Books of Samuel: Difference between revisions

David then visits Jonathan, and they argue about whether Saul actually wants to kill David. David proposes a test: he is to dine with the king the following day for the [[Rosh Chodesh|New Moon festival]]. However, he will hide in a field and Jonathan will tell Saul that David has returned to Bethlehem for a sacrifice. If the king accepts this, he is not trying to kill him, but if he becomes angry, he is. Jonathan devises a code to relay this information to David: he will come to the stone Ezel, shoot three arrows at it and tell a page to find them. If he tells the page the arrows are on his side of the stone, David can come to him, but if he tells them they are beyond the stone, he must run away. When Jonathan puts the plan into action, Saul attempts to kill him with his spear. Jonathan relays this to David using his code and the two weep as they are separated.

 

 

However, one of Saul's servants, [[Doeg the Edomite]], saw David at Nob, and informs Saul that he was there. Saul arrives at the town, concludes that the priests are supporting David and has Doeg kill them all. One priest gets away: [[Abiathar]], son of [[Ahimelech]], who goes to join David. David accepts him, since he feels somewhat responsible for the massacre. David liberates the village of [[Keilah]] from the Philistines with the help of God and Abiathar. However, when God tells him that Saul is coming and the citizens of Keilah will hand him over to Saul, David and his men escape to the desert of [[Ziph (Bible)|Ziph]], where Jonathan comes and recognises him as the next king. However, some Ziphites inform Saul that David is in the desert, but Saul's search is broken off by another Philistine invasion.