1 Samuel

¹When Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, 'David is in the desert of En Gedi.'

²So Saul took three thousand of Israel's best men and went to search for David and his men near the Crags of the Wild Goats.

³He came to the sheep pens along the road, where there was a cave. Saul went inside to relieve himself. Now David and his men were hiding deep in the same cave.

⁴David's men urged him, 'This is the moment the LORD told you about — he said, I will give your enemy into your hands and you can do to him what you wish.' Then David crept up quietly and cut off a corner of Saul's robe.

⁵Afterward David felt guilty for having cut off the corner of Saul's robe.

⁶He said to his men, 'May the LORD forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the LORD's anointed. I must not lift my hand against him, because he is the LORD's anointed.'

⁷With these words David restrained his men and would not allow them to attack Saul. Saul left the cave and went on his way.

⁸David came out of the cave and called out to Saul, 'My lord the king!' Saul turned to look, and David bowed with his face to the ground in respect.

⁹David said to Saul, 'Why do you listen when people tell you David is trying to harm you?'

¹⁰'Look at what happened just now — this very day you can see with your own eyes that the LORD gave you into my hands in the cave. Someone urged me to kill you, but I spared you. I said: I will not raise my hand against my lord, because he is the LORD's anointed.'

¹¹'My father, look at this piece of your robe in my hand. I cut it off, but I did not kill you. From this you can see that I am not plotting harm against you. I have not sinned against you, though you hunt me down to take my life.'

¹²'May the LORD judge between us. May the LORD avenge the wrong you have done to me, but I will not lay a hand on you.'

¹³'As the old saying goes, Evil comes from those who are evil. I will never touch you.'

¹⁴'Who are you chasing, king of Israel? You are hunting a dead dog — a single flea!'

¹⁵'May the LORD be the judge and decide between us. May he see my case and defend me, and free me from your hand.'

¹⁶When David finished speaking, Saul called out, 'Is that your voice, David my son?' And he wept aloud.

¹⁷'You are a better man than I am,' Saul said, 'for you have treated me well, but I have treated you badly.'

¹⁸'You have shown me today how good you are, because when the LORD put me in your power, you did not kill me.'

¹⁹'When a person finds his enemy, does he let him get away safely? May the LORD reward you generously for what you have done for me today.'

²⁰'I know now that you will certainly become king, and that the kingdom of Israel will be firmly established under you.'

²¹'Swear to me by the LORD that you will not kill off my descendants or destroy my name from my father's family.'

²²David made that oath to Saul. Then Saul went home, and David and his men went back to their stronghold.