Study Desk

The king sat on his seat as on previous occasions, on his seat by the wall; then Jonathan stood up, and Abner [his commander] sat down by Saul's side, but David's place was empty.

But on the next day, the second day of the new moon, David's place was empty [again]; and Saul said to Jonathan his son, "Why has the son of Jesse not come to the meal, either yesterday or today?"

Jonathan answered Saul his father, "Why must he be put to death? What has he done?"

Then Saul hurled his spear at him to strike him down, so Jonathan knew [without any doubt] that his father had decided to put David to death.

Then Jonathan stood up from the table in the heat of anger, and ate no food on that second day of the new moon (month), for he grieved and worried about David because his father had dishonored him.

And he said to his boy, "Run, please find the arrows which I am about to shoot." As the boy ran, he shot an arrow past him.

And Jonathan called out after the boy, "Hurry, be quick, do not stay!" So Jonathan's boy picked up the arrow and came back to his master.

Jonathan gave his weapons to his boy and said to him, "Go, take them to the city."

As soon as the boy was gone, David got up from the south side [beside the mound of stones] and fell on his face to the ground [in submission and respect], and bowed three times. Then they kissed one another and wept together, but David wept more.

Now one of Saul's servants was there that day, detained before the LORD; his name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul's shepherds.

The servants of Achish said to him, "Is this not David the king of the land? Did they not sing in praise of this one as they danced, saying, 'Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands'?"

So [fearing for his life] he changed his behavior in their sight, and acted insanely in their hands, and he scribbled on the doors of the gate, and drooled on his beard.

Then Achish said to his servants, "Look, you see that the man is insane. Why have you brought him to me?

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

But Saul heard that David and the men who were with him had been discovered. Now Saul was in Gibeah, sitting under the tamarisk tree on the high place with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing around him.

Saul said to his servants who were standing around him, "Listen now, you Benjamites! Will the son of Jesse also give every one of you fields and vineyards? Will he make you all commanders of thousands and hundreds?

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

"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."

So David and his men went to Keilah and fought the Philistines; he drove away their cattle and struck them with a great slaughter. So David rescued the inhabitants of Keilah.

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