Then whispered Abishai to David, “God hath delivered thine enemy into thy hand this day. Now therefore let me smite him, I pray thee. See, here is his spear,--the spear with which he tried to kill thee,--let me pin him with it to the earth. One blow will be enough.” But David answered, “Do not touch him. It is true that he tried to kill me, and is here in pursuit of me. But he is the Lord’s anointed. He is the king of Israel. I will leave him in the Lord’s hands. Let the Lord bring him in his own good time to his appointed end, by sickness or by battle. I will not hurt him. Take away his jug of water and his spear, and let us go back.” And this they did. They took away the jug of water and the king’s spear, and departed. And no man saw it, nor knew it, neither awakened: they were all asleep. Then David stood on the top of the hill, and called with a loud voice in the still night, “Abner!” he cried, “Ho, Abner! Answerest thou not, Abner?” And Abner suddenly wakened at the voice of David, and sat up, and looked about him much confused, and said, “Who calls?” And David answered from the hill in the light of the moon, “Thou art a valiant man, Abner! Thou art a mighty captain! Thou art a prudent master of the king’s body-guard! The king has been in peril of his life, while you slept. There came one even to his side to kill him, and you knew it not. Where is the king’s jug of water? Where is the king’s spear?” And Saul awoke and recognized the voice of David. And he said, “Is this thy voice, my son David?” And David said, “It is my voice, O king. Why dost thou pursue me? What have I done against thee? What evil is in my hand? Thou hast believed lies about me.” Then Saul was deeply moved, and said, “I have done wrong. Return, my son David. I will do thee no more harm, because my life was precious in thy sight this day. I have played the fool and erred exceedingly.” But David answered and said, “Behold, the king’s spear. Let one of the young men come over and fetch it. May the Lord spare me, as I have spared the Lord’s anointed.” And Saul replied, “Blessed be thou, my son David. Thou shalt do great things and prevail.” Thus David forbore a second time from taking his revenge upon his enemies. Then David and his six hundred went upon their way, and Saul and his three thousand went back along the road by which they came. XXXIX IN THE LAND OF THE ENEMY In the midst of David’s troubles with the king of Israel he received a present from the king of Gath. The king of Gath gave him a town. It happened in this way. As weeks grew into months, and David, in spite of Saul’s fair words, did not dare to trust his head within reach of Saul’s spear, he said to himself at last, “I am afraid that I shall some day perish at the hand of Saul. What shall I do? Whither shall I turn? How can I get beyond his reach? I will go over to the enemy. I will offer my sword, and the swords of my six hundred men, to the Philistines.”