Study Desk

Just as I considered your life valuable today, so may the Lord consider my life valuable and rescue me from all trouble.”

So David set out with his six hundred men and went over to Achish son of Maoch, the king of Gath.

Now David said to Achish, “If I have found favor with you, let me be given a place in one of the outlying towns, so I can live there. Why should your servant live in the royal city with you?”

So Achish trusted David, thinking, “Since he has made himself repulsive to his people Israel, he will be my servant forever.”

At that time, the Philistines gathered their military units into one army to fight against Israel. So Achish said to David, “You know, of course, that you and your men must march out in the army with me.”

The Philistines gathered and camped at Shunem. So Saul gathered all Israel, and they camped at Gilboa.

Saul then said to his servants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, so I can go and consult her.”

Now please listen to your servant. Let me set some food in front of you. Eat and it will give you strength so you can go on your way.”

So Achish summoned David and told him, “As the Lord lives, you are an honorable man. I think it is good to have you fighting in this unit with me, because I have found no fault in you from the day you came to me until today. But the leaders don’t think you are reliable.

So get up early in the morning, you and your masters’ servants who came with you. When you’ve all gotten up early, go as soon as it’s light.”

So David and his men got up early in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

David said to the priest Abiathar son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought it to him,

So David and the six hundred men with him went. They came to the Wadi Besor, where some stayed behind.

So he led him, and there were the Amalekites, spread out over the entire area, eating, drinking, and celebrating because of the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and the land of Judah.

And it has been so from that day forward. David established this policy as a law and an ordinance for Israel and it still continues today.

So on that day, Saul died together with his three sons, his armor-bearer, and all his men.

When the men of Israel on the other side of the valley and on the other side of the Jordan saw that Israel’s men had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned the cities and fled. So the Philistines came and settled in them.

When he turned around and saw me, he called out to me, so I answered: I’m at your service.

So I stood over him and killed him because I knew that after he had fallen he couldn’t survive. I took the crown that was on his head and the armband that was on his arm, and I’ve brought them here to my lord.”

So David went there with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail, the widow of Nabal the Carmelite.