⁶ He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed,^(A) or lay my hand on him; for he is the anointed of the Lord.”

⁶ David then asked Ahimelek the Hittite^(A) and Abishai^(B) son of Zeruiah,^(C) Joab’s brother, “Who will go down into the camp with me to Saul?”

“I’ll go with you,” said Abishai.

⁷ So David and Abishai went to the army by night, and there was Saul, lying asleep inside the camp with his spear stuck in the ground near his head. Abner and the soldiers were lying around him.

⁸ Abishai said to David, “Today God has delivered your enemy into your hands. Now let me pin him to the ground with one thrust of the spear; I won’t strike him twice.”

⁹ But David said to Abishai, “Don’t destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed^(D) and be guiltless?^{(E) 10} As surely as the Lord lives,” he said, “the Lord himself will strike^(F) him, or his time^(G) will come and he will die,^(H) or he will go into battle and perish. ¹¹ But the Lord forbid that I should lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed. Now get the spear and water jug that are near his head, and let’s go.”

¹² So David took the spear and water jug near Saul’s head, and they left. No one saw or knew about it, nor did anyone wake up. They were all sleeping, because the Lord had put them into a deep sleep.^(I)

⁴ Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through,^(A) or these uncircumcised^(B) fellows will come and run me through and abuse me.”

But his armor-bearer was terrified and would not do it; so Saul took his own sword and fell on it.