Daily Text and Bible Reading: Friday, April 3 [Press play below]

22.1 So David went from there, escaping to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and his father’s entire house heard of it, they went down there to him.
22.2 And all those who were in trouble and in debt and who had a grievance gathered to him, and he became their chief. There were about 400 men with him.
22.3 David later went from there to Mizpeh in Moab and said to the king of Moab: “Please let my father and mother stay with you until I know what God will do for me.”
22.4 So he left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed with him the whole time that David was in the stronghold.
22.5 In time Gad the prophet said to David: “Do not stay in the stronghold. Go from there into the land of Judah.” So David left and went into the forest of Hereth.
22.6 Saul heard that David and the men with him had been found. Saul was then sitting in Gibeah under the tamarisk tree on the high place with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were stationed around him.
22.7 Then Saul said to his servants stationed around him: “Listen, please, you Benjaminites. Will the son of Jesse also give fields and vineyards to all of you? Will he appoint all of you as chiefs of thousands and chiefs of hundreds?
22.8 All of you have conspired against me! No one informed me when my own son made a covenant with the son of Jesse! Not one of you has sympathy for me and informs me that my own son has incited my own servant against me to ambush me, as is now the case.”
22.9 Then Doeg the Edomite, who was stationed there over the servants of Saul, answered: “I saw the son of Jesse come to Nob to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub.
22.10 And he inquired of Jehovah for him and gave him provisions. He even gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”
22.11 At once the king sent for Ahimelech son of Ahitub the priest and all the priests of his father’s house, who were in Nob. So all of them came to the king.
22.12 Saul now said: “Listen, please, you son of Ahitub!” to which he replied: “Here I am, my lord.”
22.13 Saul said to him: “Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, by giving him bread and a sword and by making an inquiry of God for him? He opposes me and waits in ambush, as is now the case.”
22.14 At this Ahimelech answered the king: “Who among all your servants is as trustworthy as David? He is the king’s son-in-law and a chief over your bodyguard and honored in your house.
22.15 Was today the first time I inquired of God for him? What you are saying is unthinkable on my part! Do not let the king hold anything against his servant and against my father’s entire house, for your servant did not know a single thing about any of this.”
22.16 But the king said: “You will surely die, Ahimelech, you along with all your father’s house.”
22.17 With that the king said to the guards stationed around him: “Turn and kill the priests of Jehovah, because they have sided with David! They knew that he was a runaway, and they did not inform me!” But the king’s servants did not want to lift their hands to assault the priests of Jehovah.
22.18 Then the king said to Doeg: “You turn and assault the priests!” Immediately Doeg the Edomite went and assaulted the priests himself. He killed on that day 85 men wearing the linen ephod.
22.19 He also struck Nob, the city of the priests, with the sword; man as well as woman, child as well as infant, bull, donkey, and sheep, he put to the sword.
22.20 However, one son of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, whose name was Abiathar, escaped and ran away to follow David.
22.21 Abiathar told David: “Saul has killed the priests of Jehovah.”
22.22 At this David said to Abiathar: “I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would be sure to tell Saul. I am personally responsible for the death of everyone in your father’s house.
22.23 Stay with me. Do not be afraid, for whoever seeks your life seeks my life; you are under my protection.”

23.1 In time David was told: “The Philistines are fighting against Keilah, and they are raiding the threshing floors.”
23.2 So David inquired of Jehovah: “Should I go and strike down these Philistines?” Jehovah said to David: “Go, strike down the Philistines and rescue Keilah.”
23.3 But the men of David said to him: “Look! We are afraid while here in Judah; how much more so if we go to Keilah against the battle line of the Philistines!”
23.4 So David inquired once again of Jehovah. Jehovah now answered him: “Rise up; go down to Keilah because I will give the Philistines into your hand.”
23.5 So David went with his men to Keilah and fought against the Philistines; he carried off their livestock and struck them down with a great slaughter, and David rescued the inhabitants of Keilah.
23.6 Now when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech ran away to David at Keilah, he had an ephod with him.
23.7 Saul was told: “David has come to Keilah.” Then Saul said: “God has handed him over to me, for he has trapped himself by entering a city with gates and bars.”
23.8 So Saul summoned all the people to war, to go down to Keilah and besiege David and his men.
23.9 When David learned that Saul was plotting against him, he said to Abiathar the priest: “Bring the ephod here.”
23.10 Then David said: “O Jehovah the God of Israel, your servant has indeed heard that Saul intends to come to Keilah to destroy the city because of me.
23.11 Will the leaders of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down as your servant has heard? O Jehovah the God of Israel, please tell your servant.” To this Jehovah said: “He will come down.”
23.12 David asked: “Will the leaders of Keilah surrender me and my men into Saul’s hand?” Jehovah replied: “They will surrender you.”
23.13 At once David rose up with his men, about 600 in number, and they left Keilah and moved about wherever they could. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he did not go out after him.
23.14 David stayed in the wilderness in places difficult to approach, in the mountainous region of the wilderness of Ziph. Saul searched for him constantly, but Jehovah did not give him into his hand.
23.15 David was aware that Saul had gone out to seek his life while David was in the wilderness of Ziph at Horesh.
23.16 Jonathan the son of Saul now went out to David at Horesh, and he helped him find strength in Jehovah.
23.17 He said to him: “Do not be afraid, for my father Saul will not find you; you will be king over Israel, and I will become second to you; and my father Saul also knows that.”
23.18 Then the two of them made a covenant before Jehovah, and David stayed in Horesh, and Jonathan went to his home.
23.19 The men of Ziph later went up to Saul at Gibeah and said: “Is not David hiding near us in the places difficult to approach at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, which is south of Jeshimon?
23.20 Whenever it pleases you to come down, O king, come, and we will surrender him into the hand of the king.”
23.21 At this Saul said: “May you be blessed by Jehovah, for you have shown compassion to me.
23.22 Please go and try to find out exactly where he is and who saw him there, for I have been told that he is very cunning.
23.23 Carefully ascertain where all his hiding places are and return to me with the evidence. I will then go with you, and if he is in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah.”
23.24 So they left and went to Ziph ahead of Saul, while David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah to the south of Jeshimon.
23.25 Then Saul came with his men to look for him. When David was told, he at once went down to the crag and stayed in the wilderness of Maon. When Saul heard this, he chased after David into the wilderness of Maon.
23.26 As Saul came to one side of the mountain, David and his men were on the other side of the mountain. David was hurrying to get away from Saul, but Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them.
23.27 But a messenger came to Saul, saying: “Come quickly, for the Philistines have made a raid on the land!”
23.28 At that Saul stopped chasing after David and went to confront the Philistines. That is why that place was named the Crag of the Divisions.
23.29 Then David made his way up from there and stayed in the places difficult to approach at En-gedi.

24.1 As soon as Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, they told him: “Look! David is in the wilderness of En-gedi.”
24.2 So Saul took 3,000 men chosen from all Israel and went to look for David and his men on the rocky cliffs of the mountain goats.
24.3 Saul came to the stone sheepfolds along the road, where there was a cave, and he went in to relieve himself while David and his men were sitting in the recesses at the back of the cave.
24.4 David’s men said to him: “This is the day on which Jehovah is saying to you, ‘Look! I am giving your enemy into your hand, and you can do to him whatever seems good to you.’” So David rose up and quietly cut off the edge of Saul’s sleeveless coat.
24.5 But afterward David’s heart kept striking him because he had cut off the edge of Saul’s sleeveless coat.
24.6 He said to his men: “It is unthinkable from Jehovah’s standpoint that I should do such a thing to my lord, the anointed of Jehovah, by lifting my hand against him, for he is the anointed of Jehovah.”
24.7 So David restrained his men with these words, and he did not allow them to attack Saul. As for Saul, he rose up from the cave and went on his way.
24.8 Then David got up and went out from the cave and called out after Saul: “My lord the king!” When Saul looked behind him, David bowed down low with his face to the ground and prostrated himself.
24.9 David said to Saul: “Why do you listen to the words of men who say, ‘Look! David is seeking to harm you’?
24.10 This very day your own eyes have seen how Jehovah gave you into my hand in the cave. But when someone said to kill you, I had pity on you and said, ‘I will not lift my hand against my lord, for he is the anointed of Jehovah.’
24.11 And look, my father, yes, see the edge of your sleeveless coat in my hand; for when I cut off the edge of your sleeveless coat, I did not kill you. You can now see and understand that I do not intend to harm you or to rebel, and I have not sinned against you, whereas you are hunting me down to take my life.
24.12 May Jehovah judge between you and me, and may Jehovah take vengeance on you for me, but my hand will not come against you.
24.13 Just as the ancient proverb says, ‘From the wicked comes wickedness,’ but my hand will not come against you.
24.14 After whom has the king of Israel gone out? Whom are you chasing? A dead dog? A single flea?
24.15 May Jehovah be the judge, and he will judge between you and me, and he will see and will plead my case and judge me and rescue me from your hand.”
24.16 At the moment that David finished speaking these words to him, Saul said: “Is this your voice, my son David?” And Saul began to weep loudly.
24.17 He said to David: “You are more righteous than I am, for you have treated me well and I have repaid you with evil.
24.18 Yes, today you have told me of the good you did by not killing me when Jehovah surrendered me into your hand.
24.19 For what man finds his enemy and sends him on his way unharmed? Jehovah will reward you with good because of what you have done for me today.
24.20 And now look! I know that you will surely rule as king and that in your hand the kingdom of Israel will endure.
24.21 Now swear to me by Jehovah that you will not wipe out my descendants after me and that you will not annihilate my name out of my father’s house.”
24.22 So David swore to Saul, after which Saul went home. But David and his men went up to the stronghold.