The LORD Chooses David To Be King

One day he said, "Samuel, I've rejected Saul, and I refuse to let him be king any longer. Stop feeling sad about him. Put some olive oil in a small container and go visit a man named Jesse, who lives in Bethlehem. I've chosen one of his sons to be my king." Samuel answered, "If I do that, Saul will find out and have me killed."
"Take a calf with you," the LORD replied. "Tell everyone that you've come to offer it as a sacrifice to me, then invite Jesse to the sacrifice. When I show you which one of his sons I have chosen, pour the olive oil on his head."
Samuel did what the LORD told him and went to Bethlehem. The town leaders went to meet him, but they were terribly afraid and asked, "Is this a friendly visit?" 
"Yes, it is!" Samuel answered. "I've come to offer a sacrifice to the LORD. Get yourselves ready to take part in the sacrifice and come with me."
Samuel also invited Jesse and his sons to come to the sacrifice, and he got them ready to take part. When Jesse and his sons arrived, Samuel noticed Jesse's oldest son, Eliab. "He has to be the one the LORD has chosen," Samuel said to himself. 

But the LORD told him, "Samuel, don't think Eliab is the one just because he's tall and handsome. He isn't the one I've chosen. People judge others by what they look like, but I judge people by what is in their hearts." 

Jesse told his son Abinadab to go over to Samuel, but Samuel said, "No, the LORD hasn't chosen him." 

Next, Jesse sent his son Shammah to him, and Samuel said, "The LORD hasn't chosen him either." 

Jesse had all seven of his sons go over to Samuel. Finally, Samuel said, "Jesse, the LORD hasn't chosen any of these young men. 11Do you have any more sons?" 
"Yes," Jesse answered. "My youngest son David is out taking care of the sheep." 
"Send for him!" Samuel said. "We won't start the ceremony until he gets here." 

Jesse sent for David. He was a healthy, good-looking boy with a sparkle in his eyes. As soon as David came, the LORD told Samuel, "He's the one! Get up and pour the olive oil on his head."
Samuel poured the oil on David's head while his brothers watched. At that moment, the Spirit of the LORD took control of David and stayed with him from then on. 

Samuel returned home to Ramah. 

David Plays the Harp for Saul

The Spirit of the LORD had left Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD was terrifying him. "It's an evil spirit from God that's frightening you," Saul's officials told him.
"Your Majesty, let us go and look for someone who is good at playing the harp. He can play for you whenever the evil spirit from God bothers you, and you'll feel better."
"All right," Saul answered. "Find me someone who is good at playing the harp and bring him here."
"A man named Jesse who lives in Bethlehem has a son who can play the harp," one official said. "He's a brave warrior, he's good-looking, he can speak well, and the LORD is with him."

Saul sent a message to Jesse: "Tell your son David to leave your sheep and come here to me." 

Jesse loaded a donkey with bread and a goatskin full of wine, then he told David to take the donkey and a young goat to Saul. David went to Saul and started working for him. Saul liked him so much that he put David in charge of carrying his weapons. Not long after this, Saul sent another message to Jesse: "I really like David. Please let him stay with me."
Whenever the evil spirit from God bothered Saul, David would play his harp. Saul would relax and feel better, and the evil spirit would go away.

Goliath Challenges Israel's Army

The Philistines got ready for war and brought their troops together to attack the town of Socoh in Judah. They set up camp at Ephes-Dammim, between Socoh and Azekah. King Saul and the Israelite army set up camp on a hill overlooking Elah Valley, and they got ready to fight the Philistine army that was on a hill on the other side of the valley. The Philistine army had a hero named Goliath who was from the town of Gath and was over nine feet tall. He wore a bronze helmet and had bronze armor to protect his chest and legs. The chest armor alone weighed about one hundred twenty-five pounds. He carried a bronze sword strapped on his back, and his spear was so big that the iron spearhead alone weighed more than fifteen pounds. A soldier always walked in front of Goliath to carry his shield. Goliath went out and shouted to the army of Israel:
Why are you lining up for battle? I'm the best soldier in our army, and all of you are in Saul's army. Choose your best soldier to come out and fight me! If he can kill me, our people will be your slaves. But if I kill him, your people will be our slaves. Here and now I challenge Israel's whole army! Choose someone to fight me! 

Saul and his men heard what Goliath said, but they were so frightened of Goliath that they couldn't do a thing.

David Decides to Challenge Goliath

David's father Jesse was an old man, who belonged to the Ephrath clan and lived in Bethlehem in Judah. Jesse had eight sons: the oldest was Eliab, the next was Abinadab, and Shammah was the third. The three of them had gone off to fight in Saul's army. 

David was Jesse's youngest son. He took care of his father's sheep, and he went back and forth between Bethlehem and Saul's camp. 

Goliath came out and gave his challenge every morning and every evening for forty days. 

One day, Jesse told David, "Hurry and take this sack of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread to your brothers at the army camp. And here are ten large chunks of cheese to take to their commanding officer. Find out how your brothers are doing and bring back something that shows that they're all right. They're with Saul's army, fighting the Philistines in Elah Valley." 

David obeyed his father. He got up early the next morning and left someone else in charge of the sheep; then he loaded the supplies and started off. He reached the army camp just as the soldiers were taking their places and shouting the battle cry. The army of Israel and the Philistine army stood there facing each other. 

David left his things with the man in charge of supplies and ran up to the battle line to ask his brothers if they were well. While David was talking with them, Goliath came out from the line of Philistines and started boasting as usual. David heard him. 

When the Israelite soldiers saw Goliath, they were scared and ran off. They said to each other, "Look how he keeps coming out to insult us. The king is offering a big reward to the man who kills Goliath. That man will even get to marry the king's daughter, and no one in his family will ever have to pay taxes again." 

David asked some soldiers standing nearby, "What will a man get for killing this Philistine and stopping him from insulting our people? Who does that worthless Philistine think he is? He's making fun of the army of the living God!" 

The soldiers told David what the king would give the man who killed Goliath. 

David's oldest brother Eliab heard him talking with the soldiers. Eliab was angry at him and said, "What are you doing here, anyway? Who's taking care of that little flock of sheep out in the desert? You spoiled brat! You came here just to watch the fighting, didn't you?"
"Now what have I done?" David answered. "Can't I even ask a question?"
Then he turned and asked another soldier the same thing he had asked the others, and he got the same answer. 

Some soldiers overheard David talking, so they told Saul what David had said. Saul sent for David, and David came. "Your Majesty," he said, "this Philistine shouldn't turn us into cowards. I'll go out and fight him myself!"
"You don't have a chance against him," Saul replied. "You're only a boy, and he's been a soldier all his life." 
But David told him:
Your Majesty, I take care of my father's sheep. And when one of them is dragged off by a lion or a bear, I go after it and beat the wild animal until it lets the sheep go. If the wild animal turns and attacks me, I grab it by the throat and kill it. 

Sir, I have killed lions and bears that way, and I can kill this worthless Philistine. He shouldn't have made fun of the army of the living God! The LORD has rescued me from the claws of lions and bears, and he will keep me safe from the hands of this Philistine. 

"All right," Saul answered, "go ahead and fight him. And I hope the LORD will help you." 

Saul had his own military clothes and armor put on David, and he gave David a bronze helmet to wear. David strapped on a sword and tried to walk around, but he was not used to wearing those things. 

"I can't move with all this stuff on," David said. "I'm just not used to it." 

David took off the armor and picked up his shepherd's stick. He went out to a stream and picked up five smooth rocks and put them in his leather bag. Then with his sling in his hand, he went straight toward Goliath.

David Kills Goliath

Goliath came toward David, walking behind the soldier who was carrying his shield. When Goliath saw that David was just a healthy, good-looking boy, he made fun of him. "Do you think I'm a dog?" Goliath asked. "Is that why you've come after me with a stick?"
He cursed David in the name of the Philistine gods and shouted, "Come on! When I'm finished with you, I'll feed you to the birds and wild animals!" 
David answered:
You've come out to fight me with a sword and a spear and a dagger. But I've come out to fight you in the name of the LORD All-Powerful. He is the God of Israel's army, and you have insulted him too! 

Today the LORD will help me defeat you. I'll knock you down and cut off your head, and I'll feed the bodies of the other Philistine soldiers to the birds and wild animals. Then the whole world will know that Israel has a real God. Everybody here will see that the LORD doesn't need swords or spears to save his people. The LORD always wins his battles, and he will help us defeat you. 

When Goliath started forward, David ran toward him. He put a rock in his sling and swung the sling around by its straps. When he let go of one strap, the rock flew out and hit Goliath on the forehead. It cracked his skull, and he fell facedown on the ground. David defeated Goliath with a sling and a rock. He killed him without even using a sword. 

David ran over and pulled out Goliath's sword. Then he used it to cut off Goliath's head. 

When the Philistines saw what had happened to their hero, they started running away. But the soldiers of Israel and Judah let out a battle cry and went after them as far as Gath and Ekron. The bodies of the Philistines were scattered all along the road from Shaaraim to Gath and Ekron. When the Israelite army returned from chasing the Philistines, they took what they wanted from the enemy camp. David took Goliath's head to Jerusalem, but he kept Goliath's weapons in his own tent.

David Becomes One of Saul's Officers

After King Saul had watched David go out to fight Goliath, Saul turned to the commander of his army and said, "Abner, who is that young man?"
"Your Majesty," Abner answered, "I swear by your life that I don't know." 
"Then find out!" Saul told him. 

When David came back from fighting Goliath, he was still carrying Goliath's head. 

Abner took David to Saul, 58and Saul asked, "Who are you?" 
"I am David the son of Jesse, a loyal Israelite from Bethlehem."

David and Saul finished talking, and soon David and Jonathan became best friends. Jonathan thought as much of David as he did of himself. From that time on, Saul kept David in his service and would not let David go back to his own family. Jonathan liked David so much that they promised to always be loyal friends. Jonathan took off the robe that he was wearing and gave it to David. He also gave him his military clothes, his sword, his bow and arrows, and his belt. David was a success in everything that Saul sent him to do, and Saul made him a high officer in his army. That pleased everyone, including Saul's other officers.

Saul Becomes David's Enemy

David had killed Goliath, the battle was over, and the Israelite army set out for home. As the army went along, women came out of each Israelite town to welcome King Saul. They were singing happy songs and dancing to the music of tambourines and harps. They sang:
Saul has killed
a thousand enemies;
David has killed
ten thousand enemies!

This song made Saul very angry, and he thought, "They are saying that David has killed ten times more enemies than I ever did. Next they will want to make him king." Saul never again trusted David. 

The next day the LORD let an evil spirit take control of Saul, and he began acting like a crazy man inside his house. David came to play the harp for Saul as usual, but this time Saul had a spear in his hand. Saul thought, "I'll pin David to the wall." He threw the spear at David twice, but David dodged and got away both times. 

Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was helping David and was no longer helping him. Saul put David in charge of a thousand soldiers and sent him out to fight. The LORD helped David, and he and his soldiers always won their battles. This made Saul even more afraid of David. But everyone else in Judah and Israel was loyal to David, because he led the army in battle. One day, Saul told David, "If you'll be brave and fight the LORD's battles for me, I'll let you marry my oldest daughter Merab."
But Saul was really thinking, "I don't want to kill David myself, so I'll let the Philistines do it for me."
David answered, "How could I possibly marry your daughter? I'm not very important, and neither is my family." 

But when the time came for David to marry Saul's daughter Merab, Saul told her to marry Adriel from the town of Meholah. 

Saul had another daughter. Her name was Michal, and Saul found out that she was in love with David. This made Saul happy, and he thought, "I'll tell David he can marry Michal, but I'll set it up so that the Philistines will kill him."
He told David, "I'm going to give you a second chance to marry one of my daughters." 

Saul ordered his officials to speak to David in private, so they went to David and said, "Look, the king likes you, and all of his officials are loyal to you. Why not ask the king if you can marry his daughter Michal?" 
"I'm not rich or famous enough to marry princess Michal!" David answered.
The officials went back to Saul and told him exactly what David had said. Saul was hoping that the Philistines would kill David, and he told his officials to tell David, "The king doesn't want any silver or gold. He only wants to get even with his enemies. All you have to do is to bring back proof that you have killed a hundred Philistines!"
The officials told David, and David wanted to marry the princess. King Saul had set a time limit, and before it ran out, David and his men left and killed two hundred Philistines. He brought back the proof and showed it to Saul, so he could marry Michal. Saul agreed to let David marry Michal. Saul knew that she loved David, and he also realized that the LORD was helping David. But knowing those things made Saul even more afraid of David, and he was David's enemy for the rest of his life. The Philistine rulers kept coming to fight Israel, but whenever David fought them, he won. He was famous because he won more battles against the Philistines than any of Saul's other officers.

Saul Tries To Have David Killed

One day, Saul told his son Jonathan and his officers to kill David. But Jonathan liked David a lot, and he warned David, "My father is trying to have you killed, so be very careful. Hide in a field tomorrow morning, and I'll bring him there. Then I'll talk to him about you, and if I find out anything, I'll let you know."
The next morning, Jonathan reminded Saul about the many good things David had done for him. Then he said, "Why do you want to kill David? He hasn't done anything to you. He has served in your army and has always done what's best for you. He even risked his life to kill Goliath. The LORD helped Israel win a great victory that day, and it made you happy."
Saul agreed and promised, "I swear by the living LORD that I won't have David killed!" 

Jonathan called to David and told him what Saul had said. Then he brought David to Saul, and David served in Saul's army just as he had done before. 

The next time there was a war with the Philistines, David fought hard and forced them to retreat.

Michal Helps David Escape

One night, David was in Saul's home, playing the harp for him. Saul was sitting there, holding a spear, when an evil spirit from the LORD took control of him. Saul tried to pin David to the wall with the spear, but David dodged, and it stuck in the wall. David ran out of the house and escaped. 
Saul sent guards to watch David's house all night and then to kill him in the morning. 

Michal, David's wife, told him, "If you don't escape tonight, they'll kill you tomorrow!" She helped David go through a window and climb down to the ground. As David ran off, Michal put a statue in his bed. She put goat hair on its head and dressed it in some of David's clothes. The next morning, Saul sent guards to arrest David. But Michal told them, "David is sick." 

Saul sent the guards back and told them, "Get David out of his bed and bring him to me, so I can have him killed." 

When the guards went in, all they found in the bed was the statue with the goat hair on its head. 

"Why have you tricked me this way?" Saul asked Michal. "You helped my enemy get away!" 
She answered, "He said he would kill me if I didn't help him escape!"

Samuel Helps David Escape

Meanwhile, David went to Samuel at Ramah and told him what Saul had done. Then Samuel and David went to Prophets Village and stayed there. Someone told Saul, "David is at Prophets Village in Ramah." 
Saul sent a few soldiers to bring David back. They went to Ramah and found Samuel in charge of a group of prophets who were all prophesying. Then the Spirit of God took control of the soldiers and they started prophesying too. 

When Saul heard what had happened, he sent another group of soldiers, but they prophesied the same way. He sent a third group of soldiers, but the same thing happened to them. Finally, Saul left for Ramah himself. He went as far as the deep pit at the town of Secu, and he asked, "Where are Samuel and David?"
"At Prophets Village in Ramah," the people answered. 

Saul left for Ramah. But as he walked along, the Spirit of God took control of him, and he started prophesying. Then, when he reached Prophets Village, he stripped off his clothes and prophesied in front of Samuel. He dropped to the ground and lay there naked all day and night. That's how the saying started, "Is Saul now a prophet?"

Jonathan Helps David Escape

David escaped from Prophets Village. Then he ran to see Jonathan and asked, "Why does your father Saul want to kill me? What have I done wrong?" 
"My father can't be trying to kill you! He never does anything without telling me about it. Why would he hide this from me? It can't be true!" 
"Jonathan, I swear it's true! But your father knows how much you like me, and he didn't want to break your heart. That's why he didn't tell you. I swear by the living LORD and by your own life that I'm only one step ahead of death." 
Then Jonathan said, "Tell me what to do, and I'll do it." 
David answered: 
Tomorrow is the New Moon Festival, and I'm supposed to eat dinner with your father. But instead, I'll hide in a field until the evening of the next day. If Saul wonders where I am, tell him, "David asked me to let him go to his hometown of Bethlehem, so he could take part in a sacrifice his family makes there every year."
If your father says it's all right, then I'm safe. But if he gets angry, you'll know he wants to harm me. Be kind to me. After all, it was your idea to promise the LORD that we would always be loyal friends. If I've done anything wrong, kill me yourself, but don't hand me over to your father. 

"Don't worry," Jonathan said. "If I find out that my father wants to kill you, I'll certainly let you know." 
"How will you do that?" David asked. 
"Let's go out to this field, and I'll tell you," Jonathan answered. 

When they got there, Jonathan said:
I swear by the LORD God of Israel, that two days from now I'll know what my father is planning. Of course I'll let you know if he's friendly toward you. But if he wants to harm you, I promise to tell you and help you escape. And I ask the LORD to punish me severely if I don't keep my promise. 

I pray that the LORD will bless you, just as he used to bless my father. Someday the LORD will wipe out all of your enemies. Then if I'm still alive, please be as kind to me as the LORD has been. But if I'm dead, be kind to my family. 

Jonathan and David made an agreement that even David's descendants would have to keep. Then Jonathan said, "I pray that the LORD will take revenge on your descendants if they break our promise."
Jonathan thought as much of David as he did of himself, so he asked David to promise once more that he would be a loyal friend. After this Jonathan said:
Tomorrow is the New Moon Festival, and people will wonder where you are, because your place will be empty. By the day after tomorrow, everyone will think you've been gone a long time. Then go to the place where you hid before and stay beside Going-Away Rock. I'll shoot three arrows at a target off to the side of the rock, and send my servant to find the arrows. You'll know if it's safe to come out by what I tell him. If it is safe, I swear by the living LORD that I'll say, "The arrows are on this side of you! Pick them up!"
But if it isn't safe, I'll say to the boy, "The arrows are farther away!"
This will mean that the LORD wants you to leave, and you must go. But he will always watch us to make sure that we keep the promise we made to each other. So David hid there in the field. 

During the New Moon Festival, Saul sat down to eat by the wall, just as he always did. Jonathan sat across from him, and Abner sat next to him. But David's place was empty. Saul didn't say anything that day, because he was thinking, "Something must have happened to make David unfit to be at the Festival. Yes, something must have happened."
The day after the New Moon Festival, when David's place was still empty, Saul asked Jonathan, "Why hasn't that son of Jesse come to eat with us? He wasn't here yesterday, and he still isn't here today!" 
Jonathan answered, "The reason David hasn't come to eat with you is that he begged me to let him go to Bethlehem. He said, `Please let me go. My family is offering a sacrifice, and my brother told me I have to be there. Do me this favor and let me slip away to see my brothers.' " 

Saul was furious with Jonathan and yelled, "You're no son of mine, you traitor! I know you've chosen to be loyal to that son of Jesse. You should be ashamed of yourself! And your own mother should be ashamed that you were ever born. You'll never be safe, and your kingdom will be in danger as long as that son of Jesse is alive. Turn him over to me now! He deserves to die!"
"Why do you want to kill David?" Jonathan asked. "What has he done?" 

Saul threw his spear at Jonathan and tried to kill him. Then Jonathan was sure that his father really did want to kill David. Jonathan was angry that his father had insulted David so terribly. He got up, left the table, and didn't eat anything all that day. In the morning, Jonathan went out to the field to meet David. He took a servant boy along and told him, "When I shoot the arrows, you run and find them for me."

The boy started running, and Jonathan shot an arrow so that it would go beyond him. When the boy got near the place where the arrow had landed, Jonathan shouted, "Isn't the arrow on past you?"
Jonathan shouted to him again, "Hurry up! Don't stop!" 

The boy picked up the arrows and brought them back to Jonathan, but he had no idea about what was going on. Only Jonathan and David knew. Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy and told him, "Take these back into town." 

After the boy had gone, David got up from beside the mound and bowed very low three times. Then he and Jonathan kissed each other and cried, but David cried louder. Jonathan said, "Take care of yourself. And remember, we each have asked the LORD to watch and make sure that we and our descendants keep our promise forever."
David left and Jonathan went back to town.

Ahimelech Helps David

David went to see Ahimelech, a priest who lived in the town of Nob. Ahimelech was trembling with fear as he came out to meet David. "Why are you alone?" Ahimelech asked. "Why isn't anyone else with you?" 
"I'm on a mission for King Saul," David answered. "He ordered me not to tell anyone what the mission is all about, so I had my soldiers stay somewhere else. Do you have any food you can give me? Could you spare five loaves of bread?"
"The only bread I have is the sacred bread," the priest told David. "You can have it if your soldiers didn't sleep with women last night."
"Of course we didn't sleep with women," David answered. "I never let my men do that when we're on a mission. They have to be acceptable to worship God even when we're on a regular mission, and today we're on a special mission." 

The only bread the priest had was the sacred bread that he had taken from the place of worship after putting out the fresh loaves. So he gave it to David. 

It so happened that one of Saul's officers was there, worshiping the LORD that day. His name was Doeg the Edomite, and he was the strongest of Saul's shepherds. David asked Ahimelech, "Do you have a spear or a sword? I had to leave so quickly on this mission for the king that I didn't bring along my sword or any other weapons." 
The priest answered, "The only sword here is the one that belonged to Goliath the Philistine. You were the one who killed him in Elah Valley, and so you can take his sword if you want to. It's wrapped in a cloth behind the statue." 
"It's the best sword there is," David said. "I'll take it!"

David Tries To Find Safety in Gath

David kept on running from Saul that day until he came to Gath, where he met with King Achish. The officers of King Achish were also there, and they asked Achish, "Isn't David a king back in his own country? Don't the Israelites dance and sing, `Saul has killed a thousand enemies; David has killed ten thousand enemies'?" 

David thought about what they were saying, and it made him afraid of Achish. So right there in front of everyone, he pretended to be insane. He acted confused and scratched up the doors of the town gate, while drooling in his beard. 

"Look at him!" Achish said to his officers. "You can see he's crazy. Why did you bring him to me? I have enough crazy people without your bringing another one here. Keep him away from my palace!"

People Join David

When David escaped from the town of Gath, he went to Adullam Cave. His brothers and the rest of his family found out where he was, and they followed him there. A lot of other people joined him too. Some were in trouble, others were angry or in debt, and David was soon the leader of four hundred men. 
David left Adullam Cave and went to the town of Mizpeh in Moab, where he talked with the king of Moab. "Please," David said, "let my father and mother stay with you until I find out what God will do with me."
So he brought his parents to the king of Moab, and they stayed with him while David was in hiding. 

One day the prophet Gad told David, "Don't stay here! Go back to Judah."
David then left and went to Hereth Forest.

Saul Kills the Priests of the LORD

Saul was sitting under a small tree on top of the hill at Gibeah when he heard that David and his men had been seen. Saul was holding his spear, and his officers were standing in front of him. He told them: 
Listen to me! You belong to the Benjamin tribe, so if that son of Jesse ever becomes king, he won't give you fields or vineyards. He won't make you officers in charge of thousands or hundreds as I have done. But you're all plotting against me! Not one of you told me that my own son Jonathan had made an agreement with him. Not one of you cared enough to tell me that Jonathan had helped one of my officers rebel. Now that son of Jesse is trying to ambush me. Doeg the Edomite was standing with the other officers and spoke up, "When I was in the town of Nob, I saw that son of Jesse. He was visiting the priest Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. Ahimelech talked to the LORD for him, then gave him food and the sword that had belonged to Goliath the Philistine." 

Saul sent a message to Ahimelech and his whole family of priests at Nob, ordering them to come to him. When they came, Saul told them, "Listen to me, you son of Ahitub."
"Certainly, Your Majesty," Ahimelech answered.
Saul demanded, "Why did you plot against me with that son of Jesse? You helped him rebel against me by giving him food and a sword, and by talking with God for him. Now he's trying to ambush me!"
"Your Majesty, none of your officers is more loyal than David!" Ahimelech replied.
"He's your son-in-law and the captain of your bodyguard. Everyone in your family respects him. This isn't the first time I've talked with God for David, and it's never made you angry before! Please don't accuse me or my family like this. I have no idea what's going on!"
"Ahimelech," Saul said, "you and your whole family are going to die." 
Saul shouted to his bodyguards, "These priests of the LORD helped David! They knew he was running away, but they didn't tell me. Kill them!" 

But the king's officers would not attack the priests of the LORD. 

Saul turned to Doeg, who was from Edom, and said, "Kill the priests!" 
On that same day, Doeg killed eighty-five priests. Then he attacked the town of Nob, where the priests had lived, and he killed everyone there--men, women, children, and babies. He even killed their cattle, donkeys, and sheep.

Only Abiathar Escapes from Nob

Ahimelech's son Abiathar was the only one who escaped. He ran to David 21and told him, "Saul has murdered the priests at Nob!"
David answered, "That day when I saw Doeg, I knew he would tell Saul! Your family died because of me. Stay here. Isn't the same person trying to kill both of us? Don't worry! You'll be safe here with me."

David Rescues the Town of Keilah

One day some people told David, "The Philistines keep attacking the town of Keilah and stealing grain from the threshing place."
David asked the LORD, "Should I attack these Philistines?" 
"Yes," the LORD answered. "Attack them and rescue Keilah."
But David's men said, "Look, even here in Judah we're afraid of the Philistines. We will be terrified if we try to fight them at Keilah!"
David asked the LORD about it again. "Leave right now," the LORD answered. "I will give you victory over the Philistines at Keilah." 

David and his men went there and fiercely attacked the Philistines. They killed many of them, then led away their cattle, and rescued the people of Keilah. 

Meanwhile, Saul heard that David was in Keilah. "God has let me catch David," Saul said. "David is trapped inside a walled town where the gates can be locked." Saul decided to go there and surround the town, in order to trap David and his men. He sent messengers who told the towns and villages, "Send men to serve in Saul's army!" 

By this time, Abiathar had joined David in Keilah and had brought along everything he needed to get answers from God. 

David heard about Saul's plan to capture him, and he told Abiathar, "Let's ask God what we should do." 

David prayed, "LORD God of Israel, I was told that Saul is planning to come here. What should I do? Suppose he threatens to destroy the town because of me. Would the leaders of Keilah turn me over to Saul? Or is he really coming? Please tell me, LORD."
"Yes, he will come," the LORD answered.
David asked, "Would the leaders of Keilah hand me and my soldiers over to Saul?" 
"Yes, they would," the LORD answered. 

David and his six hundred men got out of there fast and started moving from place to place. Saul heard that David had left Keilah, and he decided not to go after him.

Jonathan Says David Will Be King

David stayed in hideouts in the hill country of Ziph Desert. Saul kept searching, but God never let Saul catch him. 
One time, David was at Horesh in Ziph Desert. He was afraid because Saul had come to the area to kill him. But Jonathan went to see David, and God helped him encourage David. "Don't be afraid," Jonathan said. "My father Saul will never get his hands on you. In fact, you're going to be the next king of Israel, and I'll be your highest official. Even my father knows it's true."
They both promised the LORD that they would always be loyal to each other. Then Jonathan went home, but David stayed at Horesh.

David Escapes from Saul

Some people from the town of Ziph went to Saul at Gibeah and said, "Your Majesty, David has a hideout not far from us! It's near Horesh, somewhere on Mount Hachilah south of Jeshimon. If you come, we will help you catch him."
Saul told them: 
You've done me a big favor, and I pray that the LORD will bless you. Now please do just a little more for me. Find out exactly where David is, as well as where he goes, and who has seen him there. I've been told that he's very tricky. Find out where all his hiding places are and come back when you're sure. Then I'll go with you. If he is still in the area, or anywhere among the clans of Judah, I'll find him. 

The people from Ziph went back ahead of Saul, and they found out that David and his men were still south of Jeshimon in the Maon Desert. Saul and his army set out to find David. But David heard that Saul was coming, and he went to a place called The Rock, one of his hideouts in Maon Desert. 

Saul found out where David was and started closing in on him. Saul was going around a hill on one side, and David and his men were on the other side, trying to get away. Saul and his soldiers were just about to capture David and his men, when a messenger came to Saul and said, "Come quickly! The Philistines are attacking Israel and taking everything." 

Saul stopped going after David and went back to fight the Philistines. That's why the place is called "Escape Rock." 

David left and went to live in the hideouts at En-Gedi.

David Lets Saul Live

When Saul got back from fighting off the Philistines, he heard that David was in the desert around En-Gedi. Saul led three thousand of Israel's best soldiers out to look for David and his men near Wild Goat Rocks at En-Gedi. There were some sheep pens along the side of the road, and one of them was built around the entrance to a cave. Saul went into the cave to relieve himself. 
David and his men were hiding at the back of the cave. They whispered to David, "The LORD told you he was going to let you defeat your enemies and do whatever you want with them. This must be the day the LORD was talking about." 

David sneaked over and cut off a small piece of Saul's robe, but Saul didn't notice a thing. Afterwards, David was sorry that he had even done that, and he told his men, "Stop talking foolishly. We're not going to attack Saul. He's my king, and I pray that the LORD will keep me from doing anything to harm his chosen king."
Saul left the cave and started down the road. Soon, David also got up and left the cave. "Your Majesty!" he shouted from a distance. 

Saul turned around to look. David bowed down very low and said:
Your Majesty, why do you listen to people who say that I'm trying to harm you? You can see for yourself that the LORD gave me the chance to catch you in the cave today. Some of my men wanted to kill you, but I wouldn't let them do it. I told them, "I will not harm the LORD's chosen king!"
Your Majesty, look at what I'm holding. You can see that it's a piece of your robe. If I could cut off a piece of your robe, I could have killed you. But I let you live, and that should prove I'm not trying to harm you or to rebel. I haven't done anything to you, and yet you keep trying to ambush and kill me. 

I'll let the LORD decide which one of us has done right. I pray that the LORD will punish you for what you're doing to me, but I won't do anything to you. An old proverb says, "Only evil people do evil things," and so I won't harm you. 

Why should the king of Israel be out chasing me, anyway? I'm as worthless as a dead dog or a flea. I pray that the LORD will help me escape and show that I am in the right. 

"David, my son--is that you?" Saul asked.
Then he started crying and said:
David, you're a better person than I am. You treated me with kindness, even though I've been cruel to you. You've told me how you were kind enough not to kill me when the LORD gave you the chance. If you really were my enemy, you wouldn't have let me leave here alive. I pray that the LORD will give you a big reward for what you did today. 

I realize now that you will be the next king, and a powerful king at that. Promise me with the LORD as your witness, that you won't wipe out my descendants. Let them live to keep my family name alive. 

So David promised, and Saul went home. David and his men returned to their hideout.

Samuel Dies

Samuel died, and people from all over Israel gathered to mourn for him when he was buried at his home in Ramah. Meanwhile, David moved his camp to Paran Desert. Abigail Keeps David from Killing Innocent People
Nabal was a very rich man who lived in Maon. He owned three thousand sheep and a thousand goats, which he kept at Carmel. His wife Abigail was sensible and beautiful, but he was from the Caleb clan and was rough and mean. One day, Nabal was in Carmel, having his servants cut the wool from his sheep. David was in the desert when he heard about it. So he sent ten men to Carmel with this message for Nabal:
I hope that you and your family are healthy and that all is going well for you. I've heard that you are cutting the wool from your sheep. 

When your shepherds were with us in Carmel, we didn't harm them, and nothing was ever stolen from them. Ask your shepherds, and they'll tell you the same thing. 

My servants are your servants, and you are like a father to me. This is a day for celebrating, so please be kind and share some of your food with us. David's men went to Nabal and gave him David's message, then they waited for Nabal's answer. 

This is what he said:
Who does this David think he is? That son of Jesse is just one more slave on the run from his master, and there are too many of them these days. What makes you think I would take my bread, my water, and the meat that I've had cooked for my own servants and give it to you? Besides, I'm not sure that David sent you! The men returned to their camp and told David everything Nabal had said. 

"Everybody get your swords!" David ordered. 

They all strapped on their swords. Two hundred men stayed behind to guard the camp, but the other four hundred followed David. 

Meanwhile, one of Nabal's servants told Abigail:
David's men were often nearby while we were taking care of the sheep in the fields. They were very good to us, they never hurt us, and nothing was ever stolen from us while they were nearby. With them around day or night, we were as safe as we would have been inside a walled city. 

David sent some messengers from the desert to wish our master well, but he shouted insults at them. He's a bully who won't listen to anyone. 

Isn't there something you can do? Please think of something! Or else our master and his family and everyone who works for him are all doomed. 

Abigail quickly got together two hundred loaves of bread, two large clay jars of wine, the meat from five sheep, a large sack of roasted grain, a hundred handfuls of raisins, and two hundred handfuls of dried figs. She loaded all the food on donkeys and told her servants, "Take this on ahead, and I'll catch up with you."
She didn't tell her husband Nabal what she was doing. 

Abigail was riding her donkey on the path that led around the hillside, when suddenly she met David and his men heading straight at her. 

David had just been saying, "I surely wasted my time guarding Nabal's things in the desert and keeping them from being stolen! I was good to him, and now he pays me back with insults. I swear that by morning, there won't be a man or boy left from his family or his servants' families. I pray that God will punish me [h] if I don't do it!"
Abigail quickly got off her donkey and bowed down in front of David. Then she said:
Sir, please let me explain! Don't pay any attention to that good-for-nothing Nabal. His name means "fool," and it really fits him! 

I didn't see the men you sent, but please take this gift of food that I've brought and share it with your followers. The LORD has kept you from taking revenge and from killing innocent people. But I hope your enemies and anyone else who wants to harm you will end up like Nabal. I swear this by the living LORD and by your life. 

Please forgive me if I say a little more. The LORD will always protect you and your family, because you fight for him. I pray that you won't ever do anything evil as long as you live. The LORD your God will keep you safe when your enemies try to kill you. But he will snatch away their lives quicker than you can throw a rock from a sling. 

The LORD has promised to do many good things for you, even to make you the ruler of Israel. The LORD will keep his promises to you, and now your conscience will be clear, because you won't be guilty of taking revenge and killing innocent people. 

When the LORD does all those good things for you, please remember me. 

David told her:
I praise the LORD God of Israel! He must have sent you to meet me today. And you should also be praised. Your good sense kept me from taking revenge and killing innocent people. If you hadn't come to meet me so quickly, every man and boy in Nabal's family and in his servants' families would have been killed by morning. I swear by the living LORD God of Israel who protected you that this is the truth. 

David accepted the food Abigail had brought. "Don't worry," he said. "You can go home now. I'll do what you asked." 

Abigail went back home and found Nabal throwing a party fit for a king. He was very drunk and feeling good, so she didn't tell him anything that night. But when he sobered up the next morning, Abigail told him everything that had happened. Nabal had a heart attack, and he lay in bed as still as a stone. Ten days later, the LORD took his life. 

David heard that Nabal had died. "I praise the LORD!" David said. "He has judged Nabal guilty for insulting me. The LORD kept me from doing anything wrong, and he made sure that Nabal hurt only himself with his own evil." 

Abigail was still at Carmel. So David sent messengers to ask her if she would marry him.

David and Abigail Are Married

She bowed down and said, "I would willingly be David's slave and wash his servants' feet." 
Abigail quickly got ready and went back with David's messengers. She rode on her donkey, while five of her servant women walked alongside. She and David were married as soon as she arrived. 

David had earlier married Ahinoam from the town of Jezreel, so both she and Abigail were now David's wives. Meanwhile, Saul had arranged for Michal to marry Palti the son of Laish, who came from the town of Gallim.

David Again Lets Saul Live

Once again, some people from Ziph went to Gibeah to talk with Saul. "David has a hideout on Mount Hachilah near Jeshimon out in the desert," they told him.
Saul took three thousand of Israel's best soldiers and went to look for David there in Ziph Desert. Saul set up camp on Mount Hachilah, which is across the road from Jeshimon. But David was hiding out in the desert. 
When David heard that Saul was following him, he sent some spies to find out if it was true. Then he sneaked up to Saul's camp. He noticed that Saul and his army commander Abner the son of Ner were sleeping in the middle of the camp, with soldiers sleeping all around them. David asked Ahimelech the Hittite and Joab's brother Abishai, "Which one of you will go with me into Saul's camp?"
"I will!" Abishai answered. 

That same night, David and Abishai crept into the camp. Saul was sleeping, and his spear was stuck in the ground not far from his head. Abner and the soldiers were sound asleep all around him. 

Abishai whispered, "This time God has let you get your hands on your enemy! I'll pin him to the ground with one thrust of his own spear." 
"Don't kill him!" David whispered back. "The LORD will punish anyone who kills his chosen king. As surely as the LORD lives, the LORD will kill Saul, or Saul will die a natural death or be killed in battle. But I pray that the LORD will keep me from harming his chosen king. Let's grab his spear and his water jar and get out of here!" 

David took the spear and the water jar, then left the camp. None of Saul's soldiers knew what had happened or even woke up--the LORD had made all of them fall sound asleep. David and Abishai crossed the valley and went to the top of the next hill, where they were at a safe distance. "Abner!" David shouted toward Saul's army. "Can you hear me?"
Abner shouted back. "Who dares disturb the king?" 
"Abner, what kind of a man are you?" David replied. "Aren't you supposed to be the best soldier in Israel? Then why didn't you protect your king? Anyone who went into your camp could have killed him tonight. You're a complete failure! I swear by the living LORD that you and your men deserve to die for not protecting the LORD's chosen king. Look and see if you can find the king's spear and the water jar that were near his head."
Saul could tell it was David's voice, and he called out, "David, my son! Is that you?" 
"Yes it is, Your Majesty. Why are you after me? Have I done something wrong, or have I committed a crime? Please listen to what I have to say. If the LORD has turned you against me, maybe a sacrifice will make him change his mind. But if some people have turned you against me, I hope the LORD will punish them! They have forced me to leave the land that belongs to the LORD and have told me to worship foreign gods. Don't let me die in a land far away from the LORD. I'm no more important than a flea! Why should the king of Israel hunt me down as if I were a bird in the mountains?"
"David, you had the chance to kill me today. But you didn't. I was very wrong about you. It was a terrible mistake for me to try to kill you. I've acted like a fool, but I'll never try to harm you again. You're like a son to me, so please come back." 
"Your Majesty, here's your spear! Have one of your soldiers come and get it. The LORD put you in my power today, but you are his chosen king and I wouldn't harm you. The LORD rewards people who are faithful and live right. I saved your life today, and I pray that the LORD will protect me and keep me safe."
"David, my son, I pray that the Lord will bless you and make you successful!"

David in Philistia

Saul went back home. David also left, but he thought to himself, "One of these days, Saul is going to kill me. The only way to escape from him is to go to Philistia. Then I'll be outside of Israel, and Saul will give up trying to catch me."
David and his six hundred men went across the border to stay in Gath with King Achish the son of Maoch. His men brought their families with them. David brought his wife Ahinoam whose hometown was Jezreel, and he also brought his wife Abigail who had been married to Nabal from Carmel. When Saul found out that David had run off to Gath, he stopped trying to catch him. 

One day, David was talking with Achish and said, "If you are happy with me, then let me live in one of the towns in the countryside. I'm not important enough to live here with you in the royal city." 

Achish gave David the town of Ziklag that same day, and Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah ever since. 

David was in Philistia for a year and four months. The Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites lived in the area from Telam to Shur and on as far as Egypt, and David often attacked their towns. Whenever David and his men attacked a town, they took the sheep, cattle, donkeys, camels, and the clothing, and killed everyone who lived there. After he returned from a raid, David always went to see Achish, who would ask, "Where did you attack today?"
David would answer, "Oh, we attacked some desert town that belonged to the Judah tribe."
Sometimes David would say, "Oh, we attacked a town in the desert where the Jerahmeel clan lives" or "We attacked a town in the desert where the Kenites [c] live."
That's why David killed everyone in the towns he attacked. He thought, "If I let any of them live, they might come to Gath and tell what I've really been doing." David made these raids all the time he was in Philistia. But Achish trusted David and thought, "David's people must be furious with him. From now on he will have to take orders from me."

The Philistines Send David Back

The Philistines had brought their whole army to Aphek, while Israel's army was camping near Jezreel Spring. The Philistine rulers and their troops were marching past the Philistine army commanders in groups of a hundred and a thousand. When David and his men marched by at the end with Achish, the commanders said, "What are these worthless Israelites doing here?"
"They are David's men," Achish answered. "David used to be one of Saul's officers, but he left Saul and joined my army a long time ago. I've never had even one complaint about him." 
The Philistine army commanders were angry and shouted:
Send David back to the town you gave him. We won't have him going into the battle with us. He could turn and fight against us! Saul would take David back as an officer if David brought him the heads of our soldiers. The Israelites even dance and sing, 
"Saul has killed
a thousand enemies;
David has killed
ten thousand enemies!" 

Achish called David over and said:
I swear by the living LORD that you've been honest with me, and I want you to fight by my side. I don't think you've done anything wrong from the day you joined me until this very moment. But the other Philistine rulers don't want you to come along. Go on back home and try not to upset them. 

"But what have I done?" David asked. "Do you know of anything I've ever done that would keep me from fighting the enemies of my king?"
Achish said:
I believe that you're as good as an angel of God, but our army commanders have decided that you can't fight in this battle. You and your troops will have to go back to the town I gave you. Get up and leave tomorrow morning as soon as it's light. I am pleased with you, so don't let any of this bother you. David and his men got up early in the morning and headed back toward Philistia, while the Philistines left for Jezreel.

David Rescues His Soldiers' Families

It took David and his men three days to reach Ziklag. But while they had been away, the Amalekites had been raiding in the desert around there. They had attacked Ziklag, burned it to the ground, and had taken away the women and children. When David and his men came to Ziklag, they saw the burned-out ruins and learned that their families had been taken captive. They started crying and kept it up until they were too weak to cry any more. David's two wives, Ahinoam and Abigail, had been taken captive with everyone else. 
David was desperate. His soldiers were so upset over what had happened to their sons and daughters that they were thinking about stoning David to death. But he felt the LORD God giving him strength, and he said to the priest, "Abiathar, let's ask God what to do." 

Abiathar brought everything he needed to get answers from God, and he went over to David. Then David asked the LORD, "Should I go after the people who raided our town? Can I catch up with them?" 
"Go after them," the LORD answered. "You will catch up with them, and you will rescue your families." 

David led his six hundred men to Besor Gorge, but two hundred of them were too tired to go across. So they stayed behind, while David and the other four hundred men crossed the gorge. 

Some of David's men found an Egyptian out in a field and took him to David. They gave the Egyptian some bread, and he ate it. Then they gave him a drink of water, some dried figs, and two handfuls of raisins. This was the first time in three days he had tasted food or water. Now he felt much better. 

"Who is your master?" David asked. "And where do you come from?" 
"I'm from Egypt," the young man answered. "I'm the servant of an Amalekite, but he left me here three days ago because I was sick. We had attacked some towns in the desert where the Cherethites live, in the area that belongs to Judah, and in the desert where the Caleb clan lives. And we burned down Ziklag." 
"Will you take me to those Amalekites?" David asked. 
"Yes, I will, if you promise with God as a witness that you won't kill me or hand me over to my master." 

He led David to the Amalekites. They were eating and drinking everywhere, celebrating because of what they had taken from Philistia and Judah. David attacked just before sunrise the next day and fought until sunset. Four hundred Amalekites rode away on camels, but they were the only ones who escaped. David rescued his two wives and everyone else the Amalekites had taken from Ziklag. No one was missing--young or old, sons or daughters. David brought back everything that had been stolen, including their livestock. 

David also took the sheep and cattle that the Amalekites had with them, but he kept these separate from the others. Everyone agreed that these would be David's reward. 

On the way back, David went to the two hundred men he had left at Besor Gorge, because they had been too tired to keep up with him. They came toward David and the people who were with him. When David was close enough, he greeted the two hundred men and asked how they were doing. 

Some of David's men were good-for-nothings, and they said, "Those men didn't go with us to the battle, so they don't get any of the things we took back from the Amalekites. Let them take their wives and children and go!" 
But David said:
My friends, don't be so greedy with what the LORD has given us! The LORD protected us and gave us victory over the people who attacked. Who would pay attention to you, anyway? Soldiers who stay behind to guard the camp get as much as those who go into battle. 

David made this a law for Israel, and it has been the same ever since.

David Becomes King of Judah

Later, David asked the LORD, "Should I go back to one of the towns of Judah?" 
The LORD answered, "Yes." 
David asked, "Which town should I go to?" 
"Go to Hebron," the LORD replied. 

David went to Hebron with his two wives, Ahinoam and Abigail. Ahinoam was from Jezreel, and Abigail was the widow of Nabal from Carmel. David also had his men and their families come and live in the villages near Hebron. 

The people of Judah met with David at Hebron and poured olive oil on his head to show that he was their new king. Then they told David, "The people from Jabesh in Gilead buried Saul." 
David sent messengers to tell them:
The LORD bless you! You were kind enough to bury Saul your ruler, and I pray that the LORD will be kind and faithful to you. I will be your friend because of what you have done. Saul is dead, but the tribe of Judah has made me their king. So be strong and have courage.

Ishbosheth Becomes King of Israel

Abner the son of Ner had been the general of Saul's army. He took Saul's son Ishbosheth across the Jordan River to Mahanaim and made him king of Israel, including the areas of Gilead, Asher, Jezreel, Ephraim, and Benjamin. Ishbosheth was forty years old at the time, and he ruled for two years. But the tribe of Judah made David their king, and he ruled from Hebron for seven and a half years.

The War between David and Ishbosheth

One day, Abner and the soldiers of Ishbosheth left Mahanaim and went to Gibeon. Meanwhile, Joab the son of Zeruiah was leading David's soldiers, and the two groups met at the pool in Gibeon. Abner and his men sat down on one side of the pool, while Joab and his men sat on the other side. Abner yelled to Joab, "Let's have some of our best soldiers get up and fight each other!"
Joab agreed, and twelve of Ishbosheth's men from the tribe of Benjamin got up to fight twelve of David's men. They grabbed each other by the hair and stabbed each other in the side with their daggers. They all died right there! That's why the place in Gibeon is called "Field of Daggers."
Then everyone started fighting. Both sides fought very hard, but David's soldiers defeated Abner and the soldiers of Israel. Zeruiah's three sons were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel could run as fast as a deer in an open field, and he ran straight after Abner, without looking to the right or to the left. 
When Abner turned and saw him, he said, "Is that you, Asahel?" 
Asahel answered, "Yes it is." 
Abner said, "There are soldiers all around. Stop chasing me and fight one of them! Kill him and take his clothes and weapons for yourself." 

But Asahel refused to stop. 

Abner said, "If you don't turn back, I'll have to kill you! Then I could never face your brother Joab again." 

But Asahel would not turn back, so Abner struck him in the stomach with the back end of his spear. The spear went all the way through and came out of his back. Asahel fell down and died. Everyone who saw Asahel lying dead just stopped and stood still. But Joab and Abishai went after Abner. Finally, about sunset, they came to the hill of Ammah, not far from Giah on the road to Gibeon Desert. Abner brought the men of Benjamin together in one group on top of a hill, and they got ready to fight. 

Abner shouted to Joab, "Aren't we ever going to stop killing each other? Don't you know that the longer we keep on doing this, the worse it's going to be when it's all over? When are you going to order your men to stop chasing their own relatives?"
Joab shouted back, "I swear by the living God, if you hadn't spoken, my men would have chased their relatives all night!"
Joab took his trumpet and blew the signal for his soldiers to stop chasing the soldiers of Israel. Right away, the fighting stopped. 

Abner and his troops marched through the Jordan River valley all that night. Then they crossed the river and marched all morning until they arrived back at Mahanaim. As soon as Joab stopped chasing Abner, he got David's troops together and counted them. There were nineteen missing besides Asahel. But David's soldiers had killed 360 of Abner's men from the tribe of Benjamin. Joab and his troops carried Asahel's body to Bethlehem and buried him in the family burial place. Then they marched all night and reached Hebron before sunrise.

David and Bathsheba

It was now spring, the time when kings go to war. David sent out the whole Israelite army under the command of Joab and his officers. They destroyed the Ammonite army and surrounded the capital city of Rabbah, but David stayed in Jerusalem. Late one afternoon, David got up from a nap and was walking around on the flat roof of his palace. A beautiful young woman was down below in her courtyard, bathing as her religion required. David happened to see her, and he sent one of his servants to find out who she was. The servant came back and told David, "Her name is Bathsheba. She is the daughter of Eliam, and she is the wife of Uriah the Hittite."
David sent some messengers to bring her to his palace. She came to him, and he slept with her. Then she returned home. But later, when she found out that she was going to have a baby, she sent someone to David with this message: "I'm pregnant!" 

David sent a message to Joab: "Send Uriah the Hittite to me." 

Joab sent Uriah to David's palace, and David asked him, "Is Joab well? How is the army doing? And how about the war?"
Then David told Uriah, "Go home and clean up."
Uriah left the king's palace, and David had dinner sent to Uriah's house. But Uriah didn't go home. Instead, he slept outside the entrance to the royal palace, where the king's guards slept. Someone told David that Uriah had not gone home. So the next morning David asked him, "Why didn't you go home? Haven't you been away for a long time?"
Uriah answered, "The sacred chest and the armies of Israel and Judah are camping out somewhere in the fields with our commander Joab and his officers and troops. Do you really think I would go home to eat and drink and sleep with my wife? I swear by your life that I would not!"
Then David said, "Stay here in Jerusalem today, and I will send you back tomorrow." 

Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day. Then the next day, David invited him for dinner. Uriah ate with David and drank so much that he got drunk, but he still did not go home. He went out and slept on his mat near the palace guards. Early the next morning, David wrote a letter and told Uriah to deliver it to Joab. The letter said:
"Put Uriah on the front line where the fighting is the worst. Then pull the troops back from him, so that he will be wounded and die." 

Joab had been carefully watching the city of Rabbah, and he put Uriah in a place where he knew there were some of the enemy's best soldiers. When the men of the city came out, they fought and killed some of David's soldiers--Uriah the Hittite was one of them. 

Joab sent a messenger to tell David everything that was happening in the war. He gave the messenger these orders:
When you finish telling the king everything that has happened, he may get angry and ask, "Why did you go so near the city to fight? Didn't you know they would shoot arrows from the wall? Don't you know how Abimelech the son of Gideon was killed at Thebez? Didn't a woman kill him by dropping a large rock from the top of the city wall? Why did you go so close to the city walls?"
Then you tell him, "One of your soldiers who was killed was Uriah the Hittite." 

The messenger went to David and reported everything Joab had told him. He added, "The enemy chased us from the wall and out into the open fields. But we pushed them back as far as the city gate. Then they shot arrows at us from the top of the wall. Some of your soldiers were killed, and one of them was Uriah the Hittite."
David replied, "Tell Joab to cheer up and not to be upset about what happened. You never know who will be killed in a war. Tell him to strengthen his attack against the city and break through its walls."
When Bathsheba heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. Then after the time for mourning was over, David sent someone to bring her to the palace. She became David's wife, and they had a son.

The LORD's Message for David

The LORD was angry at what David had done, and he sent Nathan the prophet to tell this story to David:
A rich man and a poor man lived in the same town. The rich man owned a lot of sheep and cattle, but the poor man had only one little lamb that he had bought and raised. The lamb became a pet for him and his children. He even let it eat from his plate and drink from his cup and sleep on his lap. The lamb was like one of his own children. 

One day someone came to visit the rich man, but the rich man didn't want to kill any of his own sheep or cattle and serve it to the visitor. So he stole the poor man's little lamb and served it instead. 

David was furious with the rich man and said to Nathan, "I swear by the living LORD that the man who did this deserves to die! And because he didn't have any pity on the poor man, he will have to pay four times what the lamb was worth." 
Then Nathan told David:
You are that rich man! Now listen to what the LORD God of Israel says to you: "I chose you to be the king of Israel. I kept you safe from Saul and even gave you his house and his wives. I let you rule Israel and Judah, and if that had not been enough, I would have given you much more. Why did you disobey me and do such a horrible thing? You murdered Uriah the Hittite by having the Ammonites kill him, so you could take his wife. 

"Because you wouldn't obey me and took Uriah's wife for yourself, your family will never live in peace. Someone from your own family will cause you a lot of trouble, and I will take your wives and give them to another man before your very eyes. He will go to bed with them while everyone looks on. What you did was in secret, but I will do this in the open for everyone in Israel to see." 
David said, "I have disobeyed the LORD." 
"Yes, you have!" Nathan answered. "You showed you didn't care what the LORD wanted. He has forgiven you, and you won't die. But your newborn son will."
Then Nathan went back home. The LORD made David's young son very sick.

David's Young Son Dies

So David went without eating to show his sorrow, and he begged God to make the boy well. David would not sleep on his bed, but spent each night lying on the floor. His officials stood beside him and tried to talk him into getting up. But he would not get up or eat with them. 

After the child had been sick for seven days, he died, but the officials were afraid to tell David. They said to each other, "Even when the boy was alive, David wouldn't listen to us. How can we tell him his son is dead? He might do something terrible!" 

David noticed his servants whispering, and he knew the boy was dead. "Did my son die?" he asked his servants. 
"Yes, he did," they answered. 

David got up off the floor; he took a bath, combed his hair, and dressed. He went into the LORD's tent and worshiped, then he went back home. David asked for something to eat, and when his servants brought him some food, he ate it. 

His officials said, "What are you doing? You went without eating and cried for your son while he was alive! But now that he's dead, you're up and eating." 
David answered: 
While he was still alive, I went without food and cried because there was still hope. I said to myself, "Who knows? Maybe the LORD will have pity on me and let the child live."
But now that he's dead, why should I go without eating? I can't bring him back! Someday I will join him in death, but he can't return to me.

Solomon Is Born

David comforted his wife Bathsheba and slept with her. Later on, she gave birth to another son and named him Solomon. The LORD loved Solomon 25and sent Nathan the prophet to tell David, "The LORD will call him Jedidiah."

The End of the War with Ammon

Meanwhile, Joab had been in the country of Ammon, attacking the city of Rabbah. He captured the royal fortress and sent a messenger to tell David:
I have attacked Rabbah and captured the fortress guarding the city water supply. Call the rest of the army together. Then surround the city, and capture it yourself. If you don't, everyone will remember that I captured the city. 

David called the rest of the army together and attacked Rabbah. He captured the city and took the crown from the statue of their god Milcom. The crown was made of seventy-five pounds of gold, and there was a valuable jewel on it. David put the jewel on his own crown. He also carried off everything else of value. David made the people of Rabbah tear down the city walls with iron picks and axes, and then he put them to work making bricks. He did the same thing with all the other Ammonite cities. David went back to Jerusalem, and the people of Israel returned to their homes.

Absalom Rebels against David

Some time later, Absalom got himself a chariot with horses to pull it, and he had fifty men run in front. He would get up early each morning and wait by the side of the road that led to the city gate. Anyone who had a complaint to bring to King David would have to go that way, and Absalom would ask each of them, "Where are you from?" If they said, "I'm from a tribe in the north,"
Absalom would say, "You deserve to win your case. It's too bad the king doesn't have anyone to hear complaints like yours. I wish someone would make me the judge around here! I would be fair to everyone."
Whenever anyone would come to Absalom and start bowing down, he would reach out and hug and kiss them. That's how he treated everyone from Israel who brought a complaint to the king. Soon everyone in Israel liked Absalom better than they liked David. 

Four years later, Absalom said to David, "Please, let me go to Hebron. I have to keep a promise that I made to the LORD, 8when I was living with the Arameans in Geshur. I promised that if the LORD would bring me back to live in Jerusalem, I would worship him in Hebron."

David Gets Ready for Battle

David divided his soldiers into groups of a hundred and groups of a thousand. Then he chose officers to be in command of each group. He sent out one-third of his army under the command of Joab, another third under the command of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, and the rest under the command of Ittai from Gath. He told the soldiers, "I'm going into battle with you."
But the soldiers said, "No, don't go into battle with us! It won't matter to our enemies if they make us all run away, or even if they kill half of us. But you are worth ten thousand of us. It would be better for you to stay in town and send help if we need it."
David said, "All right, if you think I should." 

Then in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, he said, "Joab! Abishai! Ittai! For my sake, be sure that Absalom comes back unharmed." 

David stood beside the town gate as his army marched past in groups of a hundred and in groups of a thousand. 

The war with Israel took place in Ephraim Forest.

Joab Kills Absalom

Battles were being fought all over the forest, and David's soldiers were winning. Twenty thousand soldiers were killed that day, and more of them died from the dangers of the forest than from the fighting itself. 9Absalom was riding his mule under a huge tree when his head caught in the branches. The mule ran off and left Absalom hanging in midair. Some of David's soldiers happened by, and one of them went and told Joab, "I saw Absalom hanging in a tree!"
Joab said, "You saw Absalom? Why didn't you kill him? I would have given you ten pieces of silver and a special belt." 
The man answered, "Even if you paid me a thousand pieces of silver here and now, I still wouldn't touch the king's son. We all heard King David tell you and Abishai and Ittai not to harm Absalom. He always finds out what's going on. I would have been risking my life to kill Absalom, because you would have let me take the blame." 
Joab said, "I'm not going to waste any more time on you!" 

Absalom was still alive, so Joab took three spears and stuck them through Absalom's chest. Ten of Joab's bodyguards came over and finished him off. Then Joab blew a trumpet to signal his troops to stop chasing Israel's soldiers. They threw Absalom's body into a deep pit in the forest and put a big pile of rocks over it. 

Meanwhile, the people of Israel had all run back to their own homes. 

When Absalom was alive, he had set up a stone monument for himself in King's Valley. He explained, "I don't have any sons to keep my name alive."
He called it Absalom's Monument, and that is the name it still has today.

Ahimaaz Wants To Tell David

Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, "Joab, let me run and tell King David that the LORD has rescued him from his enemies." 
Joab answered, "You're not the one to tell the king that his son is dead. You can take him a message some other time, but not today." 

Someone from Ethiopia was standing there, and Joab told him, "Go and tell the king what you have seen."
The man knelt down in front of Joab and then got up and started running. Ahimaaz spoke to Joab again, "No matter what happens, I still want to run. And besides, the Ethiopian has already left."
Joab said, "Why should you run? You won't get a reward for the news you have!"
"I'll run no matter what!" Ahimaaz insisted. 
"All right then, run!" Joab said. 

Ahimaaz took the road through the Jordan Valley and outran the Ethiopian. 

Meanwhile, David was sitting between the inner and outer gates in the city wall. One of his soldiers was watching from the roof of the gate-tower. He saw a man running toward the town and shouted down to tell David. David answered, "If he's alone, he must have some news." 

The runner was getting closer, when the soldier saw someone else running. He shouted down to the gate, "Look! There's another runner!" 
David said, "He must have some news too." 
The soldier on the roof shouted, "The first one runs just like Ahimaaz the son of Zadok." 
This time David said, "He's a good man. He must have some good news." 
Ahimaaz called out, "We won! We won!" Then he bowed low to David and said, "Your Majesty, praise the LORD your God! He has given you victory over your enemies." 
"Is my son Absalom all right?" David asked. 
Ahimaaz said, "When Joab sent your personal servant and me, I saw a noisy crowd. But I don't know what it was all about." 
David told him, "Stand over there and wait." 

Ahimaaz went over and stood there. The Ethiopian came and said, "Your Majesty, today I have good news! The LORD has rescued you from all your enemies!"
"Is my son Absalom all right?" David asked. 
The Ethiopian replied, "I wish that all Your Majesty's enemies and everyone who tries to harm you would end up like him!"

David Cries for Absalom

David started trembling. Then he went up to the room above the city gate to cry. As he went, he kept saying, "My son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! I wish I could have died instead of you! Absalom, my son, my son!"

David in His Old Age

King David was now an old man, and he always felt cold, even under a lot of blankets. His officials said, "Your Majesty, we will look for a young woman to take care of you. She can lie down beside you and keep you warm."
They looked everywhere in Israel until they found a very beautiful young woman named Abishag, who lived in the town of Shunem. They brought her to David, and she took care of him. But David did not have sex with her.

Adonijah Tries To Become King

Adonijah was the son of David and Haggith. He was Absalom's younger brother and was very handsome. One day, Adonijah started bragging, "I'm going to make myself king!"
So he got some chariots and horses, and he hired fifty men as bodyguards. David did not want to hurt his feelings, so he never asked Adonijah why he was doing these things. Adonijah met with Joab the son of Zeruiah and Abiathar the priest and asked them if they would help him become king. Both of them agreed to help. But Zadok the priest, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and David's bodyguards all refused. Adonijah invited his brothers and David's officials from Judah to go with him to Crawling Rock near Rogel Spring, where he sacrificed some sheep, cattle, and fat calves. But he did not invite Nathan, Benaiah, David's bodyguards, or his own brother Solomon. When Nathan heard what had happened, he asked Bathsheba, Solomon's mother:
Have you heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has made himself king? But David doesn't know a thing about it. You and your son Solomon will be killed, unless you do what I tell you. Go say to David, "You promised me that Solomon would be the next king. So why is Adonijah now king?" 

While you are still talking to David, I'll come in and tell him that everything you said is true. 

Meanwhile, David was in his bedroom where Abishag was taking care of him because he was so old. Bathsheba went in 16and bowed down. 

"What can I do for you?" David asked. 
Bathsheba answered: 
Your Majesty, you promised me in the name of the LORD your God that my son Solomon would be the next king. But Adonijah has already been made king, and you didn't know anything about it. He sacrificed a lot of cattle, calves, and sheep. And he invited Abiathar the priest, Joab your army commander, and all your sons to be there, except Solomon, your loyal servant. 

Your Majesty, everyone in Israel is waiting for you to announce who will be the next king. If you don't, they will say that Solomon and I have rebelled. They will treat us like criminals and kill us as soon as you die. 

Just then, Nathan the prophet arrived. Someone told David that he was there, and Nathan came in. He bowed with his face to the ground and said:
Your Majesty, did you say that Adonijah would be king? Earlier today, he sacrificed a lot of cattle, calves, and sheep. He invited the army commanders, Abiathar, and all your sons to be there. Right now they are eating and drinking and shouting, "Long live King Adonijah!"
But he didn't invite me or Zadok the priest or Benaiah or Solomon. Did you say they could do this without telling the rest of us who would be the next king?

Solomon Becomes King

David said, "Tell Bathsheba to come here."
She came and stood in front of him. Then he said, "The living LORD God of Israel has kept me safe. And so today, I will keep the promise I made to you in his name: Solomon will be the next king!" 
Bathsheba bowed with her face to the ground and said, "Your Majesty, I pray that you will live a long time!"

David's Instructions to Solomon

Not long before David died, he told Solomon:
My son, I will soon die, as everyone must. But I want you to be strong and brave. Do what the LORD your God commands and follow his teachings. Obey everything written in the Law of Moses. Then you will be a success, no matter what you do or where you go. You and your descendants must always faithfully obey the LORD. If you do, he will keep the solemn promise he made to me that someone from our family will always be king of Israel. 

Solomon, don't forget what Joab did to me by killing Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether, the two commanders of Israel's army. He killed them as if they were his enemies in a war, but he did it when there was no war. He is guilty, and now it's up to you to punish him in the way you think best. Whatever you do, don't let him die peacefully in his old age. The sons of Barzillai from Gilead helped me when I was running from your brother Absalom. Be kind to them and let them eat at your table. Be sure to do something about Shimei son of Gera from Bahurim in the territory of Benjamin. He cursed and insulted me the day I went to Mahanaim. But later, when he came to meet me at the Jordan River, I promised that I wouldn't kill him. Now you must punish him. He's an old man, but you're wise enough to know that you must have him killed.

David Dies

David was king of Israel forty years. He ruled seven years from Hebron and thirty-three years from Jerusalem. Then he died and was buried in Jerusalem. His son Solomon became king and took control of David's kingdom.