1 When Saul returned from chasing the Philistines, it was reported to him, “David is in the Desert of En-gedi.” 2 So Saul took three thousand specially-picked men from all Israel and went searching for David and his men in the area around Wild Goats' Rocks. 3 As Saul passed the sheep pens on the way, there was a cave, and he went in to relieve himself. David and his men were hiding deep inside the cave. 4 David's men said to him, “Today's the day the Lord promised you when he told you, ‘Listen, I'm going to hand over your enemy to you, so you can do to him whatever you want.’” Then David crept up quietly and cut a piece from the edge of Saul's robe. 5 But afterwards David felt really bad because he'd cut off a piece of Saul's robe. 6 He told his men, “May the Lord prevent me from doing anything like this to my master, the Lord's anointed one. I will never attack him, for he is the Lord's anointed one.” 7 He reprimanded his men and didn't allow them to attack Saul. Saul stood up and went on his way. 8 A little later David came out of the cave and shouted, “My master the king!” When Saul looked around, David bowed down with his face to the ground. 9 “Why do you pay attention to people who say, ‘Watch out, David wants to harm you’?” David asked. 10 “Just look! You've seen with your own eyes today that the Lord handed you over to me in the cave. Some urged me to kill you, but I showed you compassion, and said, ‘I refuse to attack my master, for he is the Lord's anointed one.’ 11 Take a look, my father! You see this piece of your robe I'm holding. Yes, I did cut it off, but I didn't kill you. Now you can see for yourself and you can be sure that I have done nothing evil or rebellious. I have not sinned against you, but you are hunting me down, trying to kill me. 12 May the Lord decide between you and me as to who of us is right, and may the Lord punish you, but I myself will never try to harm you. 13 As the old saying goes, ‘From the wicked comes wickedness,’ but I myself will never try to harm you. 14 Who is the king of Israel coming after? Who are you chasing? A dead dog! Just a flea! 15 May the Lord decide and choose between you and me. May he pay attention to my case and support it; may he save me from you.” 16 After David finished saying this, Saul asked, “Is that you speaking, David my son?” and he wept out loud. 17 He told David, “You are a better person than I am, because you have repaid me with good, but I have repaid you with evil. 18 Today you have demonstrated how well you have treated me—for when the Lord handed me over to you, you didn't kill me. 19 For if a man caught hold of his enemy, would he let him escape unharmed? The Lord reward you well for how you've treated me today. 20 Listen, I know you definitely will be king, and your rule over the kingdom of Israel will be secure. 21 Now swear to me by the Lord that you will not destroy my descendants who follow me, and that you will not wipe out my name from my family line.” 22 So David promised this to Saul with an oath. Then Saul went back home, but David and his men returned to the stronghold.
1 Samuel 24 Free Bible Version
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
David
The shepherd who became Israel's greatest king and a man after God's own heart.
Cited in the guide: 1 Sam. 16 - 1 Kings 2; 2 Sam. 7; 1 Chron. 2:15; Matt. 1:6
Cross references (22)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 1 Samuel 23:28–29; Proverbs 29:12; Hosea 7:3; 1 Samuel 23:19; Ezekiel 22:9
- 2 1 Samuel 26:2; Psalm 141:6; Psalm 104:18; 1 Samuel 13:2; Psalm 38:12
- 3 Judges 3:24; Psalm 142:1–7; Psalm 57:1–11; Psalm 141:6
- 4 1 Samuel 26:8–11; 1 Samuel 26:23; 1 Samuel 24:10; 1 Samuel 25:28–30; 1 Samuel 24:18
- 5 2 Samuel 24:10; 2 Samuel 12:9; 1 John 3:20–21; 2 Kings 22:19
- 6 2 Samuel 1:14; Romans 12:14–13:2; Job 31:29–30; 1 Samuel 26:9–11; 1 Thessalonians 5:15
- 7 Psalm 7:4; Matthew 5:44; Romans 12:17–21; 1 Samuel 25:33
- 8 1 Samuel 25:23–24; 1 Samuel 26:17; Romans 13:7; 1 Samuel 20:41; Genesis 17:3
- 9 Ecclesiastes 7:21–22; Proverbs 29:12; Psalm 101:5; 1 Samuel 26:19; Proverbs 18:8
- 10 1 Samuel 24:4; Psalm 105:15; 1 Samuel 26:8–9
- 11 1 Samuel 26:20; 1 Samuel 23:23; 1 Samuel 23:14; 1 Samuel 26:18; 2 Kings 5:13
- 12 Psalm 43:1; Judges 11:27; Psalm 35:1; Genesis 16:5; Romans 12:19
- 13 Matthew 7:20; Matthew 7:16–18; Matthew 12:33–34; Matthew 15:19
- 14 1 Samuel 26:20; 2 Samuel 9:8; 1 Samuel 17:43; 2 Samuel 16:9; 2 Samuel 3:8
- 15 Psalm 43:1; Psalm 35:1; Psalm 119:154; 1 Samuel 24:12; Micah 7:9
- 16 1 Samuel 26:17; Acts 6:10; Luke 21:15; Proverbs 15:1; Genesis 33:4
- 17 Matthew 5:44; 1 Samuel 26:21; Genesis 38:26; Romans 12:20–21; Matthew 27:4
- 18 1 Samuel 26:23; 1 Samuel 23:12; 1 Samuel 23:7; 1 Samuel 26:8; 1 Samuel 24:10
- 19 Proverbs 25:21–22; 1 Samuel 26:25; Psalm 18:20; Judges 17:2; 1 Samuel 23:21
- 20 1 Samuel 23:17; Matthew 2:3–6; 2 Samuel 3:17–18; 1 Samuel 13:14; Matthew 2:16
- 21 Genesis 21:23; 2 Samuel 21:6–8; 1 Samuel 20:14–17; Genesis 31:53; Hebrews 6:16
- 22 1 Samuel 23:29; Matthew 10:16–17; John 2:24; Proverbs 26:24–25
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
For thus it is written: "And David's heart smote him because he had taken away the skirt of his cloak." But to the men with him, who advised him to destroy Saul thus delivered up into his hands, he saith, "The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord's christ, to lay my hand upon …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
… shown: but Saul not even after their betrayal could seize David; but rather in a certain cave in that very country, when into his hands Saul had been given to slay, David spared him, and that which he had in his power he did not. But the other was seeking to do that which he had not in his power.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)