Study Desk

If he says, ‘Fine!' you will know all is well. But if he is angry and loses his temper, you will know he is determined to kill me.

Show me this loyalty as my sworn friend—for we made a solemn pact before the Lord —or kill me yourself if I have sinned against your father. But please don't betray me to him!"

But if he is angry and wants you killed, may the Lord strike me and even kill me if I don't warn you so you can escape and live. May the Lord be with you as he used to be with my father.

And may you treat me with the faithful love of the Lord as long as I live. But if I die,

But if I tell him, ‘Go farther—the arrows are still ahead of you,' then it will mean that you must leave immediately, for the Lord is sending you away.

He sat at his usual place against the wall, with Jonathan sitting opposite him and Abner beside him. But David's place was empty.

But when David's place was empty again the next day, Saul asked Jonathan, "Why hasn't the son of Jesse been here for the meal either yesterday or today?"

"But why should he be put to death?" Jonathan asked his father. "What has he done?"

"We don't have any regular bread," the priest replied. "But there is the holy bread, which you can have if your young men have not slept with any women recently."

But the officers of Achish were unhappy about his being there. "Isn't this David, the king of the land?" they asked. "Isn't he the one the people honor with dances, singing, ‘Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands'?"

"But sir," Ahimelech replied, "is anyone among all your servants as faithful as David, your son-in-law? Why, he is the captain of your bodyguard and a highly honored member of your household!

And he ordered his bodyguards, "Kill these priests of the Lord , for they are allies and conspirators with David! They knew he was running away from me, but they didn't tell me!" But Saul's men refused to kill the Lord 's priests.

But David's men said, "We're afraid even here in Judah. We certainly don't want to go to Keilah to fight the whole Philistine army!"

But David learned of Saul's plan and told Abiathar the priest to bring the ephod and ask the Lord what he should do.

David now stayed in the strongholds of the wilderness and in the hill country of Ziph. Saul hunted him day after day, but God didn't let Saul find him.

But now the men of Ziph went to Saul in Gibeah and betrayed David to him. "We know where David is hiding," they said. "He is in the strongholds of Horesh on the hill of Hakilah, which is in the southern part of Jeshimon.

When David heard that Saul and his men were searching for him, he went even farther into the wilderness to the great rock, and he remained there in the wilderness of Maon. But Saul kept after him in the wilderness.

At the place where the road passes some sheepfolds, Saul went into a cave to relieve himself. But as it happened, David and his men were hiding farther back in that very cave!

But then David's conscience began bothering him because he had cut Saul's robe.

This very day you can see with your own eyes it isn't true. For the Lord placed you at my mercy back there in the cave. Some of my men told me to kill you, but I spared you. For I said, ‘I will never harm the king—he is the Lord 's anointed one.'