So let my lord the king now listen to the words of his servant. If the Lord has incited you against me, may he take delight in an offering. But if men have instigated this, may they be cursed before the Lord! For they have driven me away this day from being united with the Lord’s inheritance, saying, ‘Go on, serve other gods!’

God will severely punish David, if I leave alive until morning even one male from all those who belong to him!”

Now Eli was ninety-eight years old and his eyes looked straight ahead; he was unable to see.

David prevailed over the Philistine with just the sling and the stone. He struck down the Philistine and killed him. David did not even have a sword in his hand.

In the same way that I valued your life this day, may the Lord value my life and deliver me from all danger.”

Saul said, “God will punish me severely if Jonathan doesn’t die!”

Jonathan said to David, “Come on. Let’s go out to the field.” When the two of them had gone out into the field,

Jonathan said to him, “By no means are you going to die! My father does nothing large or small without making me aware of it. Why would my father hide this matter from me? It just won’t happen!”

He altered his behavior in their presence. Since he was in their power, he pretended to be insane, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting his saliva run down his beard.

David restrained his men with these words and did not allow them to rise up against Saul. Then Saul left the cave and started down the road.

Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me this way by sending my enemy away? Now he has escaped!” Michal replied to Saul, “He said to me, ‘Help me get away or else I will kill you!’”

The soldiers told him what had been promised, saying, “This is what will be done for the man who can strike him down.”

Saul removed David from his presence and made him a commanding officer. David led the army out to battle and back.

In fact, days are coming when I will remove your strength and the strength of your father’s house. There will not be an old man in your house!

Eli said, “What message did he speak to you? Don’t conceal it from me. God will judge you severely if you conceal from me anything that he said to you!”

Just as they have done from the day that I brought them up from Egypt until this very day, they have rejected me and have served other gods. This is what they are also doing to you.

Now David had been thinking, “In vain I guarded everything that belonged to this man in the desert. I didn’t take anything from him. But he has repaid my good with evil.

The next day Saul placed the people in three groups. They went to the Ammonite camp during the morning watch and struck them down until the hottest part of the day. The survivors scattered; no two of them remained together.

David promised Saul this on oath. Then Saul went to his house, and David and his men went up to the stronghold.

From that time onward it was a binding ordinance for Israel, right up to the present time.