Study Desk

And then on the next day, the second day of the new moon, that David's place was empty. So Saul asked Jonathan his son, "Why did the son of Jesse not come either yesterday or today to the feast?"

But Jonathan answered his father Saul and said to him, "Why should he be put to death? What has he done?"

Then Saul hurled his spear at him to kill him. So Jonathan knew that his father had decided to kill David.

Jonathan got up from the table enraged, and did not eat on the second day of the new moon because he was upset about David, because his father had disgraced him.

He said to his servant, "Run, please find the arrows that I am shooting!" The boy ran, and he shot the arrow to pass over him.

Then Jonathan called out after the boy, "Quick, hurry, do not linger!" And Jonathan's servant collected the arrows and came to his master.

Jonathan gave his weapons to his servant and said to him, "Go, bring them to the city."

The boy left, and then David got up from the south side, and he fell on his face to the ground and bowed three times. And they kissed each other and wept together, but David wept the most.

The servants of Achish said to him, "Is not this David the king of the land? Is it not for this one that they sang in the dances, saying, ‘Saul killed his thousands, but David his ten thousands?'"

So he changed his behavior before them and pretended to be mad in their presence. He made scratches on the doors of the gate and let his saliva run down into his beard.

Then Achish said to his servants, "Look, you see a madman! Why did you bring him to me?

David went from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and all his father's household heard, they came down to him there.

Now Saul heard that David and the men who were with him had been located. Saul was sitting at Gibeah under the tamarisk tree at Ramah. Now his spear was in his hand and all his servants were stationed around him.

So the king sent to summon Ahimelech the son of Ahitub the priest, and all his father's household, the priests who were at Nob. So all of them came to the king.

Only today I began to inquire of God for him. Far be it from me that the king should impute anything against his servant or against my father's household, for your servant has not known any of this matter, little or much."

So David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines. They drove off their livestock and dealt them a heavy blow. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.

Now when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David at Keilah, he went down with an ephod in his hand.

Saul then summoned all of the army for the battle, to go down to Keilah to lay a siege against David and his men.

Will the rulers of Keilah deliver me into his hand? Will Saul come down as your servant has heard? O Yahweh, God of Israel, please tell your servant!" And Yahweh said, "He will come down."

So David and his men got up, about six hundred men, and went out from Keilah and wandered wherever they could go. When it was told to Saul that David had escaped from Keilah, he stopped his pursuit.