1 Samuel 26:5-16 ▼

5 And Dauid arose, & came to the place where Saul had pitched: & Dauid beheld the place where Saul lay, & Abner the sonne of Ner which was his chiefe captayne: for Saul lay in the fort, & the people pytched rounde about him.

6 Then aunswered Dauid, and spake to Ahimelech the Hethite, and to Abisai the sonne of Zaruia, & brother to Ioab, saying: Who wyll go downe with me to Saul to the hoast? And Abisai saide: I wyll go downe with thee.

7 And so Dauid and Abisai came downe to the people by night, and behold Saul lay sleepyng within the fort, and his speare stacke in ye grounde at his head: but Abner and the people lay rounde about hym.

8 Then saide Abisai to Dauid, God hath closed thyne enemie into thyne hand thys day: Nowe I pray thee let me smite him once with my speare to the earth, & I will not smite him the second tyme.

9 And Dauid saide to Abisai, Destroye him not: For who can laye his hand on the Lordes annoynted, and be giltlesse?

10 And Dauid sayd furthermore: As the Lorde lyueth, the Lorde shall smyte him or his day shall come to dye, or he shall descend into battaile, and perishe.

11 The Lorde kepe me from laying myne hand vpon the Lordes annoynted: But I praye thee take thou nowe the speare that is at his head, and the cruse of water, and let vs go.

12 And so Dauid toke the speare and the cruse of water from Sauls head, and they gat them away, and no man sawe it, nor marked it, neither awaked: For they were all asleepe, because the Lorde had sent a dead sleepe vpon the.

13 Then Dauid went ouer to the other syde, and stoode on the toppe of an hill a farre of (a great space being betweene them:)

14 And Dauid cryed to the people, and to Abner the sonne of Ner, saying: Hearest thou not Abner? Abner aunswered and sayd: Who art thou that cryest to the king?

15 And Dauid sayde to Abner: Art not thou a man? and who is lyke to thee in Israel? Wherefore then hast thou not kept thy lorde the king? For there came one of the folke in to destroye the king thy lorde.

16 It is not well done of thee: As the Lorde lyueth, ye are worthy to dye, because ye haue not kept the Lordes annoynted: And nowe see where the kinges speare is, and the cruse of water that was at his head.