1
Now
when Saul returned from
pursuing the
Philistines, he was
told,
saying,
"Behold,
David is in the
wilderness of
Engedi."
~yiT.vil.P yer]x;aem l.Wa'v b'v r,v]a;K yih.y;w ? !ye[ r;B.dim.B diw'd heNih r{mael w{l .WdiG;Y;w ? yid,G
2
Then
Saul took three thousand chosen men from
all Israel and
went to
seek David and his
men in
front of the
Rocks of the
Wild Goats.
lea'r.fIy -l'Kim r.Wx'B vyia ~yip'l]a t,v{l.v l.Wa'v x;QiY;w ? yen.P -l;[ wy'v'n]a;w diw'D -t,a veQ;b.l .$,leY;w ? ~yile[.Y;h yer.Wc
3
He
came to the
sheepfolds * on the
way,
where there was a
cave; and
Saul went in to
relieve * himself. Now
David and his
men were
sitting in the
inner recesses of the
cave.
~'v.w .$,r,D;h -l;[ !a{C;h tw{r.diG -l,a a{b'Y;w ? diw'd.w wy'l.g;r -t,a .$es'h.l l.Wa'v a{b'Y;w h'r'[.m ? ~yib.v{y h'r'[.M;h yet.K.r;y.B wy'v'n]a;w
4
The
men of
David said to him,
"Behold, this is the
day of
which the
LORD said to you,
'Behold; I am about to
give your
enemy into your
hand, and you shall
do to him as it
seems good to you.' " Then
David arose and
cut off the
edge of
Saul's robe secretly.
r;m'a -r,v]a ~w{Y;h heNih wy'lea diw'd yev.n;a .Wr.ma{Y;w ? '$yeb.y{a -t,a !et{n yik{n'a heNih '$y,lea h'wh.y ? ~'q'Y;w '$y,nye[.B b;jIy r,v]a;K w{L 'tyif'[.w '$,d'y.B ? l.Wa'v.l -r,v]a lyi[.M;h -p;n.K -t,a t{r.kiY;w diw'D ? j'L;B
5
It
came about
afterward * that
David's conscience bothered him
because * he had
cut off the
edge of
Saul's robe.
l;[ w{t{a diw'D -bel .$;Y;w !ek -yer]x;a yih.y;w ? l.Wa'v.l r,v]a @'n'K -t,a t;r'K r,v]a
6
So he
said to his
men,
"Far be it from me
because of the
LORD that I should
do this thing to my
lord, the
LORD'S anointed, to
stretch out my
hand against him,
since he is the
LORD'S anointed."
h,f/[,a -mia h'whyem yiL h'lyil'x wy'v'n]a;l r,ma{Y;w ? ;x{l.vil h'wh.y ;xyiv.mil yin{da;l h,Z;h r'b'D;h -t,a ? a.Wh h'wh.y ;xyiv.m -yiK w{B yid'y
7
David persuaded his
men with these
words and did not
allow them to
rise up
against Saul. And
Saul arose,
left the
cave, and
went on his
way.
a{l.w ~yir'b.D;B wy'v'n]a -t,a diw'D [;S;v.y;w ? h'r'[.M;hem ~'q l.Wa'v.w l.Wa'v -l,a ~.Wq'l ~'n't.n ? .$,r'D;B .$,leY;w
8
Now
afterward * David arose and
went out of the
cave and
called after Saul,
saying, "My
lord the
king!" And when
Saul looked behind him,
David bowed with his
face to the
ground and
prostrated himself.
h'r'[.M;h -nim aeceY;w !ek -yer]x;a diw'D ~'q'Y;w ? .$,l,M;h yin{d]a r{mael l.Wa'v -yer]x;a a'r.qiY;w ? h'c.r;a ~Iy;P;a diw'D d{QiY;w wy'r]x;a l.Wa'v jeB;Y;w ? .Wx'T.viY;w
9
David said to
Saul,
"Why do you
listen to the
words of
men,
saying,
'Behold,
David seeks to
harm you'?
yer.biD -t,a [;m.vit h'M'l l.Wa'v.l diw'D r,ma{Y;w ? '$,t'['r veQ;b.m diw'd heNih r{mael ~'d'a
10
"Behold,
this day your
eyes have
seen that the
LORD had
given you to
day into my
hand in the
cave, and some
said to
kill you, but my eye had
pity on you; and I
said, 'I will not
stretch out my
hand against my
lord, for he is the
LORD'S anointed.'
'$.n't.n -r,v]a tea '$y,nye[ .Wa'r h,Z;h ~w{Y;h heNih ? '$]g'r]h;l r;m'a.w h'r'[.M;B yid'y.B ~w{Y;h h'wh.y ? yin{da;B yid'y x;l.v,a -a{l r;m{a'w '$y,l'[ s'x'T;w ? a.Wh h'wh.y ;xyiv.m -yiK
11
"Now, my
father,
see!
Indeed,
see the
edge of your
robe in my
hand! For in that I
cut off the
edge of your
robe and did not
kill you,
know and
perceive that
there is
no evil or
rebellion in my
hands, and I have not
sinned against you, though you are
lying in
wait for my
life to
take it.
yid'y.B '$.lyi[.m @;n.K -t,a hea.r ~;G hea.r yib'a.w ? '$yiT.g;r]h a{l.w '$.lyi[.m @;n.K -t,a yit.r'k.B yiK ? yita'j'x -a{l.w [;v,p'w h'['r yid'y.B !yea yiK hea.r.W [;D ? H'T.x;q.l yiv.p;n -t,a h,d{c h'T;a.w .$'l
12
"May the
LORD judge between you and me, and may the
LORD avenge me on you; but my
hand shall not be against you.
h'wh.y yin;m'q.n.W '$,nyeb.W yinyeB h'wh.y j{P.vIy ? .$'B -h,y.hit a{l yid'y.w 'K,Mim
13
"As the
proverb of the
ancients says, 'Out of the
wicked comes forth wickedness '; but my
hand shall not be against you.
aecey ~yi['v.rem yin{m.d;Q;h l;v.m r;ma{y r,v]a;K ? .$'B -h,y.hit a{l yid'y.w [;v,r
14
"After whom has the
king of
Israel come out?
Whom are you
pursuing? A
dead dog, a
single flea?
h'T;a yim yer]x;a lea'r.fIy .$,l,m a'c'y yim yer]x;a ? d'x,a v{[.r;P yer]x;a tem b,l,K yer]x;a @ed{r
15
"The
LORD therefore be
judge and
decide between you and me; and may He
see and
plead my
cause and
deliver me from your
hand."
'$,nyeb.W yinyeB j;p'v.w !'Y;d.l h'wh.y h'y'h.w ? '$,d'Yim yinej.P.vIy.w yibyir -t,a ber'y.w a,rey.w
16
When
David had
finished speaking these words to
Saul,
Saul said, "Is
this your
voice, my
son David?" Then
Saul lifted up his
voice and
wept.
~yir'b.D;h -t,a reB;d.l diw'D tw{L;k.K yih.y;w ? h,z '$.l{q]h l.Wa'v r,ma{Y;w l.Wa'v -l,a h,Lea'h ? .K.beY;w w{l{q l.Wa'v a'FiY;w diw'd yin.B
17
He
said to
David, "You are
more righteous than I; for you have
dealt well with me, while I have
dealt wickedly with you.
yiK yiN,Mim h'T;a qyiD;c diw'D -l,a r,ma{Y;w ? h'['r'h '$yiT.l;m.G yin]a;w h'bw{J;h yin;T.l;m.G h'T;a
18
"You have
declared today that you have
done good to me, that the
LORD delivered me into your
hand and yet you did not
kill me.
yiTia h'tyif'[ -r,v]a tea ~w{Y;h 'T.d;Gih .T;a.w ? a{l.w '$.d'y.B h'wh.y yin;r.Gis r,v]a tea h'bw{j ? yin'T.g;r]h
19
"For
if a
man finds his
enemy, will he let him
go away safely *? May the
LORD therefore
reward you with
good in
return for
what you have
done to me
this day.
.$,r,d.B w{x.Liv.w w{b.y{a -t,a vyia a'c.mIy -yik.w ? ~w{Y;h t;x;T h'bw{j '$.m,L;v.y h'why;w h'bw{j ? yil h'tyif'[ r,v]a h,Z;h
20
"Now,
behold, I
know that you will
surely be
king, and that the
kingdom of
Israel will be
established in your
hand.
h'm'q.w .$w{l.miT .${l'm yiK yiT.[;d'y heNih h'T;[.w ? lea'r.fIy t,k,l.m;m '$.d'y.B
21
"So
now swear to me by the
LORD that you will not
cut off my
descendants after me and that you will not
destroy my
name from my
father's household."
yi[.r;z -t,a tyir.k;T -mia h'why;B yiL h'[.b'Vih h'T;[.w ? yib'a tyeBim yim.v -t,a dyim.v;T -mia.w y'r]x;a
22
David swore to
Saul. And
Saul went to his
home, but
David and his
men went up to the
stronghold.
w{tyeB -l,a l.Wa'v .$,leY;w l.Wa'v.l diw'D [;b'ViY;w ? h'd.Wc.M;h -l;[ .Wl'[ wy'v'n]a;w diw'd.w