Bible (Literal Standard Version)/1 Samuel

For other versions of this work, see 1 Samuel (Bible).

Chapter 1

¹ And there is a certain man of Ramathaim-Zophim, of the hill-country of Ephraim, and his name [is] Elkanah, son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephraimite, ² and he has two wives, the name of the first [is] Hannah, and the name of the second Peninnah, and Peninnah has children, and Hannah has no children. ³ And that man has gone up out of his city from time to time, to bow himself, and to sacrifice, before YHWH of Hosts, in Shiloh, and there [are] two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, priests of YHWH. ⁴ And the day comes, and Elkanah sacrifices, and he has given portions to his wife Peninnah, and to all her sons and her daughters, ⁵ and he gives a certain portion to Hannah—double, for he has loved Hannah, and YHWH has shut her womb; ⁶ and her rival has also provoked her greatly, so as to make her tremble, for YHWH has shut up her womb. ⁷ And so is done year by year, from the time of her going up into the house of YHWH, so she provokes her, and she weeps, and does not eat. ⁸ And her husband Elkanah says to her, "Hannah, why do you weep? And why do you not eat? And why is your heart afflicted? Am I not better to you than ten sons?" ⁹ And Hannah rises after eating in Shiloh, and after drinking, and Eli the priest is sitting on the throne by the doorpost of the temple of YHWH. ¹⁰ And she is bitter in soul, and prays to YHWH, and weeps greatly, ¹¹ and vows a vow, and says, "YHWH of Hosts, if You certainly look on the affliction of Your handmaid, and have remembered me, and do not forget Your handmaid, and have given to Your handmaid seed of men—then I have given him to YHWH all [the] days of his life, and a razor does not go up on his head." ¹² And it has been, when she multiplied praying before YHWH, that Eli is watching her mouth, ¹³ and Hannah, she is speaking over her heart—only her lips are moving, and her voice is not heard, and Eli reckons her to be drunken. ¹⁴ And Eli says to her, "Until when are you drunken? Turn aside your wine from you." ¹⁵ And Hannah answers and says, "No, my lord, I [am] a woman sharply pained in spirit, and I have not drunk wine and strong drink, and I pour out my soul before YHWH; ¹⁶ do not put your handmaid before a daughter of worthlessness, for from the abundance of my meditation, and of my provocation, I have spoken until now." ¹⁷ And Eli answers and says, "Go in peace, and the God of Israel gives your petition which you have asked of Him." ¹⁸ And she says, "Let your handmaid find grace in your eyes"; and the woman goes on her way, and eats, and her face has not been [downcast] for herself anymore. ¹⁹ And they rise early in the morning, and bow themselves before YHWH, and turn back, and come to their house in Ramah, and Elkanah knows his wife Hannah, and YHWH remembers her; ²⁰ and it comes to pass, at the revolution of the days, that Hannah conceives, and bears a son, and calls his name Samuel, for, "I have asked for him from YHWH." ²¹ And the man Elkanah goes up, and all his house, to sacrifice to YHWH the sacrifice of the days, and his vow. ²² And Hannah has not gone up, for she said to her husband, "Until the youth is weaned—then I have brought him in, and he has appeared before the face of YHWH, and dwelt there for all time." ²³ And her husband Elkanah says to her, "Do that which is good in your eyes; abide until your weaning him; only, let YHWH establish His word"; and the woman abides and suckles her son until she has weaned him, ²⁴ and she causes him to go up with her when she has weaned him, with three bullocks, and one ephah of flour, and a bottle of wine, and she brings him into the house of YHWH at Shiloh, and the youth [is but] a youth. ²⁵ And they slaughter the bullock, and bring in the youth to Eli, ²⁶ and she says, "O my lord, your soul lives! My lord, I [am] the woman who stood with you in this [place], to pray to YHWH; ²⁷ I prayed for this youth, and YHWH gives to me my petition which I asked of Him; ²⁸ and I also have called him to YHWH, all the days that he has lived—he is called to YHWH"; and he bows himself there before YHWH.

Chapter 2

¹ And Hannah prays and says: "My heart has exulted in YHWH, || My horn has been high in YHWH, || My mouth has been large over my enemies, || For I have rejoiced in Your salvation. ² There is none holy like YHWH, || For there is none except You, || And there is no rock like our God. ³ You do not multiply—you speak haughtily—The old saying goes out from your mouth, || For YHWH [is] a God of knowledge, || And actions are weighed by Him. ⁴ Bows of the mighty are broken, || And the stumbling have girded on strength. ⁵ The satiated hired themselves for bread, || And the hungry have ceased. While the barren has borne seven, || And she abounding with sons has languished. ⁶ YHWH puts to death, and keeps alive, || He brings down to Sheol, and brings up. ⁷ YHWH dispossesses, and He makes rich, || He makes low, indeed, He makes high. ⁸ He raises the poor from the dust, || He lifts up the needy from a dunghill, || To cause [them] to sit with nobles, || Indeed, He causes them to inherit a throne of glory, || For the fixtures of earth [are] of YHWH, || And He sets the habitable world on them. ⁹ He keeps the feet of His saints, || And the wicked are silent in darkness, || For man does not become mighty by power. ¹⁰ YHWH—His adversaries are broken down, || He thunders against them in the heavens: YHWH judges the ends of the earth, || And gives strength to His king, || And exalts the horn of His anointed." ¹¹ And Elkanah goes to Ramath, to his house, and the youth has been serving YHWH [in] the presence of Eli the priest; ¹² and the sons of Eli [are] sons of worthlessness, they have not known YHWH. ¹³ And the custom of the priests with the people [is that when] any man is sacrificing a sacrifice, then the servant of the priest has come in when the flesh is boiling, and [with] the hook of three teeth in his hand, ¹⁴ and has struck [it] into the pan, or kettle, or cauldron, or pot; all that the hook brings up the priest takes for himself; thus they do to all Israel who are coming in there in Shiloh. ¹⁵ Also, before they make incense with the fat, then the priest's servant has come in and said to the man who is sacrificing, "Give flesh to roast for the priest, and he does not take boiled flesh from you, but raw"; ¹⁶ and the man says to him, "Let them surely make incense with the fat according to the [custom] today, then take to yourself as your soul desires"; and he has said to him, "Surely you give now; and if not—I have taken by strength." ¹⁷ And the sin of the young men is very great [in] the presence of YHWH, for the men have despised the offering of YHWH. ¹⁸ And Samuel is ministering [in] the presence of YHWH, a youth girt [with] an ephod of linen; ¹⁹ and his mother makes a small upper coat for him, and she has brought it up to him from time to time, in her coming up with her husband to sacrifice the sacrifice of the time. ²⁰ And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, "YHWH appoints seed of this woman for you, for the petition which she asked for YHWH"; and they have gone to their place. ²¹ When YHWH has looked after Hannah, then she conceives and bears three sons and two daughters; and the youth Samuel grows up with YHWH. ²² And Eli [is] very old, and has heard all that his sons do to all Israel, and how that they lie with the women who are assembling [at] the opening of the Tent of Meeting, ²³ and he says to them, "Why do you do things like these? For I am hearing of your evil words from all the people—these! ²⁴ No, my sons; for the report which I am hearing is not good, causing the people of YHWH to transgress. ²⁵ If a man sins against a man, then God has judged him; but if a man sins against YHWH, who prays for him?" And they do not listen to the voice of their father, though YHWH has delighted to put them to death. ²⁶ And the youth Samuel is going on and growing up, and [is] good with both YHWH, and also with men. ²⁷ And a man of God comes to Eli and says to him, "Thus said YHWH: Was I really revealed to the house of your father in their being in Egypt, before Pharaoh's house, ²⁸ even to choose him out of all the tribes of Israel for a priest for Myself, to go up on My altar, to make incense, to bear an ephod before Me, and I give to the house of your father all the fire-offerings of the sons of Israel? ²⁹ Why do you kick at My sacrifice and at My offering, which I commanded [in] My habitation, and honor your sons above Me, to make yourselves fat from the first part of every offering of Israel, of My people? ³⁰ Therefore—a declaration of YHWH, God of Israel—I certainly said, Your house and the house of your father walk up and down before Me for all time; and now—a declaration of YHWH—Far be it from Me! For he who is honoring Me, I honor, and those despising Me, are lightly esteemed. ³¹ Behold, days [are] coming, and I have cut off your arm, and the arm of the house of your father, that an old man is not in your house; ³² and you have beheld an adversary [in My] habitation, in all that He does good with Israel, and there is not an old man in your house all the days. ³³ And the man of yours I do not cut off from My altar—[My purpose is] to consume your eyes, and to grieve your soul; and all the increase of men [in] your house die; ³⁴ and this [is] the sign to you that comes to your two sons, to Hophni and Phinehas—in one day both of them die; ³⁵ and I have raised up a steadfast priest for Myself; he does as in My heart and in My soul; and I have built a steadfast house for him, and he has walked up and down before My anointed all the days; ³⁶ and it has been, everyone who is left in your house comes to bow himself to him for a wage of silver and a cake of bread, and has said, Please admit me to one of the priest's offices, to eat a morsel of bread."

Chapter 3

¹ And the youth Samuel is serving YHWH before Eli, and the word of YHWH has been precious in those days—there is no vision breaking forth. ² And it comes to pass, at that time, that Eli is lying down in his place, and his eyes have begun [to be] faded—he is not able to see. ³ And the lamp of God is not yet extinguished, and Samuel is lying down in the temple of YHWH, where the Ark of God [is], ⁴ and YHWH calls to Samuel, and he says, "Here I [am]." ⁵ And he runs to Eli and says, "Here I [am], for you have called for me"; and he says, "I did not call; turn back, lie down"; and he goes and lies down. ⁶ And YHWH adds to call Samuel again, and Samuel rises and goes to Eli, and says, "Here I [am], for you have called for me"; and he says, "I have not called, my son, turn back, lie down." ⁷ And Samuel has not yet known YHWH, and the word of YHWH is not yet revealed to him. ⁸ And YHWH adds to call Samuel the third time, and he rises and goes to Eli, and says, "Here I [am], for you have called for me"; and Eli understands that YHWH is calling to the youth. ⁹ And Eli says to Samuel, "Go, lie down, and it has been, if He calls to you, that you have said, Speak, YHWH, for Your servant is hearing"; and Samuel goes and lies down in his place. ¹⁰ And YHWH comes, and stations Himself, and calls as time by time, "Samuel, Samuel"; and Samuel says, "Speak, for Your servant is hearing." ¹¹ And YHWH says to Samuel, "Behold, I am doing a thing in Israel, at which the two ears of everyone hearing it tingle. ¹² In that day I establish to Eli all that I have spoken to his house, beginning and completing; ¹³ and I have declared to him that I am judging his house for all time, for the iniquity which he has known, for his sons are making themselves vile, and he has not restrained them, ¹⁴ and therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli: the iniquity of the house of Eli is not atoned for, by sacrifice, and by offering—for all time." ¹⁵ And Samuel lies until the morning, and opens the doors of the house of YHWH, and Samuel is afraid of declaring the vision to Eli. ¹⁶ And Eli calls Samuel and says, "Samuel, my son"; and he says, "Here I [am]." ¹⁷ And he says, "What [is] the word which He has spoken to you? Please do not hide it from me; so God does to you, and so does He add, if you hide from me a word of all the words that He has spoken to you." ¹⁸ And Samuel declares to him the whole of the words, and has not hid from him; and he says, "It [is] YHWH; that which is good in His eyes He does." ¹⁹ And Samuel grows up, and YHWH has been with him, and has not let any of his words fall to the earth; ²⁰ and all Israel knows, from Dan even to Beer-Sheba, that Samuel is established for a prophet to YHWH. ²¹ And YHWH adds to appear in Shiloh, for YHWH has been revealed to Samuel, in Shiloh, by the word of YHWH.

Chapter 4

¹ And the word of Samuel is to all Israel, and Israel goes out to meet the Philistines for battle, and they encamp by Eben-Ezer, and the Philistines have encamped in Aphek, ² and the Philistines set themselves in array to meet Israel, and the battle spreads itself, and Israel is struck before the Philistines, and they strike among the ranks in the field about four thousand men. ³ And the people come into the camp, and [the] elderly of Israel say, "Why has YHWH struck us today before the Philistines? We take the Ark of the Covenant of YHWH from Shiloh to ourselves, and it comes into our midst, and He saves us out of the hand of our enemies." ⁴ And the people send to Shiloh, and they take from there the Ark of the Covenant of YHWH of Hosts, inhabiting the cherubim, and there [are] two sons of Eli with the Ark of the Covenant of God, Hophni and Phinehas. ⁵ And it comes to pass, at the coming in of the Ark of the Covenant of YHWH to the camp, that all Israel shouts [with] a great shout, and the earth is moved. ⁶ And the Philistines hear the noise of the shouting, and say, "What [is] the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews?" And they perceive that the Ark of YHWH has come into the camp. ⁷ And the Philistines are afraid, for they said, "God has come into the camp"; and they say, "Woe to us, for there has been nothing like this before. ⁸ Woe to us, who delivers us out of the hand of these majestic gods? These [are] the gods who are striking the Egyptians with every plague in the wilderness. ⁹ Strengthen yourselves, and become men, O Philistines, lest you do service to Hebrews, as they have done to you—then you have become men, and have fought." ¹⁰ And the Philistines fight, and Israel is struck, and they each flee to his tents, and the slaughter is very great, and thirty thousand footmen of Israel fall; ¹¹ and the Ark of God has been taken, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, have died. ¹² And a man of Benjamin runs out of the ranks, and comes into Shiloh, on that day, and his long robes [are] torn, and earth [is] on his head; ¹³ and he comes in, and behold, Eli is sitting on the throne by the side of the way, watching, for his heart has been trembling for the Ark of God, and the man has come into the city and declares [it], and all the city cries out. ¹⁴ And Eli hears the noise of the cry and says, "What [is] the noise of this tumult?" And the man hurried, and comes in, and tells Eli. ¹⁵ And Eli is a son of ninety-eight years, and his eyes have stood, and he has not been able to see. ¹⁶ And the man says to Eli, "I [am] he who has come out of the ranks, and I have fled out of the ranks today"; and he says, "What has been the matter, my son?" ¹⁷ And he who is bearing tidings answers and says, "Israel has fled before the Philistines, and also a great slaughter has been among the people, and also your two sons have died—Hophni and Phinehas—and the Ark of God has been captured." ¹⁸ And it comes to pass, at his mentioning the Ark of God, that he falls backward from off the throne, by the side of the gate, and his neck is broken, and he dies, for the man [is] old and heavy, and he has judged Israel [for] forty years. ¹⁹ And his daughter-in-law, wife of Phinehas, [is] pregnant, about to bear, and she hears the report of the taking of the Ark of God, that her father-in-law and her husband have died, and she bows, and bears, for her pains have turned on her. ²⁰ And at the time of her death, the women who are standing by her say, "Do not fear, for you have borne a son," she has not answered, nor set her heart [to it]; ²¹ and she calls the youth Ichabod, saying, "Glory has removed from Israel," because of the taking of the Ark of God, and because of her father-in-law and her husband. ²² And she says, "Glory has removed from Israel, for the Ark of God has been taken."

Chapter 5

¹ And the Philistines have taken the Ark of God, and bring it in from Eben-Ezer to Ashdod, ² and the Philistines take the Ark of God and bring it into the house of Dagon, and set it near Dagon. ³ And the Ashdodites rise early on the next day, and behold, Dagon is fallen on its face to the earth, before the Ark of YHWH; and they take Dagon, and put it back in its place. ⁴ And they rise early in the morning on the next day, and behold, Dagon is fallen on its face to the earth, before the Ark of YHWH, and the head of Dagon, and the two palms of its hands are cut off at the threshold, only Dagon's [body] has been left of him; ⁵ therefore the priests of Dagon, and all those coming into the house of Dagon, do not tread on the threshold of Dagon, in Ashdod, until this day. ⁶ And the hand of YHWH is heavy on the Ashdodites, and He makes them desolate, and strikes them with lumps, Ashdod and its borders. ⁷ And the men of Ashdod see that [it is] so, and have said, "The Ark of the God of Israel does not abide with us, for His hand has been hard on us, and on our god Dagon." ⁸ And they send and gather all the princes of the Philistines to them, and say, "What do we do to the Ark of the God of Israel?" And they say, "Let the Ark of the God of Israel be brought around to Gath"; and they bring around the Ark of the God of Israel; ⁹ and it comes to pass after they have brought it around, that the hand of YHWH is against the city—a very great destruction; and He strikes the men of the city, from small and to great; and lumps break forth on them. ¹⁰ And they send the Ark of God to Ekron, and it comes to pass, at the coming in of the Ark of God to Ekron, that the Ekronites cry out, saying, "They have brought around the Ark of the God of Israel to us, to put us and our people to death." ¹¹ And they send and gather all the princes of the Philistines, and say, "Send the Ark of the God of Israel away, and it turns back to its place, and it does not put us and our people to death"; for there has been a deadly destruction throughout all the city, the hand of God has been very heavy there, ¹² and the men who have not died have been struck with lumps, and the cry of the city goes up into the heavens.

Chapter 6

¹ And the Ark of YHWH is in the field of the Philistines [for] seven months, ² and the Philistines call for priests and for diviners, saying, "What do we do to the Ark of YHWH? Let us know with what we send it to its place." ³ And they say, "If you are sending the Ark of the God of Israel away, you do not send it away empty; for you certainly send back a guilt-offering to Him; then you are healed, and it has been known to you why His hand does not turn aside from you." ⁴ And they say, "What [is] the guilt-offering which we send back to Him?" And they say, "The number of the princes of the Philistines—five golden lumps, and five golden muroids—for one plague [is] to you all, and to your princes, ⁵ and you have made images of your lumps, and images of your muroids that are corrupting the land, and have given glory to the God of Israel; it may be [that] He lightens His hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land; ⁶ and why do you harden your heart as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their heart? Do they not—when He has rolled Himself on them—send them away, and they go? ⁷ And now, take and make one new cart, and two suckling cows, on which a yoke has not gone up, and you have bound the cows in the cart, and caused their young ones to turn back from after them to the house, ⁸ and you have taken the Ark of YHWH, and put it on the cart, and the vessels of gold which you have returned to Him—a guilt-offering—you put in a coffer on its side, and have sent it away, and it has gone; ⁹ and you have seen if it goes up the way of its own border, to Beth-Shemesh—He has done this great evil to us; and if not, then we have known that His hand has not come against us; it has been an accident to us." ¹⁰ And the men do so, and take two suckling cows, and bind them in the cart, and they shut up their young ones in the house; ¹¹ and they place the Ark of YHWH on the cart, and the coffer, and the golden muroids, and the images of their lumps. ¹² And the cows go straight in the way, on the way to Beth-Shemesh, they have gone in one highway, going and lowing, and have not turned aside right or left; and the princes of the Philistines are going after them to the border of Beth-Shemesh. ¹³ And the Beth-Shemeshites are reaping their wheat-harvest in the valley, and they lift up their eyes, and see the Ark, and rejoice to see [it]. ¹⁴ And the cart has come into the field of Joshua the Beth-Shemeshite, and stands there, and there [is] a great stone, and they cleave the wood of the cart, and they have caused the cows to ascend [as] a burnt-offering to YHWH. ¹⁵ And the Levites have taken down the Ark of YHWH, and the coffer which [is] with it, in which [are] the vessels of gold, and place [them] on the great stone; and the men of Beth-Shemesh have caused burnt-offerings to ascend and sacrifice sacrifices in that day to YHWH; ¹⁶ and the five princes of the Philistines have seen [it], and return [to] Ekron, on that day. ¹⁷ And these [are] the golden lumps which the Philistines have sent back—a guilt-offering to YHWH: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron; ¹⁸ and the golden muroids—the number of all the cities of the Philistines, for the five princes, from the fortified city even to a village of the open place, and to the great stone [[or great meadow]] on which they placed the Ark of YHWH—[are] in the field of Joshua the Beth-Shemeshite to this day. ¹⁹ And He strikes among the men of Beth-Shemesh, for they looked into the Ark of YHWH, indeed, He strikes seventy men [out] of fifty thousand men [[or fifty thousand and seventy men]] among the people; and the people mourn, because YHWH struck among the people [with] a great striking. ²⁰ And the men of Beth-Shemesh say, "Who is able to stand before YHWH, this holy God? And to whom does He go up from us?" ²¹ And they send messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjath-Jearim, saying, "The Philistines have sent back the Ark of YHWH; come down, take it up with you."

Chapter 7

¹ And the men of Kirjath-Jearim come and bring up the Ark of YHWH, and bring it into the house of Abinadab, in the height, and they have sanctified his son Eleazar to keep the Ark of YHWH. ² And it comes to pass, from the day of the dwelling of the Ark in Kirjath-Jearim, that the days are multiplied—indeed, they are twenty years—and all the house of Israel wails after YHWH. ³ And Samuel speaks to all the house of Israel, saying, "If you are turning back to YHWH with all your heart—turn aside the gods of the stranger from your midst, and Ashtaroth; and prepare your heart for YHWH, and serve Him only, and He delivers you out of the hand of the Philistines." ⁴ And the sons of Israel turn aside the Ba'alim and Ashtaroth, and serve YHWH alone; ⁵ and Samuel says, "Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I pray to YHWH for you." ⁶ And they are gathered to Mizpeh, and draw water, and pour out before YHWH, and fast on that day, and say there, "We have sinned against YHWH"; and Samuel judges the sons of Israel in Mizpeh. ⁷ And the Philistines hear that the sons of Israel have gathered themselves to Mizpeh; and the princes of the Philistines go up against Israel, and the sons of Israel hear, and are afraid of the presence of the Philistines. ⁸ And the sons of Israel say to Samuel, "Do not keep silent for us from crying to our God YHWH, and He saves us out of the hand of the Philistines." ⁹ And Samuel takes a fat lamb, and causes it to go up—a whole burnt-offering to YHWH; and Samuel cries to YHWH for Israel, and YHWH answers him; ¹⁰ and Samuel is causing the burnt-offering to go up—and the Philistines have drawn near to battle against Israel—and YHWH thunders with a great noise, on that day, on the Philistines, and troubles them, and they are struck before Israel. ¹¹ And the men of Israel go out from Mizpeh, and pursue the Philistines, and strike them to the place of Beth-Car. ¹² And Samuel takes a stone, and sets [it] between Mizpeh and Shen, and calls its name Eben-Ezer, saying, "Until now YHWH has helped us." ¹³ And the Philistines are humbled, and have not added anymore to come into the border of Israel, and the hand of YHWH is on the Philistines all the days of Samuel. ¹⁴ And the cities which the Philistines have taken from Israel are restored to Israel—from Ekron even to Gath—and Israel has delivered their border out of the hand of the Philistines; and there is peace between Israel and the Amorite. ¹⁵ And Samuel judges Israel all the days of his life, ¹⁶ and he has gone from year to year, and gone around Beth-El, and Gilgal, and Mizpeh, and judged Israel [in] all these places; ¹⁷ and his returning [is] to Ramath, for his house [is] there, and he has judged Israel there, and he builds an altar to YHWH there.

Chapter 8

¹ And it comes to pass, when Samuel [is] aged, that he makes his sons judges over Israel. ² And the name of his firstborn son is Joel, and the name of his second Abiah, judges in Beer-Sheba: ³ and his sons have not walked in his ways, and turn aside after the dishonest gain, and take a bribe, and turn aside judgment. ⁴ And all [the] elderly of Israel gather themselves together, and come to Samuel at Ramath, ⁵ and say to him, "Behold, you have become aged, and your sons have not walked in your ways; now, appoint a king to us, to judge us, like all the nations." ⁶ And the thing is evil in the eyes of Samuel when they have said, "Give a king to us, to judge us"; and Samuel prays to YHWH. ⁷ And YHWH says to Samuel, "Listen to the voice of the people, to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from reigning over them. ⁸ According to all the works that they have done from the day of My bringing them up out of Egypt, even to this day, when they forsake Me, and serve other gods—so they are also doing to you. ⁹ And now, listen to their voice; only, surely you certainly protest to them, and have declared to them the custom of the king who reigns over them." ¹⁰ And Samuel speaks all the words of YHWH to the people who are asking [for] a king from him, ¹¹ and says, "This is the custom of the king who reigns over you: he takes your sons, and has appointed for himself among his chariots, and among his horsemen, and they have run before his chariots; ¹² also to appoint for himself heads of thousands, and heads of fifties; also to plow his plowing, and to reap his reaping; and to make instruments of his war, and instruments of his charioteer. ¹³ And he takes your daughters for perfumers, and for cooks, and for bakers; ¹⁴ and your fields, and your vineyards, and your olive-yards—he takes the best, and has given to his servants. ¹⁵ And he tithes your seed and your vineyards, and has given to his eunuchs, and to his servants. ¹⁶ And your menservants and your maidservants, and the best of your young men and your donkeys, he takes, and has prepared for his own work; ¹⁷ he tithes your flock, and you are for servants to him. ¹⁸ And you have cried out in that day because of the king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and YHWH does not answer you in that day." ¹⁹ And the people refuse to listen to the voice of Samuel, and say, "No, but a king is over us, ²⁰ and we have been, even we, like all the nations; and our king has judged us, and gone out before us, and fought our battles." ²¹ And Samuel hears all the words of the people, and speaks them in the ears of YHWH; ²² and YHWH says to Samuel, "Listen to their voice, and you have caused a king to reign over them." And Samuel says to the men of Israel, "Go, each man, to his city."

Chapter 9

¹ And there is a man of Benjamin, and his name [is] Kish, son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Bechorath, son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of valor, ² and he has a son, and his name [is] Saul, a choice youth and handsome, and there is not a man among the sons of Israel more handsome than he—from his shoulder and upward, higher than any of the people. ³ And the donkeys of Kish, father of Saul, are lost, and Kish says to his son Saul, "Now take one of the young men with you, and rise, go, seek the donkeys." ⁴ And he passes over through the hill-country of Ephraim, and passes over through the land of Shalisha, and they have not found [them]; and they pass over through the land of Shaalim, and they are not; and he passes over through the land of Benjamin, and they have not found [them]. ⁵ They have come to the land of Zuph, and Saul has said to his young man who [is] with him, "Come, and we return, lest my father leave off from the donkeys, and has been sorrowful for us." ⁶ And he says to him, "Now behold, a man of God [is] in this city, and the man is honored; all that he speaks certainly comes; now, we go there, it may be he declares to us our way on which we have gone." ⁷ And Saul says to his young man, "And behold, we go, and what do we bring to the man? For the bread has gone from our vessels, and there is no present to bring to the man of God—what [is] with us?" ⁸ And the young man adds to answer Saul and says, "Behold, there is found a fourth of a shekel of silver with me: and I have given to the man of God, and he has declared our way to us." ⁹ Formerly in Israel, thus said the man in his going to seek God: "Come and we go to the seer." For the "prophet" of today is formerly called "the seer." ¹⁰ And Saul says to his young man, "Your word [is] good; come, we go"; and they go to the city where the man of God [is]. ¹¹ They are going up in the ascent of the city, and have found young women going out to draw water, and say to them, "Is the seer in this [place]?" ¹² And they answer them and say, "He is; behold, before you! Hurry, now, for he has come to the city today, for the people [have] a sacrifice today in a high place. ¹³ At your going into the city so you find him, before he goes up to the high place to eat; for the people do not eat until his coming, for he blesses the sacrifice; afterward, they who are called eat, and now, go up, for you should find him at this time." ¹⁴ And they go up to the city; they are coming into the midst of the city, and behold, Samuel is coming out to meet them, to go up to the high place; ¹⁵ and YHWH had uncovered the ear of Samuel one day before the coming of Saul, saying, ¹⁶ "At this time tomorrow, I send to you a man out of the land of Benjamin—and you have anointed him for leader over My people Israel, and he has saved My people out of the hand of the Philistines; for I have seen My people, for its cry has come to Me." ¹⁷ When Samuel has seen Saul, then YHWH has answered him, "Behold, the man of whom I have spoken to you; this [one] restrains My people." ¹⁸ And Saul draws near to Samuel in the midst of the gate and says, "Please declare to me where this seer's house [is]." ¹⁹ And Samuel answers Saul and says, "I [am] the seer; go up before me into the high place, and you have eaten with me today, and I have sent you away in the morning, and all that [is] in your heart I declare to you. ²⁰ And as for the donkeys which are lost from you [for] three days as of today, do not set your heart to them, for they have been found; and to whom [is] all the desire of Israel? Is it not to you and to all your father's house?" ²¹ And Saul answers and says, "Am I not a Benjamite—of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? And my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? And why have you spoken to me according to this word?" ²² And Samuel takes Saul, and his young man, and brings them into the chamber, and gives a place to them at the head of those called; and they [are] about thirty men. ²³ And Samuel says to the cook, "Give the portion which I gave to you, of which I said to you, Set it by you." ²⁴ (And the cook lifts up the leg, and that which [is] on it, and sets [it] before Saul), and he says, "Behold, that which is left; [it] is set before your face—eat, for it is kept for you for this appointed time, [at my] saying, I have called the people"; and Saul eats with Samuel on that day. ²⁵ And they come down from the high place to the city, and he speaks with Saul on the roof. ²⁶ And they rise early, and it comes to pass, at the ascending of the dawn, that Samuel calls to Saul, on the roof, saying, "Rise, and I send you away"; and Saul rises, and they go out, both of them—he and Samuel, outside. ²⁷ They are going down in the extremity of the city, and Samuel has said to Saul, "Say to the young man that he should pass on before us (and he passes on), and you, stand at this time, and I cause you to hear the word of God."

Chapter 10

¹ And Samuel takes the vial of the oil, and pours [it] on his head, and kisses him, and says, "Is it not because YHWH has appointed you over His inheritance for leader? ² In your going from me today—then you have found two men by the grave of Rachel, in the border of Benjamin, at Zelzah, and they have said to you, The donkeys have been found which you have gone to seek; and behold, your father has left the matter of the donkeys, and has sorrowed for you, saying, What do I do for my son? ³ And you have passed on there, and beyond, and have come to the oak of Tabor, and three men going up to God to Beth-El have found you there, one carrying three kids, and one carrying three cakes of bread, and one carrying a bottle of wine, ⁴ and they have asked of your welfare, and given two loaves to you, and you have received from their hand. ⁵ Afterward you come to the hill of God, where the garrison of the Philistines [is], and it comes to pass, at your coming in there to the city, that you have met a band of prophets coming down from the high place, and before them stringed instrument, and tambourine, and pipe, and harp, and they are prophesying; ⁶ and the Spirit of YHWH has prospered over you, and you have prophesied with them, and have turned into a [new] man; ⁷ and it has been, when these signs come to you—do for yourself as your hand finds, for God [is] with you. ⁸ And you have gone down before me to Gilgal, and behold, I am going down to you, to cause burnt-offerings to ascend, to sacrifice sacrifices of peace-offerings; you wait [for] seven days until my coming to you, and I have made known to you that which you do." ⁹ And it has been, at his turning his shoulder to go from Samuel, that God turns to him another heart, and all these signs come on that day, ¹⁰ and they come in there to the height, and behold, a band of prophets [is there] to meet him, and the Spirit of God prospers over him, and he prophesies in their midst. ¹¹ And it comes to pass, all knowing him before, see, and behold, he has prophesied with prophets, and the people say to one another, "What [is] this [that] has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?" ¹² And a man there answers and says, "And who [is] their father?" Therefore it has been for an allegory, "Is Saul also among the prophets?" ¹³ And he ceases from prophesying, and comes to the high place, ¹⁴ and the uncle of Saul says to him, and to his young man, "To where did you go?" And he says, "To seek the donkeys; and we see that they are not, and we come to Samuel." ¹⁵ And the uncle of Saul says, "Please declare to me what Samuel said to you." ¹⁶ And Saul says to his uncle, "He certainly declared to us that the donkeys were found"; and of the matter of the kingdom he has not declared to him that which Samuel said. ¹⁷ And Samuel calls the people to YHWH to Mizpeh, ¹⁸ and says to the sons of Israel, "Thus said YHWH, God of Israel: I have brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I deliver you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all the kingdoms who are oppressing you; ¹⁹ and you have rejected your God today, who [is] Himself your Savior out of all your evils and your distresses, and you say, No, but you set a king over us; and now, station yourselves before YHWH, by your tribes, and by your thousands." ²⁰ And Samuel brings all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin is captured, ²¹ and he brings the tribe of Benjamin near by its families, and the family of Matri is captured, and Saul son of Kish is captured, and they seek him, and he has not been found. ²² And they ask again of YHWH, "Has the man come here yet?" And YHWH says, "Behold, he has been hidden near the vessels." ²³ And they run and bring him there, and he stationed himself in the midst of the people, and he is higher than any of the people from his shoulder and upward. ²⁴ And Samuel says to all the people, "Have you seen him on whom YHWH has fixed, for there is none like him among all the people?" And all the people shout, and say, "Let the king live!" ²⁵ And Samuel speaks to the people the right of the kingdom, and writes in a scroll, and places [it] before YHWH; and Samuel sends all the people away, each to his house. ²⁶ And Saul has also gone to his house, to Gibeah, and the force goes with him whose heart God has touched; ²⁷ and the sons of worthlessness have said, "How can this one save us?" And they despise him, and have not brought a present to him; and he is as one being deaf.

Chapter 11

¹ And Nahash the Ammonite comes up, and encamps against Jabesh-Gilead, and all the men of Jabesh say to Nahash, "Make a covenant with us, and we serve you." ² And Nahash the Ammonite says to them, "For this I cut [a covenant] with you, in picking out every right eye of yours—and I have set it [for] a reproach on all Israel." ³ And [the] elderly of Jabesh say to him, "Leave us alone [for] seven days, and we send messengers into all the border of Israel: and if there is none saving us—then we have come out to you." ⁴ And the messengers come to Gibeah of Saul, and speak the words in the ears of the people, and all the people lift up their voice and weep; ⁵ and behold, Saul has come out of the field after the herd, and Saul says, "What [is that] to the people, that they weep?" And they recount the words of the men of Jabesh to him. ⁶ And the Spirit of God prospers over Saul, in his hearing these words, and his anger burns greatly, ⁷ and he takes a couple of oxen, and cuts them in pieces, and sends [them] through all the border of Israel, by the hand of the messengers, saying, "He who is not coming out after Saul and after Samuel—thus it is done to his oxen"; and the fear of YHWH falls on the people, and they come out as one man. ⁸ And he inspects them in Bezek, and the sons of Israel are three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand. ⁹ And they say to the messengers who are coming, "Thus you say to the men of Jabesh-Gilead: Tomorrow you have safety—by the heat of the sun"; and the messengers come and declare [it] to the men of Jabesh, and they rejoice; ¹⁰ and the men of Jabesh say [to the Ammonites], "Tomorrow we come out to you, and you have done to us according to all that [is] good in your eyes." ¹¹ And it comes to pass, on the next day, that Saul puts the people in three detachments, and they come into the midst of the camp in the morning-watch, and strike Ammon until the heat of the day; and it comes to pass that those left are scattered, and there have not been left two of them together. ¹² And the people say to Samuel, "Who is he that says, Saul reigns over us? Give up the men, and we put them to death." ¹³ And Saul says, "There is no man put to death on this day, for today YHWH has worked salvation in Israel." ¹⁴ And Samuel says to the people, "Come and we go to Gilgal, and renew the kingdom there"; ¹⁵ and all the people go to Gilgal, and cause Saul to reign there before YHWH in Gilgal, and sacrifice sacrifices of peace-offerings there before YHWH, and Saul rejoices there—and all the men of Israel—very greatly.

Chapter 12

¹ And Samuel says to all Israel, "Behold, I have listened to your voice, to all that you said to me, and I cause a king to reign over you, ² and now, behold, the king is habitually walking before you, and I have become aged and gray-headed, and my sons, behold, they [are] with you, and I have habitually walked before you from my youth until this day. ³ Behold, here I [am]; testify against me before YHWH, and before His anointed; whose ox have I taken, and whose donkey have I taken, and whom have I oppressed; whom have I bruised, and of whose hand have I taken a ransom, and hide my eyes with it? And I restore [it] to you." ⁴ And they say, "You have not oppressed us, nor have you crushed us, nor have you taken anything from the hand of anyone." ⁵ And he says to them, "YHWH [is] a witness against you, and His anointed [is] a witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand"; and they say, "A witness." ⁶ And Samuel says to the people, "YHWH [is] He who made Moses and Aaron, and who brought up your fathers out of the land of Egypt! ⁷ And now, station yourselves, and I judge you before YHWH, with all the righteous acts of YHWH, which He did with you, and with your fathers. ⁸ When Jacob has come to Egypt, and your fathers cry to YHWH, then YHWH sends Moses and Aaron, and they bring out your fathers from Egypt, and cause them to dwell in this place, ⁹ and they forget their God YHWH, and He sells them into the hand of Sisera, head of the host of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fight against them, ¹⁰ and they cry to YHWH, and say, We have sinned, because we have forsaken YHWH, and serve the Ba'alim, and Ashtaroth, and now, deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we serve You. ¹¹ And YHWH sends Jerubba'al, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivers you out of the hand of your surrounding enemies, and you dwell confidently. ¹² And you see that Nahash king of the sons of Ammon has come against you, and you say to me, No, but a king reigns over us; and your God YHWH [is] your king! ¹³ And now, behold the king whom you have chosen—whom you have asked for! And behold, YHWH has placed a king over you. ¹⁴ If you fear YHWH, and have served Him, and listened to His voice, then you do not provoke the mouth of YHWH, and you have been—both you and the king who has reigned over you—after your God YHWH. ¹⁵ And if you do not listen to the voice of YHWH—then you have provoked the mouth of YHWH, and the hand of YHWH has been against you, and against your fathers. ¹⁶ Also now, station yourselves and see this great thing which YHWH is doing before your eyes; ¹⁷ is it not wheat-harvest today? I call to YHWH, and He gives voices and rain; and know and see that your evil is great which you have done in the eyes of YHWH, to ask [for] a king for yourselves." ¹⁸ And Samuel calls to YHWH, and YHWH gives voices and rain on that day, and all the people greatly fear YHWH and Samuel; ¹⁹ and all the people say to Samuel, "Pray for your servants to your God YHWH, and we do not die, for we have added evil to all our sins to ask [for] a king for ourselves." ²⁰ And Samuel says to the people, "Do not fear; you have done all this evil; only, do not turn aside from after YHWH—and you have served YHWH with all your heart, ²¹ and you do not turn aside after the vain things which do not profit nor deliver, for they [are] vain, ²² for YHWH does not leave His people, on account of His great Name; for YHWH has been pleased to make you for a people to Him. ²³ I, also, far be it from me to sin against YHWH, by ceasing to pray for you, and I have directed you in the good and upright way; ²⁴ only, fear YHWH, and you have served Him in truth with all your heart, for see that which He has made great with you; ²⁵ and if you really do evil, both you and your king are consumed."

Chapter 13

¹ Saul [is] a son of [[thirty]] years in his reigning, and he has reigned over Israel [forty]-two years, ² then Saul chooses for himself three thousand [men] out of Israel; and two thousand are with Saul in Michmash, and in the hill-country of Beth-El; and one thousand have been with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin; and he has sent each one of the remnant of the people to his tents. ³ And Jonathan strikes the garrison of the Philistines which [is] in Geba, and the Philistines hear, and Saul has blown with a horn through all the land, saying, "Let the Hebrews hear." ⁴ And all Israel have heard, saying, "Saul has struck the garrison of the Philistines," and also, "Israel has been abhorred by the Philistines"; and the people are called after Saul to Gilgal. ⁵ And the Philistines have been gathered to fight with Israel; thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and a people as the sand which [is] on the seashore for multitude; and they come up and encamp in Michmash, east of Beth-Aven. ⁶ And the men of Israel have seen that they are distressed, that the people have been oppressed, and the people hide themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in high places, and in pits. ⁷ And Hebrews have passed over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead; and Saul [is] yet in Gilgal, and all the people have trembled after him. ⁸ And he waits seven days, according to the appointment with Samuel, and Samuel has not come to Gilgal, and the people are scattered from off him. ⁹ And Saul says, "Bring the burnt-offering and the peace-offerings near to me"; and he causes the burnt-offering to ascend. ¹⁰ And it comes to pass at his completing to cause the burnt-offering to ascend, that behold, Samuel has come, and Saul goes out to meet him, to bless him; ¹¹ and Samuel says, "What have you done?" And Saul says, "Because I saw that the people were scattered from off me, and you had not come at the appointment of the days, and the Philistines are gathered to Michmash, ¹² and I say, Now the Philistines come down to me to Gilgal, and I have not appeased the face of YHWH; and I force myself, and cause the burnt-offering to ascend." ¹³ And Samuel says to Saul, "You have been foolish; you have not kept the command of your God YHWH, which He commanded you, for now YHWH had established your kingdom over Israel for all time; ¹⁴ and now, your kingdom does not stand, YHWH has sought [for] a man for Himself according to His own heart, and YHWH charges him for leader over His people, for you have not kept that which YHWH commanded you." ¹⁵ And Samuel rises, and goes up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin; and Saul inspects the people who are found with him, about six hundred men, ¹⁶ and Saul, and his son Jonathan, and the people who are found with them, are abiding in Gibeah of Benjamin, and the Philistines have encamped in Michmash. ¹⁷ And the destroyer goes out from the camp of the Philistines—three detachments: one detachment turns to the way of Ophrah, to the land of Shual, ¹⁸ and one detachment turns the way of Beth-Horon, and one detachment turns the way of the border which is looking on the Valley of the Zeboim, toward the wilderness. ¹⁹ And a craftsman is not found in all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, "Lest the Hebrews make sword or spear"; ²⁰ and all Israel goes down to the Philistines, to each sharpen his plowshare, and his coulter, and his axe, and his mattock; ²¹ and there has been the file for mattocks, and for coulters, and for three-pronged rakes, and for the axes, and to set up the goads. ²² And it has been, in the day of battle, that there has not been found a sword and spear in the hand of any of the people who [are] with Saul and with Jonathan—but it is found with Saul and with his son Jonathan. ²³ And the station of the Philistines goes out to the passage of Michmash.

Chapter 14

¹ And the day comes that Jonathan son of Saul says to the young man carrying his weapons, "Come, and we pass over to the station of the Philistines, which [is] on the other side of this"; and he has not declared [it] to his father. ² And Saul is abiding at the extremity of Gibeah, under the pomegranate which [is] in Migron, and the people who [are] with him [are] about six hundred men, ³ and Ahiah, son of Ahitub, brother of Ichabod, son of Phinehas son of Eli priest of YHWH in Shiloh, [was] bearing an ephod; and the people did not know that Jonathan has gone. ⁴ And between the passages where Jonathan sought to pass over to the station of the Philistines [is] the edge of a rock on one side, and the edge of a rock on the other side, and the name of one is Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh. ⁵ One edge [is] fixed on the north in front of Michmash, and the one on the south in front of Gibeah. ⁶ And Jonathan says to the young man carrying his weapons, "Come, and we pass over to the station of these uncircumcised; it may be YHWH works for us, for there is no restraint to YHWH to save by many or by few." ⁷ And the bearer of his weapons says to him, "Do all that [is] in your heart; turn for yourself; behold, I [am] with you, as your own heart." ⁸ And Jonathan says, "Behold, we are passing over to the men, and are revealed to them; ⁹ if they thus say to us, Stand still until we have come to you, then we have stood in our place, and do not go up to them; ¹⁰ and if they thus say, Come up against us, then we have gone up, for YHWH has given them into our hand, and this [is] the sign to us." ¹¹ And both of them are revealed to the station of the Philistines, and the Philistines say, "Behold, Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hid themselves." ¹² And the men of the station answer Jonathan, and the bearer of his weapons, and say, "Come up to us, and we cause you to know something." And Jonathan says to the bearer of his weapons, "Come up after me, for YHWH has given them into the hand of Israel." ¹³ And Jonathan goes up on his hands, and on his feet, and the bearer of his weapons after him; and they fall before Jonathan, and the bearer of his weapons is putting [them] to death after him. ¹⁴ And the first striking which Jonathan and the bearer of his weapons have struck is of about twenty men, in about half a furrow of a yoke of a field, ¹⁵ and there is a trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people, the station and the destroyers have trembled—even they, and the earth shakes, and it becomes a trembling of God. ¹⁶ And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin see, and behold, the multitude has melted away, and it goes on, and is beaten down. ¹⁷ And Saul says to the people who [are] with him, "Now inspect and see; who has gone from us?" And they inspect, and behold, Jonathan and the bearer of his weapons are not. ¹⁸ And Saul says to Ahiah, "Bring the Ark of God near"; for the Ark of God has been with the sons of Israel on that day. ¹⁹ And it comes to pass, while Saul spoke to the priest, that the noise which [is] in the camp of the Philistines goes on, going on and becoming great, and Saul says to the priest, "Remove your hand." ²⁰ And Saul is called, and all the people who [are] with him, and they come to the battle, and behold, the sword of each has been against his neighbor—a very great destruction. ²¹ And the Hebrews [who] have been with the Philistines before the day prior, who had gone up with them into the camp, have turned around, even they, to be with Israel who [are] with Saul and Jonathan, ²² and all the men of Israel, who are hiding themselves in the hill-country of Ephraim, have heard that the Philistines have fled, and they pursue—even they—after them in battle. ²³ And YHWH saves Israel on that day, and the battle has passed over to Beth-Aven. ²⁴ And the men of Israel have been distressed on that day, and Saul adjures the people, saying, "Cursed [is] the man who eats food until the evening, and I have been avenged of my enemies"; and none of the people have tasted food. ²⁵ And all [those of] the land have come into a forest, and there is honey on the face of the field; ²⁶ and the people come into the forest, and behold, the honey dropped, and none is moving his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath. ²⁷ And Jonathan has not heard of his father's adjuring the people, and puts forth the end of the rod, which [is] in his hand, and dips it in the honeycomb, and brings back his hand to his mouth—and his eyes see! ²⁸ And a man of the people answers and says, "Your father certainly adjured the people, saying, Cursed [is] the man who eats food today; and the people are weary." ²⁹ And Jonathan says, "My father has troubled the land; now see that my eyes have become bright because I tasted a little of this honey. ³⁰ How much more if the people had well eaten today of the spoil of its enemies which it has found, for now the striking has not been great among the Philistines." ³¹ And they strike on that day among the Philistines from Michmash to Aijalon, and the people are very weary, ³² and the people make toward the spoil, and take sheep, and oxen, and sons of the herd, and slaughter on the earth, and the people eat with the blood. ³³ And they declare to Saul, saying, "Behold, the people are sinning against YHWH, to eat with the blood." And he says, "You have dealt treacherously, roll a great stone to me today." ³⁴ And Saul says, "Be scattered among the people, and you have said to them: Each bring his ox to me, and each his sheep; and you have slain [them] in this place, and eaten, and you do not sin against YHWH to eat with the blood." And all the people bring [them]—each one [with] his ox in his hand, that night—and slaughter [them] there. ³⁵ And Saul builds an altar to YHWH; with it he has begun to build altars to YHWH. ³⁶ And Saul says, "Let us go down after the Philistines by night, and we prey on them until the morning light, and do not leave a man of them." And they say, "Do all that is good in your eyes." And the priest says, "Let us draw near to God here." ³⁷ And Saul asks of God, "Do I go down after the Philistines? Do You give them into the hand of Israel?" And He has not answered him on that day. ³⁸ And Saul says, "Everyone draw near here, the chiefs of the people, and know and see in what this sin has been today; ³⁹ for YHWH lives, who is saving Israel: surely if it is in my son Jonathan, surely he certainly dies"; and none is answering him out of all the people. ⁴⁰ And he says to all Israel, "You are on one side, and I and my son Jonathan are on another side"; and the people say to Saul, "Do that which is good in your eyes." ⁴¹ And Saul says to YHWH, God of Israel, "Give perfection"; and Jonathan and Saul are captured, and the people went out. ⁴² And Saul says, "Cast between me and my son Jonathan"; and Jonathan is captured. ⁴³ And Saul says to Jonathan, "Declare to me, what have you done?" And Jonathan declares to him and says, "I certainly tasted a little honey with the end of the rod that [is] in my hand; behold, I die!" ⁴⁴ And Saul says, "Thus God does, and thus does He add, for you certainly die, Jonathan." ⁴⁵ And the people say to Saul, "Does Jonathan die who worked this great salvation in Israel? Certainly not! YHWH lives, if there falls to the earth [even one] hair from his head, for with God he has worked this day"; and the people rescue Jonathan, and he has not died. ⁴⁶ And Saul goes up from after the Philistines, and the Philistines have gone to their place; ⁴⁷ and Saul captured the kingdom over Israel, and he fights all around against all his enemies, against Moab, and against the sons of Ammon, and against Edom, and against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines, and wherever he turns he distresses [them]. ⁴⁸ And he makes a force, and strikes Amalek, and delivers Israel out of the hand of its spoiler. ⁴⁹ And the sons of Saul are Jonathan, and Ishui, and Melchi-Shua; as for the name of his two daughters, the name of the firstborn [is] Merab, and the name of the younger Michal; ⁵⁰ and the name of the wife of Saul [is] Ahinoam, daughter of Ahimaaz; and the name of the head of his host [is] Abner son of Ner, uncle of Saul; ⁵¹ and Kish [is] the father of Saul, and Ner, the father of Abner, [is] the son of Ahiel. ⁵² And the war is severe against the Philistines all the days of Saul; when Saul has seen any mighty man, and any son of valor, then he gathers him to himself.

Chapter 15

¹ And Samuel says to Saul, "YHWH sent me to anoint you for king over His people, over Israel; and now, listen to the voice of the words of YHWH. ² Thus said YHWH of Hosts: I have looked after that which Amalek did to Israel, that which he laid for him in the way in his going up out of Egypt. ³ Now go, and you have struck Amalek, and devoted all that he has, and you have no pity on him, and have put to death from man to woman, from infant to suckling, from ox to sheep, from camel to donkey." ⁴ And Saul summons the people, and inspects them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand [are] men of Judah. ⁵ And Saul comes to a city of Amalek, and lays wait in a valley; ⁶ and Saul says to the Kenite, "Go, turn aside, go down from the midst of Amalek, lest I consume you with it, and you did kindness with all the sons of Israel, in their going up out of Egypt"; and the Kenite turns aside from the midst of Amalek. ⁷ And Saul strikes Amalek from Havilah [to] your going to Shur, which [is] on the front of Egypt, ⁸ and he catches Agag king of Amalek alive, and he has devoted all the people by the mouth of the sword; ⁹ and Saul has pity—also the people—on Agag, and on the best of the flock, and of the herd, and of the seconds, and on the lambs, and on all that [is] good, and have not been willing to devote them; and all the work, despised and wasted—it they devoted. ¹⁰ And the word of YHWH is to Samuel, saying, ¹¹ "I have regretted that I caused Saul to reign for king, for he has turned back from after Me, and he has not performed My words"; and it is displeasing to Samuel, and he cries to YHWH all the night. ¹² And Samuel rises early to meet Saul in the morning, and it is declared to Samuel, saying, "Saul has come to Carmel, and behold, he is setting up a monument to himself, and goes around, and passes over, and goes down to Gilgal." ¹³ And Samuel comes to Saul, and Saul says to him, "Blessed [are] you of YHWH; I have performed the word of YHWH." ¹⁴ And Samuel says, "And what [is] the noise of this flock in my ears—and the noise of the herd which I am hearing?" ¹⁵ And Saul says, "They have brought them from Amalek, because the people had pity on the best of the flock, and of the herd, in order to sacrifice to your God YHWH, and we have devoted the remnant." ¹⁶ And Samuel says to Saul, "Desist, and I declare to you that which YHWH has spoken to me tonight"; and he says to him, "Speak." ¹⁷ And Samuel says, "Are you not, if you [are] little in your own eyes, head of the tribes of Israel? And YHWH anoints you for king over Israel, ¹⁸ and YHWH sends you in the way, and says, Go, and you have devoted the sinners, the Amalekite, and fought against them until they are consumed; ¹⁹ and why have you not listened to the voice of YHWH—and fly to the spoil, and do evil in the eyes of YHWH?" ²⁰ And Saul says to Samuel, "Because—I have listened to the voice of YHWH, and I go in the way which YHWH has sent me, and bring in Agag king of Amalek, and I have devoted Amalek; ²¹ and the people take of the spoil of the flock and herd, the first part of the devoted thing, for sacrifice to your God YHWH in Gilgal." ²² And Samuel says, "Has YHWH had delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices as [in] listening to the voice of YHWH? Behold, listening is better than sacrifice; to give attention than fat of rams; ²³ for rebellion [is as] a sin of divination, and stubbornness [is as] iniquity and teraphim; because you have rejected the word of YHWH, He also rejects you from [being] king." ²⁴ And Saul says to Samuel, "I have sinned, for I passed over the command of YHWH, and your words; because I have feared the people, I also listen to their voice; ²⁵ and now, please bear with my sin, and return with me, and I bow myself to YHWH." ²⁶ And Samuel says to Saul, "I do not return with you; for you have rejected the word of YHWH, and YHWH rejects you from being king over Israel." ²⁷ And Samuel turns around to go, and he lays hold on the skirt of his upper robe—and it is torn! ²⁸ And Samuel says to him, "YHWH has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today, and given it to your neighbor who is better than you; ²⁹ and also, the Preeminence of Israel does not lie nor relent, for He [is] not a man that He should relent." ³⁰ And he says, "I have sinned; now please honor me before [the] elderly of my people and before Israel, and return with me; and I have bowed myself to your God YHWH." ³¹ And Samuel turns back after Saul, and Saul bows himself to YHWH; ³² and Samuel says, "Bring Agag king of Amalek to me," and Agag comes to him daintily, and Agag says, "Surely the bitterness of death has turned aside." ³³ And Samuel says, "As your sword bereaved women—so is your mother bereaved above women"; and Samuel hews Agag in pieces before YHWH in Gilgal. ³⁴ And Samuel goes to Ramath, and Saul has gone to his house—to Gibeah of Saul. ³⁵ And Samuel has not added to see Saul until the day of his death, for Samuel mourned for Saul, and YHWH regretted that He had caused Saul to reign over Israel.

Chapter 16

¹ And YHWH says to Samuel, "Until when are you mourning for Saul, and I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go, I send you to Jesse the Beth-Lehemite, for I have seen among his sons a king for Myself." ² And Samuel says, "How do I go? When Saul has heard, then he has slain me." And YHWH says, "You take a heifer of the herd in your hand, and have said, I have come to sacrifice to YHWH; ³ and you have called for Jesse in the sacrifice, and I cause you to know that which you do, and you have anointed for Me him of whom I speak to you." ⁴ And Samuel does that which YHWH has spoken, and comes to Beth-Lehem, and [the] elderly of the city tremble to meet him, and [one] says, "Is your coming peace?" ⁵ And he says, "Peace; I have come to sacrifice to YHWH, sanctify yourselves, and you have come in with me to the sacrifice"; and he sanctifies Jesse and his sons, and calls them to the sacrifice. ⁶ And it comes to pass, in their coming in, that he sees Eliab and says, "Surely His anointed [is] here before YHWH." ⁷ And YHWH says to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance, and at the height of his stature, for I have rejected him; for [it is] not as man sees—for man looks at the eyes, and YHWH looks at the heart." ⁸ And Jesse calls to Abinadab, and causes him to pass by before Samuel; and he says, "Indeed, YHWH has not fixed on this [one]." ⁹ And Jesse causes Shammah to pass by, and he says, "Indeed, YHWH has not fixed on this [one]." ¹⁰ And Jesse causes seven of his sons to pass by before Samuel, and Samuel says to Jesse, "YHWH has not fixed on these." ¹¹ And Samuel says to Jesse, "Are the young men finished?" And he says, "Yet the youngest has been left; and behold, he delights himself among the flock"; and Samuel says to Jesse, "Send and take him, for we do not turn around until his coming in here." ¹² And he sends, and brings him in, and he [is] ruddy, with beautiful eyes, and of good appearance; and YHWH says, "Rise, anoint him, for this [is] he." ¹³ And Samuel takes the horn of oil, and anoints him in the midst of his brothers, and the Spirit of YHWH prospers over David from that day and onward; and Samuel rises and goes to Ramath. ¹⁴ And the Spirit of YHWH turned aside from Saul, and a spirit of sadness from YHWH terrified him; ¹⁵ and the servants of Saul say to him, "Now behold, a spirit of sadness [from] God is terrifying you; ¹⁶ now let our lord command your servants before you [that] they seek a skillful man playing on a harp, and it has come to pass, in the spirit of sadness [from] God being on you, that he has played with his hand and [it is] well with you." ¹⁷ And Saul says to his servants, "Now provide for me a man playing well—then you have brought [him] to me." ¹⁸ And one of the servants answers and says, "Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Beth-Lehemite, skillful in playing, and a mighty, virtuous man, and a man of battle, and intelligent in word, and a man of form, and YHWH [is] with him." ¹⁹ And Saul sends messengers to Jesse and says, "Send to me your son David, who [is] with the flock." ²⁰ And Jesse takes a donkey, bread, and a bottle of wine, and one kid of the goats, and sends [them] by the hand of his son David to Saul. ²¹ And David comes to Saul, and stands before him, and he loves him greatly; and he is a bearer of his weapons. ²² And Saul sends to Jesse, saying, "Please let David stand before me, for he has found grace in my eyes." ²³ And it has come to pass, in the spirit of [sadness from] God being on Saul, that David has taken the harp, and played with his hand, and Saul has refreshment and gladness, and the spirit of sadness has turned aside from off him.

Chapter 17

¹ And the Philistines gather their camps to battle, and are gathered to Shochoh, which [is] to Judah, and encamp between Shochoh and Azekah, in Ephes-Dammim; ² and Saul and the men of Israel have been gathered, and encamp by the Valley of Elah, and set in array [for] battle to meet the Philistines. ³ And the Philistines are standing on the mountain on this [side], and Israel is standing on the mountain on that [side], and the valley [is] between them. ⁴ And a man goes out, the champion from the camps of the Philistines, his name [is] Goliath, from Gath; his height [is] six cubits and a span [[or four cubits and a span]], ⁵ and a helmet of bronze [is] on his head, and he is clothed [with] a scaled coat of mail, and the weight of the coat of mail [is] five thousand shekels of bronze, ⁶ and a frontlet of bronze [is] on his feet, and a javelin of bronze between his shoulders, ⁷ and the wood of his spear [is] like a weavers' beam, and the flame of his spear [is] six hundred shekels of iron, and the bearer of the buckler is going before him. ⁸ And he stands and calls to the ranks of Israel, and says to them, "Why do you come out to set in array for battle? [Am] I not the Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me; ⁹ if he is able to fight with me, and has struck me, then we have been for servants to you; and if I prevail against him, and have struck him, then you have been for servants to us, and have served us." ¹⁰ And the Philistine says, "I have reproached the ranks of Israel this day; give a man to me and we fight together!" ¹¹ And Saul hears—and all Israel—these words of the Philistine, and they are broken down and greatly afraid. ¹² And David [is] son of this Ephraimite of Beth-Lehem-Judah, whose name [is] Jesse, and he has eight sons, and the man has become aged among men in the days of Saul; ¹³ and the three eldest sons of Jesse go, they have gone after Saul to battle; and the name of his three sons who have gone into battle [are] Eliab the firstborn, and his second Abinadab, and the third Shammah. ¹⁴ And David is the youngest, and the three eldest have gone after Saul, ¹⁵ and David is going and returning from Saul, to feed the flock of his father at Beth-Lehem. ¹⁶ And the Philistine draws near, morning and evening, and stations himself [for] forty days. ¹⁷ And Jesse says to his son David, "Now take an ephah of this roasted [grain] and these ten loaves for your brothers, and run to the camp to your brothers; ¹⁸ and take these ten cuttings of the cheese to the head of the one thousand, and inspect your brothers for welfare, and receive their pledge." ¹⁹ And Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, [are] in the Valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. ²⁰ And David rises early in the morning, and leaves the flock to a keeper, and lifts up, and goes, as Jesse commanded him, and he comes to the path, and to the force which is going out to the rank, and they have shouted for battle; ²¹ and Israel and the Philistines set in array rank to meet rank. ²² And David lets down the goods from off him on the hand of a keeper of the goods, and runs into the rank, and comes and asks of his brothers of [their] welfare. ²³ And he is speaking with them, and behold, a man, the champion, is coming up, his name [is] Goliath the Philistine, from Gath, out of the ranks of the Philistines, and he speaks according to those words, and David hears; ²⁴ and all the men of Israel, when they see the man, flee from his presence, and are greatly afraid. ²⁵ And the men of Israel say, "Have you seen this man who is coming up? For he is coming up to reproach Israel, and it has been—the man who strikes him, the king enriches him with great riches, and he gives his daughter to him, and makes his father's house free in Israel." ²⁶ And David speaks to the men who are standing by him, saying, "What is done to the man who strikes this Philistine, and has turned aside reproach from Israel? For who [is] this uncircumcised Philistine that he has reproached the ranks of the living God?" ²⁷ And the people speak to him according to this word, saying, "Thus it is done to the man who strikes him." ²⁸ And Eliab, his eldest brother, hears when he speaks to the men, and the anger of Eliab burns against David, and he says, "Why [is] this—[that] you have come down? And to whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I have known your pride, and the evil of your heart—for you have come down to see the battle." ²⁹ And David says, "What have I done now? Is it not a word?" ³⁰ And he turns around from him to another, and says according to this word, and the people return him word as the first word. ³¹ And the words which David has spoken are heard, and they declare [them] before Saul, and he receives him; ³² and David says to Saul, "Let no man's heart fall because of him, your servant goes, and has fought with this Philistine." ³³ And Saul says to David, "You are not able to go to this Philistine, to fight with him, for you [are] a youth, and he [has been] a man of war from his youth." ³⁴ And David says to Saul, "Your servant has been a shepherd among the sheep for his father, and the lion has come—and the bear—and has taken away a sheep out of the drove, ³⁵ and I have gone out after him, and struck him, and delivered [it] out of his mouth, and he rises against me, and I have taken hold on his beard, and struck him, and put him to death. ³⁶ Your servant has struck both the lion and the bear, and this uncircumcised Philistine has been as one of them, for he has reproached the ranks of the living God." ³⁷ And David says, "YHWH, who delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, He delivers me from the hand of this Philistine." And Saul says to David, "Go, and YHWH is with you." ³⁸ And Saul clothes David with his long robe, and has put a helmet of bronze on his head, and clothes him with a coat of mail. ³⁹ And David girded his sword above his long robe, and begins to go, for he has not tried [it]; and David says to Saul, "I am not able to go with these, for I had not tried"; and David turns them aside from off him. ⁴⁰ And he takes his staff in his hand, and chooses five smooth stones for himself from the brook, and puts them in the shepherds' vessel that he has, even in the leather pouch, and his sling [is] in his hand, and he draws near to the Philistine. ⁴¹ And the Philistine goes on, going and drawing near to David, and the man carrying the buckler [is] before him, ⁴² and the Philistine looks attentively, and sees David, and despises him, for he was a youth, and ruddy, with a handsome appearance. ⁴³ And the Philistine says to David, "Am I a dog that you are coming to me with sticks?" And the Philistine reviles David by his gods, ⁴⁴ and the Philistine says to David, "Come to me, and I give your flesh to the bird of the heavens, and to the beast of the field." ⁴⁵ And David says to the Philistine, "You are coming to me with sword, and with spear, and with buckler, and I am coming to you in the Name of YHWH of Hosts, God of the ranks of Israel, which you have reproached! ⁴⁶ This day YHWH shuts you up into my hand—and I have struck you, and turned aside your head from off you, and given the carcass of the camp of the Philistines this day to the bird of the heavens, and to the beast of the earth, and all the earth knows that God is for Israel! ⁴⁷ And all this assembly knows that YHWH does not save by sword and by spear, for the battle [is] YHWH's, and He has given you into our hand." ⁴⁸ And it has come to pass, that the Philistine has risen, and goes, and draws near to meet David, and David hurries and runs to the rank to meet the Philistine, ⁴⁹ and David puts forth his hand into the vessel, and takes a stone from there, and slings, and strikes the Philistine on his forehead, and the stone sinks into his forehead, and he falls on his face to the earth. ⁵⁰ And David is stronger than the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and strikes the Philistine, and puts him to death, and there is no sword in the hand of David, ⁵¹ and David runs and stands over the Philistine, and takes his sword, and draws it out of its sheath, and puts him to death, and cuts off his head with it; and the Philistines see that their hero [is] dead, and flee. ⁵² And the men of Israel rise—also Judah—and shout, and pursue the Philistines until you enter the valley, and to the gates of Ekron, and the wounded of the Philistines fall in the way of Shaaraim, even to Gath, and to Ekron, ⁵³ and the sons of Israel return from burning after the Philistines, and spoil their camps. ⁵⁴ And David takes the head of the Philistine, and brings it to Jerusalem, and he has put his weapons in his own tent. ⁵⁵ And when Saul sees David going out to meet the Philistine, he has said to Abner, head of the host, "Whose son [is] this—the youth, Abner?" And Abner says, "Your soul lives, O king, I have not known." ⁵⁶ And the king says, "Ask whose son this [is]—the young man." ⁵⁷ And when David turns back from striking the Philistine, then Abner takes him and brings him in before Saul, and the head of the Philistine [is] in his hand; ⁵⁸ and Saul says to him, "Whose son [are] you, O youth?" And David says, "Son of your servant Jesse, the Beth-Lehemite."

Chapter 18

¹ And it comes to pass, when he finishes to speak to Saul, that the soul of Jonathan has been bound to the soul of David, and Jonathan loves him as his own soul. ² And Saul takes him on that day, and has not permitted him to return to the house of his father. ³ And Jonathan makes—David also—a covenant, because he loves him as his own soul, ⁴ and Jonathan strips himself of the upper robe which [is] on him, and gives it to David, and his long robe, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle. ⁵ And David goes out wherever Saul sends him; he acted wisely, and Saul sets him over the men of war, and it is good in the eyes of all the people, and also in the eyes of the servants of Saul. ⁶ And it comes to pass, in their coming in, in David's returning from striking the Philistine, that the women come out from all the cities of Israel to sing—also the dancers—to meet Saul the king, with tambourines, with joy, and with three-stringed instruments; ⁷ and the women answer—those playing, and say, "Saul has struck among his thousands, || And David among his myriads." ⁸ And it is exceedingly displeasing to Saul, and this thing is evil in his eyes, and he says, "They have given myriads to David, and they have given the thousands to me, and what more [is there] for him but the kingdom?" ⁹ And Saul is eyeing David from that day and from then on. ¹⁰ And it comes to pass, on the next day, that the spirit of sadness [from] God prospers over Saul, and he prophesies in the midst of the house, and David is playing with his hand, as [he did] day by day, and the javelin [is] in the hand of Saul, ¹¹ and Saul casts the javelin and says, "I strike through David, even through the wall"; and David turns around out of his presence twice. ¹² And Saul is afraid of the presence of David, for YHWH has been with him, and He has turned aside from Saul; ¹³ and Saul turns him aside from him, and appoints him to himself [for] head of one thousand, and he goes out and comes in, before the people. ¹⁴ And David is acting wisely in all his ways, and YHWH [is] with him, ¹⁵ and Saul sees that he is acting very wisely, and is afraid of him, ¹⁶ and all Israel and Judah love David when he is going out and coming in before them. ¹⁷ And Saul says to David, "Behold, my elder daughter Merab—I give her to you for a wife; only, be for a son of valor to me, and fight the battles of YHWH"; and Saul said, "Do not let my hand be on him, but let the hand of the Philistines be on him." ¹⁸ And David says to Saul, "Who [am] I? And what [is] my life—the family of my father in Israel—that I am son-in-law of the king?" ¹⁹ And it comes to pass, at the time of the giving of Merab daughter of Saul to David, that she has been given to Adriel the Meholathite for a wife. ²⁰ And Michal daughter of Saul loves David, and they declare [it] to Saul, and the thing is right in his eyes, ²¹ and Saul says, "I give her to him, and she is for a snare to him, and the hand of the Philistines is on him"; and Saul says to David, "By the second—you become my son-in-law today." ²² And Saul commands his servants, "Speak to David gently, saying, Behold, the king has delighted in you, and all his servants have loved you, and now, be son-in-law of the king." ²³ And the servants of Saul speak these words in the ears of David, and David says, "Is it a light thing in your eyes to be son-in-law of the king—and I a poor man, and lightly esteemed?" ²⁴ And the servants of Saul declare [it] to him, saying, "David has spoken according to these words." ²⁵ And Saul says, "Thus you say to David, There is no delight for the king in dowry, but in one hundred foreskins of the Philistines—to be avenged on the enemies of the king"; and Saul thought to cause David to fall by the hand of the Philistines. ²⁶ And his servants declare these words to David, and the thing is right in the eyes of David, to be son-in-law of the king; and the days have not been full, ²⁷ and David rises and goes, he and his men, and strikes two hundred men among the Philistines, and David brings in their foreskins, and they set them before the king, to be son-in-law of the king; and Saul gives his daughter Michal to him for a wife. ²⁸ And Saul sees and knows that YHWH [is] with David, and Michal daughter of Saul has loved him, ²⁹ and Saul adds to be afraid of the presence of David still; and Saul is an enemy of David [for] all the days. ³⁰ And the princes of the Philistines come out, and it comes to pass from the time of their coming out, David has acted more wisely than any of the servants of Saul, and his name is very precious.

Chapter 19

¹ And Saul speaks to his son Jonathan, and to all his servants, to put David to death, ² and Jonathan son of Saul delighted in David exceedingly, and Jonathan declares [it] to David, saying, "My father Saul is seeking to put you to death, and now, please take heed in the morning, and you have abided in a secret place and been hidden, ³ and I go out, and have stood by the side of my father in the field where you [are], and I speak of you to my father, and have seen what [is coming], and have declared [it] to you." ⁴ And Jonathan speaks good of David to his father Saul and says to him, "Do not let the king sin against his servant, against David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his works [are] very good for you; ⁵ indeed, he puts his life in his hand, and strikes the Philistine, and YHWH works a great salvation for all Israel; you have seen, and rejoice, and why do you sin against innocent blood, to put David to death for nothing?" ⁶ And Saul listens to the voice of Jonathan, and Saul swears, "YHWH lives—he does not die." ⁷ And Jonathan calls for David, and Jonathan declares all these words to him, and Jonathan brings in David to Saul, and he is before him as before. ⁸ And there adds to be war, and David goes out and fights against the Philistines, and strikes among them [with] a great striking, and they flee from his face. ⁹ And a spirit of sadness [from] YHWH is to Saul, and he is sitting in his house, and his javelin [is] in his hand, and David is playing with the hand, ¹⁰ and Saul seeks to strike with the javelin through David, and through the wall, and he frees himself from the presence of Saul, and he strikes the javelin through the wall; and David has fled and escapes during that night. ¹¹ And Saul sends messengers to the house of David to watch him, and to put him to death in the morning; and his wife Michal declares [it] to David, saying, "If you are not delivering your life tonight—tomorrow you are put to death." ¹² And Michal causes David to go down through the window, and he goes on, and flees, and escapes; ¹³ and Michal takes the teraphim, and lays [it] on the bed, and she has put the mattress of goats' [hair for] his pillows, and covers [it] with a garment. ¹⁴ And Saul sends messengers to take David, and she says, "He [is] sick." ¹⁵ And Saul sends the messengers to see David, saying, "Bring him up in the bed to me in order to put him to death." ¹⁶ And the messengers come in, and behold, the teraphim [are] on the bed, and the mattress of goats' [hair for] his pillows. ¹⁷ And Saul says to Michal, "Why have you thus deceived me—that you send my enemy away, and he escapes?" And Michal says to Saul, "He said to me, Send me away. Why do I put you to death?" ¹⁸ And David has fled, and escapes, and comes to Samuel at Ramath, and declares to him all that Saul has done to him, and he goes, he and Samuel, and they dwell in Naioth. ¹⁹ And it is declared to Saul, saying, "Behold, David [is] in Naioth in Ramah." ²⁰ And Saul sends messengers to take David, and they see the assembly of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing, set over them, and the Spirit of God is on Saul's messengers, and they prophesy—they also. ²¹ And they declare [it] to Saul, and he sends other messengers, and they prophesy—they also; and Saul adds and sends messengers a third time, and they prophesy—they also. ²² And he goes—he also—to Ramath, and comes to the great well which [is] in Sechu, and asks and says, "Where [are] Samuel and David?" And [one] says, "Behold, in Naioth in Ramah." ²³ And he goes there—to Naioth in Ramah, and the Spirit of God is on him also; and he goes, going on, and he prophesies until his coming to Naioth in Ramah, ²⁴ and he strips off—he also—his garments, and prophesies—he also—before Samuel, and falls down naked all that day and all the night; therefore they say, "Is Saul also among the prophets?"

Chapter 20

¹ And David flees from Naioth in Ramah, and comes, and says before Jonathan, "What have I done? What [is] my iniquity? And what [is] my sin before your father, that he is seeking my life?" ² And he says to him, "Far be it! You do not die; behold, my father does not do anything great or small and does not uncover my ear; and why does my father hide this thing from me? This [thing] is not." ³ And David swears again and says, "Your father has certainly known that I have found grace in your eyes, and he says, Do not let Jonathan know this, lest he is grieved; and yet, YHWH lives, and your soul lives, but—as a step between me and death." ⁴ And Jonathan says to David, "What does your soul [desire]? Command and I do it for you." ⁵ And David says to Jonathan, "Behold, the new moon [is] tomorrow; and I certainly sit with the king to eat; and you have sent me away, and I have been hidden in a field until the third evening; ⁶ if your father looks after me at all, then you have said, David earnestly asked of me to run to his city of Beth-Lehem, for there [is] a sacrifice of the days for all the family. ⁷ If thus he says: Good; [there is] peace for your servant; and if it is very displeasing to him—know that the evil has been determined by him; ⁸ and you have done kindness to your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of YHWH with you—and if there is iniquity in me, put me to death yourself; for why [is] this [that] you bring me to your father?" ⁹ And Jonathan says, "Far be it from you! For I certainly do not know that the evil has been determined by my father to come on you, and I do not declare it to you." ¹⁰ And David says to Jonathan, "Who declares [it] to me? Or what [if] your father answers you sharply?" ¹¹ And Jonathan says to David, "Come, and we go out into the field"; and both of them go out into the field. ¹² And Jonathan says to David, "YHWH, God of Israel, [is my witness]—when I search out my father about [this] time tomorrow [or] the third [day], and behold, [there is] good toward David, and I do not then send to you, and have uncovered your ear— ¹³ thus YHWH does to Jonathan, and thus He adds; when the evil concerning you is good to my father, then I have uncovered your ear, and sent you away, and you have gone in peace, and YHWH is with you, as he was with my father; ¹⁴ and not only while I am alive do you do the kindness of YHWH with me, and I do not die, ¹⁵ but you do not cut off your kindness from my house for all time, nor in YHWH's cutting off the enemies of David, each one from off the face of the ground." ¹⁶ So Jonathan cuts [a covenant] with the house of David, and YHWH has sought [it] from the hand of the enemies of David; ¹⁷ and Jonathan adds to cause David to swear, because he loves him, for he has loved him [as] the love [for] his own soul. ¹⁸ And Jonathan says to him, "Tomorrow [is] the new moon, and you have been looked after, for your seat is looked after; ¹⁹ and on the third day you certainly come down, and have come to the place where you were hidden in the day of the work, and have remained near the stone of Ezel. ²⁰ And I shoot three of the arrows at the side, sending out at a mark for myself; ²¹ and behold, I send the youth, [saying], Go, find the arrows. If I say to the youth at all, Behold, the arrows [are] on this side of you—take them and come, for [there is] peace for you, and there is no [adverse] word—[as] YHWH lives. ²² And if thus I say to the young man, Behold, the arrows [are] beyond you—go, for YHWH has sent you away; ²³ as for the thing which you and I have spoken, behold, YHWH [is] between me and you for all time." ²⁴ And David is hidden in the field, and it is the new moon, and the king sits down by the food to eat, ²⁵ and the king sits on his seat, as time by time, on a seat by the wall, and Jonathan rises, and Abner sits at the side of Saul, and David's place is looked after. ²⁶ And Saul has not spoken anything on that day, for he said, "It [is] an accident; he is not clean—surely not clean." ²⁷ And it comes to pass on the second day of the new moon, that David's place is looked after, and Saul says to his son Jonathan, "Why has the son of Jesse not come in, either yesterday or today, to the food?" ²⁸ And Jonathan answers Saul, "David has earnestly asked [permission] from me [to go] to Beth-Lehem, ²⁹ and he says, Please send me away, for we have a family sacrifice in the city, and my brother has given command to me himself, and now, if I have found grace in your eyes, please let me go away and see my brothers; therefore he has not come to the table of the king." ³⁰ And the anger of Saul burns against Jonathan, and he says to him, "Son of a perverse [woman] of rebellion! Have I not known that you are fixing on the son of Jesse to your own shame, and to the shame of the nakedness of your mother? ³¹ For all the days that the son of Jesse lives on the ground you are not established, you and your kingdom; and now, send and bring him to me, for he [is] a son of death." ³² And Jonathan answers his father Saul and says to him, "Why is he put to death? What has he done?" ³³ And Saul casts the javelin at him to strike him, and Jonathan knows that it has been determined by his father to put David to death. ³⁴ And Jonathan rises from the table in the heat of anger, and has not eaten food on the second day of the new moon, for he has been grieved for David, for his father put him to shame. ³⁵ And it comes to pass in the morning, that Jonathan goes out into the field for the appointment with David, and a little youth [is] with him. ³⁶ And he says to his youth, "Now run, find the arrows which I am shooting"; the youth is running, and he has shot the arrow, causing [it] to pass over him. ³⁷ And the youth comes to the place of the arrow which Jonathan has shot, and Jonathan calls after the youth, and says, "Is the arrow not beyond you?" ³⁸ And Jonathan calls after the youth, "Speed, hurry, do not stand"; and Jonathan's youth gathers the arrows, and comes to his lord. ³⁹ And the youth has not known anything, only Jonathan and David knew the word. ⁴⁰ And Jonathan gives his weapons to the youth whom he has and says to him, "Go, carry into the city." ⁴¹ The youth has gone, and David has risen from Ezel, at the south, and falls on his face to the earth, and bows himself three times, and they kiss one another, and they weep with one another, until David exerted himself; ⁴² and Jonathan says to David, "Go in peace, in that we have sworn—the two of us—in the Name of YHWH, saying, YHWH is between me and you, and between my seed and your seed—for all time"; and he rises and goes; and Jonathan has gone into the city.

Chapter 21

¹ And David comes to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest, and Ahimelech trembles at meeting David and says to him, "Why [are] you alone, and no man [is] with you?" ² And David says to Ahimelech the priest, "The king has commanded me [on] a matter, and he says to me, Let no man know anything of the matter about which I send you, and which I have commanded you; and [my] young men know [to go] to such and such a place. ³ And now, what is there under your hand? Give five loaves into my hand, or that which is found." ⁴ And the priest answers David and says, "There is no common bread under my hand, but there is holy bread; if only the youths have been kept from women." ⁵ And David answers the priest and says to him, "Surely, if women have been restrained from us as before in my going out, then the vessels of the young men are holy, and it [is] a common way; and also, surely it is sanctified today in the vessel." ⁶ And the priest gives the holy thing to him, for there was no bread there except the Bread of the Presentation, which is turned aside from the presence of YHWH to put hot bread [there] in the day of its being taken away. ⁷ And there [is] a man of the servants of Saul detained before YHWH on that day, and his name [is] Doeg the Edomite, chief of the shepherds whom Saul has. ⁸ And David says to Ahimelech, "And is there not spear or sword here under your hand? For I have taken neither my sword nor my vessels in my hand, for the matter of the king was urgent." ⁹ And the priest says, "The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you struck in the Valley of Elah, behold, it is wrapped in a garment behind the ephod, if you take it to yourself, take; for there is none other except it in this [place]." And David says, "There is none like it—give it to me." ¹⁰ And David rises and flees on that day from the face of Saul, and comes to Achish king of Gath; ¹¹ and the servants of Achish say to him, "Is this not David, the king of the land? Is it not of this one [that] they sing in dances, saying, Saul struck among his thousands, and David among his myriads?" ¹² And David lays these words in his heart, and is exceedingly afraid of the face of Achish king of Gath, ¹³ and changes his behavior before their eyes, and feigns himself mad in their hand, and scribbles on the doors of the gate, and lets down his spittle to his beard. ¹⁴ And Achish says to his servants, "Behold, you see a man acting as a madman; why do you bring him to me? ¹⁵ Am I lacking madmen, that you have brought in this one to act as a madman before me? Does this one come into my house?"

Chapter 22

¹ And David goes from there, and escapes to the cave of Adullam, and his brothers hear, and all the house of his father, and they go down to him there; ² and every man in distress gathers themselves to him, and every man who has an exactor, and every man bitter in soul, and he is for head over them, and there are about four hundred men with him. ³ And David goes from there to Mizpeh of Moab and says to the king of Moab, "Please let my father and my mother come out with you, until I know what God does for me"; ⁴ and he leads them before the king of Moab, and they dwell with him all the days of David's being in the fortress. ⁵ And the prophet Gad says to David, "You do not abide in a fortress, go, and you have entered the land of Judah for yourself"; and David goes and enters the forest of Hareth. ⁶ And Saul hears that David has become known, and the men who [are] with him, and Saul is abiding in Gibeah, under the grove in Ramah, and his spear [is] in his hand, and all his servants [are] standing by him. ⁷ And Saul says to his servants who are standing by him, "Now hear, sons of Benjamin; does the son of Jesse also give fields and vineyards to all of you? Does he appoint all of you [to be] heads of thousands and heads of hundreds? ⁸ For all of you have conspired against me, and there is none uncovering my ear about my son's cutting [a covenant] with the son of Jesse, and there is none of you grieving for me, and uncovering my ear, that my son has raised up my servant against me, to lie in wait as [at] this day." ⁹ And Doeg the Edomite answers, who is set over the servants of Saul, and says, "I have seen the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech son of Ahitub, ¹⁰ and he inquires of YHWH for him, and has given provision to him, and has given the sword of Goliath the Philistine to him." ¹¹ And the king sends to call Ahimelech son of Ahitub, the priest, and all the house of his father, the priests, who [are] in Nob, and all of them come to the king; ¹² and Saul says, "Now hear, son of Ahitub"; and he says, "Here I [am], my lord." ¹³ And Saul says to him, "Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, by your giving bread and a sword to him, and to inquire of God for him, to rise against me, to lie in wait, as [at] this day?" ¹⁴ And Ahimelech answers the king and says, "And who among all your servants [is] as David—faithful, and son-in-law of the king, and has turned aside to your council, and is honored in your house? ¹⁵ Today have I begun to inquire of God for him? Far be it from me! Do not let the king lay anything against his servant, against any of the house of my father, for your servant has known nothing of all this, little or much." ¹⁶ And the king says, "You surely die, Ahimelech, you and all the house of your father." ¹⁷ And the king says to the runners, those standing by him, "Turn around, and put the priests of YHWH to death, because their hand [is] also with David, and because they have known that he is fleeing, and have not uncovered my ear"; and the servants of the king have not been willing to put forth their hand to come against the priests of YHWH. ¹⁸ And the king says to Doeg, "Turn around, and come against the priests"; and Doeg the Edomite turns around, and comes against the priests himself, and in that day puts to death eighty-five men bearing a linen ephod, ¹⁹ and Nob, the city of the priests, he has struck by the mouth of the sword, from man and to woman, from infant and to suckling, and ox, and donkey, and sheep, by the mouth of the sword. ²⁰ And one son of Ahimelech, son of Ahitub, escapes, and his name [is] Abiathar, and he flees after David, ²¹ and Abiathar declares to David that Saul has slain the priests of YHWH. ²² And David says to Abiathar, "I have known on that day when Doeg the Edomite [is] there, that he certainly declares [it] to Saul; I have brought [it] around to every person of the house of your father; ²³ dwell with me; do not fear; for he who seeks my life seeks your life; for you [are my] charge with me."

Chapter 23

¹ And they declare to David, saying, "Behold, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah, and they are spoiling the threshing-floors." ² And David inquires of YHWH, saying, "Do I go? And have I struck among these Philistines?" And YHWH says to David, "Go, and you have struck among the Philistines, and saved Keilah." ³ And David's men say to him, "Behold, we here in Judah are afraid; and how much more when we go to Keilah, to the ranks of the Philistines?" ⁴ And David adds again to inquire of YHWH, and YHWH answers him and says, "Rise, go down to Keilah, for I am giving the Philistines into your hand." ⁵ And David goes, and his men, to Keilah, and fights with the Philistines, and leads away their livestock, and strikes among them [with] a great striking, and David saves the inhabitants of Keilah. ⁶ And it comes to pass, in the fleeing of Abiathar son of Ahimelech to David, to Keilah, an ephod came down in his hand. ⁷ And it is declared to Saul that David has come to Keilah, and Saul says, "God has made him known for my hand, for he has been shut in, to enter into a city of doors and bar." ⁸ And Saul summons all the people to the battle, to go down to Keilah, to lay siege to David and to his men. ⁹ And David knows that Saul is devising the evil against him and says to Abiathar the priest, "Bring the ephod near." ¹⁰ And David says, "YHWH, God of Israel, Your servant has certainly heard that Saul is seeking to come to Keilah, to destroy the city on my account. ¹¹ Do the possessors of Keilah shut me up into his hand? Does Saul come down as Your servant has heard? YHWH, God of Israel, please declare [it] to Your servant." And YHWH says, "He comes down." ¹² And David says, "Do the possessors of Keilah shut up me and my men into the hand of Saul?" And YHWH says, "They shut [you] up." ¹³ And David rises—and his men—about six hundred men, and they go out from Keilah, and go up and down where they go up and down; and it has been declared to Saul that David has escaped from Keilah, and he ceases to go out. ¹⁴ And David abides in the wilderness, in fortresses, and abides in the hill-country, in the wilderness of Ziph; and Saul seeks him [for] all the days, and God has not given him into his hand. ¹⁵ And David sees that Saul has come out to seek his life, and David [is] in the wilderness of Ziph, in a forest. ¹⁶ And Jonathan son of Saul rises, and goes to David [in the] forest, and strengthens his hand in God, ¹⁷ and says to him, "Do not fear, for the hand of my father Saul does not find you, and you reign over Israel, and I am to you for second, and also so knows my father Saul." ¹⁸ And both of them make a covenant before YHWH; and David abides in the forest, and Jonathan has gone to his house. ¹⁹ And the Ziphites go up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, "Is David not hiding himself with us in fortresses, in the forest, in the height of Hachilah, which [is] on the south of the desolate place? ²⁰ And now, by all the desire of your soul, O king, to come down, come down, and ours [is] to shut him up into the hand of the king." ²¹ And Saul says, "Blessed [are] you of YHWH, for you have pity on me; ²² now go prepare yet, and know and see his place where his foot is; who has seen him there? For [one] has said to me, He is very cunning. ²³ And see and know of all the hiding places where he hides himself, and you have turned back prepared to me, and I have gone with you, and it has been, if he is in the land, that I have searched him out through all the thousands of Judah." ²⁴ And they rise and go to Ziph before Saul, and David and his men [are] in the wilderness of Maon, in the plain, at the south of the desolate place. ²⁵ And Saul and his men go to seek, and they declare [it] to David, and he goes down the rock, and abides in the wilderness of Maon; and Saul hears, and pursues after David [to] the wilderness of Maon. ²⁶ And Saul goes on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on that side of the mountain, and David is hurried to go from the face of Saul, and Saul and his men are surrounding David and his men, to catch them. ²⁷ And a messenger has come to Saul, saying, "Hurry, and come, for the Philistines have pushed against the land." ²⁸ And Saul turns back from pursuing after David, and goes to meet the Philistines, therefore they have called that place "The Rock of Divisions." ²⁹ And David goes up there, and abides in fortresses [at] En-gedi.

Chapter 24

¹ And it comes to pass, when Saul has turned back from after the Philistines, that they declare to him, saying, "Behold, David [is] in the wilderness of En-gedi." ² And Saul takes three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and goes to seek David and his men, on the front of the rocks of the wild goats, ³ and he comes to folds of the flock, on the way, and there [is] a cave, and Saul goes in to cover his feet; and David and his men are abiding in the sides of the cave. ⁴ And the men of David say to him, "Behold, the day of which YHWH said to you, Behold, I am giving your enemy into your hand, and you have done to him as it is good in your eyes"; and David rises and cuts off the skirt of the upper robe which [is] on Saul with stealth. ⁵ And it comes to pass afterward that the heart of David strikes him, because that he has cut off the skirt which [is] on Saul, ⁶ and he says to his men, "Far be it from me, by YHWH; I do not do this thing to my lord—to the anointed of YHWH—to put forth my hand against him, for he [is] the anointed of YHWH." ⁷ And David subdues his men by words, and has not permitted them to rise against Saul; and Saul has risen from the cave, and goes on the way; ⁸ and David rises afterward, and goes out from the cave, and calls after Saul, saying, "My lord, O king!" And Saul looks attentively behind him, and David bows—face to the earth—and pays respect. ⁹ And David says to Saul, "Why do you hear the words of man, saying, Behold, David is seeking your calamity? ¹⁰ Behold, this day your eyes have seen how that YHWH has given you into my hand today in the cave; and [one] said to slay you, and [my eye] has pity on you, and I say, I do not put forth my hand against my lord, for he [is] the anointed of YHWH. ¹¹ And my father, see, indeed see the skirt of your upper robe in my hand; for by cutting off the skirt of your upper robe, and I have not slain you, know and see that there is not evil and transgression in my hand, and I have not sinned against you, and you are hunting my soul to take it! ¹² YHWH judges between me and you, and YHWH has avenged me of you, and my hand is not on you; ¹³ as the allegory of the ancients says, Wickedness goes out from the wicked, and my hand is not on you. ¹⁴ After whom has the king of Israel come out? After whom are you pursuing? After a dead dog! After one flea! ¹⁵ And YHWH has been for judge, and has judged between me and you, indeed, He sees and pleads my cause, and delivers me out of your hand." ¹⁶ And it comes to pass, when David completes to speak these words to Saul, that Saul says, "Is this your voice, my son David?" And Saul lifts up his voice, and weeps. ¹⁷ And he says to David, "You [are] more righteous than I; for you have done me good, and I have done you evil; ¹⁸ and you have declared today how that you have done good with me, how that YHWH shut me up into your hand, and you did not slay me, ¹⁹ and that a man finds his enemy, and has sent him away in a good manner; and YHWH repays you good for that which you did to me this day. ²⁰ And now, behold, I have known that you certainly reign, and the kingdom of Israel has stood in your hand; ²¹ and now, swear to me by YHWH [that] you do not cut off my seed after me, nor do you destroy my name from the house of my father." ²² And David swears to Saul, and Saul goes to his house, and David and his men have gone up to the fortress.

Chapter 25

¹ And Samuel dies, and all Israel is gathered, and mourns for him, and buries him in his house, in Ramah; and David rises and goes down to the wilderness of Paran. ² And [there is] a man in Maon, and his work [is] in Carmel; and the man [is] very great, and he has three thousand sheep and one thousand goats; and he is shearing his flock in Carmel. ³ And the name of the man [is] Nabal, and the name of his wife [is] Abigail, and the woman [is] of good understanding, and of beautiful form, and the man [is] hard and evil [in his] doings; and he [is] a Calebite. ⁴ And David hears in the wilderness that Nabal is shearing his flock, ⁵ and David sends ten young men, and David says to the young men, "Go up to Carmel, and you have come to Nabal, and asked of him in my name of welfare, ⁶ and said thus to the living: And peace to you, and peace to your house, and peace to all that you have! ⁷ And now, I have heard that you have shearers; now, the shepherds whom you have have been with us, we have not put them to shame, nor has anything been looked after by them, all the days of their being in Carmel. ⁸ Ask your young men, and they declare [it] to you, and the young men find grace in your eyes, for we have come on a good day; please give that which your hand finds to your servants and to your son, to David." ⁹ And the young men of David come in, and speak to Nabal according to all these words, in the name of David—and rest. ¹⁰ And Nabal answers the servants of David and says, "Who [is] David, and who [is] the son of Jesse? Have servants been multiplied today who are each breaking away from his master? ¹¹ And have I taken my bread, and my water, and my flesh, which I slaughtered for my shearers, and have given [it] to men whom I have not known where they [are] from?" ¹² And the young men of David turn on their way, and turn back, and come in, and declare to him according to all these words. ¹³ And David says to his men, "Each gird on his sword"; and they each gird on his sword, and David also girds on his sword, and about four hundred men go up after David, and two hundred have remained by the vessels. ¹⁴ And one young man of the youths has declared [it] to Abigail wife of Nabal, saying, "Behold, David has sent messengers out of the wilderness to bless our lord, and he flies on them; ¹⁵ and the men [are] very good to us, and have not put us to shame, and we have not looked after anything all the days we have gone up and down with them, in our being in the field; ¹⁶ they have been a wall to us both by night and by day, all the days of our being with them, feeding the flock. ¹⁷ And now, know and consider what you do; for evil has been determined against our lord, and against all his house, and he [is] too much a son of worthlessness to be spoken to." ¹⁸ And Abigail hurries, and takes two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep, prepared, and five measures of roasted grain, and one hundred bunches of raisins, and two hundred bunches of figs, and sets [them] on the donkeys. ¹⁹ And she says to her young men, "Pass over before me; behold, I am coming after you"; and she has not declared [it] to her husband Nabal; ²⁰ and it has come to pass, she is riding on the donkey and is coming down in the secret part of the hill-country, and behold, David and his men are coming down to meet her, and she meets them. ²¹ And David said, "Surely in vain I have kept all that this [one] has in the wilderness, and nothing has been looked after of all that he has, and he turns back to me evil for good; ²² thus God does to the enemies of David, and thus He adds, if I leave of all that he has until the morning light—of those sitting on the wall." ²³ And Abigail sees David, and hurries and comes down from off the donkey, and falls on her face before David, and bows herself to the earth, ²⁴ and falls at his feet and says, "On me, my lord, the iniquity; and please let your handmaid speak in your ear, and hear the words of your handmaid. ²⁵ Please do not let my lord set his heart to this man of worthlessness, on Nabal, for as his name [is] so [is] he; Nabal [is] his name, and folly [is] with him; and I, your handmaid, did not see the young men of my lord whom you sent; ²⁶ and now, my lord, YHWH lives, and your soul lives, in that YHWH has withheld you from coming in with blood, and to save your hand from yourself—now let your enemies be as Nabal, even those seeking evil toward my lord. ²⁷ And now, this blessing which your maidservant has brought to my lord—it has been given to the young men who are going up and down at the feet of my lord. ²⁸ Please bear with the transgression of your handmaid, for YHWH certainly makes a steadfast house for my lord; for my lord has fought the battles of YHWH, and evil is not found in you [all] your days. ²⁹ And man rises to pursue you and to seek your soul, and the soul of my lord has been bound in the bundle of life with your God YHWH; as for the soul of your enemies, He slings them out in the midst of the hollow of the sling. ³⁰ And it has been, when YHWH does to my lord according to all the good which He has spoken concerning you, and appointed you for leader over Israel, ³¹ that this is not to you for a stumbling-block, and for an offense of heart to my lord—either to shed blood for nothing, or my lord's restraining himself; and YHWH has done good to my lord, and you have remembered your handmaid." ³² And David says to Abigail, "Blessed [is] YHWH, God of Israel, who has sent you to meet me this day, ³³ and blessed [is] your discretion, and blessed [are] you in that you have restrained me this day from coming in with blood, and to restrain my hand to myself. ³⁴ And yet, YHWH lives, God of Israel, who has kept me back from doing evil with you, for unless you had hurried, and come to meet me, surely there had not been left to Nabal until the morning light, of those sitting on the wall." ³⁵ And David receives from her hand that which she has brought to him, and he has said to her, "Go up in peace to your house; see, I have listened to your voice, and accept your face." ³⁶ And Abigail comes to Nabal, and behold, he has a banquet in his house, like a banquet of the king, and the heart of Nabal [is] glad within him, and he [is] drunk to excess, and she has not declared anything to him, little or much, until the morning light. ³⁷ And it comes to pass in the morning, when the wine is gone out from Nabal, that his wife declares these things to him, and his heart dies within him, and he has been as a stone. ³⁸ And it comes to pass [in] about ten days, that YHWH strikes Nabal and he dies, ³⁹ and David hears that Nabal [is] dead and says, "Blessed [is] YHWH who has pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and His servant has kept back from evil, and YHWH has turned back the wickedness of Nabal on his own head"; and David sends and speaks with Abigail, to take her to himself for a wife. ⁴⁰ And the servants of David come to Abigail at Carmel, and speak to her, saying, "David has sent us to you to take you to himself for a wife." ⁴¹ And she rises and bows herself—face to the earth—and says, "Behold, your handmaid [is] for a maidservant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord." ⁴² And Abigail hurries and rises, and rides on the donkey; and [there are] five of her young women who are going at her feet; and she goes after the messengers of David, and is to him for a wife. ⁴³ And David has taken Ahinoam from Jezreel, and they are—even both of them—for wives to him; ⁴⁴ and Saul gave his daughter Michal, David's wife, to Phalti son of Laish, who [is] of Gallim.

Chapter 26

¹ And the Ziphites come to Saul at Gibeah, saying, "Is David not hiding himself in the height of Hachilah, on the front of the desert?" ² And Saul rises, and goes down to the wilderness of Ziph, and with him [are] three thousand men, chosen ones of Israel, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph. ³ And Saul encamps in the height of Hachilah, which [is] on the front of the desert, by the way, and David is abiding in the wilderness, and he sees that Saul has come into the wilderness after him; ⁴ and David sends spies, and knows that Saul has come to Nachon, ⁵ and David rises, and comes to the place where Saul has encamped, and David sees the place where Saul has lain, and Abner son of Ner, head of his host, and Saul is lying in the path, and the people are encamping around him. ⁶ And David answers and says to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Abishai son of Zeruiah, brother of Joab, saying, "Who goes down with me to Saul, to the camp?" And Abishai says, "I go down with you." ⁷ And David comes—and Abishai—by night to the people, and behold, Saul is lying sleeping in the path, and his spear is pressed into the earth by his pillow, and Abner and the people are lying around him. ⁸ And Abishai says to David, "God has shut up your enemy into your hand today; and now, please let me strike him with [the] spear, even into the earth, at once—and not repeat [it] to him." ⁹ And David says to Abishai, "Do not destroy him; for who has put forth his hand against the anointed of YHWH and been acquitted?" ¹⁰ And David says, "YHWH lives; except YHWH strikes him, or his day comes that he has died, or he goes down into battle and has been consumed— ¹¹ far be it from me, by YHWH, from putting forth my hand against the anointed of YHWH; and now, please take the spear which [is] by his pillow, and the jug of water, and we go away." ¹² And David takes the spear, and the jug of water by the pillow of Saul, and they go away, and there is none seeing, and there is none knowing, and there is none awaking, for all of them are sleeping, for a deep sleep [from] YHWH has fallen on them. ¹³ And David passes over to the other side, and stands on the top of the hill far off—great [is] the place between them; ¹⁴ and David calls to the people, and to Abner son of Ner, saying, "Do you not answer, Abner?" And Abner answers and says, "Who [are] you [who] have called to the king?" ¹⁵ And David says to Abner, "Are you not a man? And who [is] like you in Israel? But why have you not watched over your lord the king? For one of the people had come in to destroy the king, your lord. ¹⁶ This thing which you have done is not good; YHWH lives, but you [are] sons of death, in that you have not watched over your lord, over the anointed of YHWH; and now, see where the king's spear [is], and the jug of water which [is] by his pillow." ¹⁷ And Saul discerns the voice of David and says, "Is this your voice, my son David?" And David says, "My voice, my lord, O king!" ¹⁸ And he says, "Why [is] this—my lord is pursuing after his servant? For what have I done, and what evil [is] in my hand? ¹⁹ And now, please let my lord the king hear the words of his servant: if YHWH has moved you against me, let Him accept a present; but if [merely] the sons of men, they [are] cursed before YHWH, for today they have cast me out from being admitted into the inheritance of YHWH, saying, Go, serve other gods. ²⁰ And now, do not let my blood fall to the earth before the face of YHWH, for the king of Israel has come out to seek one flea, as [one] pursues the partridge in mountains." ²¹ And Saul says, "I have sinned; return, my son David, for I do evil to you no more, because that my soul has been precious in your eyes this day; behold, I have acted foolishly, and err very greatly." ²² And David answers and says, "Behold, the king's spear; and let one of the young men pass over, and receive it; ²³ and YHWH turns each back to his righteousness and his faithfulness, in that YHWH has given you into [my] hand today, and I have not been willing to put forth my hand against the anointed of YHWH, ²⁴ and behold, as your soul has been great in my eyes this day, so is my soul great in the eyes of YHWH, and He delivers me out of all distress." ²⁵ And Saul says to David, "Blessed [are] you, my son David, also working you work, and also prevailing you prevail." And David goes on his way, and Saul has turned back to his place.

Chapter 27

¹ And David says to his heart, "Now I am consumed by the hand of Saul one day; there is nothing better for me than that I diligently escape to the land of the Philistines, and Saul has been despairing of me—of seeking me anymore in all the border of Israel, and I have escaped out of his hand." ² And David rises, and passes over, he and six hundred men who [are] with him, to Achish son of Maoch king of Gath; ³ and David dwells with Achish in Gath, he and his men, each one with his household, [even] David and his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail wife of Nabal the Carmelitess. ⁴ And it is declared to Saul that David has fled to Gath, and he has not added to seek him anymore. ⁵ And David says to Achish, "Now if I have found grace in your eyes, they give a place to me in one of the cities of the field, and I dwell there, indeed, why does your servant dwell in the royal city with you?" ⁶ And Achish gives Ziklag to him in that day, therefore Ziklag has been for the kings of Judah until this day. ⁷ And the number of the days which David has dwelt in the field of the Philistines [is one year] of days and four months; ⁸ and David and his men go up, and they push toward the Geshurite, and the Gerizite, and the Amalekite (for they are inhabitants of the land from of old), as you come to Shur and to the land of Egypt, ⁹ and David has struck the land, and does not keep alive man and woman, and has taken sheep, and oxen, and donkeys, and camels, and garments, and turns back, and comes to Achish. ¹⁰ And Achish says, "To where have you pushed today?" And David says, "Against the south of Judah, and against the south of the Jerahmeelite, and to the south of the Kenite." ¹¹ David keeps alive neither man nor woman, to bring in [word] to Gath, saying, "Lest they declare [it] against us, saying, Thus David has done, and thus [is] his custom all the days that he has dwelt in the fields of the Philistines." ¹² And Achish believes in David, saying, "He has made himself utterly abhorred among his people in Israel, and has been for a perpetual servant to me."

Chapter 28

¹ And it comes to pass in those days, that the Philistines gather their camps for the war, to fight against Israel, and Achish says to David, "You certainly know that you go out with me into the camp, you and your men." ² And David says to Achish, "Therefore you know that which your servant does." And Achish says to David, "Therefore I appoint you keeper of my head [for] all the days." ³ And Samuel has died, and all Israel mourns for him, and buries him in Ramah, even in his city, and Saul has turned aside those having familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land. ⁴ And the Philistines are gathered, and come in, and encamp in Shunem, and Saul gathers all Israel, and they encamp in Gilboa, ⁵ and Saul sees the camp of the Philistines, and fears, and his heart trembles greatly, ⁶ and Saul inquires of YHWH, and YHWH has not answered him, either by the dreams, or by the Lights, or by the prophets. ⁷ And Saul says to his servants, "Seek a woman for me possessing a familiar spirit, and I go to her, and inquire of her"; and his servants say to him, "Behold, a woman possessing a familiar spirit [is] in En-dor." ⁸ And Saul disguises himself and puts on other garments, and goes, he and two of the men with him, and they come to the woman by night, and he says, "Please divine to me by the familiar spirit, and cause him whom I say to you to come up to me." ⁹ And the woman says to him, "Behold, you have known that which Saul has done, that he has cut off those having familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land; and why are you laying a snare for my soul—to put me to death?" ¹⁰ And Saul swears to her by YHWH, saying, "YHWH lives, punishment does not meet you for this thing." ¹¹ And the woman says, "Whom do I bring up to you?" And he says, "Bring up Samuel to me." ¹² And the woman sees Samuel, and cries with a loud voice, and the woman speaks to Saul, saying, "Why have you deceived me? For you [are] Saul!" ¹³ And the king says to her, "Do not fear; for what have you seen?" And the woman says to Saul, "I have seen gods coming up out of the earth." ¹⁴ And he says to her, "What [is] his form?" And she says, "An aged man is coming up, and he [is] covered with an upper robe"; and Saul knows that he [is] Samuel, and bows—face to her earth—and pays respect. ¹⁵ And Samuel says to Saul, "Why have you troubled me, to bring me up?" And Saul says, "I have great distress, and the Philistines are fighting against me, God has turned aside from me, and has not answered me anymore, either by the hand of the prophets, or by dreams; and I call for you to let me know what I [should] do." ¹⁶ And Samuel says, "And why do you ask me, and YHWH has turned aside from you, and is your enemy? ¹⁷ And YHWH does for Himself as He has spoken by my hand, and YHWH tears the kingdom out of your hand, and gives it to your neighbor—to David. ¹⁸ Because you have not listened to the voice of YHWH, nor did the fierceness of His anger on Amalek—therefore YHWH has done this thing to you this day; ¹⁹ indeed, YHWH also gives Israel into the hand of the Philistines with you, and tomorrow you and your sons [are] with me; YHWH also gives the camp of Israel into the hand of the Philistines." ²⁰ And Saul hurries and falls—the fullness of his stature—to the earth, and fears greatly because of the words of Samuel; also power was not in him, for he had not eaten bread all the day, and all the night. ²¹ And the woman comes to Saul, and sees that he has been greatly troubled, and says to him, "Behold, your maidservant has listened to your voice, and I put my soul in my hand, and I obey your words which you have spoken to me; ²² and now, please listen, you also, to the voice of your maidservant, and I set a morsel of bread before you; and eat, and there is power in you when you go in the way." ²³ And he refuses and says, "I do not eat"; and his servants urge him on, and also the woman, and he listens to their voice, and rises from the earth, and sits on the bed. ²⁴ And the woman has a calf of the stall in the house, and she hurries and slaughters it, and takes flour, and kneads, and bakes it [into] unleavened things, ²⁵ and brings [them] near before Saul, and before his servants, and they eat, and rise, and go on during that night.

Chapter 29

¹ And the Philistines gather all their camps to Aphek, and Israel is encamping at a fountain which [is] in Jezreel, ² and the princes of the Philistines are passing on by hundreds, and by thousands, and David and his men are passing on in the rear with Achish. ³ And the heads of the Philistines say, "What [are] these Hebrews?" And Achish says to the heads of the Philistines, "Is this not David, servant of Saul king of Israel, who has been with me these days or these years, and I have not found anything in him [wrong] from the day of his falling away until this day?" ⁴ And the heads of the Philistines are angry against him, and the heads of the Philistines say to him, "Send back the man, and he turns back to his place to where you have appointed him, and does not go down with us into battle, and is not for an adversary to us in battle; and with what does this one reconcile himself to his lord—is it not with the heads of those men? ⁵ Is this not David, of whom they answer in choruses, saying, Saul has struck among his thousands, and David among his myriads?" ⁶ And Achish calls to David and says to him, "YHWH lives, surely you [are] upright, and good in my eyes is your going out, and your coming in with me in the camp, for I have not found evil in you from the day of your coming to me until this day; but you are not good in the eyes of the princes; ⁷ and now, return, and go in peace, and you do no evil in the eyes of the princes of the Philistines." ⁸ And David says to Achish, "But what have I done? And what have you found in your servant from the day that I have been before you until this day—that I do not go in and have fought against the enemies of my lord the king?" ⁹ And Achish answers and says to David, "I have known that you [are] good in my eyes as a messenger of God; only, the princes of the Philistines have said, He does not go up with us into battle; ¹⁰ and now, rise early in the morning—and the servants of your lord who have come with you. When you have risen early in the morning, and have light, then go." ¹¹ And David rises early, he and his men, to go in the morning, to return to the land of the Philistines, and the Philistines have gone up to Jezreel.

Chapter 30

¹ And it comes to pass, in the coming in of David and his men to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites have pushed toward the south, and to Ziklag, and strike Ziklag, and burn it with fire, ² and they take the women who [are] in it captive; they have not put anyone to death from small to great, and they lead [them] away, and go on their way. ³ And David comes in—and his men—to the city, and behold, [it is] burned with fire, and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters have been taken captive. ⁴ And David lifts up—and the people who [are] with him—their voice and weep, until they have no power to weep. ⁵ And the two wives of David have been taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail wife of Nabal the Carmelite; ⁶ and David has great distress, for the people have said to stone him, for the soul of all the people has been bitter, each for his sons and for his daughters; and David strengthens himself in his God YHWH. ⁷ And David says to Abiathar the priest, son of Ahimelech, "Please bring the ephod near to me"; and Abiathar brings the ephod near to David, ⁸ and David inquires of YHWH, saying, "I pursue after this troop—do I overtake it?" And He says to him, "Pursue, for you certainly overtake, and certainly deliver." ⁹ And David goes on, he and six hundred men who [are] with him, and they come to the Brook of Besor, and those left have stood still, ¹⁰ and David pursues, he and four hundred men (and two hundred men stand still who have been too faint to pass over the Brook of Besor), ¹¹ and they find a man, an Egyptian, in the field, and take him to David, and give bread to him, and he eats, and they cause him to drink water, ¹² and give to him a piece of a bunch of dried figs, and two bunches of raisins, and he eats, and his spirit returns to him, for he has not eaten bread nor drunk water [for] three days and three nights. ¹³ And David says to him, "Whose [are] you? And where [are] you from?" And he says, "I [am] an Egyptian youth, servant to a man, an Amalekite, and my lord forsakes me, for I have been sick [for] three days, ¹⁴ we pushed [to] the south of the Cherethite, and against that which [is] to Judah, and against the south of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag with fire." ¹⁵ And David says to him, "Do you bring me down to this troop?" And he says, "Swear to me by God [that] you do not put me to death, nor do you shut me up into the hand of my lord, and I bring you down to this troop." ¹⁶ And he brings him down, and behold, they are spread out over the face of all the earth, eating, and drinking, and celebrating, with all the great spoil which they have taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah. ¹⁷ And David strikes them from the twilight even to the evening of the next day, and there has not escaped of them a man, except four hundred young men who have ridden on the camels and flee. ¹⁸ And David delivers all that the Amalekites have taken; David has also delivered his two wives. ¹⁹ And nothing of theirs has lacked, from small to great, and to sons and daughters, and from the spoil, even to all that they had taken to themselves, David has brought back the whole, ²⁰ and David takes the whole of the flock and of the herd [that] they have led on before these livestock, and they say, "This [is] David's spoil." ²¹ And David comes to the two hundred men who were too faint to go after David, and whom they cause to abide at the Brook of Besor, and they go out to meet David, and to meet the people who [are] with him, and David approaches the people, and asks of them of welfare. ²² And every bad and worthless man, of the men who have gone with David, answers, indeed, they say, "Because that they have not gone with us we do not give to them of the spoil which we have delivered, except each his wife and his children, and they lead away and go." ²³ And David says, "You do not do so, my brothers, with that which YHWH has given to us, and He preserves us, and gives the troop which comes against us into our hand; ²⁴ and who listens to you in this thing? For as the portion of him who was brought down into battle, so also [is] the portion of him who is abiding by the vessels—they share alike." ²⁵ And it comes to pass from that day and forward, that he appoints it for a statute and for an ordinance for Israel to this day. ²⁶ And David comes to Ziklag, and sends of the spoil to [the] elderly of Judah, to his friends, saying, "Behold, a blessing for you of the spoil of the enemies of YHWH," ²⁷ to those in Beth-El, and to those in South Ramoth, and to those in Jattir, ²⁸ and to those in Aroer, and to those in Siphmoth, and to those in Eshtemoa, ²⁹ and to those in Rachal, and to those in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to those in the cities of the Kenites, ³⁰ and to those in Hormah, and to those in Chor-Ashan, and to those in Athach, ³¹ and to those in Hebron, and to all the places where David—he and his men—had gone up and down.

Chapter 31

¹ And the Philistines are fighting against Israel, and the men of Israel flee from the face of the Philistines, and fall wounded in Mount Gilboa, ² and the Philistines follow Saul and his sons, and the Philistines strike Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua, the sons of Saul. ³ And the battle is hard against Saul, and the archers find him—men with bow—and he is greatly pained by the archers; ⁴ and Saul says to the bearer of his weapons, "Draw your sword, and pierce me with it, lest they come—these uncircumcised—and have pierced me, and rolled themselves on me"; and the bearer of his weapons has not been willing, for he is greatly afraid, and Saul takes the sword, and falls on it. ⁵ And the bearer of his weapons sees that Saul [is] dead, and he falls—he also—on his sword, and dies with him; ⁶ and Saul dies, and three of his sons, and the bearer of his weapons, also all his men, together on that day. ⁷ And they see—the men of Israel, who [are] beyond the valley, and who [are] beyond the Jordan—that the men of Israel have fled, and that Saul and his sons have died, and they forsake the cities and flee, and Philistines come in, and dwell in them. ⁸ And it comes to pass on the next day, that the Philistines come to strip the wounded, and they find Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa, ⁹ and they cut off his head, and strip off his weapons, and send [them] into the land of the surrounding Philistines, to proclaim tidings [in] the house of their idols, and [among] the people; ¹⁰ and they place his weapons [in] the house of Ashtaroth, and they have fixed his body on the wall of Beth-Shan. ¹¹ And they hear regarding it—the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead—that which the Philistines have done to Saul, ¹² and all the men of valor arise, and go all the night, and take the body of Saul, and the bodies of his sons, from the wall of Beth-Shan, and come to Jabesh, and burn them there, ¹³ and they take their bones, and bury [them] under the tamarisk in Jabesh, and fast seven days.

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