Study Desk

And Akhish believed him; he said, "David has caused his own people Isra'el to despise him utterly; he will be my servant forever."

Now Sh'mu'el was dead; all Isra'el had mourned him and buried him in his city, Ramah. Also Sha'ul had expelled from the land those who tell the future by communicating with the dead or with a demonic spirit.

When Sha'ul saw the army of the P'lishtim, he became afraid — it struck terror in his heart.

Then Sha'ul said to his servants, "Try to find a woman who tells the future by communicating with the dead; I want to go and consult with her." His servants answered him, "Yes, there's a woman in ‘Ein-Dor who tells the future by communicating with the dead."

He asked her, "What does he look like?" She said, "An old man is coming up; he's wearing a cloak." Sha'ul realized it was Sh'mu'el, so he bowed with his face to the ground and prostrated himself.

because you didn't obey what Adonai said and execute his furious anger toward ‘Amalek. That's why Adonai is doing this to you today.

But he refused and said, "I won't eat." Then his servants, together with the woman, urged him; and he heeded what they said. He got up off the ground and sat on the bed.

She served it to Sha'ul and his servants, and they ate. Afterwards, they got up; and they went away that night.

The leaders of the P'lishtim were passing by with their hundreds and thousands; David and his men were bringing up the rear with Akhish.

But the chiefs of the P'lishtim became angry and said to him, "Have the man return and go back to the place you set aside for him. Don't let him go into battle with us, because on the battlefield he might become our enemy. What better way could there be for him to get reconciled with his lord than by [cutting off] the heads of our men?

This is David! They used to dance and sing about him, ‘Sha'ul has killed his thousands, but David his tens of thousands'!"

David got up early in the morning, he and his men, to leave and go back into the land of the P'lishtim; while the P'lishtim continued up to Yizre‘el.

Three days later, when David and his men arrived in Ziklag, they found that the ‘Amaleki had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had sacked Ziklag and burned it down;

So when David and his men arrived at the city, there it was, burned down, with their wives, sons and daughters taken captive.

David was in serious trouble: the people were talking about stoning him to death, because all the people were in such deep grief, each man over his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in Adonai his God.

David recovered all that the ‘Amaleki had taken; he also rescued his two wives.

But some of the men who had gone with David were evil men, scoundrels; and they said, "They didn't go with us, so we're not giving them any of the property we've recovered. Each man can take his wife and children and leave."

When David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the spoil to the leaders of Y'hudah who were his friends with a note, "Here is a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of Adonai ."

to those in Hevron, and to all the places where David and his men had frequently visited.

The P'lishtim pursued and overtook Sha'ul and his sons; and the P'lishtim killed Y'honatan, Avinadav and Malkishua, the sons of Sha'ul.