Legends of the Patriarchs and Prophets: And Other Old Testament Characters from Various SourcesBaring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
Religion
Legends of the Patriarchs and Prophets: And Other Old Testament Characters from Various Sources
Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
Bible. Old Testament -- Legends
And in the night came Saul, and he felt the clothes, and he thought it
was David in the bed, so he stabbed at him with his knife, and the wine
ran out in the bed. Then Saul smelt it, and he said, “How much wine the
fellow drank for his supper!”[616]
But when he found that David had escaped him once more, he was wroth,
and he gathered men together, and pursued after him; in his anger,
moreover, he sought to kill Michal, but she fled away and concealed
herself.
Saul pursued David in the mountains, but David knew all the caves and
lurking-places, and Saul was unable to catch him. One night, David
crept into the camp and thrust four arrows, inscribed with his name,
into the ground, round the head of Saul. When Saul awoke, he saw these
arrows, and he said, “David has been here; he might have slain me had
he willed it.”
During the day, Saul came upon his enemy in a narrow valley; he was
mounted, and he pursued David, who was on foot. David fled as fast as
he could run, and managed to reach a cave a few moments before Saul
could reach it. Then God sent a spider, which spun a web over the mouth
of the cave; and Saul saw it and passed on, saying, “Certainly David
cannot have entered in there, or the web would be torn.”[617]
One night, Saul and his soldiers lodged in a cavern. And David was
there, but they knew it not. In the night David carried off the sword
and banner and seal-ring of the king, and he went forth out of the
cave, for it had two openings. In the morning, when Saul prepared to
continue his search, he saw him on a mountain opposite the mouth of the
cave, and David had girded the royal sword to his side, and brandished
the flag, and held forth his finger that all might note that he had on
it the king’s signet.[618]
Then Saul said, “His heart is better than mine;” and he was reconciled
with David, and he bade him return with him and live at peace. And he
did so.
3. THE DEATH OF SAUL.
Now when Saul had gone forth against David, the wise men of Israel had
gathered themselves together, and had remonstrated with him. But Saul
was wroth at this interference, and he slew them all, and there escaped
none of them save one wise woman, whom his vizir spared. This vizir was
a good man, and he took the woman into his own house, and she lived
with his family.
Some time after that, Saul had a dream, and in his dream he was
reproached for having slain the wise men. And when he awoke he was
full of remorse, and he went to his vizir and said, “It repents me
that I have put to death all the wise men of my realm; is there none
remaining of whom I might ask counsel how I could expiate my crime?”
Then the vizir answered, “There remains but one, and that is a woman.”
Saul said, “Bring her hither before me.”
Now, when the wise woman was come before Saul, the king was troubled in
mind, and he said, “Show me how I can make atonement for the great sin
that I have committed.”
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