1Sa 24:1-7 | ESV | STEP | When Saul returned from following the Philistines , he was told , Behold , David is in the wilderness of Engedi .

1 Samuel 24:1-7

David Spares Saul’s Life

1 ^{▼▼Ch 24:2 in Hebrew} ^bWhen Saul returned from following the Philistines, he was told, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.” 2 Then Saul took ^cthree thousand chosen men out of all Israel and went to seek David and his men in front of the Wildgoats’ Rocks. 3 And he came to the sheepfolds by the way, where there was a cave, and Saul went in ^dto relieve himself. ^{▼▼Hebrew cover his feet} Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost parts ^fof the cave. 4 And the men of David said to him, ^g“Here is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.’” Then David arose and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. 5 And afterward ^hDavid’s heart struck him, because he had cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. 6 He said to his men, ⁱ“The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord’s anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is ^jthe Lord’s anointed.” 7 So David persuaded his men with these words ^kand did not permit them to attack Saul. And Saul rose up and left the cave and went on his way.