332 THE KING'S MIRROR 



charge in this wise: " My lord, I confess that I gave 

 David what food I had and the weapon that I had, for 

 he said he was traveling on an important errand on 

 your behalf. Why should I not give hospitality to a 

 man like David, who is the best and the most highly 

 esteemed of all the men that you have about you ex- 

 cept your sons, and who is furthermore your own son- 

 in-law and has been faithful to you in all things ? Never 

 have I had any design against you or your honor. Do 

 not think, my lord, that I, your servant, have plotted 

 with David against your will; I could not know why 

 David traveled in such distress, for he told me that 

 you had sent him with important errands; nor did I 

 know that he had fallen into any guilt against you." 

 Then Saul replied in fierce anger: " This I swear that 

 you shall perish to-day, you and all your kin." There- 

 upon he caused the bishop to be slain along with eighty- 

 five other men, all of whom were robed in the priestly 

 dignity. After that he ordered all who dwelt in the city 

 of Nob to be slain, even women and children, and had 

 the city burned.* 



Now I have revealed to you the ferocity which God 

 found in Saul's heart when he removed him from the 

 kingship, and which later became evident in what you 

 have now heard and in much else of like import, though 

 I have told this only. The displeasure which the king 

 incurred from God fell so heavily upon him, for the 

 reason that God saw in his heart the fierce avarice which 

 later began to appear. Now he wanted to kill David, 



* On the fate of Ahimelech and the inhabitants of Nob, cf . / Samuel, xxi, 1-9 ; 

 xxii, 9-19. 



