Study Desk

And David went from there to Mizpah of Moab; and he said to the king of Moab, "Please let my father and my mother come [out of Judah] and stay with you until I know what God will do for me."

Saul said to him, "Why have you and the son of Jesse conspired against me, in that you have given him bread and a sword and have inquired of God for him, so he would rebel against me by lying in ambush, as he does this day?"

"Did I just begin to inquire of God for him today? Far be it from me! Do not let the king impute any guilt to his servant or to any of the household of my father, for your servant knows nothing at all about this entire matter."

Now when Saul was informed that David had come to Keilah, Saul said, "God has handed him over to me, for he shut himself in by entering a city that has double gates and bars."

Then David said, "O LORD, the God of Israel, Your servant has heard for certain that Saul intends to come to Keilah, to destroy the city on my account.

"Will the men of Keilah hand me over to him? Will Saul come down just as Your servant has heard? O LORD, God of Israel, I pray, tell Your servant." And the LORD said, "He will come down."

David stayed in the wilderness in strongholds, in the hill country of the Wilderness of Ziph. Saul searched for him every day, but God did not hand David over to him.

And Jonathan, Saul's son, arose and went [into the woods] to David at Horesh, and encouraged him in God.

"May God do so to the enemies of David, and more also, if by morning I leave [alive] even one male of any who belong to him."

"Should anyone rise up to pursue you and to seek your life, then the life of my lord will be bound in the [precious] bundle of the living with the LORD your God; but the lives of your enemies—those He will hurl out as from the center of a sling.

David said to Abigail, "Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who sent you to meet me this day.

"Nevertheless, as the LORD the God of Israel lives, who has prevented me from harming you, if you had not come quickly to meet me, most certainly by the morning light there would not have been left to Nabal so much as one male."

Then Abishai said to David, "God has given your enemy into your hand this day; now then, please let me strike him with the spear driving it to the ground with one stroke, and I will not strike him the second time."

So Saul inquired of the LORD, but the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim [used like lots by the priest to determine the will of God] or by prophets.

Then Samuel said to Saul, "Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?" Saul answered, "I am greatly distressed; for the Philistines are making war against me, and God has left me and no longer answers me, either through prophets or by dreams; therefore I have called you to make known to me what I should do."

Achish answered David, "I know that you are blameless in my sight, like an angel of God; nevertheless the commanders of the Philistines have said, 'He must not go up with us to the battle.'

Further, David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, for all of them were embittered, each man for his sons and daughters. But David felt strengthened and encouraged in the LORD his God.

Then David said to him, "Will you take me down to this band [of raiders]?" And he said, "Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or turn me over to the hand of my master, and I will bring you down to this band."

Joab said, "As God lives, if you had not spoken, then the people certainly would have stopped pursuing their brothers in the morning."

"May God do so to Abner, and more also, if I do not do for David just as the LORD has sworn to him,