First Samuel

11Now {there} was a man from Ramathaim Zophim, from 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. 2And two wives {were} to him. The name of the one {was} Hannah, and the name of the second {was} Peninnah. And children were to Peninnah, but to Hannah children {were} not. 3And that man went up from his city from days to days to worship and to sacrifice to Yahweh of Armies in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, priests to Yahweh, {were} there. 4And it was the day, and Elkanah sacrificed, and he gave portions to Peninnah his wife and to all of her sons and her daughters. 5But to Hannah he gave one portion {for} two faces, for he loved Hannah but Yahweh had shut her womb, 6but her adversary also provoked her {with} provocation in order to make her thunder, because Yahweh had shut up her womb. 7And thus he did year by year; according to her going up to the house of Yahweh, thus she would provoke her. And she wept and did not eat. 8And Elkanah, her husband, said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? And why do you not eat? And why is your heart bad? {Am} I not better for you than ten sons?”

9And Hannah arose after eating and after drinking in Shiloh. (Now Eli the priest was sitting on a seat by the doorpost of the temple of Yahweh.) 10And she {was} bitter of soul, and she prayed to Yahweh, and weeping, she wept. 11And she vowed a vow, and she said, “Yahweh of Armies, if looking, you will look on the affliction of your female servant and remember me and not forget your female servant and give to your female servant a seed of men, then I will give him to Yahweh all of the days of his life, and a razor will not go up on his head.”

12And it happened, as she made much to pray to the face of Yahweh, that Eli was watching her mouth. 13Now Hannah, she was speaking in her heart. Only her lips were moving, and her voice was not heard. So Eli considered her to {be} drunk. 14And Eli said to her, “Until when will you make yourself drunk? Remove your wine from you!” 15And Hannah answered and said, “No, my lord, a woman sorrowful of spirit {am} I. And wine and beer I have not drunk, but I have been pouring out my soul to the face of Yahweh. 16Do not give your female servant to the face of a daughter of wickedness. For from the abundance of my complaint and my provocation I have been speaking until now.” 17And Eli answered and said, “Go in peace. And may the God of Israel grant your request that you requested from him.” 18And she said, “May your maidservant find favor in your eyes.” And the woman went on her way, and she ate. And her face was no longer to her.

19And they arose early in the morning and worshiped to the face of Yahweh. Then they returned and came to their house in Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and Yahweh remembered her. 20And it happened, in the turning of the days, that Hannah conceived and bore a son. And she called his name Samuel, for “I requested him from Yahweh.”

21And the man Elkanah and all of his house went up to sacrifice to Yahweh the sacrifice of the days and his vow. 22But Hannah did not go up. For she said to her husband, “Until the boy is weaned, then I will bring him. And he will be seen at the face of Yahweh and dwell there forever.” 23And Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do the good in your eyes. Stay until you have weaned him. Only may Yahweh raise up his word.” And the woman stayed and nursed her son until she had weaned him. 24And she brought him up with her when she had weaned him, with three bulls and one ephah {of} flour and a skin of wine. And she brought him {to} the house of Yahweh {at} Shiloh. (Now the boy was a boy.) 25And they slaughtered the bull, and they brought the boy to Eli. 26And she said, “Please, my lord! The life of your soul, my lord, I {am} the woman having stationed herself with you in this {place} to pray to Yahweh. 27For this boy I prayed, and Yahweh gave to me my request that I requested from him. 28And also I have granted him to Yahweh; all of the days that he is, he {is} granted to Yahweh.” And he worshiped Yahweh there.

21And Hannah prayed and said,

“My heart rejoices in Yahweh,

my horn is high in Yahweh.

My mouth {is} wide against my enemies,

for I rejoice in your salvation.

2None {is} holy like Yahweh.

Indeed, {there is} none besides you,

and {there is} no rock like our God.

3May you not multiply, may you {not} speak, haughty, haughty!

Let the arrogant go out from your mouth.

For Yahweh {is} a God of knowledge,

and by him actions are weighed.

4The bow of the mighty are broken,

but the stumbling ones gird on strength.

5The satisfied hire themselves out for bread,

but the hungry cease.

Even the barren bears seven,

but the plenteous of sons languishes.

6Yahweh makes die and makes alive,

causing to go down to Sheol and causing to come up.

7Yahweh is making poor and making rich,

bringing down yet bringing up.

8Raising the poor from the dust,

he lifts up the needy from the trash heap

to make {them} sit with nobles,

and he makes them inherit a seat of honor.

For the pillars of the earth {are} to Yahweh,

and he has set the world on them.

9He will keep the feet of his faithful ones,

but the wicked will be silenced in darkness.

For not by strength does a man prevail.

10{By} Yahweh, the ones opposing him will be shattered.

He will make thunder against him in the heavens.

Yahweh will judge the ends of the earth.

And he will give strength to his king

and lift up the horn of his anointed one.”

11Then Elkanah went to Ramah, to his house. And the boy was serving Yahweh at the face of Eli the priest.

12Now the sons of Eli {were} sons of wickedness. They did not know Yahweh. 13Now the custom of the priests with the people {was}, {when} any man was sacrificing a sacrifice, that the servant of the priest would come at the boiling of the meat, and a fork {with} three prongs {was} in his hand, 14and he would thrust {it} into the pan or into the kettle or into the cauldron or into the pot. All that the fork brought up, the priest would take with him. Thus they did to all of Israel, {to} the ones coming there at Shiloh. 15Also, before they burned the fat, the servant of the priest would come, and he would say to the man sacrificing, “Give meat to the priest to roast, and he will not take boiled meat from you, but surely raw.” 16And the man would say to him, “Burning, let them burn the fat as the day, then take for yourself what your soul desires.” But he would say, “No, but you shall give now, and if not, I will take by force.” 17So the sin of the young men {was} very great at the face of Yahweh. For the men disdained the offering of Yahweh.

18Now Samuel was serving at the face of Yahweh, a boy girded {with} an ephod of linen. 19And his mother would make a small robe for him, and she would bring {it} to him from days to days, in her coming up with her husband to sacrifice the sacrifice of the days. 20And Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and would say, “May Yahweh give seed to you from this woman in place of the request that one requested of Yahweh.” And they would go to his place. 21For Yahweh visited Hannah, and she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. And the boy Samuel grew with Yahweh.

22Now Eli was very old. And he heard all that his sons were doing to all of Israel and that they were lying with the women serving {at} the entrance of the tent of meeting. 23And he said to them, “Why do you do like these things, that I am hearing evil things of you from all of these people? 24No, my sons! For the report {is} not good that I am hearing the people of Yahweh passing on. 25If a man sins against a man, then God will intercede for him, but if a man sins against Yahweh, who will intercede for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for Yahweh desired to make them die. 26But the boy Samuel was going and growing and {was} good both with Yahweh and also with men.

27And a man of God came to Eli and said to him, “Thus says Yahweh, ‘Revealing myself, did I {not} reveal myself to the house of your father in their being in Egypt, to the house of Pharaoh? 28And I chose him from all of the tribes of Israel for myself for a priest, to go up on my altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod to my face. And I gave to the house of your father all of the gifts of the sons of Israel. 29Why do you kick at my sacrifice and at my offering that I commanded {for} the Dwelling and honor your sons more than me by the fattening of yourselves from the first of every offering of Israel, of my people? 30Therefore’—the declaration of Yahweh, the God of Israel—‘saying, I said your house and the house of your father would walk about to my face forever. But now’—the declaration of Yahweh—‘profane to me! For the ones honoring me, I will honor, but the ones disdaining me, they will despise. 31Behold, the days are coming when I will cut off your arm and the arm of the house of your father from the being of an old man in your house. 32And you will see the distress of the Dwelling, in all that he will do good with Israel. And an old man will not be in your house all of the days. 33But I will not cut off a man to you from near my altar, to make your eyes fail and to make your soul grieve. And all of the increase of your house will die {as} men. 34And this {is} the sign for you that will come to the two of your sons, to Hophni and Phinehas: in one day the two of them will die. 35And I will raise up for myself a faithful priest. He will do just as {is} in my heart and in my soul. And I will build for him an established house, and he will walk about to the face of my anointed all of the days. 36And it will happen that every remaining one in your house will come to bow down to him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread, and he will say, “Please assign me to one of the priestly positions to eat a piece of bread.”’”

31Now the boy Samuel was serving Yahweh to the face of Eli. And the word of Yahweh was rare in those days; vision {was} not spread. 2And it happened in that day that Eli was lying down in his place. Now his eyes had begun {to be} dim; he was not able to see. 3And the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of Yahweh, where the Box of God was there.

4And Yahweh called to Samuel. And he said, “Behold me.” 5And he ran to Eli and said, “Behold me, for you called to me.” But he said, “I did not call. Go back, lie down.” So he went and lay down. 6And Yahweh resumed calling Samuel again. And Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Behold me, for you called to me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son. Go back, lie down.” 7(Now Samuel did not yet know Yahweh, for the word of Yahweh had not yet been revealed to him.) 8And Yahweh resumed calling Samuel for a third {time}. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Behold me, for you called to me.” Then Eli understood that Yahweh was calling to the boy. 9And Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down. And it will happen that, if he calls to you, then you shall say, ‘Speak, Yahweh, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10And Yahweh came and stationed himself and called as time upon time, “Samuel, Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

11And Yahweh said to Samuel, “Behold, I am doing a thing in Israel that everyone hearing it, the two of his ears will tingle. 12In that day I will raise up against Eli all of what I have spoken against his house, beginning and ending. 13Now I have declared to him that I am judging his house forever for the iniquity that he knew. For his sons have been cursing themselves, but he has not restrained them. 14And therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli, ‘If forever the iniquity of the house of Eli will cover itself by sacrifice or by offering!’” 15And Samuel lay until the morning, then he opened the doors of the house of Yahweh. But Samuel was afraid of telling the vision to Eli. 16But Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” And he said, “Behold me.” 17And he said, “What {was} the word that he spoke to you? Please do not hide {it} from me. Thus may God do to you, and thus may he add, if you hide from me a word from all of the word that he spoke to you.” 18So Samuel declared to him all of the words, and he did not hide {anything} from him. And he said, “It {is} Yahweh. May he do the good in his eyes.”

19And Samuel grew, and Yahweh was with him, and he did not cause {anything} from all of his words to fall to the ground. 20So all of Israel, from Dan and unto Beersheba, knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of Yahweh. 21And Yahweh continued to appear in Shiloh. For Yahweh revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of Yahweh.

41And the word of Samuel was to all of Israel.

Now Israel went out to meet the Philistines for battle. And they camped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines camped at Aphek. 2And the Philistines arrayed to meet Israel, and the battle spread, and Israel was struck to the face of the Philistines. And they struck in the array in the field about 4,000 men. 3And the people came into the camp, and the elders of Israel said, “Why did Yahweh strike us today to the face of the Philistines? Let us take for ourselves from Shiloh the Box of the Covenant of Yahweh, and it will come in our midst, and it will save us from the palm of our enemies.” 4So the people sent to Shiloh, and they carried from there the Box of the Covenant of Yahweh of Armies, sitter on the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, {were} there with the Box of the Covenant of God.

5And it happened at the coming of the Box of the Covenant of Yahweh into the camp that all of Israel shouted a great shout, and the earth resounded. 6And the Philistines heard the sound of the shout, and they said, “What {is} the sound of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews?” Then they learned that the Box of Yahweh had come into the camp. 7And the Philistines feared, for they said, “A god has come into the camp!” And they said, “Woe to us! For it was not like this yesterday {or} the third day! 8Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are they, the gods having struck the Egyptians with every plague in the wilderness. 9Strengthen yourselves and be men, Philistines, lest you serve for the Hebrews, just as they have served for you. So be men and fight!” 10And the Philistines fought, and Israel was struck and fled, a man to his tent. And it was a very great striking, for 30,000 foot soldiers from Israel fell. 11And the Box of God was taken, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

12And a man of Benjamin ran from the array and entered Shiloh on that day. And his clothes were torn, and earth was on his head. 13And he came, and behold, Eli was sitting on a seat at the side of the road, watching, for his heart {was} afraid concerning the Box of God. And the man came into the city to report, and all of the city cried out. 14And Eli heard the sound of the outcry, and he said, “What {is} the sound of this tumult?” And the man hurried and came and reported to Eli. 15Now Eli {was} a son of 98 years. And his eyes had set, and he was not able to see. 16And the man said to Eli, “I {am} the one coming from the array, and I myself fled from the array today.” And he said, “What was the event, my son?” 17And the one bringing news answered and said, “Israel fled to the face of the Philistines. And also a great slaughter has been among the people. And also the two of your sons, Hophni and Phinehas, have died, and the Box of God has been taken.” 18And it happened, in his mentioning of the Box of God, that he fell backward from upon the seat at the side of the gate. And his neck was broken, and he died, for the man {was} old and heavy. And he had judged Israel 40 years.

19Now his daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, {was} pregnant, {about} to give birth. And she heard the report about the Box of God being taken and {that} her father-in-law had died and her husband. And she knelt down and gave birth, for her pangs turned themselves upon her. 20And about the time of her dying, then the ones standing over her said, “Do not fear, for you have borne a son.” But she did not answer, for she did not set her heart. 21And she called the boy Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel,” about the Box of God being taken and about her father-in-law and her husband. 22Now she said “the glory has departed from Israel” because the Box of God had been taken.

51Now the Philistines had taken the Box of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2And the Philistines took the Box of God and caused it to enter the house of Dagon. And they placed it beside Dagon. 3And the Ashdodites arose early on the next day, and behold, Dagon was fallen on his face to the ground to the face of the Box of Yahweh. And they took Dagon and returned him to his place. 4And they arose early in the morning on the next day, and behold, Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground to the face of the Box of Yahweh. And the head of Dagon and the two of the palms of his hands were cut off, on the threshold. Only Dagon was left on him. 5(Therefore the priests of Dagon and all of the ones entering the house of Dagon do not tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.)

6And the hand of Yahweh was heavy on the Ashdodites, and he devastated them and struck them with tumors, Ashdod and its borders. 7And the men of Ashdod saw that {it was} thus, and they said, “The Box of the God of Israel should not stay with us, for his hand is severe against us and against Dagon our god.” 8So they sent and gathered all of the lords of the Philistines to them, and they said, “What shall we do with the Box of the God of Israel?” And they said, “Let the Box of the God of Israel go around {to} Gath.” So they brought around the Box of the God of Israel.

9And it happened after they brought it around that the hand of Yahweh was on the city, a very great tumult. And he struck the men of the city from small and unto great. And tumors broke out on them. 10So they sent the Box of God {to} Ekron. And it happened as the Box of God entered Ekron that the Ekronites cried out, saying, “They have brought around to me the Box of the God of Israel to kill me and my people!” 11And they sent and gathered all of the lords of the Philistines, and they said, “Send away the Box of the God of Israel that it may return to its place, and it will not kill me and my people!” For there was a tumult of death in all of the city. The hand of God {was} very heavy there. 12And the men who did not die were struck with tumors. And the cry of the city went up to the heavens.

61And the Box of Yahweh was in the field of the Philistines seven months. 2And the Philistines called to the priests and to the diviners, saying, “What should we do with the Box of Yahweh? Cause us to know with what we should send it to its place.” 3And they said, “If you are sending away the Box of the God of Israel, do not send it away empty, but returning, return to him a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why his hand has not turned from you.” 4And they said, “What {is} the guilt offering that we should return to him?” And they said, “From the number of the lords of the Philistines, five tumors of gold and five mice of gold, for one plague was to all of them and to your lords. 5And you shall make images of your tumors and images of your mice, the ones destroying the land, and you shall give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps he will lighten his hand from upon you and from upon your gods and from upon your land. 6And why do you make your heart heavy, just as the Egyptians and Pharaoh made their heart heavy? When he dealt severely with them, did they not send them away, and they went? 7And now, take and make a new cart, and two nursing cows upon which a yoke has not gone up. And you shall harness the cows to the cart, but you shall return their calves from behind them to the house. 8And you shall take the Box of Yahweh and put it into the cart, and you shall set the objects of gold that you are returning to him {as} a guilt offering in a box by its side. And you shall send it away, that it may go. 9And you shall look; if it goes up the way of its border, {to} Beth Shemesh, he has done this great harm to us. But if not, then we will know that his hand has not touched us; it has happened to us {by} chance.”

10And the men did thus, for they took two nursing cows, and they harnessed them to the cart, but they shut up their calves in the house. 11And they set the Box of Yahweh in the cart and the box and the mice of gold and the images of their tumors. 12And the cows went straight in the way on the way of Beth Shemesh. They went in one path, going and lowing, and they did not turn {to} the right or {to} the left. And the lords of the Philistines were going after them unto the border of Beth Shemesh. 13Now Beth Shemesh was harvesting the harvest of wheat in the valley. And they lifted up their eyes, and they saw the Box, and they rejoiced to see {it}. 14And the cart came into the field of Joshua the Bethshemite, and it stood still there. Now a great stone was there. And they broke up the wood of the cart, and they offered the cows {as} a burnt offering to Yahweh.

15Now the Levites had taken down the Box of Yahweh and the box that {was} with it, in which were the objects of gold, and they had set {them} on the great stone. And the men of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices on that day to Yahweh. 16And the five lords of the Philistines saw, and they returned {to} Ekron on that day.

17And these {are} the tumors of gold that the Philistines returned {as} a guilt offering to Yahweh: for Ashdod, one; for Gaza, one; for Ashkelon, one; for Gath, one; for Ekron, one. 18And the mice of gold {were} from the number of all of the cities of the Philistines {that were} to the five lords, from the city of fortification and to the village of the countryside and to the great Abel, on which they rested the Box of Yahweh. {It is} in the field of Joshua the Bethshemite to this day. 19But he struck among the men of Beth Shemesh because they looked into the Box of Yahweh. And he struck among the people 70 men, 50,000 men. And the people mourned because Yahweh had struck a great striking among the people. 20And the men of Beth Shemesh said, “Who is able to stand to the face of Yahweh, this holy God? And to whom will he go up from upon us?” 21And they sent messengers to the dwellers of Kiriath Jearim, saying, “The Philistines have returned the Box of Yahweh. Come down and bring it up to you.”

71And the men of Kiriath Jearim came and lifted up the Box of Yahweh and brought it to the house of Abinadab on the hill. And they consecrated Eleazar his son to keep the Box of Yahweh.

2And it happened from the day of the dwelling of the Box in Kiriath Jearim that the days were many, and they were 20 years. And all of the house of Israel lamented after Yahweh. 3And Samuel spoke to all of the house of Israel, saying “If with all of your heart you are returning to Yahweh, remove the gods of the foreigner and the Ashtoreths from your midst and direct your heart toward Yahweh and serve him alone, and he will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.” 4And the sons of Israel removed the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and they served Yahweh alone.

5And Samuel said, “Gather all of Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray for you to Yahweh.” 6And they gathered at Mizpah, and they drew water and poured {it} to the face of Yahweh. And they fasted on that day, and they said there, “We have sinned against Yahweh.” And Samuel judged the sons of Israel at Mizpah. 7And the Philistines heard that the sons of Israel had gathered themselves at Mizpah, and the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And the sons of Israel heard, and they feared from the face of the Philistines. 8And the sons of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not cease from crying out for us to Yahweh our God, and may he save us from the hand of the Philistines!” 9And Samuel took a lamb of milk, and he offered it, a whole burnt offering to Yahweh. And Samuel cried out to Yahweh for Israel, and Yahweh answered him. 10And Samuel was offering the burnt offering, and the Philistines approached for battle with Israel. And Yahweh thundered with a great sound on that day against the Philistines, and he panicked them, and they were struck to the face of Israel. 11For the men of Israel went out from Mizpah, and they pursued the Philistines, and they struck them unto below Beth Kar.

12And Samuel took a stone and set {it} up between Mizpah and between Shen. And he called its name Ebenezer, for he said, “Unto here has Yahweh helped us.” 13So the Philistines were subdued, and they did not resume again to enter into the border of Israel. And the hand of Yahweh was against the Philistines all of the days of Samuel. 14And the cities that the Philistines had taken from Israel returned to Israel, from Ekron and unto Gath, and Israel delivered their border from the hand of the Philistines. And peace was between Israel and between the Amorite.

15And Samuel judged Israel all of the days of his life. 16And he went according to year by year and went around Bethel and Gilgal and Mizpah, and he judged Israel {in} all of those places. 17And his return was to Ramah, for his house was there, and there he judged Israel. And he built an altar there to Yahweh.

81And it happened, when Samuel had aged, that he appointed his sons judges of Israel. 2And the name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah, judges in Beersheba. 3But his sons did not walk in his ways, for they turned aside after dishonest gain, and they took a bribe, and they turned aside justice.

4And all of the elders of Israel gathered together, and they came to Samuel at Ramah. 5And they said to him, “Behold, you yourself have aged, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us, like all of the nations.” 6And the thing was bad in the eyes of Samuel when they said, “Give to us a king to judge us.” So Samuel prayed to Yahweh.

7And Yahweh said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people according to all that they have said to you. For they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from reigning over them. 8According to all of the deeds that they have done from the day I brought them up from Egypt and to this day, that they have forsaken me and served other gods, thus they are doing also to you. 9And now, listen to their voice, only that warning, you shall warn them and declare to them the custom of the king who will reign over them.”

10And Samuel told all of the words of Yahweh to the people requesting a king from him. 11And he said, “This will be the custom of the king who will reign over you. He will take your sons and appoint {them} for himself in his chariot and among his horsemen, and they will run to the face of his chariot. 12And {he will} appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and to plow his plowing, and to harvest his harvest, and to make the implements of his war and the implements of his chariot. 13And he will take your daughters for perfumers and for cooks and for bakers. 14And your fields and your vineyards and your olive trees, the best {ones}, he will take and give to his servants. 15And your seeds and your vintages, he will tithe and give to his officials and to his servants. 16And your {male} servants and your maidservants and your young men, the best {ones}, and your donkeys, he will take and use for his work. 17Your flock, he will tithe, and you yourselves will be to him for servants. 18And you will cry out on that day from to the face of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but Yahweh will not answer you on that day.” 19But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel. And they said, “No! But surely a king will be over us. 20And we ourselves shall also be like all of the nations. And our king shall judge us and go out to our face and fight our battles.” 21And Samuel heard all of the words of the people, and he spoke them in the ears of Yahweh. 22And Yahweh said to Samuel, “Listen to their voice, and you shall make a king reign over them.” And Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Go, a man to his city.”

91Now {there} was a man from Benjamin, and his name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah, the son of a man, a Benjaminite, mighty of valor. 2And a son was to him, and his name {was} Saul, a youth and good, and no man from the sons of Israel {was} better than him. From his shoulder and upward {he was} taller than all of the people. 3Now the female donkeys of Kish, the father of Saul, became lost. And Kish said to Saul his son, “Please take one of the servants with you and arise, go seek the female donkeys.” 4And he passed through the hill country of Ephraim, and he passed through the land of Shalishah, but they did not find {them}. And they passed through the land of Shaalim, but nothing. And he passed through the land of the Benjaminite, but they did not find {them}.

5They came into the land of Zuph, and Saul said to his servant who was with him, “Come, and let us return, lest my father cease from the female donkeys and become concerned about us.” 6And he said to him, “Behold, please, a man of God {is} in this city, and the man is honored. All that he speaks, coming, it comes. Now let us go there. Perhaps he will declare to us our way on which we have gone.” 7And Saul said to his servant, “Now behold, we shall go, but what shall we bring to the man? For the bread has gone from our sacks and {there is} no gift to bring to the man of God. What {is} with us?” 8And the servant resumed to answer Saul, and he said, “Behold, one fourth of a shekel of silver has been found in my hand. And I will give {it} to the man of God, and he will declare to us our way.” 9(Previously in Israel, a man said thus in his going to seek God: “Come, and let us go to the seer.” For the prophet today was called the seer previously.) 10And Saul said to his servant, “Your word is good. Come, let us go.” And they went to the city where the man of God was there. 11They were going up on the ascent of the city, and they found young women going out to draw water. And they said to them, “Is the seer in this {place}?” 12And they answered them and said, “He is, behold, to your face. Hurry now, for he has come to the city today because the sacrifice of the day {is} to the people at the high place. 13In your entering the city, thus you will find him, before he goes up to the high place to eat. For the people will not eat until he comes, for he himself will bless the sacrifice; after this, the invited {ones} will eat. And now, go up, for him, according to today you will find him.” 14So they went up {to} the city. They were entering into the midst of the city, and behold, Samuel was coming out to meet them to go up {to} the high place.

15Now Yahweh had uncovered the ear of Samuel one day before the coming of Saul, saying: 16“About {this} time tomorrow I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him as ruler over my people Israel. And he will save my people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have seen my people, for its cry has come to me.” 17And Samuel saw Saul, and Yahweh answered him, “Behold the man {about} whom I spoke to you! This {one} will restrain my people.” 18And Saul approached Samuel in the midst of the gate. And he said, “Please declare to me, where {is} this, the house of the seer?” 19And Samuel answered Saul and said, “I {am} the seer. Go up to my face to the high place, and you shall eat with me today. And I will send you away in the morning, and I will declare to you all that {is} in your heart. 20Now as for the female donkeys to you having become lost today, three days, do not set your heart to them, for they have been found. Now to whom is all of the desire of Israel? {Is it} not to you and to all of the house of your father?” 21And Saul answered and said, “{Am} I not a Benjamite, from the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and {is not} my clan the least of all of the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? So why have you spoken to me according to this word?”

22But Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them to the room. And he gave to them a place at the head of the invited {ones}. (Now they {were} about 30 men.) 23And Samuel said to the cook, “Give the portion that I gave to you, {about} which I said to you, ‘Set it with you.’” 24And the cook lifted the thigh and the {thing} on it, and he set {it} to the face of Saul. And he said, “Behold, the reserved {thing} is set to your face. Eat, for {it has been} kept for you for the appointed time, saying, ‘I have invited the people.’” So Saul ate with Samuel on that day.

25And they came down from the high place {to} the city. And he spoke with Saul on the roof. 26And they arose early. And it happened, as the dawn came up, that Samuel called to Saul on the roof, saying, “Arise, and I will send you away.” And Saul arose, and the two of them went out, he and Samuel, to the outside. 27They were going down to the end of the city, and Samuel said to Saul, “Speak to the servant, that he may pass on to our face” (and he passed on), “but you, stand according to today, and I will make you hear the word of God.”

101And Samuel took a flask of oil and poured {it} on his head, and he kissed him. And he said, “{Is it} not that Yahweh has anointed you as ruler over his inheritance? 2In your going today from with me, then you will find two men near the tomb of Rachel in the border of Benjamin in Zelzah. And they will say to you, ‘The female donkeys that you went to seek have been found. And behold, your father has abandoned the matters of the female donkeys and has become concerned about you, saying, “What shall I do about my son?”’ 3And you will go on from there and farther, and you will come to the oak of Tabor. And three men going up to God {at} Bethel will find you there, one carrying three young goats and one carrying three loaves of bread and one carrying a skin of wine. 4And they will ask about you regarding peace, and they will give to you two {loaves of} bread, and you shall take {them} from their hand. 5After this you will come {to} Gibeah of God, where the garrisons of the Philistines {are} there. And it will happen, in your coming there {to} the city, that you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place. And to their face {will be} a harp and a tambourine and a flute and a lyre. And they will be prophesying. 6And the Spirit of Yahweh will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them. And you will be changed into another man. 7And let it be, when these signs come to you, do for yourself what your hand finds, for God is with you. 8But go down to my face {to} Gilgal. And behold, I will be coming down to you to offer burnt offerings, to sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings. May you wait seven days until my coming to you, and I will make known to you what you shall do.” 9And it happened, as he turned his shoulder to go from with Samuel, that God changed to him another heart. And all of these signs came on that day.

10And they came there to Gibeah, and behold, a group of prophets met him. And the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he prophesied in their midst. 11And it happened that every {one} knowing him from yesterday and the third day saw, and behold, {he was} prophesying with the prophets, and the people said, a man to his neighbor, “What {is} this {that} has happened to the son of Kish? {Is} Saul also among the prophets?” 12And a man from there answered and said, “And who {is} their father?” Therefore it became a proverb, “Is Saul also among the prophets?” 13And he ceased from prophesying, and he came to the high place. 14And the uncle of Saul said to him and to his servant, “Where did you go?” And he said, “To seek the female donkeys. And we saw that {they were} not, so we came to Samuel.” 15And the uncle of Saul said, “Please declare to me what Samuel said to you.” 16And Saul said to his uncle, “Declaring, he declared to us that the female donkeys had been found.” But he did not declare to him the word of the kingship that Samuel had said.

17And Samuel summoned the people to Yahweh at Mizpah. 18And he said to the sons of Israel, “Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel: ‘I myself brought up Israel from Egypt. And I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all of the kingdoms oppressing you.’ 19But you today have rejected your God, him who is saving you from all of your calamities and your distresses. And you have said to him that ‘you shall set a king over us.’ And now, station yourselves to the face of Yahweh according to your tribes and according to your thousands.” 20And Samuel brought near all of the tribes of Israel, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken. 21And he brought near the tribe of Benjamin according to its clans, and the clan of the Matrite was taken. And Saul, the son of Kish, was taken, so they sought him, but he was not found. 22So they asked of Yahweh again, “Has the man come here yet?” And Yahweh said, “Behold, he has hidden himself among the bags.” 23And they ran, and they took him from there. And he stationed himself in the midst of the people. And he was taller than any of the people from his shoulder and upward. 24And Samuel said to all of the people, “Do you see upon whom Yahweh has chosen? For {there is} no one like him among all of the people!” And all of the people shouted and said, “May the king live!”

25And Samuel spoke to the people the custom of the kingship, and he wrote {it} in a book, and he made {it} rest to the face of Yahweh. And Samuel sent away all of the people, a man to his house. 26And Saul also went to his house at Gibeah. And with him went the mighty whom God had touched upon their hearts. 27But some sons of wickedness said, “How shall this {one} save us?” And they despised him, and they did not bring a gift to him. But he was like one being silent.

111Now Nahash the Ammonite came up and camped against Jabesh Gilead. And all of the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Cut a covenant for us, and we will serve you.” 2And Nahash the Ammonite said to them, “By this I will cut for you, in the gouging of every right eye of you. And I will set it {as} a disgrace against all of Israel.” 3And the elders of Jabesh said to him, “Leave us alone seven days, and let us send messengers through all of the border of Israel. And if {there is} no one saving us, then we will go out to you.” 4And the messengers came {to} Gibeah of Saul, and they spoke the words in the ears of the people. And all of the people lifted up their voice and wept.

5And behold, Saul was coming behind the oxen from the field. And Saul said, “What {is} to the people, that they are weeping?” And they recounted to him the words of the men of Jabesh. 6And the Spirit of God rushed upon Saul in his hearing these words. And his nose burned greatly. 7And he took a pair of cattle and cut it into pieces, and he sent through all of the border of Israel by the hand of the messengers, saying, “Whoever is not going out behind Saul and behind Samuel, thus shall be done to his oxen.” And the fear of Yahweh fell on the people, and they went out as one man. 8And he mustered them at Bezek. And the sons of Israel were 300,000, and the men of Judah {were} 30,000. 9And they said to the messengers having come, “Thus you shall say to the men of Jabesh Gilead, ‘Tomorrow deliverance will be for you, at the heat of the sun.’” And the messengers went and declared {this} to the men of Jabesh, and they rejoiced. 10And the men of Jabesh said, “Tomorrow we will go out to you. And you may do to us according to all of the good in your eyes.”

11And it happened on the next day that Saul put the people {into} three companies. And they came into the midst of the camp during the watch of the morning, and they struck Ammon until the heat of the day. And it happened that the {ones} being left scattered, and two among them were not left together. 12And the people said to Samuel, “Who {are} the {ones} having said, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ Give the men, that we may make them die.” 13But Saul said, “A man shall not be made to die on this day. For today Yahweh has done deliverance in Israel.”

14And Samuel said to the people, “Come, and let us go {to} Gilgal, and let us renew the kingship there.” 15And all of the people went {to} Gilgal, and there they caused Saul to reign to the face of Yahweh at Gilgal. And there they sacrificed sacrifices, peace offerings, to the face of Yahweh. And Saul and all of the men of Israel rejoiced there unto abundance.

121And Samuel said to all of Israel, “Behold, I have listened to your voice according to all of what you said to me, and I have made a king reign over you. 2And now, behold, the king is walking to your faces. Now I myself have aged and have become gray-headed and my sons, behold them with you. Now I myself have walked to your faces from my youth to this day. 3Behold me! Testify against me before Yahweh and before his anointed. The ox of whom have I taken, or the donkey of whom have I taken, or whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed, or from the hand of whom have I taken a bribe and I veiled my eyes with it? And I will restore {it} to you.” 4And they said, “You have not defrauded us, and you have not oppressed us, and you have not taken anything from the hand of a man.” 5And he said to them, “Yahweh {is} a witness against you, and his anointed {is} a witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand.” And he said, “Witness.”

6And Samuel said to the people, “{It was} Yahweh who made Moses and Aaron and who brought up your fathers from the land of Egypt. 7And now, station yourselves and let me be judged with you to the face of Yahweh with all of the righteousness of Yahweh that he has done with you and with your fathers. 8When Jacob had entered Egypt and your fathers cried out to Yahweh, then Yahweh sent Moses and Aaron, and they brought out your fathers from Egypt and they made them dwell in this place. 9But they forgot Yahweh their God. So he sold them into the hand of Sisera, the commander of the army of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab. And they fought with them. 10Then they cried out to Yahweh and said, ‘We have sinned, for we have forsaken Yahweh and have served the Baals and the Ashtoreths. And now, deliver us from the hand of our enemies, and we will serve you.’ 11So Yahweh sent Jerubbaal and Bedan and Jephthah and Samuel. And he delivered you from the hand of your enemies from all around, and you dwelled in security. 12But you saw that Nahash, the king of the sons of Ammon, was coming against you, and you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ though Yahweh your God {was} your king. 13But now, behold the king whom you have chosen, whom you have requested. And behold, Yahweh has given a king over you. 14If you fear Yahweh and serve him and listen to his voice and do not rebel against the mouth of Yahweh, then you will be, both you and the king who reigns over you, after Yahweh your God. 15But if you do not listen to the voice of Yahweh and you rebel against the mouth of Yahweh, then the hand of Yahweh will be against you and against your fathers. 16Even now station yourselves and see this great thing that Yahweh is doing before your eyes. 17{Is it} not the harvest of wheat today? I will call to Yahweh, and he will give thunder and rain. And know and see that your evil that you have done is great in the eyes of Yahweh, to request a king for yourselves.”

18Then Samuel called upon Yahweh, and Yahweh gave thunder and rain on that day. And all of the people greatly feared Yahweh and Samuel. 19And all of the people said to Samuel, “Pray for your servants to Yahweh your God, that we may not die. For we have added evil onto all of our sins by the requesting of a king for ourselves.”

20And Samuel said to the people, “Do not fear. You, you have done all of this evil, but do not turn aside from after Yahweh, but serve Yahweh with all of your heart. 21And do not turn aside, for after the nothingness that does not profit and does not deliver, for they {are} nothingness. 22For Yahweh will not forsake his people, because of his great name. For Yahweh was pleased to make you into a people for himself. 23Also, {for} me, profane to me from sinning against Yahweh by ceasing to pray for you! And I will instruct you in the good and straight way. 24But fear Yahweh and serve him in faithfulness with all of your heart. For see what he has made great with you! 25But if doing wickedly, you do wickedly, both you and your king will be swept away.”

131Saul {was} a son of a year in his becoming king, and he reigned over Israel two years. 2And Saul chose for himself 3,000 from Israel. And 2,000 were with Saul in Michmash and in the hill country of Bethel, and 1,000 were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. And the rest of the people, he sent away, a man to his tent. 3And Jonathan struck the garrison of the Philistines that {was} at Geba, and the Philistines heard. And Saul blew upon a shofar in all of the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear!” 4And all of Israel heard, saying, “Saul has struck the garrison of the Philistines, and now Israel has made itself stink among the Philistines.” And the people were summoned after Saul {to} Gilgal.

5And the Philistines gathered themselves to fight with Israel: 30,000 chariots and 6,000 horsemen and people like the sand that is on the shore of the sea for abundance. And they went up and camped at Michmash, east of Beth Aven. 6And a man of Israel saw that it was narrow to him, for the people were distressed. And the people hid themselves in caves and in thickets and in cliffs and in pits and in cisterns. 7And Hebrews crossed the Jordan {to} the land of Gad and Gilead. But Saul, he {was} still at Gilgal, and all of the people trembled after him.

8And he waited seven days to the appointed time that Samuel. But Samuel did not come {to} Gilgal, and the people were scattering from beside him. 9So Saul said, “Bring the burnt offering and the peace offerings to me.” And he offered the burnt offering. 10And it happened, as he finished offering the burnt offering that, behold, Samuel came. And Saul went out to meet him to bless him. 11And Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “When I saw that the people had scattered from beside me, and you, you had not come by the appointed time of days, and the Philistines were gathering at Michmash, 12then I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me {at} Gilgal, but I have not entreated the face of Yahweh.’ So I forced myself, and I offered the burnt offering.” 13And Samuel said to Saul, “You have acted foolishly! You have not kept the command of Yahweh your God that he commanded you. For now Yahweh would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14But now your kingdom will not stand. Yahweh has sought for himself a man according to his heart, and Yahweh has commanded him to {be} ruler over his people, for you have not kept what Yahweh commanded you.”

15And Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul mustered the people being found with him, about 600 men. 16Now Saul and Jonathan his son and the people being found with them were staying in Geba of Benjamin, and the Philistines had camped at Michmash. 17And the destroyer went out from the camp of the Philistines, three companies. One company turned to the way of Ophrah, to the land of Shual, 18and one company turned the way of Beth Horon, and one company turned the way of the border looking down upon the Valley of Zeboim, toward the wilderness.

19Now a blacksmith was not found in all of the land of Israel. For the Philistines had said, “Lest the Hebrews make a sword or a spear.” 20And all of Israel went down {to} the Philistines, a man to sharpen his plow blade and his pick and his axe and his sickle. 21And the charge was a pim for plowshares and for picks and for a three-fork and for axes and for straightening the goad. 22So it was on the day of battle that a sword or spear {was} not found in the hand of any of the people who {were} with Saul and with Jonathan, but one was found for Saul and for his son Jonathan. 23Now a garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.

141And it happened one day that Jonathan, the son of Saul, said to the young man, the carrier of his equipment, “Come, and let us cross over to the garrison of the Philistines that {is} across from here.” But he did not declare {this} to his father. 2Now Saul was staying at the edge of Gibeah under the pomegranate tree that {is} in Migron. And the people who {were} with him {were} about 600 men 3and Ahijah, the son of Ahitub, the brother of Ichabod, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the priest of Yahweh at Shiloh, wearing an ephod. And the people did not know that Jonathan had gone. 4Now within the passes that Jonathan sought to pass through to the garrison of the Philistines {were} the tooth of a rock on the side from that and the tooth of a rock on the side from this. And the name of the one {was} Bozez, and the name of the {other} one {was} Seneh. 5The tooth of the one {was} a pillar from the north before Michmash, and the {other} one {was} from the south before Geba.

6And Jonathan said to the young man, the carrier of his equipment, “Come, and let us cross over to the garrison of these uncircumcised! Perhaps Yahweh will act for us, for {there is} no hindrance to Yahweh to save by many or by few.” 7And the carrier of his equipment said to him, “Do all that {is} in your heart. Turn yourself; behold me, with you according to your heart.” 8And Jonathan said, “Behold, we will be crossing over to the men, and we will reveal ourselves to them. 9If thus they say to us, ‘Wait until we reach you,’ then we will stand under us, and we will not go up to them. 10But if thus they say, ‘Come up to us,’ then we will go up, for Yahweh has given them into our hand, and this {will be} the sign for us.” 11And the two of them revealed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines. And the Philistines said, “Behold, Hebrews are coming out from the holes where they have hidden themselves there.” 12And the men of the garrison answered Jonathan and the carrier of his equipment and said, “Come up to us, and let us make you know a thing.” And Jonathan said to the carrier of his equipment, “Come up after me, for Yahweh has given them into the hand of Israel.” 13And Jonathan went up on his hands and on his feet, and the carrier of his equipment {was} behind him. And they fell to the face of Jonathan, and the carrier of his equipment was killing behind him. 14And the first striking that Jonathan and the carrier of his equipment struck was about 20 men {in} about half of a furrow {of} a yoke of a field. 15And {there} was trembling in the camp in the field and among all of the people. The garrison and the destroyer, even they trembled. And the earth quaked, and it became a trembling of God. 16And the watchmen {who were} to Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and behold, the multitude was being melted and went, even here.

17And Saul said to the people who {were} with him, “Muster, please, and see who has gone from with us.” And they mustered, and behold, {there was} no Jonathan or the carrier of his equipment. 18And Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring near the Box of God.” For the Box of God was with the sons of Israel on that day. 19And it happened, while Saul spoke to the priest, that the tumult that {was} in the camp of the Philistines, that going, it went and became great. And Saul said to the priest, “Withdraw your hand.” 20And Saul and all of the people who {were} with him were called together, and they came to the battle. And behold, the sword of a man was against his fellow, a very great tumult. 21Now some Hebrews were to the Philistines according to yesterday and the third day who had gone up with them into the camp all around. But even they {became} to be with Israel who {was} with Saul and Jonathan. 22And all of the men of Israel having hidden themselves in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines had fled, and they pursued after them, they too, in the battle. 23And Yahweh saved Israel on that day. And the battle passed over Beth Aven.

24But the men of Israel were distressed on that day, for Saul had adjured the people, saying, “Cursed {is} the man who eats bread until the evening and I have taken vengeance on my enemies.” So all of the people had not tasted bread. 25And the whole land came into a forest, and honey was on the face of the ground. 26And the people came into the forest, and behold, the flowing of honey! But no one was reaching his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath. 27But Jonathan had not heard when his father adjured the people. So he extended the end of the staff that {was} in his hand, and he dipped it into a comb of honey. And he returned his hand to his mouth, and his eyes brightened. 28And a man from the people answered and said, “Adjuring, your father adjured the people, saying, ‘Cursed {is} the man who eats bread today.’ So the people are faint.” 29And Jonathan said, “My father has troubled the land. See, please, that my eyes have brightened because I have tasted a little of this honey. 30How much more that if eating, the people had eaten today from the plunder of their enemies that they found! For now the striking against the Philistines has not been great.”

31And on that day they struck the Philistines from Michmash {to} Aijalon. But the people were very faint. 32And the people swooped down upon the plunder, and they took flock and herd and sons of the herd, and they slaughtered {them} on the ground. And the people ate with the blood. 33Then they declared to Saul, saying, “Behold, the people are sinning against Yahweh by eating with the blood!” And he said, “You have acted unfaithfully. Roll a great stone to me today.” 34And Saul said, “Disperse among the people and say to them, ‘Bring to me, a man his ox and a man his sheep, and slaughter {them} here and eat. But you shall not sin against Yahweh by eating with the blood.’” And all of the people brought, a man his ox by his hand that night, and they slaughtered {them} there. 35And Saul built an altar to Yahweh. He began to build it, an altar to Yahweh.

36And Saul said, “Let us go down after the Philistines {by} night, and let us plunder them until the light of morning. And let us not leave a man among them.” And they said, “Do all of the good in your eyes.” But the priest said, “Let us draw near to God here.” 37And Saul inquired of God, “Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will you give them into the hand of Israel?” But he did not answer him on that day. 38Then Saul said, “Come near here, all of the cornerstones of the people! And know and see by what this sin has happened today. 39For, the life of Yahweh, the one having saved Israel, that {even} if it is by Jonathan my son, that dying, he shall die.” But {there was} no one answering him from all of the people. 40So he said to all of Israel, “You will be to one side, and I and Jonathan my son will be to one side.” And the people said to Saul, “Do the good in your eyes.” 41Then Saul said to Yahweh, the God of Israel, “Give a perfect {one}!” And Jonathan and Saul were taken, but the people went out. 42And Saul said, “Cause it to fall between me and between Jonathan my son.” And Jonathan was taken.

43And Saul said to Jonathan, “Declare to me what you have done.” And Jonathan declared to him and said, “Tasting, I tasted a little honey with the end of the staff that {was} in my hand. Behold me, I shall die.” 44And Saul said, “May God do thus, and may he add thus, for dying, you shall die, Jonathan.” 45But the people said to Saul, “Shall Jonathan die, who has done this great salvation in Israel? Profane! The life of Yahweh, if from the hair of his head should fall to the ground! For he has done with God this day.” So the people redeemed Jonathan, and he did not die.

46Then Saul went up from after the Philistines. And the Philistines went to their place. 47Now Saul had taken the kingship over Israel. And he fought with all of his enemies all around, with Moab and with the sons of Ammon and with Edom and with the kings of Zobah and with the Philistines. And upon all where he turned, he inflicted punishment. 48And he did valor, and he struck Amalek. And he delivered Israel from the hand of its plunderers.

49Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan and Ishvi and Malchi-Shua. And the names of the two of his daughters {were}: the name of the firstborn, Merab, and the name of the younger, Michal. 50And the name of the wife of Saul {was} Ahinoam, the daughter of Ahimaaz. And the name of the commander of his army {was} Abner, the son of Ner, the uncle of Saul. 51Now Kish the father of Saul and Ner the father of Abner {were} the son of Abiel. 52And the battle was strong against the Philistines all of the days of Saul. When Saul saw any man, a warrior, or any son of valor, then he gathered him to himself.

151And Samuel said to Saul, “Yahweh sent me to anoint you as king over his people, over Israel. And now, listen to the voice of the words of Yahweh.

2Thus says Yahweh of Armies, ‘I observed what Amalek did to Israel when he set against him in the way in his coming up from Egypt. 3Now go and strike Amalek and devote all that {is} to him, and do not have compassion on him, but kill from man to woman, from child and to infant, from ox and to sheep, from camel and to donkey.’”

4And Saul made the people hear, and he mustered them at Telaim, 200,000 footsoldiers and 10,000 men of Judah. 5Then Saul came to the city of Amalek, and he lay in ambush in the wadi. 6And Saul said to the Kenite, “Go, depart, go down from the midst of the Amalekite, lest I remove you with him. For you, you did kindness with all of the sons of Israel in their coming up from Egypt.” And the Kenite departed from the midst of Amalek. 7And Saul struck Amalek from Havilah {to} your coming {to} Shur, which {is} on the face of Egypt. 8Now he seized Agag, the king of Amalek, alive, but he devoted all of the people to the mouth of the sword. 9But Saul and the people had compassion on Agag and on the best of the sheep and the cattle and the second ones and on the lambs and on all of the good, and they were not willing to devote them. But all of the despised and weakened property, they devoted it.

10And the word of Yahweh was to Samuel, saying, 11“I regret that I have made Saul reign as king, for he has turned from after me and has not raised up my words.” And it was hot to Samuel, and he cried out to Yahweh all of the night. 12And Samuel arose early in the morning to meet Saul. And it was declared to Samuel, saying, “Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he was setting up a hand for himself, then he turned and passed on and went down {to} Gilgal.” 13And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “{May} you {be} blessed by Yahweh! I have raised up the word of Yahweh.” 14And Samuel said, “Then what {is} this sound of a flock in my ears? And the sound of cattle that I am hearing?” 15And Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekite. For the people had compassion on the best of the flock and the cattle, to sacrifice {them} to Yahweh your God. But the remainder, we devoted.” 16And Samuel said to Saul, “Stop, and let me declare to you what Yahweh spoke to me this night.” And he said to him, “Speak.”

17And Samuel said, “{Is it} not, if you {were} small in your eyes, you {are} the head of the tribes of Israel? For Yahweh has anointed you as king over Israel. 18And Yahweh sent you on your way, and he said, ‘Go, and you shall devote the sinners, Amalek. And you shall fight with him until the finishing of them.’ 19So why did you not listen to the voice of Yahweh? But you swooped down on the plunder, and you did evil in the eyes of Yahweh.”

20But Saul said to Samuel that, “I have listened to the voice of Yahweh, and I have gone on the way that Yahweh sent me. And I have brought Agag, the king of Amalek, and I have devoted Amalek. 21And the people took from the plunder sheep and cattle, the first of the devoted thing, to sacrifice to Yahweh your God at Gilgal.” 22And Samuel said,

“{Is} the delight of Yahweh in burnt offerings and sacrifices

as in listening to the voice of Yahweh?

Behold, listening {is} better than sacrifice,

to pay attention than the fat of rams.

23For rebellion {is} the sin of divination,

and to insist {is} iniquity and teraphim.

Because you have rejected the word of Yahweh,

he has rejected you from {being} king.”

24And Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned. For I have crossed over the mouth of Yahweh and your words, because I feared the people and listened to their voice. 25But now, please take away my sin and return with me so I may worship Yahweh.” 26But Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you. For you have rejected the word of Yahweh, so Yahweh has rejected you from {being} king over Israel.” 27And Samuel turned to go, but he seized the edge of his robe, and it was torn. 28And Samuel said to him, “Yahweh has torn the kingdom of Israel from upon you today, and he has given it to your fellow, {one} better than you. 29For indeed the Glory of Israel does not lie and does not change his mind. For he {is} not a man, to change his mind.” 30And he said, “I have sinned! Now please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me so I may worship Yahweh your God.” 31So Samuel returned behind Saul, and Saul worshiped Yahweh.

32And Samuel said, “Bring Agag, the king of Amalek, to me.” And Agag went to him {in} bonds. And Agag said, “Surely the bitterness of death has turned aside.” 33But Samuel said,

“Just as your sword has made women childless,

so your mother will be childless among women.”

And Samuel hacked Agag to pieces to the face of Yahweh at Gilgal.

34Then Samuel went to Ramah, and Saul went up to his house {at} Gibeah of Saul. 35And Samuel did not resume to see Saul up to the day of his death, but Samuel mourned for Saul. And Yahweh regretted that he had made Saul reign over Israel.

161And Yahweh said to Samuel, “Until when will you be mourning for Saul, since I myself have rejected him from {being} king over Israel? Fill your horn {with} oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have seen among his sons a king for me.” 2But Samuel said, “How shall I go? If Saul hears, then he will kill me.” So Yahweh said, “Take a heifer of cattle in your hand and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to Yahweh.’ 3And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I myself will make you know what you shall do. And you shall anoint for me whom I say to you.” 4And Samuel did what Yahweh had spoken, and he came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the city trembled to meet him, and they said, “{Is} your coming {in} peace?” 5And he said, “{In} peace. I have come to sacrifice to Yahweh. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he consecrated Jesse and his sons, and he invited them to the sacrifice. 6And it happened, in their coming, that he saw Eliab and said, “Surely his anointed one {is} before Yahweh.” 7But Yahweh said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, for I have rejected him. For not what man sees, for man looks at the eyes, but Yahweh looks at the heart.” 8Then Jesse called for Abinadab and made him pass over to the face of Samuel, but he said, “Yahweh has also not chosen this {one}.” 9Then Jesse made Shammah pass over, but he said, “Yahweh has also not chosen this {one}.” 10And Jesse made seven of his sons pass over to the face of Samuel, but Samuel said to Jesse, “Yahweh has not chosen among these.” 11So Samuel said to Jesse, “Are your young men complete?” And he said, “The youngest still remains, but behold, he is tending among the flock.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not go around until he comes here.” 12So he sent and brought him. Now he {was} ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a good appearance. And Yahweh said, “Arise, anoint him, for this {is} he.” 13And Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of Yahweh rushed upon David from that day and onward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah.

14Now the Spirit of Yahweh turned from with Saul, and a bad spirit from with Yahweh terrified him. 15And the servants of Saul said to him, “Behold, please, a bad spirit from God is terrifying you. 16May our master please say to your servants to your face, ‘Seek a man knowing playing upon the lyre.’ And it will happen, when the bad spirit from God is upon you, that he will play by his hand, and it will be good for you.” 17And Saul said to his servants, “Please look for a man for me being good at playing, and bring him to me.” 18And one from the young men answered and said, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, knowing playing and mighty of valor and a man of war and discerning of word and a man of appearance. And Yahweh {is} with him.” 19So Saul sent messengers to Jesse. And he said, “Send to me David your son, who {is} with the flock.” 20So Jesse took a donkey, bread, and a skin of wine and one kid of goats, and he sent {them} by the hand of David his son to Saul. 21And David came to Saul, and he stood to his face. And he loved him greatly, and he became to him a carrier of equipment. 22And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Please let David stand to my face, for he has found favor in my eyes.” 23And it happened, when the spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took the lyre and played {it} by his hand. And it breathed to Saul, and it was good for him, and the bad spirit turned away from upon him.

171Now the Philistines gathered their camps for battle, and they were gathered {at} Socoh, which {is} to Judah. And they camped between Socoh and between Azekah, in Ephes Dammim. 2And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered, and they camped by the Valley of Elah. And they arrayed for battle to meet the Philistines. 3Now the Philistines were standing on the mountain from this, and Israel were standing on the mountain from that, and the valley {was} between them. 4And a man of the betweens came out from the camp of the Philistines, Goliath {was} his name, from Gath. His height {was} six cubits and a span. 5And a helmet of bronze {was} on his head, and he was clothed {with} a coat of scales. And the weight of the coat {was} 5,000 shekels of bronze. 6And greaves of bronze {were} on his legs, and a curved sword of bronze {was} between his shoulders. 7And the wood of his spear {was} like a beam of weavers, and the flame of his spear {was} 600 iron shekels. And the carrier of his shield was going to his face. 8And he stood and called out to the arrays of Israel, and he said to them, “Why have you come out to array for battle? {Am} I not the Philistine, and you, servants of Saul? Choose for yourselves a man, and let him come down to me. 9If he is able to fight with me and he strikes me, then we will become servants to you. But if I am able against him and I strike him, then you will become servants to us, and you will serve us.” 10And the Philistine said, “I myself taunt the arrays of Israel this day! Give to me a man, and let us fight together!” 11And Saul and all of Israel heard these words of the Philistine, and they were dismayed and feared greatly.

12Now David {was} the son of this Ephrathite man from Bethlehem {in} Judah, and his name {was} Jesse. And eight sons {were} to him. And in the days of Saul the man had aged, having come among men. 13And the oldest three of the sons of Jesse went, they went after Saul to the battle. And the names of the three of his sons who went into the battle {were} Eliab, the firstborn, and his second, Abinadab, and the third, Shammah. 14And David, he {was} the youngest. And the three oldest went after Saul. 15But David was going and returning from with Saul to tend the flock of his father {at} Bethlehem. 16And the Philistine approached {when} it was early and {when} it was getting dark. And he stationed himself 40 days.

17Now Jesse said to David his son, “Please take to your brothers an ephah of this roasted grain and ten {loaves of} this bread, and rush {them} {to} the camp, to your brothers. 18And bring these ten cuts of cheese to the commander of the thousand. And observe your brothers about peace, and take their pledge. 19Now Saul and they and all of the men of Israel {are} in the Valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.” 20So David arose early in the morning and left the flock with a keeper. And he carried and went, just as Jesse had commanded him. And he came {to} the wagon-track, and the army was going out to the array, and they shouted for the battle. 21And Israel and the Philistines arrayed, array to meet array. 22And David left the vessels from upon him in the hand of the keeper of the vessels, and he ran {to} the array. And he came and asked his brothers about peace. 23And he was speaking with them, and behold, the man of the betweens was coming up, Goliath the Philistine {was} his name, from Gath, from the array of the Philistines, and he spoke like these words. And David heard. 24And all of the men of Israel, when they saw the man, then they fled from his face and feared greatly. 25And the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man coming up? Indeed {he is} coming up to taunt Israel! And it will be, the man who strikes him, the king will make him wealthy {with} great wealth, and he will give his daughter to him, and he will make the house of his father free in Israel.” 26And David spoke to the men standing with him, saying, “What will be done for the man who strikes this Philistine and turns away the disgrace from upon Israel? For who {is} this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the arrays of the living God?” 27And the people spoke to him like this word, saying, “Thus it will be done for the man who strikes him.”

28Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men. And the nose of Eliab burned against David, and he said, “Why {is} this, you have come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I myself know your presumption and the evil of your heart, for you have come down in order to see the battle!” 29And David said, “What have I done now? {Was} it not a word?” 30And he turned from beside him toward the front of another, and he spoke like this word. And the people returned to him a word like the first word.

31And they heard the words that David spoke. And they declared to the face of Saul, and he got him. 32And David said to Saul, “Do not let the heart of a man fall because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” 33But Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him. For you {are} a youth, but he, a man of war from his youth.” 34And David said to Saul, “Your servant has been tending the flock for his father. And a lion or a bear has come and carried away a sheep from the flock, 35but I have gone out after it and struck it and delivered from its mouth. If it arose against me, then I would seize its beard and strike it and kill it. 36Your servant has struck both the lion and the bear, and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, for he has taunted the arrays of the living God.” 37And David said, “Yahweh who delivered me from the hand of the lion and from the hand of the bear, he will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and may Yahweh be with you.” 38Then Saul clothed David {with} his garments and put a helmet of bronze on his head, and he clothed him {with} a coat. 39And David strapped on his sword over his garments, and he tried to walk, for he had not tested {them}. And David said to Saul, “I am not able to walk with these, for I have not tested {them}.” And David removed them from on him. 40And he took his staff in his hand, and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the wadi, and he put them in the bag of shepherds that {was} to him, even in the pouch, and his sling {was} in his hand. And he approached toward the Philistine. 41And the Philistine came, coming and near to David. And the man carrying the shield {was} to his face. 42And the Philistine looked and saw David, and he despised him, for he was a youth, and ruddy with a beautiful appearance. 43And the Philistine said to David, “{Am} I a dog, that you are coming to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44And the Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and let me give your flesh to the bird of the heavens and to the beast of the field.”

45And David said to the Philistine, “You are coming to me with a sword and with a spear and with a curved sword. But I am coming to you in the name of Yahweh of Armies, the God of the arrays of Israel, which you have taunted. 46This day Yahweh will enclose you in my hand, and I will strike you and remove your head from upon you. And this day I will give the corpse of the camp of the Philistines to the bird of the heavens and to the animal of the earth. And all of the earth will know that there is a God to Israel. 47And all of this assembly will know that Yahweh does not save by sword or by spear. For the battle {is} to Yahweh, and he will give you into our hand.”

48And it happened, when the Philistine arose and went and approached to meet David, that David hurried and ran {toward} the array to meet the Philistine. 49And David put his hand into the bag and took a stone from there, and he slung {it}. And it struck the Philistine on his forehead. And the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground.

50So David was stronger than the Philistine with the sling and with the stone. And he struck the Philistine and killed him. Now no sword {was} in the hand of David. 51But David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it from its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. And the Philistines saw that their warrior had died, and they fled. 52And the men of Israel and Judah arose, and they shouted and pursued the Philistines unto your coming {to} the valley and to the gates of Ekron. And the pierced of the Philistines fell on the way of Shaaraim and unto Gath and unto Ekron. 53And the sons of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines, and they plundered their camp. 54And David took the head of the Philistine, and he brought it {to} Jerusalem, and he put his equipment in his tent.

55Now as Saul saw David going out to meet the Philistine, he said to Abner, the commander of the army, “Of whom {is} this youth the son, Abner?” And Abner said, “The life of your soul, O king, if I know!” 56And the king said, “You ask of whom this youth {is} the son.” 57So as David returned from striking the Philistine, then Abner took him and brought him to the face of Saul. And the head of the Philistine {was} in his hand. 58And Saul said to him, “Of whom {are} you the son, O young man?” And David said, “The son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”

181And it happened, when he finished speaking to Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was bound with the soul of David. And Jonathan loved him as his soul. 2And Saul took him on that day, and he did not allow him to return {to} the house of his father.

3And Jonathan cut a covenant with David because he loved him as his own soul. 4And Jonathan stripped himself {of} the robe that {was} on him, and he gave it to David, and his garments, and even his sword and even his bow and even his belt. 5And David went out. In all that Saul sent him, he succeeded. And Saul set him over the men of war. And he was good in the eyes of all of the people and also in the eyes of the servants of Saul.

6And it happened, when they came, when David returned from striking the Philistine, that the women came out from all of the cities of Israel to sing and the dances to meet Saul the king with tambourines, with joy, and with triples. 7And the women celebrating sang and said,

“Saul has struck his thousands,

and David his myriads.”

8And it burned greatly to Saul, and this thing was bad in his eyes. And he said, “They have given myriads to David, but to me they have given thousands. And only the kingship is yet for him!” 9And it happened that Saul was eyeing David from that day and beyond.

10And it happened on the next day that a bad spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house. And David was playing by his hand, as day by day. And a spear {was} in the hand of Saul. 11And Saul hurled the spear, and he said, “I will strike David, and into the wall!” But David turned from his face two times. 12And Saul was afraid from the face of David. For Yahweh was with him, but he had turned from with Saul. 13So Saul removed him from with him and made him a commander of a thousand for himself. And he went out and came in to the face of the people.

14And David was succeeding in all of his ways, for Yahweh {was} with him. 15And Saul saw that he was succeeding greatly. And he dreaded from his face. 16But all of Israel and Judah were loving David, for he was going out and coming in to their face.

17And Saul said to David, “Behold my older daughter Merab. I will give her to you for a wife. Only be for me a son of valor and fight the battles of Yahweh.” And Saul said, “Let not my hand be against him, but let the hand of the Philistines be against him.” 18But David said to Saul, “Who {am} I, and what {is} my family, the clan of my father in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?” 19And it happened, at the time to give Merab, the daughter of Saul to David, that she was given to Adriel the Meholathite for a wife. 20But Michal, the daughter of Saul, loved David. And they declared to Saul, and the thing was right in his eyes. 21And Saul said, “I will give her to him, that she may be a snare for him and the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” So Saul said to David for a second {time}, “You may make yourself a son-in-law of mine today.” 22And Saul commanded his servants, “Speak to David in secrecy, saying, ‘Behold, the king delights in you, and all of his servants love you. And now, make yourself a son-in-law of the king.’” 23And the servants of Saul spoke these words in the ears of David. And David said, “Does it seem light in your eyes to make oneself a son-in-law of the king? And I {am} a poor man, and I am lightly esteemed.” 24And the servants of Saul declared to him, saying, “Like these words David spoke.”

25And Saul said, “Thus you shall say to David, ‘{There is} no desire to the king for a bride-price except for a hundred foreskins of Philistines, to be avenged against the enemies of the king.’” (Now Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines.) 26And his servants declared these words to David, and the thing was right in the eyes of David, to make himself son-in-law of the king. And the days were not full, 27and David arose and went, he and his men, and he struck two hundred men among the Philistines. And David brought their foreskins, and they filled them to the king, to make himself son-in-law of the king. And Saul gave Michal, his daughter, to him for a wife.

28And Saul saw and knew that Yahweh {was} with David and {that} Michal, the daughter of Saul, loved him, 29and Saul added to be more afraid from the face of David. And Saul was opposing David all of the days. 30And the commanders of the Philistines came out, and it happened that, whenever they came out, David was more successful than all of the servants of Saul, and his name became greatly precious.

191And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all of his servants to kill David. But Jonathan, the son of Saul, delighted greatly in David, 2so Jonathan declared to David, saying, “Saul my father is seeking to kill you. And now, please guard yourself in the morning and stay in a secret place and hide yourself. 3And I myself will go out and stand at the hand of my father in the field where you {are} there, and I myself will speak about you to my father, and I will see what, and I will declare to you.”

4And Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father, and he said to him, “May the king not sin against his servant, against David, for he has not sinned against you, but surely his deeds {have been} very good for you. 5And he put his life in his palm and struck the Philistine, and Yahweh made a great salvation for all of Israel. You saw and rejoiced. So why would you sin against innocent blood by killing David without cause?” 6And Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan, and Saul swore, “The life of Yahweh, he shall not be killed” 7And Jonathan called to David, and Jonathan declared to him all of these words. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was to his face as yesterday and the third day.

8And there resumed to be war, and David went out and fought with the Philistines, and he struck a great striking against them, and they fled from his face. 9And a bad spirit from Yahweh came upon Saul, and he was sitting in his house, and his spear {was} in his hand, and David was playing by hand. 10And Saul sought to strike David with the spear, and into the wall, but he escaped from the face of Saul, and he struck the spear into the wall. And David fled and rescued himself on that night.

11And Saul sent messengers to the house of David to watch him and to kill him in the morning. And Michal his wife declared to David, saying, “If you are not rescuing your life tonight, tomorrow you will be being killed.” 12And Michal lowered David through the window. And he went and fled and rescued himself. 13And Michal took the teraphim and put {it} on the bed. And she put a weaving of goats at its head, and she covered {it} with clothing. 14And Saul sent messengers to take David. But she said, “He {is} sick.”

15So Saul sent messengers to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me in the bed to kill him.” 16And the messengers came, and behold, the teraphim {was} on the bed, and the weaving of goats {was} at its head. 17And Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me like this and let my enemy go, so that he rescued himself?” And Michal said to Saul, “He himself said to me, ‘Let me go. Why should I kill you?’”

18Now David fled and rescued himself, and he came to Samuel in Ramah, and he declared to him all that Saul had done to him. And he went, and Samuel, and they stayed in Naioth. 19And it was declared to Saul, saying, “Behold, David {is} in Naioth in Ramah.” 20And Saul sent messengers to take David. And one saw a group of prophets prophesying, and Samuel was standing, having stationed himself over them. And the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied. 21And they declared {this} to Saul, and he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. And Saul added and sent messengers a third {time}, and they also prophesied. 22So he went, he also, to Ramah, and he came to the great cistern that {is} in Secu. And he asked and said, “Where {are} Samuel and David?” And one said, “Behold, in Naioth in Ramah.” 23So he went thence, to Naioth in Ramah, and the Spirit of God came upon him, him also, and going, he went, and he prophesied until he entered into Naioth in Ramah. 24And he also stripped off his clothes, and he also prophesied to the face of Samuel. And he lay naked all of that day and all of the night. Therefore they said, “{Is} Saul also among the prophets?”

201And David fled from Naioth in Ramah. And he came and said to the face of Jonathan, “What have I done? What {is} my iniquity? And what {is} my sin to the face of your father, that {he is} seeking my life?” 2And he said to him, “Profane! You will not die. Behold, my father does not do a great thing or a small thing and not uncover my ear. So why would my father hide this thing from me? {There is} not this!” 3And David swore besides and said, “Knowing, your father knows that I have found favor in your eyes. So he said, ‘May Jonathan not know this, lest he be grieved.’ But indeed, the life of Yahweh, and the life of your soul, surely like a step {is} between me and between death!” 4And Jonathan said to David, “Whatever your soul says, I will do for you.”

5And David said to Jonathan, “Behold, the new moon {is} tomorrow, and sitting, I should sit with the king to eat. But you shall let me go, and I shall hide myself in the field until the third evening. 6If missing, your father misses me, then you shall say, ‘Asking, David asked from me to run {to} Bethlehem, his city, for the sacrifice of days {is} there for all of the clan.’ 7If thus he says, ‘Good,’ peace {is} to your servant. But if burning, it burns to him, know that harm has completed from with him. 8Then you shall do covenant faithfulness with your servant. For you have brought your servant into a covenant of Yahweh with you. But if there is iniquity in me, kill me yourself. For why this, that should you bring me to your father?” 9And Jonathan said, “Profane to you! For if knowing, I know that harm has completed from with my father to come upon you, then will I not declare it to you?” 10And David said to Jonathan, “Who will declare to me whether what your father answers you {is} harsh?” 11And Jonathan said to David, “Come, and let us go out {to} the field.” And the two of them went out to the field.

12And Jonathan said to David, “{By} Yahweh, the God of Israel, that I will examine my father around this time tomorrow, the third day. And behold, {if} good {is} to David, then will I not then send to you and uncover your ear? 13Thus may Yahweh do to Jonathan, and thus may he add: if harm upon you is good to my father, then I will uncover your ear and send you away so you may go in peace. And may Yahweh be with you just as he was with my father. 14And if I am not still alive, then you shall not do the covenant faithfulness of Yahweh with me, so I do not die, 15but you shall not cut off your covenant faithfulness from with my house forever, not even when Yahweh cuts off the enemies of David, a man from upon the face of the ground.” 16And Jonathan cut with the house of David, “And may Yahweh seek from the hand of the enemies of David!” 17And Jonathan added to make David swear by his love for him, for he loved him {like} the loving of his soul.

18And Jonathan said to him, “Tomorrow {is} the new moon. And you will be missed, for your seat will be missed. 19And you shall stay three days, {then} you shall come down quickly and come to the place where you hid yourself there on the day of the deed. And you shall stay beside the stone Ezel. 20And I myself will shoot three arrows {to} the side of it, to send forth for me to a target. 21And behold, I will send a boy, ‘Go find the arrows.’ If saying, I say to the boy, ‘Behold, the arrows {are} from you, and hither, get them,’ then come, for peace {is} for you and there is no matter, the life of Yahweh. 22But if I say thus to the boy, ‘Behold, the arrows {are} from you, and beyond,’ go, for Yahweh has sent you away. 23And the word that I and you have spoken, behold, Yahweh {is} between me and between you forever.”

24And David hid himself in the field, and it was the new moon, and the king sat down at the food to eat. 25And the king sat on his seat, as time by time, on the seat {by} the wall. And Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by the side of Saul. And the place of David was missing. 26But Saul did not say anything on that day, for he said, “It {is} an accident. He {is} not clean, surely not clean.” 27And it happened on the next day of the new moon, the second, that the place of David was missing. And Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why has the son of Jesse not come, both yesterday and today, to the food?” 28And Jonathan answered Saul, “Asking, David asked from me to Bethlehem. 29And he said, ‘Please let me go. For the sacrifice of our clan {is} in the city, and my brother himself has commanded me. And now, if I have found favor in your eyes, may I please go away, and may I see my brothers.’ Therefore he has not come to the table of the king.”

30And the nose of Saul burned against Jonathan, and he said to him, “Son of one perverting herself in rebellion! Do I not know that you are choosing the son of Jesse to your shame and to the shame of the nakedness of your mother? 31For all of the days that the son of Jesse lives on the earth, you will not be established, nor your kingdom. And now, send and take him to me, for he {is} a son of death.” 32And Jonathan answered Saul his father and said to him, “Why should he be killed? What has he done?” 33And Saul hurled the spear at him to strike him. And Jonathan knew that it had completed from with his father to kill David. 34And Jonathan arose from the table with burning of nose. And he did not eat bread on the second day of the new moon, for he was grieved for David, because his father had dishonored him.

35And it happened in the morning that Jonathan went out {to} the field to the appointment with David, and a small boy {was} with him. 36And he said to his boy, “Run, please find the arrows that I am shooting.” The boy ran, and he shot the arrow to pass over him. 37And the boy came to the place of the arrow that Jonathan had shot, but Jonathan called after the boy and said, “{Is} not the arrow from you, and beyond?” 38And Jonathan called after the boy, “Quickly, hurry! Do not stay!” And the boy of Jonathan picked up the arrows and came to his master. 39Now the boy did not know anything. Only Jonathan and David knew the matter. 40And Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy who {was} to him. And he said to him, “Go, bring {these} {to} the city.” 41The boy went, and David arose from beside the south, and he fell on his nostrils to the ground, and he prostrated himself three times. And they kissed, a man with his companion. And they wept, a man with his companion, until David made great. 42And Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, because we, the two of us, have sworn in the name of Yahweh, saying, ‘Yahweh is between me and between you, and between my seed and between your seed, forever.’” And he arose and went, and Jonathan entered the city.

211And David came {to} Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech trembled to meet David, and he said to him, “Why {are} you by yourself and no man {is} with you?” 2And David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has commanded me {regarding} a matter and has said to me, ‘May a man not know anything {about} the matter {for} which I am sending you and {about} which I have commanded you.’ And I have informed the young men about a certain unnamed place. 3And now, what is there under your hand? Give five {loaves of} bread into my hand, or the {thing} being found.” 4And the priest answered David and said, “{There is} no common bread toward under my hand, but there is holy bread. If the young men have only kept themselves from women.” 5And David answered the priest and said to him, “Surely a woman has been kept from us as yesterday and the third day in my going out. If the vessels of the men have been holy when it {was} a common journey, then indeed that it will be holy today with the vessels!” 6So the priest gave to him the holy. For no bread was there except the bread of the face having been removed from to the face of Yahweh to put hot bread on the day of its being taken away.

7Now a man {was} there from the servants of Saul on that day. He was detained to the face of Yahweh. And his name {was} Doeg the Edomite, the chief of the herders who {were} to Saul.

8And David said to Ahimelech, “And is there not here under your hand a spear or a sword? For both my sword and also my weapons I did not take in my hand, because the matter of the king was being urged.” 9And the priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you struck in the Valley of Elah, behold, it {is} wrapped in a cloak behind the ephod. If you would take it for yourself, take, for no other except it {is} in this {place}.” And David said, “{There is} none like it. Give {it} to me.”

10And David arose and fled on that day from the face of Saul. And he came to Achish, the king of Gath. 11But the servants of Achish said to him, “{Is} not this David the king of the land? Do they not sing about this {one} in the dances, saying,

‘Saul has struck his thousands,

and David his myriads’?”

12And David put these words in his heart, and he was very afraid from the face of Achish, the king of Gath. 13So he changed his behavior in their eyes, and he acted insane in their hand. And he made marks on the doors of the gate, and he caused his saliva to go down to his beard. 14And Achish said to his servants, “Behold, you see a man raving. Why did you bring him to me? 15Am I lacking ravers, that you have brought this {one} to rave near me? Should this {one} enter into my house?”

221And David went from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. And his brothers and all of the house of his father heard, and they went down to him there. 2And they gathered themselves to him, every man of distress and every man for whom {was} a creditor and every man bitter of soul. And he became a commander over them. And they {were} with him, about 400 men. 3And David went from there {to} Mizpah of Moab. And he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and my mother come out {and be} with you until when I know what God will do for me.” 4And he led them to the face of the king of Moab. And they stayed with him all of the days of David being in the stronghold. 5And the prophet Gad said to David, “Do not stay in the stronghold. Leave and enter for yourself the land of Judah.” And David left and entered the forest of Hereth.

6And Saul heard that David had become known, and the men who {were} with him. Now Saul was sitting in Gibeah under the tamarisk tree on the height, and his spear {was} in his hand, and all of his servants had stationed themselves beside him. 7And Saul said to his servants having stationed themselves beside him, “Listen now, Benjaminite! Will the son of Jesse give fields and vineyards even to all of you? Will he make all of you commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds? 8For all of you have conspired against me! And {there was} no uncovering my ear when my son cut with the son of Jesse. And {there was} no grieving from you for me or uncovering my ear that my son had raised up my servant against me to lie in ambush as this day.” 9And Doeg the Edomite answered (now he had stationed himself beside the servants of Saul) and said, “I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub. 10And he inquired of Yahweh for him, and he gave provisions to him. And he gave to him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”

11And the king sent to call Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub, the priest, and all of the house of his father, the priests who {were} in Nob. And all of them came to the king. 12And Saul said, “Listen now, son of Ahitub.” And he said, “Behold me, my master.” 13And Saul said to him, “Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, by your giving to him bread and a sword and inquiring of God for him, to rise up against me, to lie in ambush, as this day?”

14And Ahimelech answered the king and said, “Now who among all of your servants is being faithful like David, and the son-in-law of the king, and commander over your bodyguard, and being honored in your house? 15Did I begin to inquire of God for him today? Profane to me! May the king not set a word against his servant, against all of the house of my father. For your servant does not know about any of this matter, small or great.” 16And the king said, “Dying, you shall die, Ahimelech, you and all of the house of your father!” 17And the king said to the runners having stationed themselves beside him, “Turn and kill the priests of Yahweh, because their hand {is} also with David, and because they knew that he was fleeing but they did not uncover my ear.” But the servants of the king were not willing to stretch out their hand to attack the priests of Yahweh.

18So the king said to Doeg, “You turn and attack the priests!” So Doeg the Edomite turned and he himself attacked the priests. And on that day he killed 85 men wearing a linen ephod. 19And Nob, the city of the priests, he struck to the mouth of the sword, from man and to woman, from child and to infant, and ox and donkey and sheep, to the mouth of the sword. 20But a son of one to Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub, escaped, and his name {was} Abiathar. And he fled after David. 21And Abiathar declared to David that Saul had killed the priests of Yahweh. 22And David said to Abiathar, “I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite {was} there, that declaring, he would declare to Saul. I myself have turned against every soul of the house of your father! 23Stay with me, do not be afraid. For {he} who seeks my life seeks your life. Surely protection {for} you {is} with me.”

231And they declared to David, saying, “Behold, the Philistines are fighting with Keilah, and they are plundering the threshing floors!” 2And David inquired of Yahweh, saying, “Shall I go and strike these Philistines?” And Yahweh said to David, “Go and strike the Philistines and save Keilah.” 3But the men of David said to him, “Behold, we {are} afraid here in Judah. And much more if we go to Keilah against the arrays of the Philistines!” 4So David added yet to inquire of Yahweh. And Yahweh answered him and said, “Arise, go down to Keilah, for I am giving the Philistines into your hand.” 5And David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines. And he drove off their livestock and struck a great striking against them. And David saved the dwellers of Keilah.

6And it happened that when Abiathar, the son of Ahimelech, fled to David {at} Keilah, an ephod came down in his hand. 7And it was declared to Saul that David had come to Keilah. And Saul said, “God has delivered him into my hand. For he has enclosed himself by entering into a city of doors and a bar.” 8And Saul made all of the people hear for battle, to go down {to} Keilah, to besiege against David and against his men. 9But David knew that Saul was devising harm against him. And he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring near the ephod.” 10And David said, “Yahweh, God of Israel, hearing, your servant has heard that Saul is seeking to come to Keilah, to destroy the city because of me. 11Will the lords of Keilah enclose me in his hand? Will Saul come down, just as your servant has heard? Yahweh, the God of Israel, please declare to your servant.” And Yahweh said, “He will come down.” 12And David said, “Will the lords of Keilah enclose me and my men in the hand of Saul?” And Yahweh said, “They will enclose.” 13So David and his men, about 600 men, arose and went out from Keilah. And they went about in wherever they could go about. And it was declared to Saul that David had escaped from Keilah, so he ceased to go out. 14And David stayed in the wilderness, in the strongholds, and he stayed in the hill country in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him all of the days, but God did not give him into his hand.

15And David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. Now David {was} in the wilderness of Ziph, in the forest. 16And Jonathan, the son of Saul, arose and went to David in the forest. And he strengthened his hand in God. 17And he said to him, “Do not be afraid, for the hand of Saul my father will not find you. And you yourself will reign over Israel, and I myself will be to you for a second. And even Saul my father is knowing so.” 18And the two of them cut a covenant to the face of Yahweh. And David stayed in the forest, and Jonathan went to his house.

19And Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is not David hiding himself among us in strongholds in the forest on the hill of Hakilah, which {is} from the south of Jeshimon? 20And now, O king, according to all of the desire of your soul to come down, come down, and {it will be} to us to enclose him in the hand of the king.” 21And Saul said, “Blessed {be} you by Yahweh! For you have had compassion on me. 22Please go, confirm again, and know and see his place, where his foot is. Who has seen him there? For one has said to me, ‘Being craftly, he is crafty.’ 23And see and know about all of the hiding places where he hides himself there. Then return to me with a confirmed {thing}, and I will go with you. And it will happen, if he is in the land, that I will search for him among all of the thousands of Judah.”

24And they arose and went {to} Ziph to the face of Saul. Now David and his men {were} in the wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah at the south of Jeshimon. 25And Saul and his men went to seek. And they declared to David, and he went down {to} a crag and stayed in the wilderness of Maon. And Saul heard, and he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon. 26And Saul went on this side of the mountain, and David and his men {were} on that side of the mountain. And it happened that David was hastening himself to go from the face of Saul, and Saul and his men were encircling upon David and upon his men to capture them. 27And a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and go, for the Philistines have raided against the land.” 28And Saul returned from pursuing after David, and he went to meet the Philistines. Therefore they called that place Sela Hammahlekoth. 29And David went up from there and stayed in the strongholds of En Gedi.

241And it happened, when Saul returned from after the Philistines, that they declared to him, saying, “Behold, David {is} in the wilderness of En Gedi.” 2And Saul took 3,000 men, chosen from all of Israel. And he went to seek David and his men on the face of the cliffs of the wild goats. 3And he came to some pens of sheep on the way, and a cave {was} there. And Saul entered to cover his feet. Now David and his men were staying in the recesses of the cave. 4And the men of David said to him, “Behold, today {is} what Yahweh said to you, ‘Behold, I am giving your enemy into your hand, and you will do to him just as is good in your eyes.’” And David arose and cut off the edge of the robe that {was} to Saul, in secrecy. 5And it happened after this that the heart of David struck him because he had cut off the edge that {was} to Saul. 6And he said to his men, “Profane to me from Yahweh if I have done this thing to my master, to the anointed one of Yahweh, to stretch out my hand against him. For he {is} the anointed one of Yahweh.” 7And David dispersed his men with words and did not allow them to arise against Saul. And Saul arose from the cave and went in the way.

8And David arose after this and came out from the cave. And he called out after Saul, saying, “My master the king!” And Saul looked behind him, and David bowed, nostrils to the ground, and prostrated himself. 9And David said to Saul, “Why do you listen to the words of a man, saying, ‘Behold, David is seeking your harm’? 10Behold, your eyes have seen this day that Yahweh gave you into my hand today in the cave. And one said to slay you, but it had compassion on you. And I said, ‘I will not stretch out my hand against my master, for he {is} the anointed one of Yahweh.’ 11And see, my father, even see the edge of your robe in my hand! For when I cut off the edge of your robe, I did not kill you. Know and see that no evil or transgression {is} in my hand, and I have not sinned against you, but you are hunting my life, to take it. 12May Yahweh judge between you and between me, and may Yahweh avenge me against you, but my hand will not be against you. 13As the proverb of the ancient says, ‘From the wicked comes out wickedness.’ But my hand will not be against you. 14After whom does the king of Israel come out? After whom are you pursuing? After a dead dog! After one flea! 15And may Yahweh be the judge, and may he judge between me and between you. And may he see and conduct my case, and may he judge me out of your hand.”

16And it happened, as David finished speaking these words to Saul, that Saul said, “{Is} this your voice, my son David?” And Saul lifted up his voice and wept. 17And he said to David, “You {are} more righteous than I. For you did good to me, but I did evil to you. 18For you have declared today that you have done good with me, that Yahweh enclosed me in your hand, but you did not kill me. 19Now if a man finds his enemy, will he send him on a good way? So may Yahweh repay you {with} good for what you have done for me this day. 20And now, behold, I know that reigning, you will reign, and the kingdom of Israel will stand in your hand. 21And now, swear to me by Yahweh, if you shall cut off my seed after me, and if you shall destroy my name from the house of my father!” 22And David swore to Saul. Then Saul went to his house, and David and his men went up onto the stronghold.

251And Samuel died, and all of Israel gathered and mourned for him, and they buried him at his house in Ramah. Then David arose and went down to the wilderness of Paran.

2Now a man {was} in Maon, and his work {was} in Carmel. And the man {was} very great. For to him {were} 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats. And he was shearing his sheep in Carmel. 3And the name of the man {was} Nabal, and the name of his wife {was} Abigail. Now the woman {was} good of insight and beautiful of appearance. But the man {was} harsh and evil of deeds, 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 you shall go to Nabal, and you shall ask him in my name regarding peace. 6And you shall say thus, ‘To life! And peace {to} you and peace {to} your house and peace {to} all that {is} to you. 7And now, I have heard that shearers {are} to you. Now the shepherds who {are} to you have been with us. We have not hurt them, and anything to them has not been missing all of the days of their being in Carmel. 8Ask your young men, and they will declare to you. So let the young men find favor in your eyes, for we have come on a good day. Please give whatever your hand finds to your servants and to your son, to David.’”

9So the young men of David came, and they spoke to Nabal according to all of these words in the name of David. Then they ceased. 10And Nabal answered the servants of David and said, “Who {is} David? And who {is} the son of Jesse? Today servants are many {who} are breaking themselves away, a man from the face of his master. 11So shall I take my bread and my water and my slaughter that I have slaughtered for my shearers and give to men whom I do not know where from this they {are}?” 12And the young men of David turned to their way, and they returned and came and declared to him according to all of these words. 13And David said to his men, “Strap on, a man his sword.” And they strapped on, a man his sword. And David also strapped on his sword. And about 400 men went up behind David, and 200 stayed with the equipment.

14But one young man from the young men declared to Abigail, the wife of Nabal, saying, “Behold, David sent messengers from the wilderness to bless our master, but he screamed at them. 15But the men {were} very good to us. And we were not hurt, and we did not miss anything all of the days when we went about with them in our being in the field. 16They were a wall for us both night and day, all of the days of our being with them, tending the sheep. 17And now, know and see what you shall do, for harm has completed against our master and against all of his house. And he {is} a son of wickedness from speaking to him.”

18And Abigail hurried and took 200 {loaves of} bread and two skins of wine and five prepared sheep and five seahs of roasted grain and 100 bunches of raisins and 200 cakes of figs. And she put them on donkeys. 19And she said to her young men, “Pass over to my face. Behold me, I will come after you.” But to her husband Nabal she did not declare. 20And she was riding on the donkey and going down in the cover of the mountain, and behold, David and his men were coming down to meet her. And she encountered them. 21Now David had said, “Surely for a lie I kept all that {was} to this {one} in the wilderness, and not anything was missed from all that {was} to him. For he has returned evil to me for good. 22Thus may God do to the enemies of David, and thus may he add, if I let remain until the morning any pissing against the wall who {are} to him!”

23And Abigail saw David, and she hurried and got down from upon the donkey. And she fell to the face of David on her face and prostrated herself {on} the ground. 24And she fell at his feet and said, “On me myself, my master, {be} the iniquity. Now please let your maidservant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your maidservant. 25May my master please not set his heart to this man of wickedness, upon Nabal, for as {is} his name, so {is} he. Nabal {is} his name, and foolishness {is} with him. But I, your maidservant, did not see the young men of my master, whom you sent. 26And now, my master, the life of Yahweh, and the life of your soul, {it is} Yahweh who has restrained you from entering into bloodshed and your hand saving for yourself. And now, may your enemies and the ones seeking harm against my master be like Nabal. 27And now, may this blessing that your maidservant has caused to come to my master be given to the young men going about at the feet of my master. 28Please lift off the transgression of your maidservant. For making, Yahweh will make for my master an established house, because my master is fighting the battles of Yahweh. And evil will not be found in you from your days. 29If a man arises to pursue you and to seek your life, then the life of my master will be bound in the bundle of the living by Yahweh your God. But the life of your enemies, he will sling it away in the midst of the pocket of a sling. 30And it will happen, when Yahweh has done for my master according to all of the good that he has spoken concerning you and has appointed you for a ruler over Israel, 31then this will not be an obstacle for you or a stumbling block of heart for my master, or for the pouring out of blood without cause, or for my master saving himself. And Yahweh will do good for my master, and you will remember your maidservant.”

32And David said to Abigail, “May Yahweh, the God of Israel, be blessed, who sent you this day to meet me. 33And blessed be your discernment, and blessed be {you} who have kept me this day from entering into bloodshed and my hand saving for myself! 34For indeed, the life of Yahweh, the God of Israel, who has retrained me from harming you, that lest you had hurried and come to meet me, that if one pissing against the wall had been left to Nabal until the light of the morning!” 35And David took from her hand what she had brought to him. And he said to her, “Go up to your house in peace. See, I have listened to your voice, and I have lifted up your face.”

36And Abigail came to Nabal, and behold, a feast {was} to him in his house like the feast of a king. And the heart of Nabal was good within him, and he {was} drunk to abundance. So she did not declare to him a thing small or great until the light of the morning. 37And it happened in the morning, when the wine had gone out from Nabal, that his wife declared to him these things. And his heart died in the midst of him, and he became a stone. 38And it was about ten days, and Yahweh struck Nabal and he died.

39And David heard that Nabal had died, and he said, “Blessed be Yahweh, who has conducted the case of my reproach from the hand of Nabal and has withheld his servant from evil. And Yahweh has returned the evil of Nabal on his head.” And David sent and spoke with Abigail, to take her for himself for a wife. 40And the servants of David came to Abigail at Carmel, and they spoke to her, saying, “David has sent us to you to take you to him for a wife.” 41And she arose and bowed down, nostrils to the ground, and she said, “Behold your female servant, for a maidservant for washing the feet of the servants of my master.” 42And Abigail hurried and arose and rode on a donkey, and her five young women were going at her feet. And she went after the messengers of David, and she became to him a wife. 43And David took Ahinoam from Jezreel, and the two of them also became wives for him.

44But Saul had given his daughter Michal, the wife of David, to Palti the son of Laish, who was {from} Gallim.

261Now the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “{Is} not David hiding himself on the hill of Hakilah, on the face of Jeshimon?” 2And Saul arose and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, and with him {were} 3,000 men, chosen {ones} of Israel, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph. 3And Saul camped on the hill of Hakilah, which {is} on the face of Jeshimon, by the road. But David was staying in the wilderness. And he saw that Saul was coming after him into the wilderness. 4For David sent spies, so he knew as a confirmed {thing} Saul had come. 5And David arose and came to the place where Saul had camped there. And David saw the place where Saul lay there, and Abner, the son of Ner, the commander of his army. And Saul lay within the wagon-track, and the people were camped around him.

6And David answered and said to Ahimelech the Hittite and to Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, the brother of Joab, saying, “Who will go down with me to Saul, to the camp?” And Abishai said, “I, I will go down with you.” 7And David and Abishai came to the people {at} night. And behold, Saul was lying asleep in the wagon-track, and his spear was pressed into the ground by his head. And Abner and the people were lying around him. 8And Abishai said to David, “Today God has delivered your enemy into your hand. And now, please let me strike him with the spear even into the earth one time. And I will not do again to him.” 9But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him. For who has stretched out his hand against the anointed one of Yahweh and been innocent?” 10And David said, “The life of Yahweh—but rather Yahweh will strike him, or his day will come and he will die, or he will go down into a battle and be swept away— 11profane to me from Yahweh to stretch out my hand against the anointed one of Yahweh! And now, please take the spear that {is} by his head and the jug of water, and let us go for ourselves.” 12And David took the spear and the jug of water from the head of Saul, and they went for themselves. And none was seeing, and none was knowing, and none was awakening, for all of them were sleeping, because a deep sleep of Yahweh had fallen on them.

13And David passed over {to} the other side, and he stood on the head of a hill at a distance. Great {was} the place between them. 14And David called to the people and to Abner, the son of Ner, saying, “Will you not answer, Abner?” And Abner answered and said, “Who {are} you {who} call to the king?” 15And David said to Abner, “{Are} you not a man? And who {is} like you in Israel? So why did you not watch over your master the king? For one of the people came to destroy the king, your master. 16This thing that you have done {is} not good. The life of Yahweh, that you {are} sons of death who did not watch over your master, over the anointed one of Yahweh. And now, see, where {are} the spear of the king and the jug of water that {were} by his head?”

17And Saul recognized the voice of David and said, “{Is} this your voice, my son David?” And David said, “My voice, my lord the king.” 18And he said, “Why {is} this, my master pursuing after his servant? For what have I done, and what evil {is} in my hand? 19And now, may my lord the king please hear the words of his servant. If Yahweh has incited you against me, may he smell an offering. But if sons of man, may they be cursed to the face of Yahweh. For they have driven me out today from joining myself with the inheritance of Yahweh, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods.’ 20And now, do not let my blood fall to the earth from before the face of Yahweh. For the king of Israel has come out to seek one flea, just as one pursues a partridge in the mountains.”

21And Saul said, “I have sinned! Return, my son David! For I will not harm you again, for my life was precious in your eyes this day. Behold, I have acted foolishly and have strayed very greatly!” 22And David answered and said, “Behold the spear of the king! Now let one of the young men pass over and take it. 23And may Yahweh return to a man his righteousness and his faithfulness, for Yahweh gave you into {my} hand today, but I was not willing to stretch out my hand against the anointed one of Yahweh. 24And behold, just as your life was great in my eyes this day, so may my life be great in the eyes of Yahweh, and may he deliver me from all distress.” 25And Saul said to David, “Blessed be you, my son David! Both doing, you will do, and also being able, you will be able.” And David went to his way, and Saul returned to his place.

271And David said to his heart, “Now I will be swept away one day by the hand of Saul. {There is} no good for me except escaping, I should escape to the land of the Philistines. And Saul will despair of me to seek me again in all of the border of Israel, and I will escape from his hand.” 2And David arose and passed over, he and 600 men who {were} with him, to Achish. The son of Maoch, the king of Gath. 3And David dwelled with Achish in Gath, he and his men, a man and his house, David and the two of his wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the Carmelitess, the wife of Nabal. 4And it was declared to Saul that David had fled {to} Gath, and he did not add to seek him more.

5And David said to Achish, “Please, if I have found favor in your eyes, may they give to me a place in one of the cities of the field, and let me dwell there. For why should your servant dwell in the city of the kingship with you?” 6So on that day Achish gave to him Ziklag. (Therefore Ziklag is to the kings of Judah to this day.)

7And the number of the days that David dwelled in the field of the Philistines was days and four months. 8And David and his men went up and raided against the Geshurite and the Girzite and the Amalekite (for they were dwelling in the land, that from ancient times) in your going to Shur and to the land of Egypt. 9And David struck the land and did not let a man or a woman live. And he took sheep and cattle and donkeys and camels and garments. And he returned and came to Achish. 10And Achish said, “Have you not raided today?” And David said, “Against the Negeb of Judah” or “against the Negeb of the Jerahmeelite” or “against the Negeb of the Kenite.” 11Now David did not let a man or a woman live to bring {to} Gath, saying, “Lest they declare about us, saying, ‘Thus did David do.’” And this {was} his custom all of the days that he dwelled in the field of the Philistines. 12And Achish trusted in David, saying, “Stinking, he stinks among his people in Israel, so he will be to me for a servant forever.”

281And it happened in those days that the Philistines gathered their camps for war, to fight with Israel. And Achish said to David, “Knowing, you know that you shall go out with me into the camp, you and your men.” 2And David said to Achish, “Therefore you yourself will know what your servant will do.” And Achish said to David, “Therefore I am appointing you the keeper of my head all of the days.”

3Now Samuel had died, and all of Israel had mourned for him, and they had buried him in Ramah, even in his city. And Saul had removed the ritual pits and the familiar spirits from the land. 4And the Philistines gathered and came and camped at Shunem. And Saul gathered all of Israel, and they camped at Gilboa. 5And Saul saw the camp of the Philistines. And he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. 6And Saul inquired of Yahweh, but Yahweh did not answer him, either by dreams or by the Urim or by prophets. 7So Saul said to his servants, “Seek for me a woman of a mistress of a ritual pit so I may go to her and inquire of her.” And his servants said to him, “Behold, a woman of a mistress of a ritual pit {is} in Endor.”

8And Saul disguised himself and put on other garments, and he went, he and two of the men with him. And they came to the woman {at} night. And he said, “Please divine for me with the ritual pit and bring up for me whom I say to you.” 9But the woman said to him, “Behold, you yourself know what Saul has done, that he has cut off the ritual pits and the familiar spirits from the land. So why are you setting a trap against my life, to cause me to die?” 10But Saul swore to her by Yahweh, saying, “The life of Yahweh, if punishment shall meet you for this thing!” 11So the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” And he said, “Bring up Samuel for me.” 12And the woman saw Samuel, and she cried out with a loud voice. And the woman spoke to Saul, saying, “Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul!” 13And the king said to her, “Do not fear. But what have you seen?” And the woman said to Saul, “I have seen a god coming up from the earth.” 14And he said to her, “What {is} his appearance?” And she said, “An old man is coming up, and he is wearing a robe.” And Saul knew that it {was} Samuel, and he bowed, nostrils to the ground, and he prostrated himself.

15And Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me to bring me up?” And Saul said, “It is very narrow to me, for the Philistines are fighting with me. And God has turned aside from with me, and he does not answer me anymore, either by the hand of prophets or by dreams, so I have called to you to let me know what I should do.”

16And Samuel said, “And why do you ask me, since Yahweh has turned aside from with you and has become your enemy? 17Now Yahweh has done for himself just as he spoke by my hand. For Yahweh has torn the kingdom from your hand and has given it to your fellow, to David. 18Because you did not listen to the voice of Yahweh and you did not do the burning of his nose against Amalek, therefore Yahweh has done this thing to you this day. 19And Yahweh will also give Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons {will be} with me. Yahweh will also give the camp of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.”

20And Saul hurried and fell, the fullness of his height to the ground, for he feared greatly from the words of Samuel. Also strength was not in him, for he had not eaten bread all of the day and all of the night. 21And the woman came to Saul, and she saw that he was very frightened, And she said to him, “Behold, your maidservant has listened to your voice, and I have put my life in my palm, for I heard the words that you spoke to me. 22And now, please listen, even you, to the voice of your maidservant, and let me set to your face a piece of bread, and eat. And strength will be in you when you go in the way.” 23But he refused and said, “I will not eat.” But his servants urged him, and also the woman, and he listened to their voice. And he arose from the ground and sat on the bed. 24Now to the woman {was} a calf of the stall in the house, and she hurried and slaughtered it. And she took flour and kneaded and baked it {as} unleavened bread. 25And she brought it to the face of Saul and to the face of his servants, and they ate. And they arose and went in that night.

291Now the Philistines had gathered all of their camp {at} Aphek, and Israel was camping at the spring that {is} in Jezreel. 2Now the lords of the Philistines were passing over by hundreds and by thousands, and David and his men were passing over in the rear with Achish. 3And the lords of the Philistines said, “What {are} these Hebrews?” And Achish said to the lords of the Philistines, “{Is} this not David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, who has been with me these days, or these years? And I have not found anything in him from the day of his falling to this day.”

4But the lords of the Philistines were angry with him. And the lords of the Philistines said to him, “Make the man return, that he may return to his place that you assigned him there. For he shall not go down with us into the battle, so he does not become an adversary for us in the battle. For by what shall this {one} make himself acceptable to his master? {Is it} not by the heads of these men? 5{Is} this not David, of whom they sing in the dances, saying,

‘Saul has struck his thousands,

and David his myriads’?”

6So Achish called to David and said to him, “The life of Yahweh, that you {are} upright, and your going out and your coming in with me in the camp {is} good in my eyes, for I have not found evil in you from the day of your coming to me to this day. But in the eyes of the lords you {are} not good. 7And now, return and go in peace, so you do not do evil in the eyes of the lords of the Philistines.”

8And David said to Achish, “But what have I done? And what have you found in your servant from the day when I was to your face to this day, that I may not come and fight with the enemies of my lord the king?” 9And Achish answered and said to David, “I know that you {are} good in my eyes like an angel of God. Nevertheless, the lords of the Philistines have said, ‘He shall not go up with us into the battle.’ 10And now, arise early in the morning with the servants of your master who came with you. And you shall arise early in the morning, when light {is} to you, and go.” 11So David arose early, he and his men, to go in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up {to} Jezreel.

301And it happened, when David and his men came {to} Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekite had raided against the Negev and against Ziklag, and they had struck Ziklag and burned it with fire. 2And they had taken captive the women who {were} in it, from small and to great. They had not caused a man to die, but they had led {them} away and gone to their way. 3And David and his men came to the city, and behold, it was burned with fire! And their wives and their sons and their daughters had been taken captive. 4And David and the people who {were} with him lifted up their voices and wept until that no strength {was} in them to weep. 5And the two wives of David had been taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the Carmelitess, the wife of Nabal. 6And it was very narrow to David, for the people said to stone him, for the soul of all of the people {was} bitter, a man for his sons and for his daughters. But David strengthened himself in Yahweh his God.

7And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Please bring the ephod near to me.” So Abiathar brought the ephod near to David. 8And David inquired of Yahweh, saying, “Shall I pursue after this band? Will I overtake it?” And he said to him, “Pursue, for overtaking, you will overtake, and delivering, you will deliver.” 9So David went, he and the 600 men who {were} with him, and they came to the wadi of Besor. And the ones left behind stayed. 10So David pursued, he and 400 men, but 200 men stayed who were too exhausted to pass over the wadi of Besor.

11And they found a man, an Egyptian, in the field, and they took him to David. And they gave bread to him, and he ate, and they had him drink water. 12And they gave to him a piece of a fig cake and two raisin clusters, and he ate, and his spirit returned to him. For he had not eaten bread and had not drunk water three days and three nights.

13And David said to him, “To whom {are} you? And where from this {are} you?” And he said, “I {am} an Egyptian young man, the slave of a man of the Amalekite. But my master abandoned me the third day because I became sick. 14We raided the Negev of the Kerethite and against what {is} to Judah and against the Negev of Caleb. And Ziklag, we burned with fire.” 15And David said to him, “Will you bring me down to this band?” And he said, “Swear to me by God, if you will cause me to die and if you will enclose me in the hand of my master, and I will bring you down to this band.”

16And he brought him down, and behold, they were spread out over the face of all of the land, eating and drinking and celebrating for all of the great plunder that they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. 17And David struck them from twilight and until the evening of the next day of them. And a man did not escape from them except 400 men, young men who rode on camels and fled. 18And David rescued all that Amalek had taken, and David rescued the two of his wives. 19And nothing was missing to them from small and to great and to sons and daughters and from plunder and to all that they had taken for themselves. David brought back everything. 20And David took all of the sheep and the cattle. They drove to the face of that livestock and said, “This {is} the plunder of David.”

21And David came to the 200 men who had been too exhausted to go behind David, and they had had them stay at the wadi of Besor. And they came out to meet David and to meet the people who {were} with him. And David approached the people and asked them about peace. 22But all of the evil and wicked men from the men who had gone with David answered and said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not give to them from the plunder that we have rescued except a man, his wife and his sons, that they may lead away and go.” 23But David said, “You shall not do thus, my brothers, with what Yahweh has given to us. For he has kept us and given the band having come against us into our hand. 24Now who will listen to you regarding this matter? For as {is} the portion of the one having gone down into battle, so {shall be} the portion of the one having stayed with the equipment. They shall take portions together.” 25And it happened, from that day and beyond, that he set it for a statute and for an ordinance for Israel to this day.

26And David came to Ziklag, and he sent from the plunder to the elders of Judah, to his friends, saying, “Behold, a blessing for you from the plunder of the enemies of Yahweh,” 27to who {was} in Bethel and to who {was} in Ramoth of the South and to who {was} in Jattir 28and to who {was} in Aroer and to who {was} in Siphmoth and to who {was} in Eshtemoa 29and to who {was} in Racal and to who {was} in the cities of the Jerahmeelite and to who {was} in the cities of the Kenite 30and to who {was} in Hormah and to who {was} in Bor Ashan and to who {was} in Athach 31and to who {was} in Hebron and to all of the places where David had walked about there, he and his men.

311Now the Philistines were fighting with Israel, and the men of Israel fled from the face of the Philistines, and they fell pierced on Mount Gilboa. 2And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons. And the Philistines struck Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi Shua, the sons of Saul. 3And the battle was heavy against Saul. And the shooters, the men with the bow, found him. And he writhed greatly from the shooters. 4And Saul said to the carrier of his equipment, “Draw your sword and stab me with it, lest these uncircumcised {ones} come and stab me and abuse me.” But the carrier of his equipment was not willing, for he feared greatly. So Saul took the sword and fell on it. 5And the carrier of his equipment saw that Saul had died, so he fell, he also, on his sword, and he died with him. 6So Saul and three of his sons and the carrier of his equipment, even all of his men, died together on that day. 7And the men of Israel who {were} on the other side of the valley and who {were} on the other side of the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons had died. And they abandoned their cities and fled. And the Philistines came and dwelled in them.

8And it happened on the next day that the Philistines came to strip the pierced. And they found Saul and the three of his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 9And they cut off his head and stripped off his equipment. And they sent into the land of the Philistines all around to announce {to} the house of their idols and {to} the people. 10And they put his equipment in the house of the Ashtoreths, and they fastened his corpse on the wall of Beth Shan. 11And the dwellers of Jabesh Gilead heard about it, what the Philistines had done to Saul. 12And all of the men of valor arose and went all of the night and took the corpse of Saul and the corpses of his sons from the wall of Beth Shan. And they came {to} Jabesh, and they burned them there. 13And they took their bones and buried {them} under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh. And they fasted seven days.