The Berean Pursuit
Then the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah and said, "Is not David hiding on the hill of Hachilah, opposite Jeshimon?" So Saul, accompanied by three thousand chosen men of Israel, went down to the Wilderness of Ziph to search for David there.
Saul camped beside the road at the hill of Hachilah opposite Jeshimon, but David was living in the wilderness. When he realized that Saul had followed him there, David sent out spies to verify that Saul had arrived.
Then David set out and went to the place where Saul had camped. He saw the place where Saul and Abner son of Ner, the general of his army, had lain down. Saul was lying inside the inner circle of the camp, with the troops camped around him. And David asked Ahimelech the Hittite and Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, "Who will go down with me to Saul in the camp?"
"I will go with you," answered Abishai.
That night David and Abishai came to the troops, and Saul was lying there asleep in the inner circle of the camp, with his spear stuck in the ground by his head. And Abner and the troops were lying around him.
Abishai said to David, "Today God has delivered your enemy into your hand. Now, therefore, please let me thrust the spear through him into the ground with one stroke. I will not need to strike him twice!"
But David said to Abishai, "Do not destroy him, for who can lift a hand against the LORD's anointed and be guiltless?" David added, "As surely as the LORD lives, the LORD Himself will strike him down; either his day will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. But the LORD forbid that I should stretch out my hand against the LORD's anointed. Instead, take the spear and water jug by his head, and let us go."
So David took the spear and water jug by Saul's head, and they departed. No one saw them or knew about it, nor did anyone wake up; they all remained asleep, because a deep sleep from the LORD had fallen on them.
Then David crossed to the other side and stood atop the mountain at a distance; there was a wide gulf between them. And David shouted to the troops and to Abner son of Ner, "Will you not answer me, Abner?"
"Who calls to the king?" Abner replied.
So David said to Abner, "You are a man, aren't you? And who in Israel is your equal? Why then did you not protect your lord the king when one of the people came to destroy him? This thing you have done is not good. As surely as the LORD lives, all of you deserve to die, since you did not protect your lord, the LORD's anointed. Now look around. Where are the king's spear and water jug that were by his head?"
Then Saul recognized David's voice and asked, "Is that your voice, David my son?"
"It is my voice, my lord and king," David said.
And he continued, "Why is my lord pursuing his servant? What have I done? What evil is in my hand? Now please, may my lord the king hear the words of his servant: If the LORD has stirred you up against me, then may He accept an offering. But if men have done it, may they be cursed in the presence of the LORD! For today they have driven me away from sharing in the inheritance of the LORD, saying, 'Go, serve other gods.' So do not let my blood fall to the ground far from the presence of the LORD. For the king of Israel has come out to look for a flea, like one who hunts a partridge in the mountains."
Then Saul replied, "I have sinned. Come back, David my son. I will never harm you again, because today you considered my life precious. I have played the fool and have committed a grave error!"
"Here is the king's spear," David answered. "Let one of the young men come over and get it. May the LORD repay every man for his righteousness and faithfulness. For the LORD delivered you into my hand today, but I would not stretch out my hand against the LORD's anointed. As surely as I valued your life today, so may the LORD value my life and rescue me from all trouble."
Saul said to him, "May you be blessed, David my son. You will accomplish great things and will surely prevail."
So David went on his way, and Saul returned home.
David, however, said to himself, "One of these days now I will be swept away by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will stop searching for me all over Israel, and I will slip out of his hand."
So David set out with his six hundred men and went to Achish son of Maoch, the king of Gath. David and his men settled in Gath with Achish. Each man had his family with him, and David had his two wives: Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, the widow of Nabal. And when Saul learned that David had fled to Gath, he no longer searched for him.
Then David said to Achish, "If I have found favor in your eyes, let me be assigned a place in one of the outlying towns, so I can live there. For why should your servant live in the royal city with you?"
That day Achish gave him Ziklag, and to this day it still belongs to the kings of Judah. And the time that David lived in Philistine territory amounted to a year and four months.
Now David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites. (From ancient times these people had inhabited the land extending to Shur and Egypt.) Whenever David attacked a territory, he did not leave a man or woman alive, but he took the flocks and herds, the donkeys, camels, and clothing.
Then he would return to Achish, who would ask him, "What have you raided today?"
And David would reply, "The Negev of Judah," or "The Negev of Jerahmeel," or "The Negev of the Kenites."
David did not leave a man or woman alive to be brought to Gath, for he said, "Otherwise they will report us, saying, 'This is what David did.'" And this was David's custom the whole time he lived in Philistine territory.
So Achish trusted David, thinking, "Since he has made himself an utter stench to his people Israel, he will be my servant forever."
Benjamin was the father of Bela, his firstborn; Ashbel was the second born, Aharah the third, Nohah the fourth, and Rapha the fifth.
The sons of Bela:
Addar, Gera, Abihud, Abishua, Naaman, Ahoah, Gera, Shephuphan, and Huram.
These were the descendants of Ehud who were the heads of the families living in Geba and were exiled to Manahath:
Naaman, Ahijah, and Gera, who carried them into exile and who was the father of Uzza and Ahihud.
Shaharaim had sons in the country of Moab after he had divorced his wives Hushim and Baara. His sons by his wife Hodesh:
Jobab, Zibia, Mesha, Malcam, Jeuz, Sachia, and Mirmah. These were his sons, heads of families.
He also had sons by Hushim:
Abitub and Elpaal.
The sons of Elpaal:
Eber, Misham, Shemed (who built Ono and Lod with its villages), and Beriah and Shema (who were the heads of families of the inhabitants of Aijalon and who drove out the inhabitants of Gath).
Ahio, Shashak, Jeremoth, Zebadiah, Arad, Eder, Michael, Ishpah, and Joha were the sons of Beriah.
Zebadiah, Meshullam, Hizki, Heber, Ishmerai, Izliah, and Jobab were the sons of Elpaal.
Jakim, Zichri, Zabdi, Elienai, Zillethai, Eliel, Adaiah, Beraiah, and Shimrath were the sons of Shimei.
Ishpan, Eber, Eliel, Abdon, Zichri, Hanan, Hananiah, Elam, Anthothijah, Iphdeiah, and Penuel were the sons of Shashak.
Shamsherai, Shehariah, Athaliah, Jaareshiah, Elijah, and Zichri were the sons of Jeroham.
All these were heads of families, the chiefs according to their genealogies, and they lived in Jerusalem.
Jeiel the father of Gibeon lived in Gibeon. His wife's name was Maacah, and Abdon was his firstborn son, then Zur, Kish, Baal, Nadab, Gedor, Ahio, Zecher, and Mikloth, who was the father of Shimeah. These also lived alongside their relatives in Jerusalem.
Ner was the father of Kish, Kish was the father of Saul, and Saul was the father of Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Esh-baal.
The son of Jonathan:
Merib-baal, and Merib-baal was the father of Micah.
The sons of Micah:
Pithon, Melech, Tarea, and Ahaz.
Ahaz was the father of Jehoaddah, Jehoaddah was the father of Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri, and Zimri was the father of Moza.
Moza was the father of Binea. Raphah was his son, Eleasah his son, and Azel his son.
Azel had six sons, and these were their names:
Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan. All these were the sons of Azel.
The sons of his brother Eshek:
Ulam was his firstborn, Jeush second, and Eliphelet third. The sons of Ulam were mighty men of valor, archers, and they had many sons and grandsons-150 in all.
All these were the descendants of Benjamin.
After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. There he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to visit them, and he stayed and worked with them because they were tentmakers by trade, just as he was.
Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks alike. And when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself fully to the word, testifying to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ. But when they opposed and insulted him, he shook out his garments and told them, "Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now on I will go to the Gentiles."
So Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titus Justus, a worshiper of God. Crispus, the synagogue leader, and his whole household believed in the Lord. And many of the Corinthians who heard the message believed and were baptized.
One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: "Do not be afraid; keep on speaking; do not be silent. For I am with you and no one will lay a hand on you, because I have many people in this city." So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching the word of God among the Corinthians.
While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews coordinated an attack on Paul and brought him before the judgment seat. "This man is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law," they said.
But just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio told the Jews, "If this matter involved a wrongdoing or vicious crime, O Jews, it would be reasonable for me to hear your complaint. But since it is a dispute about words and names and your own law, settle it yourselves. I refuse to be a judge of such things." And he drove them away from the judgment seat.
At this, the crowd seized Sosthenes the synagogue leader and beat him in front of the judgment seat. But none of this was of concern to Gallio.
Paul remained in Corinth for quite some time before saying goodbye to the brothers. He had his head shaved in Cenchrea to keep a vow he had made, and then he sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila.
When they reached Ephesus, Paul parted ways with Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue there and reasoned with the Jews. When they asked him to stay for a while longer, he declined. But as he left, he said, "I will come back to you if God is willing." And he set sail from Ephesus.
When Paul had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church at Jerusalem. Then he went down to Antioch.
After Paul had spent some time in Antioch, he traveled from place to place throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.
Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, well versed in the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord and was fervent in spirit. He spoke and taught accurately about Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him in and explained to him the way of God more accurately.
When Apollos resolved to cross over to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. On his arrival, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. For he powerfully refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.