1. The people of Ziph went to Saul at Gibeah and said to him, “David is hiding on the hill of Hakilah opposite Jeshimon.”
2. So Saul went down to the Desert of Ziph with three thousand chosen men of Israel to look for David there.
3. Saul made his camp beside the road on the hill of Hakilah opposite Jeshimon, but David stayed in the desert. When he heard Saul had followed him,
4. he sent out spies and learned for certain that Saul had come to Hakilah.
5. Then David went to the place where Saul had camped. He saw where Saul and Abner son of Ner, the commander of Saul’s army, were sleeping. Saul was sleeping in the middle of the camp with all the army around him.
6. David asked Ahimelech the Hittite and Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, “Who will go down into Saul’s camp with me?”Abishai answered, “I’ll go with you.”
7. So that night David and Abishai went into Saul’s camp. Saul was asleep in the middle of the camp with his spear stuck in the ground near his head. Abner and the army were sleeping around Saul.
8. Abishai said to David, “Today God has handed your enemy over to you. Let me pin Saul to the ground with my spear. I’ll only have to do it once. I won’t need to hit him twice.”
9. But David said to Abishai, “Don’t kill Saul! No one can harm the Lord’s appointed king and still be innocent!
10. As surely as the Lord lives, the Lord himself will punish Saul. Maybe Saul will die naturally, or maybe he will go into battle and be killed.
11. But may the Lord keep me from harming his appointed king! Take the spear and water jug that are near Saul’s head. Then let’s go.”
12. So David took the spear and water jug that were near Saul’s head, and they left. No one saw them or knew about it or woke up, because the Lord had put them sound asleep.
13. David crossed over to the other side of the hill and stood on top of the mountain far from Saul’s camp. They were a long way away from each other.
14. David shouted to the army and to Abner son of Ner, “Won’t you answer me, Abner?”Abner answered, “Who is calling for the king? Who are you?”