Map of En-Gedi
Map of Ein-gedi. Hidden oasis by the Dead Sea where David hid from King Saul who was trying to kill him.
Stealing King Saul’s body
Stealing King Saul's body
Stealing King Saul's body
SAUL’S POSITION OVERRUN
Philistines attacked Saul’s Israelite army and sent the warriors running for their lives. Many died on Mount Gilboa. Philistines began to overrun King Saul’s position. They killed three of his sons there: Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua.Saul falls on his sword
Philistines pushed hard, and soon the archers got Saul in range. They hit him and wounded him badly. Saul told the soldier in charge of his armor and weapons, “Finish this. Take your sword and drive it through me. I don’t want pagan Philistines to use me for target practice before they kill me,” The terrified soldier refused. So, Saul picked up his own sword and fell on it. When the soldier saw the king was dead, he fell on his sword, too. He died with his king. Saul and his three sons and his weapons man all died the same day.THE KING IS DEAD
News of Israel’s defeat spread. Many Israelites emptied their towns because they knew the Philistines were coming to take them. These included Israelites beyond the north side of the Jezreel valley and Israelites east of the Jordan River. Philistines moved into those homes. The story is in 1 Samuel 31. For other Bible versions, see Bible Gateway.Philistines go to war with Israel
Philistines go to war with Israel
Philistines prep for war with Israel
King Saul and three sons will die in the battle
Philistines assembled their armies at Aphek. Israel’s warriors gathered at Jezreel Spring. Philistine rulers led their armies into the camp, marching them in companies of 100 or battalions of 1,000. King Achish’s army from Gath arrived last, with David’s army marching at the rear.Shocked to see David marching with Philistines
Philistine commanders were shocked to see David there, with his men. They said, “Are you kidding? Hebrews? What are they doing here? That’s David, one of Saul’s men.” King Achish said, “Not anymore. He’s with me now. He defected over a year ago. And he has never given me any reason to doubt him.” Philistine commanders didn’t buy it. Furious, they told Achish, “Send that guy back to wherever you had him. We don’t want him up here in the battle. He might turn on us. If he gave our heads to Saul, that would go a long way to restoring their friendship. This is the guy who got the Hebrews dancing as they sang:Song of David, not so much of King Saul
Saul killed a thousand men. David, a thousand times ten.David an "angel"
Achish told David, “I know you’re an honest man. I’d swear it. In all the time you’ve been with me, I’ve seen you do nothing wrong. If it were up to me, I’d take you into battle alongside me and my men. But the other rulers won’t let me. So go back peacefully. Don’t cause a scene or do anything to upset the Philistine rulers.” David said, “I don’t understand this. What have I done wrong? Name one thing in all the time I’ve been with you. Why am I suddenly not fit to fight the enemies of my king?” Achish said, “David, as far as I’m concerned, you’re as righteous as an angel. But the commanders don’t want you in this fight. They said, ‘He’s not going into the battle with us. Period.’ Spend the night here, but I want you to leave at dawn. Take your men back to their regular duties.”David skips the battle
David and his men left for Philistine territory early the next morning. But the Philistine armies marched up to Jezreel. 1 Samuel 29Death of King Saul
Death of King Saul
Death of King Saul
Battle of Mount Gilboa
King Saul obsessed over catching David, his rival in Israel's popularity contest among the heroes. He overlooked the real enemy, the one that caused the death of King Saul. Saul dies in a battle against a massive Philistine army that invades the Jezreel Valley in northern Israel. Saul rallies his army of volunteers and stages them on the crest of the Gilboa mountains. When he looks down into the valley and sees the size of the army coming against his crew, he knows it's all over. But he makes a night trip to a medium in the village of Endor. He had to cross the open valley to do that, risking capture. He told the woman to conjure up the spirit of the dead prophet Samuel. It was common for kings in the ancient Middle East to consult the gods before going into battle. Like Saul, they wanted to know how the battle would end. Samuel tells the king that by sundown, Saul and his sons would be with Samuel in the place of the dead. Saul went back to the camp, refusing to eat or gather strength for the battle. He knew it was lost. Three of his sons fall, presumably defending the position of the king, their father. David's best friend, Jonathan, was among the sons of Saul who died.King Saul dies, falling on his sword
Saul was gravely wounded in the battle. He fell on his sword. The day after the battle, Philistines came to strip the corpses of valuables. That’s when they found Saul and his three sons dead on Mount Gilboa. They cut off Saul’s head, stripped off his armor, and spread word of his death to other Philistine towns and idol temples throughout the land. The Philistines put Saul’s armor on display in the temple of their god Astarte. Then they hung his body on Beth-shan’s city wall.Israelites steal the bodies and bury them
Israelites across the Jordan River at the town of Jabesh in Gilead heard what the Philistines did to Saul. Brave men from there traveled at night to Beth-shan. Secretly, they retrieved the bodies of Saul and his sons. They carried them back to Jabesh and cremated them there. They took the bones that were left and buried them under a tamarisk tree in Jabesh and mourned him by fasting for seven days. The story appears in 1 Samuel 28-31. To compare The Casual English Bible with others, see Bible Gateway.David moves in with the Philistines
David moves in with the Philistines
David moves in with the Philistines
King Saul finally stops hunting him
David and his followers eventually find relief from King Saul's relentless pursuit by turning to the enemies Saul has been unable to defeat, the Philistines. Israelites had infantry, but Philistines had countless infantry and a chariot corps of 3,000 chariots and 6,000 horses. Saul decided not to follow David into the coastal plains of Philistine territory, and certainly not into the Philistine town of Gath, where David went. It seems odd David would go there for safety, to the hometown of the Philistine hero David killed in mortal combat, Goliath. But the city king, Achish, welcomed him as a powerful ally and a fellow enemy of Saul. That's what the king thought. He was mistaken.David the raider
David and his men made a living as raiders. They raided enemies of Israel and friends of the Philistines. They raided enemies of Israel: people from Geshur, Gezer, and Amalek who had settled in the southern territory between Telam and Shur, near Egypt. When David and his men attacked a community, they killed all the people. But they kept the livestock and gave it to King Achish: sheep, cattle, donkeys, camels. They gave him stolen clothing as well. King Achish would respond to the gifts by asking, “Who’d you raid today?” David would lie and say he raided Israel or their allies: “We raided the Negev land in Judah.” “We raided the Jerahmeel families in the Negev.” “We raided Kenites in the Negev.” No victims could dispute David. He killed them all. David kept pitching his lies to the king, one raid after another. He did this for as long as he lived among the Philistines. Achish thought he had a solid ally in David—someone who would never move away. The king figured that after all those raids David made on his own people in Israel, they must hate his guts. The story is in 1 Samuel 27. To compare The Casual English Bible version with other translations, see Bible Gateway.Map of David hiding in Maon Desert
Map of David hiding in Maon Desert
Map of David hiding in the Maon Desert
Badlands of Israel
On the run from King Saul in Gibeah, David moves his men south to the Maon wasteland. It's not wasted time. He meets and marries a widow, whose husband he almost murdered over an insult. David's men had been voluntarily looking after a team of shepherds caring for a huge flock owned by a rich man named Nabal. That's Hebrew for "fool," and he qualified.Payday for the shepherd
At a shepherd's payday, which is the sheep-shearing season, David sent messengers to Nabal to ask for some food for the service they provided. Nabal, drunk from celebrating his good luck, essentially called David a runaway slave. When David's messengers returned with the insult, David told his men to arm themselves. They were going to kill Nabal's entire family. Nabal's wife, Abigail, intercepted David. She brought an apology and supplies:- 200 loaves of bread,
- 2 large animal skins full of wine,
- 5 butchered sheep ready to cook,
- 1 50-pound (23-kg) sack of roasted grain [6]
- 100 clusters of raisins,
- 200 pressed cakes of dried figs.