Study Desk

Why dost thou boast thyself of wickedness, O mighty man? The lovingkindness of GOD, lasteth all the day.

Engulfing ruin, doth thy tongue devise, Like a whetted razor, working deceit;

Thou lovest Evil more than good, Falsehood, more than speaking righteousness. Selah.

Thou lovest all devouring words, O deceitful tongue!

GOD also, will break thee down utterly, He will snatch thee up and tear thee away tentless, And uproot thee, out of the land of the living. Selah.

The righteous shall both see and fear, And, over him, shall laugh:

Lo! the man who made not God his refuge, - But trusted in the abundance of his riches, Emboldened himself in his wealth!

But, I, am like a flourishing olive-tree, in the house of God, I have put confidence in the lovingkindness of God, for times age-abiding and beyond.

I will praise thee to times age-abiding, Because thou didst effectually work, - And I will wait on thy Name, Because it is good, In the presence of thy men of lovingkindness.

And, when Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men that were with him - Saul, being seated in Gibeah under the tamarisk-tree in Ramah, with his spear in his hand, and all his servants stationed by him, -

then said Saul unto his servants who were stationed by him - Hear, I pray you, ye Benjamites! What! even to all of you, will the son of Jesse give fields and vineyards? All of you, will he appoint to be princes of thousands, and princes of hundreds?

That ye have conspired, all of you, against me, and there is none to uncover mine ear as to the covenanting of my son with the son of Jesse? And none from among you that taketh pity upon me, and that uncovereth mine ear to this , - that, mine own son, hath stirred up, my servants, against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?

Then answered Doeg the Edomite - he, being stationed near the servants of Saul - and said, - I saw the son of Jesse coming into Nob, unto Ahimelech son of Ahitub;

Then enquired he for him of Yahweh, Provisions also, gave he unto him, - and, the sword of Goliath the Philistine, gave he unto him.

Then the king sent to call Ahimelech, son of Ahitub, the priest, and all the house of his father - the priests, who were in Nob, - and they came, all of them, unto the king.

And Saul said, Hear, I pray thee, thou son of Ahitub! And he said - Behold me! my lord.

And Saul said unto him, Wherefore have ye conspired against me, thou, and the son of Jesse, - in that thou gavest him bread and a sword, and didst enquire for him of God, that he might rise up against me, that he might lie in wait, as at this day?

Then Ahimelech answered the king, and said, - But who, among all thy servants, like David, is, faithful, being son-in-law to the king, and, cometh near to have audience with thee, and is, honoured in thy household?

Did I, that day, begin to enquire for him of God? Far from me! Let not the king impute to his servant such a thing, nor to any of the household of my father, for thy servant knoweth nothing of all this, less or more.

And the king said: Thou shalt, die, Ahimelech, - thou and all the household of thy father.

And the king said unto the runners that were stationed by him - Turn ye round and put to death the priests of Yahweh, because, their hand also, is with David, and because they knew that he was, in flight, and unveiled not mine ear. But the servants of the king were not willing to thrust forth their hand, to fall upon the priests of Yahweh.

Then said the king to Doeg, Turn, thou, and fall upon the priests. So Doeg the Edomite turned, and, himself, fell upon the priests, and put to death, that day, four score and five men bearing an ephod of linen;

Nob also, 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.

But there escaped one son of Ahimelech, son of Ahitub, whose, name, was Abiathar, - and he fled after David.

So Abiathar told David, - that Saul had slain the priests of Yahweh.

Then said David to Abiathar - I knew, that day, when Doeg the Edomite was, there, that he would, surely tell, Saul. I, am chargeable with all the lives of the house of thy father.

Abide with me! do not fear, for, whoso seeketh my life, seeketh thy life, - for, in safeguard, shall thou be, with me.