1Samuel 26:19 - Prayer Tents



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1Samuel 26
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David Spares Saul’s Life Again

26Some men from Ziph came to Saul at Gibeah and told him that David was hiding on Mount Hachilah at the edge of the Judean wilderness.H2130H935H7586H1390H559H1732H5641H1389H2444H6440H3452 2Saul went at once with three thousand of the best soldiers in Israel to the wilderness of Ziph to look for David,H7586H6965H3381H4057H2128H7969H505H977H376H3478H1245H1732H4057H2128 3and camped by the road on Mount Hachilah. David was still in the wilderness, and when he learned that Saul had come to look for him,H7586H2583H1389H2444H6440H3452H1870H1732H3427H4057H7200H7586H935H310H4057 4he sent spies and found out that Saul was indeed there.H1732H7971H7270H3045H7586H935H3559 5He went at once and located the exact place where Saul and Abner son of Ner, commander of Saul's army, slept. Saul slept inside the camp, and his men camped around him.H1732H6965H935H4725H7586H2583H1732H7200H4725H7586H7901H74H1121H5369H8269H6635H7586H7901H4570H5971H2583H5439 6Then David asked Ahimelech the Hittite, and Abishai the brother of Joab (their mother was Zeruiah), "Which of you two will go to Saul's camp with me?" "I will," Abishai answered.H6030H1732H559H288H2850H52H1121H6870H251H3097H559H3381H7586H4264H52H559H3381 7So that night David and Abishai entered Saul's camp and found Saul sleeping in the center of the camp with his spear stuck in the ground near his head. Abner and the troops were sleeping around him.H1732H52H935H5971H3915H7586H7901H3463H4570H2595H4600H776H4763H74H5971H7901H5439 8Abishai said to David, "God has put your enemy in your power tonight. Now let me plunge his own spear through him and pin him to the ground with just one blow - I won't have to strike twice!"H559H52H1732H430H5462H341H3027H3117H5221H2595H776H6471H259H8138 9But David said, "You must not harm him! The LORD will certainly punish whoever harms his chosen king.H1732H559H52H7843H7971H3027H3068H4899H5352 10By the living LORD," David continued, "I know that the LORD himself will kill Saul, either when his time comes to die a natural death or when he dies in battle.H1732H559H3068H2416H3068H5062H3117H935H4191H3381H4421H5595 11The LORD forbid that I should try to harm the one whom the LORD has made king! Let's take his spear and his water jar, and go."H3068H2486H7971H3027H3068H4899H3947H2595H4763H6835H4325H3212 12So David took the spear and the water jar from right beside Saul's head, and he and Abishai left. No one saw it or knew what had happened or even woke up - they were all sound asleep, because the LORD had sent a heavy sleep on them all.H1732H3947H2595H6835H4325H7586H7226H3212H7200H3045H6974H3463H8639H3068H5307 13Then David crossed over to the other side of the valley to the top of the hill, a safe distance away,H1732H5674H5676H5975H7218H2022H7350H7227H4725 14and shouted to Saul's troops and to Abner, "Abner! Can you hear me?" "Who is that shouting and waking up the king?" Abner asked.H1732H7121H5971H74H1121H5369H559H6030H74H74H6030H559H7121H4428 15David answered, "Abner, aren't you the greatest man in Israel? So why aren't you protecting your master, the king? Just now someone entered the camp to kill your master.H1732H559H74H376H3478H8104H113H4428H935H259H5971H7843H4428H113 16You failed in your duty, Abner! I swear by the living LORD that all of you deserve to die, because you have not protected your master, whom the LORD made king. Look! Where is the king's spear? Where is the water jar that was right by his head?"H1697H2896H6213H3068H2416H1121H4194H8104H113H3068H4899H7200H4428H2595H6835H4325H4763 17Saul recognized David's voice and asked, "David, is that you, my son?" "Yes, Your Majesty," David answered.H7586H5234H1732H6963H559H6963H1121H1732H1732H559H6963H113H4428 18And he added, "Why, sir, are you still pursuing me, your servant? What have I done? What crime have I committed?H559H113H7291H310H5650H6213H7451H3027 19Your Majesty, listen to what I have to say. If it is the LORD who has turned you against me, an offering to him will make him change his mind; but if some people have done it, may the LORD's curse fall on them. For they have driven me out from the LORD's land to a country where I can only worship foreign gods.H113H4428H8085H1697H5650H3068H5496H7306H4503H1121H120H779H6440H3068H1644H3117H5596H5159H3068H559H3212H5647H312H430 20Don't let me be killed on foreign soil, away from the LORD. Why should the king of Israel come to kill a flea like me? Why should he hunt me down like a wild bird?"H1818H5307H776H6440H3068H4428H3478H3318H1245H259H6550H7291H7124H2022 21Saul answered, "I have done wrong. Come back, David, my son! I will never harm you again, because you have spared my life tonight. I have been a fool! I have done a terrible thing!"H559H7586H2398H7725H1121H1732H7489H5315H3365H5869H3117H5528H7686H7235H3966 22David replied, "Here is your spear, Your Majesty. Let one of your men come over and get it.H1732H6030H559H4428H2595H259H5288H5674H3947 23The LORD rewards those who are faithful and righteous. Today he put you in my power, but I did not harm you, whom the LORD made king.H3068H7725H376H6666H530H3068H5414H3027H3117H14H7971H3027H3068H4899 24Just as I have spared your life today, may the LORD do the same to me and free me from all troubles!"H5315H1431H3117H5869H5315H1431H5869H3068H5337H6869 25Saul said to David, "God bless you, my son! You will succeed in everything you do!" So David went on his way, and Saul returned home.H7586H559H1732H1288H1121H1732H6213H6213H3201H3201H1732H3212H1870H7586H7725H4725


Good News Translation. Scripture taken from the Good News Translation in Today’s English Version- Second Edition Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission. More details.
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