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faid unto David, Abide not in the hold, depart, and get thee into the land of Judah. Then David departed, and came into the foreft of Hareth.

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6 When Saul heard that David was difcovered, and the men that were with him, (now Saul abode in Gibeah under a tree in Ramah, having his fpear in his hand, and all his fervants were ftanding about him).

7 Then Saul faid unto his fervants that stood about him, Hear now, ye Benjamites, Will the fon of Jeffe, give every one of you fields and vineyards, and make you all captains of thoufands, and captains of hundreds :

8 That all of you have confpired against me and there is none that fheweth

me that my fon hath made a league with the son of Jeffe, and there is none of you that is forry for me, or fheweth unto me that my fon hath ftirred up my fervant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?

10 And he enquired of the Lord for him: and gave him victuals, and gave him the fword of Goliath the Philiftine.

II Then the king fent. to call Ahimelech the priest, the fon of Ahitub, and all his father's houfe, the priests that were in Nob: and they came all of them to the king.

12 And Saul faid, Hear now, thou fon of Ahitub: and he anfwered, Here I am, my lord.

13 And Saul faid unto him, Why have ye confpired against me, thou and the fon of Jeffe, in that thou haft given him bread, and a fword, and haft enquired of God for him, that he fhould rife againft me, to lie in wait, as at this day?

14 Then Ahimelech anfwered the king, and faid, And who is fo faithful among all thy fervants, as David, which is the king's fon-in-law, and goeth at thy bidding, and is honourable in thine house?

15 Did I then begin to 9 Then anfwered Doeg enquire of God for him? the Edomite (which was be it far from me: let not fet over the fervants of Saul) the king impute any thing and faid, I faw the fon of unto his fervant, nor to all Jeffe coming to Nob, to the house of my father: for Ahimelech the fon of Ahi-thy fervant knew nothing of all this, lefs or more.

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there, that he would furely

16 And the king faid, Thou shalt furely die, Ahi-tell Saul: I have occafioned melech, thou, and all thy father's house.

17 And the king faid unto the footmen that ftood

the death of all the persons of thy father's house.

23 Abide thou with me, fear not: for he that feeketh

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CHAP. XXIV.

ND it came to pass when Saul was returned from following the Philiftines, that it was told him, faying, Behold, David is in the wilderness of En-gedi.

about him, Turn and flay the my life, feeketh thy life: but priests of the Lord; becaufe with me thou shalt be in fafetheir hand alfo is with Da-guard. vid, and because they knew when he fled, and did not fhew it to me. But the fervants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the Lord. 18 And the king faid to Doeg, Turn thou and fall upon the priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests, and flew on that day fourfcore and five perfons that did wear a linen ephod.

19 And Nob, the city of the priests, fmote he with the edge of the fword, both men and women, children and fucklings, and oxen, and affes, and fheep, with the edge of the fword.

20 And one of the fons of Ahimelech the fon of Ahitub, named Abiathar, efcaped and fled after David.

21 And Abiathar fhewed David, that Saul had flain the Lord's priefts.

22 And David faid unto Abiathar, I knew it that day, when Docg the Edomite was 5

2 Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Ifrael, and went to feek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats.

3 And he came to the fheep-cotes by the way, where was a cave, and Saul went in to cover his feet and David and his men remained in the fides of the cave.

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4 And the men of David faid unto him, Behold the day of which the Lord faid unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, that thou mayeft do to him as it fhall feem good unto thee. Then David arose, and cut off the fkirt of Saul's robe privily.

5 And it came to pass efterward, that David's heart fmote

fmote him, because he had cut | I cut off the fkirt of thy robe

off Saul's fkirt.

6 And he faid unto his men, The Lord forbid that I should do this thing unto my mafter the Lord's anointed, to ftretch forth mine hand against him, feeing he is the anointed of the Lord.

7 So David stayed his fervants with these words, and fuffered them not to rife againft Saul: but Saul rose up out of the cave, and went on his way.

8 David alfo arofe afterward, and went out of the cave, and cried after Saul, faying, My lord the king And when Saul looked behind him, David ftooped with his face to the earth, and bowed himself.

9 And David faid to Saul, Wherefore heareft thou men's words, faying, Behold, David feeketh thy hurt?

10 Behold this day thine eyes have feen how that the Lord had delivered thee to day into mine hand in the cave and fome bade me kill thee, but mine eye fpared thee, and I faid, I will not put forth mine hand againft for he is the Lord's my lord; anointed.

II Moreover, my father, fee, yea, fee the skirt of thy robe in my hand for in that

and killed thee not; know thou and fee that there is neither evil nor tranfgreffion in mine hand, and I have not finned against thee; yet thou hunteft my foul, to take it.

12 The Lord judge between me and thee, and the Lord avenge me of thee: but mine hand fhall not be upon thee.

| 13 As faith the proverb of the ancients, Wickedness proceedeth from the wicked: but mine hand fhall not be upon thee.

14 After whom is the king of Ifrael come out? after whom doft thou purfue? after a dead dog, after a flea.

15 The Lord therefore be judge, and judge between me and thee, and fee, and plead my caufe, and deliver me out of thine hand.

16¶ And it came to pafs when David had made an end of speaking these words unto Saul, that Saul faid, Is this thy voice, my fon David? And Saul lifted up his voice, and wept.

17 And he faid to David, Thou art more righteous than I: for thou haft rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil.

18 And thou haft fhewed this day how that thou haft

dealt

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dealt well with me: forafmuch as when the Lord had delivered me into thine hand, thou killedft me not.

19 For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away? wherefore the Lord reward thee good for that thou haft done unto me this day.

20 And now behold, I know well that thou fhalt furely be king, and that the kingdom of Ifrael fhall be eftablished in thine hand.

21 Swear now therefore unto me by the Lord, that thou wilt not cut off my feed after me, and that thou wilt not destroy my name out of my father's house.

22 And David (ware unto Saul and Saul went home; but David and his men gat them up unto the hold.

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5 And when his armourbearer faw that Saul was dead, he fell likewife upon his fword, and died with him.

6 So Saul died, and his three fons, and his armourbearer, and all his men that fame day together.

7 And when the men of Ifrael that were on the other fide of the valley, and they that were on the other fide Jordan, faw that the men of Ifrael fled, and that Saul and his fons were dead, they forfook the cities, and fled:. and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.

8 And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philiftines came to ftrip the flain, that they found Saul and his three fons fallen in mount Gilboa.

9 And they cut off his head,

head, and ftripped off his armour, and sent into the land of the Philiftines round about, to publifh it in the houfe of their idols, and among the people.

10 And they put his armour in the house of Afhtaroth and they faftened his body to the wall of Bethfhan.

heard of that which the Philiftines had done to Saul;

12 All the valiant men arofe, and went all night, and took the body of Saul, and the bodies of his fons, from the wall of Beth-fhan, and came to Jabefh, and burnt them there.

13 And they took their bones, and buried them under II ¶ And when the in- a tree at Jabefh, and fafted habitants of Jabesh - gilead | seven days.

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From the Second Book of SAMUEL.

CHAP. I. OW it came to pafs after the death of Saul, when David was returned from the flaughter of the Amalekites, and David had abode two days in Ziklag;

2 It came even to pafs on the third day, that behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul, with his clothes rent, and earth upon his head and fo it was when he came to David, that he fell to the earth, and did obeifance.

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3 And David faid unto him, From whence comeft thou? And he said unto him, Out of the camp of Ifrael am I escaped.

4 And David faid unto him, How went the matter? I pray thee, tell me.

And

he anfwered, That the people are fled from the battle, and many of the people alfo are fallen and dead, and Saul and Jonathan his fon are dead alfo.

5 And David faid unto the young man that told him, How knoweft thou that Saul and Jonathan his fon be dead?

6 And the young man that told him, faid, As I happened by chance upon mount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned upon his fpear: and lo, the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him.

7 And when he looked behind him, he faw me, and called unto me: and I anfwered here am I.

8 And he faid unto me, Who art thou? and I anQ2 fwered

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