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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width; initial-scale=1.0; maximum-scale=1.0; user-scalable=0;"/><title>1 Samuel 26 New American Bible</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/1_samuel/26.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="/bmcc/1_samuel/26-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://biblehub.com/catholic">Bible</a> > <a href="../">NABRE</a> > 1 Samuel 26</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../1_samuel/25.htm" title="1 Samuel 25">◄</a> 1 Samuel 26 <a href="../1_samuel/27.htm" title="1 Samuel 27">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">New American Bible Revised Edition</td><td width="1%" valign="top"></td></tr></table></div><div class="chap"><section id="ch09026" class="chapter"> <h1 id="cn09026" class="cn"></h1> <p class="pf"><span class="hemb">David Spares Saul Again.<a id="rfn09026001-1" class="fnref" href="footnotes.htm#fn09026001-1">*</a></span> <span id="v09026001" class="ver">1</span><a id="ren09026001-a" class="enref" href="footnotes.htm#en09026001-a">a</a> Men from Ziph came to Saul in Gibeah, reporting that David was hiding on the hill of Hachilah at the edge of Jeshimon. <span id="v09026002" class="ver">2</span>So Saul went down to the wilderness of Ziph with three thousand of the best warriors of Israel, to search for David in the wilderness of Ziph. <span id="v09026003" class="ver">3</span>Saul camped beside the road on the hill of Hachilah, at the edge of Jeshimon. David, who was living in the wilderness, saw that Saul had come into the wilderness after him <span id="v09026004" class="ver">4</span>and sent out scouts, who confirmed Saul’s arrival. <span id="v09026005" class="ver">5</span>David then went to the place where Saul was encamped and saw the spot where Saul and his general, Abner, son of Ner, had their sleeping quarters. Saul was lying within the camp, and all his soldiers were bivouacked around him.<a id="ren09026005-b" class="enref" href="footnotes.htm#en09026005-b">b</a> <span id="v09026006" class="ver">6</span>David asked Ahimelech the Hittite, and Abishai, son of Zeruiah and brother of Joab, “Who will go down into the camp with me to Saul?” Abishai replied, “I will.”<a id="ren09026006-c" class="enref" href="footnotes.htm#en09026006-c">c</a> <span id="v09026007" class="ver">7</span>So David and Abishai reached Saul’s soldiers by night, and there was Saul lying asleep within the camp, his spear thrust into the ground at his head and Abner and his troops sleeping around him.</p> <p><span id="v09026008" class="ver">8</span>Abishai whispered to David: “God has delivered your enemy into your hand today. Let me nail him to the ground with one thrust of the spear; I will not need to strike him twice!”<a id="ren09026008-d" class="enref" href="footnotes.htm#en09026008-d">d</a> <span id="v09026009" class="ver">9</span>But David said to Abishai, “Do not harm him, for who can lay a hand on the <span class="tetr">Lord</span>’s anointed and remain innocent? <span id="v09026010" class="ver">10</span>As the <span class="tetr">Lord</span> lives,” David declared, “only the <span class="tetr">Lord</span> can strike him: either when the time comes for him to die, or when he goes out and perishes in battle.<a id="rfn09026010-1" class="fnref" href="footnotes.htm#fn09026010-1">*</a> <a id="ren09026010-e" class="enref" href="footnotes.htm#en09026010-e">e</a> <span id="v09026011" class="ver">11</span>But the <span class="tetr">Lord</span> forbid that I lay a hand on the <span class="tetr">Lord</span>’s anointed! Now take the spear at his head and the water jug, and let us be on our way.” <span id="v09026012" class="ver">12</span>So David took the spear and the water jug from their place at Saul’s head, and they withdrew without anyone seeing or knowing or awakening. All remained asleep, because a deep slumber<a id="rfn09026012-1" class="fnref" href="footnotes.htm#fn09026012-1">*</a> from the <span class="tetr">Lord</span> had fallen upon them.<a id="ren09026012-f" class="enref" href="footnotes.htm#en09026012-f">f</a></p> <p class="psec"><span class="hemb">David Taunts Abner.</span> <span id="v09026013" class="ver">13</span>Crossing over to an opposite slope, David stood on a distant hilltop. With a great distance between them <span id="v09026014" class="ver">14</span>David called to the army and to Abner, son of Ner, “Will you not answer, Abner?” Then Abner shouted back, “Who is it that calls me?” <span id="v09026015" class="ver">15</span>David said to Abner: “Are you not a man? Who in Israel is your equal? Why were you not guarding your lord the king when one of his subjects came to assassinate the king, your lord? <span id="v09026016" class="ver">16</span>What you have done is not right. As the <span class="tetr">Lord</span> lives, you people deserve death because you have not guarded your lord, the anointed of the <span class="tetr">Lord</span>. Go, look: where are the king’s spear and the water jug that was at his head?”</p> <p class="psec"><span class="hemb">Saul Admits His Guilt.</span> <span id="v09026017" class="ver">17</span>Saul recognized David’s voice and asked, “Is that your voice, David my son?”<a id="rfn09026017-1" class="fnref" href="footnotes.htm#fn09026017-1">*</a> David answered, “Yes, my lord the king.” <span id="v09026018" class="ver">18</span>He continued: “Why does my lord pursue his servant? What have I done? What evil am I planning? <span id="v09026019" class="ver">19</span>Please, now, let my lord the king listen to the words of his servant. If the <span class="tetr">Lord</span> has incited you against me, may an offering please the <span class="tetr">Lord</span>. But if it is the people who have done so, may they be cursed before the <span class="tetr">Lord</span>. They have driven me away so that today I have no share in the <span class="tetr">Lord</span>’s heritage,<a id="rfn09026019-1" class="fnref" href="footnotes.htm#fn09026019-1">*</a> but am told: ‘Go serve other gods!’<a id="ren09026019-g" class="enref" href="footnotes.htm#en09026019-g">g</a> <span id="v09026020" class="ver">20</span>Do not let my blood spill on the ground far from the presence of the <span class="tetr">Lord</span>. For the king of Israel has come out to seek a single flea as if he were hunting partridge<a id="rfn09026020-1" class="fnref" href="footnotes.htm#fn09026020-1">*</a> in the mountains.” <span id="v09026021" class="ver">21</span>Then Saul said: “I have done wrong. Come back, David, my son! I will not harm you again, because you considered my life precious today even though I have been a fool and have made a serious mistake.” <span id="v09026022" class="ver">22</span>But David answered: “Here is the king’s spear. Let an attendant come over to get it. <span id="v09026023" class="ver">23</span>The <span class="tetr">Lord</span> repays everyone’s righteousness and faithfulness. Although the <span class="tetr">Lord</span> delivered you into my hands today, I could not lay a hand on the <span class="tetr">Lord</span>’s anointed.<a id="ren09026023-h" class="enref" href="footnotes.htm#en09026023-h">h</a> <span id="v09026024" class="ver">24</span>Just as I regarded your life as precious today, so may the <span class="tetr">Lord</span> regard my life as precious and deliver me from all dangers.” <span id="v09026025" class="ver">25</span>Then Saul said to David: “Blessed are you, my son David! You shall certainly succeed in whatever you undertake.” David went his way, and Saul returned to his place.<a id="ren09026025-i" class="enref" href="footnotes.htm#en09026025-i">i</a></p> </section> <br /><h1 class="cn"><a class="xref" href="intro.htm"><span class="ac">Book Introduction</span></a></h1><h1 class="cn"><a class="xref" href="footnotes.htm"><span class="ac">Footnotes</span></a></h1></div></div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the <i>New American Bible, revised edition</i> © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. 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