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For the director. With stringed instruments.
A Maschil (riddle, insight, wisdom song) of David.
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When the Ziphites came and they said to Saul, “Is not David hiding among us?”
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God, by your name, save me!
And in your strength issue judgement for me!
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God, hear my prayer.
And give ear, please, to the words of my mouth.
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For strangers rise up against me,
And those who strike terror seek my life.
They do not set God before them.
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Behold, God is a helper to me,
My lord [is] with those who are supporters of my life.
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(The evil one turns back to my enemies) [he causes to turn the evil one back to my enemies]. The destroyer returns to my enemies.
With your truth/faithfulness/reliability annihilate them.
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With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you,
I will praise your name, Yahweh, for it is good.
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For from every distress he delivered me,
And with my enemies my eye sees [my deliverance].
1 Sam 24
15 David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. David was in the wilderness of Ziph at Horesh.
16 And Jonathan, Saul’s son, rose and went to David at Horesh, and strengthened his hand in God.
17 And he said to him, “Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you.
You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. Saul my father also knows this.”
18 pAnd the two of them made a covenant before the LORD.
David remained at Horesh, and Jonathan went home.
19 qThen the Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah, saying,
“Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, which is south of rJeshimon?
20 Now come down, O king, according to all your heart’s desire to come down, sand our part shall be to surrender him into the king’s hand.”
21 And Saul said, t“May you be blessed by the LORD, ufor you have had compassion on me.
22 Go, make yet more sure. Know and see the place where his foot is, and who has seen him there, for it is told me that he is very cunning.
23 See therefore and take note of all the lurking places where he hides, and come back to me with sure information.
Then I will go with you. And if he is in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah.”
24 And they arose and went to Ziph ahead of Saul.
Now David and his men were vin the wilderness of Maon, win the Arabah to the south of rJeshimon.
25 And Saul and his men went to seek him. And David was told, so he went down to the rock and lived in the wilderness of Maon.
And when Saul heard that, he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon.
26 Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain.
And David was hurrying to get away from Saul. As Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them,
27 a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come, for the Philistines have made a raid against the land.”
28 So Saul returned from pursuing after David and went against the Philistines. Therefore that place was called the Rock of Escape.1
29 2 And David went up from there
1 Sam 26
tThen the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying,
“Is not David hiding himself on the hill of Hachilah, which is on the east of Jeshimon?” 2 So Saul arose and went down to uthe wilderness of Ziph with vthree thousand chosen men of Israel to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.
3 And Saul encamped on the hill of Hachilah, which is beside the road on the east of Jeshimon.
But David remained in the wilderness. When he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness,
4 David sent out spies and learned that Saul had indeed come.
5 Then David rose and came to the place where Saul had encamped.
And David saw the place where Saul lay, with wAbner the son of Ner, the commander of his army.
Saul was lying within xthe encampment, while the army was encamped around him.
6 Then David said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Joab’s brother yAbishai the son of Zeruiah, z“Who will go down with me into the camp to Saul?
” And Abishai said, “I will go down with you.” 7 So David and Abishai went to the army by night. And there lay Saul sleeping within xthe encampment,
with his spear stuck in the ground aat his head, and Abner and the army lay around him.
8 Then Abishai said to David, b“God has given your enemy into your hand this day.
Now please let me pin him to the earth with one stroke of the spear, and I will not strike him twice.”
9 But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can put out his hand cagainst the LORD’s anointed and be guiltless?
” 10 And David said, d“As the LORD lives, ethe LORD will strike him, or fhis day will come to die, gor he will go down into battle and perish.
11 hThe LORD forbid that I should put out my hand against the LORD’s anointed.
But take now the spear that is iat his head and the jar of water, and let us go.”
12 So David took the spear and the jar of water from Saul’s head, and they went away.
No man saw it or knew it, nor did any awake, for they were all asleep, because ja deep sleep from the LORD had fallen upon them.