And he stripped off his clothes also, and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, and laid down naked all that day and all that night. And he stript himself of his military habit, or of his kingly attire, and carried himself in a wild distracted fashion; and lay down so disrobed, all that day and that night; appearing before Samuel, in the habit and fashion of a prophet, amongst the rest. Why speakest thou any more of thy matters? I have said, Thou and Ziba divide the land. Trouble not thyself about these matters. I have, in my first sentence, set an order in these affairs, which I do still decree to make good; That Ziba should till and husband those lands to thy use, so as he may receive one moiety of the profits for his labour, and the rest may accrue unto thee, whom I have made the Lord of them. So every man of Israel went up from after David, and followed Sheba the son of Bichri. So the men of Israel, taking advantage of that emulation which was betwixt them and the men of Judah, fell off from their lawful king, and followed Sheba the son of Bichri. Then she spake, saying, They were wont to speak in old time saying, They shall surely ask counsel at Abel: and so they ended the matter. They said in the beginning of this war; Surely they will treat with the men of Abel, for peace, according to the charge which God hath given in his Law; which if you had done, this business had been at an end. He is not clean; surely he is not clean. Some legal uncleanness hath happened unto him, that hinders him from this holy feast; for the law forbids any unclean person to eat of these holy sacrifices. Thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion, and unto the confusion of thy mother's nakedness. This thy favour to David shall be to thine own wrong and shame; since, by this means, thou shalt be defeated of the kingdom, as if thou wert base born, and therefore uncapable to succeed me: and to the shame of thy mother, who shall by this act be proclaimed an adultress, and a dishonourer of my bed. And Saul sought to slay them in his zeal to the children of Israel and Judah. And Saul thought to slay the Gibconites, in a misgrounded zeal to the children of Israel and Judah; in that he desired to free the land of all that were strangers in blood, according to the misapplied charge which they had of old received from God; and to put it clearly into the hands of the Israelites. But there is hallowed bread; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women. There is hallowed bread, which having been consecrated to the Lord, may not (thou knowest) be received by any ordinary person, much less by any that is unclean; but in this necessity, if the young men have abstained from the use of women, and have kept themselves this way undefiled, I shall condescend to give it unto them. The vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in a manner common, yea, though it were sanctified this day in the vessel; (or, as in the margin, especially when this day there is other sanctified.) The bodies of the young men are this way undefiled; and the bread, however consecrated, is unto us, in this case of necessity, but as common bread, so as we may lawfully receive it; especially when, as this day, there is other bread sanctified, according to the Law, in the room thereof. Is not this David the king of the land? Is not this David, that sways so much in Israel? Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of heaven moved and shook, because he was wroth. God did by manifest tokens declare his power, and his gracious will, to deliver me; and to avenge mine enemies: he caused the earth therefore to tremble and shake; and the very heavens seemed to be moved, in the sense of his heavy displeasure against my adversaries. There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it. He gave testimonies of his fury and indignation against mine enemies: so vehement was his wrath, that even smoke seemed, to speak after the manner of men, to come out of his nostrils; and so hot a fire out of his mouth, that even coals were kindled by it. He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet. This lower part of the heaven was so affected, as if God had, in the demonstration of his power, come down into it; and, if we may describe him by our weak human representations, under his feet, in the lowest region of his air, there was a palpable darkness. He rode upon a cherub, and did fly: and he was seen upon the wings of the wind. He used the ministration of his angels and of his winds, to exhibit his powerful presence unto men; and in them was his mighty power acknowledged. He made darkness pavilions round about him, dark waters, and thick clouds of the skies. And, as we men are wont by tents and pavilions to shelter ourselves from the view of others, so did he cast darkness and thick clouds round about the place of his appearance. Through the brightness before him were coals of fire kindled. Then the Lord sent abroad his flashes of lightning, with the flames whereof much combustible matter was consumed. He sent out arrows. He sent out his thunderbolts out of his clouds, as arrows from his bow. He drew me out of many waters. He delivered me from many troubles and persecutions, which, as some deep and violent waters, would have drowned me.