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••• You should recognize and know "and use" God's Hebrew Name! It is יהוה and sounds like to English speakers... God Himself wrote with his own finger on stone tablets He then gave to Moses. (Exo 31:18) Using the Diving Name of our Creator is a uniting force in this divided world! •••

The First of Samuel
Modern World Translation
Chapter 1: Hanna's vow and gift to יהוה.
1-1 Now there happened to be a certain man of Ra·math·a´im-zo´phim of the mountainous region of E´phra·im, and his name was El·ka´nah, the son of Je·ro´ham, the son of E·li´hu, the son of To´hu, the son of Zuph, an E´phra·im·ite. 2 And he had two wives, the name of the one being Han´nah, and the name of the other being Pe·nin´nah. And Pe·nin´nah came to have children, but Han´nah had no children. 3 And that man went up out of his city from year to year to prostrate himself and to sacrifice to יהוה of armies in Shi´loh. And there is where the two sons of E´li, Hoph´ni and Phin´e·has, were priests to יהוה. And 4 there came to be a day when El·ka´nah proceeded to sacrifice, and he gave to Pe·nin´nah his wife and to all her sons and her daughters portions; 5 but to Han´nah he gave one portion. Nonetheless it was Han´nah that he loved, and, as for יהוה, he had closed up her womb. 6 And her rival wife also vexed her sorely for the sake of making her feel disconcerted because יהוה had closed up her womb. 7 And that was the way she would do year by year, as often as she went up into the house of יהוה. That was the way she would vex her, so that she would weep and not eat. 8 And El·ka´nah her husband proceeded to say to her: “Han´nah, why do you weep, and why do you not eat, and why does your heart feel bad? Am I not better to you than ten sons?” 9 Then Han´nah got up after they had eaten in Shi´loh and after the drinking, while E´li the priest was sitting upon the seat by the doorpost of the temple of יהוה. And 10 she was bitter of soul, and she began to pray to יהוה and to weep greatly. 11 And she went on to make a vow and say: “O יהוה of armies, if you will without fail look upon the affliction of your slave girl and actually remember me, and you will not forget your slave girl and actually give to your slave girl a male offspring, I will give him to יהוה all the days of his life, and no razor will come upon his head.” 12 And it occurred that while she prayed extendedly before יהוה, E´li was watching her mouth. 13 As for Han´nah, she was speaking in her heart; only her lips were quivering, and her voice was not heard. But E´li took her for drunk. 14 So E´li said to her: “How long will you behave drunk? Put away your wine from upon you.” 15 At this Han´nah answered and said: “No, my lord! A woman hard pressed in spirit I am; and wine and intoxicating liquor I have not drunk, but I pour out my soul before יהוה. Do not make 16 your slave girl like a good-for-nothing woman, for it is out of the abundance of my concern and my vexation that I have spoken until now.” 17 Then E´li answered and said: “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant your petition that you have asked of him.” 18 To this she said: “Let your maidservant find favor in your eyes.” And the woman proceeded to go on her way and to eat, and her face became self-concerned no more. 19 Then they got up early in the morning and prostrated themselves before יהוה, after which they returned and came into their house at Ra´mah. El·ka´nah now had intercourse with Han´nah his wife, and יהוה began remembering her. 20 So it came about at the rolling around of a year that Han´nah became pregnant and brought a son to birth and proceeded to call his name Samuel, because, said she, “it is from יהוה that I have asked him.” 21 In time the man El·ka´nah went up with all his household to sacrifice to יהוה the yearly sacrifice and his vow offering. 22 As for Han´nah, she did not go up, for she had said to her husband: “As soon as the boy is weaned, I must bring him, and he must appear before יהוה and dwell there to time indefinite.” 23 At this El·ka´nah her husband said to her: “Do what is good in your eyes. Stay at home until you wean him. Only may יהוה carry out his word.” So the woman stayed at home and kept nursing her son until she weaned him. 24 Accordingly just as soon as she had weaned him, she brought him up with her, along with a three-year-old bull and one e´phah of flour and a large jar of wine, and she proceeded to enter the house of יהוה in Shi´loh. And the boy was with her. 25 Then they slaughtered the bull and brought the boy to E´li. 26 With that she said: “Excuse me, my lord! By the life of your soul, my lord, I am the woman that was standing with you in this place to pray to יהוה. It 27 was with reference to this boy that I prayed that יהוה should grant me my petition that I asked of him. 28 And I, in my turn, have lent him to יהוה. All the days that he does happen to be, he is one requested for יהוה.” And he proceeded to bow down there to יהוה.

Chapter 2: Hanna's prayer or song.
A man of God again warns Eli he and his sons and most of his household
will die for their bad... Still, no repentance or correction by him.
2-1 And Han´nah went on to pray and say:

“My heart does exult in יהוה,
My horn is indeed exalted in יהוה.
My mouth is widened against my enemies,
For I do rejoice in the salvation from you.
 2 There is no one holy like יהוה,
for there is no one but you;
And there is no rock like our God.
 3 Do not YOU people speak very haughtily so much,
Let nothing go forth unrestrained from YOUR mouth,
For a God of knowledge יהוה is,
And by him deeds are rightly estimated.
 4 The mighty men of the bow are filled with terror,
But those that are stumbling do gird on vital energy.
 5 The satisfied must hire themselves out for bread,
But the hungry actually cease [to hunger].
Even the barren has given birth to seven,
But she that was abundant in sons has faded away.
 6 יהוה is a Killer and a Preserver of life,
A Bringer down to She´ol, and He brings up.
 7 יהוה is an Impoverisher and an Enricher,
An Abaser, also an Exalter,
 8 A Raiser of a lowly one from the dust;
From the ashpit he lifts up a poor one,
To make them sit with nobles;
and a throne of glory he gives to them as a possession.
For to יהוה belong earth’s supports,
And he places upon them the productive land.
 9 The feet of his loyal ones he guards;
As for the wicked ones, they are silenced in darkness,
For not by power does a man prove superior.
10 As for יהוה,
those contending against him will be terrified;
Against them he will thunder in the heavens.
יהוה himself will judge the ends of the earth,
That he may give strength to his king,
That he may exalt the horn of his anointed one.”

11 Then El·ka´nah went to Ra´mah to his house; and as for the boy, he became a minister of יהוה before E´li the priest. 12 Now the sons of E´li were good-for-nothing men; they did not acknowledge יהוה. As 13 for the due right of the priests from the people, whenever any man was offering a sacrifice, an attendant of the priest came with the three-pronged fork in his hand, just when the meat was boiling, 14 and made a thrust into the basin or the two-handled cooking pot or the caldron or the one-handled cooking pot. Anything that the fork might bring up the priest would take for himself. That is the way they would do in Shi´loh to all the Israelites coming there. 15 Also, before ever they could make the fat smoke, an attendant of the priest came and said to the man sacrificing: “Do give meat to roast for the priest so that he may receive from you, not boiled meat, but raw.” 16 When the man would say to him: “Let them be sure to make the fat smoke first of all. Then take for yourself just whatever your soul may crave,” he actually said: “No, but you should give it now; and, if not, I shall have to take it by force!” 17 And the sin of the attendants came to be very great before יהוה; for the men treated the offering of יהוה with disrespect. 18 And Samuel was ministering before יהוה, as a boy, having a linen eph´od girded on. 19 Also, a little sleeveless coat his mother would make for him, and she brought it up to him from year to year when she came up with her husband to sacrifice the yearly sacrifice. 20 And E´li blessed El·ka´nah and his wife and said: “May יהוה appoint to you an offspring from this wife in place of the thing lent, that was lent to יהוה.” And they went to their place. 21 Accordingly יהוה turned his attention to Han´nah, so that she had pregnancy and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. And the boy Samuel continued growing up with יהוה. And E´li was very old, 22 and he had heard of all that his sons kept doing to all Israel and how they would lie down with the women that were serving at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 23 And he used to say to them: “Why do YOU keep doing things like these? For the things I am hearing about YOU from all the people are bad. 24 No, my sons, because the report is not good that I am hearing, that the people of יהוה are causing to circulate. 25 If a man should sin against a man, God will arbitrate for him; but if it is against יהוה that a man should sin, who is there to pray for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, because יהוה was now pleased to put them to death. 26 All the while the boy Samuel was growing bigger and more likable both from יהוה’s standpoint and from that of men. 27 And a man of God proceeded to come to E´li and say to him: “This is what יהוה has said, ‘Did I not for a fact reveal myself to the house of your forefather while they happened to be in Egypt as slaves to the house of Phar´aoh? 28 And there was a choosing of him out of all the tribes of Israel for me, to act as priest and go up upon my altar to make sacrificial smoke billow up, to bear an eph´od before me, that I might give to the house of your forefather all the offerings made by fire of the sons of Israel. 29 Why do YOU men keep kicking at my sacrifice and at my offering that I have commanded [in my] dwelling, and you keep honoring your sons more than me by fattening yourselves from the best of every offering of Israel my people? 30 “‘That is why the utterance of יהוה the God of Israel is: “I did indeed say, As for your house and the house of your forefather, they will walk before me to time indefinite.” But now the utterance of יהוה is: “It is unthinkable, on my part, because those honoring me I shall honor, and those despising me will be of little account.” 31 Look! Days are coming when I shall certainly chop off your arm and the arm of the house of your forefather, so that there will not come to be an old man in your house. 32 And you will actually look upon an adversary [in my] dwelling amid all the good that is done to Israel; and never will there come to be an old man in your house. 33 And yet there is a man of yours that I shall not cut off from being at my altar so as to cause your eyes to fail and to make your soul pine away; but the greater number of your house will all die by the sword of men. 34 And this is the sign for you that will come to your two sons, Hoph´ni and Phin´e·has: On one day both of them will die. 35 And I shall certainly raise up for myself a faithful priest. In harmony with what is in my heart and in my soul he will do; and I shall certainly build for him a lasting house, and he will certainly walk before my anointed one always. 36 And it must occur that anyone left over in your house will come and bow down to him for the payment of money and a round loaf of bread, and will certainly say: “Attach me, please, to one of the priestly offices to eat a piece of bread.”’”

Chapter 3: יהוה speaks to young Samuel.
Samuel tells Eli God's words against him.
3-1 All the while the boy Samuel was ministering to יהוה before E´li, and word from יהוה had become rare in those days; there was no vision being spread abroad. 2 Now it came about on that day that E´li was lying in his place, and his eyes had begun to grow dim; he was not able to see. 3 And the lamp of God was not yet extinguished, and Samuel was lying in the temple of יהוה, where the ark of God was. 4 And יהוה proceeded to call Samuel. At this he said: “Here I am.” 5 And he went running to E´li and saying: “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said: “I did not call. Lie down again.” So he went and lay down. 6 And יהוה went on to call yet again: “Samuel!” At this Samuel got up and went to E´li and said: “Here I am, for you did call me.” But he said: “I did not call, my son. Lie down again.” 7 (As regards Samuel, he had not yet come to know יהוה, and the word of יהוה had not yet begun to be revealed to him.) 8 So יהוה called again for the third time: “Samuel!” At that he got up and went to E´li and said: “Here I am, for you must have called me.” And E´li began to discern that it was יהוה that was calling the boy. 9 Consequently E´li said to Samuel: “Go, lie down, and it must occur that, if he should call you, you must say, ‘Speak, יהוה, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10 Then יהוה came and took his position and called as at the other times: “Samuel, Samuel!” At this Samuel said: “Speak, for your servant is listening.” 11 And יהוה went on to say to Samuel: “Look! I am doing something in Israel which if anyone hears about, both his ears will tingle. 12 On that day I shall carry out toward E´li all that I have said respecting his house, from beginning to end. 13 And you must tell him that I am judging his house to time indefinite for the error that he has known, because his sons are calling down evil upon God, and he has not rebuked them. 14 And that is why I have sworn to the house of E´li that the error of the house of E´li will not be brought to exemption from punishment by sacrifice or by offering to time indefinite.” 15 And Samuel continued lying down until the morning. Then he opened the doors of יהוה’s house. And Samuel was afraid to tell E´li of the appearing. 16 But E´li called Samuel and said: “Samuel, my son!” At this he said: “Here I am.” 17 And he went on to say: “What is the word that he has spoken to you? Do not, please, hide it from me. May God do so to you and so may he add to it if you should hide from me a word of all the word that he has spoken to you.” 18 So Samuel told him all the words, and he did not hide anything from him. At that he said: “It is יהוה. What is good in his eyes let him do.” 19 And Samuel continued growing up, and יהוה himself proved to be with him and did not cause any of all his words to fall to the earth. 20 And all Israel from Dan to Be´er-she´ba became aware that Samuel was one accredited for the position of prophet to יהוה God. 21 And יהוה proceeded to appear again in Shi´loh, because יהוה revealed himself to Samuel in Shi´loh by speaking to him. And when Samuel spoke, all Israel listened.

Chapter 4: Israel defeated before Philistines.
Jews presume to take the Ark of the Covenant into battle.
Ark captured. Prophecy revealed by Samuel against Eli fulfilled.

4-1 And the word of Samuel continued to come to all Israel.
Then Israel went out to meet the Phi·lis´tines in battle; and they took up camping alongside Eb·en·e´zer, and the Phi·lis´tines themselves encamped in A´phek. 2 And the Phi·lis´tines proceeded to draw up in formation to meet Israel, and the battle went badly, so that Israel was defeated before the Phi·lis´tines, who went striking down about four thousand men in closed battle line in the field. 3 When the people came to the camp the older men of Israel began to say: “Why did יהוה defeat us today before the Phi·lis´tines? Let us take to ourselves from Shi´loh the ark of יהוה’s covenant, that it may come into our midst and may save us from the palm of our enemies.” 4 So the people sent to Shi´loh and carried from there the ark of the covenant of יהוה of armies, who is sitting upon the cherubs. And the two sons of E´li were there with the ark of the covenant of the [true] God, namely, Hoph´ni and Phin´e·has. 5 And it came about that as soon as the ark of the covenant of יהוה came into the camp, all the Israelites broke out into loud shouting, so that the earth was in a stir. 6 The Phi·lis´tines also got to hear the sound of the shouting and began saying: “What does the sound of this loud shouting in the camp of the Hebrews mean?” Finally they got to know that the ark of יהוה itself had come into the camp. 7 And the Phi·lis´tines became afraid, because, they said: “God has come into the camp!” So they said: “Woe to us, for such a thing as this never occurred before! 8 Woe to us! Who will save us from the hand of this majestic God? This is the God that was the smiter of Egypt with every sort of slaughter in the wilderness. 9 Show yourselves courageous and prove yourselves men, YOU Phi·lis´tines, that YOU may not serve the Hebrews just as they have served YOU; and YOU must prove yourselves men and fight!” 10 Accordingly the Phi·lis´tines fought and Israel was defeated, and they went fleeing each one to his tent; and the slaughter came to be very great, so that out of Israel there fell thirty thousand men on foot. 11 And the ark of God itself was captured, and the two sons of E´li, Hoph´ni and Phin´e·has, died. 12 And a man of Benjamin went running from the battle line so that he arrived at Shi´loh on that day with his garments ripped apart and dirt on his head. 13 When he arrived, there was E´li sitting on the seat by the roadside, watching, because his heart had become atremble over the ark of the [true] God. And the man himself went in to report in the city, and the whole city began crying out. 14 And E´li got to hear the sound of the outcry. So he said: “What does the sound of this turmoil mean?” And the man himself hurried that he might go in and report to E´li. 15 (Now E´li was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes had set so that he was unable to see.) 16 And the man proceeded to say to E´li: “I am the one coming from the battle line, and I—it is from the battle line that I have fled today.” At this he said: “What is the thing that has happened, my son?” 17 So the news bearer answered and said: “Israel has fled before the Phi·lis´tines, and there has also occurred a great defeat among the people; and also your own two sons have died—Hoph´ni and Phin´e·has—and the very ark of the [true] God has been captured.” 18 And it came about that at the moment that he mentioned the ark of the [true] God, Eli began to fall from the seat backward beside the gate, and his neck got broken so that he died, because the man was old and heavy; and he himself had judged Israel forty years. 19 And his daughter-in-law, the wife of Phin´e·has, was pregnant near to giving birth, and she got to hear the report that the ark of the [true] God was captured and that her father-in-law and her husband had died. At that she bowed herself and began giving birth, because her pangs came unexpectedly upon her. 20 And about the time of her death, the women standing by her began to speak: “Do not be afraid, because it is a son that you have borne.” And she did not answer and did not set her heart on it. 21 But she called the boy Ich´a·bod, saying: “Glory has gone away from Israel into exile,” [this] with reference to the ark of the [true] God’s being captured and with reference to her father-in-law and her husband. 22 So she said: “Glory has gone away from Israel into exile, because the ark of the [true] God has been captured.”

Chapter 5: Philistines place Ark in their temple with their god Dagon.
Philistine gods exposed as worthless.
Ashdodites [Philistine city] send the Ark to other cities seeking relief.
5-1 As for the Phi·lis´tines, they took the ark of the [true] God and then brought it from Eb·en·e´zer to Ash´dod. 2 And the Phi·lis´tines proceeded to take the ark of the [true] God and bring it into the house of Da´gon and station it beside Da´gon. 3 Then the Ash´dod·ites got up early the very next day, and there Da´gon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of יהוה. So they took Da´gon and returned him to his place. 4 When they got up early in the morning the very day after, there Da´gon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of יהוה, with the head of Da´gon and the palms of both his hands cut off and lying upon the threshold of the door. Only the fish part had been left upon him. 5 That is why the priests of Da´gon and all those going into the house of Da´gon do not tread upon the threshold of Da´gon in Ash´dod down to this day. 6 And the hand of יהוה came to be heavy upon the Ash´dod·ites, and he began causing panic and striking them with piles, namely, Ash´dod and its territories. 7 And the men of Ash´dod came to see that it was so, and they said: “Do not let the ark of the God of Israel dwell with us, because his hand has been hard against us and against Da´gon our god.” 8 Consequently they sent and gathered all the axis lords of the Phi·lis´tines to them and said: “What shall we do to the ark of the God of Israel?” Finally they said: “Toward Gath let the ark of the God of Israel go around.” So they brought the ark of the God of Israel around to there. 9 And it came about that after they had brought it around to there, the hand of יהוה came to be upon the city with a very great confusion, and he began striking the men of the city, from small to great, and piles began breaking out on them. 10 Hence they sent the ark of the [true] God to Ek´ron. And it came about that as soon as the ark of the [true] God came to Ek´ron, the Ek´ron·ites began to cry out, saying: “They have brought the ark of the God of Israel around to me to put me and my people to death!” 11 Consequently they sent and gathered all the axis lords of the Phi·lis´tines and said: “SEND the ark of the God of Israel away that it may return to its place and may not put me and my people to death.” For a death-dealing confusion had occurred in the whole city; the hand of the [true] God had been very heavy there, 12 and the men that did not die had been struck with piles. And the cry of the city for help kept ascending to the heavens.

Chapter 6: Plagues on Philistines continue.
Priests of false gods command guilt offering to יהוה.
Return of the Ark to Israel.
Israelites plagued: Foolishly look into the Ark of the Covenant.
6-1 And the ark of יהוה proved to be in the field of the Phi·lis´tines seven months. 2 And the Phi·lis´tines proceeded to call the priests and the diviners, saying: “What shall we do with the ark of יהוה? Let us know with what we should send it away to its place.” 3 To this they said: “If YOU are sending the ark of the God of Israel away, do not send it away without an offering, for YOU should by all means return to him a guilt offering. Then it is that YOU will be healed, and it must become known to YOU why his hand would not turn away from YOU.” 4 At this they said: “What is the guilt offering that we ought to return to him?” Then they said: “According to the number of the axis lords of the Phi·lis´tines, five golden piles and five golden jerboas, for every one of YOU and YOUR axis lords have the same scourge. 5 And YOU must make images of YOUR piles and images of YOUR jerboas that are bringing the land to ruin, and YOU must give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps he will lighten his hand from off YOU and YOUR god and YOUR land. 6 Also, why should YOU make YOUR heart unresponsive just the way Egypt and Phar´aoh made their heart unresponsive? Was it not as soon as He dealt severely with them that they proceeded to send them away, and they went their way? 7 And now take and make a new wagon, and two cows that are giving suck, upon which no yoke has come up, and YOU must hitch the cows to the wagon, and YOU must make their young ones go back home from following them. 8 And YOU must take the ark of יהוה and place it on the wagon, and the golden articles that YOU must return to him as a guilt offering YOU should put into a box at the side of it. And YOU must send it away, and it must go. 9 And YOU must look: if it is the road to its territory that it goes up, to Beth-she´mesh, it is He that has done to us this great evil; but if not, we must know that it was not his hand that touched us; an accident it was that happened to us.” 10 And the men proceeded to do accordingly. So they took two cows that were giving suck and hitched them to the wagon, and their young ones they shut up at home. 11 Then they put the ark of יהוה upon the wagon, and also the box and the golden jerboas and the images of their piles. 12 And the cows began to go straight ahead on the road to Beth-she´mesh. On the one highway they went, lowing as they went, and they did not turn aside to the right or to the left. All the while the axis lords of the Phi·lis´tines were walking after them as far as the boundary of Beth-she´mesh. 13 And people of Beth-she´mesh were reaping the wheat harvest in the low plain. When they raised their eyes and saw the Ark, they gave way to rejoicing at seeing it. 14 And the wagon itself came into the field of Joshua the Beth-she´mite and kept standing there, where there was a large stone. And they went splitting up the wood of the wagon, and the cows they offered up as a burnt offering to יהוה God. 15 And the Levites themselves took the ark of יהוה down and the box that was with it, in which the golden articles were, and they proceeded to put it upon the large stone. And the men of Beth-she´mesh, for their part, offered up burnt offerings, and they continued rendering up sacrifices on that day to יהוה God. 16 And the five axis lords of the Phi·lis´tines themselves saw it and went their way back to Ek´ron on that day. 17 Now these are the golden piles that the Phi·lis´tines returned as a guilt offering to יהוה: for Ash´dod one, for Ga´za one, for Ash´ke·lon one, for Gath one, for Ek´ron one. 18 And the golden jerboas were to the number of all the cities of the Phi·lis´tines belonging to the five axis lords, from the fortified city to the village of the open country. And the great stone upon which they rested the ark of יהוה is a witness down to this day in the field of Joshua the Beth-she´mite. 19 And he went striking down the men of Beth-she´mesh, because they had looked into the ark of יהוה. So he struck down among the people—fifty thousand and seventy men—and the people began mourning because יהוה had struck down the people with a great slaughter. 20 Further, the men of Beth-she´mesh said: “Who will be able to stand before יהוה this holy God, and to whom will he withdraw from off us?” 21 Finally they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kir´i·ath-je´a·rim, saying: “The Phi·lis´tines have returned the ark of יהוה. Come down. Take it up to yourselves.”

Chapter 7: The people seek a return to God.
Samuel begins acting as judge to deliver the people.
Brought peace all the days of Samuel.
7-1 Accordingly the men of Kir´i·ath-je´a·rim came and brought the ark of יהוה up and took it into the house of A·bin´a·dab on the hill, and El·e·a´zar his son was the one whom they sanctified to guard the ark of יהוה God. 2 And it came about that from the day of the Ark’s dwelling in Kir´i·ath-je´a·rim the days kept multiplying, so that they amounted to twenty years, and all the house of Israel went searching for יהוה with weeping. 3 And Samuel proceeded to say to all the house of Israel: “If it is with all YOUR heart YOU are returning to יהוה, put away the foreign gods from YOUR midst and also the Ash´to·reth images, and direct YOUR heart unswervingly to יהוה and serve him alone, and he will deliver YOU from the hand of the Phi·lis´tines.” 4 At that the sons of Israel put away the Ba´als and the Ash´to·reth images and began serving יהוה alone. 5 Then Samuel said: “Collect all Israel together at Miz´pah, that I may pray in YOUR behalf to יהוה.” So 6 they were collected together at Miz´pah, and they went drawing water and pouring it out before יהוה and kept a fast on that day. And they began saying there: “We have sinned against יהוה.” And Samuel took up judging the sons of Israel in Miz´pah. 7 And the Phi·lis´tines came to hear that the sons of Israel had collected themselves together at Miz´pah, and the axis lords of the Phi·lis´tines got on their way up against Israel. When the sons of Israel heard of it, they began to be afraid on account of the Phi·lis´tines. 8 So the sons of Israel said to Samuel: “Do not keep silent for our sakes from calling to יהוה our God for aid, that he may save us from the hand of the Phi·lis´tines.” 9 Then Samuel took a sucking lamb and killed it, and offered it up whole as a burnt offering to יהוה; and Samuel began calling to יהוה for aid in behalf of Israel, and יהוה proceeded to answer him. 10 And it came about that while Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Phi·lis´tines themselves drew near for battle against Israel. And יהוה now caused it to thunder with a loud noise on that day against the Phi·lis´tines, that he might throw them into confusion; and they got defeated before Israel. 11 At that the men of Israel sallied forth from Miz´pah and went in pursuit of the Phi·lis´tines and kept striking them down as far as south of Beth-car. 12 Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Miz´pah and Jesh´a·nah and began to call its name Eb·en·e´zer. Accordingly he said: “Till now יהוה has helped us.” 13 Thus the Phi·lis´tines were subdued, and they did not come anymore into the territory of Israel; and the hand of יהוה continued to be against the Phi·lis´tines all the days of Samuel. 14 And the cities that the Phi·lis´tines had taken from Israel kept coming back to Israel from Ek´ron to Gath, and the territory of them Israel delivered from the hand of the Phi·lis´tines. And there came to be peace between Israel and the Am´or·ites. 15 And Samuel kept on judging Israel all the days of his life. 16 And he traveled from year to year and made the circuit of Beth´el and Gil´gal and Miz´pah and judged Israel at all these places. 17 But his return was to Ra´mah, because there was where his house was, and there he judged Israel. And he proceeded to build an altar there to יהוה.

Chapter 8: The people demand Kings.
יהוה warns them of the harm but they persist.
8-1 And it came about that as soon as Samuel had grown old he made appointments of his sons as judges for Israel. 2 Now the name of his firstborn son happened to be Joel, and the name of his second A·bi´jah; they were judging in Be´er-she´ba. 3 And his sons did not follow their father's example, but they were inclined to follow unjust profit and would accept a bribe and pervert judgment. 4 In time all the older men of Israel collected themselves together and came to Samuel at Ra´mah 5 and said to him: “Look! You yourself have grown old, but your own sons have not walked in your ways. Now do appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” 6 But the thing was bad in the eyes of Samuel inasmuch as they had said: “Do give us a king to judge us,” and Samuel began to pray to יהוה God. 7 Then יהוה said to Samuel: “Listen to the voice of the people as respects all that they say to you; for it is not you whom they have rejected, but it is I whom they have rejected from being king over them. 8 In accord with all their doings that they have done from the day of my bringing them up out of Egypt until this day in that they kept leaving me and serving other gods, that is the way they are doing also to you. 9 And now listen to their voice. Only this, that you should solemnly warn them, and you must tell them the rightful due of the king who will reign over them.” 10 So Samuel said all the words of יהוה to the people who were asking a king of him. 11 And he proceeded to say: “This will become the rightful due of the king that will reign over YOU: YOUR sons he will take and put them as his in his chariots and among his horsemen, and some will have to run before his chariots; 12 and to appoint for himself chiefs over thousands and chiefs over fifties, and [some] to do his plowing and to reap his harvest and to make his war instruments and his chariot instruments. 13 And YOUR daughters he will take for ointment mixers and cooks and bakers. 14 And YOUR fields and YOUR vineyards and YOUR olive groves, the best ones, he will take and actually give to his servants. 15 And of YOUR fields of seed and of YOUR vineyards he will take the tenth, and he will certainly give [them] to his court officials and his servants. 16 And YOUR menservants and YOUR maidservants and YOUR best herds, and YOUR asses he will take, and he will have to use them for his work. 17 Of YOUR flocks he will take the tenth, and YOU yourselves will become his as servants. 18 And YOU will certainly cry out in that day by reason of YOUR king, whom YOU have chosen for yourselves, but יהוה will not answer YOU in that day.” 19 However, the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel and said: “No, but a king is what will come to be over us. 20 And we must become, we also, like all the nations, and our king must judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” 21 And Samuel gave a hearing to all the words of the people; then he spoke them in the ears of יהוה God. 22 And יהוה proceeded to say to Samuel: “Listen to their voice, and you must cause a king to reign for them.” Accordingly Samuel said to the men of Israel: “Go each one to his city.”

Chapter 9: Saul searches for lost mules.
Seeks a Prophet and is selected as King.
9-1 Now there happened to be a man of Benjamin, and his name was Kish, the son of A·bi´el, the son of Ze´ror, the son of Be·co´rath, the son of A·phi´ah, a Ben´ja·min·ite, a man mighty in wealth. 2 And he happened to have a son whose name was Saul, young and handsome, and there was no man of the sons of Israel that was handsomer than he; from his shoulders upward he was taller than all the people. 3 And the she-asses belonging to Kish the father of Saul got lost. So Kish said to Saul his son: “Take, please, with you one of the attendants and get up, go, look for the she-asses.” 4 And he went passing through the mountainous region of E´phra·im and passing on through the land of Shal´i·shah, and they did not find [them]. And they went passing on through the land of Sha´a·lim, but they were not [there]. And he went passing on through the land of the Ben´ja·min·ites, and they did not find [them]. 5 They themselves came into the land of Zuph; and Saul, for his part, said to his attendant that was with him: “Do come, and let us return, that my father may not quit attending to the she-asses and actually become anxious about us.” 6 But he said to him: “Look, please! There is a man of God in this city, and the man is held in honor. All that he says comes true without fail. Let us go there now. Perhaps he can tell us our way that we must go.” 7 At this Saul said to his attendant: “And if we should go, what shall we bring to the man? because the bread itself has disappeared from our receptacles, and, as a gift, there is nothing to bring to the man of the [true] God. What is there with us?” 8 So the attendant answered Saul once more and said: “Look! There is a quarter of a shekel of silver found in my hand, and I shall have to give it to the man of the [true] God, and he will have to tell us our way.” 9 (In former times in Israel this was the way the man would have talked on his going to seek God: “COME, and let us go to the seer.” For the prophet of today used to be called a seer in former times.) 10 Then Saul said to his attendant: “Your word is good. Do come, let us go.” And they went their way to the city where the man of the [true] God was. 11 While they were going up on the ascent to the city, they themselves found girls going out to draw water. So they said to them: “Is the seer in this place?” 12 Then they answered them and said: “He is. Look! He is ahead of you. Hurry now, because today he has come to the city, for there is a sacrifice today for the people on the high place. 13 As soon as YOU men come into the city, YOU will directly find him before he goes up to the high place to eat; because the people may not eat until his coming, for he is the one that blesses the sacrifice. First after that those who are invited may eat. And now GO up, because him—just now YOU will find him.” 14 Accordingly they went on up to the city. As they were coming into the middle of the city, why, there was Samuel coming out to meet them to go up to the high place. 15 As for יהוה, he had uncovered the ear of Samuel the day before Saul came, saying: 16 “Tomorrow about this time I shall send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you must anoint him as leader over my people Israel; and he must save my people from the hand of the Phi·lis´tines, because I have seen [the affliction of] my people, for their outcry has come to me.” 17 And Samuel himself saw Saul, and יהוה, for his part, answered him: “Here is the man of whom I said to you, ‘This is the one that will keep my people within bounds.’” 18 Then Saul approached Samuel in the middle of the gate and said: “Do tell me, please, Just where is the house of the seer?” 19 And Samuel proceeded to answer Saul and say: “I am the seer. Go up before me to the high place, and YOU men must eat with me today, and I must send you away in the morning, and all that is in your heart I shall tell you. 20 As regards the she-asses that were lost to you three days ago, do not set your heart on them, for they have been found. And to whom does all that is desirable of Israel belong? Is it not to you and to the whole house of your father?” 21 At this Saul answered and said: “Am I not a Ben´ja·min·ite of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family the most insignificant of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? So why have you spoken to me a thing like this?” 22 Then Samuel took Saul and his attendant and brought them to the dining hall and gave them a place at the head of those invited; and they were about thirty men. 23 Later Samuel said to the cook: “Do give the portion that I have given to you, of which I said to you, ‘Put it away by you.’” 24 At that the cook lifted off the leg and what was on it, and put it before Saul. And he went on to say: “Here is what has been reserved. Put it before yourself. Eat, because to the appointed time they have reserved it for you that you may eat with those invited.” So Saul ate with Samuel on that day. 25 Subsequently they went down from the high place to the city, and he continued speaking with Saul on the housetop. 26 Then they rose early, and it came about that as soon as the dawn ascended Samuel proceeded to call to Saul on the housetop, saying: “Do get up, that I may send you away.” So Saul got up and both of them, he and Samuel, went forth out of doors. 27 While they were descending by the edge of the city Samuel himself said to Saul: “Say to the attendant that he should pass on ahead of us”—so he passed on—“and, as for you, stand still now that I may let you hear the word of God.”

Chapter 10: Samuel anoints Saul as King.
יהוהtells the people they have rejected him as king.
10-1 Samuel then took the flask of oil and poured it out upon his head and kissed him and said: “Is it not because יהוה has anointed you as a leader over his inheritance? 2 On your going away from me today you will certainly find two men close by the tomb of Rachel in the territory of Benjamin at Zel´zah, and they will certainly say to you, ‘The she-asses that you have gone to look for have been found, but now your father has given up the matter of the she-asses and has become anxious about YOU men, saying: “What shall I do about my son?”’ 3 And you must pass on from there still farther and come as far as the big tree of Ta´bor, and there there must encounter you three men going up to the [true] God at Beth´el, one carrying three kids and one carrying three round loaves of bread and one carrying a large jar of wine. 4 And they will certainly ask about your welfare and give you two loaves, and you must accept them from their hand. 5 It is after that that you will come to the hill of the [true] God, where there is a garrison of the Phi·lis´tines. And it should come about that at the time of your coming there to the city, you will certainly meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place, and ahead of them a stringed instrument and tambourine and flute and harp, while they are speaking as prophets. 6 And the spirit of יהוה will certainly become operative upon you, and you will certainly speak as a prophet along with them and be changed into another man. 7 And it must occur that when these signs come to you, do for yourself what your hand finds possible, because the [true] God is with you. 8 And you must go down ahead of me to Gil´gal; and, look! I am going down to you to offer up burnt sacrifices, to render up communion sacrifices. Seven days you should keep waiting until my coming to you, and I shall certainly let you know what you should do.” 9 And it occurred that as soon as he turned his shoulder to go from Samuel, God began changing the heart [or attitude or nature] of his into another person; and all these signs proceeded to come true on that day. 10 So they went from there to the hill, and here there was a group of prophets to meet him; at once the spirit of God became operative upon him, and he began to speak as a prophet in the middle of them. 11 And it came about that when all those knowing him formerly saw him, look! it was with prophets that he prophesied. Consequently the people said one to another: “What is this that has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?” 12 Then a man from there answered and said: “But who is their father?” That is why it has become a proverbial saying: “Is Saul also among the prophets?” 13 At length he finished speaking as a prophet and came to the high place. 14 Later the brother of Saul’s father said to him and to his attendant: “Where did YOU go?” Upon that he said: “To look for the she-asses, and we kept on going to see, but they were not [there]. So we came to Samuel.” 15 At this Saul’s uncle said: “Do tell me, please, What did Samuel say to YOU men?” 16 In turn Saul said to his uncle: “He told us unmistakably that the she-asses had been found.” And the matter of the kingship about which Samuel had talked, he did not tell him. 17 And Samuel proceeded to call the people together to יהוה at Miz´pah 18 and to say to the sons of Israel: “This is what יהוה the God of Israel has said, ‘It was I who brought Israel up out of Egypt and who went delivering YOU from the hand of Egypt and from the hand of all the kingdoms that were oppressing YOU. 19 But YOU—today YOU have rejected YOUR God who was a savior to YOU out of all YOUR evils and YOUR distresses, and YOU went on to say: “No, but a king is what you should put over us.” And now take YOUR stand before יהוה by YOUR tribes and by YOUR thousands.’” 20 Accordingly Samuel had all the tribes of Israel draw near, and the tribe of Benjamin came to be picked. 21 Then he had the tribe of Benjamin draw near by its families, and the family of the Mat´rites came to be picked. Finally Saul the son of Kish came to be picked. And they went looking for him, and he was not to be found. 22 Hence they inquired further of יהוה: “Has the man come here as yet?” To this יהוה said: “Here he is, hidden among the luggage.” 23 So they went running and took him from there. When he took his stand in the middle of the people, he was taller than all the other people from his shoulders upward. 24 Then Samuel said to all the people: “Have YOU seen the one whom יהוה has chosen, that there is none like him among all the people?” And all the people began to shout and say: “Let the king live!” 25 Upon that Samuel spoke to the people about the rightful due of the kingship and wrote it in a book and deposited it before יהוה. Then Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his house. 26 As for Saul himself, he went to his home at Gib´e·ah, and the valiant men whose heart God had touched proceeded to go with him. 27 As for the good-for-nothing men, they said: “How will this one save us?” Accordingly they despised him, and they did not bring any gift to him. But he continued like one grown speechless.

Chapter 11: Ammonites attack Jabesh Gilead.
Saul provides deliverance, accepted by all.
11-1 And Na´hash the Am´mon·ite proceeded to go up and camp against Ja´besh in Gil´e·ad. At that all the men of Ja´besh said to Na´hash: “Conclude a covenant with us that we may serve you.” 2 Then Na´hash the Am´mon·ite said to them: “On this condition I shall conclude it with YOU, on the condition of boring out every right eye of YOURS, and I must put it as a reproach upon all Israel.” 3 In turn the older men of Ja´besh said to him: “Give us seven days’ time, and we will send messengers into all the territory of Israel and, if there is no savior of us, we must then go out to you.” 4 In time the messengers came to Gib´e·ah of Saul and spoke the words in the ears of the people, and all the people began raising their voice and weeping. 5 But here is Saul coming after the herd from the field, and Saul proceeded to say: “What is the matter with the people, that they should weep?” And they began relating to him the words of the men of Ja´besh. 6 And the spirit of God became operative upon Saul on his hearing these words, and his anger got very hot. 7 So he took a pair of bulls and cut them in pieces and sent these into all the territory of Israel by the hand of the messengers, saying: “Whoever of us is not going out as a follower of Saul and of Samuel, this is the way it will be done to his cattle!” And the dread of יהוה began to fall upon the people so that they came out as one man. 8 Then he took the sum of them in Be´zek, and the sons of Israel amounted to three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand. 9 They now said to the messengers that had come: “This is what YOU will say to the men of Ja´besh in Gil´e·ad, ‘Tomorrow salvation will take place for YOU when the sun gets hot.’” With that the messengers came and told the men of Ja´besh, and they gave way to rejoicing. 10 Accordingly the men of Ja´besh said: “Tomorrow we shall come out to YOU people, and YOU must do to us in harmony with all that is good in YOUR eyes.” 11 And it came about on the next day that Saul proceeded to put the people into three bands; and they made their way into the middle of the camp during the morning watch and went striking down the Am´mon·ites till the day grew hot. When there proved to be some that were left over, then they were sent scattering and there were not left over among them two together. 12 And the people began to say to Samuel: “Who is it saying, ‘Saul—is he to be king over us?’ GIVE the men over, that we may put them to death.” 13 However, Saul said: “Not a man should be put to death on this day, because today יהוה has performed salvation in Israel.” 14 Later Samuel said to the people: “Come and let us go to Gil´gal that we may there make the kingship anew.” 15 So all the people went to Gil´gal, and there they proceeded to make Saul king before יהוה in Gil´gal. Then they rendered up communion sacrifices there before יהוה, and there Saul and all the men of Israel continued rejoicing to a great degree.

Chapter 12: Samuel publicly presents Saul as King.
Tells them יהוה was their king for generations.
Recounts history of God's salvation in Israel.
They have done bad in asking for a human king.
Nevertheless, if they will stick to יהוה, they and their King will prosper.

12-1 Finally Samuel said to all Israel: “Here I have listened to YOUR voice as respects all that YOU have said to me, that I should cause a king to reign over YOU. 2 And now here is the king walking before YOU! As for me, I have grown old and gray, and my sons, here they are with YOU, and I—I have walked before YOU from my youth until this day. 3 Here I am. Answer against me in front of יהוה and in front of his anointed one: Whose bull have I taken or whose ass have I taken or whom have I defrauded or whom have I crushed or from whose hand have I accepted hush money that I should hide my eyes with it? And I shall make restoration to YOU people.” 4 To this they said: “You have not defrauded us, nor have you crushed us, nor have you accepted anything at all from the hand of a single one.” 5 So he said to them: “יהוה is a witness against YOU, and his anointed one is a witness this day that YOU have found nothing at all in my hand.” To this they said: “He is a witness.” 6 And Samuel went on to say to the people: “יהוה [is a witness], who used Moses and Aaron and who brought YOUR forefathers up out of the land of Egypt. 7 And now take YOUR stand, and I will judge YOU before יהוה [and recount to YOU] all the righteous acts of יהוה that he has done with YOU and with YOUR forefathers. 8 “As soon as Jacob had come into Egypt and YOUR forefathers began calling to יהוה for aid, יהוה proceeded to send Moses and Aaron, that they might lead YOUR forefathers out from Egypt and cause them to dwell in this place. 9 And they went forgetting יהוה their God, so that he sold them into the hand of Sis´e·ra the chief of the army of Ha´zor and into the hand of the Phi·lis´tines and into the hand of the king of Mo´ab, and they kept fighting against them. 10 And they began to call to יהוה for aid and say, ‘We have sinned, for we have left יהוה that we might serve the Ba´als and the Ash´to·reth images; and now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, that we may serve you.’ 11 And יהוה proceeded to send Jer·ub·ba´al and Be´dan and Jeph´thah and Samuel and deliver YOU out of the hand of YOUR enemies all around, that YOU might dwell in security. 12 When YOU saw that Na´hash the king of the sons of Am´mon had come against YOU, YOU kept saying to me, ‘No, but a king is what should reign over us!’ all the while יהוה YOUR God being YOUR King. 13 And now here is the king whom YOU have chosen, for whom YOU asked; and here יהוה has put over YOU a king. 14 If YOU will fear יהוה and actually serve him and obey his voice, and YOU will not rebel against the order of יהוה, both YOU and the king who must reign over YOU will certainly prove to be followers of יהוה YOUR God. 15 But if YOU will not obey the voice of יהוה and YOU will actually rebel against the order of יהוה, the hand of יהוה will certainly prove to be against YOU and YOUR fathers. 16 Now, also, take YOUR stand and see this great thing that יהוה is doing before YOUR eyes. 17 Is it not wheat harvest today? I shall call to יהוה that he may give thunders and rain; then know and see that YOUR evil is abundant that YOU have done in the eyes of יהוה in asking for yourselves a king.” 18 Upon that Samuel called to יהוה, and יהוה proceeded to give thunders and rain on that day, so that all the people were greatly in fear of יהוה and of Samuel. 19 And all the people began to say to Samuel: “Pray in behalf of your servants to יהוה your God, as we do not want to die; because we have added to all our sins an evil in asking for ourselves a king.” 20 So Samuel said to the people: “Do not be afraid. YOU—YOU have done all this evil. Only do not turn aside from following יהוה, and YOU must serve יהוה with all YOUR heart. 21 And YOU must not turn aside to follow the unrealities that are of no benefit and that do not deliver, because they are unrealities. 22 For יהוה will not desert his people for the sake of his great name, because יהוה has taken it upon himself to make YOU his people. 23 As for me also, it is unthinkable, on my part, to sin against יהוה by ceasing to pray in YOUR behalf; and I must instruct YOU in the good and right way. 24 Only fear יהוה, and YOU must serve him in truth with all YOUR heart; for see what great things he has done for YOU. 25 But if YOU flagrantly do what is bad, YOU will be swept away, both YOU and YOUR king.”

Chapter 13: Saul and Jonathan prepare to fight Philistines.
Samuel is late and Saul displeases יהוה by offering a burnt sacrifice.
Samuel tells Saul God has rejected him as King.
13-1 Saul was 30-40 [unclear] years old when he began to reign, and for two years he reigned over Israel. 2 And Saul proceeded to choose for himself three thousand men out of Israel; and two thousand came to be with Saul at Mich´mash and in the mountainous region of Beth´el, and a thousand proved to be with Jon´a·than at Gib´e·ah of Benjamin, and the rest of the people he sent away, each one to his tent. 3 Then Jon´a·than struck down the garrison of the Phi·lis´tines that was in Ge´ba; and the Phi·lis´tines got to hear of it. As for Saul, he had the horn blown throughout all the land, saying: “Let the Hebrews hear!” 4 And all Israel itself heard tell: “Saul has struck down a garrison of the Phi·lis´tines, and now Israel has become foul-smelling among the Phi·lis´tines.” So the people were called together to follow Saul to Gil´gal. 5 And the Phi·lis´tines, for their part, collected themselves together to fight against Israel, thirty thousand war chariots and six thousand horsemen and people like the grains of sand that are upon the seashore for multitude; and they went their way up and began camping in Mich´mash to the east of Beth-a´ven. 6 And the men of Israel themselves saw that they were in sore straits, because the people were hard pressed; and the people went hiding themselves in the caves and the hollows and the crags and the vaults and the waterpits. 7 Hebrews even crossed the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gil´e·ad. But Saul himself was yet in Gil´gal, and all the people trembled while following him. 8 And he continued waiting for seven days to the appointed time that Samuel [had said]; and Samuel did not come to Gil´gal, and the people were scattering from him. 9 Finally Saul said: “BRING near to me the burnt sacrifice and the communion sacrifices.” With that he went offering up the burnt sacrifice. 10 And it came about that as soon as he had finished offering up the burnt sacrifice, why, there was Samuel coming in. So Saul went out to meet him and bless him. 11 Then Samuel said: “What is it you have done?” To this Saul said: “I saw that the people had been dispersed from me, and you—you did not come within the appointed days, and the Phi·lis´tines were being collected together at Mich´mash, 12 so I said to myself, ‘Now the Phi·lis´tines will come down against me at Gil´gal, and the face of יהוה I have not softened.’ So I compelled myself and went offering up the burnt sacrifice.” 13 At this Samuel said to Saul: “You have acted foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of יהוה your God that he commanded you, because, if you had, יהוה would have made your kingdom firm over Israel to time indefinite. 14 And now your kingdom will not last. יהוה will certainly find for himself a man agreeable to his heart; and יהוה will commission him as a leader over his people, because you did not keep what יהוה commanded you.” 15 Then Samuel rose and went his way up from Gil´gal to Gib´e·ah of Benjamin, and Saul proceeded to take the count of the people, those yet found with him, about six hundred men. 16 And Saul and Jon´a·than his son and the people yet found with them were dwelling in Ge´ba of Benjamin. As for the Phi·lis´tines, they had encamped in Mich´mash. 17 And the force of pillagers would sally forth from the camp of the Phi·lis´tines in three bands. The one band would turn to the road to Oph´rah, to the land of Shu´al, 18 and the other band would turn to the road of Beth-ho´ron, and the third band would turn to the road to the boundary that looks toward the valley of Ze·bo´im, toward the wilderness. 19 Now there was not a smith to be found in all the land of Israel, because the Phi·lis´tines had said: “That the Hebrews may not make a sword or a spear.” 20 And all the Israelites would go down to the Phi·lis´tines to get each one his plowshare or his mattock or his ax or his sickle sharpened. 21 And the price for sharpening proved to be a pim for the plowshares and for the mattocks and for the three-toothed instruments and for the axes and for fixing fast the oxgoad. 22 And it happened on the day of battle that not a sword or a spear was found in the hand of any of the people that were with Saul and Jon´a·than; but there could be found one belonging to Saul and to Jon´a·than his son. 23 Now an outpost of the Phi·lis´tines would sally forth to the ravine pass of Mich´mash.

Chapter 14: Saul delivers Israel from Philistines.
Saul's rash oath. Jonathan redeemed.
Saul wars against God's enemies.
14-1 And it came about one day that Jon´a·than the son of Saul proceeded to say to the attendant carrying his weapons: “Do come and let us cross over to the outpost of the Phi·lis´tines who are across over there.” But to his father he did not tell it. 2 And Saul was dwelling at the outskirts of Gib´e·ah under the pomegranate tree that is in Mig´ron; and the people that were with him were about six hundred men. 3 (And A·hi´jah the son of A·hi´tub, the brother of Ich´a·bod, the son of Phin´e·has, the son of E´li, the priest of יהוה in Shi´loh, was carrying the eph´od.) And the people themselves did not know that Jon´a·than had gone. 4 Now between the passages that Jon´a·than looked for to cross over against the outpost of the Phi·lis´tines there was a toothlike crag here on this side and a toothlike crag there on that side, and the name of the one was Bo´zez and the name of the other was Se´neh. 5 The one tooth was a pillar on the north facing Mich´mash, and the other was on the south facing Ge´ba. 6 So Jon´a·than said to the attendant, his armor-bearer: “Do come and let us cross over to the outpost of these uncircumcised men. Perhaps יהוה will work for us, for there is no hindrance to יהוה to save by many or by few.” 7 At this his armor-bearer said to him: “Do whatever is in your heart. Turn where you wish to. Here I am with you in accord with your heart.” 8 Then Jon´a·than said: “Here we are crossing over to the men, and let us expose ourselves to them. 9 If this is the way they should say to us, ‘Stand still until we make contact with YOU!’ we must then stand where we are, and we should not go on up to them. 10 But if this is the way they should say, ‘Come up against us!’ we must then go up, because יהוה will certainly give them into our hand, and this is for us the sign.” 11 With that the two of them exposed themselves to the outpost of the Phi·lis´tines. And the Phi·lis´tines proceeded to say: “Here are the Hebrews coming out from the holes where they have hidden themselves.” 12 So the men of the outpost answered Jon´a·than and his armor-bearer and said: “Come on up to us, and we will let YOU know a thing!” At once Jon´a·than said to his armor-bearer: “Come up after me, because יהוה will certainly give them into the hand of Israel.” 13 And Jon´a·than kept going up on his hands and his feet, and his armor-bearer after him; and they began to fall before Jon´a·than, and his armor-bearer was putting them to death behind him. 14 And the first slaughter with which Jon´a·than and his armor-bearer struck them down amounted to about twenty men within about half the plowing line in an acre of field. 15 Then a trembling occurred in the camp in the field and among all the people of the outpost; and the force of pillagers trembled, even they, and the earth began quaking, and it developed into a trembling from God. 16 And the watchmen belonging to Saul in Gib´e·ah of Benjamin got to see it, and, look! the turmoil swayed this way and that. 17 And Saul proceeded to say to the people that were with him: “Take the count, please, and see who has gone out from us.” When they took the count, why, look! Jon´a·than and his armor-bearer were not there. 18 Saul now said to A·hi´jah: “Do bring the ark of the [true] God near!” (For the ark of the [true] God proved to be on that day with the sons of Israel.) 19 And it came about that while Saul was speaking to the priest, the turmoil that was in the camp of the Phi·lis´tines continued to go on, getting greater and greater. Then Saul said to the priest: “Never mind. There is not time to consult יהוה God.” 20 Thus Saul and all the people that were with him went out. So they came as far as the battle, and there the sword of each one had come to be against his fellowman; the rout was very great. 21 And the Hebrews that had come to belong to the Phi·lis´tines as formerly and that had gone up with them into the camp round about, even they too were for proving themselves to be with Israel who was with Saul and Jon´a·than. 22 All the men of Israel also that were hidden in the mountainous region of E´phra·im heard that the Phi·lis´tines had taken to flight, and they too went pursuing closely after them into the battle. 23 And יהוה proceeded on that day to save Israel, and the battle itself passed over to Beth-a´ven. 24 And the men of Israel themselves were hard pressed on that day, and yet Saul put the people under the pledge of an oath, saying: “Cursed is the man that eats bread before the evening and until I have taken vengeance upon my enemies!” And none of the people tasted bread. 25 And all those of the land came into the woods, when honey happened to be over all the surface of the field. 26 When the people came into the woods, why, look! there was a dripping of honey, but there was no one putting his hand to his mouth, because the people were afraid of the oath. 27 As for Jon´a·than, he had not been listening when his father put the people under an oath, so he stretched out the tip of the rod that was in his hand and dipped it into the honeycomb and drew his hand back to his mouth, and his eyes began to beam. 28 At this one of the people answered and said: “Your father solemnly put the people under oath, saying, ‘Cursed is the man that eats bread today!’” (And the people began to get tired.) 29 However, Jon´a·than said: “My father has brought ostracism upon the land. SEE, please, how my eyes have beamed because I tasted this little bit of honey. 30 How much more so if the people had but eaten today from the spoil of their enemies that they found! For now the slaughter upon the Phi·lis´tines has not been great.” 31 And on that day they kept striking down the Phi·lis´tines from Mich´mash to Ai´ja·lon, and the people got to be very tired. 32 And the people began darting greedily at the spoil and taking sheep and cattle and calves and slaughtering them on the earth, and the people fell to eating along with the blood. 33 So they told Saul, saying: “Look! The people are sinning against יהוה by eating along with the blood.” At this he said: “YOU have dealt treacherously. First of all, roll a great stone to me.” 34 After that Saul said: “Scatter among the people, and YOU must say to them, ‘Bring near to me, each one of YOU, his bull and, each one, his sheep, and YOU must do the slaughtering in this place and the eating, and YOU must not sin against יהוה by eating along with the blood.’” Accordingly all the people brought near each one his bull that was in his hand that night and did the slaughtering there. 35 And Saul proceeded to build an altar to יהוה. With it he started altar building to יהוה the true God. 36 Later Saul said: “Let us go down after the Phi·lis´tines by night and plunder them until the morning lightens up, and let us not leave a single one among them.” To this they said: “Anything that is good in your eyes do.” Then the priest said: “Let us approach here to the [true] God.” 37 And Saul began to inquire of God: “Shall I go down after the Phi·lis´tines? Will you give them into the hand of Israel?” And he did not answer him on that day. 38 So Saul said: “Come near here, all YOU keymen of the people, and ascertain and see in what way this sin has come to be today. 39 For as יהוה, who is the Deliverer of Israel, is alive, even if it is in Jon´a·than my son, yet he will positively die.” But there was no one answering him out of all the people. 40 And he went on to say to all Israel: “YOU yourselves will come to be on the one side, and I and Jon´a·than my son—we will come to be on the other side.” At this the people said to Saul: “What is good in your eyes do.” 41 And Saul proceeded to say to יהוה: “O God of Israel, do give Thum´mim!” Then Jon´a·than and Saul were taken, and the people themselves went out. 42 Saul now said: “CAST lots to decide between me and Jon´a·than my son.” And Jon´a·than got to be taken. 43 Then Saul said to Jon´a·than: “Do tell me, What have you done?” So Jon´a·than told him and said: “I did for a fact taste a little honey on the tip of the rod that is in my hand. Here I am! Let me die!” 44 At this Saul said: “Thus may God do and thus may he add to it, if you do not positively die, Jon´a·than.” 45 But the people said to Saul: “Is Jon´a·than to die, who has performed this great salvation in Israel? It is unthinkable! As יהוה is alive, not as much as a single hair of his head will fall to the earth; for it was with God that he worked this day.” With that the people redeemed Jon´a·than, and he did not die. 46 So Saul withdrew from following the Phi·lis´tines, and the Phi·lis´tines themselves went to their place. 47 And Saul himself took the kingship over Israel and went warring round about against all his enemies, against Mo´ab and against the sons of Am´mon and against E´dom and against the kings of Zo´bah and against the Phi·lis´tines; and wherever he would turn he administered condemnation. 48 And he went on acting valiantly and proceeded to strike down Am´a·lek and to deliver Israel out of the hand of their pillager. 49 And the sons of Saul came to be Jon´a·than and Ish´vi and Mal´chi-shu´a, and, as for the names of his two daughters, the name of the one born first was Me´rab and the name of the younger one Mi´chal. 50 And the name of Saul’s wife was A·hin´o·am the daughter of A·him´a·az, and the name of the chief of his army was Ab´ner the son of Ner, the uncle of Saul. 51 And Kish was the father of Saul, and Ner the father of Ab´ner was the son of A·bi´el. 52 And the warfare continued heavy against the Phi·lis´tines all the days of Saul. When Saul saw any mighty man or any valiant person, he would gather him to himself.

Chapter 15: Saul to strike "all" of the Amalekites;
for attacking Israel when coming out of Egypt.
Saul disobeys by sparing King Agag and taking spoil.
Samuel tells Saul the royal rule is that day ripped away from him!
Samuel hacks Agag to pieces... Samuel mourns Saul.
15-1 Then Samuel said to Saul: “It was I whom יהוה sent to anoint you as king over his people Israel, and now listen to the voice of the words of יהוה our God. 2 This is what יהוה of armies has said, ‘I must call to account what Am´a·lek did to Israel when he set himself against him in the way while he was coming up out of Egypt. 3 Now go, and you must strike down Am´a·lek and devote him to destruction with all that he has, and you must not have compassion upon him, and you must put them to death, man as well as woman, child as well as suckling, bull as well as sheep, camel as well as ass.’” 4 Accordingly Saul summoned the people and took the count of them in Te·la´im, two hundred thousand men on foot and ten thousand men of Judah. 5 And Saul proceeded to come as far as the city of Am´a·lek and to lie in ambush by the torrent valley. 6 Meanwhile Saul said to the Ken´ites: “GO, DEPART, GO DOWN from the midst of the A·mal´ek·ites, that I may not sweep you away with them. As for you, you exercised loving-kindness with all the sons of Israel at the time of their coming up out of Egypt.” So the Ken´ites departed from the midst of Am´a·lek. 7 After that Saul went striking down Am´a·lek from Hav´i·lah as far as Shur, which is in front of Egypt. 8 And he got to catch A´gag the king of Am´a·lek alive, and all the other people he devoted to destruction with the edge of the sword. 9 But Saul and the people had compassion upon A´gag and upon the best of the flock and the herd and the fat ones and upon the rams and upon all that was good, and they did not wish to devote them to destruction. As for all the goods that were despicable and rejected, these they devoted to destruction. 10 The word of יהוה now came to Samuel, saying: 11 “I do regret that I have caused Saul to reign as king, because he has turned back from following me, and my words he has not carried out.” And it was distressing to Samuel, and he kept crying out to יהוה all night long. 12 Then Samuel got up early to meet Saul in the morning. But report was made to Samuel, saying: “Saul came to Car´mel, and, look! he was erecting a monument for himself, and he then turned around and went across and descended to Gil´gal.” 13 At length Samuel came to Saul, and Saul began to say to him: “Blessed are you of יהוה. I have carried out the word of יהוה my God." 14 But Samuel said: “Then what does this sound of the flock in my ears mean, and the sound of the herd that I am hearing?” 15 To this Saul said: “From the A·mal´ek·ites they have brought them, because the people had compassion upon the best of the flock and of the herd, for the purpose of sacrificing to יהוה your God; but what was left over we have devoted to destruction.” 16 At this Samuel said to Saul: “Stop! And I will tell you what יהוה spoke to me last night.” So he said to him: “Speak!” 17 And Samuel went on to say: “Was it not when you were little in your own eyes that you were head of the tribes of Israel, and יהוה proceeded to anoint you as king over Israel? 18 Later יהוה sent you on a mission and said, ‘Go, and you must devote the sinners, the A·mal´ek·ites, to destruction, and you must fight against them until you will have exterminated them.’ 19 So why is it you did not obey the voice of יהוה but went darting greedily at the spoil and doing what was bad in the eyes of יהוה God?” 20 However, Saul said to Samuel: “But I have obeyed the voice of יהוה in that I went on the mission on which יהוה had sent me and I brought A´gag the king of Am´a·lek, but Am´a·lek I have devoted to destruction. 21 And the people went taking from the spoil sheep and cattle, the choicest of them as something devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to יהוה your God in Gil´gal.” 22 In turn Samuel said: “Does יהוה have as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of יהוה? Look! To obey is better than a sacrifice, to pay attention than the fat of rams; 23 for rebelliousness is the same as the sin of divination, and pushing ahead presumptuously the same as [using] uncanny power and teraphim. Since you have rejected the word of יהוה, he accordingly rejects you from being king.” 24 Then Saul said to Samuel: “I have sinned; for I have overstepped the order of יהוה and your words, because I feared the people and so obeyed their voice. 25 And now, please, pardon my sin and return with me that I may prostrate myself to יהוה my God.” 26 But Samuel said to Saul: “I shall not return with you, for you have rejected the word of יהוה, and יהוה rejects you from continuing as king over Israel.” 27 As Samuel was turning about to go, he immediately grabbed hold of the skirt of his sleeveless coat, but it ripped away. 28 At this Samuel said to him: “יהוה has ripped away the royal rule of Israel from off you today, and he will certainly give it to a fellowman of yours who is better than you. 29 And, besides, the Excellency of Israel will not prove false, and He will not feel regrets, for He is not an earthling man so as to feel regrets.” 30 At this he said: “I have sinned. Now honor me, please, in front of the older men of my people and in front of Israel and return with me, and I shall certainly prostrate myself to יהוה your God.” 31 So Samuel returned behind Saul, and Saul proceeded to prostrate himself to יהוה. After that 32 Samuel said: “BRING A´gag the king of Am´a·lek near to me.” Then A´gag went to him reluctantly, and A´gag began to say to himself: “Truly the bitter experience of death has departed.” 33 However, Samuel said: “Just as your sword has bereaved women of children, in that way your mother will be most bereaved of children among women.” With that Samuel went hacking A´gag to pieces before יהוה in Gil´gal. 34 Samuel now went his way to Ra´mah, and Saul, for his part, went up to his own house at Gib´e·ah of Saul. 35 And Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, because Samuel had gone into mourning for Saul. As for יהוה, he regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.

Chapter 16: Samuel in fear of Saul; to anoint a new King.
יהוה picks David from among the sons of Jesse.
Saul picks David to comfort him with the harp,
and to be his amour bearer.
16-1 Eventually יהוה said to Samuel: “For how long will you be mourning for Saul, while I, on the other hand, have rejected him from ruling as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I shall send you to Jes´se the Beth´le·hem·ite, because I have provided among his sons a king for myself.” 2 But Samuel said: “How can I go? Once Saul has heard of it he will certainly kill me.” And יהוה went on to say: “A young cow of the herd you should take with you, and you must say, ‘To sacrifice to יהוה is why I have come.’ 3 And you must call Jes´se to the sacrifice; and I, for my part, shall make known to you what you should do, and you must anoint for me the one whom I designate to you.” 4 And Samuel proceeded to do what יהוה spoke. When he came to Beth´le·hem the older men of the city began to tremble at meeting him, and so they said: “Does your coming mean peace?” 5 To this he said: “It means peace. To sacrifice to יהוה is why I have come. Sanctify yourselves, and YOU must come with me to the sacrifice.” Then he sanctified Jes´se and his sons, after which he called them to the sacrifice. 6 And it came about that, as they came in and he caught sight of E·li´ab, he at once said: “Surely his anointed one is before יהוה my God.” 7 But יהוה said to Samuel: “Do not look at his appearance and at the height of his stature, for I have rejected him. For not the way man sees [is the way God sees], because mere man sees what appears to the eyes; but as for יהוה, he sees what the heart is.” 8 Then Jes´se called A·bin´a·dab and had him pass before Samuel, but he said: “Neither has יהוה chosen this one.” 9 Next Jes´se had Sham´mah pass by, but he said: “Neither has יהוה chosen this one.” 10 So Jes´se had seven of his sons pass before Samuel; still Samuel said to Jes´se: “יהוה has not chosen these.” 11 Finally Samuel said to Jes´se: “Are these all the boys?” To this he said: “The youngest one has till now been left out, and, look! he is pasturing the sheep.” At that Samuel said to Jes´se: “Do send and fetch him, because we shall not sit down to meal until his coming here.” 12 Accordingly he sent and had him come. Now he was ruddy, a young man with beautiful eyes and handsome in appearance. Then יהוה said: “Get up, anoint him, for this is he!” 13 Accordingly Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the spirit of יהוה began to be operative upon David from that day forward. Later Samuel rose and went his way to Ra´mah. 14 And the very spirit of יהוה departed from Saul, and a bad spirit from יהוה terrorized him. 15 And the servants of Saul began to say to him: “Here, now, God’s bad spirit is terrorizing you. 16 Let our lord, please, command your servants before you that they should look for a skilled man playing upon the harp. And it must occur that, when God’s bad spirit comes to be upon you, he will have to play with his hand, and it will certainly be well with you.” 17 So Saul said to his servants: “Provide me, please, a man doing well at playing, and YOU must bring him to me.” 18 And one of the attendants proceeded to answer and say: “Look! I have seen how a son of Jes´se the Beth´le·hem·ite is skilled at playing, and he is a valiant, mighty man and a man of war and an intelligent speaker and a well-formed man, and יהוה is with him.” 19 Then Saul sent messengers to Jes´se and said: “Do send to me David your son, who is with the flock.” 20 So Jes´se took an ass, bread and a skin bottle of wine and a kid of the goats and sent them by the hand of David his son to Saul. 21 Thus David came to Saul and attended upon him; and he got to loving him very much, and he came to be his armor-bearer. 22 Consequently Saul sent to Jes´se, saying: “Let David, please, keep attending upon me, for he has found favor in my eyes.” 23 And it occurred that, when God’s spirit came to be upon Saul, David took the harp and played with his hand; and there was relief for Saul and it was well with him, and the bad spirit departed from upon him.

Chapter 17: Philistine giant taunts the army of יהוה
forty days, until David returns from attending his father...
David says in the name of יהוה he will strike Goliath down.
17-1 And the Phi·lis´tines went collecting their camps together for war. When they were collected together at So´coh, which belongs to Judah, then they took up camping between So´coh and A·ze´kah, in E´phes-dam´mim. 2 As for Saul and the men of Israel, they collected themselves together and took up camping in the low plain of E´lah, and they went drawing up in battle formation to meet the Phi·lis´tines. 3 And the Phi·lis´tines were standing on the mountain on this side, and the Israelites were standing on the mountain on that side, with the valley between them. 4 And a champion began to go out from the camps of the Phi·lis´tines, his name being Go·li´ath, from Gath, his height being six cubits and a span [9 feet 6 inches]. 5 And there was a helmet of copper on his head, and he was clad with a coat of mail, of overlapping scales, and the weight of the coat of mail was five thousand shekels of copper [126 pounds]. 6 And there were greaves of copper above his feet and a javelin of copper between his shoulders. 7 And the wooden shaft of his spear was like the beam of loom workers, and the blade of his spear was six hundred shekels [15 pounds] of iron; and the bearer of the large shield was marching ahead of him. 8 Then he stood still and began to call to the battle lines of Israel and say to them: “Why do YOU come out to draw up in battle formation? Am I not the Phi·lis´tine and YOU servants belonging to Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight with me and he does strike me down, we must then become servants to YOU. But if I myself am a match for him and I do strike him down, YOU must also become servants to us, and YOU must serve us.” 10 And the Phi·lis´tine went on to say: “I myself do taunt the battle lines of Israel this day. Give me a man, and let us fight together!” 11 When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Phi·lis´tine, then they became terrified and were greatly afraid. 12 Now David was the son of this Eph´rath·ite from Beth´le·hem of Judah whose name was Jes´se. And he had eight sons. And in the days of Saul the man was already old among men. 13 And the three oldest sons of Jes´se proceeded to go. They went after Saul to the war, and the names of his three sons that went into the war were E·li´ab the firstborn, and his second son A·bin´a·dab and the third Sham´mah. 14 And David was the youngest, and the three oldest themselves went after Saul. 15 And David was going and returning from Saul to tend the sheep of his father at Beth´le·hem. 16 And the Phi·lis´tine kept coming forward at early morning and at evening and taking his position for forty days. 17 Then Jes´se said to David his son: “Take, please, to your brothers this e´phah of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread, and carry them quickly to the camp to your brothers. 18 And these ten portions of milk you should bring to the chief of the thousand; also, you should look after your own brothers as regards their welfare, and a token from them you should take.” 19 Meantime, Saul and they and all the other men of Israel were in the low plain of E´lah, fighting against the Phi·lis´tines. 20 Accordingly David got up early in the morning and left the sheep to the keeper’s charge and picked up and went just as Jes´se had commanded him. When he came to the camp enclosure, the military forces were going out to the battle line, and they raised a shout for the battle. 21 And Israel and the Phi·lis´tines began drawing up battle line to meet battle line. 22 Immediately David left the baggage from off him to the care of the keeper of the baggage and went running to the battle line. When he came, he began asking about the welfare of his brothers. 23 While he was speaking with them, why, here the champion, his name being Go·li´ath the Phi·lis´tine from Gath, was coming up from the battle lines of the Phi·lis´tines, and he began speaking the same words as before, and David got to listen in. 24 As for all the men of Israel, on their seeing the man, why, they went fleeing on account of him and were very much afraid. 25 And the men of Israel began to say: “Have YOU seen this man that is coming up? For it is to taunt Israel that he is coming up. And it must occur that, the man who strikes him down, the king will enrich him with great riches, and his own daughter he will give him, and the house of his father he will set free in Israel.” 26 And David began to say to the men that were standing close by him: “What will be done to the man that strikes down that Phi·lis´tine over there and actually turns away reproach from upon Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Phi·lis´tine that he has to taunt the battle lines of the living God?” 27 Then the people said to him the same words as before, saying: “This is the way it will be done to the man that strikes him down.” 28 And E·li´ab his oldest brother got to hear as he spoke to the men, and E·li´ab’s anger grew hot against David, so that he said: “Why is it that you have come down? And in whose charge did you leave those few sheep behind in the wilderness? I myself well know your presumptuousness and the badness of your heart, because you have come down for the purpose of seeing the battle.” 29 To this David said: “What have I done now? Was it not just a word?” 30 With that he turned about from beside him toward someone else and went saying the same word as before, and, in turn, the people gave him the same reply as formerly. 31 So the words that David spoke came to be heard, and they went telling them before Saul. Hence he fetched him. 32 And David proceeded to say to Saul: “Do not let the heart of any man collapse within him. Your servant himself will go and actually fight with this Phi·lis´tine.” 33 But Saul said to David: “You are not able to go against this Phi·lis´tine to fight with him, for you are but a boy, and he is a man of war from his boyhood.” 34 And David went on to say to Saul: “Your servant became a shepherd of his father among the flock, and there came a lion, and also a bear, and [each] carried off a sheep from the drove. 35 And I went out after it and struck it down and made the rescue from its mouth. When it began rising against me, I grabbed hold of its beard and struck it down and put it to death. 36 Both the lion and the bear your servant struck down; and this uncircumcised Phi·lis´tine must become like one of them, for he has taunted the battle lines of the living God.” 37 Then David added: “יהוה, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, he it is who will deliver me from the hand of this Phi·lis´tine.” At this Saul said to David: “Go, and may יהוה himself prove to be with you.” 38 Saul now went clothing David with his garments, and he put a copper helmet upon his head, after which he clothed him with a coat of mail. 39 Then David girded his sword on over his garments and undertook to go [but could not], because he had not tried them out. Finally David said to Saul: “I am unable to go in these things, for I have not tried them out.” So David removed them off him. 40 And he proceeded to take his staff in his hand and to choose for himself the five smoothest stones from the torrent valley and to place them in his shepherds’ bag that served him as a receptacle, and in his hand was his sling. And he began approaching the Phi·lis´tine. 41 And the Phi·lis´tine began to come, coming nearer and nearer to David, and the man carrying the large shield was ahead of him. 42 Now when the Phi·lis´tine looked and saw David, he began despising him because he proved to be a boy and ruddy, of beautiful appearance. 43 So the Phi·lis´tine said to David: “Am I a dog, so that you are coming to me with staves?” With that the Phi·lis´tine called down evil upon David by his gods. 44 And the Phi·lis´tine went on to say to David: “Just come to me, and I will give your flesh to the fowls of the heavens and to the beasts of the field.” 45 In turn David said to the Phi·lis´tine: “You are coming to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I am coming to you with the name of יהוה of armies, the God of the battle lines of Israel, whom you have taunted. 46 This day יהוה will surrender you into my hand, and I shall certainly strike you down and remove your head off you; and I shall certainly give the carcasses of the camp of the Phi·lis´tines this day to the fowls of the heavens and to the wild beasts of the earth; and people of all the earth will know that there exists a God belonging to Israel. 47 And all this congregation will know that neither with sword nor with spear does יהוה save, because to יהוה belongs the battle, and he must give YOU men into our hand.” 48 And it occurred that the Phi·lis´tine rose and kept coming and drawing nearer to meet David, and David began hurrying and running toward the battle line to meet the Phi·lis´tine. 49 Then David thrust his hand into his bag and took a stone from there and slung it, so that he struck the Phi·lis´tine in his forehead and the stone sank into his forehead, and he went falling upon his face to the earth. 50 So David, with a sling and a stone, proved stronger than the Phi·lis´tine and struck the Phi·lis´tine down and put him to death; and there was no sword in David’s hand. 51 And David continued running and got to stand over the Phi·lis´tine. Then he took his sword and pulled it out of its sheath and definitely put him to death when he cut his head off with it. And the Phi·lis´tines got to see that their mighty one had died, and they took to flight. 52 At that the men of Israel and of Judah rose and broke into shouting and went in pursuit of the Phi·lis´tines clear to [the] valley and as far as the gates of Ek´ron, and the fatally wounded of the Phi·lis´tines kept falling on the way from Sha´a·ra´im, both as far as Gath and as far as Ek´ron. 53 Afterward the sons of Israel returned from hotly pursuing the Phi·lis´tines and went pillaging their camps. 54 Then David took the head of the Phi·lis´tine and brought it to Jerusalem, and his weapons he put in his tent. 55 Now at the moment that Saul saw David going out to meet the Phi·lis´tine, he said to Ab´ner the chief of the army: “Whose son is the boy, Ab´ner?” To this Ab´ner said: “By the life of your soul, O king, I do not know at all!” 56 So the king said: “You inquire whose son the lad is.” 57 Accordingly, as soon as David returned from striking the Phi·lis´tine down, Ab´ner proceeded to take him and bring him before Saul with the head of the Phi·lis´tine in his hand. 58 Saul now said to him: “Whose son are you, boy?” to which David said: “The son of your servant Jes´se the Beth´le·hem·ite.”

Chapter 18: The great love between Jonathan and David
based in their mutual love for יהוה.
David serves God and the King and is loved by the people.
Saul's jealousy grows until he tries to kill David.
David marries and is loved by Michal, Saul's daughter.
18-1 And it came about that, as soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, Jon´a·than’s very soul became bound up with the soul of David, and Jon´a·than began to love him as his own soul. 2 Then Saul took him on that day, and he did not allow him to return to his father’s house. 3 And Jon´a·than and David proceeded to conclude a covenant, because of his loving him as his own soul. 4 Further, Jon´a·than stripped himself of the sleeveless coat that was on him and gave it to David, and also his garments, and even his sword and his bow and his belt. 5 And David began going out. Wherever Saul would send him he would act prudently, so that Saul placed him over the men of war; and it seemed good in the eyes of all the people and also in the eyes of the servants of Saul. 6 And it came about that at their coming in, when David returned from striking the Phi·lis´tines down, the women began coming out from all the cities of Israel with song and dances to meet Saul the king, with tambourines, with rejoicing and with lutes. 7 And the women that were celebrating kept responding and saying: “Saul has struck down his thousands, And David his tens of thousands.” 8 And Saul began to be very angry, and this saying was bad from his viewpoint, so that he said: “They have given David tens of thousands, but to me they have given the thousands, and there is yet only the kingship to give him!” 9 And Saul was continually looking suspiciously at David from that day forward. 10 And it came about the next day that God’s bad spirit became operative upon Saul, so that he behaved like a prophet within the house, while David was playing music with his hand, as in former days; and the spear was in Saul’s hand. 11 And Saul proceeded to hurl the spear and say: “I will pin David even to the wall!” but David turned aside from before him, twice. 12 And Saul grew afraid of David because יהוה proved to be with him, but from Saul he had departed. 13 Consequently Saul removed him from his company and appointed him as chief of a thousand for him; and he regularly went out and came in before the people. 14 And David was continually acting prudently in all his ways, and יהוה was with him. 15 And Saul kept seeing that he was acting very prudently, so that he was scared of him. 16 And all Israel and Judah were lovers of David, because he was going out and coming in before them. 17 Finally Saul said to David: “Here is my oldest daughter Me´rab. She is the one that I shall give you as a wife. Only prove yourself a valiant person to me and fight the wars of יהוה.” But as for Saul, he said to himself: “Do not let my hand come to be upon him, but let the hand of the Phi·lis´tines come to be upon him.” 18 At this David said to Saul: “Who am I and who are my kinsfolk, my father’s family, in Israel, so that I should become son-in-law to the king?” 19 However, it came about that at the time for giving Me´rab, Saul’s daughter, to David, she herself had already been given to A´dri·el the Me·hol´ath·ite as a wife. 20 Now Mi´chal, Saul’s daughter, was in love with David, and they went reporting it to Saul, and the matter was to his liking. 21 So Saul said: “I shall give her to him that she may serve as a snare to him, and that the hand of the Phi·lis´tines may come to be upon him.” Accordingly Saul said to David: “By [one of] the two women you will form a marriage alliance with me today.” 22 Further, Saul commanded his servants: “Speak to David secretly, saying, ‘Look! The king has found delight in you, and all his servants themselves have fallen in love with you. So now form a marriage alliance with the king.’” 23 And the servants of Saul began to speak these words in the ears of David, but David said: “Is it an easy thing in YOUR eyes to form a marriage alliance with the king, when I am a man of little means and lightly esteemed?” 24 Then the servants of Saul reported to him, saying: “It was with words like these that David spoke.” 25 At that Saul said: “This is what YOU men will say to David, ‘The king has delight, not in marriage money, but in a hundred foreskins of the Phi·lis´tines, to avenge himself on the enemies of the king.’” But as for Saul, he had schemed to have David fall by the hand of the Phi·lis´tines. 26 So his servants reported these words to David, and the matter was to David’s liking, to form a marriage alliance with the king, and the days had not yet expired. 27 So David rose and he and his men went and struck down among the Phi·lis´tines two hundred men, and David came bringing their foreskins and giving them in full number to the king, to form a marriage alliance with the king. In turn Saul gave him Mi´chal his daughter as a wife. 28 And Saul got to see and know that יהוה was with David. As for Mi´chal, Saul’s daughter, she loved him. 29 And again Saul felt still more fear because of David, and Saul came to be an enemy of David always. 30 And the princes of the Phi·lis´tines would go out, and it would happen that as often as they went out David acted most prudently of all the servants of Saul; and his name came to be very precious.

Chapter 19: Saul exposes his desire to kill David!
Jonathan warns David and temporarily softens his father.
Jonathan and Michal help David and he escapes with Samuel.
Samuel foils Saul's attempts to take David.
19-1 At length Saul spoke to Jon´a·than his son and to all his servants of putting David to death. 2 As for Jon´a·than, Saul’s son, he took great delight in David. So Jon´a·than told David, saying: “Saul my father is seeking to have you put to death. And now be on your guard, please, in the morning, and you must dwell in secrecy and keep yourself hidden. 3 And I, for my part, shall go out and certainly stand at the side of my father in the field where you will be, and I myself shall speak for you to my father, and I shall certainly see what will happen, and I shall be sure to tell you.” 4 Accordingly Jon´a·than spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him: “Do not let the king sin against his servant David, for he has not sinned toward you and his works have been very good toward you. 5 And he proceeded to put his soul in his palm and strike the Phi·lis´tine down, so that יהוה performed a great salvation for all Israel. You saw it, and you gave way to rejoicing. So why should you sin against innocent blood in having David put to death for nothing?” 6 Then Saul obeyed the voice of Jon´a·than, and Saul swore: “As יהוה is living, he will not be put to death.” 7 Afterward Jon´a·than called David and Jon´a·than told him all these words. Then Jon´a·than brought David to Saul, and he continued before him the same as formerly. 8 In time war broke out again and David went sallying forth and fighting against the Phi·lis´tines and striking them down with a great slaughter, and they took to flight from before him. 9 And יהוה’s bad spirit came to be upon Saul when he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand, while David was playing music with his hand. 10 Consequently Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he dodged from before Saul, so that he struck the spear into the wall. And David himself fled that he might escape during that night. 11 Later Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch it and to have him put to death in the morning; but Mi´chal his wife told David, saying: “If you are not letting your soul escape tonight, tomorrow you will be a man put to death.” 12 Immediately Mi´chal had David descend through the window, that he might go and run away and escape. 13 Then Mi´chal took the teraphim image and placed it on the couch, and a net of goats’ hair she put at the place of his head, after which she covered it with a garment. 14 Saul now sent messengers to take David, but she said: “He is sick.” 15 So Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying: “Bring him on his couch up to me to have him put to death.” 16 When the messengers came in, why, there was the teraphim image on the couch and a net of goats’ hair at the place of his head. 17 At this Saul said to Mi´chal: “Why did you trick me like this, so that you sent my enemy away that he might escape?” In turn Mi´chal said to Saul: “He himself said to me, ‘Send me away! Why should I put you to death?’” 18 As for David, he ran away and made his escape and got to come to Samuel at Ra´mah. And he proceeded to tell him all that Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel went away, and they took up dwelling in Nai´oth. 19 In time the report got to Saul, saying: “Look! David is in Nai´oth in Ra´mah.” 20 At once Saul sent messengers to take David. When they got to see the elderly ones of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing in his position over them, the spirit of God came to be upon Saul’s messengers, and they began behaving like prophets, they also. 21 When they told it to Saul, he immediately sent other messengers, and they began behaving like prophets, they also. So Saul sent messengers again, the third set, and they began behaving like prophets, they also. 22 Finally he too went to Ra´mah. When he got as far as the great cistern that is in Se´cu, he began to inquire and say: “Where are Samuel and David?” To this they said: “There in Nai´oth in Ra´mah.” 23 And he kept on his way from there to Nai´oth in Ra´mah, and the spirit of God came to be upon him, yes, him, and he went on walking and continued behaving like a prophet until he came into Nai´oth in Ra´mah. 24 And he also proceeded to strip off his garments and behave, he also, like a prophet before Samuel, and he lay fallen naked all that day and all that night. That is why they came to say: “Is Saul also among the prophets?”

Chapter 20: Jonathan continues to help David
in his effort to have peace with Saul.
Finally, Jonathan is forced to send David away for fear of Saul.

20-1 And David went running away from Nai´oth in Ra´mah. However, he came and said in front of Jon´a·than: “What have I done? What is my error, and what sin have I committed before your father, for he is seeking for my soul?” 2 At this he said to him: “It is unthinkable! You will not die. Look! My father will not do a big thing or a little thing and not disclose it to my ear; and for what reason should my father conceal this matter from me? This does not happen.” 3 But David swore in addition and said: “Your father must surely know that I have found favor in your eyes, and so would say, ‘Do not let Jon´a·than know this for fear he may feel hurt.’ But, in fact, as יהוה is living and as your soul is living, there is just about a step between me and death!” 4 And Jon´a·than went on to say to David: “Whatever your soul may say I shall do for you.” 5 At this David said to Jon´a·than: “Look! Tomorrow is new moon, and I myself ought, without fail, to be sitting with the king to eat; and you must send me away, and I must conceal myself in the field until the evening on the third day. 6 If your father should miss me at all, then you must say, ‘David earnestly asked leave of absence of me to run to Beth´le·hem his city, because there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family.’ 7 If the way he should say is, ‘It is all right!’ it means peace to your servant. But if he should at all become angry, know that what is bad has been determined upon by him. 8 And you must render loving-kindness toward your servant, for it is into a covenant of יהוה that you have brought your servant with you. But if there is error in me, put me to death yourself, since why should it be to your father that you should bring me?” 9 To this Jon´a·than said: “That is unthinkable respecting you! But if I should at all get to know that evil has been determined upon by my father to come upon you, shall I not tell it to you?” 10 Then David said to Jon´a·than: “Who will tell me whether what your father may answer you is harsh?” 11 In turn Jon´a·than said to David: “Just come, and let us go out into the field.” So both of them went out into the field. 12 And Jon´a·than went on to say to David: “יהוה the God of Israel [be a witness] that I shall sound out my father about this time tomorrow, or the third day, and if he is well-disposed toward David, shall I not then send to you and certainly disclose it to your ear? 13 So may יהוה do to Jon´a·than and so may he add to it, if, in case it should seem good to my father to do evil against you, I do not indeed disclose it to your ear and send you away, and you do not certainly go in peace. And may יהוה prove to be with you, just as he proved to be with my father. 14 And will you not, if I shall be still alive, yes, will you not exercise the loving-kindness of יהוה toward me, that I may not die? 15 And you will not cut off your own loving-kindness from being with my household to time indefinite. Nor, when יהוה cuts off the enemies of David, every one from the surface of the ground, 16 will [the name of] Jon´a·than be cut off from the house of David. And יהוה must require it at the hand of David’s enemies.” 17 So Jon´a·than swore again to David because of his love for him; for as he loved his own soul he loved him. 18 And Jon´a·than went on to say to him: “Tomorrow is new moon, and you will certainly be missed, because your seat will be vacant. 19 And certainly on the third day you will be missed very much; and you must come to the place where you concealed yourself on the working day, and you must dwell near this stone here. 20 And as for me, I shall shoot three arrows to one side of it, to send them where I will to a target. 21 And, look! I shall send the attendant, [saying,] ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I should specifically say to the attendant, ‘Look! The arrows are on this side of you, take them,’ then you come, for it means peace for you and there is nothing the matter, as יהוה is living. 22 But if this is the way I should say to the lad, ‘Look! The arrows are farther away from you,’ go, for יהוה has sent you away. 23 And as for the word that we have spoken, I and you, why, may יהוה be between me and you to time indefinite.” 24 And David proceeded to conceal himself in the field. And it came to be new moon, and the king took his seat at the meal to eat. 25 And the king was sitting in his seat as at other times, in the seat by the wall; and Jon´a·than was facing him, and Ab´ner was sitting at Saul’s side, but David’s place was vacant. 26 And Saul did not say anything at all on that day, for he said to himself: “Something has happened so that he is not clean, for he has not been cleansed.” 27 And it came about the day after the new moon, on the second day, that David’s place continued vacant. At this Saul said to Jon´a·than his son: “Why has not the son of Jes´se come to the meal either yesterday or today?” 28 So Jon´a·than answered Saul: “David earnestly asked leave of absence from me [to go] to Beth´le·hem. 29 And he went on to say, ‘Send me away, please, because we have a family sacrifice in the city, and it was my own brother that commanded me. So now, if I have found favor in your eyes, let me slip away, please, that I may see my brothers.’ That is why he has not come to the king’s table.” 30 Then Saul’s anger grew hot against Jon´a·than and he said to him: “You son of a rebellious maid, do I not well know that you are choosing the son of Jes´se to your own shame and to the shame of the secret parts of your mother? 31 For all the days that the son of Jes´se is alive on the ground, you and your kingship will not be firmly established. So now send and fetch him to me, for he is destined for death.” 32 However, Jon´a·than answered Saul his father and said to him: “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?” 33 At that Saul went hurling the spear at him to strike him; and Jon´a·than came to know that it had been determined upon by his father to put David to death. 34 Immediately Jon´a·than rose up from the table in the heat of anger, and he did not eat bread on the second day after the new moon, for he had been hurt respecting David, because his own father had humiliated him. 35 And it came about in the morning that Jon´a·than made his way out to the field of David’s appointed place, and a young attendant was with him. 36 And he proceeded to say to his attendant: “Run, please, find the arrows that I am shooting.” The attendant ran, and he himself shot the arrow to make it pass beyond him. 37 When the attendant came as far as the place of the arrow that Jon´a·than had shot, Jon´a·than began to call from behind the attendant and say: “Is not the arrow farther away from you?” 38 And Jon´a·than went on calling from behind the attendant: “In haste! Act quickly! Do not stand still!” And the attendant of Jon´a·than went picking up the arrows and then came to his master. 39 As for the attendant, he did not know anything; only Jon´a·than and David themselves knew about the matter. 40 After that Jon´a·than gave his weapons to the attendant that belonged to him and he said to him: “Go, take them to the city.” 41 The attendant went. As for David, he rose up from nearby to the south. Then he fell on his face to the earth and bowed three times; and they began kissing each other and weeping for each other, until David had done it the most. 42 And Jon´a·than went on to say to David: “Go in peace, since we have sworn, both of us, in the name of יהוה, saying, ‘May יהוה himself prove to be between me and you and between my offspring and your offspring to time indefinite.’” Accordingly David rose up and went his way, and Jon´a·than himself came into the city.

Chapter 21: High Priest Ahimelech innocently helps David,
for which he will later be murdered. (see chap. 22 verses 9-19)
David runs away to Gath. Disguises sanity before Achish.

21-1 Later David came into Nob to A·him´e·lech the priest; and A·him´e·lech began to tremble at meeting David and then said to him: “Why is it you are by yourself, and no one is with you?” 2 At this David said to A·him´e·lech the priest: “The king himself commanded me as to a matter, and he went on to say to me, ‘Let no one know anything at all of the matter concerning which I am sending you and concerning which I have commanded you.’ And I have made an appointment with the young men for such and such a place. 3 And now, if there are five loaves of bread at your disposal, just give them into my hand, or whatever may be found.” 4 But the priest answered David and said: “There is no ordinary bread under my hand, but there is holy bread; provided that the young men have at least kept themselves from womankind.” 5 So David answered the priest and said to him: “But womankind has been kept away from us the same as formerly when I went out, and the organisms of the young men continue holy, as on ordinary missions. And how much more so today, when the mission is special?” 6 At that the priest gave him what was holy, because there happened to be no bread there but the showbread that had been removed from before יהוה so as to place fresh bread there on the day of its being taken away. 7 Now one of Saul’s servants was there on that day, detained before יהוה, and his name was Do´eg the E´dom·ite, the principal one of the shepherds that belonged to Saul. 8 And David went on to say to A·him´e·lech: “And is there nothing here at your disposal, a spear or a sword? For neither my own sword nor my weapons did I take in my hand, because the king’s matter proved to be urgent.” 9 To this the priest said: “The sword of Go·li´ath the Phi·lis´tine, whom you struck down in the low plain of E´lah—here it is, wrapped up in a mantle, behind the eph´od. If it is what you would take for yourself, take it, because there is no other here except it.” And David went on to say: “There is none like it. Give it to me.” 10 Then David rose up and continued running away on account of Saul on that day, and at length came to A´chish the king of Gath. 11 And the servants of A´chish began to say to him: “Is not this David the king of the land? Was it not to this one that they kept responding with dances, saying, ‘Saul has struck down his thousands, And David his tens of thousands’?” 12 And David began to take these words to his heart, and he became very much afraid on account of A´chish the king of Gath. 13 So he disguised his sanity under their eyes and began acting insane in their hand and kept making cross marks on the doors of the gate and let his saliva run down upon his beard. 14 Finally A´chish said to his servants: “Here YOU see a man behaving crazy. Why should YOU bring him to me? 15 Am I in need of people driven crazy, so that YOU have brought this one to behave crazy by me? Should this one come into my home?”

Chapter 22: David runs away, takes his mother and father to safety.
Saul promises wealth to expose David.
Doeg the Edomite reveals High Priest Ahimelech helped David.
Wicked Saul uses Doeg to slaughter the Priests of יהוה.
Remaining Priest Abiathar escaped to flee to David.
22-1 So David proceeded to go from there and escape to the cave of A·dul´lam; and his brothers and the entire house of his father got to hear of it and made their way down there to him. 2 And all men in distress and all men who had a creditor and all men bitter in soul began to collect together to him, and he came to be a chief over them; and there came to be with him about four hundred men. 3 Later David went from there to Miz´peh in Mo´ab and said to the king of Mo´ab: “Let my father and my mother, please, dwell with YOU people until I know what God will do to me.” 4 Accordingly he settled them before the king of Mo´ab, and they continued dwelling with him all the days that David happened to be in the inaccessible place. 5 In time Gad the prophet said to David: “You must not keep dwelling in the inaccessible place. Go away, and you must come yourself into the land of Judah.” Hence David went away and came into the forest of He´reth. 6 And Saul got to hear that David and the men that were with him had been discovered, while Saul was sitting in Gib´e·ah under the tamarisk tree on the high place with his spear in his hand and all his servants stationed about him. 7 Then Saul said to his servants stationed about him: “Listen, please, YOU Ben´ja·min·ites. Will the son of Jes´se also give to all of YOU fields and vineyards? Will he appoint all of YOU chiefs of thousands and chiefs of hundreds? 8 For YOU have conspired, all of YOU, against me; and there is no one disclosing it to my ear when my own son concludes [a covenant] with the son of Jes´se, and there is no one of YOU having sympathy for me and disclosing to my ear that my own son has raised up my own servant against me as a lier in ambush the way it is this day.” 9 At this Do´eg the E´dom·ite, being stationed as he was over the servants of Saul, answered and said: “I saw the son of Jes´se come to Nob to A·him´e·lech the son of A·hi´tub. 10 And he proceeded to inquire of יהוה for him; and provisions he gave him, and the sword of Go·li´ath the Phi·lis´tine he gave him.” 11 At once the king sent to call A·him´e·lech the son of A·hi´tub the priest and all the house of his father, the priests that were in Nob. So all of them came to the king. 12 Saul now said: “Listen, please, you son of A·hi´tub!” to which he said: “Here I am, my lord.” 13 And Saul went on to say to him: “Why have YOU men conspired against me, you and the son of Jes´se, by your giving him bread and a sword, and there being an inquiry of God for him, to rise up against me as a lier in ambush the way it is this day?” 14 At this A·him´e·lech answered the king and said: “And who among all your servants is like David, faithful, and the son-in-law of the king and a chief over your bodyguard and honored in your house? 15 Is it today that I have started to inquire of God for him? It is unthinkable on my part! Do not let the king lay anything against his servant [and] against the entire house of my father, for in all this your servant did not know a thing small or great.” 16 But the king said: “You will positively die, A·him´e·lech, you with all the house of your father.” 17 With that the king said to the runners stationed about him: “Turn and put to death the priests of יהוה, because their hand also is with David and because they knew that he was a runaway and they did not disclose it to my ear!” And the servants of the king did not want to thrust out their hand to assault the priests of יהוה. Finally 18 the king said to Do´eg: “You turn and assault the priests!” Immediately Do´eg the E´dom·ite turned and himself assaulted the priests and put to death on that day eighty-five men bearing an eph´od of linen. 19 Even Nob the city of the priests he struck with the edge of the sword, man as well as woman, child as well as suckling and bull and ass and sheep with the edge of the sword. 20 However, one son of A·him´e·lech the son of A·hi´tub, whose name was A·bi´a·thar, made his escape and went running away to follow David. 21 Then A·bi´a·thar told David: “Saul has killed the priests of יהוה.” At this 22 David said to A·bi´a·thar: “I well knew on that day, because Do´eg the E´dom·ite was there, that he would without fail tell Saul. I personally have wronged every soul of the house of your father. 23 Just dwell with me. Do not be afraid, for whoever looks for my soul looks for your soul, for you are one needing protection with me.”

Chapter 23: יהוה warns David to escape Keilah.
Jonathan joins David at Horesh to strengthen him.
Though rejected, Saul still trying to bless people in יהוה name...
Saul is pulled from chasing David by Philistine attach.

23-1 In time they came reporting to David, saying: “Here the Phi·lis´tines are warring against Kei´lah, and they are pillaging the threshing floors.” 2 And David proceeded to inquire of יהוה, saying: “Shall I go, and must I strike down these Phi·lis´tines?” In turn יהוה said to David: “Go, and you must strike down the Phi·lis´tines and save Kei´lah.” 3 At this the men of David said to him: “Look! We are afraid while here in Judah, and how much more so in case we should go to Kei´lah against the battle lines of the Phi·lis´tines!” 4 So David inquired yet again of יהוה their God. יהוה now answered him and said: “Rise up, go down to Kei´lah, because I am giving the Phi·lis´tines into your hand.” 5 Accordingly David went with his men to Kei´lah and fought against the Phi·lis´tines and drove off with their livestock, but struck them down with a great slaughter; and David came to be the savior of the inhabitants of Kei´lah. 6 Now it came about that when A·bi´a·thar the son of A·him´e·lech ran away to David at Kei´lah, there was an eph´od that went down in his hand. 7 In time the report was made to Saul: “David has come to Kei´lah.” And Saul began to say: “God has sold him into my hand, for he has shut himself up by coming into a city with doors and bar.” 8 So Saul summoned all the people to war, to go down to Kei´lah, to besiege David and his men. 9 And David got to know that Saul was fabricating mischief against him. Hence he said to A·bi´a·thar the priest: “Do bring the ephod near.” 10 And David went on to say: “O יהוה the God of Israel, your servant has definitely heard that Saul is seeking to come to Kei´lah to lay the city in ruin on my account. 11 Will the landowners of Kei´lah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down just as your servant has heard? O יהוה the God of Israel, tell your servant, please.” To this יהוה said: “He will come down.” 12 And David went on to say: “Will the landowners of Kei´lah surrender me and my men into Saul’s hand?” In turn יהוה said: “They will do the surrendering.” 13 At once David rose up with his men, about six hundred men, and they went out of Kei´lah and continued walking about wherever they could walk about. And to Saul it was reported that David had escaped from Kei´lah, and so he gave up going out. 14 And David took up dwelling in the wilderness in places difficult to approach, and he kept dwelling in the mountainous region in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul kept looking for him always, and God did not give him into his hand. 15 And David continued in fear because Saul had gone out to look for his soul while David was in the wilderness of Ziph at Ho´resh. 16 Jon´a·than the son of Saul now rose up and went to David at Ho´resh, that he might strengthen his hand in regard to God. 17 And he went on to say to him: “Do not be afraid; for the hand of Saul my father will not find you, and you yourself will be king over Israel, and I myself shall become second to you; and Saul my father also has knowledge to that effect.” 18 Then the two of them concluded a covenant before יהוה; and David kept dwelling in Ho´resh, and Jon´a·than himself went to his own home. 19 Later the men of Ziph went up to Saul at Gib´e·ah, saying: “Is not David concealing himself close by us in the places difficult to approach at Ho´resh, on the hill of Hach·i´lah, which is to the right side of Je·shi´mon? 20 And now in harmony with all the craving of your soul, O king, to come down, come down, and our part will be to surrender him into the hand of the king.” 21 At this Saul said: “Blessed are YOU of יהוה, for YOU have had compassion on me. 22 Go, please, persevere some more and ascertain and see his place where his foot comes to be—whoever saw him there—for it has been said to me that he himself is surely cunning. 23 And see and ascertain about all the hiding places where he hides himself; and YOU must return to me with the evidence, and I will go with YOU; and it must occur that, if he is in the land, I will also search for him carefully among all the thousands of Judah.” 24 So they rose up and went to Ziph ahead of Saul, while David and his men were in the wilderness of Ma´on in the Ar´a·bah to the south of Je·shi´mon. 25 Later Saul came with his men to look for him. When they told David, he at once went down to the crag and continued dwelling in the wilderness of Ma´on. When Saul got to hear of it, he went chasing after David into the wilderness of Ma´on. 26 Eventually Saul came to this side of the mountain, and David and his men were on that side of the mountain. So David became hurried to go away because of Saul; all the while Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to grab hold of them. 27 But there was a messenger that came to Saul, saying: “Do hasten and go, for the Phi·lis´tines have made a raid on the land!” 28 At that Saul turned back from chasing after David and went to meet the Phi·lis´tines. That is why they have called that place the Crag of the Divisions. 29 Then David made his way up from there and took up dwelling in the places difficult to approach at En-ge´di.

Chapter 24: Saul chased David to Engedi.
David has chance in cave to kill Saul.
David refused to harm the anointed of יהוה.
24-1 And it came about that, as soon as Saul returned from following the Phi·lis´tines, they came reporting to him, saying: “Look! David is in the wilderness of En-ge´di.” 2 And Saul proceeded to take three thousand chosen men out of all Israel and to go looking for David and his men upon the bare rocks of the mountain goats. 3 At length he came to the stone sheepfolds along the road, where a cave was. So Saul came in to ease nature, while David and his men were in the parts of the cave farthest back, sitting down. 4 And David’s men began to say to him: “Here is the day on which יהוה does say to you, ‘Look! I am giving your enemy into your hand, and you must do to him just as it may seem good in your eyes.’” So David rose up and quietly cut off the skirt of the sleeveless coat that belonged to Saul. 5 But it came about afterward that David’s heart kept striking him for the reason that he had cut off the skirt [of the sleeveless coat] that belonged to Saul. 6 Hence he said to his men: “It is unthinkable, on my part, from יהוה’s standpoint, that I should do this thing to my lord, the anointed of יהוה, by thrusting out my hand against him, for he is יהוה's anointed.” 7 Accordingly David dispersed his men with these words, and he did not allow them to rise up against Saul. As for Saul, he rose up from the cave and kept going on his way. 8 So David rose up afterward and went out from the cave and called out after Saul, saying: “My lord the king!” At this Saul looked behind him, and David proceeded to bow low with his face to the earth and prostrate himself. 9 And David went on to say to Saul: “Why do you listen to the words of man, saying, ‘Look! David is seeking your hurt’? 10 Here this day your eyes have seen how יהוה gave you today into my hand in the cave; and someone said to kill you, but I felt sorry for you and said, ‘I shall not thrust out my hand against my lord, for he is the anointed of יהוה.’ And, 11 my father, see, yes, see the skirt of your sleeveless coat in my hand, for when I cut off the skirt of your sleeveless coat I did not kill you. Know and see that there is no badness or revolt in my hand, and I have not sinned against you, while you are lying in wait for my soul to take it away. 12 May יהוה judge between me and you; and יהוה must take vengeance for me from you, but my own hand will not come to be upon you. 13 Just as the proverb of the ancients says, ‘From the wicked ones wickedness will go forth,’ but my own hand will not come to be upon you. 14 After whom has the king of Israel gone out? After whom are you chasing? After a dead dog? After a single flea? 15 And יהוה must become judge, and he must judge between me and you, and he will see and he will conduct the legal case for me and judge me [to free me] from your hand.” 16 And it came about that, at the moment that David finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul proceeded to say: “Is this your voice, my son David?” And Saul began to raise his own voice and weep. 17 And he went on to say to David: “You are more righteous than I am, for it is you who have rendered me good, and it is I who have rendered you evil. 18 And you—you have told today what good you have done in connection with me in that יהוה surrendered me into your hand and you did not kill me. 19 Now in the case where a man finds his enemy, will he send him away on a good road? So יהוה himself will reward you with good, due to the fact that this day you have done it to me. 20 And now, look! I well know that you will, without fail, rule as king, and that in your hand the kingdom of Israel will certainly endure. 21 So now do swear to me by יהוה that you will not cut off my seed after me and that you will not annihilate my name out of the house of my father.” 22 Accordingly David swore to Saul, after which Saul went to his home. As for David and his men, they went up to the place difficult to approach.

Chapter 25: Samuel dies. Foolish Nabal refuses to help David.
Nabal's wife Abigail acts wisely to protect her household. Nabal dies.
David marries Abigail. Saul gives David's wife Michal to another man.

25-1 In time Samuel died; and all Israel proceeded to collect together and bewail him and bury him at his house in Ra´mah. Then David rose up and went down to the wilderness of Pa´ran. 2 Now there was a man in Ma´on, and his work was in Car´mel. And the man was very great, and he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats; and he came to be [engaged] in shearing his sheep at Car´mel. 3 And the man’s name was Na´bal, and his wife’s name was Ab´i·gail. And the wife was good in discretion and beautiful in form, but the husband was harsh and bad in his practices; and he was a Ca´leb·ite. 4 And David got to hear in the wilderness that Na´bal was shearing his sheep. 5 So David sent ten young men and David said to the young men: “Go up to Car´mel, and YOU must come to Na´bal and ask him in my name about his welfare. 6 And this is what YOU must say to my brother, ‘May you be well and also your household be well and all that you have be well. 7 And now I have heard that you have shearers. Now the shepherds that belong to you happened themselves to be with us. We did not molest them, and nothing at all showed up missing of theirs all the days they happened to be in Car´mel. 8 Ask your own young men, and they will tell you, that my young men may find favor in your eyes, because it was upon a good day that we came. Just give, please, whatever your hand may find to your servants and to your son David.’” 9 Accordingly David’s young men came and spoke to Na´bal in accord with all these words in the name of David and then waited. 10 At this Na´bal answered David’s servants and said: “Who is David, and who is the son of Jes´se? Nowadays the servants that are breaking away, each one from before his master, have become many. 11 And do I have to take my bread and my water and my slaughtered meat that I have butchered for my shearers and give it to men of whom I do not even know from where they are?” 12 Upon that David’s young men turned around on their way and went back and came and reported to him in accord with all these words. 13 Immediately David said to his men: “Gird on every one his sword!” So they girded on every one his sword and David also girded on his own sword; and they began to go up after David, about four hundred men, while two hundred sat by the baggage. 14 Meanwhile, to Ab´i·gail, Na´bal’s wife, one of the young men reported, saying: “Look! David sent messengers from the wilderness to wish our master well, but he screamed rebukes at them. 15 And the men were very good to us, and they did not molest us, and we did not miss a single thing all the days of our walking about with them while we happened to be in the field. 16 A wall was what they proved to be around us both by night and by day, all the days that we happened to be with them, shepherding the flock. 17 And now know and see what you are going to do, for calamity has been determined against our master and against all his house, as he is too much of a good-for-nothing fellow to speak to him.” 18 At once Ab´i·gail hastened and took two hundred loaves of bread and two large jars of wine and five sheep dressed and five seah measures of roasted grain and a hundred cakes of raisins and two hundred cakes of pressed figs and put them upon the asses. 19 Then she said to her young men: “Pass on ahead of me. Look! I am coming after YOU.” But to her husband Na´bal she told nothing. 20 And it occurred that while she was riding on the ass and secretly going down the mountain, why, there were David and his men coming down to meet her. So she encountered them. 21 As for David, he had said: “It was altogether for disappointment that I guarded everything that belongs to this fellow in the wilderness and not a single thing of all that belongs to him showed up missing, and yet he repays me evil in return for good. 22 So may God do to the enemies of David and so may he add to it if I shall let anyone of all who are his that urinates against the wall remain until the morning.” 23 When Ab´i·gail caught sight of David, she at once hastened and got down off the ass and fell upon her face before David and bowed to the earth. 24 She then fell at his feet and said: “Upon me myself, O my lord, be the error; and, please, let your slave girl speak in your ears, and listen to the words of your slave girl. 25 Please, do not let my lord set his heart upon this good-for-nothing man Na´bal, for, as his name is, so is he. Na´bal is his name, and senselessness is with him. As for me your slave girl, I did not see my lord’s young men that you had sent. 26 And now, my lord, as יהוה is living and as your soul is living, יהוה has held you back from entering into bloodguilt and having your own hand come to your salvation. And now let your enemies and those seeking injury to my lord become like Na´bal. 27 And now as regards this gift blessing that your maidservant has brought to my lord, it must be given to the young men that are walking about in the steps of my lord. 28 Pardon, please, the transgression of your slave girl, because יהוה will without fail make for my lord a lasting house, because the wars of יהוה are what my lord is fighting; and as for badness, it will not be found in you throughout your days. 29 When man rises up to pursue you and look for your soul, the soul of my lord will certainly prove to be wrapped up in the bag of life with יהוה your God; but, as for the soul of your enemies, he will sling it forth as from inside the hollow of the sling. 30 And it must occur that, because יהוה will do to my lord the good toward you according to all that he has spoken, he certainly will commission you as leader over Israel. 31 And let this not become to you a cause for staggering or a stumbling block to the heart of my lord, both by the shedding of blood without cause and by having [the hand of] my lord [itself] come to his salvation. And יהוה will certainly do good to my lord, and you must remember your slave girl.” 32 At this David said to Ab´i·gail: “Blessed be יהוה the God of Israel, who has sent you this day to meet me! 33 And blessed be your sensibleness, and blessed be you who have restrained me this day from entering into bloodguilt and having my own hand come to my salvation. 34 And, on the other hand, as יהוה the God of Israel is living, who has held me back from doing injury to you, if you had not hastened that you might come to meet me, there would certainly not have remained to Na´bal until the morning light anyone urinating against a wall.” 35 With that David accepted from her hand what she had brought him, and to her he said: “Go up in peace to your house. See, I have listened to your voice that I may have consideration for your person.” 36 Later Ab´i·gail came in to Na´bal, and there he was having a feast in his house like the feast of the king; and Na´bal’s heart was feeling good within him, and he was as drunk as could be; and she did not tell him a thing, small or great, until the morning light. 37 And it came about in the morning, when the wine had gone out of Na´bal, that his wife went telling him these things. And his heart came to be dead inside him, and he himself became as a stone. 38 After that about ten days elapsed and then יהוה struck Na´bal, so that he died. 39 And David got to hear that Na´bal had died, and so he said: “Blessed be יהוה, who has conducted the legal case of my reproach [to free me] from Na´bal’s hand and has kept his servant back from badness, and the badness of Na´bal יהוה has turned back upon his own head!” And David proceeded to send and propose to Ab´i·gail to take her as his wife. 40 So David’s servants came to Ab´i·gail at Car´mel and spoke to her, saying: “David himself has sent us to you to take you as his wife.” 41 Immediately she rose up and bowed with her face to the earth and said: “Here is your slave girl as a maidservant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.” 42 Then Ab´i·gail hastened and rose up and went riding on the ass with five maids of hers walking behind her; and she went accompanying the messengers of David and then became his wife. 43 David had also taken A·hin´o·am from Jez´re·el; and the women came to be, even both of them, his wives. 44 As for Saul, he had given Mi´chal his daughter, David’s wife, to Pal´ti the son of La´ish, who was from Gal´lim.

Chapter 26: Saul seeks David at Ziph.
David sneaked into Saul's camp with Abishai
and was again encouraged to kill Saul.
But he again refuses to harm the anointed of יהוה.

26-1 In time the men of Ziph came to Saul at Gib´e·ah, saying: “Is not David concealing himself on the hill of Hach·i´lah, facing Je·shi´mon?” 2 And Saul proceeded to rise up and go down to the wilderness of Ziph, and with him three thousand men, the chosen ones of Israel, to look for David in the wilderness of Ziph. 3 And Saul took up camping on the hill of Hach·i´lah, which faces Je·shi´mon, by the road, while David was dwelling in the wilderness. And he got to see that Saul had come after him into the wilderness. 4 So David sent spies that he might know that Saul had for a fact come. 5 Later David rose up and went to the place where Saul had encamped, and David got to see the place where Saul had lain down, and also Ab´ner the son of Ner the chief of his army; and Saul was lying in the camp enclosure with the people camping all around him. 6 Then David answered and said to A·him´e·lech the Hit´tite and A·bish´ai the son of Ze·ru´iah, the brother of Jo´ab: “Who will go down with me to Saul into the camp?” To this A·bish´ai said: “I myself shall go down with you.” 7 And David made his way with A·bish´ai to the people by night; and, look! Saul was lying asleep in the camp enclosure with his spear stuck into the earth at his head, and Ab´ner and the people were lying all around him. 8 A·bish´ai now said to David: “God has today surrendered your enemy into your hand. And now let me, please, pin him to the earth with the spear just once, and I shall not do it to him twice.” 9 However, David said to A·bish´ai: “Do not bring him to ruin, for who is it that has thrust his hand out against the anointed of יהוה and has remained innocent?” 10 And David went on to say: “As יהוה is living, יהוה himself will deal him a blow; or his day will come and he will have to die, or down into battle he will go, and he will certainly be swept away. 11 It is unthinkable, on my part, from יהוה’s standpoint, to thrust my hand out against the anointed of יהוה! So now take, please, the spear that is at his head and the water jug, and let us get on our way.” 12 Accordingly David took the spear and the water jug from the place at Saul’s head, and then they got on their way; and there was no one seeing nor anyone taking note nor anyone waking up, for all of them were asleep, because it was a deep sleep from יהוה that had fallen upon them. 13 Then David passed on to the other side and stood upon the top of the mountain at a distance, the space between them being vast. 14 And David began to call out to the people and to Ab´ner the son of Ner, saying: “Will you not answer, Ab´ner?” And Ab´ner began to answer and say: “Who are you that have called out to the king?” 15 And David went on to say to Ab´ner: “Are you not a man? And who is like you in Israel? Why, then, did you not watch over your lord the king? For one of the people came in to bring the king your lord to ruin. 16 This thing that you have done is not good. As יהוה is living, YOU men deserve to die, because YOU have not watched over YOUR lord, over the anointed of יהוה. And now see where the king’s spear and the water jug are that were at his head.” 17 And Saul began to recognize the voice of David and to say: “Is this your voice, my son David?” To this David said: “It is my voice, my lord the king.” 18 And he added: “Why is this that my lord is chasing after his servant, for what have I done, and what badness is there in my hand? 19 And now let my lord the king, please, listen to the words of his servant: If it is יהוה that has incited you against me, let him smell a grain offering. But if it is the sons of man, they are cursed before יהוה, because they have driven me out today from feeling myself attached to the inheritance of יהוה, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods!’ 20 And now do not let my blood fall to the earth before the face of יהוה; for the king of Israel has gone out to look for a single flea, just as one chases a partridge upon the mountains.” 21 In turn Saul said: “I have sinned. Come back, my son David, for I shall no more do you injury, in view of the fact that my soul has been precious in your eyes this day. Look! I have acted foolishly and am very much mistaken.” 22 Then David answered and said: “Here is the spear of the king, and let one of the young men come on over and fetch it. 23 And יהוה it is who will repay to each one his own righteousness and his own faithfulness, in that יהוה today gave you into my hand, and I was unwilling to thrust my hand out against the anointed of יהוה. And, look! 24 just as your soul was great this day in my eyes, so may my soul be great in the eyes of יהוה, that he may deliver me out of all distress.” 25 At this Saul said to David: “Blessed may you be, my son David. Not only will you without fail work but you will also without fail come off the winner.” And David proceeded to go on his way; and as for Saul, he returned to his place.

Chapter 27: David ran away to the Philistine city of Gath
and resided to escape Saul.

27-1 However, David said in his heart: “Now I shall be swept away one day by Saul’s hand. There is nothing better for me than that I should escape without fail to the land of the Phi·lis´tines; and Saul must despair of me in looking for me any longer in all the territory of Israel, and I shall certainly escape from his hand.” 2 So David rose up and he and six hundred men that were with him passed over to A´chish the son of Ma´och, the king of Gath. 3 And David continued to dwell with A´chish in Gath, he and his men, each one with his household, David and his two wives, A·hin´o·am the Jez´re·el·i·tess and Ab´i·gail, Na´bal’s wife, the Car´mel·it·ess. 4 In time report was made to Saul that David had run away to Gath, and so he did not go looking for him still another time. 5 Then David said to A´chish: “If, now, I have found favor in your eyes, let them give me a place in one of the cities of the countryside, that I may dwell there; for why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you?” 6 Accordingly A´chish gave him Zik´lag on that day. That is why Zik´lag has come to belong to the kings of Judah down to this day. 7 And the number of the days that David dwelt in the countryside of the Phi·lis´tines came to be a year and four months. 8 And David proceeded to go up with his men that they might raid the Gesh´ur·ites and the Gir´zites and the A·mal´ek·ites; for they were inhabiting the land that [extended] from Te´lam as far as Shur and down to the land of Egypt. 9 And David struck the land, but he preserved neither man nor woman alive; and he took flocks and herds and asses and camels and garments, after which he returned and came to A´chish. 10 Then A´chish said: “Where did YOU men make a raid today?” To this David said: “Upon the south of Judah and upon the south of the Je·rah´me·el·ites and upon the south of the Ken´ites.” 11 As for man and woman, David was not preserving any alive to bring them to Gath, saying: “That they may not tell on us, saying, ‘This is the way David did.’” (And this way has been his procedure all the days that he dwelt in the countryside of the Phi·lis´tines.) 12 Consequently A´chish believed David, saying to himself: “He has unquestionably become a stench among his people Israel; and he will have to become my servant to time indefinite.”

Chapter 28: The Philistines form against Israel but יהוה has left Saul.
Saul visits the spirit medium at Endor trying to contact Samuel.
28-1 And it came about in those days that the Phi·lis´tines began to collect their camps for the army to make war against Israel. So A´chish said to David: “You undoubtedly know that it is with me that you should go out into the camp, you and your men.” 2 At that David said to A´chish: “That is why you yourself know what your servant is to do.” Accordingly A´chish said to David: “That is why guardian of my head I shall appoint you always.” 3 Now Samuel himself had died, and all Israel had proceeded to bewail him and bury him in Ra´mah his own city. As for Saul, he had removed the spirit mediums and the professional foretellers of events from the land. 4 Subsequently the Phi·lis´tines collected together and came and pitched camp in Shu´nem. So Saul collected all Israel together and they pitched camp in Gil·bo´a. 5 When Saul got to see the camp of the Phi·lis´tines he became afraid, and his heart began to tremble very much. 6 Although Saul would inquire of יהוה, God never answered him, either by dreams or by the U´rim or by the prophets. 7 Finally Saul said to his servants: “Seek for me a woman who is a mistress of spirit mediumship, and I will go to her and consult her.” Then his servants said to him: “Look! There is a woman who is a mistress of spirit mediumship in En-dor.” 8 So Saul disguised himself and clothed himself with other garments and went, he and two men with him; and they came to the woman by night. He now said: “Employ divination, please, for me by spirit mediumship and bring up for me the one whom I shall designate to you.” 9 However, the woman said to him: “Here you yourself well know what Saul did, how he cut off the spirit mediums and the professional foretellers of events from the land. Why, then, are you acting like a trapper against my soul to have me put to death?” 10 Immediately Saul swore to her by יהוה, saying: “As יהוה is alive, guilt for error will not befall you in this matter!” 11 At this the woman said: “Whom shall I bring up for you?” To this he said: “Bring up Samuel for me.” 12 When the woman saw “Samuel” she began crying out at the top of her voice; and the woman went on to say to Saul: “Why did you trick me, when you yourself are Saul?” 13 But the king said to her: “Do not be afraid, but what did you see?” And the woman went on to say to Saul: “A god I saw coming up out of the earth.” 14 At once he said to her: “What is his form?” to which she said: “It is an old man coming up, and he has himself covered with a sleeveless coat.” At that Saul recognized that it was “Samuel,” and he proceeded to bow low with his face to the earth and to prostrate himself. 15 And “Samuel” began to say to Saul: “Why have you disturbed me by having me brought up?” To this Saul said: “I am in very sore straits, as the Phi·lis´tines are fighting against me, and God himself has departed from me and has answered me no more, either by means of the prophets or by dreams; so that I am calling you to let me know what I shall do.” 16 And “Samuel” went on to say: “Why, then, do you inquire of me, when יהוה himself has departed from you and proves to be your adversary? 17 And יהוה will do for himself just as he spoke by means of me, and יהוה will rip the kingdom away from your hand and give it to your fellowman David. 18 As you did not obey the voice of יהוה, and you did not execute his burning anger against Am´a·lek, that is why this is the thing that יהוה will certainly do to you this day. 19 And יהוה will also give Israel with you into the hand of the Phi·lis´tines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. Even the camp of Israel יהוה will give into the hand of the Phi·lis´tines.” 20 At that Saul quickly fell down his full length to the earth and became very much afraid because of “Samuel’s” words. Also, there happened to be no power in him, because he had not eaten food the whole day and the whole night. 21 The woman now came to Saul and saw that he had been greatly disturbed. So she said to him: “Here your maidservant has obeyed your voice, and I proceeded to put my soul in my palm and obey the words that you spoke to me. 22 And now, please, you, in turn, obey the voice of your maidservant; and let me set before you a piece of bread, and you eat, that power may come to be in you, because you will go on your way.” 23 But he refused and said: “I am not going to eat.” However, his servants and also the woman kept urging him. Finally he obeyed their voice and rose up from the earth and sat on the couch. 24 Now the woman had a fattened calf in the house. So she quickly sacrificed it and took flour and kneaded dough and baked it into unfermented cakes. 25 Then she served them to Saul and his servants, and they ate. After that they rose up and went away during that night.

Chapter 29: Achish/princes send David
away from the battle to his home in Ziglag.

29-1 And the Phi·lis´tines proceeded to collect all their camps together at A´phek, while the Israelites were camping by the spring that was in Jez´re·el. 2 And the axis lords of the Phi·lis´tines were passing along by hundreds and by thousands, and David and his men were passing along afterward with A´chish. 3 And the princes of the Phi·lis´tines began to say: “What do these Hebrews mean?” At this A´chish said to the princes of the Phi·lis´tines: “Is this not David the servant of Saul king of Israel, who happened to be with me here a year or two, and I have not found in him a single thing from the day of his deserting [to me] until this day?” 4 And the princes of the Phi·lis´tines became indignant at him; and the princes of the Phi·lis´tines went on to say to him: “Make the man go back, and let him go back to his place where you assigned him; and do not let him go down with us into the battle, that he may not become a resister of us in the battle. And with what should this person put himself in favor with his lord? Is it not with the heads of those [our] men? 5 Is this not David to whom they kept responding in the dances, saying, ‘Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his tens of thousands’?” 6 Consequently Achish called David and said to him: “As יהוה is living, you are upright, and your going out and your coming in with me in the camp has been good in my eyes; for I have not found badness in you from the day of your coming to me until this day. But in the eyes of the axis lords you are not good. 7 And now return and go in peace, that you may not do anything bad in the eyes of the axis lords of the Phi·lis´tines.” 8 However, David said to A´chish: “Why, what have I done, and what have you found in your servant from the day that I came to be before you until this day, that I should not come and actually fight against the enemies of my lord the king?” 9 At this A´chish answered and said to David: “I well know that you have been good in my own eyes, like an angel of God. Only it is the princes of the Phi·lis´tines that have said, ‘Let him not go up with us into the battle.’ 10 And now rise up early in the morning with the servants of your lord that came with you; and YOU men must rise up early in the morning when it has become light for YOU. Then go.” 11 Accordingly David rose up early, he and his men, to go in the morning and return to the land of the Phi·lis´tines; and the Phi·lis´tines themselves went up to Jez´re·el.

Chapter 30: The Amalekites raid Ziglag and carry away
David's family and those of his men.
David recovers everything.
He blesses those who have protected he and his men.

30-1 And it came about while David and his men were coming to Zik´lag on the third day, that the A·mal´ek·ites made a raid on the south and on Zik´lag; and they proceeded to strike Zik´lag and burn it with fire, 2 and to carry off captive the women [and all] that were in it, from the smallest to the greatest. They did not put anyone to death, but they drove them along and went on their way. 3 When David came with his men to the city, why, there it was burned with fire, and, as for their wives and their sons and their daughters, they had been carried off captive. 4 And David and the people that were with him began to raise their voice and weep, until there was in them no power to weep [anymore]. 5 And David’s two wives had been carried off captive, A·hin´o·am the Jez´re·el·i·tess and Ab´i·gail the wife of Na´bal the Car´mel·ite. 6 And it became very distressing to David, because the people said to stone him; for the soul of all the people had become bitter, each one because of his sons and his daughters. So David took to strengthening himself by יהוה his God. 7 Hence David said to A·bi´a·thar the priest, the son of A·him´e·lech: “Do, please, bring the ephod near to me.” And A·bi´a·thar came bringing the eph´od near to David. 8 And David began to inquire of יהוה, saying: “Shall I chase after this marauder band? Shall I overtake them?” At this he said to him: “Go in chase, for you will without fail overtake them, and you will without fail make a deliverance.” 9 Promptly David got on his way, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and they went on as far as the torrent valley of Be´sor, and the men that were to be left behind stood still. 10 And David kept up the chase, he and four hundred men, but two hundred men that were too tired to pass over the torrent valley of Be´sor stood still. 11 And they got to find a man, an Egyptian, in the field. So they took him to David and gave him bread that he might eat and gave him water to drink. 12 Further, they gave him a slice of a cake of pressed figs and two cakes of raisins. Then he ate and his spirit returned to him; for he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights. 13 David now said to him: “To whom do you belong, and where are you from?” to which he said: “I am an Egyptian attendant, a slave of an A·mal´ek·ite man, but my master left me because I took sick three days ago. 14 We were the ones that made a raid on the south of the Cher´e·thites and upon that which belongs to Judah and upon the south of Ca´leb; and Zik´lag we burned with fire.” 15 At this David said to him: “Will you lead me down to this marauder band?” To this he said: “Do swear to me by God that you will not put me to death, and that you will not surrender me into the hand of my master, and I shall lead you down to this marauder band.” 16 Accordingly he led him down, and there they were spread disorderly over the surface of all the land eating and drinking and having a feast on account of all the great spoil that they had taken from the land of the Phi·lis´tines and the land of Judah. 17 And David went striking them down from the morning darkness until the evening, that he might devote them to destruction; and not a man of them escaped except four hundred young men that rode upon camels and took to flight. 18 And David got to deliver all that the A·mal´ek·ites had taken, and his two wives David delivered. 19 And there was nothing of theirs lacking, from the smallest to the greatest and to sons and daughters and from the spoil, even to anything that they had taken for themselves. Everything David recovered. 20 So David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drove before that [other] livestock. Then they said: “This is David’s spoil.” 21 At length David came to the two hundred men who had been too tired to go along with David, and whom they had kept sitting by the torrent valley of Be´sor; and they came out to meet David and to meet the people that were with him. When David came near to the people he began to ask them how they were. 22 However, every bad and good-for-nothing man out of the men that had gone with David answered and kept saying: “For the reason that they did not go with us, we will give them none of the spoil that we delivered, except to each one his wife and his sons, and let them lead them and go.” 23 But David said: “YOU must not do that way, my brothers, with what יהוה has given us, in that he safeguarded us and gave the marauder band that came against us into our hand. 24 And who will listen to YOU as to this saying? For as the share of the one that went down into the battle even so will the share of the one that sat by the baggage be. All will have a share together.” 25 And it came about from that day forward that he kept it set as a regulation and a judicial decision for Israel down to this day. 26 When David came to Zik´lag he proceeded to send some of the spoil to the older men of Judah, his friends, saying: “Here is a gift blessing for YOU from the spoil of יהוה’s enemies.” 27 To those who were in Beth´el, and to those in Ra´moth of the south, and to those in Jat´tir, 28 and to those in A·ro´er, and to those in Siph´moth, and to those in Esh·te·mo´a, 29 and to those in Ra´cal, and to those in the cities of the Je·rah´me·el·ites, and to those in the cities of the Ken´ites, 30 and to those in Hor´mah, and to those in Bor´a·shan, and to those in A´thach, 31 and to those in He´bron, and to all the places where David had walked about, he and his men.

Chapter 31: Philistines kill Saul and Jonathan.

31-1 Now the Phi·lis´tines were fighting against Israel, and the men of Israel took to flight from before the Phi·lis´tines, and they kept falling down slain in Mount Gil·bo´a. 2 And the Phi·lis´tines kept in close range of Saul and his sons; and the Phi·lis´tines at last struck down Jon´a·than and A·bin´a·dab and Mal´chi-shu´a, Saul’s sons. 3 And the fighting became heavy against Saul, and the shooters, the bowmen, finally found him, and he got severely wounded by the shooters. 4 Then Saul said to his armor-bearer: “Draw your sword and run me through with it, that these uncircumcised men may not come and certainly run me through and deal abusively with me.” And his armor-bearer was unwilling, because he was very much afraid. So Saul took the sword and fell upon it. 5 When his armor-bearer saw that Saul had died, then he too fell upon his own sword and died with him. 6 Thus Saul and his three sons and his armor-bearer, even all his men, came to die together on that day. 7 When the men of Israel that were in the region of the low plain and that were in the region of the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled, and that Saul and his sons had died, then they began to leave the cities and flee, after which the Phi·lis´tines came on in and took up dwelling in them. 8 And it came about the next day that, when the Phi·lis´tines came to strip the slain, they got to find Saul and his three sons fallen upon Mount Gil·bo´a. 9 And they proceeded to cut off his head and strip off his armor and send into the land of the Phi·lis´tines all around to inform the houses of their idols and the people. 10 Finally they put his armor in the house of the Ash´to·reth images, and his corpse they fastened on the wall of Beth-shan. 11 And as regards him, the inhabitants of Ja´besh-gil´e·ad got to hear what the Phi·lis´tines had done to Saul. 12 Immediately all the valiant men rose up and went all night long and took the corpse of Saul and the corpses of his sons off the wall of Beth-shan and came to Ja´besh and burned them there. 13 Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Ja´besh, and they went fasting for seven days.

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