I Samuel 25 - 2 Samuel 1

About that time Samuel died. All Israel gathered to mourn him. He was buried near his house in Ramah.

*

David went on to the wilderness of Paran. Now there was a man in Maon who had his business in Carmel. He was very rich: he owned three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. He had come to Carmel to shear his sheep. His name was Nabal, and his wife was named Abigail. She was intelligent and beautiful, but he was harsh and rude. He was a descendant of Caleb.

When David heard in the desert that Nabal's sheep were being sheared, he sent ten of his servants to Carmel with the instruction: "Go to Nabal and greet him warmly on my behalf. Tell him, 'I wish you, your family, and your business all the best, also for next year. I have heard that they are shearing your sheep. Now, when your shepherds were near us, we did not bother them; all the time they were here in Carmel, nothing was stolen from them. Ask your servants, and they will confirm it to you. I hope that you, in turn, will treat my servants well, for they are coming to you on a feast day. Therefore, I kindly ask you to give my servants and me, David, whatever you can spare."

When David's servants came to Nabal, they conveyed all this in David's name and waited to hear what he would say.

Nabal replied to David's servants, "Who is David? Who is this son of Jesse? There are many slaves today who have run away from their masters. Do you really think I will give my bread and my water and the meat I have prepared for my shearers to the first stranger who comes along?"

David's servants returned empty-handed and told David everything Nabal had said.

Then David commanded his men, "To arms!"

They all girded on their swords, including David himself, and four hundred men went up to Carmel under David's command, while two hundred remained behind to guard the camp.

Meanwhile, Nabal's wife Abigail had been informed by one of the servants. "David sent messengers from the desert to greet our master with a blessing," he said, "but he turned on them. And yet David and his men have treated us so well: they have not bothered us, and all the time we have been grazing our sheep in their vicinity, nothing has been stolen from us. They have been like a wall around us day and night, all the time we have been grazing our flocks in their vicinity. You must do something, for our lord has brought disaster upon himself and all of us. But that troublemaker refuses to listen to us."

Abigail hurriedly had two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five sheep, five measures of roasted grain, a hundred cakes of raisins, and two hundred cakes of dried figs loaded onto donkeys and set out without consulting her husband.

"Ride ahead of me," she ordered her servants, "I will follow you."

Abigail rode her donkey through the ravine, while David and his men approached from the other side. Because she was hidden from view by the mountainside, David was surprised by her arrival. He had just said, "What is that guy thinking? Is that why I protected his possessions all this time? I might as well have done nothing! He hasn't lost a single sheep, and what do I get? Ingratitude! God may do with me as He will if I leave a single male member of his family alive tomorrow morning!" (_–)

As soon as Abigail saw David, she jumped off her donkey. She fell on her knees at his feet, bowed deeply, and said, "All the blame is mine, my lord. Allow me to speak to you and listen to what your servant has to say. Please pay no attention to that foolish talker Nabal. He is a fool, as his name implies. But of course I should have seen your messengers! As surely as the LORD lives, my lord, and as surely as you yourself live, the LORD has kept you from taking justice into your own hands and from having blood on your hands. But I hope that all your enemies and opponents will suffer the same fate as Nabal. Accept the gifts I have brought you, my lord; they are for the men who accompany you on your journeys. Please forgive me for my failure. I am sure that the LORD will preserve your house, for you fight for the LORD. May no trace of evil be found in you all your life. If anyone dares to pursue you and seek your life, your life will be safe, like a pebble in the pouch in which the LORD your God keeps human lives, but the lives of your enemies will be thrown away. When the LORD fulfills all his good promises to you and makes you ruler over Israel, you will not be hindered by having burdened your conscience by taking the law into your own hands and shedding innocent blood. When that time comes, my lord, do not forget your servant."

David replied, “I thank the LORD, the God of Israel, for sending you to meet me today. And I thank you for your wise action just now, which prevented me from taking the law into my own hands and becoming guilty of murder. But as surely as the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, who has kept me from harming you, if you had not come to me quickly, by morning there would not have been a male left in Nabal's household!" And he accepted her gifts, saying, "Go in peace; I have accepted your words and your apology."

When she returned home, Abigail saw that Nabal had prepared a feast, like a king's banquet. He had drunk heavily and was in high spirits, so she did not mention what had happened that evening. The next morning, when Nabal had slept off his drunkenness, she told him what she had done. His heart stopped beating in his chest, and he collapsed motionless. Ten days later, the LORD struck Nabal so severely that he died.

When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, "Praise be to the LORD; He has defended me against Nabal, who insulted me. In this way, He has kept me from doing wrong and has given Nabal his just deserts."

Then he sent messengers to Abigail to ask her to marry him. When they arrived at Carmel, David's servants said to Abigail, "David has sent us to ask you to be his wife."

Abigail knelt down, bowed low, and said, "I am your servant. I am willing to be a slave who washes the feet of my lord's servants."

She quickly prepared to leave. Then she rode on her donkey, with five female slaves in her retinue, following David's messengers, and became his wife.

David had also taken Ahinoam of Jezreel as his wife; both of them were now his wives. David's wife Michal had meanwhile been married off by her father Saul to Palti, the son of Laïs, from Gallim.

*

Some residents of Ziph went to Gibeah to tell Saul, "Do you know that David is hiding on the Hachilah, opposite Jeshimon?"

Immediately Saul set out with three thousand men, the best soldiers in Israel, to search for David in the wilderness of Ziph. When he arrived at the Hachilah, he camped by the side of the road.

David, who was staying nearby, realized that Saul had come after him and sent out scouts. As soon as he knew exactly where Saul was, he went to the place where he had set up camp. There he saw where Saul and his commander-in-chief Abner, the son of Ner, were sleeping. Saul was in the middle of the camp, surrounded by his soldiers.

"Who will go with me into the camp to Saul?" he asked his companions, the Hittite Ahimelech and Abishai, who was the son of Zeruiah and brother of Joab.

"I will go with you," replied Abishai.

Under cover of darkness, David and Abishai crept through the soldiers. There, surrounded by Abner and the soldiers, Saul was sleeping, with his spear stuck in the ground beside his head.

Today God has delivered your enemy into your hands," Abishai said to David. "Let me pin him to the ground with his own spear. One thrust and he will be finished."

"No, don't kill him," David replied. "No one can lay a hand on the LORD's anointed and get away with it. As surely as the LORD lives, he himself will deal with Saul, either by letting him die a natural death when his time comes, or by taking him in battle. May the LORD forbid that I should raise my hand against his anointed one! Come, take the spear at his head and the water jug, and let us go."

David took the spear and the water jug that were at Saul's head, and they left the camp. No one had seen anything, no one had noticed anything, no one had woken up. They were all fast asleep, for the LORD had put them into a deep sleep.

David crossed the ravine and stopped a little way off, on a mountain top on the other side, at a safe distance from the camp. From there he began to shout to the soldiers and to Abner, the son of Ner.

"Answer me, Abner!" he shouted.

Abner replied, "Who are you, that you dare call out to the king?"

But David called out to Abner, "And you, what kind of man are you? There is no one like you in Israel. Why did you not guard your lord, the king? Did you not notice that the king, your lord, was almost killed by one of his subjects? You have failed in your duty. As surely as the LORD lives, you are doomed to die, for you did not guard your master, his anointed one. Look, where are the spear and the water jug that were at his head?"

Saul recognized David's voice and asked, "Is that your voice I hear, David, my son?"

"Yes, it is I, my lord and king," David replied. And immediately he asked, "Why is my lord pursuing his servant? What have I done wrong? What is my guilt? Please listen to what I have to say, my lord and king: If it is the LORD who has set you against me, let a fragrant offering appease him. But if it is men who have incited you, may the LORD curse them for driving me from his land and telling me to serve other gods. I beg you, do not let my blood be shed in foreign soil, far from the LORD. The king of Israel has gone out to chase a flea, as one hunts a partridge in the mountains."

Then Saul said, “I have acted foolishly. Come back, David, my son. I will not harm you again, for you have spared my life today. Yes, I have been foolish and have made serious mistakes.”

But David said, "Here is your spear, king. Let one of your men come and get it. The LORD rewards those who are righteous and faithful. Today I did not want to raise my hand against the LORD's anointed, even though He had delivered you into my hands. As I have spared your life today, so may the LORD spare my life and rescue me from all trouble.'

Then Saul said to David, "Blessed be you, David, my son. You will accomplish what you set out to do. I know you can do it." So David went on his way, and Saul returned to his home.

*

Today or tomorrow, I will surely fall into Saul's hands, David thought to himself. So I had better flee to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will give up pursuing me throughout Israel, and I will escape from him.

So he and the six hundred men who were with him went to Achish, son of Maoch, king of Gath, where he and his men took refuge with their families. David had his two wives with him: Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the former wife of Nabal of Carmel.

When Saul heard that David had fled to Gath, he gave up the pursuit. David had asked Achish, "My lord, please give me one of the towns in the countryside to live in. Who am I to live in the royal city with you?" Achish gave David Ziklag, and so Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day.

During the time that David and his men lived in Philistine territory, a year and four months to be exact, they regularly went out to raid the tribes that lived in the area from Telam to Sur, where Egypt begins: sometimes the Geshurites, sometimes the Girzites, or the Amalekites. When David struck somewhere, he left no man or woman alive and took everything: sheep, goats, cattle, donkeys, camels, and also clothing. When he returned to Achish and Achish asked him, "Where did you raid this time?", David replied, "In the Negev, among the Judeans," or "Among the family of Jerahmeel," or "Among the Kenites." He left no one alive and took no prisoners to Gath, because he wanted to prevent anyone from telling Achish what he and his men had done. He continued to do this throughout the time he lived in Philistine territory. Achish trusted him and thought to himself, "He has surely ruined his relationship with his countrymen. From now on, he will serve me."

And when the Philistines mobilized their forces to go to war against Israel, Achish asked David,

"You understand, of course, that you and your men must join me."

"Yes, sir," David replied. "You will see what I will do."

"Agreed," said Achish, "I will appoint you as my personal bodyguard."

*

Samuel had died by this time. All Israel had mourned him, and he was buried in Ramah, his home. At that time, Saul had banned the practice of conjuring spirits and consulting ghosts throughout the land.

When the Philistines had gathered their forces and marched to Shunem, where they set up camp, Saul also mobilized his army and set up camp in the Gilboa Mountains.  But when he saw the Philistine camp, fear seized him. He consulted the LORD, but the LORD did not answer him: neither in dreams, nor by oracle stones, nor by prophets. So he commanded his servants to find a spirit medium for him.

"I will go there to find answers to my questions," he said.

When his servants told him that there was a medium still living in Endor, he disguised himself by putting on different clothes and set out with two servants. They arrived at the woman's house in the middle of the night.

"Will you consult the spirit of a dead person for me?" he asked her. "I will tell you whom to summon."

But the woman replied, "You know what Saul has done: he has strictly forbidden the practice of necromancy and consulting spirits. Why are you trying to trap me? Do you want to bring about my death?"

But Saul swore to her by the LORD, "As the LORD lives, no harm will come to you."

"Who shall I bring up for you?" she asked.

"Samuel," Saul replied.

As soon as the woman saw Samuel, she let out a bloodcurdling scream.

"Why have you deceived me?" she asked Saul. "You are Saul himself!"

"Don't be afraid," the king reassured her. "But tell me, what do you see?"

"I see a divine figure rising from the earth," she replied.

"What does he look like?" Saul asked.

"It is an old man, wrapped in a cloak."

Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he knelt down and bowed low.

Samuel asked Saul, "Why have you called me and disturbed my rest?"

"I see no way out," Saul replied. "I am being attacked by the Philistines, and God has forsaken me. He no longer answers my questions, neither through prophets nor in dreams. That is why I have summoned you to ask you what I should do."

But Samuel said, "Why do you come to me for advice? You know that the LORD has abandoned you and turned against you. The LORD has done what he said through me: He has torn the kingdom away from you and given it to someone else, to David. The LORD is doing this to you because you did not obey Him and did not take vengeance on the Amalekites. And for the same reason, He will deliver Israel, along with you, into the hands of the Philistines. Tomorrow you and your sons will be here with me, and the army camp of Israel will fall into the hands of the Philistines.'

Saul was so shocked by Samuel's words that he fell flat on the ground: his strength left him, partly because he had not eaten anything all day and all night. The woman came to him and saw that he was very confused.

"I have done what you asked, sir," she said. "I risked my life to do what you asked me to do. Now do what I advise you to do, sir. Let me serve you something to eat so that you can regain your strength before you begin your journey home."

Saul refused and said he did not want to eat anything, but his servants and the woman insisted, and finally he gave in. He got up and sat on the bed. The woman had a fattened calf in her house, which she quickly slaughtered. She also took some flour, kneaded it, and baked unleavened bread. After Saul and his servants had eaten the meal she had set before them, they left that same night.

*

The Philistines had gathered at Aphek, and the Israelites were near the spring at Jezreel. The Philistine princes reviewed their troops. The men marched past in divisions of hundreds and thousands. David and his men were in the rear ranks with Achish's army.

"What are these Hebrews doing here?" the Philistine commanders asked.

"You know David, the former servant of Saul, king of Israel," said Achish. "It has been more than a year since he defected to me, and all this time I have had no complaints about him."

But the Philistine commanders were furious and said to him, "Send that man back to the place you assigned him. Under no circumstances should he go to war with us. Suppose he turns against us in battle! Wouldn't he please his master more than anything by bringing back the heads of our men? Isn't this the David they sang about triumphantly: 'Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands'?"

Then Achish summoned David and said to him, “As surely as the LORD lives, I am convinced that you are trustworthy. I think it is good that you join my campaigns, for from the day you came to me until now I have found nothing wrong with you. But the other city lords do not like you. Therefore, return home. Go in peace, and do nothing that might offend the Philistine city leaders."

"What have I done wrong, my lord?" David exclaimed. "Why am I not allowed to join the battle against the enemies of my lord and king? All this time that I have been in your service, you have never found fault with me."

"No, I know," Achish replied. "I trust you as if you were sent by God himself, but our commanders are strongly opposed to you going into battle with us. You must leave early tomorrow morning, and so must your lord's soldiers who have come with you. Early tomorrow morning, as soon as it is light, you must go."

Early the next morning, David and his men returned to the land of the Philistines. The Philistines themselves marched to Jezreel.

*

Three days later, David and his men arrived at Ziklag. During their absence, the Amalekites had raided the Negev and had also attacked Ziklag. They had burned the city to the ground and taken the women, young and old, captive. No one had been killed, but they had taken the women with them on their journey. When David and his men arrived at Ziklag and saw that the city had been burned to the ground and that their wives and children had been taken away, they began to wail loudly until they had no strength left to cry.

David's two wives were also gone: Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the former wife of Nabal of Carmel. David was in great distress, for his men were so bitter about the loss of their children that they threatened to stone him. So he sought support from the LORD his God. He asked the priest Abiathar, the son of Ahimelech, to come to him with the priestly robe. Abiathar came with the priestly robe, and David consulted the LORD:

"Should I pursue this band? Will I overtake them?"

"Yes," replied the LORD. "Pursue them; you will certainly overtake them and rescue the captives."

David set out with his six hundred men. When they reached the Besor Valley, the stragglers stopped, two hundred men who were too exhausted to cross the valley. David continued the pursuit with four hundred men.

On the way, they found an Egyptian, who was brought to David. They gave him something to eat and drink. After he had eaten a piece of dried figs and two pieces of raisins, he regained his strength, for he had not eaten or drunk anything for three days and three nights. Then David asked him who he belonged to and where he came from,

and he replied, "I am an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite. When I fell ill three days ago, my master left me behind. We were on a plundering expedition in the Negev and raided the Kerethites, the Judeans, and the Calebites; and we burned Ziklag to the ground."

"Can you show me the way to your band?" David asked. "Yes," replied the Egyptian, "but swear to God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master."

The Egyptian led David to the camp of the Amalekites. There they were, scattered in groups, eating and drinking. They were feasting on the rich spoils they had gathered in the land of the Philistines and in Judah. The next day, David attacked them and besieged them from early morning until late evening. No one escaped, except for four hundred young men who fled on their camels. David took back everything the Amalekites had stolen, and he rescued his two wives. Not the slightest bit of the plunder was missing: all the children were still there, and everything else they had taken with them. David brought everything back with him. He seized their sheep, goats, and cattle, which were driven ahead of their own livestock.

"This is David's booty," they said.

When David returned to the Besor Valley, he and his men were met by the two hundred men who had stayed behind because they were too tired to go with him. He went to them and greeted them warmly. However, among the men who had gone with David were some malicious people who said,

"Because they did not go with us, they will not share in our spoils. They can take back their wives and children and then leave."

But David said, "No, men, that's out of the question. This is a gift from the LORD: He has spared us and delivered the gang that attacked us into our hands. Do you think anyone agrees with you? No, those who took part in the battle will get as much as those who stayed behind to guard the supplies: they must share the spoils together.'

And so it was done. This rule, established by David, is still in effect in Israel today.

Back in Ziklag, David sent some of the spoils to the elders of Judah, his friends. "Here is a gift for you from the spoils we captured from the enemies of the LORD," was the message. It concerned the elders of Betuel, Ramoth-Negev, and Jattir, Aroer, Sifmot, Estemoa, and Rachal, of the cities of the Jerahmeelites and the Kenites, of Horma, Bor-Asan, Atach, and Hebron, in short, of all the places David and his men had visited during their wanderings.

*

Meanwhile, the Philistines fought against the Israelites. The army of Israel fled, and many were killed in the Gilboa Mountains. The Philistines advanced on Saul and his sons and killed his three sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malkishua. Then the battle turned against Saul himself with full force. The Philistine archers had him in their sights, and Saul became so afraid that he ordered his armor-bearer:

"Draw your sword and kill me, for I do not want these uncircumcised men to pierce me and take advantage of me."

But the armor-bearer was afraid and refused. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it. When the armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword and died with him. Thus Saul, his three sons, his armor-bearer, and all his men fell on the same day. When the Israelites across the Jordan and across the valley of Jezreel realized that the army of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons had been killed, they abandoned their cities and fled. The Philistines entered their cities and took possession of them.

The next day, the Philistines returned to the battlefield to plunder the dead. There, on Gilboa, they found the bodies of Saul and his three sons. They cut off Saul's head and stripped him of his armor, and sent messengers throughout their land to announce the news of their victory in the temples of their gods and to all the people. Saul's armor was placed in the temple of Astarte, and his body was nailed to the city wall of Beth-Shean.

When the inhabitants of Jabesh in Gilead heard what had happened and what the Philistines had done to Saul, they decided to remove the bodies from the city wall of Beth-Shean. All the able-bodied men went with them. They walked all night, took the bodies of Saul and his sons to Jabesh, and burned them there. They buried their bones at the foot of the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and then fasted for seven days.

Psalm 53

For the choir director. To the tune of "The Reed Pipe." An artful song by David.

Fools think: There is no God. They are corrupt,

and their injustice is abominable; none of them is good.

God looks down from heaven on the children of men,

to see if there are any who understand, who seek God.

They have all turned aside, they have together become corrupt;

there is none who does good, not even one.

Have they no knowledge, these workers of iniquity?

They eat up my people as they eat bread; they call not upon God.

Soon, a great fear will come upon them,

a fear like never before.

God will scatter the bones of your attackers;

laugh at them, for God has rejected them.

Oh, may salvation come to Israel from Zion.

When God restores the fortunes of his people,

Jacob will rejoice, Israel will be glad.

*

Saul had been killed, and David had defeated the Amalekites and had been back in Ziklag for two days. On the third day, a man from Saul's army camp came to David. He had torn his clothes and thrown dust on his head. When he came to David, he bowed low.

"Where do you come from?" David asked,

and the man replied, "From the army camp of Israel. I escaped."

"What happened?" David asked anxiously.

"The soldiers had to flee," he said. "Many of them were killed, and Saul and his son Jonathan also died."

"How can you be so sure that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?" David asked the messenger who had come to tell him this.

"I happened to be on Gilboa," he replied. "And there was Saul, leaning on his spear; the chariots and horsemen had almost caught him. He looked back, and when he saw me, he called me over. 'What can I do for you, sir?' I asked, and he asked, 'Who are you?' 'I am an Amalekite,' I said, and then he said, 'Come here and give me the coup de grâce. For I am still alive, but death has already taken hold of me.' So I went to him and gave him the coup de grâce, for I understood that, now the battle was lost, he would not live much longer. Then I took his headband and his bracelet to bring them to you, my lord."

Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and all his men did the same. They mourned, lamented, and fasted until evening for Saul, his son Jonathan, and the people of the LORD, the people of Israel, because they had fallen in battle. David asked the messenger who had come to tell him all this:

"Where does your family come from?"

"I am an Amalekite," he replied. "My father came here as a stranger."

Then David asked, "How did you dare to raise your hand against the LORD's anointed and kill him?"

He called one of his servants and commanded him, "Come here and kill him."

And the servant struck him down, and he died, while David said,

"You are responsible for your own death, for you testified against yourself when you said, 'I struck down the LORD's anointed one.'"

Then David sang a lament for Saul and his son Jonathan.

David said that all the Judeans should learn this song, the "Song of the Bow."

It is recorded in the "Book of the Upright."

Like a fallen doe, Israel,

your pride lies slain on your hills.

Alas, that your heroes should fall!

Do not announce it in Gath,

do not proclaim it in Ashkelon;

do not let the Philistine women rejoice,

let not the daughters of the uncircumcised rejoice.

Mountains of Gilboa, bear no dew,

do not hold rain on your high fields:

there lies the shield of the mighty, trampled underfoot,

the shield of Saul, stripped of power and glory.

Jonathan's bow never returned

without the blood of the slain,

without the fat of heroes;

Saul's sword never remained unsatisfied.

Saul and Jonathan, the beloved and cherished,

inseparable in life,

and inseparably bound in death.

Swifter than an eagle they were, and stronger than a lion.

O daughters of Israel, mourn for Saul!

He gave you richly embroidered scarlet to wear,

he adorned you with gold jewelry.

Alas, that the heroes had to fall in battle!

Jonathan lies slain on the hills.

Grief suffocates me, Jonathan,

you were my brother,

and my best friend.

Your love was dear to me,

more than that of women.

Alas, that the heroes had to fall,

that those weapons of Israel should be lost!

*

Psalm 25 By David.

My desire is for You, LORD,

my God, I trust in You, do not put me to shame,

do not let my enemies triumph.

Those who hope in you will not be put to shame,

but those who betray you carelessly will be put to shame.

Make me familiar with your ways, LORD,

teach me to walk in Your paths.

Show me the way of your truth and teach me,

for You are the God who saves me,

in You I will hope, every day.

Remember your mercy, Lord,

to your love throughout the ages.

Do not remember the sins of my youth,

but remember me with love, O Lord,

for the sake of your goodness.

The LORD is good and righteous:

He guides sinners,

He guides the humble in what is right,

He teaches them his ways.

Love and faithfulness are the way of the LORD

for those who keep the statutes of his covenant.

Forgive me, LORD, my great guilt,

for the sake of your name.

To those who live in reverence for him,

the LORD teaches the right way to choose.

Their lives will be prosperous

and their children will inherit the land.

The LORD is a friend to those who fear Him,

He makes them familiar with His covenant.

I keep my eyes on the LORD,

He frees my feet from the net.

Turn to me and be gracious to me,

I am alone and miserable.

My heart is full of fear,

deliver me from my distress.

See me in my distress, in my misery,

forgive me all my sins.

See how many my enemies are,

how they hate me to death.

Protect me and deliver me,

do not put me to shame, for I take refuge in You.

May innocence and sincerity preserve me,

my hope is in You.

God, deliver Israel,

deliver it from all its fears.