1 Samuel

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Verses	810	708	87.41%
Words	23095	2575	11.15%

Verses

1:1	Now there was a certain 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.
1:2	HeAnd he had two wives: the name of one was Hannah and the name of the other Peninnah; and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.
1:3	Now this man would go up from his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of hostsarmies in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests to the Lord there.
1:4	When the day came that Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and her daughters;
1:5	but to Hannah he would give a double portion, forbecause he loved Hannah, but the Lord had closed her womb.
1:6	Her rival, howevermoreover, would provoke her bitterly to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb.
1:7	ItAnd it happened year after year, as often as she went up to the house of the Lord, that she would provoke her; so she wept and would not eat.
1:8	Then Elkanah her husband saidwould say to her, “Hannah, why do you weep, and why do you not eat, and why is your heart sad? Am I not better to you than ten sons?”
1:9	Then Hannah rosegot up after eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the temple of the Lord.
1:11	SheAnd she made a vow and said, “O Lord of hostsarmies, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservantbond-servant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservantbond-servant, but will give Your maidservantbond-servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and a razor shall never come on his head.”
1:13	As for Hannah, she was speaking in her heart, only her lips were movingquivering, but her voice was not heard. So Eli thought that she was drunk.
1:14	Then Eli said to her, “How long will you makebehave yourselflike a drunk? PutGet awayrid of your wine!” from you.”
1:15	But Hannah repliedanswered and said, “No, my lord, I am a woman oppresseddespairing in spirit; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have poured out my soul before the Lord.
1:16	Do not consider your maidservantbond-servant as a worthlessuseless woman, for I have spoken until now out of my great concern and provocation.”
1:17	Then Eli answered and said, “Go in peace; and may the God of Israel grant your petitionrequest that you have asked of Him.”
1:18	She said, “Let your maidservantbond-servant find favor in your sight.” So the woman went on her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.
1:19	Then they arosegot up early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord, and returned again to their house in Ramah. And Elkanah had relations with Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her.
1:20	It came about in due time, after Hannah had conceived, that she gave birth to a son; and she named him Samuel, saying, “Because I have asked for him of the Lord.”
1:21	Then the man Elkanah went up with all his household to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and to pay his vow.
1:22	But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “I will not go up until the child is weaned; then I will bring him, so that he may appear before the Lord and stay there foreverfor life.”
1:23	Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems best to you. RemainStay until you have weaned him; only may the Lord confirm His word.” So the woman remainedstayed and nursed her son until she weaned him.
1:24	Now when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with a three-year-old bull, and one ephah of flour, and a jug of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord in Shiloh, although the child was young.
1:26	SheAnd she said, “OhPardon me, my lord! As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you, praying to the Lord.
1:27	For this boy I prayed, and the Lord has givengranted me my petitionrequest which I asked of Him.
2:1	Then Hannah prayed and said, “My heart exultsrejoices in the Lord; My horn is exalted in the Lord, My mouth speaks boldly against my enemies, Because I rejoice in Your salvation.
2:3	BoastDo nonot morego on boasting so very proudly, Do not let arrogance come out of your mouth; For the Lord is a God of knowledge, And with Him actions are weighed.
2:4	The bows of the mighty are shatteredbroken to pieces, But thethose feeblewho girdhave stumbled strap on strength.
2:5	Those who were full hire themselves out for bread, But those who were hungry cease to hungerbe hungry. Even the barreninfertile woman gives birth to seven, But she who has many children languishes.
2:6	The Lord killsputs to death and makes alive; He brings down to Sheol and raisesbrings up.
2:7	The Lord makes poor and rich; He brings lowhumbles, He also exalts.
2:8	He raises the poor from the dust, He lifts the needy from the ashgarbage heap To makeseat them sit with nobles, And inheritHe gives them a seat of honor as an inheritance; For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, And He set the world on them.
2:9	He keepswatches over the feet of His godly ones, But the wicked ones are silenced in darkness; For not by might shall a manperson prevail.
2:10	Those who contend with the Lord will be shatteredterrified; Against them He will thunder in the heavens, The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; And He will give strength to His king, And will exalt the horn of His anointed.”
2:11	Then Elkanah went to his home at Ramah. But the boy ministeredcontinued to attend to the service of the Lord before Eli the priest.
2:12	Now the sons of Eli were worthlessuseless men; they did not know the Lord.
2:13	andAnd this was the custom of the priests with the people.: Whenwhen anyanyone man was offering a sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come while the meat was boilingcooking, with a three-pronged fork in his hand.
2:14	ThenAnd he would thrust it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; alleverything that the fork brought up, the priest would take for himself. ThusThey they did so in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there.
2:15	Also, before they burned the fat, the priest’s servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Give the priest meat for roasting, as he will not take boiledcooked meat from you, only raw.”
2:16	IfAnd if the man said to him, “They must surely burn the fat first, and then take as much as you desire,” then he would say, “No, but you shallmust give it to me now; and if not, I willam taketaking it by force.”!”
2:17	ThusAnd so the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord, for the men despisedtreated the offering of the Lord disrespectfully.
2:19	And his mother would make for him a little robe and bring it up to him from year to year when she would come up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.
2:20	Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and say, “May the Lord give you children from this woman in place of the one she dedicatedrequested toof the Lord.” And they went to their own home.
2:21	The Lord indeed visited Hannah;, and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. And the boy Samuel grew up before the Lord.
2:22	Now Eli was very old; and he heard allabout everything that his sons were doing to all Israel, and howthat they layslept with the women who served at the doorway of the tent of meeting.
2:23	HeSo he said to them, “Why doare you dodoing such things as these, the evil things that I hear from all these people?
2:25	If one manperson sins against another, God will mediate for him; but if a manperson sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for the Lord desired to put them to death.
2:26	Now the boy Samuel was growingcontinuing into staturegrow and to be in favor both with the Lord and with menpeople.
2:27	Then a man of God came to Eli and said to him, “ThusThis saysis what the Lord, says: ‘Did I not indeed reveal Myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt in bondage to Pharaoh’s house?
2:28	Did I not choose them from all the tribes of Israel to be My priests, to go up to My altar, to burn incense, to carry an ephod before Me;? andAnd did I not give to the house of your father all the fire offerings of the sons of Israel?
2:29	Why doare you kickshowing atcontempt for My sacrifice and at My offering which I have commanded infor My dwelling, and honorwhy are you honoring your sons above Me, by making yourselves fat with the choicest of every offering of My people Israel?’
2:30	Therefore the Lord God of Israel declares, ‘I did indeed say that your house and the house of your father shouldwas to walk before Me forever’; but now the Lord declares, ‘Far be it from Me—for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me will be lightly esteemedinsignificant.
2:31	Behold, the days are coming when I will breakeliminate your strength and the strength of your father’s house, so that there will not be an old man in your house.
2:32	YouAnd you will seelook at the distress of My dwelling, in spite of all the good that I do for Israel; and there will never be an old man will not be in your house forever.
2:33	Yet I will not cut off every man of yours from My altar, so that your eyes will fail from weeping and your soul grieve, and all the increase of your house will die in the prime of life.
2:34	ThisAnd this will be the sign to you which will come concerningin regard to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas: on the same day both of them will die.
2:35	But I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who will do according to what is in My heart and in My soul; and I will build him an enduring house, and he will walk before My anointed always.
2:36	EveryoneAnd everyone who is left in your house will come andto bow down to him for a piecesilver ofcoin silver or a loaf of bread and say, “Please assign me to one of the priest’s offices so that I may eat a piece of bread.” ’ ”
3:1	Now the boy Samuel was ministeringattending to the service of the Lord before Eli. And word from the Lord was rare in those days,; visions were infrequent.
3:2	ItBut it happened at that time as Eli was lying down in his place (now his eyesight had begun to growbe dimpoor and he could not see well),
3:5	Then he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, go back and lie down again.” So he went and lay down.
3:6	TheAnd the Lord called yet again, “Samuel!” So Samuel arosegot up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he answeredsaid, “I did not call, my son, go back and lie down again.”
3:8	So the Lord called Samuel again for the third time. And he arosegot up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli discernedrealized that the Lord was calling the boy.
3:10	Then the Lord came and stood, and called as at the other times,: “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.”
3:11	TheThen the Lord said to Samuel, “Behold, I am aboutgoing to do a thing in Israel, atand which both ears of everyone who hears about it will tinglering.
3:12	InOn that day I will carry out against Eli alleverything that I have spoken concerningin regard to his house, from beginning to end.
3:13	For I have told him that I am aboutgoing to judge his house forever for the iniquitywrongdoing whichthat he knew, because his sons broughtwere bringing a curse on themselves and he did not rebuke them.
3:14	Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquitywrongdoing of Eli’s house shall notnever be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.”
3:17	He said, “What is the word that He spoke to you? Please do not hide it from me. May God do sothe same to you, and more alsoso, if you hide anythinga single word from me of all the words that He spoke to you.”!”
3:18	So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, “ItHe is the Lord; let Him do what seems good to Him.”
3:19	ThusNow Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and He let none of his words fail.
3:20	AllAnd all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord.
4:1	ThusSo the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out to meet the Philistines in battle, and they camped beside Ebenezer, while the Philistines camped in Aphek.
4:2	TheThen the Philistines drew up in battle arrayformation to meet Israel. When the battle spread, Israel was defeated beforeby the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men on the battlefield.
4:3	When the people came into the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines? Let’s us take to ourselves from Shiloh the ark of the covenant of the Lord from Shiloh, so that itHe may come among us and deliversave us from the power of our enemies.”
4:4	So the people sent men to Shiloh, and from there they carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hostsarmies who sitsis enthroned above the cherubim; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
4:5	AsAnd as the ark of the covenant of the Lord camewas coming into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth resounded.
4:6	WhenAnd when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, “What does the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews mean?” Then they understood that the ark of the Lord had come into the camp.
4:7	TheSo the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “God has come into the camp.”!” And they said, “Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before.
4:8	Woe to us! Who shallwill deliversave us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who smotestruck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the wilderness.
4:9	Take courage and be men, O Philistines, or you will become slaves to the Hebrews, as they have been slaves to you; therefore,so be men and fight.”!”
4:10	So the Philistines fought and Israel was defeated, and every man fled to his tent; and the slaughterdefeat was very great, for there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell.
4:11	AndMoreover, the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.
4:12	Now a man of Benjamin ran from the battle line and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes torn, and dust on his head.
4:13	When he came, behold, Eli was sitting on his seat by the road eagerlykeeping watchingwatch, because his heart was tremblinganxious forabout the ark of God. SoAnd the man came to tellgive ita report in the city, and all the city cried out.
4:15	Now Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes were setfixed soand that he could not see.
4:16	The man said to Eli, “I am the one who came from the battle line. Indeed, I escaped from the battle line today.” And he said, “How didare things go, my son?”
4:17	Then the one who brought the news replied, “Israel has fled before the Philistines and there has also been a great slaughterdefeat among the people, and your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are also dead,; and the ark of God has been taken.”
4:18	When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell off the seat backward beside the gate, and his neck was broken and he died, for he was old and heavy. ThusAnd so he judged Israel for forty years.
4:19	Now his daughter-in-law, Phinehas’s wife, was pregnant and about to give birth; and when she heard the news that the ark of God washad been taken and that her father-in-law and her husband had died, she kneeled down and gave birth, forbecause her pains came upon her.
4:20	And about the time of her death the women who stoodwere standing by her said to her, “Do not be afraid, for you have given birth to a son.” But she did not answer or pay attention.
4:21	And she callednamed the boy Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel,” because the ark of God washad been taken and because of her father-in-law and her husband.
4:22	SheSo she said, “The glory has departed from Israel, forbecause the ark of God washas been taken.”
5:2	Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it tointo the house of Dagon, and setplaced it bybeside Dagon.
5:3	When the Ashdodites arosegot up early the next morningday, behold, Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord. So they took Dagon and set him back in his place again.
5:4	But when they arosegot up early the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord. And the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off on the threshold; only the trunktorso of Dagon was left to him.
5:5	ThereforeFor that reason neither the priests of Dagon nor allany who enter Dagon’s house treadstep on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.
5:6	Now the hand of the Lord was heavy on the Ashdodites, and He ravagedmade them feel devastated and smotestruck them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territories.
5:7	When the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, forbecause His hand is severe on us and on Dagon our god.”
5:8	So they sent word and gathered all the lordsgovernors of the Philistines to them, and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” And they said, “LetHave the ark of the God of Israel be brought around to Gath.” AndSo they broughttook the ark of the God of Israel aroundaway.
5:9	After they had broughttaken it aroundaway, the hand of the Lord was against the city, withcreating a very great confusionpanic; and He smotestruck the menpeople of the city, bothfrom the young andto the old, so that tumors broke out on them.
5:10	So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And as the ark of God came to Ekron, the Ekronites cried out, saying, “They have brought the ark of the God of Israel around to us, to kill us and our people.”!”
5:11	TheyTherefore they sent thereforeword and gathered all the lordsgovernors of the Philistines, and said, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its own place, so that it will not kill us and our people.”!” For there was a deadly confusionpanic throughout the city; the hand of God was very heavy there.
5:12	And the menpeople who did not die were smittenstruck with tumors, and the cryoutcry of the city went up to heaven.
6:1	Now the ark of the Lord had been in the countryterritory of the Philistines for seven months.
6:2	And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, “What shallare we to do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us how we shallmay send it to its place.”
6:3	TheyAnd they said, “If you are going to send away the ark of the God of Israel away, do not send it empty; but you shall surelycertainly return to Him a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be knownrevealed to you why His hand isdoes not removedleave from you.”
6:4	Then they said, “What shallis to be the guilt offering whichthat we shall return to Him?” And they said, “Five goldengold tumors and five goldengold mice accordingcorresponding to the number of the lordsgovernors of the Philistines, forsince one plague was on all of you and on your lordsgovernors.
6:5	So you shall make likenesses of your tumors and likenesses of your mice that ravageare ruining the land, and you shall give glory to the God of Israel; perhaps He will easelighten His hand from you, your gods, and your land.
6:6	Why then do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When He had severely dealt with them, did they not allowlet the people to go, and they departedleft?
6:7	Now thereforethen, take and prepare a new cart and two milchmilk cows on which there has never been a yoke; and hitch the cows to the cart and take their calves back home, away from them.
6:8	TakeThen take the ark of the Lord and place it on the cart; and put the articles of gold which you return to Him as a guilt offering in a boxsaddlebag by its side. Then send it away that it may go.
6:9	Watch,But watch: if it goes up by the way of its own territory to Beth-shemesh, then He has done us this great evil to us. But if not, then we will know that it was not His hand that struck us; it happened to us by chance.”
6:10	Then the men did so,: andthey took two milchmilk cows and hitched them to the cart, and shut upin their calves at home.
6:11	TheyAnd they put the ark of the Lord on the cart, and the boxsaddlebag with the goldengold mice and the likenesses of their tumors.
6:12	AndNow the cows tookwent the straight way in the direction of Beth-shemesh; they went alongon the highwaysame road, lowingbellowing as they went, and did not turn asideoff to the right or to the left. And the lordsgovernors of the Philistines followed them to the border of Beth-shemesh.
6:13	Now the people of Beth-shemesh were reapinggathering in their wheat harvest in the valley, and they raised their eyes and saw the ark, and wererejoiced gladat toseeing see it.
6:14	TheAnd the cart came into the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite and stoodstopped there where there was a large stone; and they split the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord.
6:15	TheAnd the Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the boxsaddlebag that was with it, in which were the articles of gold, and put them on the large stone; and the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices that day to the Lord.
6:16	When the five lordsgovernors of the Philistines saw it, they returned to Ekron that day.
6:17	TheseNow these are the goldengold tumors which the Philistines returned foras a guilt offering to the Lord: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, and one for Ekron;
6:18	and the goldengold mice, accordingcorresponding to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lordsgovernors, both of fortified cities and of country villages. The large stone on which they setplaced the ark of the Lord is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite.
6:19	Now He fatally struck down some of the men of Beth-shemesh because they had looked into the ark of the Lord. He struck down50,070 ofmen allamong the people, 50,070 men, and the people mourned because the Lord had struck the people with a great slaughter.
6:20	TheAnd the men of Beth-shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God? And to whom shallwill He go up from us?”
6:21	So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, saying, “The Philistines have brought back the ark of the Lord; come down and take it up to youyourselves.”
7:1	And the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took the ark of the Lord and brought it into the house of Abinadab on the hill, and they consecrated Eleazar his son Eleazar to keepwatch over the ark of the Lord.
7:2	From the day that the ark remained at Kiriath-jearim, the time was long, for it was twenty years; and all the house of Israel lamentedmourned after the Lord.
7:3	Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you returnare returning to the Lord with all your heart, then remove the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you, and direct your hearts to the Lord and serve Him alone; and He will deliversave you from the hand of the Philistines.”
7:4	So the sons of Israel removed the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and served the Lord alone.
7:6	TheySo they gathered to Mizpah, and drew water and poured it out before the Lord, and fasted on that day and said there, “We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel judged the sons of Israel at Mizpah.
7:7	Now when the Philistines heard that the sons of Israel had gathered toat Mizpah, the lordsgovernors of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the sons of Israel heard about it, they were afraid of the Philistines.
7:8	ThenSo the sons of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not ceasestop tocrying cryout to the Lord our God for us, that He maywill save us from the hand of the Philistines.”!”
7:9	Samuel took a sucklingnursing lamb and offered it foras a whole burnt offering to the Lord; and Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him.
7:10	Now Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, and the Philistines drewadvanced near to battle against Israel. But the Lord thundered with a great thunder on that day against the Philistines and confused them, so that they were routedstruck down before Israel.
7:11	TheAnd the men of Israel wentcame out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, and struckkilled them down as far as below Beth-car.
7:12	Then Samuel took a stone and setplaced it between Mizpah and Shen, and named it Ebenezer, saying, “ThusSo far the Lord has helped us.”
7:13	So the Philistines were subdued, and they did not come anymore within the border of Israel. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.
7:14	The cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron even to Gath; and Israel deliveredrecovered their territory from the hand of the Philistines. So there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.
7:16	HeAnd he used to go annually on a circuit to Bethel, and Gilgal, and Mizpah, and he judged Israel in all these places.
7:17	Then he would make his return was to Ramah, forbecause his house was there, and there he also judged Israel; and there he built there an altar to the Lord.
8:1	AndNow it came about, when Samuel was old, that he appointed his sons as judges over Israel.
8:2	NowThe the name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judging in Beersheba.
8:3	His sons, however, did not walk in his ways, but turned aside after dishonest gain, and they took bribes and perverted justice.
8:5	and they said to him, “Behold, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint us a king for us to judge us like all the nations.”
8:6	But the thingmatter was displeasing in the sight of Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord.
8:7	TheAnd the Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people inregarding regard to all that they say to you, forbecause they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being kingKing over them.
8:8	Like all the deeds which they have done since the day that I brought them up from Egypt even to this day—in that they have forsakenabandoned Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you alsoas well.
8:9	Now then, listen to their voice; however, you shall solemnly warn them strongly and tell them of the procedurepractice of the king who will reign over them.”
8:10	So Samuel spoke all the words of the Lord to the people who had asked of him for a king.
8:11	HeAnd he said, “This will be the procedurepractice of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and placeput them for himself in his chariots for himself and among his horsemen, and they will run before his chariots.
8:12	He will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to do his plowing and to reapgather in his harvest, and to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots.
8:13	He will also take your daughters forand use them as perfumers, and cooks, and bakers.
8:14	He will take the best of your fields, and your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants.
8:15	HeAnd he will take a tenth of your seed and of your vineyards and give it to his officershigh officials and to his servants.
8:16	He will also take your male servants and your female servants, and your best young men, and your donkeys, and use them for his work.
8:18	Then you will cry out inon that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you inon that day.”
8:19	Nevertheless,Yet the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel, and they said, “No, but there shall be a king over us,
8:20	so that we also may be like all the nations, thatand our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.”
8:22	TheAnd the Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to their voice and appoint them a king for them.” So Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Go, every man to his city.”
9:1	Now there was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah, the son of a BenjamiteBenjaminite, a valiant mighty man of valor.
9:2	He had a son whose name was Saul, a choiceyoung and handsome man, and there was not a more handsome personman than he among the sons of Israel; from his shoulders and up he was taller than any of the people.
9:3	Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul’s father, werehad lostwandered off. So Kish said to his son Saul, “TakeNow nowtake with you one of the servants, and arise, go search for the donkeys.”
9:4	HeSo he passed through the hill country of Ephraim and passed through the land of Shalishah, but they did not find them. Then they passed through the land of Shaalim, but they were not there. Then he passed through the land of the BenjamitesBenjaminites, but they did not find them.
9:5	When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant who was with him, “Come, and let’s us return, or else my father will ceasestop tobeing be concerned about the donkeys and will become anxious forabout us.”
9:6	HeBut he said to him, “Behold now, there is a man of God in this city, and the man is held in honor; alleverything that he says surelydefinitely comes true. Now let’s us go there, perhaps he can tell us about our journey on which we have set out.”
9:7	Then Saul said to his servant, “But beholdlook, if we go, what shall we bring the man? For the bread is gone from our sacksacks and there is no presentgift to bring to the man of God. What do we have?”
9:8	The servant answered Saul again and said, “BeholdLook, I have in my hand a fourth of a shekel of silver; I will give it to the man of God and he will tell us our way.”
9:9	(FormerlyPreviously in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he used to say, “Come, and let’s us go to the seer”; for he who is called a prophet now was formerlypreviously called a seer.)
9:10	Then Saul said to his servant, “WellGood saididea; come, let’s us go.” So they went to the city where the man of God was.
9:11	As they went up the slope to the city, they found young women going out to draw water, and they said to them, “Is the seer here?”
9:12	They answered them and said, “He is; see, he is ahead of you. Hurry now, for he has come into the city today, forbecause the people have a sacrifice on the high place today.
9:13	As soon as you enter the city you will find him before he goes up to the high place to eat, for the people will not eat until he comes, because he must bless the sacrifice; afterward those who are invited will eat. Now thereforethen, go up, for you will find him atabout oncethis time.”
9:15	Now a day before Saul’s coming, the Lord had revealed this to Samuel, saying,
9:16	“About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him toas beruler prince over My people Israel; and he will deliversave My people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have regardedconsidered My people, because their cryoutcry has come to Me.”
9:18	Then Saul approached Samuel inat the gategateway and said, “Please tell me where the seer’s house is.”
9:19	And Samuel answered Saul and said, “I am the seer. Go up beforeahead of me to the high place, for you shall eat with me today; and in the morning I will let you go, and will tell you alleverything that is on your mind.
9:20	AsAnd as for your donkeys whichthat werewandered lostoff three days ago, do not setbe yourconcerned mindabout on them, for they have been found. And for whom is alleverything that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for you and for all your father’s household?”
9:21	Saul replied, “Am I not a BenjamiteBenjaminite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then dohave you speakspoken to me in this way?”
9:22	Then Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them into the hall, and gave them a place at the head of those who were invited, who were about thirty men.
9:23	And Samuel said to the cook, “BringServe the portion that I gave you, concerningabout which I said to you, ‘Set it aside.’ ”
9:24	Then the cook took up the leg with what was on it and setplaced it before Saul. And Samuel said, “Here is what has been reserved! SetPlace it before you and eat, because it has been kept for you until the appointed time, since I said I have invited the people.” So Saul ate with Samuel that day.
9:26	And they arosegot up early; and at daybreak Samuel called to Saul on the roof, saying, “Get up, so that I may send you awayon your way.” So Saul arosegot up, and both he and Samuel went out into the street.
9:27	As they were going down to the edge of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “SaySpeak to the servant thatand hehave mighthim go on ahead of us and pass on,by; but you remainstand standinghere now, so that I may proclaim the word of God to you.”
10:1	Then Samuel took the flask of oil, poured it on hisSaul’s head, kissed him, and said, “Has not the Lord not anointed you aas ruler over His inheritance?
10:2	When you goleave from me today, then you will find two men close to Rachel’s tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say to you, ‘The donkeys which you went to look for have been found. Now behold, your father has ceasedstopped totalking be concerned about the donkeys and is anxious forabout you, saying, “What shallam I to do about my son?” ’
10:3	Then you will go on further from there, and you will come as far as the oak of Tabor, and there three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you,: one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a jug of wine;.
10:4	andAnd they will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from their hand.
10:5	Afterward you will come to the hill of God where the Philistine garrison is; and it shall be as soon as you have come there to the city, that you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with harp, tambourine, flute, and a lyre beforein front of them, and they will be prophesying.
10:6	Then the Spirit of the Lord will comerush upon you mightily, and you shallwill prophesy with them and be changed into anothera different man.
10:7	ItAnd it shall be when these signs come to you, do for yourself what the occasion requires, forbecause God is with you.
10:8	And you shall go down beforeahead of me to Gilgal; and behold, I will comebe coming down to you to offer burnt offerings and sacrifice peace offerings. You shall wait seven days until I come to you and showinform you of what you should do.”
10:9	Then it happened, when he turned his back to leave Samuel, that God changed his heart; and all those signs came about on that day.
10:10	When they came there to the hill there, behold, a group of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God camerushed upon him mightily, so that he prophesied among them.
10:11	ItAnd it came about, when all who previously knew him previously saw that he prophesiedwas nowindeed prophesying with the prophets, that the people said to one another, “What is this that has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”
10:12	AAnd a man from there responded and said, “Now,And who is their father?” Therefore it became a proverbsaying: “Is Saul also among the prophets?”
10:14	Now Saul’s uncle said to him and his servant, “Where did you go?” And he said, “To look for the donkeys. When we saw that they couldwere notnowhere to be found, we went to Samuel.”
10:17	ThereafterNow Samuel called the people together to the Lord at Mizpah;
10:18	and he said to the sons of Israel, “ThusThis saysis what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I brought Israel up from Egypt, and I deliveredrescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the power of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.’
10:19	But today you have today rejected your God, who deliverssaves you from all your calamitiescatastrophes and your distresses; yet you have said, ‘No, but setput a king over us!’ Now thereforethen, present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your clansgroups of thousands.”
10:20	ThusSo Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near,forward; and the tribe of Benjamin was takenselected by lot.
10:21	Then he brought the tribe of Benjamin nearforward by its families, and the Matrite family was takenselected by lot. And Saul the son of Kish was takenselected by lot; but when they looked for him, he could not be found.
10:22	Therefore they inquired further of the Lord,: “Has the man come here yet?” SoAnd the Lord said, “Behold, he is hiding himself byamong the baggage.”
10:25	Then Samuel told the people the ordinances of the kingdom, and wrote them in the book, and placed it before the Lord. And Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his house.
10:26	Saul also went to his house atin Gibeah; and the valiant men whose hearts God had touched went with him.
10:27	But certain worthlessuseless men said, “How can this one deliversave us?” And they despised him and did not bring him anya presentgift. But he kept silent about it.
11:1	Now Nahash the Ammonite camewent up and besieged Jabesh-gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Make a covenant with us and we will serve you.”
11:2	But Nahash the Ammonite said to them, “I will make it with you on this condition, that I will gouge out the right eye of every one of you, thusand thereby I will makeinflict it a reproachdisgrace on all Israel.”
11:3	TheSo the elders of Jabesh said to him, “LetAllow us alone for seven days, thatto we may send messengers throughout the territory of Israel. Then, if there is no one to deliversave us, we will come out to you.”
11:4	Then the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and spoke these words in the hearing of the people, and all the people liftedraised up their voices and wept.
11:5	Now behold, Saul was coming from the field behind the oxen, and heSaul said, “What is the matter with the people that they weep?” So they relatedreported to him the words of the men of Jabesh.
11:6	Then the Spirit of God camerushed upon Saul mightily when he heard these words, and he became very angry.
11:7	He then took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces, and sent them throughout the territory of Israel by the hand of messengers, saying, “Whoever does not come out after Saul and after Samuel, sothe same shall it be done to his oxen.” Then the dread of the Lord fell on the people, and they came out as one manperson.
11:8	He numberedcounted them in Bezek; and the sons of Israel were 300three hundred thousand,000, and the men of Judah, 30,000thirty thousand.
11:9	They said to the messengers who had come, “ThusThis is what you shall say to the men of Jabesh-gilead,: ‘Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you will havebe deliverancesaved.’ ” So the messengers went and told the men of Jabesh; and they were gladrejoiced.
11:11	The next morning Saul put the people in three companies; and they came into the midst of the camp at the morning watch, and struck downand killed the Ammonites until the heat of the day. ThoseAnd those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.
11:12	Then the people said to Samuel, “Who is he that said, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ Bring the men, so that we may put them to death.”!”
11:13	But Saul said, “Not a mansingle person shall be put to death this day, for today the Lord has accomplishedbrought deliveranceabout victory in Israel.”
11:14	Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, and let us go to Gilgal and renew the kingdom there.”
12:1	Then Samuel said to all Israel, “Behold, I have listened to your voice infor all that you said to me, and I have appointed a king over you.
12:2	Now, here is the king walking before you, but as for me, I am old and gray, and behold my sons are here with you. And I have walked before you fromsince my youth even to this day.
12:3	Here I am; beartestify witness against me before the Lord and His anointed. Whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I defraudedexploited? Whom have I oppressed, or from whose hand have I taken a bribe to blindclose my eyes with it? I will restorereturn it to you.”
12:4	TheyAnd they said, “You have not defraudedexploited us or oppressed us, or taken anything from any mananyone’s hand.”
12:5	HeSo he said to them, “The Lord is witness against you, and His anointed is witness this day that you have found nothing in my hand.” And they said, “He is witness.”
12:7	SoNow nowthen, take your stand, so that I may pleadenter into judgment with you before the Lord concerning all the righteous acts of the Lord whichthat He did for you and your fathers.
12:9	But they forgot the Lord their God, so He sold them into the hand of Sisera, captaincommander of the army of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them.
12:10	They cried out to the Lord and said, ‘We have sinned, because we have forsakenabandoned the Lord and have served the Baals and the Ashtaroth; but now deliversave us from the hands of our enemies, and we will serve You.’
12:11	Then the Lord sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and deliveredsaved you from the hands of your enemies all around, so that you lived in security.
12:12	WhenBut when you saw that Nahash the king of the sons of Ammon camewas coming against you, you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’!’ althoughYet the Lord your God was your king.
12:13	NowAnd thereforenow, herebehold, is the king whom you have chosen, whom you have asked for, and behold, the Lord has setput a king over you.
12:14	If you will fear the Lord and serve Him, and listen to His voice and not rebel against the command of the Lord, then both you and also the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God.
12:15	IfBut if you willdo not listen to the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the command of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will be against you, even as it was against your fathers.
12:16	Even now, take your stand and see this great thing which the Lord willis going to do before your eyes.
12:17	Is it not the wheat harvest today? I will call to the Lord, that He maywill send thunder and rain. Then you will know and see that your wickedness is great which you have done in the sight of the Lord, by asking for yourselves a king.”
12:19	Then all the people said to Samuel, “Pray for your servants to the Lord your God for your servants, so that we maydo not die,; for we have added to all our sins this evil, by asking for ourselves a king.”
12:21	YouIndeed, you must not turn aside, for then you would go after futileuseless things which cancannot notbenefit profit or deliversave, because they are futileuseless.
12:23	MoreoverFurthermore, as for me, far be it from me that I shouldwould sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you; but I will instruct you in the good and right way.
12:25	But if you still do wickedlyevil, both you and your king will be swept away.”
13:1	Saul was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for forty -two years over Israel.
13:2	Now Saul chose for himself 3,000three thousand men of Israel, of whichwhom 2,000two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in the hill country of Bethel, while 1,000a thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah of Benjamin. But he sent away the rest of the people away, each to his tent.
13:3	And Jonathan smoteattacked the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard ofabout it. Then Saul blew the trumpet throughout the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear.”!”
13:4	AllAnd all Israel heard the news that Saul had smittenattacked the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel had become odiousrepulsive to the Philistines. TheThen the people were then summoned to Saul at Gilgal.
13:5	Now the Philistines assembled to fight with Israel, 30,000thirty thousand chariots and 6,000six thousand horsemen, and people like the sand which is on the seashore in abundance; and they came up and camped in Michmash, east of Beth-aven.
13:6	When the men of Israel saw that they were in atrouble strait (for the people were hard-pressed), then the people hidkept themselves hidden in caves, in thicketscrevices, in cliffs, in cellarscrypts, and in pits.
13:7	AlsoAnd some of the Hebrews crossed the Jordan into the land of Gad and Gilead. But as for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him, trembling.
13:8	Now he waited for seven days, accordinguntil to the appointed time setthat bySamuel Samuelhad set, but Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattering from him.
13:9	So Saul said, “Bring to me the burnt offering and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering.
13:10	AsBut as soon as he finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him and to greet him.
13:11	But Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “BecauseSince I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come withinat the appointed daystime, and that the Philistines were assembling at Michmash,
13:12	therefore I saidthought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not asked the favor of the Lord.’ So I forcedworked myselfup the courage and offered the burnt offering.”
13:13	But Samuel said to Saul, “You have acted foolishly;! youYou have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you, for now the Lord would now have established your kingdom over Israel forever.
13:14	But now your kingdom shall not endure. The Lord has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”
13:15	Then Samuel aroseset out and went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul numberedcounted the people who were present with him, about six hundred men.
13:16	Now Saul, and his son Jonathan, and the people who were present with them were staying in Geba of Benjamin while the Philistines camped at Michmash.
13:17	AndThen the raiders came from the camp of the Philistines in three companies: one company turned toward Ophrah, to the land of Shual,
13:18	and another company turned toward Beth-horon, and another company turned toward the border whichthat overlooks the valleyValley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.
13:19	Now no blacksmith could be found in all the land of Israel, forbecause the Philistines said, “Otherwise the Hebrews will make swords or spears.”
13:21	The charge was two-thirds of a shekel for the plowshares, the mattocks, the forks, and the axes, and to fix the hoescattle goads.
13:23	And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the passgorge of Michmash.
14:1	Now the day came that Jonathan, the son of Saul, said to the young man who was carrying his armor, “Come, and let’s us cross over to the Philistines’ garrison that is on the other side.” But he did not tell his father.
14:2	Saul was staying inon the outskirts of Gibeah under the pomegranate tree whichthat is in Migron. And the people who were with him werenumbered about six hundred men,;
14:4	BetweenNow between the passesgorges by which Jonathan sought to cross over to the Philistines’ garrison, there was a sharprocky crag on the one side, and a sharprocky crag on the other side,; and the name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other, Seneh.
14:6	Then Jonathan said to the young man who was carrying his armor, “Come, and let’s us cross over to the garrison of these uncircumcised men; perhaps the Lord will work for us, forbecause the Lord is not restrainedlimited to savesaving by many or by few.”!”
14:7	His armor bearer said to him, “Do alleverything that is in your heart; turn yourself to it, and here I am with you, accordingas to your desireheart desires.”
14:8	Then Jonathan said, “Behold, we willare going to cross over to the men and reveal ourselves to them.
14:10	But if they say, ‘Come up to us,’ then we will go up, for the Lord has givenhanded them intoover ourto handsus; and this shall be the sign to us.”
14:11	When boththe two of them revealed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines, the Philistines said, “Behold, Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hiddenkept themselves hidden.”
14:12	So the men of the garrison hailedresponded to Jonathan and his armor bearer and said, “Come up to us and we will tellinform you of something.” And Jonathan said to his armor bearer, “Come up after me, for the Lord has givenhanded them intoover theto hands of Israel.”
14:13	Then Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet, with his armor bearer behind him; and theythe men fell before Jonathan, and his armor bearer put some to death after him.
14:14	ThatNow that first slaughter which Jonathan and his armor bearer madeinflicted was about twenty men within about half a furrow in an acre of land.
14:16	Now Saul’s watchmen in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and behold, the multitude melted awaydissolved; and they went here and there.
14:17	So Saul said to the people who were with him, “NumberLook carefully now and see who has goneleft from us.” And when they had numberedlooked, behold, Jonathan and his armor bearer were not there.
14:18	Then Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring the ark of God here.” For at that time the ark of God was at that time with the sons of Israel.
14:20	Then Saul and all the people who were with him rallied and came to the battle; and behold, every man’s sword was against his fellow Philistine, and there was very great confusion.
14:21	Now the Hebrews who were with the Philistines previously, who went up with them all around in the camp, even they also turnedreturned to be with the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan.
14:22	When all the men of Israel who had hiddenkept themselves hidden in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines had fled, even they also closely pursued them closely in the battle.
14:23	So the Lord deliveredsaved Israel that day, and the battle spread beyond Beth-aven.
14:24	Now the men of Israel were hard-pressed on that day, for Saul had put the people under oath, saying, “Cursed be the man who eats food before evening, and untilbefore I have avenged myself on my enemies.” So none of the people tasted food.
14:26	When the people entered the forest, behold, there was ahoney flow of honeydripping; but no man put his hand to his mouth, forbecause the people feared the oath.
14:27	ButHowever, Jonathan had not heard it when his father put the people under oath; therefore,so he put out the end of the staff that was in his hand and dipped it in the honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth, and his eyes brightened.
14:28	Then one of the people responded and said, “Your father strictly put the people under oath, saying, ‘Cursed be the man who eats food today.’ ” And the people were weary.
14:29	Then Jonathan said, “My father has troubled the land. See now, howthat my eyes have brightened because I tasted a little of this honey.
14:30	How much more, if only the people had freely eaten freely today of the spoilspoils of their enemies which they found! For now the slaughterdefeat among the Philistines has not been great.”
14:31	They struckattacked among the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon. AndBut the people were very wearytired.
14:32	TheSo the people loudly rushed greedily upon the spoilspoils, and took sheep, and oxen, and calves, and slewslaughtered them on the ground; and the people ate them with the blood.
14:33	Then theyobservers toldinformed Saul, saying, “BeholdLook, the people are sinning against the Lord by eating meat with the blood.” And he said, “You have acted treacherously; roll a greatlarge stonerock to me today.”
14:34	Then Saul said, “Disperse yourselves among the people and say to them, ‘Each one of you bring me his ox or his sheep, and slaughter it here and eat; and do not sin against the Lord by eating it with the blood.’ ” So all the people brought them that night, brought each one his ox with him, and they slaughtered itthem there.
14:36	Then Saul said, “Let’s us go down after the Philistines by night and take spoilplunder among them until the morning light, and let’s us not leave a man ofamong them alive.” And they said, “Do whatever seems good to you.” So the priest said, “Let’s usapproach draw near to God here.”
14:37	So Saul inquired of God,: “Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will You givehand them intoover theto hand of Israel?” But He did not answer him on that day.
14:38	Then Saul said, “DrawCome near here, all you chiefsleaders of the people, and investigate and see how this sin has happened today.
14:39	For as the Lord lives, who deliverssaves Israel, thougheven if it is in Jonathan my son Jonathan, he shall surelyassuredly die.”!” But not one of all the people answered him.
14:40	Then he said to all Israel, “You shall be on one side, and I and Jonathan my son Jonathan will be on the other side.” And the people said to Saul, “Do what seems good to you.”
14:41	Therefore, Saul said to the Lord, the God of Israel, “Give a perfect lot.” And Jonathan and Saul were takenselected by lot, but the people escapedwere exonerated.
14:42	Then Saul said, “Cast lots between me and Jonathan my son Jonathan.” And Jonathan was takenselected by lot.
14:43	ThenSo Saul said to Jonathan, “Tell me what you have done.” SoAnd Jonathan told him, and said, “I did indeed tastedtaste a little honey with the end of the staff that was in my hand. Here I am, I must die!”
14:44	And Saul said, “May God do thisthe same to me and more also, for you shall surelycertainly die, Jonathan.”!”
14:45	But the people said to Saul, “Must Jonathan die, he who has brought about this great deliverancevictory in Israel? Far from it! As the Lord lives, not oneeven a hair of his head shall fall to the ground, forbecause he has worked with God this day.” So the people rescued Jonathan and he did not die.
14:47	Now when Saul had taken control of the kingdom over Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, the sons of Ammon, Edom, the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines; and wherever he turned, he inflicted punishment.
14:48	HeAnd he acted valiantly and defeated the Amalekites, and deliveredsaved Israel from the hands of those who plundered them.
14:49	Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan, and Ishvi, and Malchi-shua; and the names of his two daughters were these: the name of the firstborn was Merab, and the name of the younger, Michal.
14:50	TheAnd the name of Saul’s wife was Ahinoam the daughter of Ahimaaz. And the name of the captaincommander of his army was Abner the son of Ner, Saul’s uncle.
14:52	Now the war against the Philistines was severe all the days of Saul; and when Saul saw any mightywarrior man or any valiant man, he attached him to his staff.
15:2	ThusThis saysis what the Lord of hosts,armies says: ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, howin that he setobstructed himself against him on the way while he was coming up from Egypt.
15:3	Now go and strike Amalek and utterlycompletely destroy alleverything that he has, and do not spare him; but put to death both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’ ”
15:4	Then Saul summoned the people and numberedcounted them in Telaim,: 200,000two hundred thousand foot soldiers and 10,000ten thousand men of Judah.
15:5	And Saul came to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the valleywadi.
15:6	But Saul said to the Kenites, “Go, departget away, go down from among the Amalekites, so that I do not destroy you along with them; for you showed kindness to all the sons of Israel when they camewent up from Egypt.” So the Kenites departedgot away from among the Amalekites.
15:7	SoThen Saul defeated the Amalekites, from Havilah asgoing youtoward go to Shur, which is east of Egypt.
15:8	He captured Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterlycompletely destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
15:9	But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlingsmore valuable animals, the lambs, and alleverything that was good, and were notunwilling willing to destroy them utterlycompletely; but everything despiseddespicable and worthlessweak, that they utterlycompletely destroyed.
15:11	“I regret that I have made Saul king, forbecause he has turned back from following Me and has not carried out My commands.” And Samuel was distressedfurious and cried out to the Lord all night.
15:12	Samuel rosegot up early in the morning to meet Saul; and it was toldreported to Samuel, saying, “Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself, then turned and proceeded on down to Gilgal.”
15:13	So Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed are you of the Lord! I have carried out the command of the Lord.”
15:14	But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowingbellowing of the oxen which I hear?”
15:15	Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and oxen, to sacrifice to the Lord your God; but the rest we have utterlycompletely destroyed.”
15:16	Then Samuel said to Saul, “WaitStop, and let me tellinform you of what the Lord said to me last night.” And he said to him, “Speak!”
15:17	So Samuel said, “Is it not true, though you were littleinsignificant in your own eyes, that you werebecame made the head of the tribes of Israel? AndFor the Lord anointed you as king over Israel,.
15:18	andAnd the Lord sent you on a mission, and said, ‘Go and utterlycompletely destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are exterminatedeliminated.’
15:19	Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Instead, butyou loudly rushed upon the spoilspoils and did what was evil in the sight of the Lord?”!”
15:20	Then Saul said to Samuel, “I did obey the voice of the Lord, andfor I went on the mission on which the Lord sent me,; and I have brought back Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterlycompletely destroyed the Amalekites.
15:21	But the people took some of the spoilspoils, sheep and oxen, the choicest of the things devoteddesignated tofor destruction, to sacrifice to the Lord your God at Gilgal.”
15:22	Samuel said, “HasDoes the Lord have as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than a sacrifice, And to heedpay attention is better than the fat of rams.
15:23	For rebellion is as reprehensible as the sin of divination, And insubordination is as iniquityreprehensible as false religion and idolatry. BecauseSince you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has also rejected you from being king.”
15:24	Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned;, for I have indeedviolated transgressed the command of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and listened to their voice.
15:25	Now thereforethen, please pardon my sin and return with me, so that I may worship the Lord.”
15:27	AsThen Samuel turned to go, but Saul seizedgrasped the edge of his robe, and it tore off.
15:29	Also the Glory of Israel will not lie ornor change His mind; for He is not a man, that He shouldwould change His mind.”
15:30	Then heSaul said, “I have sinned; but please honor me now before the elders of my people and before all Israel, and go back with me, so that I may worship the Lord your God.”
15:32	Then Samuel said, “Bring me Agag, the king of the Amalekites.” And Agag came to him cheerfully. And Agag said, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.”gone!”
15:33	But Samuel said, “As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women.” And Samuel hewedcut Agag to pieces before the Lord at Gilgal.
15:35	And Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death;, forthough Samuel grievedmourned overfor Saul. And the Lord regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel.
16:1	Now the Lord said to Samuel, “How long willare you grievegoing overto mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, forbecause I have selectedchosen a king for Myself among his sons.”
16:2	But Samuel said, “How can I go? When Saul hears ofabout it, he will kill me.” AndBut the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’
16:3	YouAnd you shall invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will showlet you know what you shall do; and you shall anoint for Me the one whom I designate to you.”
16:4	So Samuel did what the Lord saidtold him, and he came to Bethlehem. AndThen the elders of the city came trembling to meet him and said, “Do you come in peace?”
16:5	HeAnd he said, “In peace; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” He also consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
16:6	When they entered, he looked at Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is standing before Him.”
16:7	But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God seesdoes not see as man sees, forsince man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
16:8	Then Jesse called Abinadab and madehad him pass before Samuel. AndBut he said, “The Lord has not chosen this one, either.”
16:9	Next Jesse madehad Shammah pass by. And he said, “The Lord has not chosen this one, either.”
16:10	ThusSo Jesse madehad seven of his sons pass before Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.”
16:11	AndThen Samuel said to Jesse, “Are these all the childrenboys?” And he said, “ThereThe remainsyoungest yetis thestill youngestleft, andbut behold, he is tending the sheep.” ThenSo Samuel said to Jesse, “Send word and bring him; for we will not sittake downour places at the table until he comes here.”
16:12	So he sent word and brought him in. Now he was ruddyreddish, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is he.”
16:13	ThenSo Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord camerushed mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel aroseset out and went to Ramah.
16:14	Now the Spirit of the Lord departedleft from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord terrorizedterrified him.
16:15	Saul’s servants then said to him, “Behold now, an evil spirit from God is terrorizingterrifying you.
16:16	LetMay our lord now command your servants who are before you. LetHave them seeksearch for a man who is a skillful playermusician on the harp; and it shall come about whenwhenever the evil spirit from God is onupon you, that he shall play the harp with his hand, and you will bebecome well.”
16:17	So Saul said to his servants, “ProvideNow select for me now a man who can play well, and bring him to me.”
16:18	Then one of the young men responded and said, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is a skillful musician, a valiant mighty man of valor, a warrior, oneskillful prudent in speech, and a handsome man; and the Lord is with him.”
16:19	So Saul sent messengers to Jesse andto saidsay, “Send me your son David, who is with the flock.”
16:20	And Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread and a jug of wine, and he took a young goat, and sent them to Saul by David his son David.
16:21	Then David came to Saul and attended him; and Saul greatly loved him greatly, and he became his armor bearer.
16:22	So Saul sent word to Jesse, saying, “Let David now standbe beforemy me,attendant for he has found favor in my sight.”
16:23	So it came about whenever the evil spirit from God came to Saul, David would take the harp and play it with his hand; and Saul would befeel refreshedrelieved and bebecome well, and the evil spirit would departleave from him.
17:2	Saul and the men of Israel were gatheredassembled and camped in the valleyValley of Elah, and they drew up in battle arrayformation to encounterconfront the Philistines.
17:3	The Philistines stoodwere standing on the mountain on one side, while Israel stoodwas standing on the mountain on the other side, with the valley between them.
17:4	Then a champion came outforward from the armiesarmy encampment of the Philistines, named Goliath, from Gath,. whoseHis height was six cubits and a span.
17:5	HeAnd he had a bronze helmet on his head, and he waswore clothed with scale-armor which weighed five thousand shekels of bronze.
17:6	He also had bronze greaves on his legs and a bronze javelinsaber slung between his shoulders.
17:7	The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and the head of his spear weighed six hundred shekels of iron; and his shield-carrier also walked beforein front of him.
17:8	He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel and said to them, “Why do you come out to draw up in battle arrayformation? Am I not the Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Choose a man foras yourselvesyour representative and lethave him come down to me.
17:9	If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will become your servants; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall become our servants and serve us.”
17:10	AgainThen the Philistine said, “I defyhave defied the ranks of Israel this day;! giveGive me a man, so that we may fight together.”
17:11	When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatlyvery afraidfearful.
17:12	Now David was the son of the Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, the man whose name was Jesse, and he had eight sons. And Jesse was old in the days of Saul, advanced in years among men.
17:13	The three older sons of Jesse had gonefollowed after Saul to the battle. And the names of his three sons who wenthad togone into the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and the second to him, Abinadab, and the third, Shammah.
17:14	So David was the youngest. Now the three oldest followed Saul,
17:16	TheAnd the Philistine came forward morning and evening, for forty days and took his stand for forty days.
17:17	Then Jesse said to David his son David, “Take now for your brothers an ephah of this roasted grain and these ten loaves, and run to the camp to your brothers.
17:18	Bring also these ten cutsslices of cheese to the commander of their thousand, and look into the welfarewell-being of your brothers, and bring back newsconfirmation offrom them.
17:19	For Saul and they and all the men of Israel are in the valleyValley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.”
17:20	So David arosegot up early in the morning and left the flock with a keeper, and took the supplies and went as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the circleentrenchment ofencircling the camp while the army was going out in battle arrayformation, shouting the war cry.
17:21	Israel and the Philistines drew up in battle arrayformation, army against army.
17:22	Then David left histhe baggage in the care of the baggage keeper, and ran to the battle line. andAnd he entered inand ordergreeted to greet his brothers.
17:23	As he was talkingspeaking with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine from Gath named Goliath, was coming up from the army of the Philistines, and he spoke these same words; and David heard themhim.
17:24	When all the men of Israel saw the man, they fled from him and were greatlyvery afraidfearful.
17:25	TheAnd the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who is coming up? Surely he is coming up to defy Israel. And it will be that the king will enrichmake the man who kills him wealthy with great riches, and will give him his daughter and make his father’s house free in Israel.”
17:26	Then David spokesaid to the men who were standing by him, saying, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takesrids awayIsrael of the reproach from Israeldisgrace? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he shouldhas tauntdared to defy the armies of the living God?”
17:27	The people answered him in accordagreement with this wordstatement, saying, “ThusThis itis what will be done for the man who kills him.”
17:28	Now Eliab his oldest brother heard him when he spoke to the men; and Eliab’s anger burned against David and he said, “Why haveis it that you have come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I myself know your insolence and the wickedness of your heart; for you have come down in order to see the battle.”
17:30	Then he turned away from him to another and said the same thing; and the people answeredreplied with the same thingwords as before.
17:31	When the words whichthat David spoke were heard, they toldinformed them to Saul, and he sent for him.
17:32	And David said to Saul, “LetMay no manone’s heart fail on account of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”!”
17:33	ThenBut Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are butonly a youth, while he has been a warrior fromsince his youth.”
17:34	But David said to Saul, “Your servant was tending his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lambsheep from the flock,
17:35	I went out after himit and attacked himit, and rescued itthe sheep from hisits mouth; and when heit rose up against me, I seizedgrabbed himit by hisits beardmane and struck himit and killed himit.
17:36	Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunteddefied the armies of the living God.”
17:37	And David said, “The Lord who deliveredsaved me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliversave me from the hand of this Philistine.” AndSo Saul said to David, “Go, and may the Lord be with you.”
17:38	Then Saul clothed David with his garmentsmilitary attire and put a bronze helmet on his head, and heoutfitted clothed him with armor.
17:39	And David girdedstrapped on his sword over his armormilitary attire and triedstruggled toat walkwalking, for he had not testedtrained themwith the armor. So David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, forbecause I have not testedtrained with them.” And David took them off.
17:40	HeThen he took his stickstaff in his hand and chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in the shepherd’s bag which he had, eventhat is, in his shepherd’s pouch, and his sling was in his hand; and he approached the Philistine.
17:41	Then the Philistine came on and approached David, with the shield-bearer in front of him.
17:42	When the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdainedwas contemptuous of him; for he was butonly a youth, and ruddyreddish, with a handsome appearance.
17:43	TheSo the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
17:44	The Philistine also said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the beastswild of the fieldanimals.”
17:45	ThenBut David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelinsaber, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hostsarmies, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunteddefied.
17:46	This day the Lord will deliverhand you upover intoto my handsme, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you. AndThen I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beastsanimals of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel,
17:47	and that all this entire assembly may know that the Lord does not deliversave by sword or by spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will givehand you intoover ourto hands.”us!”
17:48	Then it happened, when the Philistine rose and came andcloser drew near to meet David, that David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine.
17:49	And David put his hand into his bag and took from it a stone and slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead. And the stone sankpenetrated into his forehead, soand that he fell on his face to the ground.
17:50	ThusSo David prevailed over the Philistine with athe sling and athe stone,: and he struck the Philistine and killed him;, butand there was no sword in David’s hand.
17:51	Then David ran and stood over the Philistine, and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killedfinished him, and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.
17:52	TheThen the men of Israel and Judah aroserose up and shouted, and they pursued the Philistines as far as the valley, and to the gates of Ekron. And the slainPhilistine Philistinesdead lay along the way to Shaaraim, even to Gath and Ekron.
17:53	TheThen the sons of Israel returned from chasingtheir close pursuit of the Philistines, and plundered their camps.
17:54	ThenAnd David took the Philistine’s head and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his weapons in his tent.
17:55	Now when Saul sawhad seen David going out against the Philistine, he said to Abner the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is this young man?” And Abner said, “By your life, O king, I do not know.”
17:56	TheAnd the king said, “You inquirethen, ask whose son the youth is.”
17:58	Then Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” And David answered, “I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”
18:1	Now it came about, when he had finished speaking to Saul, that the soul of Jonathan wascommitted knithimself to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as himself.
18:2	And Saul took him that day and did not let him return to his father’s house.
18:4	Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armormilitary gear, including his sword, and his bow, and his belt.
18:5	SoAnd David went outinto battle wherever Saul sent him, and prosperedalways achieved success; andso Saul setput him overin charge of the men of war. And it was pleasing in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.
18:6	ItNow it happened as they were coming, when David returned from killing the Philistine, that the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with joy and with other musical instruments.
18:8	Then Saul became very angry, for this sayinglyric displeased him; and he said, “They have ascribedgiven to David credit for ten thousands, but to me they have ascribedgiven credit for only thousands.! Now what more can he have but the kingdom?”
18:9	And Saul lookedeyed at David with suspicion from that day on.
18:10	Now it came about on the next day that an evil spirit from God camerushed mightily upon Saul, and he raved in the midst of the house, while David was playing the harp with his hand, as usual; and a spear was in Saul’s hand.
18:11	Then Saul hurled the spear, for he thought, “I will pin David to the wall.” But David escaped from his presence, twice.
18:12	Now Saul was afraid of David, forbecause the Lord was with him but had departedleft from Saul.
18:13	ThereforeSo Saul removed him from his presence and appointed him as his commander of a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people.
18:14	David was prosperingsuccessful in all his ways, for the Lord was with him.
18:15	When Saul saw that he was prosperingvery greatlysuccessful, he dreadedwas afraid of him.
18:16	But all Israel and Judah loved David, andfor he wentwould go out to battle and camereturn in before them.
18:18	But David said to Saul, “Who am I, and whatwho is my lifefamily, or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be the king’s son-in-law?”
18:19	So it came about at the time whenthat Merab, Saul’s daughter, shouldwas haveto beenbe given to David, that she was given instead to Adriel the Meholathite foras a wife.
18:20	Now Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved David. When they toldinformed Saul, the thing was agreeablepleasing to him.
18:21	For Saul thought, “I will give her to him so that she may become a snaretrap tofor him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” Therefore Saul said to David, “For a second time you may bebecome my son-in-law, today.”
18:22	Then Saul commanded his servants, “Speak to David secretlyin secret, saying, ‘Behold, the king delights in you, and all his servants love you; now thereforethen, become the king’s son-in-law.’ ”
18:23	So Saul’s servants spoke these words to David. But David said, “Is it trivial in your sight to become the king’s son-in-law, since I am only a poor man and lightly esteemedinsignificant?”
18:24	TheThen Saul’s servants of Saul reported to him, accordingsaying, to“These theseare the words which David spoke..”
18:25	Saul then said, “ThusThis is what you shall say to David,: ‘The king does not desire any dowry except a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to take vengeance on the king’s enemies.’ ” NowBut Saul plannedplotted to makehave David fall by the hand of the Philistines.
18:26	When his servants told David these words, it pleased David to become the king’s son-in-law. BeforeSo before the daystime had expired,
18:27	David roseset upout and went, he and his men, and fatally struck down two hundred men among the Philistines. Then David brought their foreskins, and they gavepresented themall intwo fullhundred numberof them to the king, so that he might become the king’s son-in-law. SoAnd Saul gave him Michal his daughter forMichal as a wife.
18:28	When Saul saw and knewrealized that the Lord was with David, and that Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved him,
18:29	then Saul was even more afraid of David. ThusSo Saul was David’s enemy continually.
18:30	Then the commanders of the Philistines went out to battle, and it happened as often as they went out, that David behavedwas himself more wiselysuccessful than all the servants of Saul. So his name was highlyheld esteemedin high esteem.
19:1	Now Saul told Jonathan his son Jonathan and all his servants to put David to death. But Jonathan, Saul’s son, greatly delighted in David.
19:2	So Jonathan toldinformed David, saying, “SaulMy my father Saul is seeking to put you to death. Now thereforethen, please be on your guard in the morning, and stay in a secrethiding place and hideconceal yourself.
19:3	And as for me, I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are hiding, and I will speak with my father about you; ifand whatever I find out anything, then I will tell you.”
19:4	Then Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father Saul and said to him, “DoMay not let the king not sin against his servant David, since he has not sinned against you, and since his deeds have been very beneficial to you.
19:5	For he took his life in his hand and struck the Philistine, and the Lord brought about a great deliverancevictory for all Israel; you saw it and rejoiced. Why then willwould you sin against innocent blood by putting David to death withoutfor ano causereason?”
19:6	Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan, and Saul vowed, “As the Lord lives, heDavid shall not be put to death.”
19:7	Then Jonathan called David, and Jonathan told him all these words. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as formerlybefore.
19:8	When there was war again, David went out and fought with the Philistines and defeated them with great slaughter, so that they fled beforefrom him.
19:10	And Saul tried to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he slippedescaped awayfrom out of Saul’s presence, so that he stuck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night.
19:11	Then Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him, in order to put him to death in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, toldinformed him, saying, “If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be put to death.”!”
19:12	So Michal let David down through a window, and he went out and fled, and escaped.
19:13	And Michal took the household idol and laid it on the bed, and put a quilt of goats’ hair at its head, and covered it with clothesclothing.
19:15	Then Saul sent messengers to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me on his bed, so that I may put him to death.”
19:17	So Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceivedbetrayed me like this and let my enemy go, so that he has escaped?” And Michal said to Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go! Why should I put you to death?’ ”
19:18	NowSo David fled and escaped, and came to Samuel at Ramah,; and toldhe informed him allof everything that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and stayed in Naioth.
19:19	ItBut it was toldreported to Saul, saying, “Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.”
19:20	Then Saul sent messengers to take David, but when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, with Samuel standing and presiding over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul; and they also prophesied.
19:21	When itSaul was toldinformed Saulof this, he sent other messengers, andbut they also prophesied. So Saul sent messengers again the third time, andyet they also prophesied.
19:22	Then he himself went to Ramah himself and came as far as the large well that is in Secu; and he asked and said, “Where are Samuel and David?” And someone said, “Behold, they are at Naioth in Ramah.”
19:23	HeSo he proceeded there to Naioth in Ramah; andbut the Spirit of God came upon him also, so that he went along prophesying continually until he came to Naioth in Ramah.
19:24	He also stripped off his clothes, and he too prophesied before Samuel and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Therefore they say, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”
20:1	Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and he came and said to Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my iniquityguilt? And what is my sin before your father, that he is seeking my life?”
20:2	He said to him, “Far from it, you shall not die.! Behold, my father does nothing either great or small without disclosinginforming it to me. So why shouldwould my father hide this thing from me? It is not so!”
20:3	Yet David vowed again, saying, “Your father knowsis well aware that I have found favor in your sight, and he has said, ‘DoJonathan is not letto Jonathan know this, orotherwise he will be grievedworried.’ But trulyindeed as the Lord lives and as your soul lives, there is hardlyjust a step between me and death.”
20:5	So David said to Jonathan, “Behold, tomorrow is the new moon, and I oughtam obligated to sit down to eat with the king. But let me go, so that I may hide myself in the field until the third evening.
20:6	If your father misses me at all, then say, ‘David earnestly askedrequested leave of me to run to Bethlehem, his city, because it is the yearly sacrifice there for the whole family.’
20:7	If he says, ‘ItThat is good,’ your servant will be safe; but if he is very angry, knowbe aware that he has decided on evil.
20:8	ThereforeSo deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the Lord with you. But if thereI isam iniquityguilty inof mewrongdoing, putkill me to death yourself; for why then should you bring me to your father?”
20:9	Jonathan said, “Far be it from you! For if I shouldin indeedfact learn that evilmy father has been decided byto myinflict fatherharm toon come upon you, then would I not tellinform you about it?”
20:10	Then David said to Jonathan, “Who will tellinform me if your father answers you harshly?”
20:11	Jonathan said to David, “Come, and let’s us go out intoto the field.” So both of them went out to the field.
20:12	Then Jonathan said to David, “The Lord, the God of Israel, beis my witness! When I have sounded out my father about this time tomorrow, or the third day, behold, if therehe ishas a good feeling toward Davidyou, shall I not then send word to you and makeinform it known to you?
20:13	If it pleasepleases my father to do you harm, may the Lord do so to Jonathanme and more alsoso, if I dofail notto makeinform it known to you and send you away, so that you may go in safety. And may the Lord be with you as He has been with my father.
20:14	IfAnd if I am still alive, will you not show me the lovingkindnessfaithfulness of the Lord, so that I maydo not die?
20:15	YouAnd you shall notnever cut off your lovingkindnessloyalty fromto my house forever, not even when the Lord cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.”
20:16	So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the Lord requiredemand it atfrom the hands of David’s enemies.”
20:17	And Jonathan made David vow again because of his love for him, because he loved him as he loved his own life.
20:18	Then Jonathan said to him, “Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed becausesince your seat will be empty.
20:19	When you have stayed for three days, you shall go down quickly and come to the place where you hid yourself on that eventful day, and you shall remain bybeside the stone Ezel.
20:20	And I will shoot three arrows to the side, as though I shot at a target.
20:21	AndThen behold, I will send the ladboy, sayingtelling him, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I specifically say to the ladboy, ‘Behold, the arrows are on this side of you, get them,’ then come;, forbecause thereit is safetysafe for you and nothere is nothing to harm you, as the Lord lives.
20:22	But if I say to the youth, ‘Behold, the arrows are beyond you,’ go, forbecause the Lord has sent you away.
20:24	So David hid himself in the field; and when the new moon came, the king sat down to eat food.
20:25	TheNow the king sat on his seat as usual, the seat by the wall; then Jonathan rosestood up and Abner sat down by Saul’s side,; but David’s place was empty.
20:26	Nevertheless Saul did not speaksay anything that day, forbecause he thought, “It ismust have been an accident,; he is not clean, surelyundoubtedly he is not clean.”
20:27	ItBut it came about the next day, the second day of the new moon, that David’s place was empty again; so Saul said to Jonathan his son Jonathan, “Why has the son of Jesse not come to the meal, either yesterday or today?”
20:28	And Jonathan then answered Saul, “David earnestly askedrequested leave of me to go to Bethlehem,.
20:29	forHe he said, ‘Please let me go, sincebecause our family has a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commandedordered me to attend. AndSo now, if I have found favor in your sight, please let me getslip away so that I may see my brothers.’ For this reason he has not come to the king’s table.”
20:30	Then Saul’s anger burned against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman! Do I not know that you are choosing the son of Jesse to your own shame, and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness?
20:31	For, as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. ThereforeNow nowthen, send men and bring him to me, for he mustis surelydoomed to die.”!”
20:32	But Jonathan answeredreplied Saulto his father Saul and said to him, “Why shouldmust he be put to death? What has he done?”
20:33	Then Saul hurled his spear at him to strike and kill him down; so Jonathan knew that his father had decided to put David to death.
20:34	Then Jonathan arosegot up from the table in fiercethe heat of anger, and did not eat food on the second day of the new moon, forbecause he was grievedworried overabout David becausesince his father had dishonoredinsulted him.
20:35	Now it came about in the morning that Jonathan went out intoto the field forat the appointmenttime agreed upon with David, and a little ladboy was with him.
20:36	He said to his ladboy, “Run, find now the arrows which I am about to shoot.” AsThe theboy ladran, wasand running, he shot an arrow past him.
20:37	When the ladboy reached the placelocation of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan called after the ladboy and said, “Is not the arrow not beyond you?”
20:38	AndThen Jonathan called after the ladboy, “Hurry, be quick, do not stay!” And Jonathan’s ladboy picked up the arrow and came to his master.
20:39	But the ladboy was not aware of anything; only Jonathan and David knew about the matter.
20:40	Then Jonathan gave his weapons to his ladboy and said to him, “Go, bring them to the city.”
20:41	When the ladboy was gone, David rosegot up from the south side, andthen he fell on his face to the ground, and bowed three times. And they kissed each other and wept together, butuntil David wept the moreimmeasurably.
20:42	Then Jonathan said to David, “Go in safety, inasmuchsince as we have sworn to each other in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord will be between me and you, and between my descendants and your descendants forever.’ ” ThenSo heDavid roseset out and departedwent on his way, while Jonathan went into the city.
21:1	Then David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest; and Ahimelech came trembling to meet David and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one with you?”
21:2	David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has commissioned me with a matter and has said to me, ‘LetNo no one is to know anything about the matter on which I am sending you and with which I have commissioned you; and I have directed the young men to a certain place.’
21:3	Now thereforethen, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever can be found.”
21:4	The priest answered David and said, “There is no ordinary bread on hand, but there is consecrated bread;, if only the young men have kept themselves from women.”
21:5	David answered the priest and said to him, “SurelyBe assured, women have been keptdenied fromto us as previously when I setleft out and the vesselsbodies of the young men were holyconsecrated, though it was an ordinary journey; how much more then today will their vesselsbodies be holyconsecrated today?”
21:6	So the priest gave him consecrated bread; for there was no bread there butexcept the bread of the Presence which was removed from its place before the Lord, in order to put hot bread in its place whenon the day it was taken away.
21:8	David said to Ahimelech, “Now is there notno a spear or a sword on hand? For I brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s matter was urgent.”
21:9	Then the priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the valleyValley of Elah, behold, it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod; if you would take it for yourself, take it. For there is no other except it here.” And David said, “There is none like it; give it to me.”
21:10	Then David aroseset out and fled that day from Saul, and went to Achish king of Gath.
21:11	But the servants of Achish said to him, “Is this not David, the king of the land? Did they not sing of this one as they danced, saying, ‘Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands’?”
21:13	So he disguised his sanity beforewhile them,in their sight and acted insanely in their handscustody, and he scribbled on the doors of the gate, and letdrooled hison saliva run down into his beard.
21:14	Then Achish said to his servants, “BeholdLook, you see the man is behaving aslike aan madmaninsane person. Why do you bring him to me?
21:15	Do I lack madmeninsane people, that you have brought this one to actbehave thelike madmanan insane person in my presence? Shall this one come into my house?”
22:1	So David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam; and when his brothers and all his father’s household heard ofabout it, they went down there to him.
22:2	EveryoneThen everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him; and he became captain over them. Now there were about four hundred men with him.
22:5	TheBut Gad the prophet Gad said to David, “Do not stay in the stronghold; departleave, and go into the land of Judah.” So David departedleft and went into the forest of Hereth.
22:6	Then Saul heard that David and the men who were with him had been discovered. Now Saul was sitting in Gibeah, sitting under the tamarisk tree on the height with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing aroundin front of him.
22:7	Saul said to his servants who stoodwere aroundstanding in front of him, “Hear now, Oyou BenjamitesBenjaminites! Will the son of Jesse alsoreally give to all of you fields and vineyards? Will he make you all commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds?
22:8	For all of you have conspired against me so that there is no one who disclosesinforms to me when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse, and there is none of you who iscares sorryabout for me or disclosesinforms to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me to lie in ambush, as it is this day.”
22:9	Then Doeg the Edomite, who was standing byin front of the servants of Saul, responded and said, “I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub.
22:10	HeAnd he inquired of the Lord for him, gave him provisions, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”
22:11	Then the king sent someonea messenger to summon Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father’s household, the priests who were in Nob; and all of them came to the king.
22:12	Saul said, “Listen now, son of Ahitub.” And he answeredreplied, “Here I am, my lord.”
22:13	Saul then said to him, “Why have you and the son of Jesse conspired against me, in that you have given him bread and a sword, and have inquired of God for him, so that he would rise up against me by lying in ambush as it is this day?”
22:14	Then Ahimelech answered the king and said, “And who among all your servants is as faithful as David, even the king’s own son-in-law, who is captaincommander over your guardbodyguard, and is honored in your house?
22:15	Did I just begin to inquire of God for him today? Far be it from me! Do not let the king impute anything toagainst his servant or toagainst any of the household of my father, forbecause your servant knows nothing at all of this whole affair.”
22:16	But the king said, “You shall surelycertainly die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s household!”
22:17	And the king said to the guards who were attending him, “Turn around and put the priests of the Lord to death, because their hand also is with David and because they knew that he was fleeing and did not revealinform it to me.” But the servants of the king were notunwilling willing to putreach forthout with their hands to attack the priests of the Lord.
22:18	Then the king said to Doeg, “You, turn around and attack the priests.”!” And Doeg the Edomite turned around and attacked the priests, and he killed on that day eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod.
22:19	AndHe healso struck Nob the city of the priests with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and infants; he also struck oxen, donkeys, and sheep he struck with the edge of the sword.
22:20	But one son of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled afterto David.
22:21	Abiathar toldinformed David that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord.
22:22	Then David said to Abiathar, “I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surelycertainly tell Saul. I myself have broughtturned aboutagainst the death of every person in your father’s household.
22:23	Stay with me; do not be afraid, foreven though he who seeksis seeking my life seeksis seeking your life,. forFor you are safe with me.”
23:1	Then they toldinformed David, saying, “Behold, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are plundering the threshing floors.”
23:2	So David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” And the Lord said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines and deliversave Keilah.”
23:3	But David’s men said to him, “Behold, we are afraidfearful here in Judah. How much more then if we go to Keilah against the ranks of the Philistines?”
23:4	ThenSo David inquired of the Lord once more. And the Lord answered him and said, “Arise, go down to Keilah, for I willam givegoing to hand the Philistines intoover yourto handyou.”
23:5	SoThen David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines; and he leddrove away their livestock and struck them with a great slaughter. ThusSo David deliveredsaved the inhabitants of Keilah.
23:7	When it was toldreported to Saul that David had come to Keilah, Saul said, “God has deliveredhanded him intoover myto handme, for he shut himself in by entering a city with double gates and bars.”
23:9	NowBut David knew that Saul was plotting evil against him; so he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod here.”
23:10	Then David said, “O Lord God of Israel, Your servant has heard for certain that Saul is seeking to come to Keilah to destroy the city on my account.
23:11	Will the mencitizens of Keilah surrenderhand me intoover histo handhim? Will Saul come down just as Your servant has heard? O Lord God of Israel, I prayplease, tell Your servant.” And the Lord said, “He will come down.”
23:12	Then David said, “Will the mencitizens of Keilah surrenderhand me and my men intoover theto hand of Saul?” And the Lord said, “They will surrenderhand you over.”
23:13	Then David and his men, about six hundred, aroserose up and departed from Keilah, and they went wherever they could go. When it was toldreported to Saul that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up the pursuit.
23:14	David stayed in the wilderness in the strongholds, and remained in the hill country in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul soughtsearched for him every day, but God did not deliverhand him intoover histo handhim.
23:15	Now David becamesaw aware that Saul had come out to seek his life while David was in the wilderness of Ziph, at Horesh.
23:16	And Jonathan, Saul’s son, aroseset out and went to David at Horesh, and encouraged him in God.
23:17	ThusHe he said to him, “Do not be afraid, because the hand of Saul my father will not find you, and you will be king over Israel, and I will be nextsecond in command to you; and Saul my father knows that alsoas well.”
23:18	So the two of them made a covenant before the Lord; and David stayed at Horesh, while Jonathan went to his house.
23:19	Then Ziphites came up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is David not hidingkeeping himself hidden with us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of Jeshimon?
23:20	Now then, O king, come down, accordingsince toyou allfully the desire of your soul to do so; and our part shall be to surrenderhand him intoover to the king’s hand.”
23:21	Saul said, “May you be blessed of the Lord, forsince you have had compassion on me.
23:22	Go now, makebe more surepersistent, and investigate and see his place where hishe hauntis ishiding, and who has seen him there; for I am told that he is very cunning.
23:23	So look, and learn about all the hiding places where he hideskeeps himself hidden, and return to me with certainty, and I will go with you; and if he is in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah.”
23:24	ThenSo they aroseset out and went to Ziph beforeahead of Saul. Now David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah to the south of Jeshimon.
23:25	When Saul and his men went to seek him, they toldinformed David, and he came down to the rock and stayed in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard about it, he pursued David in the wilderness of Maon.
23:26	Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain; and David was hurrying to get away from Saul, forwhile Saul and his men were surrounding David and his men to seizeapprehend them.
23:27	But a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come, for the Philistines have madelaunched aan raidattack onagainst the land.”!”
23:28	So Saul returned from pursuing David and went to meetconfront the Philistines; therefore they called that place the Rock of EscapeDivision.
23:29	And David went up from there and stayed in the strongholds of Engedi.
24:1	Now when Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, heit was toldreported to him, saying, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.”
24:2	Then Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel and went to seeksearch for David and his men in front of the Rocks of the WildMountain Goats.
24:3	HeAnd he came to the sheepfolds on the way, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the inner recesses of the cave.
24:4	TheThen David’s men of David said to him, “Behold, this is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold; I am about to givehand your enemy intoover yourto handyou, and you shall do to him as it seems good to you.’ ” Then David arosegot up and cut off the edge of Saul’s robe secretly.
24:5	ItBut it came about afterward that David’s conscience bothered him because he had cut off the edge of Saul’s robe.
24:6	So he said to his men, “Far be it from me because of the Lord that I shouldwould do this thing to my lord, the Lord’s anointed, to stretchreach out with my hand against him, since he is the Lord’s anointed.”
24:7	And David persuadedrebuked his men with these words and did not allow them to rise up against Saul. And Saul arosegot up, left the cave, and went on his way.
24:8	NowAfterward, afterwardhowever, David arosegot up and went out of the cave, and called after Saul, saying, “My lord the king!” And when Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the ground and prostrated himself.
24:9	And David said to Saul, “Why do you listen to the words of men, sayingwho say, ‘Behold, David seeksis seeking to harm you’?
24:10	Behold, this day your eyes have seen that the Lord had givenhanded you todayover intoto myme handtoday in the cave, and somesomeone said to kill you, but myI eyespared had pity on you; and I said, ‘I will not stretchreach out with my hand against my lord, forbecause he is the Lord’s anointed.’
24:11	NowSo, my father, seelook! Indeed, seelook at the edge of your robe in my hand! For inby the fact that I cut off the edge of your robe andbut did not kill you, know and perceiveunderstand that there is no evil or rebellion in my hands, and I have not sinned against you, though you are lying in wait for my life, to take it.
24:12	May the Lord judge between you and me, and may the Lord avengetake mevengeance on you for me; but my hand shall not be against you.
24:13	As the proverb of the ancients says, ‘Out of the wicked comes forth wickedness’; but my hand shall not be against you.
24:14	After whom has the king of Israel comegone out? Whom are you pursuing? A dead dog, a single flea?
24:15	TheMay the Lord therefore be judge and decide between you and me; and may He see and plead my cause and deliversave me from your hand.”
24:16	When David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” Then Saul liftedraised up his voice and wept.
24:17	HeAnd he said to David, “You are more righteous than I; for you have dealt well with me, while I have dealt wickedlymaliciously with you.
24:18	You have declared today that you have done good to me, that the Lord deliveredhanded me intoover yourto handyou and yet you did not kill me.
24:19	ForThough if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go away safelyunharmed? May the Lord therefore reward you with good in return for what you have done to me this day.
24:20	Now, behold, I know that you will surelycertainly be king, and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hand.
24:21	So now swear to me by the Lord that you will not cut off my descendants after me, and that you will not destroyeliminate my name from my father’s household.”
24:22	And David swore an oath to Saul. AndThen Saul went to his home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold.
25:1	Then Samuel died; and all Israel gatheredassembled together and mourned for him, and they buried him at his house in Ramah. And David aroseset out and went down to the wilderness of Paran.
25:5	So David sent ten young men; and David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel, and visit Nabal, and greet him in my name;
25:6	and thusthis is what you shall say,: ‘Have a long life, peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have.!
25:7	Now then, I have heard that you have shearers;. nowNow, your shepherds have been with us; and we have not insultedharmed them, nor havehas theyanything missedof anythingtheirs gone missing all the days they were in Carmel.
25:9	When David’s young men came, they spoke to Nabal accordingin toaccordance with all these words in David’s name; then they waited.
25:12	So David’s young men retracedmade their way back and went backreturned; and they came and toldinformed him accordingin toaccordance with all these words.
25:13	Then David said to his men, “Each of you girdstrap on his sword.” So each man girdedstrapped on his sword. And David also girdedstrapped on his sword, and about four hundred men went up behind David, while two hundred stayed with the baggage.
25:14	ButNow one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, “Behold, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master, and he scornedspoke to them in anger.
25:15	Yet the men were very good to us, and we were not insultedharmed, nor did weanything missgo anythingmissing as long as we went about with them, while we were in the fields.
25:17	Now thereforethen, knowbe aware and consider what you should do, forbecause evilharm is plotted against our master and against all his household; and he is such a worthless man that no one can speak to him.”
25:18	Then Abigail hurried and took two hundred loaves of bread and two jugs of wine, and five sheep already prepared and five measures of roasted grain, and a hundred clusterscakes of raisins and two hundred cakes of figs, and she loaded them on donkeys.
25:19	SheThen she said to her young men, “Go on beforeahead of me; behold, I am coming after you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal.
25:20	ItAnd cameit abouthappened as she was riding on her donkey and coming down by the hidden part of the mountain, that behold, David and his men were coming down toward her; so she met them.
25:21	Now David had said, “SurelyIt inis vaincertainly for nothing that I have guarded alleverything that this man has in the wilderness, so that nothing washas missedgone missing of all that belonged to him;! andFor he has returned me evil for good.
25:22	May God do so to the enemies of David, and more alsoso, if by morning I leave alive as much as one male of any who belong to him.”
25:23	When Abigail saw David, she hurried and dismounted from her donkey, and fell on her face beforein front of David and bowed herself to the ground.
25:24	She fell at his feet and said, “On me alone, my lord, be the blame. And please let your maidservantslave speak to you, and listen to the words of your maidservantslave.
25:25	Please do not let my lord pay attention to this worthless man, Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name, and follystupidity is with him; but I your maidservantslave did not see the young men of my lord whom you sent.
25:26	“Now thereforethen, my lord, as the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, since the Lord has restrained you from shedding blood, and from avenging yourself by your own hand, now then, letmay your enemies and those who seek evil against my lord, be aslike Nabal.
25:27	NowAnd now let this gift which your maidservantservant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who accompany my lord.
25:28	Please forgive the transgressionoffense of your maidservantslave; for the Lord will certainly make for my lord an enduring house, because my lord is fighting the battles of the Lord, and evil will not be found in you all your days.
25:30	And when the Lord does for my lord accordingin toaccordance with all the good that He has spoken concerning you, and appoints you ruler over Israel,
25:31	this will not causebecome griefan obstacle to you, or a troubled heart to my lord, both by having shed blood without cause and by my lord’s having avenged himself. When the Lord deals well with my lord, then remember your maidservantslave.”
25:34	Nevertheless, as the Lord God of Israel lives, who has restrained me from harming you, unlessif you had not come quickly to meet me, surely there certainly would not have been left to Nabal until the morning light as much as one male.”
25:35	So David receivedaccepted from her hand what she had brought him, and said to her, “Go up to your house in peace. See, I have listened to you and granted your request.”
25:36	Then Abigail came to Nabal, and behold, he was holdinghaving a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And Nabal’s heart was merrycheerful within him, for he was very drunk; so she did not tell him anything at all until the morning light.
25:37	But in the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him so that he became aslike a stone.
25:39	When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed be the Lord, who has pleaded the cause of mythe reproachshame frominflicted on me by the hand of Nabal, and has kept back His servant from evil. The Lord has also returned the evildoing of Nabal on his own head.” Then David sent a proposal to Abigail, to take her as his wife.
25:40	When the servants of David came to Abigail at Carmel, they spoke to her, saying, “David has sent us to you to take you to him as his wife.”
25:41	SheAnd aroseshe got up and bowed with her face to the ground, and said, “Behold, your maidservantslave is a maidservant to wash the feet of my lord’s servants.”
25:42	Then Abigail got up quickly arose, and rode on a donkey, with her five maidensfemale attendants who attendedaccompanied her; and she followed the messengers of David and became his wife.
25:44	NowBut Saul had given Michal his daughter Michal, David’s wife, to Palti the son of Laish, who was from Gallim.
26:1	Then the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is David not Davidkeeping hidinghimself hidden on the hill of Hachilah, which is beforeopposite Jeshimon?”
26:2	So Saul aroseset out and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, havingtaking with him three thousand chosen men of Israel, to search for David in the wilderness of Ziph.
26:3	And Saul camped inon the hill of Hachilah, which is beforeopposite Jeshimon, beside the road, and David was staying in the wilderness. When he saw that Saul camehad come after him into the wilderness,
26:4	David sent out spies, and he knewlearned that Saul was definitely coming.
26:5	David then aroseset out and came to the place where Saul had camped. And David saw the place where Saul lay, and Abner the son of Ner, the commander of his army; and Saul was lying in the circle of the camp, and the people were camped around him.
26:8	Then Abishai said to David, “Today God has deliveredhanded your enemy intoover yourto handyou; now thereforethen, please let me strikepin him with the spear to the ground with one strokethrust, and I will not strikedo it to him thea second time.”
26:9	But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroykill him, for who can stretchreach out with his hand against the Lord’s anointed and beremain without guiltinnocent?”
26:10	David also said, “As the Lord lives, surely the Lord certainly will strike him, or his day will come that he dies, or he will go down intoin battle and perish.
26:11	The Lord forbid that I shouldwould stretchreach out with my hand against the Lord’s anointed;! butBut now please take the spear that is at his head and the jug of water, and let’s us go.”
26:12	So David took the spear and the jug of water fromthat besidewere at Saul’s head, and they wentleft; away,and but no one saw or knew about it, nor did anyanyone awakeawaken, for they were all asleep, because a sounddeep sleep from the Lord had fallen on them.
26:14	And David called to the people and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, “Will you not answer, Abner?” Then Abner replied, “Who are you who calls to the king?”
26:15	So David said to Abner, “Are you not a man? And who is like you in Israel? Why then have you not guarded your lord the king? For one of the people came to destroykill the king your lord.!
26:16	This thing that you have done is not good. As the Lord lives, all of you undoubtedly must surely die, because you did not guard your lord, the Lord’s anointed. And now, see where the king’s spear is and the jug of water that was at his head.”!”
26:19	Now thereforethen, please let my lord the king listen to the words of his servant. If the Lord has stirredincited you up against me, letmay HimHe accept an offering; but if it is menpeople, cursed are they before the Lord, forbecause they have driven me out today so that I would have no attachmentshare within the inheritance of the Lord, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods.’
26:20	Now then, do not let my blood fall to the ground awayfar from the presence of the Lord; for the king of Israel has come out to search for a single flea, just as one hunts a partridge in the mountains.”
26:21	Then Saul said, “I have sinned. Return, my son David, for I will not harm you again becausesince my life was precious in your sight this day. Behold, I have played the fool and have committedmade a seriousvery errorgreat mistake.”
26:22	David replied, “Behold, the spear of the king! Now lethave one of the young men come over and take it.
26:23	TheAnd the Lord will repay each man for his righteousness and his faithfulness; for the Lord deliveredhanded you intoover myto handme today, but I refused to stretchreach out with my hand against the Lord’s anointed.
26:24	NowTherefore behold, just as your life was highly valued in my sight this day, so may my life be highly valued in the sight of the Lord, and may He deliverrescue me from all distress.”
26:25	Then Saul said to David, “Blessed are you, my son David; you will both accomplish much and surelyassuredly prevail.” So David went on his way, and Saul returned to his place.
27:1	Then David said to himself, “Now I will perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than to safely escape into the land of the Philistines. Then Saul then will despair of searching for me anymore in all the territory of Israel, and I will escape from his hand.”
27:2	So David aroseset out and crossedwent over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath.
27:3	And David lived with Achish atin Gath, he and his men, each with his own household, even —David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal’s widow.
27:4	Now it was toldreported to Saul that David had fled to Gath, so he no longer searched for him.
27:5	Then David said to Achish, “If now I have found favor in your sight, lethave them give me a place in one of the cities in the country, so that I may live there; for why should your servant live in the royal city with you?”
27:8	Now David and his men went up and raidedattacked the Geshurites, and the Girzites, and the Amalekites; for they were the inhabitants of the land from ancient times, as you come to Shur even as far as the land of Egypt.
27:9	David attacked the land and did not leave a man or a woman alive, and he took away the sheep, the cattle, the donkeys, the camels, and the clothing. Then he returned and came to Achish.
27:10	Now Achish said, “Where havedid you madecarry aout raidan attack today?” And David said, “Against the Negev of Judah, and against the Negev of the Jerahmeelites, and against the Negev of the Kenites.”
27:11	And David did not leave a man or a woman alive to bring to Gath, saying, “Otherwise they will tell about us, saying, ‘SoThis hasis what David has done, and sothis has been his practice all the time that he has lived in the country of the Philistines.’ ”
27:12	So Achish believed David, saying, “He has surelyundoubtedly made himself odiousrepulsive among his people Israel; therefore he will become my servant forever.”
28:1	Now it came about in those days that the Philistines gathered their armed camps for war, to fight against Israel. And Achish said to David, “Know assuredlyfor certain that you will go out with me in the camp, you and your men.”
28:2	David said to Achish, “Very well, you shallwill knowlearn what your servant can do.” So Achish said to David, “VeryThen well, I will assuredly make you my bodyguard for life.”!”
28:3	Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamentedmourned him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had removed from the landmediums thoseand whospiritists werefrom mediumsthe and spiritistsland.
28:4	So the Philistines gatheredassembled together and came and camped in Shunem; and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they camped in Gilboa.
28:6	WhenSo Saul inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him, either byin dreams, or by the Urim, or by the prophets.
28:7	Then Saul said to his servants, “SeekFind for me a woman who is a medium, so that I may go to her and inquire of her.” And his servants said to him, “Behold, there is a woman who is a medium at En-dor.”
28:8	Then Saul disguised himself by putting on otherdifferent clothes, and went, he and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night; and he said, “ConjureConsult upthe spirit for me, please, and bring up for me the one whom I shall name tofor you.”
28:9	But the woman said to him, “Behold, you know what Saul has done, howthat he has cuteliminated offthe those who are mediums and spiritists from the land. Why are you then layingsetting a snaretrap for my life, to bring about my death?”
28:10	So Saul vowedswore an oath to her by the Lord, saying, “As the Lord lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.”
28:12	When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice; and the woman spoke to Saul, saying, “Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul.”!”
28:13	TheBut the king said to her, “Do not be afraid; but what do you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I see a divine being coming up outfrom of the earth.”
28:14	He said to her, “WhatHow isdoes hishe formappear?” And she said, “An old man is coming up, and he is wrapped within a robe.” AndThen Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground and didpaid homage.
28:15	ThenAnd Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” And Saul answeredreplied, “I am greatlyvery distressed;, for the Philistines are waging war against me, and God has departedabandoned from me and no longer answers me, either through prophets or byin dreams; therefore I have called you, so that you may makelet knownme toknow me what I should do.”
28:16	Samuel said, “WhyBut thenwhy do you ask me, since the Lord has departedabandoned from you and has become your adversaryenemy?
28:17	TheAnd the Lord has done accordinglyjust as He spoke through me; for the Lord has torn the kingdom outfrom of your hand and given it to your neighbor, to David.
28:18	AsJust as you did not obey the Lord and did not execute His fierce wrath on Amalek, so the Lord has done this thing to you this day.
28:19	MoreoverFurthermore, the Lord will also givehand over Israel along with you intoover theto hands of the Philistines,; thereforeso tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. Indeed, the Lord will givehand over the army of Israel intoover theto hands of the Philistines!”
28:20	Then Saul immediately fell full length uponto the ground and was very afraid because of theSamuel’s words of Samuel; also there was no strength in him either, forbecause he had eaten no food all day and all night.
28:21	The woman came to Saul and saw that he was terrifiedutterly horrified, and she said to him, “Behold, your maidservantservant has obeyed you, and I have taken my life in my hand and have listened to your words which you spoke to me.
28:22	So now alsoyou too, please listen to the voice of your maidservantservant, and let me setserve you a piece of bread, beforeand youeat it, so that you maywill eat and have strength when you go on your way.”
28:23	But he refused and said, “I will not eat.” However, his servants together with the woman urged him, and he listened to them. So he arosegot up from the ground and sat on the bed.
28:24	TheNow the woman had a fattened calf in the house, and she quickly slaughtered it; andthen she took flour, kneaded it and baked unleavened bread from it.
28:25	She broughtthen served it beforeto Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they arosegot up and wentleft away that night.
29:2	And the lordsgovernors of the Philistines were proceeding on, byleading hundreds and by thousands, and David and his men were proceeding on in the rearback with Achish.
29:3	Then the commanders of the Philistines said, “What are these Hebrews doing here?” And Achish said to the commanders of the Philistines, “Is this not David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, who has been with me these days, or rather these years, and I have found nonothing faultat all suspicious in him fromsince the day he deserted to me to this day?”
29:4	But the commanders of the Philistines were angry with him, and the commanders of the Philistines said to him, “Make the man go back, so that he maywill return to his place where you have assigned him, and do not let him go down to battle with us, or in the battle he may become an adversary to us. For withhow what could this man makefind himselffavor acceptablewith to his lord? Would it not be with the heads of these men?
29:6	Then Achish called David and said to him, “As the Lord lives, you have indeed been uprighthonest, and your going out and your coming in with me in the army are pleasing in my sight; for I have not found evil in you fromsince the day of your coming to me to this day. Nevertheless, you are not pleasing in the sight of the lordsgovernors.
29:7	Now thereforethen, return and go in peace, so that you maywill not displeasedo anything wrong in the lordssight of the governors of the Philistines.”
29:8	However, David said to Achish, “But what have I done? And what have you found in your servant fromsince the day whenthat I came before you, to this day, that I maycannot not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?”
29:9	But Achish replied to David, “I know that you are pleasing in my sight, like an angel of God; nevertheless the commanders of the Philistines have said, ‘He must not go up with us tointo the battle.’
29:10	Now then, ariserise early in the morning with the servants of your lord who have come with you, and as soon as you have arisenrisen early in the morning and have light, departleave.”
29:11	So David arosegot up early, he and his men, to departleave in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.
30:1	Then it happened, when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had madecarried aout raidan attack on the Negev and on Ziklag, and had overthrown Ziklag and burned it with fire;
30:2	and they took captive the women and all who were in it, bothfrom the small andto the great, without killing anyone, and carrieddrove them off and went their way.
30:3	When David and his men came to the city, behold, it was burned with fire, and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive.
30:4	Then David and the people who were with him liftedraised their voices and wept until there was no strength in them to weep.
30:6	MoreoverAlso, David was greatlyin distressedgreat distress because the people spoke of stoning him, for all the people were embittered, each one because of his sons and his daughters. But David felt strengthened himself in the Lord his God.
30:8	And David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I pursue this band of raiders? ShallWill I overtake them?” And He said to him, “Pursue, for you will surelycertainly overtake them, and you will surelycertainly rescue alleveryone.”
30:9	So David wentleft, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and they came to the brook Besor, where thosesome who were left behind remainedstayed.
30:10	But David pursued, he and four hundred men, for two hundred who were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor remainedstayed behind.
30:12	They also gave him a pieceslice of fig cake and two clusterscakes of raisins, and he ate; then his spirit revived. For he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights.
30:13	Then David said to him, “To whom do you belong? And where are you from?” And he said, “I am a young man of Egypt, a servant of an Amalekite; and my master leftabandoned me behind when I fellbecame sick three days ago.
30:14	We madecarried aout raidan attack on the Negev of the Cherethites, and on that which belongs to Judah, and on the Negev of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag with fire.”
30:15	Then David said to him, “Will you bring me down to this band of raiders?” And he said, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or deliverhand me intoover theto hands of my master, and I will bring you down to this band.”
30:16	WhenNow when he had brought him down, behold, they were spreaddispersed over all the land, eating and drinking and dancingcelebrating because of all the great spoilplunder that they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah.
30:17	And David slaughtered them from the twilight until the evening of the next day; and not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled.
30:19	ButAnd nothing of theirs was missing, whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoilplunder, or anything that they had taken for themselves; David brought it all back.
30:20	So David had captured all the sheep and the cattle which the people drove ahead of the other livestock, and they said, “This is David’s spoilplunder.”
30:21	When David came to the two hundred men who were too exhausted to follow David, whoand had also been left behind at the brook Besor, and they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him, then David approached the people and greeted them.
30:22	Then all the wicked and worthless men among those who went with David said, “BecauseSince they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoilspoils that we have recovered, except to every man his wife and his children, so that they may lead them away and departleave.”
30:23	ThenBut David said, “You must not do so, my brothers, with what the Lord has given us, whofor He has keptprotected us and deliveredhanded intoover ourto handus the band of raiders that came against us.
30:24	And who will listen to you in this matter? For as hisis the share isof the one who goes down tointo the battle, so shall hisbe the share beof the one who stays by the baggage; they shall share alike.”
30:26	Now when David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the spoilspoils to the elders of Judah, to his friends, saying, “Behold, a gift for you from the spoilspoils of the enemies of the Lord:
30:27	to those who were in Bethel, and to those who were in Ramoth of the Negev, and to those who were in Jattir,
30:28	and to those who were in Aroer, and to those who were in Siphmoth, and to those who were in Eshtemoa,
30:29	and to those who were in Racal, and to those who were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to those who were in the cities of the Kenites,
30:30	and to those who were in Hormah, and to those who were in Bor-ashan, and to those who were in Athach,
30:31	and to those who were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were accustomed to gowalked.”
31:1	Now the Philistines were fighting against Israel, and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines andbut fell slainfatally wounded on Mount Gilboa.
31:2	TheAnd the Philistines also overtook Saul and his sons;, and the Philistines killed Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul.
31:3	The battle went heavily against Saul, and the archers hitfound him; and he was badlygravely wounded by the archers.
31:4	Then Saul said to his armor bearer, “Draw your sword and pierce me through with it, otherwise these uncircumcised Philistines will come and pierce me through, and makeabuse sport of me.” But his armor bearer wouldwas notunwilling, forbecause he was greatlyvery afraidfearful. So Saul took his sword and fell on it.
31:6	ThusSo Saul died with his three sons, his armor bearer, and all his men on that day together.
31:7	WhenNow when the menpeople of Israel who were on the other side of the valley, with those who were beyond the Jordan, saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned the cities and fled; then the Philistines came and livedsettled in them.
31:8	It came about on the next day, when the Philistines came to strip thethose slainkilled, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.
31:9	They cut off his head and stripped off his weapons, and sent them throughout the land of the Philistines, to carrybring the good news to the house of their idols and to the people.
31:10	They put his weapons in the temple of Ashtaroth, and they fastenednailed his body to the wall of Beth-shan.
31:12	all the valiant men rosegot up and walked all night, and they took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and they came to Jabesh and burned them there.
31:13	TheyAnd they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree atin Jabesh, and fasted for seven days.