ish was all the greater
because he thought Jonathan, his son, whom he so much loved, had become
estranged from him, and secretly communicated with David, and was
content to give up his succession to the royal crown, and take the
second place when David should be upon the throne. But again I say it,
no harsh word ever came to me, although for days he would hardly speak;
and then, suddenly, as he sat by me, he would lay his head upon my
neck, and tears would come of which he was ashamed.

The never-ceasing pursuit of David was sad even to me, and yet when the
Spirit left him to himself Saul relented. When David was in Engedi,
and hard pressed, he came out to Saul and submitted himself to him. He
boasted that he could have slain Saul--what a boast to make! that he
had spared the Lord's anointed and the father of Jonathan, his chosen
friend!

The king was much given to sudden change. Sometimes his mood would
leave him, and his face become clear in a moment, like the heavens in a
thunderstorm when the lightning has spent itself, and the wind shifts,
and the blue sky in an instant is revealed. Never, when this happened,
did he resist, and by constraint remain in his sorrow, but sang and was
glad, and if I was beside him, delighted himself with me. The happiest
of men would he have been, even as a king, if the Evil Spirit from the
Lord would have left him. He was overcome with his ancient love for
David, and wept, and acknowledged, although it was false, that David
was more righteous than he, and prayed for the Lord's blessing upon
him. Yet even then the ever-present Fear was before him. "I know
well," he said, "that thou shalt surely be king, and that the kingdom
of Israel shall be established in thine hand." And he made David swear
that he would not cut off the seed of the royal house, so that the name
of Saul might live. And David sware: David sware, the blaspheming
liar, who gave up to the Gibeonites my sons, and the sons of Merab. It
was Jonathan, whom Saul had in mind when he caused David to swear; but
Saul's prayer was but breath, for the Lord cut off Jonathan in battle,
and Saul was the only king of the house of Kish.

After Samuel's death, David, with his men, went over to the
Philistines, who gave him Ziklag as the place of his abode. He played
the traitor to Achish as he had done to Saul, and he went out against
the Geshurites, the Gezrites, and the Amalekites, the friends of
Achish, murdering both m