Samuel & King Saul

The woman approached Sha'ul, saw that he was panic-stricken and said to him, "Here, your servant listened to what you said; I put my life in my hands and did what you requested me to do.

Now therefore, please, you listen to what your servant says: let me put a little food in front of you; then eat, so you will have some strength when you go on your way."

But he refused and said, "I won't eat."Then his servants, together with the woman, urged him; and he heeded what they said. He got up off the ground and sat on the bed.

The woman had a fattened calf in the house; she hurried to slaughter it; then she took flour, kneaded it and baked matzah with it.

She served it to Sha'ul and his servants, and they ate. Afterwards, they got up; and they went away that night.

The P'lishtim gathered all their army together at Afek, while Isra'el's army pitched camp by the spring in Yizre'el.

The leaders of the P'lishtim were passing by with their hundreds and thousands; David and his men were bringing up the rear with Akhish.

The chiefs of the P'lishtim asked, "What are these Hebrews doing here?"Akhish answered the chiefs of the P'lishtim, "This is David, who was a servant of Sha'ul, king of Isra'el. He's been with me now for well over a year, and I haven't found anything wrong with him between the time he deserted to me and now."

But the chiefs of the P'lishtim became angry and said to him, "Have the man return and go back to the place you set aside for him. Don't let him go into battle with us, because on the battlefield he might become our enemy. What better way could there be for him to get reconciled with his lord than by [cutting off] the heads of our men?

This is David! They used to dance and sing about him, 'Sha'ul has killed his thousands, but David his tens of thousands'!"

So Akhish summoned David and said to him, "As ADONAI lives, you have been upright; and I myself would be more than pleased to have you go on campaign with me; because I haven't found anything wrong with you between the day you arrived and now. However, the chiefs don't trust you.

Therefore, now, go on back; and go in peace, so as not to do what appears bad to the chiefs of the P'lishtim.

David said to Akhish, "But what have I done? What have you found in your servant during the time I've been with you that disqualifies me from going and fighting against the enemies of my lord the king?"

Akhish answered David, "I know that you are as good, from my point of view, as an angel of God. Nevertheless, the chiefs of the P'lishtim have said, 'He is not to go up with us to the battlefield.'

So get up early in the morning with the servants of your lord who came with you; and as soon as you are up and it gets light, leave."

David got up early in the morning, he and his men, to leave and go back into the land of the P'lishtim; while the P'lishtim continued up to Yizre'el.

Three days later, when David and his men arrived in Ziklag, they found that the 'Amaleki had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had sacked Ziklag and burned it down;

and they had taken captive the women and everyone there, great and small. They hadn't killed anyone but had carried them off as they went on their way.

So when David and his men arrived at the city, there it was, burned down, with their wives, sons and daughters taken captive.

Then David and the people with him cried aloud until they had no more power to cry.

David's two wives had been taken captive - Achino'am from Yizre'el and Avigayil the widow of Naval from Karmel.

David was in serious trouble: the people were talking about stoning him to death, because all the people were in such deep grief, each man over his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in ADONAI his God.

David said to Avyatar the cohen, the son of Achimelekh, "Please bring the ritual vest here to me."Avyatar brought the vest to David.

Then David consulted ADONAI. He asked, "Should I go in pursuit of these raiders? Will I catch up with them?" And [ADONAI] answered him, "Go in pursuit, because you will overtake them and recover everyone and everything."

So David went, he and the six hundred men with him. They came to Vadi B'sor, where those who were to stay behind waited.