Saul

And Dauid hauing knowledge that Saul imagined mischiefe against him, saide to Abiathar the Priest, Bring the Ephod.

Then sayde Dauid, O Lord God of Israel, thy seruat hath heard, that Saul is about to come to Keilah to destroy the citie for my sake.

Wil the lordes of Keilah deliuer me vp into his hand? and will Saul come downe, as thy seruant hath heard? O Lord God of Israel, I beseech thee, tell thy seruant. And the Lord sayde, He will come downe.

Then said Dauid, Will the lords of Keilah deliuer me vp, and the men that are with me, into the hand of Saul? And the Lord sayde, They will deliuer thee vp.

Then Dauid and his men, which were about sixe hundreth, arose, and departed out of Keilah, and went whither they coulde. And it was tolde Saul, that Dauid was fled from Keilah, and he left off his iourney.

And Dauid abode in the wildernesse in holdes, and remayned in a mountaine in the wildernes of Ziph. And Saul sought him euery day, but God deliuered him not into his hand.

And Dauid sawe that Saul was come out for to seeke his life: and Dauid was in the wildernes of Ziph in the wood.

And Ionathan Sauls sonne arose and went to Dauid into the wood, and comforted him in God,

And said vnto him, Feare not: for the hand of Saul my father shall not finde thee, and thou shalt be King ouer Israel, and I shalbe next vnto thee: and also Saul my father knoweth it.

Then came vp the Ziphims to Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doeth not Dauid hide himselfe by vs in holdes, in the wood in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the right side of Ieshimon?

Then Saul said, Be ye blessed of the Lord: for ye haue had compassion on mee.

Then they arose and went to Ziph before Saul, but Dauid and his men were in the wildernesse of Maon, in the playne on the right hande of Ieshimon.

Saul also and his men went to seeke him, and they told Dauid: wherefore he came downe vnto a rocke, and abode in the wildernesse of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he folowed after Dauid in the wildernes of Maon.

And Saul and his men went on the one side of the mountaine, and Dauid and his men on the other side of the mountaine: and Dauid made haste to get from the presence of Saul: for Saul and his men compassed Dauid and his men round about, to take them.

But there came a messenger to Saul, saying, Haste thee, and come: for the Philistims haue inuaded the land.

Wherefore Saul returned from pursuing Dauid, and went against the Philistims. Therefore they called that place, Sela-hammahlekoth.

And Dauid went thence, and dwelt in holdes at En-gedi.

When Saul was turned from ye Philistims, they told him, saying, Behold, Dauid is in the wildernes of En-gedi.

Then Saul tooke three thousande chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seeke Dauid and his men vpon the rocks among the wilde goates.

And hee came to the sheepecoates by the way where there was a caue, and Saul went in to do his easement: and Dauid and his men sate in the inward parts of the caue.

And the men of Dauid said vnto him, See, the day is come, whereof the Lord sayde vnto thee, Beholde, I will deliuer thine enemie into thine hande, and thou shalt doe to him as it shall seeme good to thee. Then Dauid arose and cut off the lap of Sauls garment priuily.

And he said vnto his men, The Lord keepe mee from doing that thing vnto my master the Lords Anoynted, to lay mine hand vpon him: for he is the Anoynted of the Lord.

So Dauid ouercame his seruants with these words, and suffered them not to arise against Saul: so Saul rose vp out of the caue and went away.

Dauid also arose afterward, and went out of the caue, and cryed after Saul, saying, O my lorde the King. And when Saul looked behinde him, Dauid inclined his face to the earth, and bowed himselfe.

The Lord therfore be iudge, and iudge betweene thee and me, and see, and pleade my cause, and deliuer me out of thine hand.