David Again Spares Saul

1And the Ziphites will come to Saul to the hill, saying, Is not David hiding in the hill of Hachilah, upon the face of the desert? 2And Saul will rise and go down to the desert of Ziph, and with him three thousand men the chosen of Israel, to seek out David in the desert of Ziph. 3And Saul will encamp in the hill of Hachilah that is upon the face of the desert, upon the way; and David dwelt in the desert, and he will see that Saul came after him to the desert. 4And David will send spies, and he knew that Saul came for a certainty. 5And David will rise and come to the place where Saul encamped there: and David will see the place where Saul lay down there, and Abner son of Ner, chief of his army. And Saul lay down in the track, and the people encamping round about him.

6And David will answer and say to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Abishai, son of Zeruiah, brother of Joab, saying, Who will go down with me to Saul to the camp? And Abishai will say, I will go down with thee. 7And David will come, and Abishai, to the people by night; and behold, Saul lay sleeping in the track, and his spear pressed into the earth at his head: and Abner and the people sleeping round about him. 8And Abishai will say to David, God shut up this day thine enemy in thy hand: and now, I will strike him now with the spear, and into the earth once, and I will not repeat to him. 9And David will say to Abishai, Thou shalt not destroy him: for who stretching forth his hand against Jehovah's Messiah, and being innocent? 10And David will say, Jehovah lives, for shall not Jehovah strike him? or his day shall come and he died; or he shall go down in the war and perish. 11Far be it to me from Jehovah stretching forth my hand against Jehovah's Messiah: and now, take now the spear which is at his head, and the cruse of water, and we will go for ourselves. 12And David will take the spear, and the cruse of water at Saul's head, and they will go for themselves, and none saw and none will know, and none waking: for all of them were sleeping; for a deep sleep of Jehovah fell upon them.

David Reproves Abner

13And David will pass over to the other side, and he will stand upon the head of the mountain from afar, and much place between them. 14And David will call to the people and to Abner son of Ner, saying, Wilt thou not answer Abner? and Abner will answer and say, Who thou calling to the king? 15And David will say to Abner, Art not thou a man? and who as thee in Israel? and why watched thou not to thy lord the king? for one of the people came to destroy the king thy lord. 16This word was not good which thou didst Jehovah lives for ye the sons of death, for ye watched not over your lord, over Jehovah's Messiah And now see where is the king's spear and the cruse of water which was at his head.

17And Saul will know David's voice, and he will say, Is this thy voice, my son David? and David will say, My voice, my lord the king. 18And he will say, Wherefore this my lord pursued after his servant? for what did I? and what evil in my hand? 19And now will my lord the king hear now the words of his servant? If Jehovah moved thee against me, he will smell a gift; and if the sons of man, cursed are they before Jehovah; for they drove me out this day from adjoining myself to the inheritance of Jehovah, saying. Go, serve other gods. 20And now my blood shall not fall to the earth from before the face of Jehovah; for the king of Israel came forth to seek one flea, as when the partridge will pursue in the mountains.

Saul Acknowledges His Sin

21And Saul will say, I sinned; turn back my son David: for I will no more, do to thee evil because that my soul was precious in thine eyes this day: behold, I was foolish, and I shall go very much astray. 22And David will answer and say, Behold the king's spear: and will one of the boys pass over and take it? 23And Jehovah will turn back to a man his justice and his truth; for Jehovah gave thee this day in hand, and I would not stretch forth my hand against Jehovah's Messiah. 24And behold, as thy soul was magnified this day in mine eyes, so shall my soul be magnified in the eyes of Jehovah, and he will deliver me from all straits. 25And Saul will say, to David, Blessed thou, my son David: also doing, thou shalt do, and also being able, thou shalt be able. And David will go to his way, and Saul turned back to his place.