1 Samuel 24

After Saul and his soldiers returned home from fighting against the Philistine army, someone reported to Saul that David and his men had gone into the desolate area near En Gedi.

When Saul heard that, he chose 3,000 of the best soldiers he could find anywhere in Israel. They went to search for David and his men among the {caves in the} rocky cliffs in that area. Those cliffs were so steep that only wild goats lived on them. \*

As they searched, they came to a place where shepherds had built enclosures for their sheep in front of the entrances to caves. Saul went into one of the caves to use it as a toilet. He did not realize that David and his men were hiding farther inside that same cave.

David’s men {saw Saul and} whispered to him, “God told you that he would put your enemy in a position where you could do anything you wanted to him. Look! He has done that right now!” So David crept quietly toward the entrance of the cave, and he cut off a piece of Saul’s robe. \*

David then he returned to his men. But he felt guilty for having cut off a piece of Saul’s robe.

David told his men, “God is very displeased with me for doing that to my master, the man God appointed as king! Because God chose him to be the king, I should not have done anything hostile to him.”

By saying that, David made his men move farther back into the cave away from Saul. \* He did not allow them to kill him. After Saul left the cave and started to search for David again,

David then came out of the cave and shouted to Saul, “King Saul, my lord!” Saul turned around and looked, and David humbly bowed down with his face touching the ground.

Then he said to Saul, “You should not pay any attention to people who tell you that I actually want to hurt you! \*

Today you can clearly recognize that {what they say is not true.} Today God brought you into this cave, where I could have killed you. Some of my men told me that I should do that. But I spared your life. I told them that I would not harm you, my master, because you are the king whom God appointed.

Your majesty, look carefully at this piece of your robe that I am holding! I cut it from your robe, and that shows that I could have killed you, but I did not. From this you should understand that I am not wickedly planning to harm you. I have not done anything wrong to you, but you have been searching for me so that you can kill me. \*

I ask God to decide which of us has been doing what is right. I ask him to punish you if he determines that you have been doing wrong things to me. But I myself will do nothing to harm you.

There is an old saying that says, ‘Wicked people do wicked things.’ But I will do nothing to harm you. \*

You, the king of Israel, did not have to bring this army out here to try to capture me. I am of as low status and as harmless as a dead dog! I am as unimportant as a single flea!

I ask God to be our judge and decide which of us has been doing what is right. I ask him to recognize that he should take my side in our dispute. I ask him to decide that you should not be able to kill me.” \*

When David finished saying this to Saul, Saul called back to him and said, “Is that really you speaking to me, David my son?” Then he cried loudly. \*

He told David, “You are a better person than I am. I tried to do something very bad to you, but you did something very good to me.

As you have just explained, God brought me into that cave where you could have easily killed me. But you did not do that. So you have done something very good to me. \*

No one lets his enemy go free once he has captured him! {But you have done that for me.} I hope that God will reward you for acting kindly toward me today.

Now I know that someday you will surely become king and that you will have a long and successful reign over the kingdom of Israel. \*

So now make me a solemn promise that you will not kill my whole family so that I have no descendants left in my clan. Wish that God will kill all of your descendants if you do that!”

David solemnly promised Saul that he would not harm Saul’s family. Then Saul went back home, and David and his men went back up into one of the places where they had been hiding. \*