and I have found no fault in him since he fell
 unto me unto this day?
29:4 And the princes of the Philistines were wroth with him; and the princes
 of the Philistines said unto him, Make this fellow return, that he may go
 again to his place which thou hast appointed him, and let him not go down
 with us to battle, lest in the battle he be an adversary to us:  for
 wherewith should he reconcile himself unto his master?  should it not
 be with the heads of these men?
29:5 Is not this David, of whom they sang one to another in dances,
 saying, Saul slew his thousands, and David his ten thousands?
29:6 Then Achish called David, and said unto him, Surely, as the LORD
 liveth, thou hast been upright, and thy going out and thy coming in with me
 in the host is good in my sight:  for I have not found evil in thee since
 the day of thy coming unto me unto this day:  nevertheless the lords favour
 thee not.
29:7 Wherefore now return, and go in peace, that thou displease not the
 lords of the Philistines.
29:8 And David said unto Achish, But what have I done?  and what hast thou
 found in thy servant so long as I have been with thee unto this day, that I
 may not go fight against the enemies of my lord the king?
29:9 And Achish answered and said to David, I know that thou art good in
 my sight, as an angel of God:  notwithstanding the princes of the
 Philistines have said, He shall not go up with us to the battle.
29:10 Wherefore now rise up early in the morning with thy master's servants
 that are come with thee:  and as soon as ye be up early in the morning, and
 have light, depart.
29:11 So David and his men rose up early to depart in the morning, to return
 into the land of the Philistines.  And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

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30:1 And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the
 third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and
 smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire;
30:2 And had taken the women captives, that were therein:  they slew not
 any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way.
30:3 So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned
 with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken
 captives.
30:4 Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice
 and wept, until they had no more power to weep.
30:5 And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess,
 and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
30:6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him,
 because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and
 for his daughters:  but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.
30:7 And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, I pray thee,
 bring me hither the ephod.  And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to
 David.
30:8 And David inquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this
 troop?  shall I overtake them?  And he answered him, Pursue:  for thou
 shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.
30:9 So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and
 came to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind stayed.
30:10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men:  for two hundred abode
 behind, which were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor.
30:11 And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and
 gave him bread, and he did eat; and they made him drink water;
30:12 And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of
 raisins:  and when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him:  for he had
 eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, three days and three nights.
30:13 And David said unto him, To whom belongest thou?  and whence art
 thou?  And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite;
 and my master left me, because three days ago I fell sick.
30:14 We made an invasion upon the south of the Cherethites, and upon the
 coast which belongeth to Judah, and upon the south of Caleb; and we
 burned Ziklag with fire.
30:15 And David said to him, Canst thou bring me down to this company?  And
 he said, Swear unto me by God, that thou wilt neither kill me, nor deliver
 me into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee down to this company.
30:16 And when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread abroad
 upon all the earth, eating and drinking, and dancing, because of all the
 great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out
 of the land of Judah.
30:17 And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the
 next day:  and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young
 men, which rode upon camels, and fled.
30:18 And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away:  and
 David rescued his two wives.
30:19 And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great,
 neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor any thing that they had
 taken to them:  David recovered all.
30:20 And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drave before
 those other cattle, and said, This is David's spoil.
30:21 And David came to the two hundred men, which were so faint that they
 could not follow David, whom they had made also to abide at the brook
 Besor:  and they went forth to meet David, and to meet the people that
 were with him:  and when David came near to the people, he saluted them.
30:22 Then answered all the wicked men and men of Belial, of those that
 went with David, and said, Because they went not with us, we will not give
 them ought of the spoil that we have recovered, save to every man his
 wife and his children, that they may lead them away, and depart.
30:23 Then said David, Ye shall not do so, my brethren, with that which the
 LORD hath given us, who hath preserved us, and delivered the company that
 came against us into our hand.
30:24 For who will hearken unto you in this matter?  but as his part is
 that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by
 the stuff:  they shall part alike.
30:25 And it was so from that day forward, that he made it a statute and
 an ordinance for Israel unto this day.
30:26 And when David came to Ziklag, he sent of the spoil unto the elders of
 Judah, even to his friends, saying, Behold a present for you of the spoil
 of the enemies of the LORD;
30:27 To them which were in Bethel, and to them which were in south
 Ramoth, and to them which were in Jattir,
30:28 And to them which were in Aroer, and to them which were in
 Siphmoth, and to them which were in Eshtemoa,
30:29 And to them which were in Rachal, and to them which were in
 the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to them which were in the cities
 of the Kenites,
30:30 And to them which were in Hormah, and to them which were in
 Chorashan, and to them which were in Athach,
30:31 And to them which were in Hebron, and to all the places where
 David himself and his men were wont to haunt.

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31:1 Now the Philistines fought against Israel:  and the men of Israel fled
 from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa.
31:2 And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and the
 Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Melchishua, Saul's sons.
31:3 And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he
 was sore wounded of the archers.
31:4 Then said Saul unto his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me
 through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and
 abuse me.  But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. 
 Therefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon it.
31:5 And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon
 his sword, and died with him.
31:6 So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armourbearer, and all his
 men, that same day together.
31:7 And when the men of Israel that were on the other side of the valley,
 and they that were on the other side Jordan, saw that the men of Israel
 fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities, and
 fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.
31:8 And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip
 the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen in mount Gilboa.
31:9 And they cut off his head, and stripped off his armour, and sent into
 the land of the Philistines round about, to publish it in the house of
 their idols, and among the people.
31:10 And they put his armour in the house of Ashtaroth:  and they fastened
 his body to the wall of Bethshan.
31:11 And when the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead heard of that which the
 Philistines had done to Saul;
31:12 All the valiant men arose, and went all night, and took the body of
 Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Bethshan, and came to
 Jabesh, and burnt them there.
31:13 And they took their bones, and buried them under a tree at Jabesh,
 and fasted seven days.