The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 The people from Zif went to Sha'ul in Giv'ah and said, "David is hiding himself on Hakhilah Hill, across from Yeshimon."
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And the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, and said, Is not David waiting secretly near us in the hill of Hachilah, before the waste land?
2 Then Sha'ul set out and went down to the Zif Desert with three thousand men chosen from Isra'el, to search for David in the Zif Desert.
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Then Saul went down to the waste land of Ziph, taking with him three thousand of the best men of Israel, to make search for David in the waste land of Ziph.
3 Sha'ul pitched camp on Hakhilah Hill, across from Yeshimon, near the road. David was staying in the desert, and he saw that Sha'ul was coming into the desert after him.
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And Saul put up his tents on the hill of Hachilah, which is in front of the waste land on the road. But David was in the waste land, and he saw that Saul was coming after him.
4 So David dispatched spies and determined that Sha'ul had definitely come.
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And so David sent out watchers, and got word from them that Saul was certainly coming.
5 David set out and went to where Sha'ul had pitched his camp. He saw where Sha'ul and Avner the son of Ner, the commander of his army, were sleeping. Sha'ul was lying inside the barricade with the troops asleep all around him.
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And David got up and came to the place where Saul's tents were: and David had a view of the place where Saul was sleeping with Abner, the son of Ner, the captain of his army: and Saul was sleeping inside the ring of carts, and the tents of the people were all round him.
6 David said to Achimelekh the Hitti and Avishai the son of Tz'ruyah, Yo'av's brother, "Who will go down with me to Sha'ul in the camp?" Avishai said, "I will go down with you."
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Then David said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, brother of Joab, Who will go down with me to the tents of Saul? And Abishai said, I will go down with you.
7 So David and Avishai went to the soldiers by night. Sha'ul was lying there asleep inside the barricade. His spear was stuck in the ground next to his head, with Avner and the troops asleep all around him.
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So David and Abishai came down to the army by night: and Saul was sleeping inside the ring of carts with his spear planted in the earth by his head: and Abner and the people were sleeping round him.
8 Avishai said to David, "God has handed your enemy over to you today; so now, please, let me pin him to the ground with just one stroke of the spear. I won't strike him a second time."
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Then Abishai said to David, God has given up your hater into your hands today; now let me give him one blow through to the earth with his spear, and there will be no need to give him a second.
9 But David said to Avishai, "Don't destroy him! Nobody can raise his hand against ADONAI's anointed without becoming guilty!"
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And David said to Abishai Do not put him to death; for who, without sin, may put out his hand against the man on whom the Lord has put the holy oil?
10 David then added, "As ADONAI lives, ADONAI will strike him down, or the day will come for him to die, or he will go down to battle and be swept away.
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And David said, By the living Lord, the Lord will send destruction on him; the natural day of his death will come, or he will go into the fight and come to his end.
11 ADONAI forbid that I should raise my hand against ADONAI's anointed! But now, we'll take the spear by his head and the jug of water, and get out of here."
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Never will my hand be stretched out against the man marked with the holy oil; but take the spear which is by his head and the vessel of water, and let us go.
12 So David took the spear and the water jug from Sha'ul's head and got away. Nobody saw or knew about it, and no one awoke, because they were all asleep - a deep sleep from ADONAI had fallen over them.
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So David took the spear and the vessel of water from Saul's head; and they got away without any man seeing them, or being conscious of their coming, or awaking; for they were all sleeping because a deep sleep from the Lord had come on them.
13 David crossed to the other side and climbed to the top of the distant ridge, leaving a considerable space between them.
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Then David went over to the other side, and took his place on the top of a mountain some distance away, with a great space between them;
14 Then David called out to the troops and to Avner the son of Ner. "Avner! Aren't you going to answer?" Avner answered, "Who are you, calling to the king?"
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And crying out to the people and to Abner, the son of Ner, David said, Have you no answer to give, Abner? Then Abner said, Who is that crying out to the king?
15 David said to Avner, "Aren't you the brave one! Who is there in Isra'el to compare with you? So why haven't you kept watch over your lord the king? Someone came in to kill the king, your lord!
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And David said to Abner, Are you not a man of war? is there any other like you in Israel? why then have you not kept watch over your lord the king? for one of the people came in to put the king your lord to death.
16 It's not good, what you've done! As ADONAI lives, you deserve to die; because you didn't keep watch over your lord, ADONAI's anointed. And now, see where the king's spear is, and the jug of water that was next to his head!"
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What you have done is not good. By the living Lord, death is the right fate for you, because you have not kept watch over your lord, the man on whom the Lord has put the holy oil. Now see, where is the king's spear, and the vessel of water which was by his head?
17 Sha'ul recognized David's voice and said, "Is that your voice, my son David?"David said, "It is my voice, my lord king!"
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And Saul, conscious that the voice was David's, said, Is that your voice, David, my son? And David said, It is my voice, O my lord king.
18 and continued, "Why is my lord chasing his servant? What have I done? What evil am I planning?
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And he said, Why does my lord go armed against his servant? what have I done? or what evil is there in me?
19 Please, now, may my lord the king hear what his servant is saying. If it is ADONAI who has stirred you up against me, let him receive an offering. But if it's human beings, then a curse on them before ADONAI! - because, as things stand today, they have driven me out, so that I can no longer share in ADONAI's inheritance - they've said, 'Go, serve other gods!'
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Let my lord the king give ear now to the words of his servant. If it is the Lord who is moving you against me, let him take an offering: but if it is the children of men, may they be cursed before the Lord, for driving me out today and keeping me from my place in the heritage of the Lord, saying, Go, be the servant of other gods.
20 Now don't let my blood fall on the ground away from the presence of ADONAI. The king of Isra'el has gone out in search of a single flea, as if he were hunting partridge in the mountains!"
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Then do not let my blood be drained out on the earth away from the face of the Lord: for the king of Israel has come out to take my life, like one going after birds in the mountains.
21 Then Sha'ul said, "I have sinned. Come back, my son David. I won't harm you any longer, because you regarded my life as precious today. Yes, I have behaved like a fool. I was altogether in the wrong."
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Then Saul said, I have done wrong: come back to me, David my son: I will do you no more wrong, because my life was dear to you today truly, I have been foolish and my error is very great.
22 David answered, "Here is the king's spear. Send one of the men over to bring it back.
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Then David said, Here is the king's spear! let one of the young men come over and get it.
23 ADONAI will give every person a reward suited to his uprightness and faithfulness. ADONAI put you in my power today, but I would not raise my hand against ADONAI's anointed.
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And the Lord will give to every man the reward of his righteousness and his faith: because the Lord gave you into my hands today, and I would not put out my hand against the man who has been marked with the holy oil.
24 Look: just as I put great value on your life today, so may my life be given great value by ADONAI. May he deliver me from every kind of trouble!"
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And so, as your life was dear to me today, may my life be dear to the Lord, and may he make me free from all my troubles.
25 Sha'ul answered David, "Blessings on you, my son David! No question that you will accomplish everything you set out to do!" So David went on his way, and Sha'ul returned to his place.
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Then Saul said to David, May a blessing be on you, David, my son; you will do great things and without doubt you will overcome. Then David went on his way, and Saul went back to his place.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.