The First Book of Samuel   1Now there was a certain man of Ramah, a Zuphite of the hill country of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.  2He had two wives: the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah; and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.  3This man used to go up from his city year by year to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of armies in Shiloh. Eli and his two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests to the Lord there.  4It came to pass on one occasion that Elkanah sacrificed. Now he used to give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters,  5but to Hannah he used to give one portion, although he loved Hannah; but the Lord had shut up her womb.  6Her rival used to vex her bitterly in order to make her angry, because the Lord had shut up her womb.  7Thus he did year by year, as often as she went up to the house of the Lord, she used to vex her; therefore she wept and would not eat.  8But Elkanah her husband said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep and not eat, and why is your heart sad? Am not I better to you than ten sons?”
 9So Hannah rose up, after they had eaten in Shiloh, and stood before the Lord. Now Eli the priest was sitting at his seat at the door-posts of the temple of the Lord.  10She was greatly distressed and prayed fervently to the Lord and wept bitterly.  11She vowed a vow, saying, 
O Lord of armies!
If you will indeed look on the affliction of your maid-servant, 
remember me and not forget your maid-servant,
but will give to your maid-servant a boy
then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life.
A razor shall not come upon his head. 
 12While she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth.  13Now Hannah was speaking to herself. Only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard; therefore Eli took her for a drunken woman.  14So Eli said to her, “How long will you act like a drunken woman? Put away the effects of your wine and go from the presence of the Lord.”
 15But Hannah answered and said, “No, my lord, an unfortunate woman am I; I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord.  16Do not take your maid-servant to be a vile woman, for because of the greatness of my grief and vexation have I continued speaking until now.” 
 17Then Eli answered and said. “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition that you have asked of him.“
 18She said, “Let your maid-servant find favor in your sight.” So the woman went her way and ate, and her countenance was no more sad. 
 19They rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the Lord, and returned and came to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the Lord remembered her. 
 20And Hannah conceived, and it came to pass at the coming around of the new year that she bore a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, “For I have asked him of the Lord.” 
 21The man Elkanah and all his household went up to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and his vow.  22But Hannah did not go up; for she said to her husband, “When the child is weaned then I will bring him and he shall appear in the presence of the Lord and shall dwell there forever.”
 23Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems good to you: wait until you have weaned him; only may the Lord establish your word.”
So the woman waited and nursed her son until she weaned him.  24When she had weaned him, she took him up with her, together with a three-year-old bullock and a bushel of flour and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord in Shiloh.  25They slew the bullock and Hannah brought the lad to Eli.  26She said, “Oh, sir, by your life, I am the woman who stood near you here, praying fervently to the Lord.  27This is the lad regarding whom I was fervently praying, and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of him.  28Now, I on my part have given him to the Lord; as long as he lives he is given to the Lord.” So she left him there before the Lord. 
 2And Hannah prayed, and said:
1My heart exults in the Lord,
my strength is exalted in the Lord;
my mouth laughs at my enemies;
because I rejoice in your salvation.
 
2There is none holy as the Lord,
there is none like you;
there is no rock like our God.
 
3Do not talk so proudly,
let not arrogance come out of your mouth,
for the Lord is a God of knowledge,
and by him actions are weighed.
 
4The bows of the mighty men are broken,
and they that stumbled are girded with strength. 
5They that were full have hired out themselves for bread,
and they that were hungry have ceased;
while the barren has borne seven,
she who had many children has languished.
 
6The Lord kills, and makes alive;
he brings down to the grave, and brings up. 
7The Lord makes poor, and makes rich;
he brings low, he also lifts up. 
8He raises up the poor out of the dust,
he lifts up the needy from the garbage heap
to make them sit with princes,
and inherit the throne of glory.
For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’S,
and he has set the world upon them.
 
9He will guard the feet of his holy ones,
but the wicked will be put to silence in darkness;
for not by strength will humans prevail. 
10They who strive with the Lord will be broken to pieces;
against them will he thunder in heaven.
The Lord will judge the ends of the earth,
he will give strength to his king
and exalt the power of his anointed. 11So Elkanah went to Ramah. But the lad was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli the priest.  12Now the sons of Eli were base scoundrels; they had no regard for the Lord,  13nor for what was justly due to the priest from the people. Whenever a man offered a sacrifice, the priest's servant would come, while the meat was boiling, with a three-pronged fork in his hand,  14and would strike into the pot or the kettle or the basin or the dish. All that the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. So they did to all the Israelites who came to sacrifice to the Lord in Shiloh.  15Moreover before they burned the fat, the priest's servant used to come and say to the man who was making the offering, <<Give me meat to roast for the priest; for he will not take from you boiled flesh, but raw.>> 16Should the man, however, say to him, <<First you should burn the fat, then take as much as you desire,>> he would reply, <<No, you must give it at once or else I will take it by force.>>  17Thus the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord; for the men had contempt for the offering of the Lord.  18And Samuel continued ministering before the Lord — a lad girded with a linen ephod.  19His mother used to make him a little robe and bring it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.  20And Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, <<The Lord repay you with offspring from this woman for the gift which she gave to the Lord.>> Then they would return to their own home.  21And the Lord visited Hannah so that she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. The child Samuel grew up before the Lord. 
 22Now Eli was very old; and whenver he heard what his sons were doing to all Israel, how they lay with the women who did service at the door of the tent of meeting,  23he said to them, <<Why do you do such things as these, which I hear from the mouth of all the people.  24No, my sons; for it is no good report that I hear the people of the Lord spreading abroad.  25If one man sin against another, God will mediate for him; but if a man sin against the Lord, who shall act as mediator for him?>> Notwithstanding they did not listen to the voice of their father, because the Lord desired to slay them.  26But the lad Samuel kept on growing larger and better in the estimation both of the Lord and of men. 
 27There came a man of God to Eli and said to him, <<Thus saith the Lord, <I revealed myself to thy father's house, when they were in Egypt servants to Pharaoh's house,  28and I chose him from all the tribes of Israel to be my priest to go up to my altar to burn sacrifices, to bear an ephod before me, and I gave to your father's house for food all the offerings of the Israelites made by fire.  29Why do you look with envious eyes on my sacrifices and offerings, and honor your sons above me in fattening yourselves with the first-fruits of all the offerings which the Israelites bring me?> Therefore the Lord the God of Israel says, <I had indeed thought that your house and the house of your father would walk before me forever;> but now saith the Lord, <Far be it from me; for them who honor me I will honor, and they who despise me will be lightly esteemed.  31The days are quickly coming when I Will cut off your arm and the arm of your father's house.  32You will look in affliction and enviously on all the prosperity which I will give Israel; and there will not be an old man in your house forever.  33The only one of you whom I do not cut off from my altar shall be spared to weep out his eyes and to wear out his body, and all of your household will die by the sword of men.  34This shall be the sign to you that will come upon your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas: on the same day both will die.  35And I will raise up for myself a faithful priest who will do according to that which is in my heart and in my desire; and I will build him an enduring house; and he shall walk before my anointed forever.  36It will come to pass that everyone who is left in your house will come to do him obeisance for a piece of money or a loaf of bread, and will say, 'Put me, I beg, in one of the priests' offices, that I may eat a morsel of bread.'> >> 
 3The child Samuel continued ministering before the 1Lord in the the presence of Eli. The word of the Lord was rare in those days; there were no frequent visions.  2Once at that time, when Eli was lying in his Samuel place — his eyes had begun to grow dim, so that he could not see-  3and while the lamp of God was still burning, and Samuel was lying in the temple of the Lord where the ark of God was,  4the Lord called, <<Samuel! Samuel!>> He said, <<Here I am.>>  5He ran to Eli, and said, <<Here I am; you called me.>> But he said, <<I didn't call, lie down again.>> So he went and lay down.  6Then the Lord called yet again, <<Samuel! Samuel!>> And Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, <<Here I am; you called me.>> But he answered, <<I didn't call, my son. Lie down again.>>  7Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord neither had the word of the Lord yet been revealed to him.  8So when the Lord called Samuel again the third time, he arose and went to Eli, and said, <<Here I am; for you called me.>> Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the child.  9So Eli said to Samuel, <<Go, lie down; and if you are called, say, <Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.>>> So Samuel went and lay down in his place.  10Then the Lord came, and stood there, and called as at other times, <<Samuel! Samuel!>> And Samuel said, <<Speak; for your servant is listening.>> 11And the Lord said to Samuel, <<See, I am about to do such a thing in Israel, that the ears of everyone who hears it will ring.  12In that day I will perform toward Eli all that I have spoken against his house from beginning to end.  13For I have told him that I will judge his house forever, for the guilt which he knew, in that his sons were blaspheming God and he did not restrain them.  14Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the guilt of Eli's house shall not be expiated with sacrifice nor offering forever.>>
 15And Samuel lay there until the morning. Then he rose early in the morning and opened the doors of the house of the Lord. Samuel was afraid to make the known the vision to Eli.  16But Eli called Samuel and said, <<Samuel, my son.>> He said, <<I am here.>>  17He said, <<What is the thing that the Lord has spoken to you? Hide nothing from me. May God do to you whatever he will, if you conceal from me a word of all that he spoke to you. >> 18So Samuel told him everything; and hid nothing from him. And Eli said, <<It is the Lord; let him do what seems good to him.>>
 19And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground.  20All Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the Lord.  21And the Lord again appeared in Shiloh, for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel.   4Thus prophet the word of Samuel came to all Israel. 
1Now in those days the Philistines assembled to make war against Israel. Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and encamped at Ebenezer; and the Philistines encamped in Aphek.  2The Philistines put themselves in array against Israel, and Israel was smitten before the Philistines, and the battle was hard fought and they slew in the ranks on the field about four thousand men.  3But when the people returned to the camp, the elders of Israel said, <<Why has the Lord smitten us today before the Philistines? Let us bring to us the ark of our God out of Shiloh, that it may come among us and save us from the hand of our enemies.>> 4So they sent to Shiloh; and took from there the ark of the Lord of armies who sits enthroned above the cherubim. The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of God.  5When the ark of God the Lord came to the the camp, all Israel shouted such a great shout that the earth rang. 
 6When the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, <<What does this great shouting in the Hebrew's camp mean?>> When they learned that the ark of the Lord had come to the camp,  7they were afraid, and said, <<These are their gods. They have come to them to the camp.  8Woe to Woe to us! Nothin like this has happened to us before! Who can deliver us out of the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who smote the Egyptians with every sort of plague and pesilence.  9Be strong, and be men, O Philistines, so that you will not become slaves to the Hebrews, as they have been slaves to you.>>
 10So the Philistines fought and there was great slaughter. Israel was defeated and each fled to his home. There fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen.  11The ark of God was taken, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, perished. 
 12A Benjamite ran from the ranks and came to Shiloh the same day with his garments torn and with earth on his head.  13Just as he came, Eli was sitting upon his seat beside the gate watching the road, for his heart was trembling for the ark of God. When the man came to the city to inform it, all the city cried out.  14When Eli heard the noise of the crying he said, <<What is this tumultuous noise?>> The man came quickly and told Eli.  15(Now Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes were set, so that he could not see).  16The man said to Eli, <<I have come from the battle, for I fled today from the ranks.>> He said, <<How went the matter, my son?>> 17He that brought the tidings answered, <<Israel fled before the Philistines, and there was also a great slaughter among the people, and your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been captured.>> 18When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell from his seat backward by the side of the gate; and his neck was broken and he died, for he was old and heavy. He had judged Israel forty years. 
 19His daughter-in-law, Phinehas's wife, was pregnant and near her time. When she heard the report regarding the capture of the ark of God, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she went into labor and crouched down and gave birth to a child.  20As she lay dying, the women who stood by her said to her, <<Do not fear, for you have given birth to a son.>> But she neither answered nor heeded.  21So they named the child Ichabod, saying, <<The glory is taken away from Israel, because of the capture of the ark of God, and because of her father-in-law and her husband.>> 
 5The Philistines took the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod.  2Then the Philistines took the ark of the Lord and brought it to the house of Dagon and set it up by the side of Dagon.  3When the Ashdodites arose early the next day, there was Dagon fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord. They raised up Dagon and set him in his place again.  4But when they arose early on the following morning, behold there was Dagon fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord. The head of Dagon and both his hands were cut off upon the threshold, and only the body of Dagon was left.  5This is why the priests of Dagon and all who enter the house of Dagon do not tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day, but step over it.  6The hand of the Lord was heavy upon the Ashdodites, and he destroyed them, and struck them with tumors, both in Ashdod and its borders.  7When the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, <<The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for his hand is severe on us and on Dagon our god.>> 8So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and said, <<What should we do with the ark of the God of Israel?>> They answered, <<Let the ark of the God of Israel be brought around to Gath.>> So they moved the ark of the God of Israel to Gath.  9But after they had brought it to Gath, the hand of the Lord was against the city — there was a very great panic — and he struck the men of the city, both young and old, so that tomors broke out on them.  10So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. But when the ark of God came to Ekron, the Ekronites cried out, <<They have brought around the ark of the God of Israel to us, to slay us and our people.>> 11They sent therefore and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines and said, <<Send away the ark of the God of Israel, let it go back to its own place and not kill us and our people.>> For a deadly panic had seized the entire city. The hand of God was very heavy there.  12The men who did not die were stricken with the tumors, and the cry of lamentation from the city went up to heaven. *** 
 6The ark of the 1Lord was in the country of the Philistines for seven months.  2Then the Philistines summoned the priests and the diviners, and said, <<What should we do with the ark of the Lord? Show us how we should send it to its place.>>  3They said, <<If you are sending the ark of the God of Israel, you must not send it away empty. You must return to him a guilt offering. Then you will be healed and it will be made known to you why his hand is not removed from you.>>  4Then they were asked, <<What should the guilt offering be which we should return to him?>> and they said, <<Five golden tumors, and five golden rats, corresponding to the number of the lords of the Philistines; for one plague was upon you as well as upon your lords.  5Therefore you should make images of your tumors, and images of your rats that ravage the land, and you should give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps he will lighten his hand from on you and your gods and your land.  6Why be stubborn, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh were stubborn? Remember how he made sport of them until they let Israel go? 
 7So take and prepare a new cart, and two milch cows which have never been yoked, and fasten the cows to the cart. But leave their calves behind them at home.  8Take the ark of the Lord and place it on the cart and put the golden objects which you are returning to him as a guilt offering in a box at its side. Then send it on its way.  9Watch; if it goes on the way to its own land, to Beth-shemesh, then it was the Lord was did us this great harm, but if not, then we will know that it was not his hand that stuck us but it was an accident that happened to us. 
 10The men did all this. They took two mulch cows and fastened them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home.  11They placed the ark of the Lord on the cart, and the box with the golden rats and the images of their tumors.  12The cows took a straight course in the direction of Beth-shemesh. They went along the highway, lowing as they went, and did not turn left nor right. The lords of the Philistines went after them to the border of Beth-shemesh.  13The inhabitants of Beth-shemesh were harvesting their wheat in the valley. They lifted up their eyes and saw the ark, and came rejoicing to meet it.  14When the cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh, it stood still there., near a great stone. So they chopped up the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt-offering to the Lord.  18But the Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the box that was with it, in which were the golden objects, and placed them on the great stone. The men of Beth-shemesh offered to the Lord on that day burnt-offerings and ordinary sacrifices.  16When the five lords of the Philistines saw it, they returned to Ekron on that day. 
 17These are the golden tumors which the Philistines returned as a guilt offering to the Lord: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, and one for Ekron.  18But the golden rats correspond to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both of fortified cities and of country villages. A witness is the great stone, by which they set down the ark of the Lord. To this day it is in the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh. 
 19The sons of Jechoniah, however, did not rejoice with the men of Beth-shemesh, when they welcomed the ark of the Lord. So he killed seventy of them, and the people mourned because the Lord had struck the people with such a great slaughter.  20The men of Beth-shemesh said, <<Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God? To whom can we send him to be rid of him?>>  21So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, saying, <<The Philistines have brought back the ark of the Lord. Come and take it back with you.>>   7So the men of Kiriath-jearim came, and took the ark of the 1Lord, and carried it into the house of Abinadab on the hill, and consecrated Eleazar, his son, to guard the ark of the Lord. 
 2Many years passed from the time the ark began to abide in Kiriath-jearim - twenty years. All the nation of Israel turned to the Lord,  3and Samuel spoke to all the nation Israel, saying, <<If with all your heart you are returning to the Lord, then put away the foreign gods and the Astartes from among you and direct your hearts towards the Lord and serve him alone, so that he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.>> 4So the Israelites put away the Baals and the Astartes, and served the Lord only.  5And Samuel said, <<Assemble all Israel at Mizpah and I will intercede for you with the Lord.>>  6So they assembled at Mizpah, and drew water and poured it out before the Lord, and fasted all day and confessed, <<We have sinned against the Lord.>> And Samuel judged the Israelites in Mizpah. 
 7When the Philistines heard that the Israelites had assembled at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines marched against Israel. When the Israelites heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines  8and said to Samuel, <<Don't cease to cry to the Lord our God for us, so that he will save us out of the power of the Philistines.>> 9Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord, and cried to the Lord on behalf of Israel, and the Lord answered him.  10While Samuel was offering the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to fight against Israel. But the Lord thundered with a mighty voice on that day against the Philistines, and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel.  11The men of Israel went forth from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and struck them until they were below Beth-car. 
 12Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Jeshanah and named it Ebenezer, saying, <<This is how far the Lord has helped us.>> 13So the Philistines were subdued and came no more within the border of Israel. The hand of the Lord was against the Philistines as long as Samuel lived.  14The cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel from Ekron to Gath. Israel recovered their territory from the power of the Philistines. There was peace between Israel and the Amorites. 
 15Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.  16He used to go around from year to year in succession to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah, and he used to judge Israel in all those places.  17But he always returned to Ramah, for there was his home, and there he judged Israel. There he built an altar to the Lord.  
 8When Samuel grew old he appointed his sons judges over Israel.  2The his eldest was called Joel, and his second was called Abijah. They were judges in Beersheba. 3However his sons did not follow his ways, but turned aside after unjust gain and took bribes and perverted justice.  4So all the elders of Israel assembled and came to Samuel at Ramah, and they said to him, <<You have become old and your sons don't walk in your ways. Appoint for us a king to rule us like all the nations.>>  6But the statement displeased Samuel, when they said, <<Give us a king to judge us.>> And Samuel prayed to the Lord.  7The Lord said to Samuel, <<Listen to the voice of the people and all that they say to you. For they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.  8Like all the deeds which they have done to me since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even to this day, in that they have forsaken me and served other gods, so also are they doing to you.  9Listen to what they have to say, but solemnly warn them, and show them the ways of the king who will reign over them.>>
 10Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking hum to appoint a king.  11He said, <<This will be the way of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and cavalry. They will run before his chariots, 12and he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest and to make his implements of war and the equipment for his chariots.  13He will take your daughters to be perfumers and to be cooks and to be bakers.  14Of your fields and your vineyards and your oliveyards, he will take the best and give them to his servants.  15He will take a tenth of your grain fields and of your vineyards and give to his eunuchs and to his servants.  16He will take your male and female slaves, and the best of your cattle and your donkeys, and use them for his work.  17He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you will become his servants.  18Then you will cry out in that day against your king whom you chose for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.>> 19But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel, and said, <<No, we must have a king over us,  20so that we will like all other the nations, and so that our king can rule us and go out before us and fight our battles.>>  21And Samuel heard all the words of the people and repeated them to the Lord.  22And the Lord said to Samuel, <<Listen to their voice and make them a king.>> And Samuel said to the people of Israel, <<Each of your return to your city.>> 
 9Now there was a man of Benjamine, whose name was Kish the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a man of wealth. 2He had a son whose name was Saul, a man in the prime of life and handsome. There was no one among the Israelites more handsome than he was. He was a head taller than any of the people. 
 3Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul's father, had strayed. Kish said to Saul his son, <<Take one of the servants with you and go out and find the donkeys.>> 4They passed through the hill country of Ephraim, and the land of Shalishah, but did not find them. Then they passed through the land of Shaalim, but they were not there. They passed through the land of the Benjamites but did not find them. 
 5When they reached the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant who was with him, <<Come, let us return, or my father will stop thinking of the donkeys and become anxious for us.>>  6The servant answered, <<There is in this city a man of God, and the man is held in honor. All that he says is sure to come true. Let us go there now, and perhaps he can give us information about the mission on which we are going.>> 7Then Saul said to the boy, <<But, suppose we go, what should we take to the man? For the bread is gone from our sacks, and there is no present to take to the man of God. What do we have?>>  8The servant answered Saul again, <<See I have with me a fourth part of a silver shekel, and I will give it to the man of God so that he may give us information regarding our mission.>> 9(Formerly in Israel, when someone went to inquire of God, they said, <<Come let us go to the seer;>> because what is nowadays called a prophet was previously called a seer).  10Then Saul said to his servant, <<Your advice is good. Come, let us go.>> So they went to the city where the man of God was. 
 11As they were going up the ascent to the city, they met some young girls going out to draw water and said to them, <<Is the seer here?>> 12They answered, <<He is. He is there ahead of you. Hurry, he has come today to the city because the people have a sacrifice today on the high place. 13As soon as you come to the city, you will at once find him before he goes up to the high place to eat. The people will not eat until he come, because he is needed to bless the sacrifice before the guests eat. Now go up, and at this time you will meet him.>> 14So they went up to the city. When they came within the city gate, Samuel was just coming out toward them, to go up to the high place. 
 15Now the Lord had given to Samuel, a day before Saul came, the following revelation:  16<<At this time tomorrow I will send you a man out of the land of Benjamin and you must anoint him to be a prince over my people Israel. He will save my people out of the hand of the Philistines, because I have seen the suffering of my people, and their cry has reached me.>> 17When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord indicated to him, <<This is the man of whom I spoke to you! He is the one who will rule over my people.>>  18Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, <<Tell me, please, where the seer's house is.>>  19And Samuel answered Saul, <<I am the seer. Go up before me to the high place, for you shall eat with me today. In the morning I will let you go, and will tell you all that is in your heart.  20As for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, do not trouble yourself about them. They have been found. To whom does all that is desirable in Israel belong? Does it not belong to you, and to your ancestral house?  21Saul answered, <<But I am a Benjamite, from the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family is the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin! Why do you speak like this to me?>>
 22Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them into the hall and made them sit at the head of the guests (who were about thirty persons).  23And he said to the cook, <<Bring the portion I gave you, which I told you to put aside.>>  24The cook took up the leg and placed it before Saul. And Samuel said, <<See, the meat is served! Eat! It was kept for you until the appointed time, so that you might eat with those whom I have invited.>> 
So Saul ate with Samuel that day.  25After they came down from the high place into the city, they spread a bed for Saul on the roof, and he lay down for the night.  26At daybreak Samuel called to Saul on the roof, <<Get up, so that I can send you on your way.>> So Saul arose, and he and Samuel went out into the street. 
 27As they were going down at the outskirts of the city, Samuel said to Saul, <<Tell your servant to go on ahead of us, but you stay here so that I can make known to you the word of God.>>  10Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it on his head, and kissed him and said, <<Has not the 1Lord anointed you to be a ruler over his people Israel? You will reign over the people of the Lord and save them from the power of their enemies all around. This will be the sign that the Lord has anointed you to be a ruler over his heritage:  2when you go from me today you shall find two men at Rachel's tomb, in the boundary of Benjamin at Zelzah. They will say to you, <The donkeys which you went to seek are found, and now your father has dismissed the matter of the donkeys and is anxious for you, asking, <<What shall I do for my son?>> >  3Then you will go on from there and come to the oak of Tabor. There three men going up to God to Bethel will meet you, one carrying three kids, and another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine.  4They will greet you and give you two loaves of bread which you will take from their hand.  5After that you shall come to Gibeah, where is the garrison of the Philistines. When you come to the city, you will meet a band of prophets coming down from the high place with a lyre, a tambourine, a flute, and a harp before them, and they will be prophesying.  6The spirit of the Lord will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them and will be turned into another man.  7When these signs come to you, you will do as the occasion offers, for God is with you.  8You must go down before me to Gilgal, and then I will come down to you, to offer burnt-offerings. Wait seven days until I come to you and show you what to do.>>
 9Accordingly when he turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him a change of heart, and all those signs came to pass that day.  10On his way to Gibeah, a band of prophets met him, and the spirit of God possessed him, and he prophesied among them.  11When everyone who knew him saw him in the act of prophesying with the prophets, the people said to one another, <<What has come over the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?>>  12One of the bystanders answered, <<Who is their father?>> Therefore it became a proverb, <<Is Saul also among the prophets?>>  13When he had finished prophesying, he went to the high place.  14And Saul's cousin said to him and to his servant, <<Where did you go?>> He said, <<To find the donkeys, and when we saw that they were not found, we went to Samuel.>> 15And Saul's cousin said, <<Tell me what Samuel said to you.>>  16And Saul said to his cousin, <<He told us definitely that the donkeys were found.>> But about the matter of the kingdom of which Samuel had spoken, he told him nothing. 
 17Samuel called the people together to Mizpah, 18and said to the Israelites, <<This is what the Lord the God of Israel says: I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.  19But today you rejected your God, who has been saving you from all your calamities and your distresses. You have said to him, <No! You must set a king over us.> Now therefore present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your thousands.>>
 20So Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was picked by lot.  21He brought the tribe of Benjamin near by their clans, and the clan of the Matrites was picked by lot. He brought near the clan of Matri man by man and Saul the son of Kish was picked, but when they searched for him, him he could not be found.  22So they asked of the Lord further, <<Did the man come here?>> And the Lord answered <<See, he has hid himself among the baggage.>>  23Someone ran and brought him from there. When he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people by a head.  24Said Samuel to the the people, <<Have you seen this man whom the Lord has chosen? For there is no one like him among all the people.>> All the people shouted loudly, <<May the king live!>>
 25In this way Samuel revealed to the people the manner of the kingdom, and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before the Lord. Then Samuel sent all the people away, each to their home.  26And Saul also went to his home at Gibeah; and there went with him the warriors whose hearts God had touched.  27But there were some scoundrels who said, <<How can this man save us?>> They despised him, and brought him no presents.  
 11About a month later Nahash the Ammonite came up and besieged Jabesh-gilead. All the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, <<Make terms with us and we will serve you.>>  2But Nahash the Ammonite said to them, <<On this condition will I make terms with you: that I gouge out the right eye of each of you and by this bring disgrace on all Israel.>> 3The elders of Jabesh said to him, <<Give us seven days respite, so that we can send messengers through all the territory of Israel. Then if there be no one to save us we will come to you.>>  4So the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and recounted the facts in the hearing of the people, and all the people wept aloud. 
 6Saul was just coming from the field, driving the oxen. He said, <<What is the trouble with the people? Why are they weeping?>> Then they told him the words of the men of Jabesh.  6The spirit of the Lord rushed upon Saul when he heard these words, and his anger was greatly aroused.  7He took a yoke of oxen, and cut them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel by the hand of messengers, saying, <<Whoever does not come forth after Saul and after Samuel, so will it be done to his oxen!>> Then a terror from the Lord fell upon the people, and they rallied as one man. 
 8He mustered them in Bezek. The Israelites were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.  9They said to the messengers who came, <<Say this to the men of Jabesh-gilead: Tomorrow, by the time the sun becomes hot, deliverance will have come to you.>> So the messengers came and told the men of Jabesh. They were glad,  10and said, <<Tomorrow we will surrender to you, and you can do to us whatever you please.>>  11Accordingly on the following day, Saul divided the people into three divisions. They came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch, and massacred the Ammonites, until the heat of the day. The survivors scattered, so that no two of them were left together. 
 12The people said to Samuel, <<Who is he who said, <Saul will not reign over us?> Bring the men that we may put them to death!>> 13But Saul said, <<Today no one will be put to death, because today the Lord has brought deliverance to Israel.>>
 14Then Samuel said to the people, <<Come, and let us go to Gilgal, and renew the kingdom there.>>  15All the people went to Gilgal. There they made Saul king before the Lord in Gilgal, and sacrificed peace-offerings before the Lord, and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced exceedingly.  
 12Samuel said to all Israel, <<See, I have listened to your voice in all that you have said to me and have appointed a king over you. 2From now on, behold the king who will lead you. As for me, I am old and gray, and my sons are with you, and I have led you from my youth to this day.  3Here am I! Testify against me before the Lord, and before his annointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I oppressed? Whom have I defrauded? From whose hand have I taken a bribe to turn a blind eye? Testify and I will restore it to you.>>  4They said, <<You have not oppressed us, nor defrauded us, nor have you taken anything from anyone's hand.>> 5Therefore he said to them, <<The Lord is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand.>> They said, <<He is witness.>> 
 6Then Samuel said to the people, <<The Lord is witness, who appointed Moses and Aaron and who brought your acnestors up out of the land of Egypt.  7Now therefore take your stand so that I may declare to you before the Lord all the righteous acts of the Lord, which he did to you and to your ancestors.  8When Jacob came to Egypt, and your ancestors cried to the Lord, then the Lord sent Moses and Aaron to bring your fathers out of Egypt, and settled them in this place.  9But they forgot the Lord their God, and he sold them into the hand of Sisera, commander of the army of King Jabin of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the king of Moab. They fought against them,  10and cried to the Lord and said, <<We have sinned because we have forsaken the Lord and served the Baals and the Astartes. Deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve you.>>  11And the Lord sent Jerubbaal, and Barak, and Jephthah, and Samson, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies surrounding you so that you lived in safety.  12But when you saw that Nahash the king of the Ammonites came against you, you said to me, <No, but a king must reign over us,> although the Lord your God was your king.  13Now therefore see the king whom you have chosen, for the Lord has now set a king over you.  14If you will fear the Lord and serve him and listen to his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, and both you and the king who reigns over you follow the Lord your God, then it will be well.  15But if you will not listen to the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then will the hand of the Lord be against you and your king.  16Now therefore take your stand and see this great thing that the Lord is about to do before your eyes.  17Is it not wheat harvest today? I will call upon the Lord, to send thunder and rain. You will know and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of the Lord in asking for a king.>>  18So Samuel called upon the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day. All the people were greatly afraid of the Lord and Samuel. 
 19Then all the people said to Samuel, <<Intercede with the Lord your God in behalf of your servants so that we do not die, because we have added to all our sins the crime of asking a king.>>  20But Samuel said to the people, <<Don't be afraid, you have indeed done all this evil but do not turn aside from following the Lord. Serve the Lord with all your heart, 21and do not turn aside after useless things which cannot profit or deliver, for they are useless.  22For the Lord because of his great name will not cast away his people, for the Lord has undertaken to make his own people.  23Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to intercede for you, but I will instruct you in the good and the right way.  24Only fear the Lord and serve him in truth with all your heart, for you see what a great thing he has done in your presence.  25But if you persist in doing wrong, both you and your king will be swept away.   13Saul was ... years old when he began to reign, and he reigned ... and two years over Israel.
 2Saul chose three thousand men of Israel. Two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and on the mountain of Bethel and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. The rest of the people he sent to their homes.  3Jonathan defeated the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the news reached the Philistines that the Hebrews were in revolt. But Saul had in the meantime caused the trumpet to be blown throughout all the land, 4and all Israel heard the news that Saul had defearted the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel had brought itself into ill odor with the Philistines. the people were called out to join Saul at Gilgal. 
 5The Philistines were gathered together to fight with Israel — thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen and fighters as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They came up and encamped in Michmash, east of Beth-aven.  6When the Israelites saw that they were in a strait (for the fighters were hard pressed), they hid themselves in caves, in holes, in rocks, in tombs, and in pits.  7Also many people went over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. But Saul was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling. 
 8He waited seven days for the appointed time which Samuel had set, but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people scattered away from him.  9So Saul said, <<Bring here to me the burnt-offering and the peace-offerings.>> He offered the burnt-offering.  10Just as he had finished offering the burnt-offering, Samuel came, and Saul went out to greet him. 11Samuel said, <<What have you done?>> And Saul said, <<Because I saw that the people were scattering away from me and you did not come within the appointed time, and the Philistines were gathering together at Michmash,  12I said, <Now the Philistines will come down to me at Gilgal, and I will not have appeased the Lord.> So I felt compelled to offer the burnt-offering.>> 13Samuel said to Saul, <<You have acted foolishly. If you had kept the command of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, then would the Lord have established your kingdom over Israel forever.  14But now your kingdom will not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has appointed him a leader over his people, because you have not kept that which the Lord commanded you.>>  15Then Samuel arose and left Gilgal. The rest of the people followed Saul, going from Gilgal towards Gibeah of Benjamin. 
Saul counted the people who were with him, about six hundred men.  16Saul and Jonathan his son, together with the people who were with them, were staying in Gibeah of Benjamin, while the Philistines encamped in Michmash.  17Raiding parties came out of the camp of the Philistines in three divisions: one division turned in the direction of Ophrah in the land of Shual,  18and another division turned in the direction of Beth-horon, and another division turned in the direction of the hill that looks down over the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness. 
 19Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, <<The Hebrews must not make swords or spears,>>  20so all the Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen each his plowshare and his sickle and his ax and his mattock.  21The charge was two thirds of a shekel for ploughshares and mattocks, and one third of a shekel for sharpening the axes and setting the ox goads.  22So on the day of the battle, none of the people with Saul and Jonathan had a sword or spear; but Saul and Jonathan his son had them. 
 23A garrison of the Philistines had gone out to the pass of Michmash,   14and one day Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man who bore his armor, <<Come - let's go over to the Philistines' garrison that is on the other side.>> But he did not tell his father.  2Saul was sitting in the outskirts of Gibeah under the pomegranate tree at Mignon, and with him were about six hundred men.  3Ahijah the son of Ahitub, Ichabod's brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the priest of the Lord at Shiloh, was in charge of an ephod. The people did not know that Jonathan had gone.  4Between the passes by which Jonathan sought to go over to the Philistines' garrison there was a rocky crag on the one side, and a rocky crag on the other side; and the name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh.  5One crag rose up on the north in front of Michmash, and the other on the south in front of Geba. 
 6Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, <<Come, let's go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised Philistines. Perhaps the Lord will act for us, for there is nothing that can prevent the Lord from saving by many or by few.>> 7His armor-bearer said to him, <<Do whatever your judgment dictates. I am with you, your wish is mine.>> 8Then Jonathan said, <<We will pass over to the men and show ourselves to them.  9If they say to us, <Stand still until we can reach you,> then we will stand still in our place, and will not go up to them.  10But if they say, <Come up to us,> then we will go up; for the Lord has given them into our hand, and this will be the sign to us.>>  11When both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines, the Philistines said, <<There are Hebrews coming out of the holes where they have hidden themselves.>> 12The men of the garrison cried out to Jonathan and his armor-bearer, <<Come up to us so that we can tell you something.>> Then Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, <<Come up after me, for the Lord has given them into the hand of Israel.>> 13And Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet, and his armor-bearer after him. The Philistines fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer kept despatching them after him.  14In the first attack Jonathan and his armor-bearer slew about twenty men in an area of about half an acre.  15There was panic in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. The garrison, and even the raiders trembled and the earth quaked so that it produced a great panic. 
 16The watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and saw the army surging hither and thither.  17Saul said to the people who were with him, <<Investigate now and see who is gone from us.>> When they had investigated they found that Jonathan and his armor-bearer were not there.  18And Saul said to Ahijah, <<Bring the ephod here,>> for at that time he had charge of the ephod before Israel.  19While Saul was speaking to the priest, the tumult in the camp of the Philistines kept on increasing. So Saul said to the priest, <<Draw back your hand.>>  20And Saul and all the people that were with him responded to the call, and came to the battle, and every man's sword was turned upon his fellow and there was very great confusion.  21The Hebrews who had gone over to the Philistines and joined their the camp, turned to be with the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan.  22Likewise all the Israelites who were in hiding in the hill-country of Ephraim, when they heard that the Philistines were fleeing, pursued close after them in the battle.  23So the Lord saved Israel that day, and the battle passed on beyond Beth-aven. 
 24Then Saul committed a great act of folly that day, for he laid an oath on the people, saying, <<Cursed is the man who eats any food until evening and until I avenge myself on my enemies.>> So none of the people tasted food.  25Now there was honeycomb in that country,  26and when the people came to the honeycomb, the bees had just flown away, but no one put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath.  27But Jonathan had not heard when his father charged the people. He put forth the end of the rod that was in his hand and dipped it in the honeycomb and put his hand to his mouth, and his eyes were lightened.  28Then one of the fighters spoke up, <<Your father charged the people saying, <Cursed be the man who eats food this day.> So the men are exhausted.>>  29Then said Jonathan, <<My father has brought disaster on the land. See how I have been refreshed, because I tasted a little of this honey. 30If only the people had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies which they found, how much greater would have been the slaughter of the Philistines!>>
 31But they struck at the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon, and the people were very faint,  32and they rushed upon the spoil and took sheep and oxen and calves and slaughtered them on the ground, and the people ate them with the blood.  33When Saul was told that the people were sinning against the Lord in eating with the blood, he said to those who told him, <<Treason! Roll a great stone to me.>>  34And Saul said, <<Go out among the people and say to them, <Let each man bring to me his ox and his sheep, and slay it here and eat; but do not sin against the Lord in eating the flesh together with the blood.> >> All the people brought their oxen that night and slew them there.  35So Saul built an altar to the Lord. That was the first altar that he built to the Lord. 
 36Then Saul said, <<Let us go down after the Philistines by night and plunder among them until daybreak, and let us not spare a single man.>> They said, <<Do whatever you think best,>> but the priest said, <<Let us first consut God.>> 37So Saul asked of God, <<Should I go down after the Philistines? Will you deliver them into the hand of Israel?>> But there was no answer that day.  38And Saul said, <<Come here, all you chiefs of the people and know and see in whom is this guilt today.  39For as the Lord lives, who delivered Israel, even if it be in Jonathan my son, that man will surely die.>> But no one of all the people answered him.  40Then he said to all Israel, <<You will on one side, and I and Jonathan my son will be on the other side.>> The people said to Saul, <<Do what seems good to you.>> 41Therefore Saul asked the Lord, God of Israel, <<Why have you not answered your servant this day? If the guilt is in me or in Jonathan my son, the Lord, God of Israel, give Urim, but if the guilt is in your people Israel, give Thummim.>> And the lot indicated Jonathan and Saul, and the people were cleared.  42And Saul said, <<Cast the lot between me and Jonathan my son. He whom the Lord indicates, must die.>> The people said to Saul, <<It must not be so!>> But Saul overruled the people and they cast the lot between him and Jonathan his son. And Jonathan was indicated. 
 43Then Saul said to Jonathan, <<Tell me what you have done.>> And Jonathan told him, saying, <<I did indeed taste a little honey with the end of the staff that was in my hand, and here I am! I am ready to die.>>  44And Saul said, <<May God do to me whatever he pleases, you must surely die, Jonathan!>> 45But the people said to Saul, <<Should Jonathan die who has wrought this great victory in Israel? Far from it! As the Lord lives, not one hair of his head will fall to the ground, for he has worked with God this day.>> So the people redeemed Jonathan, so that he did not die.  46Then Saul broke off from pursuing the Philistines and the Philistines went to their own country. 
 47When Saul had taken the kingdom over Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side: against Moab and the Ammonites and Edom and the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines. Wherever he turned he was victorious.  48He did mighty deeds and struck the Amalekites and delivered Israel out of the hands of its plunderers. 
 49Now the sons of Saul were: Jonathan, Ishvi, and Malchishua. The names of his two daughters were: the eldest, Merab, the youngest, Michal.  50The name of Saul's wife was Ahinoam the daughter of Ahimaaz. The name of the commander of his army was Abner the son Saul's uncle Ner.  51Kish the father of Saul and Ner the father of Abner were sons of Abiel. 
 52The war against the Philistines was severe all the days of Saul. Whenever Saul saw any valiant or efficient man, he would take him into his service.  
 15Samuel said to Saul, <<The 1Lord sent me to anoint you to be king over his people Israel. Now listen to the words of the Lord.  2This says the Lord of armies: <I have determined to to punish the Amalekites for wha they did to Israel, in opposing them as they came up out of Egypt.  3Now go and attack Amalek and utterly destroy all that they have. Spare no one but slay both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.> >>
 4So Saul summoned the people and mustered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand from Judah.  5When Saul came to the city of Amalek, he lay in wait in the valley.  6Saul said to the Kenites, <<Go away, withdraw from among the Amalekites, or I will destroy you with them, for you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up from Egypt.>> So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.  7And Saul struck the Amalekites from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt.  8He took Agag the king of Amalek alive and completely destroyed all the people with the sword.  9But Saul and his army spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fat beasts, the lambs, and all that was good, and would not completely destroy them. But everything that was worthless and despised they completely destroyed. 
 10Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel saying,  11<<I repent of making Saul king, because he has turned from following me and has not carried out my commands.>> And Samuel was angry and cried to the Lord all night.  12Early in the morning Samuel rose to meet Saul. Then Samuel was told, <<Saul came to Carmel and has just set up a monument to himself and has turned and passed on and gone down to Gilgal.>> 13When Samuel came to Saul, Saul said to him, <<Blessed be you of the Lord! I have fulfilled the command of the Lord.>>  14And Samuel said,<< What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears and the lowing of the cattle which I hear?>> 15And Saul said, <<They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best off the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to the Lord your God, and the rest we have completely destroyed.>> 16Then Samuel said to <<Saul, Stop! and let me tell you what the Lord has said to me this night.>> He said to him, <<Speak.>> 
 17Samuel said, <<Though you are little in your own sight, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? And the Lord anointed you king over Israel,  18and the Lord sent you on an expedition and said, <Go, and completely destroy the sinners of Amalek and fight against them until they are consumed.> 19Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord and why did you swoop upon the spoil and displease the Lord?>> 20And Saul said to Samuel, <<I have obeyed the voice of the Lord and have gone on the expedition which the Lord sent me on and have brought back Agag the king of the Amalekites and have completely destroyed the Amalekites.  21But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which were placed under the ban, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.>>  22And Samuel said, <<Does the Lord delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices as in obedience to the voice of the Lord? Behold to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.  23For rebellion is as bad as the sin of divination, and obstinacy as idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you from being king.>>  24And Saul said to Samuel, <<I have sinned, for I have transgressed the command of the Lord and your words because I feared the people and listened to their voice.  25Now therefore pardon for my sin and turn back with me, that I may worship the Lord.>>  26But Samuel said to Saul, <<I will not turn back with you, for you have rejected the word of the Lord and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.>>  27As Samuel turned to go away, Saul seized the skirt of his robe, but it tore.  28Then Samuel said to him, <<The Lord has today torn the kingdom of Israel from you and has given it to your neighbor who is better than you.  29Moreover the Glory of Israel will not lie nor repent, for he is not a mortal that he should change his mind.>>  30Then Saul said, <<I have sinned, yet honor me now at least before the elders of my people and before Israel, and turn back with me, so that I may worship the Lord your God.>>  31So Samuel turned back and followed Saul, while Saul worshipped the Lord. 
 32Then Samuel said, <<Bring here to me Agag the king of the Amalekites.>> And Agag came to him trembling and said, <<Surely death is bitter.>>  33Samuel said, <<As your sword has bereaved women, so will your mother be the most bereaved of women.>> Then Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal. 
 34Then Samuel went to Ramah, but Saul went up to his house to Gibeah of Saul.  35And Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, for Samuel grieved over Saul. Now the Lord repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.  
 16The 1Lord said to Samuel, <<How long will you grieve over Saul, when I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have chosen for myself a king among his sons.>>  2And Samuel said, <<How can I go, since Saul will hear of it and kill me?>> But the Lord said, <<Take a calf with you and say you have come to sacrifice to the Lord.  3Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do, and anoint the man whom I name.>>  4So Samuel did that which the Lord had commanded. When he came to Bethlehem, the elders of the city came trembling to meet him and said, <<Do you come in peace?>>  6He said <<Yes, I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Purify yourselves and rejoiced with me in the sacrifice.>> He purified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. 
 6When they came and he saw Eliab, he said, <<Surely the Lord's annointed is now in presence.>>  7But the Lord said to Samuel, <<Pay no attention to his appearance or to the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. The Lord does not see as humans see, for they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.>>  8Then Jesse called Abinadab, and brought him before Samuel. But he said, <<Neither has the Lord chosen this one.>>  9Then Jesse brought forward Shammah. But he said, Neither hath the Lord chosen this one.  10Then Jesse brought his seven sons before Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, <<The Lord has not chosen these.>> 11And Samuel said to Jesse, <<Are these all your sons?>> He said, <<There is still the youngest, but he is a shepherd with the flock.>> So Samuel said to Jesse, <<Send and bring him, for we will not sit down until he is brought here.>> 12So he sent and brought him in. Now he was handsome, a youth with beautiful eyes and ruddy cheeks. And the Lord said, <<Get up, anoint him, for this is the man.>>  13Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. The spirit of the Lord came with power upon David from that day forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah. 
 14Now the spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him.  15And Saul's servants said to him, <<See now, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you.  16Command your servants who are before and they will seek for our lord a man skilful in playing the lyre. Then whenever the evil spirit comes upon you he shall play with his hand, and you will be better.>>  17So Saul said to his servants, <<Provide me now someone who plays well, and bring him to me.>>  18One of the young men answered, <<I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is skilful in playing and a valiant man, a good fighter, judicious in speech, a man of good appearance, and the Lord is with him.>>  19So Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, <<Send me David your son, who is with the flock.>>  20And Jesse took ten loaves of bread, and a skin of wine, and a kid, and sent them to Saul with David his son.  21So David came to Saul and entered his service. Saul loved him so much that he became one of his armor-bearers,  22and sent a message to Jesse, saying, <<Let David enter my service, for he has found favor in my sight.>>  23Whenever the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, David would take the lyre and play with his hand and Saul would breathe freely and would feel better and the evil spirit would depart from him.  
 17Now the Philistines mustered together their forces for war. They were gathered together at Socoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim.  2Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together and encamped in the valley of Elah, and they drew up in battle-array against the Philistines.  3The Philistines were standing on the mountain on the one side, and the Israelites were standing on the mountain on the other side, and the valley was between them.  4A champion came out from the camp of the Philistines. His name was Goliath of Gath and he was over nine feet in height.  5He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was clad with a bronze breastplate of scales, the weight of which was about two hundred pounds.  6He had greaves of bronze on his legs and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders.  7The shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam, and the head of his iron spear weighed twenty-four pounds. His shield-bearer went before him.  8He stood and cried out to the ranks of Israel, <<Why have you come out to draw up the line of battle? Am not I a Philistine and you Saul's servants? Choose a man for yourselves and let him come down to me.  9If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you will be our servants and serve us.>>  10The Philistine said, <<I have insulted the ranks of Israel today! Give me a man that we may fight together.>>  11When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were terrified and greatly afraid. 
 12Now David was the son of an Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, whose name was Jesse. Jesse had eight sons. The man was old in the days of Saul, advanced in years among men.  13The three eldest sons of Jesse had gone after Saul to the war. Their names were Eliab, the eldest, his second Abinadab, and the third Shammah.  14David was the youngest. The three eldest had followed Saul,  15while David went to and fro from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem. 
 16The Philistine drew near morning and evening and took his stand for forty days.  17One day Jesse said to David his son, <<Take now for your brothers a bushel of this parched grain and these ten loaves and carry them quickly to the camp to your brothers. 18But bring these ten cheeses to the commander of their thousand and look after your brothers' welfare and bring back some token of assurance from them.
 19They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the valley of Elah fighting with the Philistines.>>
 20So David rose up early in the morning and left the flock with a keeper and went, as Jesse had commanded him. He came to the encampments just as the army was going forth to the battle-array, shouting the war cry.  21Israel and the Philistines drew up the line of battle, army confronting army.  22David left his vessels in the charge of the keeper of the baggage and ran to the line of battle and came and asked for the welfare of his brothers.  23Just as he was talking with them, the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines and spoke the same words as before, and David heard them. 
 24All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were greatly afraid.  25<<Have you seen this man who has come up?>> they said, <<Surely he has come up to insult Israel. Whoever kills him, the king will greatly enrich and will give him his daughter and will make his father's house free in Israel.>> 26Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, <<What should be done for the man who strikes that Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he has dared to insult the armies of the living God?>>  27The people answered him in the words just given, <<This is what will be done to the man who kills him.>>
 28Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spoke to the men. Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, <<Why have you come down? With whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know you well and the wickedness of your heart. You have come down to see the battle.>>  29David said, <<What have I done now? It was only a question.>>  30Turning away from him to another, he spoke as before, and the people answered him again as at the first time. 
 31When the words were heard which David spoke, they reported them to Saul. They took him and brought him before Saul.  32David said to Saul, <<Let not my lord's courage fail him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.>>  33Saul answered, <<You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him. You are only a youth and he has been a warrior from his youth.>>  34But David said to Saul, <<Your servant was a shepherd with his father's flock, and when a lion or a bear would come and take a lamb out of the flock,  35I would go out after him and kill him and rescue the lamb from his mouth. If he rose up against me, I would seize him by his jaw and slay him with a blow.  36Your servant has killed both lion and bear. Now this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, since he has insulted the armies of the living God.  37The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion, and from the paw of the bear, will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.>> So Saul said to David, <<Go, and may the Lord be with you.>>
 38Saul clothed David with his armor, and put a helmet of bronze on his head and clad him with a coat of mail.  39David girded his sword over his coat and made a vain attempt to go, for he had not tried them. Then David said to Saul, I cannot go with these because I am not used to them. And he took them off.  40He took his staff in his hand, and chose five smooth stones out of the brook and put them in his bag, and took his sling in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine. 
 41The Philistine kept coming nearer to David, and the man who was bearing the shield went before him.  42When the Philistine looked and saw David, he had nothing but disdain for him, because he was only a youth with ruddy cheeks, a young man of attractive appearance.  43The Philistine said to David, <<Am I a dog that you come to me with a stick?>> The Philistine cursed David by his gods, 44and said, <<Come to me so that I may give your flesh to the birds of the heavens and to the beasts of the field.>> 45Then David answered the Philistine, <<You come to me with a sword and a spear and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of armies, and the God of the ranks of Israel whom you have insulted.  46Today the Lord will deliver you into my hands, that I may strike you and cut off your head. I will this day give the dead of the army of the Philistines to the birds of the heavens and to the wild beasts of the earth, so that all the world may know that there is a God in Israel, 47so that all this assembly may know that not with the sword and spear does the Lord save, for the battle is the Lord's and he will give you into our hand.>> 
 48When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David quickly ran toward the line of battle to meet the Philistine.  49David put his hand in his bag and took from it a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, so that he fell on his face to the earth. 
 50So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone and struck down the Philistine, killing him, although there was no sword in David's hand.  51Then David ran and stood over the Philistine, and took his sword, drawing it out of its sheath, and slew him, and cut off his head with it. 
When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.  52The men of Israel and Judah arose and raised the battle cry and pursued the Philistines to the entrance to Gath and to the gates of Ekron, so that the wounded of the Philistines fell down on the way from Shaaraim, as far as Gath and Ekron.  53When the Israelites returned from pursuing the Philistines, they plundered their camp,  54but David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem; and he put his armor in his tent. 
 55When Saul saw David going out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the commander of the army, <<Abner, whose son is this lad?>> And Abner said, <<As you live, O king, I cannot tell.>> 56The king said, <<Inquire whose son the young man is.>>  57When David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul with the Philistine's head in his hand.  58Saul said to him, <<Whose son are you, my lad?>> And David answered, <<I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.>>   18Now when David had finished speaking with Saul, the lives of Jonathan and David became bound together, and Jonathon loved him as his own life, 2and so Saul took David that day and would not let him return to his father's house.  3Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own life.  4He stripped himself of the cloak which he had on and gave it to David and his military coat, even to his sword and to his bow and to his girdle.  5And David went out. On every task which Saul sent him, he acted wisely and with success, so that Saul appointed him over the warriors. He was beloved alike by all the people and by the servants of Saul. 
 6At the return home of the army and David's return from slaying the Philistine, the women came out dancing from all the cities of Israel to meet King Saul with tambourines, with cries of rejoicing, and with cymbals.  7The women sang to each other as they danced, <<Saul has slain his thousands, but David his ten thousands.>> 8It made Saul very angry, and this saying displeased him. He said, <<They ascribed to David ten thousands, while to me they ascribed but thousands, and what more can he have but the kingdom?>> 9And Saul kept his eye on David from that day forward. 
 10The next day an evil spirit from God came powerfully on Saul, and he prophesied within his house. David played the lyre to him, as he did day by day. Saul had his spear in his hand,  11and cast it, thinking, <<I will pin David to the wall.>> But twice David dodged it.
 12Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with him and had departed from Saul.  13So Saul removed him from his presence, and made him a commander over a thousand. David went out and came in at the head of his men,  14and he acted wisely and prospered in all his ways, for the Lord was with him.  15When Saul saw that David acted wisely and prospered, he stood in dread of him.  16But all Israel and Judah loved David, for he went out and came in at the head of the army. 
 17Then Saul said to David, <<See my oldest daughter, Merab. I will give her to you as wife, only be a valiant champion and fight the Lord's battles.>> For Saul said to himself, <<I must not raise my hand against him, but let the hand of the Philistines deal with him.>>  18And David replied to Saul, <<Who am I, and what is my father's clan in Israel, that I should be the king's son-in-law?>> 19But when the time came that Merab, Saul's daughter, should have been given to David, she was instead given as wife to Adriel the Meholathite. 
 20Michal, Saul's daughter, fell in love with David. When they told Saul, he was pleased.  21He thought, <<I will give her to him, so that she becomes a snare to him and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.>> Therefore Saul said to David a second time, <<You will this day be my son-in-law.>>  22Saul commanded his servants, <<Communicate with David secretly and tell him that the king is pleased with him and all the servants love him, therefore become the king's son-in-law.>> 23And Saul's servants spoke these words in the ears of David. And David said, <<Is it an easy thing in your opinion to become the king's son-in-law, when I am a poor man and of no reputation?>>  24The servants of Saul reported back what David had said.  25And Saul said, <<Tell David: The king desires no bride-price, but a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, in order to take vengeance on the king's enemies.>> Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines.  26When his servants told David these words, David was well pleased with the prospect of being the king's son-in-law. Before the appointed time,
 27he arose and went together with his men and slew a hundred Philistines. He brought their foreskins and gave them in full to the king, in order to become the king's son-in-law. So Saul gave him Michal his daughter as wife.  28When Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David and his daughter Michal loved him,  29Saul feared David still more, and from that time was David's enemy. 
 30The Philistine commanders continued to come out to battle, and as often as they came out, David acted more wisely and with greater success than all the servants of Saul, so that his name was held in high repute.  
 19Saul commanded Jonathan his son and all his servants to put David to death. But Jonathan, Saul's son, was very fond of David, 2and told David, <<Saul my father is seeking to put you to death. Now, I beg you, take care in the morning and stay in concealment and hide yourself.  3I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak to my father about you, and whatever I discover I will tell you.>>  4Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father, and said to him, <<Let not the king sin against his servant David, because he has not sinned against you and because his conduct toward you has been exceedingly good.  5He took his life in his hand and killed the Philistine, and the Lord wrought a great deliverance for Israel. You saw it and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against innocent blood, in slaying David without a cause?>> 6And Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan and gave an oath, <<As the Lord lives, David will not be put to death.>>  7And Jonathan called David, and told him all these words. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, so that he was again in his presence as before. 
 8But when there was war again, David went out and fought against the Philistines, and slew great numbers of them, so that they fled before him.  9Then an evil spirit from the Lord came upon Saul, while he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand, and David was playing on the lyre.  10And Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he slipped away out of Saul's presence, so that Saul hurled the spear into the wall, and David fled and escaped. 
 11That night Saul sent messengers to David's house to watch him, so as to kill him in the morning. But Michal, David's wife, told him, <<If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be slain.>>  12Michal let David down through the window; he fled away and escaped.  13Michal took the household god and laid it in the bed, and put a cloth of goat's hair for its head and covered it with the garment.  14When Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, <<He is sick.>>  15Then Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying, <<Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may put him to death.>>  16When the messengers came in, there the household god was in the bed, with the cloth of goat's hair for its pillow.  17And Saul said to Michal, <<Why have you deceived me like this, and let my enemy go, so that he has escaped?>> And Michal answered Saul, <<He said to me: Let me go, why should I kill you?>>
 18Now David fled and escaped and came to Samuel to Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. He and Samuel went and stayed in Naioth.  19When Saul was told thqt David was there at Naioth in Ramah,  20he sent messengers to take David. But when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying with Samuel standing as head over them, the spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, so that they also prophesied.  21When it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they also prophesied.  22Then Saul himself went to Ramah. When he came to the great cistern in Secu, he asked, <<Where are Samuel and David?>> Someone answered, <<They are at Naioth in Ramah.>> 23But on his journey to Naioth in Ramah, the spirit of God also came upon him, and he went along prophesying, until he came to Naioth in Ramah.  24He too stripped off his clothes and prophesied before Samuel, and lay naked all that day and all that night. Therefore they say, <<Is Saul also among the prophets?>>  20Then David came and said before Jonathan, What have I done? What is my guilt? What is my sin before your father, that he is seeking my life?  2He replied to him, Far be it! You shall not die. See, my father does nothing great or small, but that he discloses it to than me; and why should my father hide this from me? Not so.  3And David answered and said, Your father well knows that I have found favor in your eyes, and he is saying to himself, 'Let not Jonathan know this lest he be pained.' Nevertheless as surely as the Lord liveth, and as you live, there is but a step between me and death.  4Then Jonathan said to David, What do you desire to have me do for you?  5And David answered Jonathan, Behold, to-morrow is the new moon and I should not fail to sit at the table with the king; therefore let me go and I will hide myself in the field until evening.  6If your father misses me, then say, 'David urgently asked leave of me to run to Bethlehem his city; for the yearly sacrifice is there for all the family.'  7If he says 'Good,' then it is well with your servant; but if it arouses his anger, then know that evil is determined upon by him.  8Now deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a sacred covenant with yourself; but if there be guilt in me, slay me yourself, for why should you bring me to your father?  9And Jonathan said, Far be it from you! for if I should learn that my father had determined that evil should come upon you, I would tell you.  11Then David said to Jonathan, Who will tell me, if your father answers me harshly? And Jonathan replied to David, Come, and let us go out into the field. So the two of them went out into the field.  12And Jonathan said to David, the Lord, the God of Israel, be witness that I will sound my father about this time to-morrow and if he be well disposed toward David, then I will send and disclose it to you.  13God do to Jonathan whatever he will, should my father be disposed to do you evil, and I disclose it not to you and send you away that you may go in peace. May the Lord be with you, as he has been with my father.  14If I am yet alive, O may you show me the kindness of the Lord! But if I should die,  15may you never withdraw your kindness from my house. If, when the Lord hath cut off the enemies of David, every one from the face of the earth,  16the name of Jonathan should be cut off by the house of David, may the Lord require it at the hand of David's enemies.  17So Jonathan took oath again to David, because of his love to him; for with all his heart he loved him.  18Then Jonathan said to him, To-morrow is the new moon and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty.  19On the third day you will be greatly missed. Then you shall come to the place where you hid yourself on the day of the affair, and you shall sit down there beside the heap of stones.  20On the third day I will shoot arrows on one side of it, as though I shot at a mark.  21Then I will send the lad, saying, 'Go, find the arrows.' If I say to the lad, 'See, the arrows are on this side of you; pick them up!' — then come; for it is well for you, and, as the Lord liveth, there is nothing the matter.  22But if I say to the boy, 'See, the arrows are beyond you,', go, for then the Lord sends you away.  23As to the word which you and I have spoken, behold, the Lord is witness between you and me forever.  24So David hid himself in the field; and when the new moon came, the king sat down at the table to eat.  25The king sat upon his seat as usual, even on the seat by the wall, and Jonathan sat opposite, and Abner sat by Saul's side; but David's place was empty.  26Nevertheless Saul did not say anything that day, for he thought, It is an accident, he is not ceremonially clean, for he has not been cleansed.  27But when on the day following the new moon, David's place was empty, Saul said to Jonathan his son, Why has not the son of Jesse come to the meal, either yesterday or today?  28And Jonathan answered Saul, David urgently asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem,  29for he said, ' Let me go, since our family has a sacrifice in the city; and my brothers have commanded me. Now if I have found favor in your sight, let me slip away and see my kinsmen.' Hence he has not come to the king's table.  30Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said to him, Son of a depraved woman! Do I not know that you are associated withg the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of your mother's nakedness?  31For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. Therefore now send and bring him to me, for he is doomed to die.  32Then Jonathan answered Saul his father and said to him, Why should he be put to death? What has he done?  33But Saul lifted up his spear at him to smite him. So Jonathan knew that his father had determined to put David to death.  34Therefore Jonathan rose from the table in hot anger and ate no food the second day of the month, for he was grieved for David, because his father reviled him.  35But in the morning Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad with him.  36He said to his lad, Run, find view now the arrows which I shoot. As the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.  37When the lad came to the place where the arrow which Jonathan had shot lay, Jonathan cried after the lad, and said, Is not the arrow beyond you?  38And Jonathan cried after the lad, Hurry, quick, do not stop! So Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows, and brought them to his master.  39But the lad had no knowledge of anything; only Jonathan and David understood the matter.  40And Jonathan gave his weapons to his lad, and said to him, Go, carry them to the city.  41As soon as the lad had gone, David rose from beside the stone heap, and fell on his face to the ground and prostrated himself three times, and they kissed each other and wept at length with each other.  42Then Jonathan said to David, Go in peace! As to what we two have sworn in the name of Jehovah — the Lord will be between me and you and between my descendants and your descendants forever. Then David rose and departed and Jonathan went into the city.   21And David came to Nob, to AhimeLech the priest. And Ahimelech came trembling to meet David and said to him, Why are you alone and no one with you?  2And David answered Ahimelech the priest, The king has entrusted me with a matter and has said to me, ' Let no one know anything about the matter upon which I am sending you and which I have commanded you;' and I have directed the young men to meet me at a certain place.  3Now, therefore, if you have five loaves of bread at hand, or whatever can be found,m give it to me.  4The priest answered David, saying, There is no ordinary bread at hand, but there is holy bread, if only the young men have kept themselves from women.'  5And David answered the priest and said to him, Of a truth women have been kept from us; as always when I set out on an expedition, the weapons of the young men were consecrated, though it is but an ordinary journey; how much more then today shall their weapons be holy!  6So the priest gave him holy bread, for there was no bread there but the showbread, that was taken from before the Lord in order to put hot bread there the day it was taken away.  7Now one of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord, by the name of Doeg, an Edomite, the chief of Saul's herdsmen.  8And David said to Ahimelech, Have you not here at hand a spear or sword? For I brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's matter required haste.  8The priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you slew in the valley of Elah, there it is wrapped in a garment behind the ephod. If you wish to take that, take it, for there is no other except that here. And David said, There is none like that, give it to me.  10Then David arose and fled that day from before Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.  11The servants of Achish said to him, Is not this David the king of the land? Was it not of him that they used to sing responsively in the dances, saying, 
Saul has slain his thousands,
But David his ten thousands?  

12And David took these words to his heart and was greatly afraid of Achish the king of Gath.  13He pretended to be insane before them, and raved in their hands and drummed on the doors and let his spittle rund down upon his beard.  14Then said Achish to his servants, You see plainly that the man is mad; why do you bring him to me?  15Do I lack madmen that you have brought this fellow to act the madman in my presence? Should this one come into my house?   22David therefore departed thence and escaped to the strongholds of Adullam. When his brethren and all his father's clan heard it, they went down there to him.  2Every one who was in distress, and every one who was in debt, and every one who was embittered gathered about him, and he became their leader. There were with him about four hundred men.  3And David went from there to Mizpeh in Moab; and he said to the king of Moab, Let my father and my mother dwell with you, until I know what God will do for me.  4He left them in the presences of the king of Moab; and they dwelt with him all the while that David was in the stronghold.  5The prophet Gad said to David, Do not remain in Mizpeh;d depart and come into the land of Judah. Then David departed and came into the forest of Hereth.  6Now when Saul heard that David and the men with him were discovered (Saul was sitting in Gibeah, under the tamarisk-tree on the high place, with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him),  7Saul said to his servants who were standing before him, Hear O Benjamites! Will the son of Jesse likewise give you all fields and vineyards? Will he make you all commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds,  8that all of you have conspired against me, and no one discloses to me that my son has made a covenant with the son of Jesse, and none of you has pity g upon me or discloses to me that my son has stirred up my servant to be an enemy against me,h as is now the case?  9Then Doeg the Edomite, who was standing by the servants of Saul, answered. and said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub.  19He inquired of Godi for him and gave him provisions and the sword of Goliath the Philistine.  11Then the king summoned Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father's house, the priests who were in Nob, and they came all of them to the king.  12And Saul said, Hear now, O son of Ahitub! He answered, Here am I, my lord!  13And Saul said to him, Why have you, together with the son of Jesse, conspired against me, in that you have given him bread and a sword and have inquired of God for him, that he should rise against me as an enemy, as is now the case?  14Then Ahimelech answered the king and said, But who among all your servants is like David, trusted and the king's son-in-law and captain over your retainer& and honored in your household?  15Is this the first time I have inquired of God for him? Far be it from me! Let not the king impute anything to his servant nor to any one of my clan, for your servant did not know the slightest thing about all this.  16But the king said, You shall surely die, Ahimelech, together with all your clan.  17The king said to the runners who stood before him, Turn about and slay the priests of the Lord, for their hand also was with David, and, although they knew that he was fleeing, they did not disclose it to me. But the servants of the king would not put forth their hands to strike down the priests of the Lord.  18Then the king said to Doeg, Turn and strike down the priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned and himself struck down the priests. So he slew on that day eighty-five men who wore the ephod.  19The priestly city Nob he put to the sword, both men and women, children and infants, oxen and asses and sheep.  20One of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled to David .  21And Abiathar told David that Saul had slain the priests of the Lord.  22And David said to Abiathar, I knew that day, because Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I myself am guilty of all the lives of your clan.  23Remain with me, fear not; for whoever seeks your life must also seek mine, since you are placed in my charge.   23Now when David was told, The Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are robbing the threshing floors,  2David inquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I go and attack these Philistines? And the Lord said to David, Go, attack the Philistines, and save Keilah.  3But David's men said to him, Behold we are afraid here in Judah; how much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines.  4Then David inquired of the Lord yet again. And the Lord answered him, saying, Arise, go down to Keilah, for I will deliver the Philistines into thy hand.  5So David and his men went to Keilah, and fought with the Philistines and drove away their cattle and slew a great many of them. Thus David delivered the inhabitants of Keilah.  6Now when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David to Keilah, he came down with the ephod in his hand.  7When it was told Saul that David had come to Keilah, Saul said, God has sold him into my hand; for he has entrapped himself in entering into a town that has doors and bars.  8And Saul summoned all the people to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men.  9When David knew that Saul was devising evil against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, Bring here the ephod.  10And David said, O Lord, the God of Israel, thy servant hath surely heard that Saul is seeking to come to Keilah, to destroy the city because of me.  11Will Saul come down, as thy servant hath heard? O Lord, God of Israel, I beseech thee, tell thy servant. And the Lord said, He will come down.  12Then David said, Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul? And the Lord said, They will deliver thee up.  13Then David and his men, who were about six hundred, arose and departed from Keilah, and wandered hither and thither. When it was reported to Saul that David had escaped from Keilah, he abandoned his expedition.  14So David dwelt in the wilderness in the strongholds and remained in the hill-country in the Wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him continually, but the Lord did not deliver him into his hand.  15Now David feared because Saul had come out to seek his life; and David was in the Wilderness of Ziph in Horesha.  16And Jonathan, Saul's son, arose, and went to David in Horesha and strengthened his hand in God.  17He said to him, Fear not, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you, and you shall be king over Israel and I shall be next to you; and that also Saul my father well knows.  18They two made a covenant before the Lord; and David abode in Horesha, and Jonathan returned home.  19Then the Ziphites came up to Saul to Gibeah, saying, Is not David hiding himself with us in the strongholds in Horesha, in the hill of Hachilah, which is to the south of the desert?  20Now therefore, O king, according to all your heart's desire come down, and it shall be our part to deliver him into the king's hand.  21Then Saul said, Blessed may you be of the Lord, for you have had compassion on me.  22Go, I pray, make yet more sure, and know and see the place where his haunt is and who has seen him there; for I am told that he is very cunning.  23See therefore, and gain knowledge of all the lurking-places where he hides, and return to me, with sure information, and I will go with you, and, if he be in the land, I will search him out of all the thousands of Judah.  24So they arose and went to Ziph before Saul. But David and his men were in the Wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah to the south of the desert.  25When Saul and his men went to seek him, they told David and he went down to the rock which is in the Wilderness of Maon. When Saul heard, he pursued aftert David in the Wilderness of Maon.  26And Saul went on the one side of the mountain and David and his men on the other side of the mountain; and David was anxiously trying to escape from Saul, for Saul and his men were about to surround David and his men, to seize them,  27when a messenger came to Saul, saying, Come quickly, for the Philistines have made a raid upon the land.  28So Saul returned from pursuing after David and went against the Philistines; therefore they called that place, Rock of Divisions.  29And David went up thence, and dwelt in the strongholds of Engedi.   24When Saul returned from following the Philistines, it was told him, saying, See, David is in the Wilderness of Engredi.  2Then Saul took three thousand men chosen from all Israel and went to seek David and his men upon the Wild Goats' Crags.  3He came to the sheepfolds by the way, and there was a cave. And Saul went in to cover his feet, while David and his men were staying in the recesses of the cave.  4The men of David said to him, See this is the day of which the Lord said to you, 'Behold, I give thine enemy into thy hand and thou shalt do to him as thou pleasest. Then David arose, and secretly cut off the skirt of Saul's mantle.  5But afterward David Was seized with remorse because he had cut off Saul's skirt.  6He said to his men, the Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord's anointed, to put forth my hand against him, since he is the Lord's anointed.  7So David upbraided his men with these words, and did not permit them to attack Saul. When Saul rose from the cave and went on his way,  8David also rose after him and went from the cave and cried after Saul, saying, My lord the king. When Saul looked behind him, David bowed his face to the earth, and did obeisance.  9And David said to Saul, Why did you listen to the words of the men who said, 'See, David seeks your hurt?  10To-day your eyes see that the Lord gave you into my hand in the cave, but I refused to kill you and had pity on you, and I said, 'I will not put forth my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord's anointed.'  11Moreover, my father, see the skirt of your mantle in my hand, for in that I cut off the skirt of your mantle and did not kill you, know and see that there is neither evil nor guilt on my hands, and I have not sinned against you, though you are aiming to take my life.  12the Lord judge between me and you; but my hand shall not be upon you.  13As runs the proverb of the ancients, 
Out of the wicked cometh forth wickedness. 

But my hand shall not be raised against you.  14After whom is the king of Israel come out? After whom are you pursuing? After a dead dog? After a flea?  15the Lord therefore be judge and decide between me and you and see and plead my cause and obtain justice for me from you.  16Now when David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, Is this not your voice, my son David? Then Saul lifted up his voice and wept.  17He said to David, You are more righteous than I, for you have done to me that which is good, while I have done to you that which is evil.  18You have done great good to me in that today, when the Lord had shut me up in your hand, you did not kill me.  19For when a man finds his enemy, does he send him on his way safe and sound? Therefore may the Lord reward you richly for what you have done to me this day.  20Now see, I know that you will surely be king, and that through you the kingdom of Israel shall be established.  21Swear now therefore to me by the Lord, that you will not cut off my descendants after me and that you will not destroy my name from my father's house.  22So David took oath to Saul. And Saul went to his home; but David and his men went up to the stronghold.   25Then David arose and went into the Wilderness of Maon.  2There was a man in Maon, whose business was in Carmel. The man was very rich, and he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats, and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.  3Now the man's name was Nabal; and his wife's name was Abigail; and the woman was sensible and comely, but the man was rough and ill-mannered; and he was a Calebite.  4And David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep.  5And David sent ten young men, and David said to the young men, Go up to Carmel and enter Nabal's house and greet him in my name;  6and you shall say to him and to his clan, 'Peace be to you and your house and all that you have.  7Now I have heard that you have shearers. Your shepherds were with us, and we did not jeer at them, and nothing of theirs was missing all the while they were in Carmel.  8Ask your young men and they will tell you. Therefore let the young men find favor in your eyes, for we have come on a feast day. Give, therefore, whatever you have at hand to your servants and to your son David.'  9When David's young men came, they spoke to Nabal in the name of David and waited as directed.  10Then Nabal answered David's servants, and said, Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? Many are the slaves these days who break away, each from his master!  11Should I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have slain for my shearers, and give it to men of whom I know not whence they are?  12So David's young men turned back on their way, and came and reported all these words to him.  13And David said to his men, Let every man gird on his sword. They girded on each man his sword. And David also girded on his sword; and there went up after David about four hundred men; and two hundred remained with the baggage.  14But one of the young men had told Abigail, Nabal's wife, saying, David has just sent messengers from the wilderness to salute our master, and he railed at them.  15But the men have been very good to us and we have not been jeered at nor have we missed anything, as long as we went with them, when we were in the fields.  16They were a wall about us both by night and by day all the while we were with them keeping the sheep.  17Now therefore know and consider what you will do, for evil is determined against our master and against all his house, for he is such a base scoundrel that no one speak to him.  18Then Abigail quickly took two hundred loaves of bread and two skins of wine and five roasted sheep and three and a third bushels of parched grain and a hundred bunches of raisins and two hundred cakes of figs and laid them on asses.  19She said to her young men, Go on before me; see, I am coming after you. But she said nothing about it to her husband Nabal.  20Just as she was riding on the ass and coming down under cover of the mountain, David and his men were also coming down toward her, so that she met them.  21Now David had said, Surely for nothing did I guard all that belongs to this fellow in the wilderness, so that nothing of all that belongs to him was missing, for he has returned me evil for good.  22God do whatever he will to David, if I leave by daybreak of all who belong to him as much as a single man.  23When Abigail saw David, she alighted quickly from her ass and fell on her face before David and bowed to the ground.  24She fell at his feet and said, Upon me, my lord, upon me be the guilt. Only let your maid-servant speak in your ears, and heed the words of your maid-servant speak in your ears, and heed the words of your maid-servant.  25Let not my lord pay any attention to that base scoundrel, Nabal, for as his name is, so is he; "Reckless Fool," is his name and folly is his master; but your maid-servant saw not the young men of my lord, whom you sent.  26Now my lord, as the Lord liveth and as you live, since the Lord has kept you from committing an act of bloodshed and from delivering yourself by your own hand — and may your enemies and those who seek to do evil to my lord be as Nabal—  27let this present, which your servant has brought to my lord, be given to the young men who follow my lord  28Forgive, I pray the trespass of your maid-servant, for the Lord will certainly make for my lord a secure house, for my lord is fighting the wars of the Lord, and no evil shall be found in you as long as you live.  29Should a man rise up to pursue you and to seek your life, the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living in the care of the Lord your God, but the lives of your enemies will he sling out as from the hollow of a sling.  30When the Lord has done to my lord all the good that he has promised you and has made you prince over Israel,  31then this shall not be a qualm or a burden on the conscience of my lord, that you have shed blood without cause or that my lord has delivered himself by his own hand. When the Lord shall give prosperity to my lord, then remember your maid-servant.  32And David said to Abigail, Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me,  33and blessed be your discretion, and blessed be you yourself, who have kept me this day from committing an act of bloodshed and from delivering myself by my own hand.  34For as sure as the Lord, the God of Israel, liveth, who hath kept me from doing you harm, except you had quickly come to meet me, surely there would not have been left to Nabal by daybreak so much as one man.  35So David received from her hand that which she had brought him; and to her he said, Go up in peace to your house. See, I have heeded your advice, and granted your request.  36But when Abigail came to Nabal, he was just having a banquet in his house, like a king. And Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk, so that she did not tell him anything at all until day break.  37But then in the morning when the effects of the wine were gone from Nabal, his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him and he became a stone.  38At the end of about ten days the Lord smote Nabal, so that he died.  39Now when David heard tha Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be the Lord who hath avenged the case of my insult at the hand of Nabal and hath kept back his servant from evil; and the evil-doing of Nabal hath the Lord brought back upon his own head. Thereupon David sent and wooed Abigail to take her to him to be his wife.  40The servants of David came to Abigail at Carmel and said to her, David has sent us to you to take you to him to be his wife, she arose and bowed with her face to the earth and said, See, your slave is willing to be a maid-servant to wash the feet of my lord's servants.  42Thereupon Abigail quickly arose and mounted an ass, and five maidens followed as servants. So she accompanied the messengers of David and became his wife.  43David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and they both became his wives.  44But Saul had given Michal his daughter, David's wife, to Palti the son of Laish to Gallim.   26Then the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, Is not David hiding in the hill of Hachilah, which is east of the desert?  2Accordingly Saul arose, and went down to the Wilderness of Ziph, having three thousand men of Israel with him, to seek David in the Wilderness of Ziph.  3And Saul encamped in the hill of Hachilah, which is east of the desert on the way. But David remainsed in the wilderness. When he saw that Saul was pursuing him into the wilderness,  4David sent out spies and learned that Saul had come from Keilah.  5And David arose and came to the place where Saul had encamped. And David saw the place where Saul with Abner the son of Ner, the commander of his army lay, and Saul lay within the barricade, and the people were encamped around about him.  6Then David spoke and said to Ahimelech the Hittite and to Abishai the son Zeruiah, Joab's brother, saying, Who will go down with me to Saul to the camp? And Abishai said, I will go down with you.  7So David and abishai came to the people by night; and Saul was lying there asleep within the barricade, with his spear stuck into the earth at his head, with Abner and the people lying around about him.  8Then Abishai said to David, God has delivered your enemy into your hand today. Now therefore let me smite him with his spear to the earth at one stroke, and I will not need to smile him twice!  9But David said to Abishai, Destroy him not; for who can lay his hand upon the Lord's anointed and be innocent?  10And David said, As the Lord liveth, either the Lord shall smite him, or his day shall come to die, or he shall go down into battle and be destroyed.  11the Lord forbid that I should put forth my hand against the Lord's anointed; but now take the spear that is at his head and the jug of water and let us go.  12So David took the spear and the jug of water from Saul's head and they departed. No man saw it of knew it neither did any awake, for they were all asleep because a deep sleep from the Lord had fallen upon them.  13Then David went over to the other side and stood on the top of a mountain at a distance, a great space being between them.  14And David cried to the people and to Abner, the son of Ner, saying, Do you make no answer Abner? Then Abner answered and said, Who are you that calls?  15And David said to Abner, Are you not a man? Who is like you in Israel? Why then have you not kept guard over your lord the king? For one of the people came to destroy your lord.  16This that you have done is not good. As the Lord liveth, you are deserving death, because you have not kept watch over your lord, the Lord's anointed. Now see where the king's spear is and the jug of water that was at his head.  17Then Saul recognized David's voice and said, Is this your voice, my son David? And David said, It is my voice, my lord, O king.  18He said, Why is my lord pursuing his servant? For what have I done? Or of what kind of evil have I been guilty?  19Now therefore let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If the Lord hath stirred you up against me, let him accept an offering; but if they be men, cursed be they before the Lord, for they have driven me out today, so that I have no part in the inheritance of the Lord, saying, 'Go serve other gods.'  20Now therefore, may my blood not fall to the earth far away fromt the presence of the Lord, for the king of Israel has come out to seek my life, as one hunts a partridge on the mountains.  21Then Saul said, I have done wrong; return, my son David, for I will do you no more harm, because my life was regarded as sacred by you today. I have acted foolishly and have erred exceedingly.  22And David answered and said, There is the king's spear! Let one of the young men come over and take it.  23And the Lord will reward each man's righteousness and fidelity; for the Lord delivered you into my hand today, but I would not raise my hand against the Lord'a anointed.  24Just as your life was today of great value in my sight, so may my life be of great value in the Lord's sight, and let him deliver me out of all affliction.  25Then Saul said to David, Be blessed, my son David; you shall do great things and shall surely succeed! So David went his way, but Saul returned to his place.   27Then David said to himself, I shall be destroyed some day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should escape into the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will despair of seeking me to longer in all the territory of Israel, and I will escape from his hand.  2So David arose and and went over, together with the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath.  3And David dwelt with Achish at Gath, together with his men, each with his household, David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal's wife.  4When Saul was informed that David had fled to Gath, he sought him no more.  5But David Said to Achish, If now I have found favor in your sight, let a place in one of the towns in the open country be given me, that I may dwell there; for why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you?  6Then Achish gave him Ziklag at that time; therefore Ziklag belongs to the kings of Judah to this day.  7The length of the time that David dwelt in the open country of the Philistines was a year and four months.  8And David and his men went up, and made a raid upon the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites; for these tribes dwell in the land which extends from Telem as far as Shur, even to the land of Egypt.  9As often as David smote the land, he did not leave alive man or woman, but taking the sheep, the oxen, the asses, the camels, and the clothing, he returned and came to Achish.  10Then When Achish said, Where have you made a raid today? David answered, Against the South Country of Judah, or against the South Country of the Jerahmeelites and against the South Country of the Kenites.  11But David never left alive man or woman, to bring them to Gath, for he thought, They might give information against us and say, 'Thus has David done.' Such was his custom all the while he dwelt in the open country of the Philistines.  12And Achish trusted David, saying, He has brought himself into ill odor with his people Israel; therefore he shall be my servant forever.   28Now in those days the Philistines assembled their forces to make a campaign against Israel. And Achish said to David, Be assured that you, together with your men, must go with me along with the forces.  2And David said to Achish, Therefore you shall now know what your servant can do. And Achish said to David, Therefore I make you my bodyguard from this time on.  3Now Samuel had died and all Israel had lamented for him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had put the mediums and the wizards out of the land.  4When the Philistines assembled and came and encamped in Shunem, Saul assembled all Israel, and they encamped in Gilboa.  5When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid and his heart was filled with apprehension.  6And Saul inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him either by dreams or by Urim or by prophets.  7Then Saul said to his servants, Find for me a medium who has a talisman that I may go to her and inquire of her. His servants said to him, Behold, there is at Endor a medium who has a talisman.  8Therefore Saul disguised himself and put on other clothes and went, taking two men with him, and they came to the woman by night. He said, Divine for me by the talisman and bring up for me the one whom I shall name to you.  9The woman said to him, Behold, you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off the mediums and the wizards from the land. Why then are you laying a snare for my life, to put me to death?  10And Saul swore to her by the Lord, saying, As the Lord liveth, no guilt shall come upon you for this thing.  11Then the woman said, Whom shall I bring up to you? He said, Bring up Samuel.  12When the woman saw Samuel, she screamed. The woman said to Saul, Why have you deceived me, for you are Saul?  13The king said to her, Do not be afraid! What do you see? The woman said to Saul, I see a god coming up out of the earth.  14He said to her, What is his appearance? She said, An old man is coming up, and he is wrapped in a mantle. Then Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the earth and worshipped.  15And Samuel said to Saul, Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up? And Saul answered, I am in great straits, for the Philistines are making war against me and God has turned from me and answers me no more, either by prophets or by dreams; so I have called you to tell me what I shall do.  16And Samuel said, Why do you ask of me when the Lord hath turned from you and become your adversary?  17And the Lord hath done to you as he declared by me; and the Lord hath rent the kingdom out of your hand, and given it to your associate (David).  18Because you did not heed the voice of the Lord, and did not execute his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore the Lord hath done this thing to you today.  19To-morrow you and your sons with you shall fall; the Lord will deliver the army of Israel also into the power of the Philistines.  20Then Saul fell at once at full length upon the earth and was greatly afraid, because of the words of Samuel; also he had no strength in him, for he had not eaten bread during all the day and all the night.  21When the woman came to Saul and saw that he was greatly troubled, she said to him, See, your maid-servant has heeded your voice, and I have taken my life in my hand and have listened to your words which you spoke to me.  22Now therefore, listen also to the advice of your maid-servant and let me set before you a morsel of meat, and eat that you may have strength when you go on your way.  23But he refused, and said, I will not eat. But his servants, together with the woman urged him, until he listened to their advice. So he rose from the earth and sat upon the couch.  24The woman had a fatted calf in the house; and she quickly killed it, and took flour and kneaded it and baked from it unleavened bread.  25She set it before Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they rose up and went away that night.   29The Philistines had assembled their forces at Aphek; and the Israelites encamped by the fountain in Jezreel.  2The tyrants of the Philistines were marching past, with hundreds and with thousands; and David and his men marched in the rear guard with Achish.  3Then the commanders of the Philistines said, What are these Hebrews? And Achish said to the commanders of the Philistines, This is David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, who has now already been with me two years, and I have found no fault in him from the time that he came over to me to the present.  4But the commanders of the Philistines were enraged against him, and said to him, Send back the man that he may return to the place where you have stationed him. Let him not go down with us to battle and let him not be in the camp an adversary to us; for with what could this fellow better ingratiate himself with his master than with the heads of these men?  5Is not this David of whom they sang responsively in the dances, saying, 
Saul has slain his thousands,
But David his ten thousands?  

6Then Achish called to David and said to him, As the Lord liveth, you are upright, and it is my desire that you should go out and in with me in the camp; for I have found no evil in you from the time that you came to me to the present, but you are not regarded favorably by the tyrants.  7Therefore now return and go in peace, that you may do nothing to displease the tyrants of the Philistines.  8And David said to Achish, But what have I done? What have you found in your servant fromt the day that I entered into your service to this day, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?  9And Achish answered and said to David, I know that you are as good in my sight as a Messenger of God, but the commanders of the Philistines have said, 'He shall not go up with us to the battle.'  10Therefore now rise early in the morning, with the servants of your lord who came with you, and go to the place where I have stationed you, and do not entertain any evil design in your heart, for you are good in my sight, but rise early in the morning and as soon as it is light, depart.  11So David rose early, together with his men, to depart in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines. The Philistines went up to Jezreel.   30Now when David and his men on the third day came to Ziklag, the Amalekites had made a raid on the South Country and upon Ziklag, and had smitten Ziklag and burnt it with fire,  2and had carried away captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great, without slaying any, and had carried them off and gone on their way.  3When David and his men came to the city, there it was burned down, and their wives and their sons and their daughters had been taken captive.  4Then David and the people who were with him wept aloud until they were no longer able to weep.  5And David's two wives had been take captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.  6And David was in great straits, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was embittered, each for his sons and for his daughters; but David strengthened himself in reliance on the Lord his God.  7And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, Bring here to me the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David.  8And David inquired of the Lord, saying, 
Shall I pursue this marauding band?
Shall I overtake them? 

He answered him, 
Pursue,
For thou shalt surely overtake,
Thou shalt surely rescue.  

9So David went, together with the six hundred men who were with him, and came to the Brook Besor, where those who were left behind remained.  10But David pursued together with four hundred men; while two hundred remained behind, who were too faint to cross the Brook Besor.  11They found an Egyptian in the field and brought him to David and gave him food to eat and water to drink;  12and they gave him a piece of cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins. When he had eaten, his spirit revived, for he had eaten no bread and drunk no water for three days and nights.  13And David said to him, To whom do you belong? Whence are you? He said I am an Egyptian lad, an Amalekite's servant, and my master abandoned me because three days ago I fell sick.  14We made a raid upon the South Country of the Cherethites and upon that which belongs to Judah and upon the South Country of Caleb, and Ziklag we burned with fire.  15And David said to him, Will you bring me down to this band? He said, Swear to me by God, that you will neither kill me nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring you down to this band.  16When he had brought him down, there they were spread over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing, on account of all the great spoil that they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah.  17And David smote them from twilight to evening in order to destroy them completely. None escaped except four hundred young men, who rode upon the camels and fled.  18And David recovered all the persons whom the Amalekites had taken; and David rescued his two wives.  19There was nothing of them missing either small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that they had taken to themselves — David brought back all.  20He took all the flocks and the herds and drove those animals before the people, and they said, This is David's spoil.  21Now when David came to the two hundred men, who had been too faint to follow him, so that he had to leave them behind at the Brooks Besor, they went out to meet David, and the people who were with him. When they came near to the people, they saluted them.  22Then all the wicked and base scoundrels among the men who went with David began to say, Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except to each, his wife and his children, that he may take them away and depart.  23But David said, Do not so, after that which the Lord hath given us and after he hath preserved us and delivered the marauding band that came against us into our hand.  24Who will give heed to you in this matter? For: 
As is the share of him who goes down into battle,
So is the share of him who remains with the baggage.
They shall share alike.  

25From that time on he made it a statute and precedent in Israel to this day.  26When David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the spoil to the elders of Judah, his friends, saying, See! a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of the Lord,  27to them who were in Bethel, in Ramoth in the South Country, in Jattir,  28in Aroer, in Siphmoth, and to them who were in Eshtemoa,  29in Carmel, in the cities of Jerahmeelites, in the cities of the Kenites,  30in Hormah, Beersheba, in Athach,  31in Hebron, and to those in all the places where David and his men had sojourned.   31Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the Israelites fled from before the Philistines and fell down slain on Mount Gilboa.  2The Philistines followed close after Saul and his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchishua, the sons of Saul.  3They pressed hard upon Saul, and the archers found him out, and he was wounded by the archers.  4Then said Saul to his armorbearer, Draw your sword and run me through with it, lest these uncircumcised Philistines come and make sport of me. But his armorbearer would not, for he was greatly afraid. Therefore Saul took his own sword and fell upon it.  5When his armorbearer saw that Saul was dead, he likewise fell upon his sword and died with him.  6So Saul and his three sons and his armorbearer died together on the same day.  7When the Israelites who were in the cities of the valley and in the cities of the Jordan saw that the Israelites had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they also left the cities and fled, and the Philistines came and remained in them.  8But when on the following day the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.  9They cut off his head and stripped off his armor and sent throughout the land of the Philistines to bring good news to their idols and to the people.  10They put his armor in the temple of Ashtarte, and they fastened his body on the wall of Bethshan.  11When the inhabitants of Jabesh in Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,  12all the valiant men arose and marched all night and took the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Bethshan; and they came to Jabesh and lamendted over them there.  13They took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.