he was asleep. And then, when the king awoke, showing it to him, he besought him not to believe those who had told him that David desired to take his life. Saul's hard heart was softened by this appeal, and he said to David, "Thou art more righteous than I;" for David had returned him good for evil. Saul added that he knew David should be king after him; and he entreated that his sons might not be put to death when David came to the throne. David solemnly promised this, and then Saul returned from pursuing him. But David, not daring to trust himself with him, went back to his stronghold in En-gedi.

He

Saul's reconciliation with David did not last long. He was soon hunting him again with a force of three thousand men. had pitched his camp in the wilderness; and David with Abishai, one of his followers, came down to it at night. The

David takes Saul's Spear.

145

people were all asleep, and Saul's tent was set up in the midst of the encampment. The two stole in among them, and came silently to the place where Saul lay sleeping, with his spear stuck into the ground by his pillow, surrounded by his guard, with Abner their captain, all fast asleep. Abishai wished to kill Saul, but David would not suffer him. Only to show Saul once more how completely he had been in his power, he carried the spear, and water-bottle, that stood by it, away with him to his own camp. When he got there he called out tauntingly to Abner, and the king's guard, asking whether they were not pretty defenders of their master; and bidding them send some one to fetch back the king's spear. Saul knew the voice; and when David complained to him of his merciless pursuit of one who had so often spared his life, he relented and said he would do David no more harm.

L

THE DEATH OF ABSALOM.

SAUL having been defeated and severely wounded in his last battle with the Philistines, killed himself for fear of falling alive into the hands of the enemy.

After his death, the tribe of Judah chose David for their king, and he reigned in Hebron between seven and eight years. At the end of that time he became king over the whole of Israel; and, having taken Jerusalem from the Jebusites, who had got possession of it, he made it his capital city, and lived there in a fine palace which he built for himself. He greatly desired also to build a temple, in which the ark of God might be placed, and in which God might be worshipped with more splendour than He had been in the Tabernacle.

God was pleased that

David desired to do this, but told him that not he, but his son Solomon, who was to succeed him, should build the temple.

David had many children, and among these his son Absalom was his favourite. He was very beautiful, and not only his father, but all the people of Israel, loved him. But he was a vain, worthless young man, and caused his father much sorrow by his wicked conduct. He murdered one of his halfbrothers; and then when, after long banishment, he was permitted to come again into the king's presence, he very soon raised a rebellion against him, in order to seize the crown for himself; and such numbers of the people joined with him that David was obliged to make his escape from Jerusalem into the wilderness. The good king was sorely grieved that his own favourite son should seek his life; but he trusted that God, who had so often delivered him,