When you leave me today, you will find two men near Rachel&#8217;s tomb at Zelzah on Benjamin&#8217;s border. They will say to you, &#8216;The donkeys you have gone looking for have been found. Your father is no longer concerned about the donkeys but has become anxious about you two!<n id="1" /> He is asking, &#8220;What should I do about my son?&#8221;&#8217;p>

The servant went on to answer Saul, &#8220;Look, I happen to have in my hand a quarter shekel<n id="1" /> of silver. I will give it to the man of God and he will tell us where we should go.&#8221;<n id="2" />

Don&#8217;t be concerned<n id="1" /> about the donkeys that you lost three days ago, for they have been found. Whom does all Israel desire? Is it not you, and all your father&#8217;s family?&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;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<n id="1" /> 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.

Saul said to his uncle, &#8220;He assured us that the donkeys had been found.&#8221; But Saul<n id="1" /> did not tell him what Samuel had said about the matter of kingship.p>

<p class="bodytext">Taking an oath, David again<n id="1" /> said, &#8220;Your father is very much aware of the fact<n id="2" /> that I have found favor with you, and he has thought,<n id="3" /> &#8216;Don&#8217;t let Jonathan know about this, or he will be upset.&#8217; But as surely as the <sc>Lordsc> lives and you live, there is about one step between me and death!&#8221;

When I send a boy after them, I will say, &#8220;Go and find the arrows.&#8221; If I say to the boy, &#8216;Look, the arrows are on this side of you;<n id="1" /> get them,&#8217; then come back. For as surely as the <sc>Lordsc> lives, you will be safe and there will no problem.

He said, &#8216;Permit me to go,<n id="1" /> for we are having a family sacrifice in the city, and my brother urged<n id="2" /> me to be there. So now, if I have found favor with you, let me go<n id="3" /> to see my brothers.&#8217; For that reason he has not come to the king&#8217;s table.&#8221;p>

He said to him, &#8220;Don&#8217;t be afraid! For the hand of my father Saul cannot find you. You will rule over Israel, and I will be your second in command. Even my father Saul realizes this.&#8221;

Please forgive the sin of your servant, for the <sc>Lordsc> will certainly establish the house of my lord, because my lord fights the battles of the <sc>Lordsc>. May no evil be found in you all your days!

<p class="bodytext">David said to Achish, &#8220;If I have found favor with you, let me be given a place in one of the country towns so that I can live there. Why should your servant settle in the royal city with you?&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">But David said to Achish, &#8220;What have I done? What have you found in your servant from the day that I first came into your presence until the present time, that I shouldn&#8217;t go and fight the enemies of my lord the king?&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">The leaders of the Philistines asked, &#8220;What about these Hebrews?&#8221; Achish said to the leaders of the Philistines, &#8220;Isn&#8217;t this David, the servant of King Saul of Israel, who has been with me for quite some time?<n id="1" /> I have found no fault with him from the day of his defection until the present time!&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

<p class="bodytext">So Achish summoned David and said to him, &#8220;As surely as the <sc>Lordsc> lives, you are an honest man, and I am glad to have you<n id="1" /> serving<n id="2" /> with me in the army.<n id="3" /> I have found no fault with you from the day that you first came to me until the present time. But in the opinion<n id="4" /> of the leaders, you are not reliable.<n id="5" />