David Again Spares Saul

1The Ziphites came againe vnto Saul to Gibea, saying: Doth not Dauid hide him selfe in the hill of Hachilia, which is before Iesimon? 2Saul arose, & went downe to the wildernes of Ziph, hauing three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, for to seke Dauid in the wildernesse of Ziph. 3And Saul pitched in the hil of Hachilia, which is before Iesimon by the way side: But Dauid dwelt in the wildernesse, and he sawe that Saul came after him into the wildernesse: 4Dauid therefore sent out spies, & vnderstoode that Saul was come in very deede. 5And Dauid arose, & came to the place where Saul had pitched: & Dauid beheld the place where Saul lay, & Abner the sonne of Ner which was his chiefe captayne: for Saul lay in the fort, & the people pytched rounde about him.

6Then aunswered Dauid, and spake to Ahimelech the Hethite, and to Abisai the sonne of Zaruia, & brother to Ioab, saying: Who wyll go downe with me to Saul to the hoast? And Abisai saide: I wyll go downe with thee. 7And so Dauid and Abisai came downe to the people by night, and behold Saul lay sleepyng within the fort, and his speare stacke in ye grounde at his head: but Abner and the people lay rounde about hym. 8Then saide Abisai to Dauid, God hath closed thyne enemie into thyne hand thys day: Nowe I pray thee let me smite him once with my speare to the earth, & I will not smite him the second tyme. 9And Dauid saide to Abisai, Destroye him not: For who can laye his hand on the Lordes annoynted, and be giltlesse? 10And Dauid sayd furthermore: As the Lorde lyueth, the Lorde shall smyte him or his day shall come to dye, or he shall descend into battaile, and perishe. 11The Lorde kepe me from laying myne hand vpon the Lordes annoynted: But I praye thee take thou nowe the speare that is at his head, and the cruse of water, and let vs go. 12And so Dauid toke the speare and the cruse of water from Sauls head, and they gat them away, and no man sawe it, nor marked it, neither awaked: For they were all asleepe, because the Lorde had sent a dead sleepe vpon the.

David Reproves Abner

13Then Dauid went ouer to the other syde, and stoode on the toppe of an hill a farre of (a great space being betweene them:) 14And Dauid cryed to the people, and to Abner the sonne of Ner, saying: Hearest thou not Abner? Abner aunswered and sayd: Who art thou that cryest to the king? 15And Dauid sayde to Abner: Art not thou a man? and who is lyke to thee in Israel? Wherefore then hast thou not kept thy lorde the king? For there came one of the folke in to destroye the king thy lorde. 16It is not well done of thee: As the Lorde lyueth, ye are worthy to dye, because ye haue not kept the Lordes annoynted: And nowe see where the kinges speare is, and the cruse of water that was at his head.

17And Saul knew Dauids voyce, and sayd: Is this thy voyce my sonne Dauid? And Dauid sayde: It is my voyce my lorde, O king. 18And he sayde: Wherefore doth my lorde thus persecute his seruaunt? for what haue I done? or what euyll is in myne hand? 19Nowe therefore I praye thee, let my lorde the king heare the wordes of his seruaunt: If the Lorde haue stirred thee vp against me, let him smell the sauour of a sacrifice: But and if they be the children of men, cursed are they before the Lorde, for they haue cast me out this day from abidyng in the inheritaunce of the Lorde, saying: Go, serue other goddes. 20Now therefore let not my blood fall to the earth before the face of the Lorde: For the king of Israel is come out to seeke a flea, as when one doth hunt a partridge in the mountaynes.

Saul Acknowledges His Sin

21Then saide Saul, I haue sinned: Come agayne my sonne Dauid, for I will do thee no more harme, because my soule was precious in thyne eyes this day: Beholde, I haue played the foole, and haue erred exceedinly. 22And Dauid aunswered and said: Beholde the kinges speare, let one of the young men come ouer and fet it. 23The Lorde rewarde euery man according to his righteousnes, and faythfulnesse: For the Lorde deliuered thee into my hand this day, but I would not lay mine hand vpon the Lordes annoynted. 24And behold, like as thy life was much set by this day in myne eyes: so be my lyfe set by in the eyes of the Lorde, that he deliuer me out of all tribulation. 25Then Saul saide to Dauid: Blessed art thou my sonne Dauid, for thou shalt do great thinges and preuaile. And so Dauid went his way, and Saul turned to his place agayne.