In that day you will cry out because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord won’t answer you in that day.”

So they went up to the town. As they were heading for the middle of the town, Samuel was coming in their direction to go up to the high place.

Now if a man finds his enemy, does he send him on his way in good shape? May the Lord repay you with good this day for what you have done to me.

While they were going down to the edge of town, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to go on ahead of us.” So he did. Samuel then said, “You remain here awhile, so I can inform you of God’s message.”

David’s men said to him, “This is the day about which the Lord said to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hand, and you can do to him whatever seems appropriate to you.’” So David got up and quietly cut off an edge of Saul’s robe.

So whenever the spirit from God would come upon Saul, David would take his lyre and play it. This would bring relief to Saul and make him feel better. Then the evil spirit would leave him alone.

But Saul found out the whereabouts of David and the men who were with him. Now Saul was sitting at Gibeah under the tamarisk tree at an elevated location with his spear in hand and all his servants stationed around him.

Should I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have slaughtered for my shearers and give them to these men? I don’t even know where they came from!”

This man Elkanah went up with all his family to make the yearly sacrifice to the Lord and to keep his vow,

Even Saul went to his home in Gibeah. With him went some brave men whose hearts God had touched.

Now the whole army entered the forest and there was honey on the ground.

Jonathan said to him, “Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed, for your seat will be empty.

Then Saul said, “Listen, son of Ahitub.” He replied, “Here I am, my lord.”

They told David, “The Philistines are fighting in Keilah and are looting the threshing floors.”

David realized that Saul had come out to seek his life; at that time David was in Horesh in the desert of Ziph.

Saul himself was in the thick of the battle; the archers spotted him and wounded him severely.

“As you continue on from there, you will come to the tall tree of Tabor. At that point three men who are going up to God at Bethel will meet you. One of them will be carrying three young goats, one of them will be carrying three round loaves of bread, and one of them will be carrying a container of wine.

Then the king said to the messengers who were stationed beside him, “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, for they too have sided with David! They knew he was fleeing, but they did not inform me.” But the king’s servants refused to harm the priests of the Lord.

Too bad for us! Who can deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all sorts of plagues in the desert!

It was quite a long time – some twenty years in all – that the ark stayed at Kiriath Jearim. All the people of Israel longed for the Lord.