uth of the desert? Now therefore, O king,
come down, according to all the desire of thy soul to come down; and
our part shall be to deliver him up into the king's hand."

And Saul said, "Blessed be ye of the Lord; for ye have had compassion
on me. Go, I pray you, make yet more sure, and know and see his place
where his haunt is, and who hath seen him there: for it is told me
that he dealeth very subtilly. See therefore, and take knowledge of
all the lurking places where he hideth himself, and come ye again to
me of a certainty, and I will go with you: and it {413} shall come to
pass, if he be in the land, that I will search him out among all the
thousands of Judah."

And they arose, and went to Ziph before Saul: but David and his men
were in the wilderness of Maon. And Saul and his men went to seek him.
And they told David: wherefore he came down to the rock, and abode in
the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued after
David in the wilderness of Maon.

And Saul went on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on
the other side of the mountain: and David made haste to get away for
fear of Saul; for Saul and his men compassed David and his men round
about to take them. But there came a messenger to Saul, saying, "Haste
thee, and come; for the Philistines have made a raid upon the land."

So Saul returned from pursuing after David.

And it came to pass, when Saul was returned from following the
Philistines, that it was told him, saying, "Behold, David is in the
wilderness of En-gedi."

Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went
to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats.

And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where was a cave; and Saul
went in.

Now David and his men were abiding in the innermost parts of the cave.
And the men of David said unto him, "Behold, the day of which the Lord
said unto thee, 'Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand,
and thou shalt do to him as it shall seem good unto thee.'"

{414}

Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe privily. And it
came to pass afterward, that David's heart smote him, because he had
cut off Saul's skirt.

And he said unto his men, "The Lord forbid that I should do this thing
unto my lord, the Lord's anointed, to put forth mine hand against him,
seeing he is the Lord's anointed."

So David checked his men with these words, and suffered them not to
rise against Sa