Study Desk

Then Achish called David and said to him, "As the Lord lives, you have been honest. You go out and come in with me in the army and it is good in my eyes. I have found nothing wrong in you from the day you came to me until this day. But you are not pleasing in the eyes of the leaders.

David said to Achish, "But what have I done? What have you found in your servant from the day I came to you until now, that I may not go and fight against those who hate my lord the king?"

Achish answered David, "I know that you are pleasing in my eyes, like an angel of God. But the captains of the Philistines have said, ‘He must not go with us to the battle.'

So David and his men left early in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines. But the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

And David was very troubled because the people talked about killing him with stones. For all the people were very angry in their sorrow for their sons and daughters. But David got his strength from the Lord his God.

But David kept going after them, with 400 men. For 200 were too tired to cross the river of Besor and stayed behind.

Then Saul said to the one who carried his battle-clothes, "Take your sword and cut through me with it. Or these men who have not gone through our religious act will come and kill me with the sword and make fun of me." But the one who carried his battle-clothes would not do it, for he was filled with fear. So Saul took his sword and fell on it.

But Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul's army, had taken Saul's son Ish-bosheth to Mahanaim.

Saul's son Ish-bosheth was forty years old when he became king of Israel. He was king for two years. But the family of Judah followed David.

So Abner said to him, "Turn aside to your right or left. Take hold of one of the young men, and take for yourself what belongs to him." But Asahel was not willing to turn aside from following him.

But he would not turn aside. So Abner hit him in the stomach with the end of his spear, so that the spear came out at his back. He fell there and died where he fell. And all who came to the place where Asahel fell and died, stood still.

But Joab and Abishai went after Abner. When the sun was going down, they came to the hill of Ammah, which is before Giah by the way of the desert of Gibeon.

But the servants of David had killed many of Benjamin and Abner's men, so that 360 men died.

There was a long war between the family of Saul and the family of David. David became stronger and stronger. But the family of Saul became weaker and weaker.

David said, "Good! I will make an agreement with you. But you must do one thing that I say. You will not see my face unless you first bring Saul's daughter Michal when you come to see me."

But her husband went with her, crying as he went. He followed her as far as Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, "Go, return." So he returned.

Then David's servants and Joab came from a battle and brought with them many good things they had taken. But Abner was not with David in Hebron, for David had sent him away. Abner had gone in peace.

When Joab left David, he sent men after Abner. They brought him back from the well of Sirah. But David did not know it.

Then all the people came to try to talk David into eating bread while it was still day. But David promised, saying, "May God do so to me, and more also, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun goes down."

when one told me, ‘See, Saul is dead,' he thought he was bringing good news. But I took hold of him and killed him in Ziklag. This was the reward I gave him for his news.