Study Desk

So Jonathan cut a covenant with the house of David, saying, "May Yahweh require it at the hands of David's enemies."

So David hid in the field; and when the new moon came, the king sat down to eat food.

Now it happened the next day, the second day of the new moon, that David's place was missing; so Saul said to Jonathan his son, "Why has the son of Jesse not come to the meal, either yesterday or today?"

and he said, ‘Please send me on my way, since our family has a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to attend. So now, if I have found favor in your sight, please let me get away that I may see my brothers.' For this reason he has not come to the king's table."

For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. So now, send and bring him to me, for he must surely die."

Then Saul hurled his spear at him to strike him down; so Jonathan knew that his father had decided to put David to death.

So now, what do you have on hand? Give five loaves of bread into my hand, or whatever can be found."

So the priest gave him consecrated bread; for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence which was removed from before Yahweh, in order to put hot bread in its place when it was taken away.

So he disguised his sanity in their sight and acted insanely in their hands and scribbled on the doors of the gate and let his saliva run down into his beard.

So David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam; and his brothers and all his father's household heard of it and went down there to him.

And the prophet Gad said to David, "Do not stay in the fortress; go, and enter into the land of Judah." So David went and entered into the forest of Hereth.

For all of you have conspired against me so that there is no one who reveals in my ear when my son cuts a covenant with the son of Jesse, and there is none of you who is sorry for me or reveals in my ear that my son has caused my servant to rise up against me to lie in ambush, as it is this day."

Saul then 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 asked of God on his behalf, so that he would rise up against me by lying in ambush as it is this day?"

So he struck Nob the city of the priests with the edge of the sword, both men and women, infants and nursing babies; also oxen, donkeys, and sheep he struck with the edge of the sword.

So David asked of Yahweh, saying, "Shall I go and strike these Philistines?" And Yahweh said to David, "Go and strike the Philistines and save Keilah."

So David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines; and he led away their livestock and struck them with a great slaughter. Thus David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.

Then it was told to Saul that David had come to Keilah, so Saul said, "God has delivered him into my hand, for he shut himself in by entering a city with double gates and bars."

But David knew that Saul was plotting evil against him; so he said to Abiathar the priest, "Bring the ephod here."

Then David and his men, about six hundred, arose and departed from Keilah, and they went wherever they could go. Now it was told to Saul that David had escaped from Keilah, so he ceased going out in pursuit.

So Jonathan, Saul's son, arose and went to David at Horesh and strengthened his hand in God.