2. Saul took 3,000 of the best soldiers in Israel and went looking for David and his men east of Wild Goat Rocks.
3. He came to a cave close to some sheep pens by the road and went in to relieve himself. It happened to be the very cave in which David and his men were hiding far back in the cave.
4. They said to him, “This is your chance! The Lord has told you that he would put your enemy in your power and you could do to him whatever you wanted to.” David crept over and cut off a piece of Saul's robe without Saul's knowing it.
5. But then David's conscience began to trouble him,
6. and he said to his men, “May the Lord keep me from doing any harm to my master, whom the Lord chose as king! I must not harm him in the least, because he is the king chosen by the Lord!”
7. So David convinced his men that they should not attack Saul.Saul got up, left the cave, and started on his way.