1 Samuel 28; 1 Samuel 29; 1 Samuel 30; 1 Samuel 31; Psalms 18

1 At that time the Philistines had gathered their army to fight against Israel. Then Achish said to David, "You need to know that you and your men will be going with me into battle."

2 "Very well," David responded to Achish, "you will then know what I can do." "Very well," Achish told David, "I will make you my bodyguard for life."

3 Meanwhile, Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in his hometown Ramah. (Saul had rid the land of mediums and psychics.)

4 The Philistines assembled and camped in Shunem. Saul also assembled the whole Israelite army, and they camped at Gilboa.

5 When Saul looked at the Philistine army, he was very afraid--terrified.

6 He prayed to the LORD, but the LORD didn't answer him through dreams, the Urim, or prophets.

7 Saul told his officers, "Find me a woman who conjures up the dead. Then I'll go to her and ask for her services." His officers told him, "There is a woman at Endor who conjures up the dead."

8 After disguising himself by putting on other clothes, Saul left with two men and came to the woman that night. He said to her, "Please consult with a dead person for me. Conjure up the person I request."

9 The woman told him, "You know that Saul rid the land of mediums and psychics. Why are you trying to trap me and have me killed?"

10 But Saul took an oath in the LORD's name, "I solemnly swear, as the LORD lives, you will not be harmed if you do this."

11 "Whom should I conjure up for you?" the woman asked. "Conjure up Samuel for me," he answered.

12 When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out loudly and asked, "Why did you deceive me? You're Saul!"

13 "Don't be afraid," the king said to her. "What do you see?" "I see a god rising from the ground," the woman answered.

14 "In what form?" he asked her. She answered, "An old man is coming up, and he's wearing a robe." Then Saul knew it was Samuel. Saul knelt down with his face touching the ground.

15 Samuel asked Saul, "Why did you disturb me by conjuring me up?" Saul answered, "I'm in serious trouble. The Philistines are at war with me, and God has turned against me and doesn't answer me anymore--either by the prophets or in dreams. So I've called on you to tell me what to do."

16 Samuel said, "Why are you asking me when the LORD has turned against you and become your enemy?

17 The LORD has done to you [exactly] what he spoke through me: The LORD has torn the kingship out of your hands and given it to your fellow Israelite David.

18 The LORD is doing this to you today because you didn't listen to him or unleash his burning anger on Amalek.

19 For the same reasons the LORD will hand you and Israel over to the Philistines. Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. And then the LORD will hand Israel's army over to the Philistines."

20 Immediately, Saul fell flat on the ground. He was frightened by Samuel's words. He also had no strength left, because he hadn't eaten anything all day or all night.

21 The woman came over to Saul and saw that he was terrified. "I listened to you," she told him, "and I took my life in my hands when I did what you told me to do.

22 Now please listen to me. I will serve you something to eat. Eat it so that you will have strength when you leave."

23 But he refused. "I don't want to eat," he said. Nevertheless, his officers and the woman kept urging him until he listened to them. So he got up from the ground and sat on the bed.

24 The woman immediately butchered a fattened calf that she owned. She took flour, kneaded it, and baked some unleavened bread.

25 Then she served it to Saul and his officers. They ate and left that [same] night.

1 The Philistines assembled their whole army at Aphek, and Israel camped at the spring in Jezreel.

2 The Philistine leaders were marching by with their companies and regiments. David and his men were marching in the rear with Achish.

3 The Philistine officers asked, "What are these Hebrews doing here?" Achish asked the Philistine officers, "Isn't this David, the servant of King Saul of Israel, who has been with me now for a year or two? I've found nothing wrong with him from the day he defected until now."

4 But the Philistine officers were angry with Achish. "Send the man back," the Philistine officers told him. "Return him to the place you assigned him. He shouldn't go with us into battle. He shouldn't [be allowed to] become our enemy during the battle. Is this man going to try to regain his master's favor? He'll do it with the lives of our men!

5 Isn't this David of whom people sing in dances: 'Saul has defeated thousands but David tens of thousands'?"

6 Then Achish called David and told him, "I solemnly swear, as the LORD lives, you are a dependable man. I consider your campaigning with me a good thing, because I've never found anything wrong with you from the day you came to me until now. But the rulers don't approve of you.

7 So leave peacefully without doing anything to displease the Philistine rulers."

8 "What have I done?" David asked Achish. "What have you learned about me from the time I came to you until now? Why shouldn't I fight your enemies, Your Majesty?"

9 Achish answered David, "I admit that in my judgment you're as good as God's Messenger. However, the Philistine officers said, 'He shouldn't go into battle with us.'

10 Get up early in the morning with Saul's servants who came with you, and go to the place I have assigned to you. Don't worry about the unkind words, because I still approve of you. Get up in the morning, and leave when it's light."

11 Early the next morning David and his men returned to Philistine territory, while the Philistines went to Jezreel.

1 Two days later, when David and his men came to Ziklag, the Amalekites had raided the Negev, including Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned it.

2 Although they captured the young and old women who were there, they killed no one. Instead, they had taken [the women and other prisoners] and gone away.

3 By the time David and his men came to the town, it had been burned down, and their wives, sons, and daughters had been taken captive.

4 Then David and his men cried loudly until they didn't have the strength to cry anymore.

5 The Amalekites also captured David's two wives, Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail (who had been Nabal's wife) from Carmel.

6 David was in great distress because the people in their bitterness said he should be stoned. (They were thinking of their sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God.)

7 David told the priest Abiathar, Ahimelech's son, "Please bring me the priestly ephod." So Abiathar brought David the ephod.

8 Then David asked the LORD, "Should I pursue these troops? Will I catch up with them?" "Pursue them," the LORD told him. "You will certainly catch up with them and rescue the captives."

9 So David and his 600 men went to the Besor Valley, where some were left behind.

10 David and 400 men went in pursuit, while 200 men who were too exhausted to cross the Besor Valley stayed behind.

11 David's men found an Egyptian in the open country and took him to David. They gave him food to eat and water to drink.

12 They gave him a slice of fig cake and two bunches of raisins. After he had eaten, he revived. (He hadn't eaten any food or drunk any water for three whole days.)

13 David asked him, "To whom do you belong? Where do you come from?" "I'm an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite," the young man answered. "My master left me behind because I got sick three days ago.

14 We raided the portion of the Negev where the Cherethites live, the territory of Judah, the portion of the Negev where Caleb settled, and we burned down Ziklag."

15 "Will you lead me to these troops?" David asked him. He answered, "Take an oath in front of God that you won't kill me or hand me over to my master, and I'll lead you to these troops."

16 The Egyptian led him [to them]. They were spread out all over the land, eating, and drinking. They were celebrating because they had taken so much loot from Philistine territory and from the land of Judah.

17 From dawn until evening the next day, David attacked them. No one escaped except 400 young men who rode away on camels.

18 David rescued everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives.

19 Nothing was missing--young or old, sons or daughters, the loot or anything else they had taken with them. David brought back everything.

20 He took all the sheep and the cattle. His men drove the animals ahead of him and said, "This is David's loot."

21 David came to the 200 men who had been too exhausted to go with him and had stayed in the Besor Valley. They came to meet David and the people with him. As David approached the men, he greeted them.

22 Then every wicked and worthless man who had gone with David said, "Since they didn't go with us, they shouldn't be given any of the loot we recovered. Each of them should take only his wife and children and leave."

23 But David said, "My brothers, don't do that with the things which the LORD has given us. He has protected us and handed the troops that attacked us over to us.

24 Besides, who is going to pay attention to what you have to say in this matter? Certainly, the share of those who go into battle must be like the share of those who stay with the supplies. They will all share alike."

25 From that time on he made this a rule and a custom in Israel as it is to this day.

26 When David came to Ziklag, he sent part of the loot to his friends, the leaders of Judah. He said, "Here is a gift for you from the loot [taken from] the LORD's enemies."

27 There were shares for those in Bethel, Ramoth in the Negev, Jattir,

28 Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa,

29 Racal, the cities belonging to the Jerahmeelites, the cities belonging to the Kenites,

30 Hormah, Borashan, Athach,

31 Hebron, and to all the places David and his men visited from time to time.

1 When the Philistines were fighting against Israel, the men of Israel fled from the Philistines and were killed in battle on Mount Gilboa.

2 The Philistines caught up to Saul and his sons. They killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul's sons.

3 The heaviest fighting was against Saul. When the archers got him in their range, he was badly wounded by them.

4 Saul told his armorbearer, "Draw your sword! Stab me, or these godless men will come, stab me, and make fun of me." But his armorbearer refused because he was terrified. So Saul took the sword and fell on it.

5 When the armorbearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword and died with him.

6 So Saul, his three sons, his armorbearer, and all his men died together that day.

7 When the people of Israel on the other side of the valley and across the Jordan River saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities. So the Philistines came to live in these cities.

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

9 They cut off his head and stripped off his armor. Then they sent men throughout Philistine territory to tell the people this good news in their idols' temples.

10 They put his armor in the temple of their goddesses--the Asherahs--and fastened his corpse to the wall of Beth Shan.

11 When the people living in Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,

12 all the fighting men marched all night and took the dead bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth Shan. They came back to Jabesh and burned the bodies there.

13 They took the bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh. Then they fasted seven days.

1 I love you, O LORD, my strength.

2 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my Savior, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the strength of my salvation, my stronghold.

3 The LORD should be praised. I called on him, and I was saved from my enemies.

4 The ropes of death had become tangled around me. The torrents of destruction had overwhelmed me.

5 The ropes of the grave had surrounded me. The clutches of death had confronted me.

6 I called on the LORD in my distress. I cried to my God for help. He heard my voice from his temple, and my cry for help reached his ears.

7 Then the earth shook and quaked. Even the foundations of the mountains trembled. They shook violently because he was angry.

8 Smoke went up from his nostrils, and a raging fire came out of his mouth. Glowing coals flared up from it.

9 He spread apart the heavens and came down with a dark cloud under his feet.

10 He rode on one of the angels as he flew, and he soared on the wings of the wind.

11 He made the darkness his hiding place, the dark rain clouds his covering.

12 Out of the brightness in front of him, those rain clouds passed by with hailstones and lightning.

13 The LORD thundered in the heavens. The Most High made his voice heard with hailstones and lightning.

14 He shot his arrows and scattered them. He flashed streaks of lightning and threw them into confusion.

15 Then the ocean floor could be seen. The foundations of the earth were laid bare at your stern warning, O LORD, at the blast of the breath from your nostrils.

16 He reached down from high above and took hold of me. He pulled me out of the raging water.

17 He rescued me from my strong enemy and from those who hated me, because they were too strong for me.

18 On the day when I faced disaster, they confronted me, but the LORD came to my defense.

19 He brought me out to a wide-open place. He rescued me because he was pleased with me.

20 The LORD rewarded me because of my righteousness, because my hands are clean. He paid me back

21 because I have kept the ways of the LORD and I have not wickedly turned away from my God,

22 because all his judgments are in front of me and I have not turned away from his laws.

23 I was innocent as far as he was concerned. I have kept myself from guilt.

24 The LORD paid me back because of my righteousness, because he can see that my hands are clean.

25 [In dealing] with faithful people you are faithful, with innocent people you are innocent,

26 with pure people you are pure. [In dealing] with devious people you are clever.

27 You save humble people, but you bring down a conceited look.

28 O LORD, you light my lamp. My God turns my darkness into light.

29 With you I can attack a line of soldiers. With my God I can break through barricades.

30 God's way is perfect! The promise of the LORD has proven to be true. He is a shield to all those who take refuge in him.

31 Who is God but the LORD? Who is a rock except our God?

32 God arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.

33 He makes my feet like those of a deer and gives me sure footing on high places.

34 He trains my hands for battle so that my arms can bend an [archer's] bow of bronze.

35 You have given me the shield of your salvation. Your right hand supports me. Your gentleness makes me great.

36 You make a wide path for me to walk on so that my feet do not slip.

37 I chased my enemies and caught up with them. I did not return until I had ended their lives.

38 I wounded them so badly that they were unable to get up. They fell under my feet.

39 You armed me with strength for battle. You made my opponents bow at my feet.

40 You made my enemies turn their backs to me, and I destroyed those who hated me.

41 They cried out for help, but there was no one to save them. They cried out to the LORD, but he did not answer them.

42 I beat them into a powder as fine as the dust blown by the wind. I threw them out as though they were dirt on the streets.

43 You rescued me from my conflicts with the people. You made me the leader of nations. A people I did not know will serve me:

44 As soon as they hear of me, they will obey me. Foreigners will cringe in front of me.

45 Foreigners will lose heart, and they will tremble when they come out of their fortifications.

46 The LORD lives! Thanks be to my rock! May God my Savior be honored.

47 God gives me vengeance! He brings people under my authority.

48 He saves me from my enemies. You lift me up above my opponents. You rescue me from violent people.

49 That is why I will give thanks to you, O LORD, among the nations and make music to praise your name.

50 He gives great victories to his king. He shows mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his descendant forever.