Study Desk

The Philistines^(a) brought all their military units together at Aphek^(b) while Israel was camped by the spring in Jezreel.^(c)

As the Philistine leaders were passing in review with their units of hundreds and thousands, David and his men^(d) were passing in review behind them with Achish.

Then the Philistine commanders asked, "What are these Hebrews doing here?" Achish answered the Philistine commanders, "That is David, servant of King Saul of Israel. He has been with me a considerable period of time.^[a] From the day he defected until today, I've found no fault with him."^(e)

The Philistine commanders, however, were enraged with Achish and told him, "Send that man back and let him return to the place you assigned him.^(f) He must not go down with us into battle only to become our adversary during the battle.^(g) What better way could he regain his master's favor than with the heads of our men?

Isn't this the David they sing about during their dances: Saul has killed his thousands, but David his tens of thousands?"^(h)

So Achish summoned David and told him, "As the Lord lives, you are an honorable man. I think it is good^[b] to have you working^[c] with me in the camp, because I have found no fault in you from the day you came to me until today.⁽ⁱ⁾ But the leaders don't think you are reliable.

Now go back quietly and you won't be doing anything the Philistine leaders think is wrong."

"But what have I done?"^(j) David replied to Achish. "From the first day I was with you until today, what have you found against your servant to keep me from going along to fight against the enemies of my lord the king?"

Achish answered David, "I'm convinced that you are as reliable as the Angel of God.^(k) But the Philistine commanders have said, ‘He must not go into battle with us.'^(l)

So get up early in the morning, you and your masters' servants who came with you.^[d](m) 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 and his men^(a) arrived in Ziklag^(b) on the third day. The Amalekites^(c) had raided the Negev and attacked and burned down Ziklag.

They also had kidnapped the women and everyone^[a] in it from the youngest to the oldest. They had killed no one but had carried them off^(d) as they went on their way.

When David and his men arrived at the town, they found it burned down. Their wives, sons, and daughters had been kidnapped.

David and the troops with him wept loudly until they had no strength left to weep.

David's two wives,^(e) Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, had also been kidnapped.

David was in a difficult position because the troops talked about stoning him,^(f) for they were all very bitter over the loss of their sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God.^(g)

David said to Abiathar the priest, son of Ahimelech, "Bring me the ephod."^(h) So Abiathar brought it to him,

and David asked the Lord :⁽ⁱ⁾ "Should I pursue these raiders? Will I overtake them?"^(j) The Lord replied to him, "Pursue them, for you will certainly overtake them and rescue the people."^(k)

David and the 600 men with him^(l) went as far as the Wadi Besor, where 200 men who were to remain behind would stop.^(m)

They stopped because they were too exhausted to cross the Wadi Besor. David and 400 of the men continued in pursuit.

They found an Egyptian in the open country and brought him to David. They gave him some bread to eat and water to drink.

Then they gave him some pressed figs and two clusters of raisins. After he ate he revived,⁽ⁿ⁾ for he hadn't eaten food or drunk water for three days and three nights.

Then David said to him, "Who do you belong to? Where are you from?" "I'm an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite man," he said. "My master abandoned me when I got sick three days ago.

We raided the south country of the Cherethites,^(o) the territory of Judah, and the south country of Caleb,^(p) and we burned down Ziklag."^(q)

David then asked him, "Will you lead me to these raiders?" He said, "Swear to me by God that you won't kill me or turn me over to my master, and I will lead you to them."

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^(r) they had taken from the land of the Philistines and the land of Judah.

David slaughtered them from twilight until the evening of the next day.^(s) None of them escaped, except 400 young men who got on camels and fled.^(t)

David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken; he also rescued his two wives.

Nothing of theirs was missing from the youngest to the oldest, including the sons and daughters, of all the plunder the Amalekites had taken. David got everything back.^(u)

He took all the sheep and cattle, which were driven ahead of the other livestock, and the people shouted, "This is David's plunder!"^(v)

When David came to the 200 men who had been too exhausted to go with him and had been left at the Wadi Besor,^(w) they came out to meet him and to meet the troops with him. When David approached the men, he greeted them,

but all the corrupt and worthless men among those who had gone with David argued, "Because they didn't go with us, we will not give any of the plunder we recovered to them except for each man's wife and children. They may take them and go."

But David said, "My brothers, you must not do this with what the Lord has given us. He protected us and handed over to us the raiders who came against us.

Who can agree to your proposal? The share of the one who goes into battle is to be the same as the share of the one who remains with the supplies. They will share equally."^(x)

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

When David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to his friends, the elders of Judah, saying, "Here is a gift for you^(y) from the plunder of the Lord 's enemies."^(z)

He sent gifts to those in Bethel,^(aa) in Ramoth of the Negev,^(ab) and in Jattir;^(ac)

to those in Aroer,^(ad) in Siphmoth,^(ae) and in Eshtemoa;^(af)

to those in Racal, in the towns of the Jerahmeelites,^(ag) and in the towns of the Kenites;^(ah)

to those in Hormah,^(ai) in Bor-ashan,^(aj) and in Athach;

to those in Hebron,^(ak) and to those in all the places where David and his men had roamed.^(al)

The Philistines fought against Israel,^(a) and Israel's men fled from them. Many were killed on Mount Gilboa.^(b)

The Philistines overtook Saul and his sons and killed his sons, Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua.

When the battle intensified against Saul,^(c) the archers caught up with him and severely wounded him.^[a]

Then Saul said to his armor-bearer,^(d) "Draw your sword and run me through with it, or these uncircumcised men^(e) will come and run me through and torture me." But his armor-bearer would not do it because he was terrified. Then Saul took his sword and fell on it.^(f)

When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his own sword and died with him.

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 run away and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned the cities and fled. So the Philistines came and settled in them.

The next day when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his three sons dead on Mount Gilboa.

They cut off Saul's head, stripped off his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to spread the good news^(g) in the temples of their idols^(h) and among the people.

Then they put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths⁽ⁱ⁾ and hung his body^(j) on the wall of Beth-shan.^(k)

When the residents of Jabesh-gilead^(l) heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,

all their brave men^(m) set out, journeyed all night, and retrieved the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan. When they arrived at Jabesh, they burned the bodies there.⁽ⁿ⁾

Afterward, they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree^(o) in Jabesh^(p) and fasted seven days.