Saul

David knew that Sha'ul was plotting something against him, so he told Avyatar the cohen, "Bring the ritual vest here."

Then David said, "ADONAI God of Isra'el, your servant has certainly heard that Sha'ul intends to come to Ke'ilah and destroy the city just to get me.

Will the men of Ke'ilah turn me over to him? Will Sha'ul come down, as your servant has heard? ADONAI God of Isra'el, please tell your servant!"ADONAI said, "He will come down."

Then David asked, "Will the men of Ke'ilah hand me and my men over to Sha'ul?"ADONAI said, "They will hand you over."

So David and his men, now around six hundred, got up, left Ke'ilah and went wherever they could. It was told Sha'ul that David had escaped from Ke'ilah, so he called off the expedition.

David stayed in the desert strongholds, remaining in the hills of the Zif Desert. Sha'ul kept trying to find him, but God did not hand him over to him

David saw that Sha'ul had mounted another expedition to seek his life. David was then at Horesh in the Zif Desert.

Y'honatan Sha'ul's son set out and went to David at Horesh to encourage him in God.

He said to him, "Don't be afraid, because my father's forces will not find you; you will be king over Isra'el, and I will be second to you. Sha'ul my father knows this, too."

The people of Zif came to Sha'ul in Giv'ah and said, "David is hiding himself with us in the strongholds at Horesh, on Hakhilah Hill, south of Yeshimon

Sha'ul said, "May ADONAI bless you for showing me compassion

They set out and went to Zif before Sha'ul. But David and his men had gone on to the Ma'on Desert, in the 'Aravah south of Yeshimon.

Sha'ul and his men went searching for him. David was told, so he came down to the rock and stayed in the Ma'on Desert. When Sha'ul heard that, he pursued David in the Ma'on Desert.

Sha'ul went along one side of the mountain, while David and his men went along the other. David was hurrying to get away from Sha'ul, while Sha'ul and his men were trying to surround David and his men in order to capture them.

But then a messenger came to Sha'ul, saying, "Hurry, come, because the P'lishtim are invading the country!"

So Sha'ul stopped chasing David and went to fight the P'lishtim. Therefore they called that place Sela-Hamachlekot [rock of divisions].

When Sha'ul returned from pursuing the P'lishtim, he was told that David was in the desert at 'Ein-Gedi.

Sha'ul took three thousand men chosen from all Isra'el and went searching for David and his men on the cliffs where the mountain goats are.

Near some sheep pens along the way was a cave, and Sha'ul went inside to relieve himself. It happened that David and his men were sitting in the recesses at the back of the cave;

and David's men said to him, "Look! The day has come that ADONAI told you about when he said to you, 'I will turn your enemy over to you, and you will do to him whatever seems good to you.'"Then David stole over unobserved and cut off the corner of Sha'ul's cloak.

But after doing this, David felt remorse over cutting Sha'ul's garment.

By saying this, David stopped his men and would not let them do anything to Sha'ul. Sha'ul got up, left the cave and went on his way.

Then David too got up and went outside the cave, where he called after Sha'ul, "My lord the king!" When Sha'ul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the ground and prostrated himself.

David said to Sha'ul, "Why do you listen to people who say, 'David is out to harm you?'

After David had finished speaking to Sha'ul, Sha'ul said, "Is that your voice, my son David?" Then Sha'ul cried out and wept;