1 One day, some men from a place called Zif went to see Saul at his place at Gibeah. They said, “David’s mob are hiding in a cave at the hill called Hakilah near Jeshimon town.”* Psalm 54 2 Saul quickly gathered together 3,000 of his best soldiers from Israel. They went off to look for David in the desert called Zif. 3 They camped in the hill country beside the road. David’s mob stayed in the bush. After he heard that Saul was at Hakilah, 4 he sent some men to have a look. They saw that Saul’s mob really was there, so they came back and told David.

5 That night David went close to Saul’s camp. From his hiding place he saw Saul and the boss soldier Abner, Ner’s son. They slept in the middle. The other soldiers all slept around them.

6 There were 2 men with David. They were Ahimelek, the man who used to belong to the Heth mob, and Abishai, Zeruiah’s son. Zeruiah was David’s older sister. Her other son was Joab. David said to them, “I am going to go quietly into the middle of their camp, to where Saul is. Which of you 2 will do that with me?”

Abishai said, “I’ll go with you.”

7 So in the middle of the night, David and Abishai went quietly into Saul’s camp. Everybody was asleep. They found Saul asleep in the middle of the camp. His spear stood there, stuck in the ground near his head. Other soldiers lay asleep nearby. One of them was Abner, the boss of Saul’s soldiers. 8 Abishai said, “Boss. Look at this. God wants you to kill that old man. He did wrong to you. I will stab him right through with his spear. I’ll only stab him one time. I’ll use that spear like it is a big pin, and I’ll pin him to the ground, and he will die straight away.”

9 But David answered, “You can’t kill him. God will punish you. He picked Saul to be our big boss. 10 Some time God himself will finish him up, maybe through sickness, maybe through fighting. 11 But not us. We can’t kill him. God does not want me to kill this man that he picked. Let’s just take his spear, and that billycan of water that is near his head, and we will go back.”* 1 Samuel 24:6

12 So David took the spear and the billycan, and they went away quietly. Nobody saw them. God made everybody sleep properly, so nobody woke up.

13 Then they went across to the other side of the valley and stood on the top of a hill a long way away. 14 David called out to Abner, “Hey, Abner. Can you hear me?”

He answered, “Who’s that calling out? Who’s waking up the big boss?”

15 David made fun of him, and he said, “Abner, what kind of man are you? You call yourself a big boss soldier, greater than all the other soldiers. But you don’t look after your boss. Just now somebody went into your camp and nearly killed him dead. 16 You are a boss soldier for nothing. God should kill you, and your soldiers too. You mob don’t look after the big boss, the one God picked. Look there. Where’s the big boss’s spear? Where’s his billycan? I’ve got those 2 things here.”

17 Saul heard David’s voice, and said, “David, my son. Is that you talking?”

David answered, “Yes, boss. It’s me. 18 Why do you always chase me? I did not do anything wrong. Why do you blame me? 19 Listen carefully to me. Did God tell you to hate me? If yes, then I have to burn meat to give to him, so he will change his mind. But maybe it was some other men that told you to hate me? They hunted me away from my people, so God has to punish them. They don’t let me live in my country. I’m like a stranger. I have to live in another country now. The people there follow other gods. I can’t live for God properly. 20 This place is a long way from God. I do not want to die here. I’m just nobody, not a boss man. Why do you keep on looking for me? You keep on chasing me like you are hunting for meat.”

21 Saul said, “I did the wrong thing. You are good to me. I can’t do wrong to you again. You didn’t kill me, but I truly did wrong. I was a stupid fool. You are like my son. Come back to me.”

22 David said, “Your spear is here. Send a man to come and get it. 23 Just now God brought us together, and I did not kill you. He picked you to be boss, so I will not kill you. God is good to people that listen to him. He is good to people that live straight. 24 That’s why I want him to be good to me. I want him to keep me alive, just like I was good to you today, and did not kill you.”

25 Then Saul said, “Truly God will be good to you. You will do great things for him. Whatever you do will work out well.”

Then David left that place, and Saul went back home.