THE KING'S MIRROR 335 



,When Saul had departed and returned to his host, 

 David ran up on a hill and cried: "My lord, King Saul! 

 can you hear ?" But when Saul turned to hear what this 

 man said, David bent both knees to the earth and bow- 

 ing before the king said to him: " Those men do ill who 

 tell you, my lord, that I mean to be your enemy; for 

 now I have evidence here in my hand that your life was 

 in my power to-day, when you left all your host and en- 

 tered the cave alone; and it was no less in my power to 

 injure your life than your clothes, for here I have in my 

 hand a large piece of the skirt of your mantle. Now let 

 God judge between us. You see how they have told 

 lying tales, who say that I have striven after your life." 

 Saul appreciated these facts fully, for David spoke the 

 truth; and he promised that he would nevermore hate 

 David.* But not many days passed before Saul went 

 out again to seek David, as he did constantly after that. 

 Now it came to pass another time, when Saul had made 

 a wearisome journey in search of David, that sleep came 

 upon the king and all his host. And David went into 

 the camp where Saul lay, but none was aware of it. 

 The man who accompanied him was named Abishai 

 and he said to David: "Now you can see that God 

 surely intends to deliver your enemy into your hands, 

 and it is not advisable to refuse what God Himself offers 

 you. I will thrust my spear through him, if you will 

 permit me, and then we shall return to our men." David 

 answered: " God has done this to tempt me and to see 

 whether I would lay my hands on His anointed. Now I 

 must answer as before, that God shall tear the kingship 



* The atory of David and Saul at En-gedi is told in I Samuel, xxiv. 



