<p class="bodytext">So they went up to the town. As they were heading for the middle of the town, Samuel was coming in their direction<n id="1" /> to go up to the high place.

David realized<n id="1" /> that Saul had come out to seek his life; at that time David was in Horesh in the desert of Ziph.p>

It&#8217;s like the old proverb says: &#8216;From evil people evil proceeds.&#8217; But my hand will not be against you.

<p class="poetry">Don&#8217;t keep speaking so arrogantly,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">letting proud talk come out of your mouth!p> <p class="poetry">For the <sc>Lordsc> is a God who knows;p> <p class="poetry">he<n id="2" /> evaluates what people do.p>

Who has the king of Israel come out after? Who is it that you are pursuing? A dead dog? A single flea?

He took a pair<n id="1" /> of oxen and cut them up. Then he sent the pieces throughout the territory of Israel by the hand of messengers, who said, &#8220;Whoever does not go out after Saul and after Samuel should expect this to be done to his oxen!&#8221; Then the terror of the <sc>Lordsc> fell on the people, and they went out as one army.<n id="2" />

<n id="1" /><p class="bodytext">Now as Saul watched David going out to fight the Philistine, he asked Abner, the general in command of the army, &#8220;Whose son is this young man, Abner?&#8221; Abner replied, &#8220;As surely as you live, O king, I don&#8217;t know.&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">Then David went from there to Mizpah in Moab, where he said to the king of Moab, &#8220;Please let my father and mother stay<n id="1" /> with you until I know what God is going to do for me.&#8221;

Now don&#8217;t let my blood fall to the ground away from the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s presence, for the king of Israel has gone out to look for a flea the way one looks for a partridge<n id="1" /> in the hill country.&#8221;p>