1 Samuel 26:12 - Printer Friendly

ESV: So David took the spear and the jar of water from Saul 's head, and they went away. No man saw it or knew it, nor did any awake, for they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from the Lord had fallen upon them.

NIV: So David took the spear and water jug near Saul’s head, and they left. No one saw or knew about it, nor did anyone wake up. They were all sleeping, because the Lord had put them into a deep sleep.

NASB: So David took the spear and the jug of water that were at Saul’s head, and they left; and no one saw or knew about it, nor did anyone awaken, for they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from the Lord had fallen on them.

CSB: So David took the spear and the water jug by Saul’s head, and they went their way. No one saw them, no one knew, and no one woke up; they all remained asleep because a deep sleep from the Lord came over them.

NLT: So David took the spear and jug of water that were near Saul’s head. Then he and Abishai got away without anyone seeing them or even waking up, because the Lord had put Saul’s men into a deep sleep.

KJV: So David took the spear and the cruse of water from Saul's bolster; and they gat them away, and no man saw it, nor knew it, neither awaked: for they were all asleep; because a deep sleep from the Lord was fallen upon them.

NKJV: So David took the spear and the jug of water by Saul’s head, and they got away; and no man saw or knew it or awoke. For they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from the Lord had fallen on them.

First Samuel 26:6–12 proves David's faithfulness to God and his loyalty to Saul yet again. Saul and his army have chased David and his men to the wilderness, but David's spies find them asleep (1 Samuel 26:1–5). David and Abishai sneak past the soldiers to where Saul and his general are lying. Abishai tells David it's time to kill Saul, but David refuses. They take Saul's spear and water jug and retreat. Once a safe distance away, David will call out to Saul, showing the spear as evidence of his loyalty. Saul will take his army and go home. They won't meet again (1 Samuel 26:13–25).

History repeats itself. With information from locals, Saul and his army hunt David and his men, but David finds them first. He walks past the sleeping army and takes Saul's spear. From a safe distance, David calls down into the camp and holds up the evidence that he could have killed Saul. Saul confesses that he has sinned against David and promises to stop trying to kill him. David says his only confidence for deliverance is in the Lord. Saul leaves and David takes his men and families to the safety of Philistine territory.

Earlier, David passed up an opportunity to kill King Saul while he was unaware (1 Samuel 24). The same general event happens once again. The people of Ziph tell Saul where David is, and Saul comes running (1 Samuel 23:19–24). David finds Saul first and takes evidence that he could have killed the king but didn't. David confronts Saul, and Saul admits David is righteous and loyal (1 Samuel 24). This time, David is finished trusting Saul. He takes his people to Achish, the king of Gath. Apparently, the Philistine king respects David's honor more than David's own king (1 Samuel 27). Meanwhile, Saul slips further into disobedience to God (1 Samuel 28).

First Samuel introduces the key figures who led Israel after the era of the judges. The books of 1 and 2 Samuel were originally part of a single text, split in certain translations shortly before the birth of Christ. Some of the Bible’s most famous characters are depicted in this book. These including the prophet Samuel, Israel’s first king, Saul, her greatest king, David, and other famous names such as Goliath and Jonathan. By the end of this book, Saul has fallen; the book of 2 Samuel begins with David’s ascension to the throne.