Today's Readings and Stuff -- Saturday, 12 May 2018

This has been a week!
We spent yesterday late afternoon until well into the night/evening hours at medical operations since Dear Wife was having great trouble breathing.  I assure you, that is more than a bit scary.
The first option, the walk-in "urgent care" operation took a look at her, told us she needed a chest x-ray and that right away, and they had no such capability.  So, lacking ANY other option, off to the Emergency Room in the "network".  Not a great place to be on a Friday night, I assure you.
After x-rays, "blood work", various other labs, they decided she does not have pneumonia, nor the particularly nasty influenza that's killed quite a few this year.  They shot her up with steroid to help the breathing, gave her a "breathing treatment", shot her up with some heavy-duty antibiotic.  It appears that the antibiotic she's been on for more than a week is having minimal effect, if that much.  And more prescriptions to refill.  We were home before midnight.
Scared to think what the bill will look like, won't be pretty, that we know.
We'd not eaten since lunch, so we cobbled together something quick, gobbled it up, rested a bit, took the "night meds", patted the cats, and went to bed.
This morning, once the pharmacy opened, Yours Truly back Across The Line into Pennsyltucky, picked up the new antibiotics and dose-pack of prednisone.
I'd intended to go to a "plant sale" not far from where that hospital is, but just wasn't up to it.  And,
I'd intended to pick up something to commemorate Mother's Day tomorrow.  Since we won't hear from either daughter, not so much as a phone call, wanted to do something.  But, the money I'd carefully put aside for that went for the new meds.  Got her a chocolate bar, that's something I guess.

Got confirmation that, yes, niece's husband next door did get fired yesterday, escorted off the lot, the whole thing.  I gather that he cut a break to a customer that he wasn't entitled to do, and got caught.  He didn't benefit from it, but the customer still wasn't entitled to it, and that's the truth of it.  Niece works for the same corporation, separate location, so it's not known if her job is in jeopardy as well.  She's been working part-time only, Tuesdays and Thursdays, so the facts of the matter may not be known until Tuesday.  Or tomorrow:  she normally is informed of her schedule for the coming week on Sunday afternoon.  On pins and needles until then.
So they're having a rough time too.  Having a 10-month old baby adds to that. 
Makes for a tough summer.

=========================================\=
============================================

 Today, chapters 25 and 26 in 1st Samuel.
Remember the Chinese curse?  "May you live in interesting times!"?.   Samuel did.  So did David.  And a whole lot of other people as well.
The ministry of Samuel outlived him, as we will see here.  The ramifications and echoes of that are, I believe, still felt today.

1st Samuel 25

1  And Samuel died; and all the Israelites were gathered together, and lamented him, and buried him in his house at Ramah. And David arose, and went down to the wilderness of Paran.

2  And there was a man in Maon, whose possessions were in Carmel; and the man was very great, and he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats: and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.

3  Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail: and she was a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance: but the man was churlish and evil in his doings; and he was of the house of Caleb.

4  And David heard in the wilderness that Nabal did shear his sheep.

5  And David sent out ten young men, and David said unto the young men, Get you up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name:

6  And thus shall ye say to him that liveth in prosperity, Peace be both to thee, and peace be to thine house, and peace be unto all that thou hast.

7  And now I have heard that thou hast shearers: now thy shepherds which were with us, we hurt them not, neither was there ought missing unto them, all the while they were in Carmel

8  Ask thy young men, and they will shew thee. Wherefore let the young men find favour in thine eyes: for we come in a good day: give, I pray thee, whatsoever cometh to thine hand unto thy servants, and to thy son David.

9  And when David's young men came, they spake to Nabal according to all those words in the name of David, and ceased.

10  And Nabal answered David's servants, and said, Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? there be many servants now a days that break away every man from his master.

11  Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men, whom I know not whence they be?

12  So David's young men turned their way, and went again, and came and told him all those sayings.

13  And David said unto his men, Gird ye on every man his sword. And they girded on every man his sword; and David also girded on his sword: and there went up after David about four hundred men; and two hundred abode by the stuff.

14  But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, saying, Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to salute our master; and he railed on them.

15  But the men were very good unto us, and we were not hurt, neither missed we any thing, as long as we were conversant with them, when we were in the fields

16  They were a wall unto us both by night and day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep.

17  Now therefore know and consider what thou wilt do; for evil is determined against our master, and against all his household: for he is such a son of Belial, that a man cannot speak to him.

18  Then Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched corn, and an hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on asses.

19  And she said unto her servants, Go on before me; behold, I come after you. But she told not her husband Nabal.

20  And it was so, as she rode on the ass, that she came down by the covert of the hill, and, behold, David and his men came down against her; and she met them.

21  Now David had said, Surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow hath in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that pertained unto him: and he hath requited me evil for good.

22  So and more also do God unto the enemies of David, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall.

23  And when Abigail saw David, she hasted, and lighted off the ass, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground,

24  And fell at his feet, and said, Upon me, my lord, upon me let this iniquity be: and let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine audience, and hear the words of thine handmaid.

25  Let not my lord, I pray thee, regard this man of Belial, even Nabal: for as his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him: but I thine handmaid saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send.

26  Now therefore, my lord, as the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, seeing the Lord hath withholden thee from coming to shed blood, and from avenging thyself with thine own hand, now let thine enemies, and they that seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal.

27  And now this blessing which thine handmaid hath brought unto my lord, let it even be given unto the young men that follow my lord

28  I pray thee, forgive the trespass of thine handmaid: for the Lord will certainly make my lord a sure house; because my lord fighteth the battles of the Lord, and evil hath not been found in thee all thy days.

29  Yet a man is risen to pursue thee, and to seek thy soul: but the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the Lord thy God; and the souls of thine enemies, them shall he sling out, as out of the middle of a sling.

30  And it shall come to pass, when the Lord shall have done to my lord according to all the good that he hath spoken concerning thee, and shall have appointed thee ruler over Israel;

31  That this shall be no grief unto thee, nor offence of heart unto my lord, either that thou hast shed blood causeless, or that my lord hath avenged himself: but when the Lord shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember thine handmaid.

32  And David said to Abigail, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me:

33  And blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou, which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself with mine own hand.

34  For in very deed, as the Lord God of Israel liveth, which hath kept me back from hurting thee, except thou hadst hasted and come to meet me, surely there had not been left unto Nabal by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall.

35  So David received of her hand that which she had brought him, and said unto her, Go up in peace to thine house; see, I have hearkened to thy voice, and have accepted thy person.

36  And Abigail came to Nabal; and, behold, he held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king; and Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was very drunken: wherefore she told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light.

37  But it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became as a stone.

38  And it came to pass about ten days after, that the Lord smote Nabal, that he died.

39  And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be the Lord, that hath pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and hath kept his servant from evil: for the Lord hath returned the wickedness of Nabal upon his own head. And David sent and communed with Abigail, to take her to him to wife.

40  And when the servants of David were come to Abigail to Carmel, they spake unto her, saying, David sent us unto thee, to take thee to him to wife.

41  And she arose, and bowed herself on her face to the earth, and said, Behold, let thine handmaid be a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.

42  And Abigail hasted, and arose, and rode upon an ass, with five damsels of hers that went after her; and she went after the messengers of David, and became his wife.

43  David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel; and they were also both of them his wives.

44  But Saul had given Michal his daughter, David's wife, to Phalti the son of Laish, which was of Gallim.

1st Samuel 26

1  And the Ziphites came unto Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide himself in the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon?

2  Then Saul arose, and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, having three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.

3  And Saul pitched in the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon, by the way. But David abode in the wilderness, and he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness.

4  David therefore sent out spies, and understood that Saul was come in very deed.

5  And David arose, and came to the place where Saul had pitched: and David beheld the place where Saul lay, and Abner the son of Ner, the captain of his host: and Saul lay in the trench, and the people pitched round about him.

6  Then answered David and said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, brother to Joab, saying, Who will go down with me to Saul to the camp? And Abishai said, I will go down with thee.

7  So David and Abishai came to the people by night: and, behold, Saul lay sleeping within the trench, and his spear stuck in the ground at his bolster: but Abner and the people lay round about him.

8  Then said Abishai to David, God hath delivered thine enemy into thine hand this day: now therefore let me smite him, I pray thee, with the spear even to the earth at once, and I will not smite him the second time.

9  And David said to Abishai, Destroy him not: for who can stretch forth his hand against the Lord's anointed, and be guiltless?

10  David said furthermore, As the Lord liveth, the Lord shall smite him; or his day shall come to die; or he shall descend into battle, and perish.

11  The Lord forbid that I should stretch forth mine hand against the Lord's anointed: but, I pray thee, take thou now the spear that is at his bolster, and the cruse of water, and let us go.

12  So David took the spear and the cruse of water from Saul's bolster; and they gat them away, and no man saw it, nor knew it, neither awaked: for they were all asleep; because a deep sleep from the Lord was fallen upon them.

13  Then David went over to the other side, and stood on the top of an hill afar off; a great space being between them:

14  And David cried to the people, and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, Answerest thou not, Abner? Then Abner answered and said, Who art thou that criest to the king?

15  And David said to Abner, Art not thou a valiant man? and who is like to thee in Israel? wherefore then hast thou not kept thy lord the king? for there came one of the people in to destroy the king thy lord.

16  This thing is not good that thou hast done. As the Lord liveth, ye are worthy to die, because ye have not kept your master, the Lord's anointed. And now see where the king's spear is, and the cruse of water that was at his bolster.

17  And Saul knew David's voice, and said, Is this thy voice, my son David? And David said, It is my voice, my lord, O king.

18  And he said, Wherefore doth my lord thus pursue after his servant? for what have I done? or what evil is in mine hand?

19  Now therefore, I pray thee, let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If the Lord have stirred thee up against me, let him accept an offering: but if they be the children of men, cursed be they before the Lord; for they have driven me out this day from abiding in the inheritance of the Lord, saying, Go, serve other gods.

20  Now therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth before the face of the Lord: for the king of Israel is come out to seek a flea, as when one doth hunt a partridge in the mountains.

21  Then said Saul, I have sinned: return, my son David: for I will no more do thee harm, because my soul was precious in thine eyes this day: behold, I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly.

22  And David answered and said, Behold the king's spear! and let one of the young men come over and fetch it.

23  The Lord render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness: for the Lord delivered thee into my hand to day, but I would not stretch forth mine hand against the Lord's anointed.

24  And, behold, as thy life was much set by this day in mine eyes, so let my life be much set by in the eyes of the Lord, and let him deliver me out of all tribulation.

25  Then Saul said to David, Blessed be thou, my son David: thou shalt both do great things, and also shalt still prevail. So David went on his way, and Saul returned to his place.

Quick note ==>> revised

We are at the Emergency Room right now.
Wife's condition worsened:  not sure if pneumonia or pleurisy or what.  Trouble breathing and various other problems.  The walk in clinic couldn't do anything and sent us here.
Will advise further when we know more.
Prayers most welcome. 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

<<========>>

Revision:

we are back home.  LONG afternoon/ evening.  

As some of us have long had reason to know, going to an Emergency Room on a Friday evening, particular in  less-than-prosperous towns, isn't a great experience for anyone.  But then, going to an ER on any occasion, isn't likely going to be a wonderful experience.  The staff, undermanned and busy as they were, did well.

We were told that she doesn't appear to have pneumonia.  The particularly nasty upper respiratory infection(s) that she's been battling haven't responded well to the antibiotics that PA at the walk-in clinic had prescribed  more than a week ago.   So the Nurse Practitioner that saw us (we saw no sign of ANY physcians, no MD, none), has prescribed a heavier-duty antibiotic, a good run of it at that, and some more steroids to help the breathing.

Just another day in our life.

God is good.

Today's Readings and Stuff -- Friday, 11 May 2018 (with previous day's readings also)

Another Friday has arrived.  As well as a predicted "high" temperature of 62°.  And an occasional light rain falling.  Sigh.
There were some outside things I'd planned, but the weather will preclude that.  Oh, well.

And "Mother's Day " is Sunday.  This will be VERY tough.  We have two daughters.  Neither will speak to us nor acknowledge our very existence.  I hear from the one's husband from time to time, but not her.  The  other has decided that she's really a guy.  What her husband (married since 2011) things of that I don't know:  she's commandeered all of his e-mails, etc.  I do hear occasionally from his mother and brother but, in the interests of peace (and their own peace of mind), I refrain from mentioning the matter.
But it means that, again, Wife will not get a Mother's Day card, or gift, or flowers, or even a phone call.  At least from them: I kept back a few dollars and will get her some chocolates or something.  That will be the sum of it.
Doesn't help that it was 11 years ago this past week that her mother had died.  Makes for a tough time of the year.  But then, it was about five weeks prior to that day that my Mother died.  Was a tough year.
And right now, she sounds and feels awful.  Tomorrow should see the last of her 10-day regimen of heavy-duty antibiotics. If she's no better by Monday morning, back to the doctor's office or urgent care "doc in a box" operation.  If not sooner.


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
===========================================
 The day's readings are a bit discombobulated.  Yesterday was one of those "cyclone days", the winds of "stuff" blowing everything around and it's all out of order.  
So I bowed to force majeure and stuffed two days of readings into one.  It's not ideal, but it's the best that I could do.


===============================================
============================================
Today, in 1st Samuel

1st Samuel 21

 1  Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David, and said unto him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee?

2  And David said unto Ahimelech the priest, The king hath commanded me a business, and hath said unto me, Let no man know any thing of the business whereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee: and I have appointed my servants to such and such a place.

3  Now therefore what is under thine hand? give me five loaves of bread in mine hand, or what there is present.present: Heb. found

4  And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under mine hand, but there is hallowed bread; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women.

5  And David answered the priest, and said unto him, Of a truth women have been kept from us about these three days, since I came out, and the vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in a manner common, yea, though it were sanctified this day in the vessel.

6  So the priest gave him hallowed bread: for there was no bread there but the shewbread, that was taken from before the Lord, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.

7  Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord; and his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chiefest of the herdmen that belonged to Saul.

8  And David said unto Ahimelech, And is there not here under thine hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste.

9  And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take that, take it: for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none like that; give it me.

10  And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.

11  And the servants of Achish said unto him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?

12  And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath.

13  And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard.

14  Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man is mad: wherefore then have ye brought him to me?

15  Have I need of mad men, that ye have brought this fellow to play the mad man in my presence? shall this fellow come into my house?

1st Samuel 22

1  David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father's house heard it, they went down thither to him.

2  And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men

3  And David went thence to Mizpeh of Moab: and he said unto the king of Moab, Let my father and my mother, I pray thee, come forth, and be with you, till I know what God will do for me.

4  And he brought them before the king of Moab: and they dwelt with him all the while that David was in the hold.

5  And the prophet Gad said unto David, Abide not in the hold; depart, and get thee into the land of Judah. Then David departed, and came into the forest of Hareth.

6  When Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men that were with him, (now Saul abode in Gibeah under a tree in Ramah, having his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him;)

7  Then Saul said unto his servants that stood about him, Hear now, ye Benjamites; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, and make you all captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds;

8  That all of you have conspired against me, and there is none that sheweth me that my son hath made a league with the son of Jesse, and there is none of you that is sorry for me, or sheweth unto me that my son hath stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?

9  Then answered Doeg the Edomite, which was set over the servants of Saul, and said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub.

10  And he enquired of the Lord for him, and gave him victuals, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.

11  Then the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father's house, the priests that were in Nob: and they came all of them to the king.

12  And Saul said, Hear now, thou son of Ahitub. And he answered, Here I am, my lord.

13  And Saul said unto him, Why have ye conspired against me, thou and the son of Jesse, in that thou hast given him bread, and a sword, and hast enquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?

14  Then Ahimelech answered the king, and said, And who is so faithful among all thy servants as David, which is the king's son in law, and goeth at thy bidding, and is honourable in thine house?

15  Did I then begin to enquire of God for him? be it far from me: let not the king impute any thing unto his servant, nor to all the house of my father: for thy servant knew nothing of all this, less or more.

16  And the king said, Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all thy father's house.

17And the king said unto the footmen that stood about him, Turn, and slay the priests of the Lord; because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled, and did not shew it to me. But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the Lord.

18  And the king said to Doeg, Turn thou, and fall upon the priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests, and slew on that day fourscore and five persons that did wear a linen ephod.

19  And Nob, the city of the priests, smote he with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and sucklings, and oxen, and asses, and sheep, with the edge of the sword.

20  And one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped, and fled after David.

21  And Abiathar shewed David that Saul had slain the Lord's priests.

22  And David said unto Abiathar, I knew it that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul: I have occasioned the death of all the persons of thy father's house.

23  Abide thou with me, fear not: for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life: but with me thou shalt be in safeguard.

1st Samuel 23

1  Then they told David, saying, Behold, the Philistines fight against Keilah, and they rob the threshingfloors.

2  Therefore David enquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I go and smite these Philistines? And the Lord said unto David, Go, and smite the Philistines, and save Keilah.

3  And David's men said unto him, Behold, we be afraid here in Judah: how much more then if we come to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?

4  Then David enquired of the Lord yet again. And the Lord answered him and said, Arise, go down to Keilah; for I will deliver the Philistines into thine hand.

5  So David and his men went to Keilah, and fought with the Philistines, and brought away their cattle, and smote them with a great slaughter. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.

6  And it came to pass, when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David to Keilah, that he came down with an ephod in his hand.

7  And it was told Saul that David was come to Keilah. And Saul said, God hath delivered him into mine hand; for he is shut in, by entering into a town that hath gates and bars.

8  And Saul called all the people together to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men.

9  And David knew that Saul secretly practised mischief against him; and he said to Abiathar the priest, Bring hither the ephod.

10  Then said David, O Lord God of Israel, thy servant hath certainly heard that Saul seeketh to come to Keilah, to destroy the city for my sake.

11  Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into his hand? will Saul come down, as thy servant hath heard? O Lord God of Israel, I beseech thee, tell thy servant. And the Lord said, He will come down.

12  Then said David, Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul? And the Lord said, They will deliver thee up.

13  Then David and his men, which were about six hundred, arose and departed out of Keilah, and went whithersoever they could go. And it was told Saul that David was escaped from Keilah; and he forbare to go forth.

14  And David abode in the wilderness in strong holds, and remained in a mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God delivered him not into his hand.

15  And David saw that Saul was come out to seek his life: and David was in the wilderness of Ziph in a wood.

16  And Jonathan Saul's son arose, and went to David into the wood, and strengthened his hand in God.

17  And he said unto him, Fear not: for the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee; and thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next unto thee; and that also Saul my father knoweth.

18  And they two made a covenant before the Lord: and David abode in the wood, and Jonathan went to his house.

19  Then came up the Ziphites to Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide himself with us in strong holds in the wood, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of Jeshimon?

20  Now therefore, O king, come down according to all the desire of thy soul to come down; and our part shall be to deliver him into the king's hand.

21  And Saul said, Blessed be ye of the Lord; for ye have compassion on me.

22  Go, I pray you, prepare yet, and know and see his place where his haunt is, and who hath seen him there: for it is told me that he dealeth very subtilly.

23  See therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurking places where he hideth himself, and come ye again to me with the certainty, and I will go with you: and it shall come to pass, if he be in the land, that I will search him out throughout all the thousands of Judah.

24  And they arose, and went to Ziph before Saul: but David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the plain on the south of Jeshimon.

25  Saul also and his men went to seek him. And they told David: wherefore he came down into a rock, and abode in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon.

26  And Saul went on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on that side of the mountain: and David made haste to get away for fear of Saul; for Saul and his men compassed David and his men round about to take them.

27  But there came a messenger unto Saul, saying, Haste thee, and come; for the Philistines have invaded the land.

28  Wherefore Saul returned from pursuing after David, and went against the Philistines: therefore they called that place Sela–hammahlekoth

29  And David went up from thence, and dwelt in strong holds at En–gedi.

1st Samuel 24

1  And it came to pass, when Saul was returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, Behold, David is in the wilderness of En–gedi.

2  Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats.

3  And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where was a cave; and Saul went in to cover his feet: and David and his men remained in the sides of the cave.

4  And the men of David said unto him, Behold the day of which the Lord said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe privily.

5  And it came to pass afterward, that David's heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul's skirt.

6  And he said unto his men, The Lord forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the Lord's anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord.

7  So David stayed his servants with these words, and suffered them not to rise against Saul. But Saul rose up out of the cave, and went on his way.stayed: Heb. cut off

8  David also arose afterward, and went out of the cave, and cried after Saul, saying, My lord the king. And when Saul looked behind him, David stooped with his face to the earth, and bowed himself.

9  And David said to Saul, Wherefore hearest thou men's words, saying, Behold, David seeketh thy hurt?

10  Behold, this day thine eyes have seen how that the Lord had delivered thee to day into mine hand in the cave: and some bade me kill thee: but mine eye spared thee; and I said, I will not put forth mine hand against my lord; for he is the Lord's anointed.

11  Moreover, my father, see, yea, see the skirt of thy robe in my hand: for in that I cut off the skirt of thy robe, and killed thee not, know thou and see that there is neither evil nor transgression in mine hand, and I have not sinned against thee; yet thou huntest my soul to take it.

12  The Lord judge between me and thee, and the Lord avenge me of thee: but mine hand shall not be upon thee.

13  As saith the proverb of the ancients, Wickedness proceedeth from the wicked: but mine hand shall not be upon thee.

14  After whom is the king of Israel come out? after whom dost thou pursue? after a dead dog, after a flea.

15  The Lord therefore be judge, and judge between me and thee, and see, and plead my cause, and deliver me out of thine hand.

16  And it came to pass, when David had made an end of speaking these words unto Saul, that Saul said, Is this thy voice, my son David? And Saul lifted up his voice, and wept.

17  And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil.

18  And thou hast shewed this day how that thou hast dealt well with me: forasmuch as when the Lord had delivered me into thine hand, thou killedst me not.

19  For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away? wherefore the Lord reward thee good for that thou hast done unto me this day.

20  And now, behold, I know well that thou shalt surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in thine hand.

21  Swear now therefore unto me by the Lord, that thou wilt not cut off my seed after me, and that thou wilt not destroy my name out of my father's house.

22  And David sware unto Saul. And Saul went home; but David and his men gat them up unto the hold.

=======================================
========================================
Today, in the Psalms
Have we not all, at one time or another, shared that thought of verse 3 in Psalm 94?  But note verse 12 in so doing.

Psalm 94

1  O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself.

2  Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: render a reward to the proud.

3   Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph?

4  How long shall they utter and speak hard things? and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves?

5  They break in pieces thy people, O Lord, and afflict thine heritage.

6  They slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the fatherless.

7  Yet they say, The Lord shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it.

8  Understand, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wise?

9  He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the eye, shall he not see?

10  He that chastiseth the heathen, shall not he correct? he that teacheth man knowledge, shall not he know?

11  The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity.

12  Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord, and teachest him out of thy law;

13  That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked.

14  For the Lord will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance.

15  But judgment shall return unto righteousness: and all the upright in heart shall follow it.

16  Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?

17  Unless the Lord had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence.almost: or, quickly

18  When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O Lord, held me up.

19  In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.

20  Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law?

21  They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood.

22  But the Lord is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge.

23  And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; yea, the Lord our God shall cut them off.

Psalm 95

1  O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.

2  Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.

3  For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.

4  In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also.

5  The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land.

6  O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.

7  For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice,

8  Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness

9  When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work.

10  Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways:

11  Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.

==============================
And, in the Acts of the Apostles.  There is a great deal here that should be "chewed over", verse by verse and sometimes phrases within a single verse.  This is terribly important stuff, and has much to do with the Church today: what we believe and why, what and how we do some  things and why.

Acts 5

1  But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,

2  And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet.

3  But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?

4  Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.

5  And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.

6  And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him.

7  And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in.

8  And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much.

9  Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.

10  Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband.

11  And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.

12  And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon's porch.

13  And of the rest durst no man join himself to them: but the people magnified them.

14  And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.)

15  Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them.

16  There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one.

17  Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation,

18  And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison.

19  But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said,

20  Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.

21  And when they heard that, they entered into the temple early in the morning, and taught. But the high priest came, and they that were with him, and called the council together, and all the senate of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.

22  But when the officers came, and found them not in the prison, they returned, and told,

23  Saying, The prison truly found we shut with all safety, and the keepers standing without before the doors: but when we had opened, we found no man within.

24  Now when the high priest and the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these things, they doubted of them whereunto this would grow.

25  Then came one and told them, saying, Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are standing in the temple, and teaching the people.

26  Then went the captain with the officers, and brought them without violence: for they feared the people, lest they should have been stoned.

27  And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them,

28  Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us.

29  Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.

30  The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.

31  Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.

32  And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.

33  When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took counsel to slay them.

34  Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space;

35  And said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men.

36  For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought.

37  After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed.

38  And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought:

39  But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.

40  And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.

41  And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.

42  And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.

Acts 6

1  And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.

2  Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables.

3  Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.

4  But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.

5  And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch:

6  Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.

7  And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.

8  And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.

9  Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen.

10  And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake.

11  Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God.

12  And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught him, and brought him to the council,

13  And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law:

14  For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us.

15  And all that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.