1 Samuel 23:14

23:14 David stayed in the strongholds that were in the desert and in the hill country of the desert of Ziph. Saul looked for him all the time, ¹  but God did not deliver David ²  into his hand.

1 Samuel 24:10

24:10 Today your own eyes see how the Lord delivered you – this very day – into my hands in the cave. Some told me to kill you, but I had pity ³  on you and said, ‘I will not extend my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord’s chosen one.’ ⁴ 

1 Samuel 26:8

26:8 Abishai said to David, “Today God has delivered your enemy into your hands. Now let me drive the spear ⁵  right through him into the ground with one swift jab! ⁶  A second jab won’t be necessary!”

[23:14]  ¹ tn Heb “all the days.”

[23:14]  ² tn Heb “him”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:10]  ³ tn Heb “it had pity,” apparently with the understood subject being “my eye,” in accordance with a common expression.

[24:10]  ⁴ tn Heb “anointed.”

[26:8]  ⁵ tn Here “the spear” almost certainly refers to Saul’s own spear, which according to the previous verse was stuck into the ground beside him as he slept. This is reflected in a number of English versions: TEV, CEV “his own spear”; NLT “that spear.” Cf. NIV, NCV “my spear,” in which case Abishai refers to his own spear rather than Saul’s, but this is unlikely since (1) Abishai would probably not have carried a spear along since such a weapon would be unwieldy when sneaking into the enemy camp; and (2) this would not explain the mention of Saul’s own spear stuck in the ground beside him in the previous verse.

[26:8]  ⁶ tn Heb “let me strike him with the spear and into the ground one time.”