וַיַּעַל דָּוִד מִשָּׁם וַיֵּשֶׁב בִּמְצָדוֹת עֵין־גֶּדִי׃   24:1

1Sam. 24:1   And David went up from there and stayed in the strongholds of En-gedi.

וַיְהִי כַּאֲשֶׁר שָׁב שָׁאוּל מֵאַחֲרֵי פְּלִשְׁתִּים וַיַּגִּדוּ לוֹ לֵאמֹר הִנֵּה דָוִד בְּמִדְבַּר עֵין גֶּדִי׃   24:2

1Sam. 24:2   And it was as Saul returned from being after the Philistines that they told to him saying, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of En-gedi.”

וַיִּקַּח שָׁאוּל שְׁלֹשֶׁת אֲלָפִים אִישׁ בָּחוּר מִכָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיֵּלֶךְ לְבַקֵּשׁ אֶת־דָּוִד וַאֲנָשָׁיו עַל־פְּנֵי צוּרֵי   24:3 הַיְּעֵלִים׃

1Sam. 24:3   So Saul took three thousand men chosen from all of Israel and went to seek David and his men on the face of the rocks of the wild goats.

וַיָּבֹא אֶל־גִּדְרוֹת הַצֹּאן עַל־הַדֶּרֶךְ וְשָׁם מְעָרָה וַיָּבֹא שָׁאוּל לְהָסֵךְ אֶת־רַגְלָיו וְדָוִד וַאֲנָשָׁיו בְּיַרְכְּתֵי   24:4 הַמְּעָרָה יֹשְׁבִים׃

1Sam. 24:4   And he came to the enclosures of the flock along the way, and there was a cave, and Saul went in to cover his feet.  Now David and his men were sitting on the sides of the cave.

וַיֹּאמְרוּ אַנְשֵׁי דָוִד אֵלָיו הִנֵּה הַיּוֹם אֲשֶׁר־אָמַר יְהוָה אֵלֶיךָ הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי נֹתֵן אֶת־ (אֹיְבֵיךָ) [אֹיִבְךָ   24:5

  בְּיָדֶךָ וְעָשִׂיתָ לּוֹ כַּאֲשֶׁר יִטַב בְּעֵינֶיךָ וַיָּקָם דָּוִד וַיִּכְרֹת אֶת־כְּנַף־הַמְּעִיל אֲשֶׁר־לְשָׁאוּל בַּלָּט׃

1Sam. 24:5   And the men of David said to him, “Behold the day of which the Lord had said to you, ‘Behold, I deliver your enemy into your hand and you shall do to him as shall be good in your eyes.’”  Then David rose and he covertly cut off a corner of the robe that was Saul's.

The word in parentheses contains an extra yad, making it plural, your enemies, instead of singular, as it should be.  The correct singular form follows the right bracket.

וַיְהִי אַחֲרֵי־כֵן וַיַּךְ לֵב־דָּוִד אֹתוֹ עַל אֲשֶׁר כָּרַת אֶת־כָּנָף אֲשֶׁר לְשָׁאוּל׃   24:6

1Sam. 24:6   But it happened after this that the heart of David smote him for the reason that he cut off the border that was Saul's,

וַיֹּאמֶר לַאֲנָשָׁיו חָלִילָה לִּי מֵיהוָה אִם־אֶעֱשֶׂה אֶת־הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה לַאדֹנִי לִמְשִׁיחַ יְהוָה לִשְׁלֹחַ יָדִי בּוֹ   24:7

  כִּי־מְשִׁיחַ יְהוָה הוּא׃

1Sam. 24:7   and he said to his men, “It is forbidden for me by the Lord that I should do this thing to my lord, to the anointed of the Lord, to put forth my hand against him, for he is the anointed of the Lord.”

וַיְשַׁסַּע דָּוִד אֶת־אֲנָשָׁיו בַּדְּבָרִים וְלֹא נְתָנָם לָקוּם אֶל־שָׁאוּל וְשָׁאוּל קָם מֵהַמְּעָרָה וַיֵּלֶךְ בַּדָּרֶךְ׃   24:8

1Sam. 24:8   So David stayed his men by the words and did not permit them to rise up to Saul.  And Saul rose from the cave and carried on the journey.

וַיָּקָם דָּוִד אַחֲרֵי־כֵן וַיֵּצֵא מִן־הַמְּעָרָה וַיִּקְרָא אַחֲרֵי־שָׁאוּל לֵאמֹר אֲדֹנִי הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיַּבֵּט שָׁאוּל אַחֲרָיו   24:9 וַיִּקֹּד דָּוִד אַפַּיִם אַרְצָה וַיִּשְׁתָּחוּ׃

1Sam. 24:9   And David arose after this and proceeded from the cave and called after Saul saying, “My lord, O king!”  When Saul looked back, then David bowed, face to the ground, and prostrated himself.

וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִד לְשָׁאוּל לָמָּה תִשְׁמַע אֶת־דִּבְרֵי אָדָם לֵאמֹר הִנֵּה דָוִד מְבַקֵּשׁ רָעָתֶךָ׃   24:10

1Sam. 24:10   And David said to Saul, “Why do you heed the words of men saying, ‘Behold, David is seeking your hurt?’”

הִנֵּה הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה רָאוּ עֵינֶיךָ אֵת אֲשֶׁר־נְתָנְךָ יְהוָה הַיּוֹם בְּיָדִי בַּמְּעָרָה וְאָמַר לַהֲרָגֲךָ וַתָּחָס עָלֶיךָ   24:11 וָאֹמַר לֹא־אֶשְׁלַח יָדִי בַּאדֹנִי כִּי־מְשִׁיחַ יְהוָה הוּא׃

1Sam. 24:11   Behold, this day your eyes have seen that the Lord had delivered you today into my hand in the cave -- and He could have said to kill you but I took pity on you, as I thought, ‘I will not put forth my hand against my lord, for he is the anointed of the Lord.’”

The second word from the end of the top line, וַתָּחָס, translated by me as but I took pity, is an unacknowledged error.  The word is spelled as a feminine third-person imperfect verb (and would be translated as and she could take pity).  However, there is nothing or no one feminine in this verse that could be an antecedent to the implied pronoun.  The Hebrew, to be correct, should be וַאֲנִי חָסְתִי:.

וְאָבִי רְאֵה גַּם רְאֵה אֶת־כְּנַף מְעִילְךָ בְּיָדִי כִּי בְּכָרְתִי אֶת־כְּנַף מְעִילְךָ וְלֹא הֲרַגְתִּיךָ דַּע וּרְאֵה כִּי   24:12 אֵין בְּיָדִי רָעָה וָפֶשַׁע וְלֹא־חָטָאתִי לָךְ וְאַתָּה צֹדֶה אֶת־נַפְשִׁי לְקַחְתָּהּ׃

1Sam. 24:12   “And, my father, see, yea, see the hem of your robe in my hand!  Because when I cut off the hem of your robe and did not kill you, know and see that there is no evil or rebellion in my hand, and I have not sinned against you, but you have hunted my soul to take it.”

יִשְׁפֹּט יְהוָה בֵּינִי וּבֵינֶךָ וּנְקָמַנִי יְהוָה מִמֶּךָּ וְיָדִי לֹא תִהְיֶה־בָּךְ׃   24:13

1Sam. 24:13   “Let the Lord judge between me and you, and let the Lord avenge me of you, but my hand shall not be against you.”

כַּאֲשֶׁר יֹאמַר מְשַׁל הַקַּדְמֹנִי מֵרְשָׁעִים יֵצֵא רֶשַׁע וְיָדִי לֹא תִהְיֶה־בָּךְ׃   24:14

1Sam. 24:14   “As the proverb of the ancients says, ‘From the wicked proceeds wickedness.’ So my hand shall not be against you.”

אַחֲרֵי מִי יָצָא מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל אַחֲרֵי מִי אַתָּה רֹדֵף אַחֲרֵי כֶּלֶב מֵת אַחֲרֵי פַּרְעֹשׁ אֶחָד׃   24:15

1Sam. 24:15   “After whom has the king of Israel come forth?  After whom are you chasing?  After a dead dog?  After one flea?”

וְהָיָה יְהוָה לְדַיָּן וְשָׁפַט בֵּינִי וּבֵינֶךָ וְיֵרֶא וְיָרֵב אֶת־רִיבִי וְיִשְׁפְּטֵנִי מִיָּדֶךָ׃   24:16

1Sam. 24:16   “So let the Lord be for a Decision Maker, and judge between me and you, and present and plead my cause, and defend me from your hand.”

וַיְהִי כְּכַלּוֹת דָּוִד לְדַבֵּר אֶת־הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה אֶל־שָׁאוּל וַיֹּאמֶר שָׁאוּל הֲקֹלְךָ זֶה בְּנִי דָוִד וַיִּשָּׂא   24:17

  שָׁאוּל קֹלוֹ וַיֵּבְךְּ׃

1Sam. 24:17   And it was when David was finishing speaking these words to Saul that Saul said, “Is this your voice, David, my son?”  And Saul lifted his voice and wept.

וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל־דָּוִד צַדִּיק אַתָּה מִמֶּנִּי כִּי אַתָּה גְּמַלְתַּנִי הַטּוֹבָה וַאֲנִי גְּמַלְתִּיךָ הָרָעָה׃   24:18

1Sam. 24:18   And he said to David, “You are more righteous than I, for you have done good to me whereas I have done evil to you.”

וְאַתְּ) [וְאַתָּה] הִגַּדְתָּ הַיּוֹם אֵת אֲשֶׁר־עָשִׂיתָה אִתִּי טוֹבָה אֵת אֲשֶׁר סִגְּרַנִי יְהוָה בְּיָדְךָ וְלֹא   24:19

 הֲרַגְתָּנִי׃

1Sam. 24:19   “And you have made known today how you have done well with me, how the Lord had delivered me up into your hand, yet you did not kill me.”

The first word, before the left parenthesis, is assumed to be an error, presumed to be missing a heh.  The word means and you, but the spelling makes the subject you feminine; yet the person being addressed is David.  The assumed correction appears in the brackets.  However, there are other places that this word is used to refer to males, as in Deut. 5:24 for one example, where it refers to Moses, and it is not assumed in error there.

וְכִי־יִמְצָא אִישׁ אֶת־אֹיְבוֹ וְשִׁלְּחוֹ בְּדֶרֶךְ טוֹבָה וַיהוָה יְשַׁלֶּמְךָ טוֹבָה תַּחַת הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר עָשִׂיתָה   24:20 לִי׃

1Sam. 24:20   “As when someone finds his enemy and lets him go well on the way, so will the Lord reward you well this day because of what you have done for me.”

וְעַתָּה הִנֵּה יָדַעְתִּי כִּי מָלֹךְ תִּמְלוֹךְ וְקָמָה בְּיָדְךָ מַמְלֶכֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל׃   24:21

1Sam. 24:21   “And now behold, I know that you will be king, and the kingdom of Israel shall be established by your hand.”

וְעַתָּה הִשָּׁבְעָה לִּי בַּיהוָה אִם־תַּכְרִית אֶת־זַרְעִי אַחֲרָי וְאִם־תַּשְׁמִיד אֶת־שְׁמִי מִבֵּית אָבִי׃   24:22

1Sam. 24:22   “So now, swear to me by the Lord that you will not cut off my seed after me and you will not make my name perish from the house of my father.”

וַיִּשָּׁבַע דָּוִד לְשָׁאוּל וַיֵּלֶךְ שָׁאוּל אֶל־בֵּיתוֹ וְדָוִד וַאֲנָשָׁיו עָלוּ עַל־הַמְּצוּדָה׃   24:23

1Sam. 24:23   Then David swore to Saul, and Saul went to his house.  And David and his men went up by the stronghold.

 

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1Samuel 24