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 24:4-6

24:4 David’s men said to him, “This is the day about which the Lord said to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hand, and you can do to him whatever seems appropriate to you.’” ³  So David got up and quietly cut off an edge of Saul’s robe. 24:5 Afterward David’s conscience bothered him ⁴  because he had cut off an edge of Saul’s robe. 24:6 He said to his men, “May the Lord keep me far away from doing such a thing to my lord, who is the Lord’s chosen one, ⁵  by extending my hand against him. After all, ⁶  he is the Lord’s chosen one.” ⁷ 

1 Samuel 26:8-9

26:8 Abishai said to David, “Today God has delivered your enemy into your hands. Now let me drive the spear ⁸  right through him into the ground with one swift jab! ⁹  A second jab won’t be necessary!”

26:9 But David said to Abishai, “Don’t kill him! Who can extend his hand against the Lord’s chosen one ¹⁰  and remain guiltless?”

[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.

[24:4]  ³ tn Heb “is good in your eyes.”

[24:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “the heart of David struck him.”

[24:6]  ⁵ tn Heb “anointed.”

[24:6]  ⁶ tn Or “for.”

[24:6]  ⁷ tn Heb “anointed.”

[26:8]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ tn Heb “let me strike him with the spear and into the ground one time.”

[26:9]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “anointed” (also in vv. 11, 16, 23).