Now David, wearing a linen ephod, was dancing with all his strength before the Lord. ¹ 

Now David was the youngest. While the three oldest sons followed Saul,

Jonathan made a covenant with David, for he loved him as much as he did his own life. ¹ 

David was in the stronghold at the time, while a Philistine garrison was in Bethlehem. ¹ 

David was going back and forth ¹  from Saul in order to care for his father’s sheep in Bethlehem.

The women who were playing the music sang, “Saul has struck down his thousands, but David his tens of thousands!”

(Now the servant did not understand any of this. Only Jonathan and David knew what was going on.) ¹ 

David realized ¹  that Saul had come out to seek his life; at that time David was in Horesh in the desert of Ziph.

When the leaders of the Philistines were passing in review at the head of their units of hundreds and thousands, ¹  David and his men were passing in review in the rear with Achish.

David and all Israel ¹  were bringing up the ark of the Lord, shouting and blowing trumpets. ² 

Meanwhile David had gone to Mahanaim, while Absalom and all the men of Israel had crossed the Jordan River.

Then an evil spirit from the Lord came upon ¹  Saul. He was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand, while David was playing the lyre. ² 

Saul tried to nail David to the wall with the spear, but he escaped from Saul’s presence and the spear drove into the wall. ¹  David escaped quickly ²  that night.

So they left and went to Ziph ahead of Saul. Now David and his men were in the desert of Maon, in the Arabah to the south of Jeshimon.

David promised Saul this on oath. ¹  Then Saul went to his house, and David and his men went up to the stronghold.

Isn’t this David, of whom they sang as they danced, ¹  ‘Saul has struck down his thousands, but David his tens of thousands’?”

After the death of Saul, ¹  when David had returned from defeating the Amalekites, ²  he stayed at Ziklag ³  for two days.

However, the war was prolonged between the house of Saul and the house of David. David was becoming steadily stronger, while the house of Saul was becoming increasingly weaker.

Then Joab left David and sent messengers after Abner. They brought him back from the well of Sirah. (But David was not aware of it.)

while David and all Israel ¹  were energetically celebrating before the Lord, singing ²  and playing various stringed instruments, ³  tambourines, rattles, ⁴  and cymbals.