but David's place was empty. Nevertheless Saul spake not any thing that day: for he thought, Something hath befallen him, he is not clean; surely he is not clean. And it came to pass on the morrow after the new moon, which was the second 90 day, that David's place was empty and Saul said unto Jonathan his son, Wherefore cometh not the son of Jesse to meat, neither yesterday, nor to-day? And Jonathan answered Saul, David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Beth-lehem: and he said, Let me go, I pray thee; for our family hath a sacrifice in the 95 city; and my brother, he hath commanded me to be there: and now, if I have found favour in thine eyes, let me get away, I pray thee, and see my brethren. Therefore he is not come unto the king's table. Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him, Thou son of a perverse rebellious 100 woman, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own shame, and unto the shame of thy mother? For as long as the son of Jesse liveth upon the ground, thou shalt not be stablished, nor thy kingdom. Wherefore now send and fetch him unto me, for he shall surely die. And Jonathan 105 answered Saul his father, and said unto him, Wherefore should he be put to death? what hath he done? And Saul cast his spear at him to smite him: whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to put David to death. So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and did eat no meat the 110 second day of the month: for he was grieved because his father had done him shame. 35 And it came to pass in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad with him. And he said unto his lad, Run, find now the 115 arrows which I shoot. And as the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. And when the lad was come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the lad, and said, Is not the arrow beyond thee? And Jonathan cried after the lad, Make speed, haste, stay not. gathered up the arrows, and came to his master. But the lad knew not any thing: only Jonathan and David knew the matter. And Jonathan's lad 120 LESSON XLVI DAVID AND SAUL David escapes to Nob, and thence to Adullam. Saul slaughters the priests of Nob, and pursues David into the wilderness of Ziph. 1 SAMUEL XXI. 1-XXIII. 18 and 21 1 Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest Ahimelech came to meet David trembling, and said unto him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee? And David said unto Ahimelech the priest, The king hath commanded me a 5 business, and hath said unto me, Let no man know any thing of the business whereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee and I have appointed the young men to such and such a place. Now therefore what is under thine hand? give me five loaves of bread in mine hand, or whatsoever there is present. 10 And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under mine hand, but there is holy bread. And David answered the priest, and said unto him, When I came out, the vessels of the young men were holy; how much more then to-day shall their vessels be holy? So the priest gave him 15 holy bread for there was no bread there but the shewbread, that was taken from before the LORD, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away. Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the LORD; and his name was Doeg the Edomite, the chiefest of the herdmen 20 that belonged to Saul. And David said unto Ahimelech, And is there not here under thine hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste. And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the vale of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: 25 if thou wilt take that, take it for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none like that; give it me. cave 22 1 David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the 1 of Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father's house heard it, they went down thither to him. And every 30 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 captain over them and there were with him about four hundred men. : 3 And David went thence to Mizpeh of Moab and he said 35 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. And he brought them before the king of Moab : and they dwelt with him all the while that David was in the hold. And the prophet Gad said unto David, Abide not in 40 the hold, depart, and get thee into the land of Judah. Then David departed, and came into the forest of Hereth. 6 And Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men that were with him now Saul was sitting in Gibeah, under the tamarisk tree in Ramah,3 with his spear in his hand, and all 45 his servants were standing about him. And 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, will he make you all captains of thousands and captains of hundreds ; that all of you have conspired against me, and there is none 50 that discloseth to me when my son maketh a league with the son of Jesse, and there is none of you that is sorry for me, or discloseth unto me that my son hath stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day? Then answered Doeg the Edomite, which stood by the servants of Saul, and 55 4 1 For the cave read the hold. 2 For in the hold read in Mizpeh. 3 For in Ramah read on the height (R). said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. And he inquired of the LORD for him, and gave him victuals, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine. Then the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the 60 son of Ahitub, and all his father's house, the priests that were in Nob and they came all of them to the king. And Saul said, Hear now, thou son of Ahitub. And he answered, Here I am, my lord. And Saul said unto him, Why have ye conspired against me, thou and the son of Jesse, in that thou hast given him 65 bread, and a sword, and hast inquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait,1 as at this day? Then Ahimelech answered the king, and said, And who among all thy servants is so faithful as David, which is the king's son in law, and is taken into thy council,2 and is honourable in thine 70 house? Have I to-day begun 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 knoweth nothing of all this, less or more. And the king said, Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all thy father's 75 house. And the king said unto the guard that stood about him, Turn, and slay the priests of the LORD; because their hand also is with David, and because they knew that he fled, and did not disclose it to me. But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the LORD. 80 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 he slew on that day fourscore and five persons that did wear a linen ephod. And Nob, the city of the priests, smote he with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and 85 sucklings, and oxen and asses and sheep, with the edge of the sword. And one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped, and fled after David. And Abiathar told David that Saul had slain the LORD's priests. And David said unto Abiathar, I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite 1 For to lie in wait read as an enemy (S). 2 For is taken . . . council read is captain of thy bodyguard. was there, that he would surely tell Saul: I have occasioned 90 the death of all the persons of thy father's house. Abide thou with me, fear not; for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life 1 : for with me thou shalt be in safeguard. 23 1 And they told David, saying, Behold, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah, and they rob the threshing-floors. 95 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. And David's men said unto him, Behold, we be afraid here in Judah: how much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines? 100 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. And David and his men went to Keilah, and fought with the Philistines, and brought away their cattle, and slew them with a great slaughter. So 105 David saved the inhabitants of Keilah. 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. And Saul summoned all the people to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David 110 and his men. And David knew that Saul devised mischief against him; and he said to Abiathar the priest, Bring hither the ephod. Then said David, O LORD, the God of Israel, thy servant hath surely heard that Saul seeketh to come to Keilah, to destroy the city for my sake. Will Saul come down, as thy 115 servant hath heard? O LORD, the God of Israel, I beseech thee, tell thy servant. And the LORD said, He will come down. Then said David, Will the men of Keilah deliver up me and my men into the hand of Saul? And the LORD said, They will deliver thee up. Then David and his men, which were about 120 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. 14 And David abode in the wilderness in the strong holds, 1 For he that.. life read he that seeketh thy life seeketh |