Chapter 1
1Now there was a certain man of Ramathaimzophim, of
Mount Ephraim and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham,
the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an
Ephrathite 2And he had two wives, the name of one was
Hannah and the name of the other Peninnah and Peninnah had
children but Hannah had no children. 3And this man went up
out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice to the LORD of
hosts in Shiloh and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas,
the priests of the LORD, were there. 4And when the time came
that Elkanah offered, he gave portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her
sons and her daughters, 5But to Hannah he gave a
worthy portion for he loved Hannah but the LORD had shut up
her womb. 6And her adversary also provoked her sore so to
make her fret because the LORD had shut up her womb. 7And
as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the
LORD, so she provoked her. Therefore she wept and did not eat.
8Then Elkanah her husband said to her, Hannah, why do you
weep? and why don't you eat? and why is your heart grieved?
am not I better to you than ten sons?
9So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh and after
they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat on a seat by a post of the
temple of the LORD. 10And she was in bitterness of soul and
prayed to the LORD and wept sore 11And she vowed a vow
and said, O LORD of hosts, if you will indeed look on the
affliction of your handmaid and remember me and do not
forget your handmaid but will give a man
child to your handmaid, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life
and no razor shall come on his head. 12And as she continued praying before the LORD, Eli
marked her mouth. 13Now Hannah spoke in her heart, only her
lips moved but her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli thought
she was drunk. 14And Eli said to her, How long will you be
drunk? put away your wine from you. 15And Hannah answered
and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit, I
have drunk neither wine nor strong drink but have poured out
my soul before the LORD. 16Do not count your handmaid for a
daughter of Belial for out of the abundance of my complaint
and grief I have spoken this. 17Then Eli answered and said, Go
in peace and the God of Israel grant you your petition that you
have asked of him. 18And she said, Let your handmaid find grace
in your sight. So the woman went her way and ate and her
countenance was not sad anymore.
19And they rose
up early in the morning and worshiped before
the LORD and returned and came to their house in Ramah and
Elkanah knew Hannah his wife and the LORD remembered her.
20So when the time came after Hannah had
conceived she bore a son and called his name Samuel,
saying, Because I have asked him of the LORD. 21And the man
Elkanah and all his house, went up to offer to the LORD the
yearly sacrifice and his vow. 22But Hannah did not go up for
she said to her husband, I will not go up until the child is
weaned and then I will bring him so that he may appear before the
LORD and there abide for ever. 23And Elkanah her husband
said to her, Do what seems good to you, wait until you have
weaned him, only let the LORD establish his word. So the
woman abode and gave her son suck until she weaned him.
24And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with
three bullocks and one ephah of flour and a bottle of wine and
brought him to the house of the LORD in Shiloh and the child
was young. 25And they killed a bullock and brought the child to
Eli. 26And she said, Oh my lord, as your soul lives, my lord, I am
the woman who stood by you here, praying to the LORD. 27 I
prayed for this child and the LORD has given me my petition
which I asked of him. 28Therefore I have also lent him to the
LORD, as long as he lives he shall be lent to the LORD and she
worshiped the LORD there.
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Chapter 2
1And Hannah prayed and said, My heart rejoices in the
LORD, my horn is exalted in the LORD, my mouth is enlarged
over my enemies because I rejoice in your salvation. 2There is
no one holy as the LORD for there is no one beside you nor
is there any rock like our God. 3Talk no more so exceedingly
proud. Do not let arrogance come out of your mouth for the LORD
is a God of knowledge and by him actions are weighed. 4The
bows of the mighty men are broken and those who stumbled are
girded with strength. 5Those who were full have hired out
themselves for bread and those who were hungry ceased so that
the barren has born seven and she who has many children
grew feeble. 6The LORD kills and makes alive. He brings down
to the grave and brings up. 7The LORD makes poor and makes
rich, he brings low and lifts up. 8He raises up the poor out of the
dust and lifts up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them
among princes and to make them inherit the throne of glory for
the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S and he has set the world
on them. 9He will keep the feet of his saints and the wicked
shall be silent in darkness for no man shall prevail by strength.
10The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces. He
shall thunder on them out of heaven, the LORD shall judge the
ends of the earth and he shall give strength to his king and exalt
the horn of his anointed.
11And Elkanah
went to Ramah to his house. And the child
ministered to the LORD before Eli the priest. 12Now the sons of
Eli were sons of Belial, they did not know the LORD. 13And the
priests' custom with the people was, that, when any man offered
sacrifice, the priest's servant came, while the flesh was in
seething, with a flesh hook of three teeth in his hand, 14And he
struck it into the pan or kettle or caldron or pot, all that the
flesh hook brought up the priest took for himself. So they did in
Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there. 15Also before they
burnt the fat, the priest's servant came and said to the man who
sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest, for he will not have
sodden flesh from you but raw. 16And if any man said to him, Let
them not fail to burn the fat presently and then take as much as
your soul desires, then he would answer him, No but you shall
give it to me now and if not, I will take it by force. 17Therefore
the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD for
men abhorred the offering of the LORD. 18But Samuel
ministered before the LORD, being a child, girded with a linen
ephod. 19Also his mother made him a little coat and brought it
to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to
offer the yearly sacrifice. 20And Eli blessed Elkanah and his
wife and said, The LORD give you seed of this woman for the
loan which is lent to the LORD. And they went to their own
home. 21And the LORD visited Hannah so that she conceived
and bore three sons and two daughters and the child Samuel
grew before the LORD. 22Now Eli was very old and heard all
that his sons did to all Israel and how they lay with the women
who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
23And he said to them, Why do you do such things? for I hear of
your evil dealings from all the people. 24No, my sons, for it is not
a good report that I hear, You make the LORD'S people to
transgress. 25If one man sins against another, the judge shall
judge him but if a man sins against the LORD, who shall entreat
for him? But they did not listen to the voice of their father
because the LORD would kill them. 26And the child Samuel
grew on and was in favor both with the LORD and also with
men.
27And a man of God came to Eli and said to him, Thus
says the LORD, Did I plainly appear to the house of your father,
when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh's house? 28And did I choose
him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer on my
altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? and did I
give to the house of your father all the offerings made by fire of
the children of Israel? 29Why do you kick at my sacrifice and at
my offering, which I have commanded in my habitation and
honor your sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the
first of all the offerings of my people Israel? 30Therefore
the LORD God of Israel says, I said indeed that your house and the
house of your father, should walk before me forever but now
the LORD says, Be it far from me for those who honor me I will
honor and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed.
31Behold, the days come, that I will cut off your arm and the
arm of your father's house so that there shall not be an old man in
your house. 32And you shall see an enemy in my habitation, in all
the wealth which God shall give Israel and there shall not be an
old man in your house for ever. 33And the man of yours, whom I
shall not cut off from my altar shall be to consume your eyes
and to grieve your heart and all the increase of your house shall
die in the flower of their age. 34And this shall be a sign to you,
that shall come on your two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas, they shall die in
one day both of them. 35And I will raise me up a
faithful priest, who shall do according to that which is in my
heart and in my mind and I will build him a sure house and he
shall walk before my anointed for ever. 36And every one who is left in your house shall come and
crouch to him for a piece of silver and a morsel of bread and
shall say, I beseech you, put me into one of the priests' offices do that I may eat a piece of bread.
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Chapter 3
1And the child
Samuel ministered to the LORD before Eli.
And the word of the LORD was precious in those days, there
was no open vision. 2At that time, when Eli
had laid down in his place and his eyes began to grow dim so that
he could not see, 3And as the lamp of God went out in the
temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was and Samuel
had laid down to sleep, 4The LORD called Samuel and he
answered, Here I am. 5And he ran to Eli and said, Here I am, for
you called me. And he said, I did not call, lie down again and
he went and lay down. 6And the LORD called yet again, Samuel
and Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, Here I am, for you
called me and he answered, I did not call, my son, lie down
again. 7Now Samuel did not know the LORD yet nor was
the word of the LORD revealed to him yet. 8And the LORD
called Samuel again the third time and he arose and went to
Eli and said, Here I am, for you called me. And Eli perceived
that the LORD had called the child. 9Therefore Eli said to
Samuel, Go, lie down and it shall be, if he calls you that you
shall say, Speak, LORD for your servant hears. So Samuel went
and lay down in his place. 10And the LORD came and stood
and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel
answered, Speak, for your servant hears.
11And the LORD
said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in
Israel, at which both the ears of every one who hears it shall
tingle. 12In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I
have spoken concerning his house. When I begin, I will also
make an end. 13For I have told him that I will judge his house
forever for the iniquity which he knows because his sons made
themselves vile and he did not restrain them. 14And therefore I
have sworn to the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's house
shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever. 15And
Samuel lay until the morning and opened the doors of the house
of the LORD and Samuel feared to show Eli the vision. 16Then
Eli called Samuel and said, Samuel my son. And he answered,
Here I am. 17And he said, What is the thing that the LORD has
said to you? I beseech you do not hide it from me. God do so to
you and more also if you hide any thing from me of all the
things that he said to you. 18And Samuel told him every bit and
hid nothing from him and he said, It is the LORD. Let him do
what seems good to him.
19And
Samuel grew and the LORD was with him and let
none of his words fall to the ground.
20And all Israel from Dan
even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a
prophet of the LORD. 21And the LORD appeared again in
Shiloh for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by
the word of the LORD.
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Chapter 4
1And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went
out to battle against the Philistines and pitched beside Ebenezer (Rock of Help)
and the Philistines pitched in Aphek. 2And the Philistines put
themselves in array against Israel and when they joined the
battle, Israel was struck before the Philistines and they killed about four thousand men
from the army in the field. 3And when the
people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Why
has the LORD struck us today before the Philistines? Let us
bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD to us out of Shiloh
so that when it comes among us, it may save us out of the hand of
our enemies. 4So the people sent to Shiloh so that they might
bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, who dwells between the cherubim from there
and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of
God. 5And when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into
the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout so that the earth
rang again. 6And when the Philistines heard the noise of the
shout, they said, What does the noise of this great shout mean in
the camp of the Hebrews? And they understood that the ark of
the LORD had come into the camp. 7And the Philistines were
afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said,
Woe to us! for there has not been such a thing before. 8Woe to
us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods?
these are the Gods who struck the Egyptians with all the plagues
in the wilderness. 9Be strong and quit yourselves like men, O
you Philistines so that you do not become servants to the Hebrews,
as they have been to you, quit yourselves like men and fight.
10And the Philistines fought and Israel was struck and they
fled every man to his tent and there was a very great slaughter
for thirty thousand footmen of Israel fell. 11And the ark of
God was taken and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas,
were killed.
12And a man of Benjamin ran out of the army and came to
Shiloh the same day with his clothes torn and with earth on his
head. 13And when he came, lo, Eli sat on a seat by the wayside
watching for his heart trembled for the ark of God and when
the man came into the city and told it, all the city cried out.
14And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What does
the noise of this tumult mean? And the man came in and told
Eli. 15Now Eli was ninety eight years old and his eyes were dim
so that he could not see. 16And the man said to Eli, I am he who
came out of the army and I fled today out of the army and he
said, What is done there, my son? 17And the messenger
answered and said, Israel has fled before the Philistines and there
has also been a great slaughter among the people and also your two
sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead and the ark of God is
taken. 18And when he mentioned the ark
of God, Eli fell backward off the seat by the side of the
gate and his neck broke and he died for he was an old man
and heavy and he had judged Israel forty years.
19And his daughter in law, Phinehas' wife, was with child,
about to be delivered and when she heard the news that the ark
of God was taken and that her father in law and her husband
were dead, she bowed herself and travailed for her pains came
on her. 20And about the time of her death the women who stood
by her said to her, Fear not for you have born a son. But she
did not answer nor did she regard it. 21And she named the
child Ichabod, saying, The glory has departed from Israel because
the ark of God was taken and because of her father in law and
her husband. 22And she said, The glory is departed from Israel for the ark of God is taken.
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Chapter 5
1And the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it from
Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2When the Philistines took the ark of God,
they brought it into the house of Dagon and set it by Dagon.
3And when those of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold,
Dagon had fallen on his face to the earth before the ark of the
LORD and they took Dagon and set him in his place again.
4And when they arose early on the next morning, behold, Dagon
had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD
and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut
off on the threshold, only the stump of Dagon was left to him.
5Therefore neither the priests of Dagon nor any who come into
Dagon's house, tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to
this day.
6But the hand of the LORD was heavy on those of Ashdod
and he destroyed them and struck them with hemorrhoids, even
Ashdod and its coasts. 7And when the men of Ashdod saw
that it was so, they said, The ark of the God of Israel shall not
stay with us for his hand is sore on us and on Dagon our god.
8Therefore they sent and gathered all the lords of the Philistines
to them and said, What shall we do with the ark of the God of
Israel? And they answered, Let the ark of the God of Israel be
carried about to Gath and they carried the ark of the God of
Israel about there. 9And after they had carried it
about, the hand of the LORD was against the city with a very
great destruction and he struck the men of the city, both small
and great and they had hemorrhoids in their secret parts.
10Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron and as the ark of God came to Ekron, the Ekronites cried
out, saying, They have brought about the ark of the God of Israel
to us, to kill us and our people. 11So they sent and gathered
together all the lords of the Philistines and said, Send away the
ark of the God of Israel and let it go again to its own place so
that it does not kill us and our people for there was a deadly
destruction throughout all the city. The hand of God was very
heavy there 12And the men who did not die were struck with
hemorrhoids and the cry of the city went up to heaven.
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Chapter 6
1And the ark of the LORD was in the country of the
Philistines seven months. 2And the Philistines called for the
priests and the diviners, saying, What shall we do to the ark of
the LORD? Tell us how we shall send it to its place. 3And they
said, If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it
empty but in some way return him a trespass offering, then you
shall be healed and it shall be known to you why his hand is not
removed from you. 4Then they said, What shall the trespass
offering be which we shall return to him? They answered, Five
golden hemorrhoids and five golden mice, according to the number
of the lords of the Philistines for one plague was on you all and
on your lords. 5Therefore you shall make images of your
hemorrhoids and images of your mice that mar the land and you
shall give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps he will lighten his
hand from you and from your gods and from your
land. 6Why then do you harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and
Pharaoh hardened their hearts? when he had worked wonderfully
among them. Did they not let the people go and they departed?
7Now therefore make a new cart and take two milk cows on
which no yoke has come and tie the cows to the cart and bring
their calves home from them 8And take the ark of the LORD
and lay it on the cart and put the jewels of gold, which you will
return to him for a trespass offering, in a coffer by its side
and send it away so that it may go. 9And see, if it goes up by the
way of its own coast to Bethshemesh, then he has done us this
great evil but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand
that struck us. It was a chance that happened to us.
10And the men did so and took two milk cows and tied them
to the cart and shut up their calves at home 11And they laid the
ark of the LORD on the cart and the coffer with the mice of
gold and the images of their hemorrhoids 12And the cows took the
straight way to the way of Bethshemesh and went along the
highway, lowing as they went and did not turn aside to the right
hand or to the left and the lords of the Philistines went after
them to the border of Bethshemesh. 13And those of Bethshemesh
were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley and they lifted up
their eyes and saw the ark and rejoiced to see it. 14And the cart
came into the field of Joshua, a Bethshemite and stood there
where there was a great stone and they split the wood of the
cart and offered the cows for a burnt offering to the LORD.
15And the Levites took down the ark of the LORD and the
coffer that was with it, in which the jewels of gold were and put
them on the great stone and the men of Bethshemesh offered
burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day to the
LORD. 16And when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it,
they returned to Ekron the same day. 17And these are the golden
hemorrhoids which the Philistines returned for a trespass offering to
the LORD, one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Askelon, one for
Gath, one for Ekron, 18And the golden mice, according to
the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the
five lords, both of fenced cities and of country villages, even to
the great stone of Abel, on which they set down the ark of the
LORD, which stone remains to this day in the field of Joshua,
the Bethshemite.
19And he struck the men of Bethshemesh, because they had
looked into the ark of the LORD. He struck even fifty thousand
seventy men of the people and the people lamented because the
LORD had struck many of the people with a great slaughter.
20And the men of Bethshemesh said, Who is able to stand before
this holy LORD God and to whom shall he go up from us?
21And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjathjearim,
saying, The Philistines have brought again the ark of the LORD,
come down and bring it up to you.
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Chapter 7
1And the men of Kirjathjearim came and brought up the ark
of the LORD and brought it into the house of Abinadab in the
hill and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the LORD
2And the time was long while the ark abode in Kirjathjearim for it was twenty years and all the house of
Israel lamented after the LORD.
3And Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, If you
return to the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the
foreign gods and Ashtaroth from among you and prepare your
hearts for the LORD and serve only him and he will deliver
you out of the hand of the Philistines. 4Then the children of
Israel put away Baalim and Ashtaroth and only served the LORD
5And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpeh and I will
pray to the LORD for you. 6And they gathered together to
Mizpeh and drew water and poured it out before the LORD
and fasted on that day and said there, We have sinned against
the LORD and Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh.
7And when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel
were gathered together at Mizpeh, the lords of the Philistines
went up against Israel and when the children of Israel heard it,
they were afraid of the Philistines 8And the children of Israel
said to Samuel, Do not cease to cry to the LORD our God for us so
that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines. 9And
Samuel took a sucking lamb and offered it for a burnt offering
wholly to the LORD and Samuel cried to the LORD for Israel
and the LORD heard him. 10And as Samuel was offering up the
burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel
but the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day on the
Philistines and confused them and they were struck before
Israel. 11And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh and pursued
the Philistines and struck them, until they came under Bethcar.
12Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpeh and
Shen and called the name of it Ebenezer or Rock of Help, saying, Previously has
the LORD helped us.
13So the Philistines were subdued and they did not come into
the coast of Israel anymore and the hand of the LORD was against the
Philistines all the days of Samuel. 14And the cities which the
Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from
Ekron even to Gath and Israel delivered its borders out of the
hands of the Philistines and there was peace between Israel and
the Amorites. 15And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.
16And he went from year to year in circuit to Bethel and Gilgal
and Mizpeh and judged Israel in all those places. 17And his
return was to Ramah for his house was there and there he
judged Israel and there he built an altar to the LORD.
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Chapter 8
1And when Samuel was old, he made his
sons judges over Israel. 2Now the name of his firstborn was Joel
and the name of his second, Abiah. They were judges in
Beersheba 3And his sons did not walk in his ways but turned
aside after lucre and took bribes and perverted judgment.
4Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together
and came to Samuel in Ramah 5And said to him, Behold, you
are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make a
king for us to judge us like all the nations. 6But the thing
displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us.
And Samuel prayed to the LORD. 7And the LORD said to
Samuel, Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to
you for they have not rejected you but they have rejected me so
that I should not reign over them. 8According to all the works
which they have done with which they have forsaken me and
served other gods, since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even
to this day, they do so to you also. 9Now therefore listen
to their voice but yet protest solemnly to them and show them
the manner of the king who shall reign over them. 10And
Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who asked
a king of him. 11And he said, This will be the manner of the king
who shall reign over you. He will take your sons and appoint
them for himself for his chariots and to be his horsemen and
some shall run before his chariots 12And he will appoint
captains over thousands and captains over fifties and will set
them to ear his ground and to reap his harvest and to make his
instruments of war and instruments of his chariots. 13And he
will take your daughters to be confectionaries and to be cooks
and to be bakers 14And he will take your fields and your
vineyards and your olive yards, even the best of them and give
them to his servants. 15And he will take the tenth of your seed
and of your vineyards and give to his officers and to his
servants. 16And he will take your menservants and your
maidservants and your goodliest young men and your asses
and put them to his work. 17He will take the tenth of your sheep
and you shall be his servants. 18And you shall cry out in that day
because of your king whom you shall have chosen for you and the
LORD will not hear you in that day. 19But the people refused to
obey the voice of Samuel and they said, No but we will have a
king over us, 20So that we may also be like all the nations and that
our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our
battles. 21And Samuel heard all the words of the people and he
rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD 22And the LORD said
to Samuel, Listen to their voice and make a king for them and
Samuel said to the men of Israel, Every man go to his city.
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Chapter 9
1Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish,
the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son
of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power. 2And he had a
son, whose name was Saul, a choice and a goodly young man
and there was not a better person
than he among the children of Israel. He was higher than any
of the people from his shoulders and upward.
3And the asses of Kish Saul's father were lost and Kish said
to Saul his son, Take now one of the servants with you and
arise, go seek the asses. 4And he passed through Mount
Ephraim and passed through the land of Shalisha but they did
not find them, then they passed through the land of Shalim and
they were not there and he passed through the land of the
Benjamites but they did not find them. 5And when they were
come to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant who was with
him, Come and let us return, lest my father leaves caring for the
asses and takes thought for us. 6And he said to him, Behold now,
there is in this city a man of God and he is an honorable man.
All that he says surely comes to pass. Now let us go there,
perhaps he can show us our way that we should go. 7Then
Saul said to his servant but, behold, if we go, what shall we bring
the man? for the bread is spent in our vessels and there is not a
present to bring to the man of God. What do we have? 8And the
servant answered Saul again and said, Behold, I have here at
hand the fourth part of a shekel of silver. I will give that to the
man of God, to tell us our way. 9(Previously in Israel, when a
man went to enquire of God, he spoke thus, Come and let us go
to the seer for he who is now called a Prophet was previously
called a Seer.) 10Then Saul said to his servant, Well said, come,
let us go. So they went to the city where the man of God was.
11And as they went up the hill to the city, they found young
maidens going out to draw water and said to them, Is the seer
here? 12And they answered them and said, He is, behold, he is
before you, hurry now, for he came to the city today for
there is a sacrifice of the people today in the high place. 13As
soon as you have come into the city, immediately you shall find
him, before he goes up to the high place to eat for the people
will not eat until he comes because he blesses the sacrifice and
afterward those who are invited eat. Now therefore go up for
about this time you shall find him. 14And they went up into the
city and when they had come into the city, behold, Samuel
came out before them, to go up to the high place. 15Now the
LORD had told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came,
saying, 16Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man out of
the land of Benjamin and you shall anoint him to be captain
over my people Israel so that he may save my people out of the
hand of the Philistines for I have looked on my people because
their cry has come to me. 17And when Samuel saw Saul, the
LORD said to him, Behold the man whom I spoke of to you, the
same shall reign over my people.
18Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate and said, Tell
me, I beseech you, where the seer's house is. 19And Samuel
answered Saul and said, I am the seer. Go up before me to the
high place for you shall eat with me today and tomorrow I will
let you go and will tell you all that is in your heart. 20And as for
your asses that were lost three days ago, do not set your mind on
them for they are found and on whom is all the desire of
Israel? Is it not on you and on all your father's house? 21And
Saul answered and said, 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, why then do you speak so to me? 22And
Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them into the
parlor and made them sit in the chief place among those who
were invited, who were about thirty persons. 23And Samuel said
to the cook, Bring the portion which I gave you, of which I said
to you, Set it by you. 24And the cook took up the shoulder and
that which was on it and set it before Saul. And Samuel said,
Behold that which is left! set it before you and eat for to this
time it has been kept for you since I spoke and invited the
people. So Saul ate with Samuel that day. 25And when they had
come down from the high place into the city, Samuel communed
with Saul on the top of the house. 26And they arose early and it
was about the spring of the day that Samuel called Saul
to the top of the house, saying, Rise, so that I may send you away.
And Saul arose and they went out abroad, he and Samuel, both of them.
27And as they were going down to the end of the city,
Samuel said to Saul, Ask the servant to pass on before us and he
passed on but you stand still a while, that I may show you the
word of God.
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Chapter 10
1Then Samuel took a vial of oil and poured it on his head
and kissed him and said, Is it not because the LORD has
anointed you to be captain over his inheritance? 2When you have
departed from me today, then you shall find two men by
Rachel's sepulcher in the border of Benjamin at Zelzah and
they will say to you, The asses which you went to seek are
found and, lo, your father has left the care of the asses and
sorrows for you, saying, What shall I do for my son? 3Then you
shall go on forward from there and you shall come to the plain
of Tabor and there three men shall meet you going up to God to
Bethel, one carrying three kids and another carrying three
loaves of bread and another carrying a bottle of wine 4And they
will salute you and give you two loaves of bread, which you
shall receive from their hands. 5After that you shall come to the
hill of God, where the garrison of the Philistines is and it shall
be when you have come there to the city, that you shall
meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place
with a psaltery and a tabret and a pipe and a harp, before them
and they shall prophesy. 6And the Spirit of the LORD will come
on you and you shall prophesy with them and be turned
into another man. 7And let it be, when these signs have come to
you, that you do as the occasion serves you for God is with you
8And you shall go down before me to Gilgal and, behold, I will
come down to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice
sacrifices of peace offerings. You shall wait seven days, till I
come to you and show you what you shall do.
9And when he had turned his back to go from
Samuel, God gave him another heart and all those signs happened that day. 10And when they came there to the hill, behold, a company of prophets met him and the Spirit of God came on
him and he prophesied among them. 11And behold, when all who knew him previously saw that he
prophesied among the prophets, then the people said to one
another, What is this that has come to the son of Kish? Is Saul
also among the prophets? 12And one from the same place answered
and said But who is their father? Therefore it became a proverb,
Is Saul also among the prophets? 13And when he had finished
prophesying, he came to the high place. 14And Saul's uncle said
to him and his servant, Where did you go? And he said, To
seek the asses and when we saw them no where, we came to
Samuel. 15And Saul's uncle said, Tell me, I beseech you, what
Samuel said to you. 16And Saul said to his uncle, He told us
plainly that the asses were found. But he did not tell him of the
matter of the kingdom of which Samuel spoke.
17And Samuel called the people together to the LORD to
Mizpeh 18And said to the children of Israel, Thus says the
LORD God of Israel, I brought up Israel out of Egypt and
delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the
hand of all kingdoms and of those who oppressed you 19And
you have this day rejected your God, who himself saved you out
of all your adversities and your tribulations and you have said to
him, No but set a king over us. Now therefore present
yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and by your
thousands. 20And when Samuel had caused all the tribes of Israel
to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was taken. 21When he had
caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, the
family of Matri was taken and Saul the son of Kish was taken
and when they sought him, he could not be found. 22Therefore
they enquired of the LORD further, if the man should yet come
there and the LORD answered, Behold, he has hidden himself
among the stuff. 23And they ran and brought him there and
when he stood among the people, he was higher than any of the
people from his shoulders upward. 24And Samuel said to all the
people, do you see him whom the LORD has chosen, that there
is no one like him among all the people? And all the people
shouted and said, God save the king. 25Then Samuel told the
people the manner of the kingdom and wrote it in a book and
laid it up before the LORD. And Samuel sent all the people
away, every man to his house. 26And Saul also went home to
Gibeah and a band of men went with him there, whose hearts
God had touched. 27But the children of Belial said, How shall
this man save us? And they despised him and brought him no
presents. But he held his peace.
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Chapter 11
1Then Nahash the Ammonite came up and camped against
Jabeshgilead and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, Make a
covenant with us and we will serve you. 2And Nahash the
Ammonite answered them, On this condition I will make a
covenant with you, that I may thrust out all your right eyes and
lay it for a reproach on all Israel. 3And the elders of Jabesh said
to him, Give us seven days' respite, that we may send
messengers to all the coasts of Israel and then, if there is no
man to save us, we will come out to you. 4Then the
messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and told the news in the ears of
the people and all the people lifted up their voices and wept.
5And, behold, Saul came after the herd out of the field and
Saul said, What ails the people that they weep? And they told
him the news of the men of Jabesh. 6And the Spirit of God came
on Saul when he heard the news and his anger was kindled
greatly. 7And he took a yoke of oxen and hewed them in pieces
and sent them throughout all the coasts of Israel by the hands of
messengers, saying, Whoever does not come out after Saul and
after Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen. And the fear of the
LORD fell on the people and they came out with one consent.
8And when he numbered them in Bezek, the children of Israel
were three hundred thousand and the men of Judah thirty
thousand. 9And they said to the messengers who came, Thus
shall you say to the men of Jabeshgilead, Tomorrow, by the time
the sun is hot, you shall have help. And the messengers came
and showed it to the men of Jabesh and they were glad.
10Therefore the men of Jabesh said, Tomorrow we will come out
to you and you shall do with us all that seems good to you.
11And in the morning Saul put the people in three
companies and they came into the midst of the host in the
morning watch and killed the Ammonites until the heat of the
day and those who remained were scattered so that two of them were not left together.
12And the people said to Samuel, Who is he who said, Shall Saul
reign over us? bring the men, that we may put them to death.
13And Saul said, There shall not be a man put to death this day
for today the LORD has worked salvation in Israel. 14Then
Samuel said to the people, Come and let us go to Gilgal and renew
the kingdom there. 15And all the people went to Gilgal and there
they made Saul king before the LORD in Gilgal and there they
sacrificed sacrifices of peace offerings before the LORD and
there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.
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Chapter 12
1And Samuel said to all Israel, Behold, I have listened to your
voice in all that you said to me and have made a king over you.
2And now, behold, the king walks before you and I am old and
gray-headed and, behold, my sons are with you and I have
walked before you from my childhood to this day. 3Behold, here
I am. Witness against me before the LORD and before his
anointed. Whose ox have I taken or whose ass have I taken or
whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed or of whose
hand have I received any bribe to blind my eyes with? and I will
restore it to you. 4And they said, You have not defrauded us nor
oppressed us nor have you taken anything of any man's hand.
5And he said to them, The LORD is witness against you and his
anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything in
my hand. And they answered, He is witness.
6And Samuel said to the people, It is the LORD who
advanced Moses and Aaron and who brought your fathers up
out of the land of Egypt. 7Now therefore stand still, that I may
reason with you before the LORD of all the righteous acts of the
LORD, which he did to you and to your fathers. 8When Jacob
has come into Egypt and your fathers cried to the LORD, then
the LORD sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your
fathers out of Egypt and made them dwell in this place. 9And
when they forgot the LORD their God, he sold them into the
hand of Sisera, captain of the host of Hazor and into the hand of
the Philistines and into the hand of the king of Moab and they
fought against them. 10And they cried to the LORD and said,
We have sinned because we have forsaken the LORD and have
served Baalim and Ashtaroth but now deliver us out of the hand
of our enemies and we will serve you. 11And the LORD sent
Jerubbaal and Bedan and Jephthah and Samuel and delivered
you out of the hand of your enemies on every side and you
dwelled safely. 12And when you saw that Nahash the king of the
children of Ammon came against you, you said to me, No but a
king shall reign over us, when the LORD your God was your
king. 13Now therefore behold the king whom you have chosen
and whom you have desired! and, behold, the LORD has set a
king over you. 14If you will fear the LORD and serve him and
obey his voice and do not rebel against the commandment of
the LORD, then both you and also the king who reigns
over you shall continue following the LORD your God 15But if you
will not obey the voice of the LORD but rebel against the
commandment of the LORD, then the hand of the LORD
be shall against you, as it was against your fathers.
16Now therefore stand and see this great thing, which the
LORD will do before your eyes. 17Is it not wheat harvest today?
I will call to the LORD and he shall send thunder and rain, that
you may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which
you have done in the sight of the LORD, in asking for a king.
18So Samuel called to the LORD and the LORD sent thunder
and rain that day and all the people greatly feared the LORD
and Samuel. 19And all the people said to Samuel, Pray for your
servants to the LORD your God so that we do not die for we have
added to all our sins this evil, to ask a king for us. 20And Samuel
said to the people, Fear not. You have done all this wickedness,
yet do not turn aside from following the LORD but serve the
LORD with all your heart 21And do not turn aside for then you
would go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver because
they are vain. 22For the LORD will not forsake his people for his
great name's sake because it has pleased the LORD to make
you his people. 23Also as for me, God forbid that I should sin
against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you but I will teach you
the good and the right way. 24Only fear the LORD and serve
him in truth with all your hearts for consider how great things he
has done for you. 25But if you shall still do wickedly, you shall
be consumed, both you and your king.
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Chapter 13
1Saul reigned one year and when he had reigned two years
over Israel 2Saul chose three thousand men of Israel, of whom
two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in Mount Bethel
and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin and
the rest of the people he sent every man to his tent. 3And
Jonathan struck the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba
and the Philistines heard of it and Saul blew the trumpet
throughout all the land, saying, Let the Hebrews hear. 4And all
Israel heard it said that Saul had struck a garrison of the Philistines
and also Israel was held in abomination by the Philistines.
And the people were called together after Saul to Gilgal 5And
the Philistines gathered themselves together to fight with Israel,
thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen and people
as the sand which is on the sea shore in multitude and they
came up and pitched in Michmash eastward from Bethaven.
6When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait, (for the
people were distressed,) then the people hid themselves in caves
and in thickets and in rocks and in high places and in pits
7And some of the Hebrews went over the Jordan to the land of
Gad and Gilead. As for Saul, he was yet in Gilgal and all the
people followed him trembling.
8And he waited seven days, according to the set time that
Samuel had appointed but Samuel did not come to Gilgal
and the people were scattered from him. 9And Saul said, Bring
here a burnt offering to me and peace offerings and he offered
the burnt offering. 10And behold, as soon as he had
finished offering the burnt offering Samuel came and
Saul went out to meet him so that he might salute him 11And
Samuel said, What have you done? And Saul said, Because I
saw that the people were scattered from me and that you did not
come within the days appointed and that the Philistines
gathered themselves together at Michmash, 12Therefore I said,
The Philistines will come down now on me to Gilgal and I have
not made supplication to the LORD. I forced myself therefore
and offered a burnt offering. 13And Samuel said to Saul, You
have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the
LORD your God, which he commanded you for now the
LORD would have established your kingdom upon Israel for ever.
14But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has
sought a man after his own heart for him and the LORD has
commanded him to be captain over his people because you have
not kept that which the LORD commanded you.
15And Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of
Benjamin and Saul numbered the people who were present
with him, about six hundred men. 16And Saul and Jonathan his
son and the people who were present with them, abode in
Gibeah of Benjamin but the Philistines camped in Michmash
17And the spoilers came out of the camp of the Philistines in
three companies. One company turned to the way that leads to
Ophrah, to the land of Shual 18And another company turned the
way to Bethhoron and another company turned to the way of the
border that looks to the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.
19Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of
Israel for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make swords or
spears 20But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines for every man to
sharpen his share and his coulter and his axe and
his mattock. 21Yet they had a file for the mattocks and for the
coulters and for the forks and for the axes and to sharpen the
goads. 22So it was in the day of battle that there was
neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people
who were with Saul and Jonathan but they were found with Saul and his son
Jonathan. 23And the garrison of the
Philistines went out to the passage of Michmash.
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Chapter 14
1Now it was on a day that Jonathan the son of Saul
said to the young man who bore his armor, Come and let us go
over to the Philistine garrison that is on the other side. But he
did not tell his father. 2And Saul waited in the uttermost part of
Gibeah under a pomegranate tree which is in Migron and the
people who were with him were about six hundred men 3And
Ahiah, the son of Ahitub, Ichabod's brother, the son of
Phinehas, the son of Eli, the LORD'S priest in Shiloh, was there
wearing an ephod and the people did not know that Jonathan
was gone. 4And between the passages, by which Jonathan
sought to go over to the Philistines' garrison, there was a sharp
rock on the one side and a sharp rock on the other side and the
name of one was Bozez and the name of the other Seneh. 5The
forefront of one was situate northward opposite Michmash
and the other southward opposite Gibeah. 6And Jonathan said to
the young man who bore his armor, Come and let us go over to
the garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that the LORD
will work for us for there is no restraint to the LORD to save by
many or by few. 7And his armorbearer said to him, Do all that is
in your heart. Turn, behold, I am with you according to your
heart. 8Then Jonathan said, Behold, we will pass over to these
men and we will discover ourselves to them. 9If they say thus to
us, Wait until we come to you, then we will stand still in our
place and will not go up to them. 10But if they say thus, Come
up to us, then we will go up for the LORD has delivered them
into our hand and this shall be a sign to us. 11And both of them
discovered themselves to the garrison of the Philistines and the
Philistines said, Behold, the Hebrews come forth out of the
holes where they had hidden themselves. 12And the men of the
garrison answered Jonathan and his armorbearer and said,
Come up to us and we will show you a thing and Jonathan said
to his armorbearer, Come up after me for the LORD has
delivered them into the hand of Israel. 13And Jonathan climbed
up on his hands and on his feet and his armorbearer after him
and they fell before Jonathan and his armorbearer killed after
him. 14And that first slaughter, which Jonathan and his
armorbearer made, was about twenty men, within about half an acre of land
which a yoke of oxen might plow. 15And there
was trembling in the host, in the field and among all the people and
the garrison and the spoilers. They also trembled and the earth
quaked so that it was a very great trembling.
16And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked
and, behold, the multitude melted away and they went on
beating down one another. 17Then Saul said to the people who
were with him, Number now and see who is gone from us and
when they had numbered, behold, Jonathan and his armorbearer
were not there. 18And Saul said to Ahiah, Bring here the ark of
God. For the ark of God was at that time with the children of
Israel. 19And while Saul talked to the priest the noise that was in the host of the Philistines went on and
increased and Saul said to the priest, Withdraw your hand.
20And Saul and all the people who were with him assembled
themselves and they came to the battle and, behold, every Philistine
man's sword was against his fellow and there was a very great
confusion. 21Also the Hebrews who were with the Philistines
before that time, who went up with them into the camp from the
country round about, even they also turned to be with the
Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. 22Likewise all the
men of Israel who had hidden themselves in Mount Ephraim, when
they heard that the Philistines fled, even they also followed hard
after them in the battle. 23So the LORD saved Israel that day
and the battle passed over to Bethaven.
24And the men of Israel were distressed that day for Saul had
adjured the people, saying, Cursed is the man who eats any food
until evening so that I may be avenged on my enemies. So none of
the people tasted any food. 25And all those of the land came to a
woods and there was honey on the ground. 26And when the
people had come into the woods, behold, the honey dropped but
no man put his hand to his mouth for the people feared the oath.
27But Jonathan did not hear when his father charged the people
with the oath. Therefore he put the end of the rod that was
in his hand and dipped it in a honeycomb and put his hand to
his mouth and his eyes were enlightened. 28Then one
of the people answered and said, Your father straitly charged the people
with an oath, saying, Cursed is the man who eats any food this
day and the people were faint. 29Then Jonathan said, My father
has troubled the land. See, I beseech you, how my eyes have
been enlightened, because I tasted a little of this honey. 30How
much more, if perhaps the people had eaten freely today of the
spoil of their enemies which they found? Had there not been
now a much greater slaughter among the Philistines? 31And they
struck the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon and
the people were very faint. 32And the people flew on the spoil
and took sheep and oxen and calves and killed them on the
ground and the people ate them with the blood. 33Then they told
Saul, saying, Behold, the people sin against the LORD, in that
they eat with the blood. And he said, you have transgressed. Roll
a great stone to me this day. 34And Saul said, Disperse
yourselves among the people and say to them, Bring every man his ox here to me
and every man his sheep and kill them here
and eat and do not sin against the LORD in eating with the blood
and all the people brought every man his ox with him that night
and killed them there. 35And Saul built an altar to the LORD,
the same was the first altar that he built to the LORD.
36And Saul said, Let us go down after the Philistines by night
and spoil them until the morning light and let us not leave a
man of them and they said, Do what ever seems good to you.
Then the priest said, Let us draw near here to God. 37And Saul
asked counsel of God, Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will
you deliver them into the hand of Israel? But he did not answer him
that day. 38And Saul said, Bring here all the chief of the
people and know and see in whom this sin has been this day.
39For as the LORD lives, who saves Israel, though it is in
Jonathan my son, he shall surely die. But there was not a man
among all the people who answered him. 40Then he said to all
Israel, You be on one side and I and Jonathan my son will be on
the other side and the people said to Saul, Do what seems good
to you. 41Therefore Saul said to the LORD God of Israel, Give a
perfect lot and Saul and Jonathan were taken but the people
escaped. 42And Saul said, Cast lots between me and Jonathan
my son and Jonathan was taken. 43Then Saul said to Jonathan,
Tell me what you have done and Jonathan told him and said, I
only tasted a little honey with the end of the rod that was in my
hand and, lo, I must die. 44And Saul answered, God do so and
more also for you shall surely die, Jonathan. 45And the people
said to Saul, Shall Jonathan die, who has worked this great
salvation in Israel? God forbid, as the LORD lives, there shall
not one hair of his head fall to the ground for he has worked
with God this day. So the people rescued Jonathan so that he
did not die. 46Then Saul went up from following the Philistines
and the Philistines went to their own place.
47So Saul took the kingdom over Israel and fought against all
his enemies on every side, against Moab and against the
children of Ammon and against Edom and against the kings of
Zobah and against the Philistines and wherever he turned
himself, he vexed them. 48And he gathered a host and struck the
Amalekites and delivered Israel out of the hands of those who
spoiled them. 49Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan and Ishui
and Melchishua and the names of his two daughters were these,
the name of the firstborn Merab and the name of the younger
Michal 50And the name of Saul's wife was Ahinoam, the
daughter of Ahimaaz and the name of the captain of his host
was Abner, the son of Ner, Saul's uncle. 51And Kish was the
father of Saul and Ner the father of Abner was the son of Abiel.
52And there was sore war against the Philistines all the days of Saul and when Saul saw any strong man or any valiant man, he took him to him.
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Chapter 15
1Samuel also said to Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint you to
be king over his people, over Israel. Now therefore listen to
the voice of the words of the LORD. 2Thus says the LORD of
hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid
wait for him in the way when he came up from Egypt. 3Now go
and strike Amalek and utterly destroy all that they have and
do not spare them but kill both man and woman, infant and
suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass. 4And Saul gathered the
people together and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred
thousand footmen and ten thousand men of Judah. 5And Saul
came to a city of Amalek and laid wait in the valley. 6And Saul
said to the Kenites, Go, depart, get down from among the
Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them for you showed
kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of
Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.
7And Saul struck the Amalekites from Havilah until you come to
Shur that is opposite Egypt. 8And he took Agag the king of the
Amalekites alive and utterly destroyed all the people with the
edge of the sword. 9But Saul and the people spared Agag and
the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fatlings and
the lambs and all that was good and would not utterly destroy
them but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they
destroyed utterly.
10Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel, saying, 11It
repents me that I have set up Saul to be king for he has turned
back from following me and has not performed my
commandments and it grieved Samuel and he cried to the
LORD all night. 12And when Samuel rose to meet Saul early in
the morning, Samuel was told, saying, Saul has come to Carmel
and, behold, he has set up a place for him and has gone about and
passed on and gone down to Gilgal. 13And Samuel came to
Saul and Saul said to him, Blessed are you of the LORD. I have
performed the commandment of the LORD. 14And Samuel said,
What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears and the
lowing of the oxen which I hear? 15And Saul said, They have
brought them from the Amalekites for the people spared the
best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice to the LORD your
God and the rest we have utterly destroyed. 16Then Samuel said
to Saul, Stay and I will tell you what the LORD has said to me
this night and he said to him, Say on. 17And Samuel said, When
you were little in your own sight, were you not made the head of
the tribes of Israel and the LORD anointed you king over Israel?
18And the LORD sent you on a journey and said, Go and utterly
destroy the sinners, the Amalekites and fight against them until
they are consumed. 19Why then did you not obey the voice of
the LORD but flew on the spoil and did evil in the sight of the
LORD? 20And Saul said to Samuel, Yes, I have obeyed the voice
of the LORD and have gone the way which the LORD sent me
and have brought Agag the king of Amalek and have utterly
destroyed the Amalekites. 21But the people took of the spoil,
sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been
utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal.
22And Samuel said, has the LORD as great delight in burnt
offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice and to listen than the fat
of rams.
23For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and
stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have
rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from
being king.
24And Saul said to Samuel, I have sinned for I have
transgressed the commandment of the LORD and your words
because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. 25Now
therefore, I beseech you, pardon my sin and turn again with me so
that I may worship the LORD. 26And Samuel said to Saul, I will
not return with you for you have rejected the word of the
LORD and the LORD has rejected you from being king over
Israel. 27And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold on
the skirt of his mantle and it tore. 28And Samuel said to him,
The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day and
has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you. 29And
also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent for he is not a
man that he should repent. 30Then he said, I have sinned yet
honor me now, I beseech you, before the elders of my people
and before Israel and turn again with me so that I may worship the
LORD your God. 31So Samuel turned again after Saul and Saul
worshiped the LORD.
32Then Samuel said, Bring Agag the king of the Amalekites
here to me and Agag came to him delicately and Agag said,
Surely the bitterness of death is past. 33And Samuel said, As
your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be
childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces
before the LORD in Gilgal. 34Then Samuel went to Ramah and
Saul went up to his house in Gibeah of Saul. 35And Samuel did not come
any more to see Saul until the day of his death but Samuel
mourned for Saul and the LORD repented that he had made
Saul king over Israel.
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Chapter 16
1And the LORD said to Samuel, How long will you mourn for
Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill
your horn with oil and go. I will send you to Jesse the
Bethlehemite for I have provided a king for me among his sons.
2And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hears it, he will kill
me and the LORD said, Take a heifer with you and say, I have
come to sacrifice to the LORD. 3And call Jesse to the sacrifice
and I will show you what you shall do and you shall anoint him
whom I name to you for me. 4And Samuel did that which the
LORD spoke and came to Bethlehem and the elders of the
town trembled at his coming and said, Do you come peacefully?
5And he said, Peacefully, I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.
Sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice and he
sanctified Jesse and his sons and called them to the sacrifice.
6And when they had come he looked on
Eliab and said, Surely the LORD'S anointed is before him.
7But the LORD said to Samuel, Do not look on his countenance
or on the height of his stature because I have refused him for
the LORD does not see as man sees for man looks on the outer
appearance but the LORD looks on the heart. 8Then Jesse
called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel and he
said, Neither has the LORD chosen this one. 9Then Jesse made
Shammah to pass by and he said, Neither has the LORD
chosen this one. 10Again, Jesse made seven of his sons to pass
before Samuel and Samuel said to Jesse, The LORD has not
chosen these. 11And Samuel said to Jesse, Are all your children
here? And he said, There remains yet the youngest and, behold,
he keeps the sheep and Samuel said to Jesse, Send and bring
him for we will not sit down till he comes here. 12And he sent
and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and altogether of a
beautiful countenance and good to look at and the LORD
said, Arise, anoint him for this is he. 13Then Samuel took the
horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers and
the Spirit of the LORD came on David from that day forward.
So Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.
14But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul and an evil
spirit from the LORD troubled him. 15And Saul's servants said
to him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubles you. 16Let
our lord now command your servants, who are before you, to
seek out a man, who is a cunning player on a harp and it shall
be when the evil spirit from God is on you that he
shall play with his hand and you shall be well. 17And Saul said
to his servants, Provide me now a man who can play well and
bring him to me. 18Then one of the servants answered and said,
Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is
cunning in playing and a mighty valiant man and a man of war
and prudent in matters and a comely person and the LORD is
with him. 19Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said,
Send David your son who is with the sheep to me 20And Jesse
took an ass laden with bread and a bottle of wine and a kid and
sent them by David his son to Saul. 21And David came to Saul
and stood before him and he loved him greatly and he became'
his armorbearer. 22And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David, I
beseech you, stand before me, for he has found favor in my
sight. 23And when the evil spirit from God was
on Saul David took a harp and played with his hand. So
Saul was refreshed and was well and the evil spirit departed from him.
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Chapter 17
1Now the Philistines gathered their armies together to battle
and were gathered together at Shochoh, which belongs to Judah
and pitched between Shochoh and Azekah in Ephesdammim.
2And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together and
pitched by the valley of Elah and set the battle in array against
the Philistines. 3And the Philistines stood on a mountain on one
side and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side and a valley was between them. 4And a champion went
out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose
height was six cubits and a span. 5And he had a helmet of brass
on his head and he was armed with a coat of mail and the
weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass 6And he
had greaves of brass on his legs and a target of brass between
his shoulders 7And the staff of his spear was like a weaver's
beam and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron
and one bearing a shield went before him. 8And he stood and
cried to the armies of Israel and said to them, Why are you
come out to set your battle in array? am I not a Philistine and
you servants to Saul? Choose a man for you and let him come
down to me. 9If he is able to fight with me and to kill me, then
we will be your servants but if I prevail against him and kill
him, then you shall be our servants and serve us. 10And the
Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day, give me a
man that we may fight together. 11When Saul and all Israel
heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and
greatly afraid.
12Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of
Bethlehemjudah, whose name was Jesse and he had eight sons
and the man went among men for an old man in the days of
Saul. 13And the three eldest sons of Jesse went and followed
Saul to the battle and the names of his three sons who went to
the battle were Eliab the firstborn and next to him Abinadab
and the third Shammah. 14And David was the youngest and the
three eldest followed Saul. 15But David went and returned from
Saul to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem. 16And the Philistine
drew near morning and evening and presented himself forty
days. 17And Jesse said to David his son, Take now an ephah of this parched corn for your
brothers and these ten loaves and
run to the camp to your brothers 18And carry these ten cheeses
to the captain of their thousand and see how your brothers
fare and take their pledge. 19Now Saul and all the
men of Israel were in the valley of Elah, fighting with the
Philistines. 20And David rose up early in the morning and left
the sheep with a keeper and took and went as Jesse had
commanded him and he came to the trench, as the host was
going out to the fight and shouted for the battle. 21For Israel
and the Philistines had put the battle in array, army against army.
22And David left his carriage in the hand of the keeper of the
carriage and ran into the army and came and saluted his
brothers. 23And as he talked with them, behold, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name,
the champion came up out of the
armies of the Philistines and spoke according to the same
words and David heard them. 24And all the men of Israel fled from him when
they saw the man and were sore afraid. 25And
the men of Israel said, Have you seen this man who is come up?
surely to defy Israel he has come up and it shall be that the man
who kills him, the king will enrich with great riches and will
give him his daughter and make his father's house free in Israel.
26And David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, What
shall be done to the man who kills this Philistine and takes away
the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised
Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?
27And the people answered him after this manner, saying, So
shall it be done to the man who kills him. 28And Eliab his eldest
brother heard when he spoke to the men and Eliab's anger was
kindled against David and he said, Why did you come down
here? and with whom have you left those few sheep in the
wilderness? I know your pride and the naughtiness of your
heart for you came down so that you might see the battle. 29And
David said, What have I done now? Is there not a cause? 30And
he turned from him toward another and spoke after the same
manner and the people answered him again after the former
manner.
31And when the words were heard which David spoke, they
rehearsed them before Saul and he sent for him. 32And David
said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him, your
servant will go and fight with this Philistine. 33And Saul said to
David, You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with
him for you are but a youth and he a man of war from his
youth. 34And David said to Saul, Your servant kept his father's
sheep and a lion and a bear came there and took a lamb out of
the flock 35And I went out after him and struck him and
delivered it out of his mouth and when he arose against me, I
caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. 36Your
servant killed both the lion and the bear and this uncircumcised
Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he has defied the
armies of the living God. 37David also said, The LORD who
delivered me out of the paw of the lion and out of the paw of
the bear will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine.
And Saul said to David, Go and the LORD be with you. 38And
Saul armed David with his armor and he put a helmet of brass
on his head, he also armed him with a coat of mail. 39And David
girded his sword on his armor and he resolved to go but he had
not proved them and David said to Saul, I cannot go with these
for I have not proved them and David put them off from him.
40And he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth
stones out of the brook and put them in a shepherd's bag which
he had, even in a scrip and his sling was in his hand and he
drew near to the Philistine. 41And the Philistine came on and
drew near to David and the man who bore the shield went
before him. 42And when the Philistine looked about and saw
David, he disdained him for he was only a youth and ruddy
and of a fair countenance. 43And the Philistine said to David, Am
I a dog that you come to me with staves? And the Philistine
cursed David by his gods. 44And the Philistine said to David,
Come to me and I will give your flesh to the fowls of the air
and to the animals of the field. 45Then David said to the
Philistine, You come to me with a sword and with a spear and
with a shield but I come to you in the name of the LORD of
hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
46This day will the LORD deliver you into my hand and I will
strike you and take your head from you and I will give the
carcases of the host of the Philistines this day to the fowls of the
air and to the wild animals of the earth so that all the earth may
know that there is a God in Israel. 47And all this assembly shall
know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear for the
battle is the LORD'S and he will give you into our hands.
48And when the Philistine arose and came and
drew near to meet David then David hurried and ran toward the
army to meet the Philistine. 49And David put his hand in his bag
and took a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine in his
forehead so that the stone sunk into his forehead and he fell on
his face to the earth. 50So David prevailed over the Philistine
with a sling and a stone and struck the Philistine and
killed him but there was no sword in the hand of David.
51Therefore David ran and stood on the Philistine and took his
sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut off
his head with it and when the Philistines saw their champion
was dead, they fled. 52And the men of Israel and Judah arose
and shouted and pursued the Philistines, until you come to the
valley and to the gates of Ekron and the wounded of the
Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim, even to Gath and
to Ekron. 53And the children of Israel returned from chasing after
the Philistines and they spoiled their tents. 54And David took the
head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem but he put his
armor in his tent. 55And when Saul saw David go out against
the Philistine, he said to Abner, the captain of the host, Abner,
whose son is this youth? And Abner said, As your soul lives, O
king, I cannot tell. 56And the king said, Enquire whose son
the stripling is. 57And as David returned from the slaughter of
the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul
with the head of the Philistine in his hand. 58And Saul said to
him, Whose son are you, young man? And David answered, I
am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.
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Chapter 18
1And when he had finished speaking to Saul,
the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David and
Jonathan loved him as his own soul. 2And Saul took him that
day and would not let him go home any more to his father's
house. 3Then Jonathan and David made a covenant because he
loved him as his own soul. 4And Jonathan stripped himself of
the robe and his garments that were on him and gave them to David, even to his sword and to his bow and to his girdle.
5And David went out wherever Saul sent him and behaved
himself wisely and Saul set him over the men of war and he
was accepted in the sight of all the people and also in the sight
of Saul's servants.
6And as they came, when David was returning
from the slaughter of the Philistines, the women came out of
all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul with
tabrets, with joy and with instruments of music. 7And the
women answered one another as they played and said, Saul has
slain his thousands and David his ten thousands. 8And Saul was
very angry and the saying displeased him and he said, They
have ascribed to David ten thousands and to me they have
ascribed thousands and what can he have more than the
kingdom? 9And Saul eyed David from that day forward.
10And on the next morning, the evil spirit from
God came on Saul and he prophesied in the midst of the house
and David played with his hand, as at other times and there was
a javelin in Saul's hand 11And Saul cast the javelin for he said,
I will strike David even to the wall with it. And David avoided
out of his presence twice.
12And Saul was afraid of David because the LORD was with
him but had departed from Saul. 13Therefore Saul removed him
from him and made him his captain over a thousand and he
went out and came in before the people. 14And David behaved
himself wisely in all his ways and the LORD was with him.
15Therefore when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely,
he was afraid of him. 16But all Israel and Judah loved David
because he went out and came in before them. 17And Saul said to
David, Behold my older daughter Merab, I will give her to you
for a wife. Only be valiant for me and fight the LORD'S battles.
For Saul said, Let not my hand be on him but let the hand of the
Philistines be on him. 18And David said to Saul, Who am I? and
what is my life or my father's family in Israel that I should be
son in law to the king? 19But it was at the time when
Merab Saul's daughter should have been given to David that
she was given to Adriel the Meholathite as a wife. 20And Michal
Saul's daughter loved David and they told Saul and the thing
pleased him. 21And Saul said, I will give her to him so that she
may be a snare to him and that the hand of the Philistines may
be against him. Therefore Saul said to David, You shall this day
be my son in law in the one of the two. 22And Saul commanded
his servants, saying, Commune with David secretly and say,
Behold, the king has delight in you and all his servants love
you. Now therefore be the king's son in law. 23And Saul's
servants spoke those words in the ears of David and David
said, Does it seem a light thing to you to be a king's son in law,
seeing that I am a poor man and lightly esteemed? 24And the
servants of Saul told him, saying, David spoke in this manner.
25And Saul said, Thus shall you say to David, The king desires
not any dowry but a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be
avenged of the king's enemies. But Saul thought to make David
fall by the hand of the Philistines. 26And when his servants told
David these words, it pleased David well to be the king's son in
law and the days were not expired. 27Therefore David arose and
went, he and his men and killed two hundred
men of the Philistines and David brought their foreskins and he gave them in full
coun5 to the king so that he might be the king's son in law. And Saul
gave him Michal his daughter as a wife. 28And Saul saw and
knew that the LORD was with David and that Michal Saul's
daughter loved him. 29And Saul was still more afraid of David
and Saul became David's enemy continually. 30Then the princes
of the Philistines went out and after they went
out, David behaved himself more wisely than all the
servants of Saul so that his name was much set by.
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Chapter 19
1And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants
that they should kill David. 2But Jonathan Saul's son delighted
much in David and Jonathan told David, saying, Saul my father
seeks to kill you, now therefore, I beseech you, take heed to
yourself until the morning and abide in a secret place and hide
yourself 3And I will go out and stand beside my father in the
field where you are and I will commune with my father about
you and what I see that I will tell you. 4And Jonathan spoke
good of David to Saul his father and said to him, Let not the
king sin against his servant, against David because he has not
sinned against you and because his works have been very good
toward you 5For he put his life in his hand and killed the
Philistine and the LORD worked a great salvation for all Israel.
You saw it and rejoiced, why then will you sin against innocent
blood, to kill David without a cause? 6And Saul listened to the
voice of Jonathan and Saul swore, As the LORD lives, he shall
not be killed. 7And Jonathan called David and Jonathan showed
him all those things and Jonathan brought David to Saul and
he was in his presence, as in times past.
8And there was war again and David went out and fought
with the Philistines and killed them with a great slaughter and
they fled from him. 9And the evil spirit from the LORD was on
Saul, as he sat in his house with his javelin in his hand and
David played with his hand. 10And Saul sought to strike David
even to the wall with the javelin but he slipped away out of
Saul's presence and he struck the javelin into the wall and
David fled and escaped that night.
11Saul also sent messengers to David's house, to watch him
and to kill him in the morning and Michal David's wife told
him, saying, If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you
shall be killed. 12So Michal let David down through a window
and he went and fled and escaped. 13And Michal took an
image and laid it in the bed and put a pillow of goats' hair for
his bolster and covered it with a cloth. 14And when Saul sent
messengers to take David, she said, He is sick. 15And Saul sent
the messengers again to see David, saying, Bring him up to me
in the bed that I may kill him. 16And when the messengers had
come in, behold, there was an image in the bed, with a pillow of
goats' hair for his bolster. 17And Saul said to Michal, Why have
you deceived me so and sent away my enemy so that he has
escaped? And Michal answered Saul, He said to me, Let me go,
why should I kill you?
18So David fled and escaped and came to Samuel to Ramah
and told him all that Saul had done to him and he and Samuel
went and dwelled in Naioth. 19And Saul was told, saying,
Behold, David is in Naioth in Ramah. 20And Saul sent
messengers to take David and when they saw the company of
the prophets prophesying and Samuel standing as appointed
over them, the Spirit of God was on the messengers of Saul and
they also prophesied. 21And when Saul was told, he sent other
messengers and they prophesied likewise and Saul sent
messengers again the third time and they also prophesied.
22Then he also went to Ramah and came to a great well that is in
Sechu and he asked and said, Where are Samuel and David?
and one said, Behold, they are at Naioth in Ramah. 23And he
went there to Naioth in Ramah and the Spirit of God was also
on him and he went on and prophesied, until he came to Naioth
in Ramah. 24And he also stripped off his clothes and prophesied
before Samuel in like manner and lay down naked all that day
and all that night. Wherefore they say, Is Saul also among the
prophets?
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Chapter 20
1And David fled from Naioth in Ramah and came and spoke
before Jonathan, What have I done, what is my iniquity and
what is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life? 2And he
said to him, God forbid, you shall not die, behold, my father will
do nothing either great or small, except he will show it to me
and why should my father hide this thing from me? It is not so.
3And David swore also and said, Your father certainly knows
that I have found grace in your eyes and he says, Do not let
Jonathan know this, lest he may be grieved. But truly as the LORD
lives and as your soul lives, there is only a step between me and
death. 4Then Jonathan said to David, What ever your soul
desires, I will even do it for you. 5And David said to Jonathan,
Behold, tomorrow is the new moon and I should not fail to sit
with the king at meat but let me go so that I may hide myself in
the field to the third day at evening. 6If your father at all misses
me, then say, David earnestly asked leave of me that he might
run to his city Bethlehem for there is a yearly sacrifice there for
all the family. 7If he says thus, It is well, your servant shall have
peace but if he is very angry, then be sure that evil is
determined by him. 8Therefore you shall deal kindly with your
servant for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the
LORD with you but if iniquity is in me, kill me yourself for
why should you bring me to your father?
9And Jonathan said, Far be it from you for if I knew certainly
that evil was determined to come on you by my father, then would I not tell you? 10Then David said to Jonathan, Who shall
tell me? or what if your father answers you roughly? 11And
Jonathan said to David, Come and let us go out into the field.
And they both went out into the field. 12And Jonathan
said to David, O LORD God of Israel, when I have sounded my
father about tomorrow any time,or the third day and, behold, if
there is good toward David and I do not send it to you and show
it to you, 13The LORD do so and much more to Jonathan but if
it please my father to do you evil, then I will show it to you and
send you away so that you may go in peace and the LORD be with
you, as he has been with my father. 14And you shall not only
show me the kindness of the LORD while I yet live so that I do
not die 15But you shall also not cut off your kindness from my
house for ever, no, not when the LORD has cut off every one of
the enemies of David from the face of the earth. 16So Jonathan
made a covenant with the house of David, saying, Let the LORD
even require it at the hand of David's enemies. 17And Jonathan
caused David to swear again because he loved him for he loved
him as he loved his own soul. 18Then Jonathan said to David,
Tomorrow is the new moon and you shall be missed because
your seat will be empty. 19And when you have stayed three days,
then you shall go down quickly and come to the place where you
hid yourself when the business was in hand and shall remain by
the stone Ezel. 20And I will shoot three arrows on the side of it,
as though I shot at a mark. 21And, behold, I will send a lad,
saying, Go, seek out the arrows. If I expressly say to the lad,
Behold, the arrows are on this side of you, take them, then you
come for there is peace to you and no hurt, as the LORD lives.
22But if I say thus to the young man, Behold, the arrows are
beyond you, go your way for the LORD has sent you away.
23And as touching the matter which you and I have spoken of,
behold, the LORD is between you and me for ever.
24So David hid himself in the field and when the new moon
had come, the king sat down to eat meat. 25And the king sat on
his seat, as at other times, even on a seat by the wall and
Jonathan arose and Abner sat by Saul's side and David's place
was empty. 26But Saul did not speak any thing that day for he
thought, Something has befallen him, he is not clean, surely he is
not clean. 27And on the next morning, which was the
second day of the month, David's place was empty and Saul
said to Jonathan his son, Why does the son of Jesse not come to
meat, neither yesterday nor today? 28And Jonathan answered
Saul, David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem
29And he said, Let me go, I beseech you for our family has a
sacrifice in the city and my brother has commanded me to be
there and now, if I have found favor in your eyes, let me go
away, I beseech you and see my brothers. Therefore he does not
come to the king's table. 30Then Saul's anger was kindled against
Jonathan and he said to him, You son of a perverse rebellious
woman, do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to
your own confusion and to the confusion of your mother's
nakedness? 31For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the ground,
you and your kingdom shall not be established. Therefore now
send and bring him to me for he shall surely die. 32And Jonathan
answered Saul his father and said to him, Why should he be
killed, what has he done? 33And Saul cast a javelin at him to
strike him. Whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his
father to kill David. 34So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce
anger and ate no meat the second day of the month for he was
grieved for David, because his father had done him shame.
35And in the morning Jonathan went out
into the field at the time appointed with David and a little lad
with him. 36And he said to his lad, Run, seek out now the arrows
which I shoot. And as the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.
37And when the lad was come to the place of the arrow which
Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the lad and said, Is not
the arrow beyond you? 38And Jonathan cried after the lad, Make
speed, hurry, don't wait. And Jonathan's lad gathered up the
arrows and came to his master. 39But the lad did not know any
thing, only Jonathan and David knew the matter. 40And Jonathan
gave his artillery to his lad and said to him, Go, carry them to the
city. 41And as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of a
place toward the south and fell on his face to the ground and
bowed himself three times and they kissed one another and
wept with one another, until David exceeded. 42And Jonathan said
to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as both of us have sworn in
the name of the LORD, saying, The LORD be between me and
you and between my seed and your seed for ever. And he arose
and departed and Jonathan went into the city.
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Chapter 21
1Then David came to Nob to Ahimelech the priest and
Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David and said to him,
Why are you alone and no man with you? 2And David said to
Ahimelech the priest, The king has commanded me a business
and has said to me, Let no man know any thing of the business
about which I send you and what I have commanded you and I
have appointed my servants to such and such a place. 3Now
therefore what is under your hand? Give me five loaves of bread
in my hand or what is present there. 4And the priest answered
David and said, There is no common bread under my hand but
there is hallowed bread, if the young men have at least kept themselves
from women. 5And David answered the priest and said to
him, Of a truth women have been kept from us about these three
days, since I came out and the vessels of the young men are
holy and the bread is in a manner common, yes, though it was
sanctified this day in the vessel. 6So the priest gave him
hallowed bread for there was no bread there but the show bread
that was taken from before the LORD, to put hot bread in the day
when it was taken away. 7Now a certain man of the servants of
Saul was there that day, detained before the LORD and his name
was Doeg, an Edomite, the chief of the herdsmen who belonged
to Saul. 8And David said to Ahimelech, Is there not here
under your hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought my
sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business
required haste. 9And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the
Philistine, whom you killed in the valley of Elah, behold, it is
here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will take that,
take it for there is no other except that here and David said,
There is none like that, give it to me.
10And David arose and fled that day for fear of Saul and went
to Achish the king of Gath. 11And the servants of Achish said to
him, Is not this David the king of the land, did they not sing
to one another of him in dances, saying, Saul has killed his
thousands and David his ten thousands? 12And David laid up
these words in his heart and was sore afraid of Achish the king
of Gath. 13And he changed his behavior before them and feigned
himself mad in their hands and scrabbled on the doors of the
gate and let his spittle fall down on his beard. 14Then
Achish said to his servants, Lo, you see the man is mad, why then
have you brought him to me? 15Have I need of mad men that
you have brought this fellow to play the mad man in my
presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?
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Chapter 22
1 Therefore David departed from there and escaped to the
cave of Adullam and when his brothers and all his father's house
heard it, they went down to him there. 2And every one who was in
distress and every one who was in debt and every one who was
discontented, gathered themselves to him and he became a
captain over them and there were with him about four hundred
men. 3And David went from there to Mizpeh of Moab and he
said to the king of Moab I beseech you, Let my father and my
mother come out and be with you, till I know what God will
do for me. 4And he brought them before the king of Moab and
they dwelled with him all the while that David was in the hold.
5And the prophet Gad said to David, Do no abide in the hold.
Depart and get into the land of Judah. Then David departed
and came into the forest of Hareth.
6When Saul heard that David and the men who were with him
were discovered, (now Saul abode in Gibeah under a tree in
Ramah, having his spear in his hand and all his servants were
standing around him,) 7Then Saul said to his servants who stood
about him, Hear now, you Benjamites, will the son of Jesse give
every one of you fields and vineyards and make you all captains
of thousands and captains of hundreds, 8In that all of you have
conspired against me and there is no one who showed me that
my son has made a league with the son of Jesse and none of you is sorry for me or showed to me that my son
has stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?
9Then Doeg the Edomite, who was set over the
servants of Saul answered and said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob,
to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. 10And he enquired of the LORD
for him and gave him provisions and gave him the sword of
Goliath the Philistine. 11Then the king sent to call Ahimelech the son of Ahitub the
priest and all his father's house, the priests
who were in Nob and all of them came to the king. 12And
Saul said, Hear now, you son of Ahitub and he answered, Here
I am, my lord. 13And Saul said to him, Why have you conspired
against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him
bread and a sword and have enquired of God for him that he
should rise against me to lie in wait, as at this day? 14Then
Ahimelech answered the king and said And who is so faithful
among all your servants as David, who is the king's son in law
and goes at your bidding and is honorable in your house? 15Did I
then begin to enquire of God for him? Be it far from me, let not
the king impute any thing to his servant nor to all the house of
my father for your servant knew nothing more or less of all this.
16And the king said, You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and
all your father's house. 17And the king said to the footmen who
stood about him, Turn and kill the priests of the LORD because
their hand also is with David and because they knew when he
fled and did not show it to me. But the servants of the king
would not put forth their hand to fall on the priests of the LORD.
18And the king said to Doeg, You turn and fall on the priests
and Doeg the Edomite turned and he fell on the priests and
killed eighty five persons who wore a linen ephod on that day.
19And he struck Nob, the city of the priests, with the edge of the
sword, both men and women, children and sucklings and oxen
and asses and sheep, with the edge of the sword.
20And one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named
Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. 21And Abiathar showed
David that Saul had killed the LORD'S priests. 22And David said
to Abiathar, I knew it that day, when Doeg the Edomite was
there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have occasioned the death
of all the persons of your father's house. 23Abide with me, fear
not for he who seeks my life seeks your life but with me you
shall be in safeguard.
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Chapter 23
1Then David was told, saying, Behold, the Philistines fight
against Keilah and they rob the threshing floors. 2Therefore
David enquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go and strike these
Philistines? And the LORD said to David, Go and strike the
Philistines and save Keilah. 3And David's men said to him,
Behold, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more then if we
come to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines? 4Then
David enquired of the LORD yet again and the LORD
answered him and said, Arise, go down to Keilah for I will
deliver the Philistines into your hand. 5So David and his men
went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines and brought away
their cattle and struck them with a great slaughter. So David
saved the inhabitants of Keilah. 6And when
Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David to Keilah he
came down with an ephod in his hand
7And Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah and
Saul said, God has delivered him into my hand for he is shut in,
by entering into a town that has gates and bars. 8And Saul called
all the people together to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege
David and his men. 9And David knew that Saul secretly practiced
mischief against him and he said to Abiathar the priest, Bring the ephod here. 10Then David said, O LORD God of Israel, your servant has certainly heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah, to
destroy the city for my sake. 11Will the men of Keilah deliver me
up into his hand, will Saul come down, as your servant has
heard? O LORD God of Israel, I beseech you, tell your servant.
And the LORD said, He will come down. 12Then David said,
Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of
Saul? And the LORD said, They will deliver you up. 13Then
David and his men, who were about six hundred, arose and
departed out of Keilah and went wherever they could go. And Saul was told that David was escaped from Keilah and he
forbore to go out.
14And David abode in the wilderness in strong holds and
remained in a mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul
sought him every day. But God did not deliver him into his hand.
15And David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life and
David was in the wilderness of Ziph in a woods. 16And Jonathan
Saul's son arose and went to David into the woods and
strengthened his hand in God. 17And he said to him, Fear not, for
the hand of Saul my father shall not find you and you shall be
king over Israel and I shall be next to you and also Saul my
father knows that. 18And they two made a covenant before the
LORD and David abode in the woods and Jonathan went to his
house.
19Then the Ziphites came up to Gibeah to Saul saying, Does
not David hide himself with us in strong holds in the woods, in
the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of Jeshimon? 20Now
therefore, O king, come down according to all the desire of your
soul to come down and our part shall be to deliver him into the
king's hand. 21And Saul said, Blessed are you of the LORD for
you have compassion on me. 22Go, I beseech you, prepare
further and know and see his place where his haunt is and who
has seen him there for it was told to me that he deals very subtly.
23See therefore and take knowledge of all the lurking places
where he hides himself and come again to me with the
certainty and I will go with you and it shall be if he
is in the land, that I will search him out throughout all the
thousands of Judah. 24And they arose and went to Ziph before
Saul but David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in
the plain on the south of Jeshimon. 25Saul also and his men went
to seek him and they told Saul that David came down into a
rock and abode in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard
that, he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon. 26And
Saul went on this side of the mountain and David and his men
on that side of the mountain and David hurried to get away for
fear of Saul for Saul and his men surrounded David and around his men
to take them. 27But a messenger came to Saul,
saying, Hurry and come, for the Philistines have invaded the
land. 28Therefore Saul returned from pursuing after David and
went against the Philistines. Therefore they called that place
Selahammahlekoth. 29And David went up from there and
dwelled in strong holds at Engedi.
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Chapter 24
1And when Saul had returned from following
the Philistines he was told, saying, Behold, David is in
the wilderness of Engedi. 2Then Saul took three thousand chosen
men out of all Israel and went to seek David and his men on the
rocks of the wild goats. 3And he came to the sheep cotes by the
way, where there was a cave and Saul went in to cover his feet and
David and his men remained inside the cave. 4And the
men of David said to him, Behold the day of which the LORD
said to you, Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand so
that you may do to him as it shall seem good to you. Then David
arose and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe privately. 5And afterward, David's heart struck him because he had cut
off Saul's skirt. 6And he said to his men, The LORD forbid that I
should do this thing to my master, the LORD'S anointed, to
stretch forth my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of
the LORD. 7So David stayed his servants with these words and did not allow them to rise against Saul. But Saul rose up out of the
cave and went on his way. 8David also arose afterward and
went out of the cave and cried after Saul, saying, My lord the
king and when Saul looked behind him, David stooped with his
face to the earth and bowed himself.
9And David said to Saul, Why do you hear men's words,
saying, Behold, David seeks your hurt? 10Behold, this day your
eyes have seen how that the LORD had delivered you today into
my hand in the cave and some bade me to kill you but my eye
spared you and I said, I will not put forth my hand against my
lord, for he is the LORD'S anointed. 11Also, my father, see, yes,
see the skirt of your robe in my hand for in that I cut off the skirt
of your robe and did not kill you, know and see that there is
neither evil nor transgression in my hand and I have not sinned
against you. Yet you hunt my soul to take it. 12The LORD judge
between me and you and the LORD avenge me of you but my
hand shall not be on you. 13As the proverb of the ancients says,
Wickedness proceeds from the wicked but my hand shall not be
on you. 14After whom is the king of Israel come out, after whom
do you pursue? After a dead dog, after a flea. 15The LORD
therefore be judge and judge between me and you and see and
plead my cause and deliver me out of your hand.
16And when David had finished speaking these
words to Saul then Saul said, Is this your voice, my son David?
And Saul lifted up his voice and wept. 17And he said to David,
You are more righteous than I for you have rewarded me good,
whereas I have rewarded you evil. 18And you have shown this day
how that you have dealt well with me, forasmuch as when the
LORD had delivered me into your hand, you did not kill me.
19For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go away well?
Therefore the LORD reward you good for what you have done to
me this day. 20And now, behold, I know well that you shall surely
be king and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in
your hand. 21Swear now therefore to me by the LORD, that you
will not cut off my seed after me and that you will not destroy my
name out of my father's house. 22And David swore to Saul. And
Saul went home but David and his men went up to the hold.
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Chapter 25
1And Samuel died and all the Israelites were gathered together
and lamented him and buried him in his house at Ramah. And
David arose and went down to the wilderness of Paran.
2And there was a man in Maon, whose possessions were in
Carmel and the man was very great and he had three thousand
sheep and a thousand goats and he was shearing his sheep in
Carmel. 3Now the name of the man was Nabal and the name of
his wife Abigail and she was a woman of good understanding
and of a beautiful countenance but the man was churlish and evil
in his doings and he was of the house of Caleb. 4And David
heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep. 5And
David sent out ten young men and David said to the young men,
Go up to Carmel and go to Nabal and greet him in my name
6And thus you shall say to him who lives in prosperity, Peace be
both to you and peace be to your house and peace be to all that
you have. 7And now I have heard that you have shearers. Now
your shepherds who were with us, we did not hurt them nor
was there anything missing to them all the while they were in
Carmel. 8Ask your young men and they will show you.
Therefore let the young men find favor in your eyes for we come
in a good day. Give, I beseech you, what ever comes to your hand
to your servants and to your son David. 9And when David's
young men came, they spoke to Nabal according to all those
words in the name of David and ceased. 10And Nabal answered
David's servants and said, Who is David and who is the son of
Jesse? There are many servants now a days who break away every
man from his master. 11Shall I then take my bread and my water
and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers and give it to
men, whom I do not know where they are?
12So David's young men turned their way and went again and
came and told him all those sayings. 13And David said to his men,
every man gird on his sword and every man girded on his
sword and David also girded on his sword and about four hundred men went up
after David and two hundred stayed by
the stuff. 14But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife,
saying, Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to
salute our master and he railed on them. 15But the men were very
good to us and we were not hurt nor did we miss any thing, as
long as we were conversant with them, when we were in the
fields. 16They were a wall to us both by night and day, all the
while we were with them keeping the sheep. 17Now therefore
know and consider what you will do, for evil is determined
against our master and against all his household for he is such a
son of Belial that a man cannot speak to him.
18Then Abigail hurried and took two hundred loaves and two
bottles of wine and five sheep ready dressed and five measures
of parched corn and a hundred clusters of raisins and two
hundred cakes of figs and laid them on asses 19And she said to
her servants, Go on before me, behold, I will come after you. But she
did not tell her husband Nabal. 20And as she rode on the
ass, she came down by the covert of the hill and, behold,
David and his men came down opposite her and she met them.
21Now David had said, Surely I have kept all that this
man has in the wilderness in vain, so that nothing was missed of all that
pertained to him and he has returned me evil for good. 22So and
more also will God do to the enemies of David, if I leave of all that
pertain to him by the morning light any male. 23And when Abigail saw David, she hurried and lighted off
the ass and fell before David on her face and bowed herself to
the ground 24And fell at his feet and said, On me, my lord, on me
let this iniquity be and let your handmaid, I beseech you, speak in
your audience and hear the words of your handmaid. 25 I beseech you, Let not my lord, regard this man of Belial, even Nabal for
as his name is, so is he, Nabal is his name and folly is with him
but I your handmaid did not see the young men of my lord, whom
you sent. 26Now therefore, my lord, as the LORD lives and as
your soul lives, seeing the LORD has withheld you from coming
to shed blood and from avenging yourself with your own hand,
now let your enemies and those who seek evil to my lord, be as
Nabal. 27And now this blessing which your handmaid has
brought to my lord, let it even be given to the young men who
follow my lord. 28I beseech you, forgive the trespass of your
handmaid for the LORD will certainly make my lord a sure
house because my lord fights the battles of the LORD and evil
has not been found in you all your days. 29Yet a man is risen to
pursue you and to seek your soul but the soul of my lord shall be
bound in the bundle of life with the LORD your God and the
souls of your enemies. He shall sling them out, as out of the
middle of a sling 30And it shall be, when the LORD
shall have done to my lord according to all the good that he has
spoken concerning you and shall have appointed you ruler over
Israel, 31That this shall be no grief to you nor offence of heart to
my lord, either that you have shed blood causeless or that my
lord has avenged himself but when the LORD shall have dealt
well with my lord, then remember your handmaid.
32And David said to Abigail, Blessed is the LORD God of
Israel, who sent you this day to meet me 33And blessed is your
advice and blessed are you, who has kept me this day from
coming to shed blood and from avenging myself with my own
hand. 34For in very deed, as the LORD God of Israel lives, who
has kept me back from hurting you, except you had hurried and
come to meet me, surely there would not have been any male left to Nabal by the
morning light. 35So David
received of her hand that which she had brought him and said to
her, Go up in peace to your house, see, I have listened to your
voice and have accepted your person.
36And Abigail came to Nabal and, behold, he held a feast in
his house, like the feast of a king and Nabal's heart was merry
within him for he was very drunk. Therefore she told him nothing,
more or less, until the morning light. 37But it was in the
morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal and his wife had
told him these things, that his heart died within him and he
became as a stone. 38And about ten days after the LORD struck Nabal so that he died. 39And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed is the LORD, who has
pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal and
has kept his servant from evil for the LORD has returned the
wickedness of Nabal on his own head and David sent and
communed with Abigail, to take her to him as a wife. 40And when
the servants of David had come to Abigail to Carmel, they spoke
to her, saying, David sent us to you, to take you to him as a wife.
41And she arose and bowed herself on her face to the earth and
said, Behold, let your handmaid be a servant to wash the feet of
the servants of my lord. 42And Abigail hurried and arose and
rode on an ass, with five damsels of hers who went after her and
she went after the messengers of David and became his wife.
43David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel and both of
them also were his wives. 44But Saul had given Michal his daughter,
David's wife, to Phalti the son of Laish, who was of Gallim.
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Chapter 26
1And the Ziphites came to Saul to Gibeah, saying, Does not
David hide himself in the hill of Hachilah, which is before
Jeshimon? 2Then Saul arose and went down to the wilderness of
Ziph, having three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to
seek David in the wilderness of Ziph. 3And Saul pitched in the
hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon, by the way. But David
abode in the wilderness and he saw that Saul came after him into
the wilderness. 4David therefore sent out spies and understood
that Saul was come in very deed. 5And David arose and came to
the place where Saul had pitched and David beheld the place
where Saul lay and Abner the son of Ner, the captain of his host
and Saul lay in the trench and the people pitched round about
him.
6Then David answered and said to Ahimelech the Hittite and
to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, brother to Joab, saying, Who will
go down with me to Saul to the camp? and Abishai said, I will go
down with you. 7So David and Abishai came to the people by
night and, behold, Saul lay sleeping within the trench and his
spear stuck in the ground at his bolster but Abner and the people
lay round about him. 8Then said Abishai to David, God has
delivered your enemy into your hand this day. Now, I beseech you therefore, let
me strike him with the spear even to the earth at
once and I will not strike him the second time. 9And David said
to Abishai, Do not destroy him for who can stretch forth his hand
against the LORD'S anointed and be guiltless? 10David said
furthermore, As the LORD lives, the LORD shall strike him or
his day shall come to die or he shall descend into battle and
perish. 11The LORD forbid that I should stretch forth my hand
against the LORD'S anointed but, I beseech you now, take the
spear that is at his bolster and the cruse of water and let us go.
12So David took the spear and the cruse of water from Saul's
bolster and they got away and no man saw it nor knew it
nor wakened for they were all asleep, because a deep sleep
from the LORD had fallen on them.
13Then David went over to the other side and stood on the top
of a hill afar off, a great space being between them 14And David
cried to the people and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, Do you
not answer, Abner? Then Abner answered and said, Who are you
who cries to the king? 15And David said to Abner, Are not you a
valiant man and who is like you in Israel? Why then have you
not guarded your lord the king? For there came one of the people
in to destroy your lord the king. 16This thing is not good that you
have done. As the LORD lives, you are worthy to die because
you have not guarded your master, the LORD'S anointed and now
see where the king's spear is and the cruse of water that was at
his bolster. 17And Saul knew David's voice and said, Is this your
voice, my son David? and David said, It is my voice, my lord, O
king. 18And he said, Why does my lord thus pursue after his
servant for what have I done? Or what evil is in my hand? 19Now
therefore, I beseech you, let my lord the king hear the words of
his servant. If the LORD has stirred you up against me, let him
accept an offering but if the children of men, cursed are
they before the LORD for they have driven me out this day from
abiding in the inheritance of the LORD, saying, Go, serve other
gods. 20Now therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth before
the face of the LORD for the king of Israel is come out to seek a
flea, as when one hunts a partridge in the mountains.
21Then said Saul, I have sinned, return, my son David for I will
do you harm no more because my soul was precious in your eyes
this day. Behold, I have played the fool and have erred
exceedingly. 22And David answered and said, Behold the king's
spear! and let one of the young men come over and take it. 23The
LORD render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness
for the LORD delivered you into my hand today but I would not
stretch forth my hand against the LORD'S anointed. 24And,
behold, as your life was much set by this day in my eyes, so let
my life be much set by in the eyes of the LORD and let him
deliver me out of all tribulation. 25Then Saul said to David,
Blessed are you, my son David, you shall both do great things and
also shall still prevail. So David went on his way and Saul
returned to his place.
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Chapter 27
1And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the
hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should
speedily escape into the land of the Philistines and Saul shall
despair of me, to seek me any more in any coast of Israel. So
I shall escape out of his hand. 2And David arose and he passed over to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath, with the six hundred men who were with him. 3And David dwelled with Achish at
Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, even David
with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the
Carmelitess, Nabal's wife. 4And Saul was told that David had
fled to Gath and he did not seek for him again any more. 5And David
said to Achish, If I have now found grace in your eyes, let them
give me a place in some town in the country so that I may dwell
there for why should your servant dwell in the royal city with
you? 6Then Achish gave him Ziklag that day. Therefore Ziklag
pertains to the kings of Judah to this day. 7And the time that
David dwelled in the country of the Philistines was a full year and
four months.
8And David and his men went up and invaded the Geshurites
and the Gezrites and the Amalekites for those nations were of
old the inhabitants of the land, as you go to Shur, even to the land
of Egypt. 9And David struck the land and left neither man nor
woman alive and took away the sheep and the oxen and the
asses and the camels and the apparel and returned and came to
Achish. 10And Achish said, Where have you made a road today?
And David said, Against the south of Judah and against the south
of the Jerahmeelites and against the south of the Kenites. 11And
David saved neither man nor woman alive, to bring news to Gath,
saying, Lest they should tell on us, saying, So did David and so
will be his manner all the while he dwells in the country of the
Philistines. 12And Achish believed David, saying, He has made
his people Israel to utterly abhor him, therefore he shall be my
servant for ever.
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Chapter 28
1And in those days the Philistines gathered
their armies together for warfare, to fight with Israel And Achish
said to David, Know assuredly that you shall go out with me to
battle, you and your men. 2And David said to Achish, Surely you
shall know what your servant can do. And Achish said to David,
Therefore I will make you keeper of my head for ever. 3Now
Samuel was dead and all Israel had lamented him and buried
him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away those
who had familiar spirits and the wizards, out of the land. 4And
the Philistines gathered themselves together and came and
pitched in Shunem and Saul gathered all Israel together and they
pitched in Gilboa. 5And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines,
he was afraid and his heart greatly trembled. 6And when Saul
enquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, neither by
dreams nor by Urim nor by prophets.
7Then Saul said to his servants, Find a woman for me who has
a familiar spirit so that I may go to her and enquire of her. And his
servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman who has a familiar
spirit at Endor. 8And Saul disguised himself and put on other
raiment and he went and two men with him and they came to
the woman by night and he said, I beseech you, divine to me by
the familiar spirit and bring me up him whom I shall name to
you. 9And the woman said to him, Behold, you know what Saul
has done, how he has cut off those who have familiar spirits and
the wizards, out of the land. Why then do you lay a snare for my
life, to cause me to die? 10And Saul swore to her by the LORD,
saying, As the LORD lives, no punishment shall happen to
you for this thing. 11Then the woman said, Whom shall I bring up
to you? And he said, Bring me up Samuel. 12And when the
woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice and the woman
spoke to Saul, saying, Why have you deceived me? for you are
Saul. 13And the king said to her, Do not be afraid for what did you
see? And the woman said to Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the
earth. 14And he said to her, Of what form is he? And she said, An
old man comes up and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul
perceived that it was Samuel and he stooped with his face to the
ground and bowed himself.
15And Samuel said to Saul, Why have you disquieted me, to
bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed for the
Philistines make war against me and God is departed from me
and does not answer me any more neither by prophets nor by dreams.
Therefore I have called you so that you may make known to me what
I shall do. 16Then said Samuel, Why then do you ask of me,
seeing the LORD has departed from you and has become your
enemy? 17And the LORD has done to you, as he spoke by me for
the LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to
your neighbor, even to David 18Because you did not obey the
voice of the LORD nor execute his fierce anger on Amalek.
Therefore the LORD has done this thing to you this day. 19Also the
LORD will also deliver Israel with you into the hand of the
Philistines and tomorrow you and your sons shall be with me. The
LORD shall also deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the
Philistines.
20Then Saul fell immediately all along on the earth and was sore
afraid because of the words of Samuel and there was no strength
in him for he had eaten no bread all the day nor all the night.
21And the woman came to Saul and saw that he was
sore troubled and said to him, Behold, your handmaid has obeyed
your voice and I have put my life in my hand and have listened
to your words which you spoke to me. 22Now therefore, I beseech
you, listen also to the voice of your handmaid and let me set a
morsel of bread before you and eat so that you may have strength,
when you go on your way. 23But he refused and said, I will not
eat. But his servants, together with the woman, compelled him
and he listened to their voice. So he arose from the earth and sat
on the bed. 24And the woman had a fat calf in the house and she
hurried and killed it and took flour and kneaded it and baked
unleavened bread with it 25And she brought it before Saul and
before his servants and they ate. Then they rose up and went
away that night.
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Chapter 29
1Now the Philistines gathered all their armies together to
Aphek and the Israelites pitched by a fountain which is in
Jezreel. 2And the lords of the Philistines passed on by hundreds
and by thousands but David and his men passed on in the rear
with Achish. 3Then the princes of the Philistines said, Why are
these Hebrews here? And Achish said to the princes of the
Philistines, Isn't this David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel,
who has been with me these days or these years and I have
found no fault in him since he fell to me to this day? 4And the
princes of the Philistines were angry with him and the princes of
the Philistines said to him, Make this man return so that he may
go again to his place which you have appointed him and let him
not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he is an adversary
to us for with what shall he reconcile himself to his master?
Should it not be with the heads of these men? 5Isn't this David, of
whom they sang one to another in dances, saying, Saul killed his
thousands and David his ten thousands?
6Then Achish called David and said to him, Surely, as the
LORD lives, you have been upright and your going out and your
coming in with me in the host is good in my sight for I have not
found evil in you since the day of your coming to me to this day
but the lords do not favor you. 7Therefore return now and go in
peace so that you do not displease the lords of the Philistines.
8And David said to Achish but what have I done and what have
you found in your servant so long as I have been with you to this
day, that I may not go to fight against the enemies of my lord the
king? 9And Achish answered and said to David, I know that you
are good in my sight, as an angel of God but the princes of the
Philistines have said, He shall not go up with us to the battle.
10Therefore now rise up early in the morning with your master's
servants who are come with you and as soon as you are up early
in the morning and have light, depart. 11So David and his men
rose up early to depart in the morning, to return to the land of the
Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.
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Chapter 30
1And when David and his men had come to
Ziklag on the third day the Amalekites had invaded the
south and Ziklag and had attacked Ziklag and burned it with fire
2And had taken captive the women who were in it. They did not
kill any, either great or small but carried them away and went on
their way. 3So David and his men came to the city and, behold, it
was burned with fire and their wives and their sons and their
daughters were taken captives. 4Then David and the people who
were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no
more power to weep. 5And David's two wives were taken
captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the wife of Nabal
the Carmelite. 6And David was greatly distressed, for the people
spoke of stoning him because the souls of all the people were
grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters but David
encouraged himself in the LORD his God.
7And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, I
beseech you, bring the ephod here to me. And Abiathar brought
the ephod to David. 8And David enquired at the LORD, saying,
Shall I pursue after this troop? Shall I overtake them? And he
answered him, Pursue for you shall surely overtake them and
without fail recover all. 9So David went, he and the six hundred
men who were with him and came to the brook Besor, where
those who were left behind stayed. 10But David pursued, he and
four hundred men for two hundred stayed behind, who were so
faint that they could not go over the brook Besor. 11And they
found an Egyptian in the field and brought him to David and
gave him bread and he ate and they made him drink water
12And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of
raisins and when he had eaten, his spirit came to him again for
he had eaten no bread nor drunk any water for three days and three
nights. 13And David said to him, To whom do you belong? and
where are you from? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, a
servant to an Amalekite and my master left me, because three
days ago I fell sick. 14We made an invasion on the south of the
Cherethites and on the coast which belongs to Judah and on the
south of Caleb and we burned Ziklag with fire. 15And David said
to him, Can you bring me down to this company? And he said,
Swear by God to me that you will neither kill me nor deliver me
into the hands of my master and I will bring you down to this
company. 16And when he had brought him down, behold, they
were spread abroad on all the earth, eating and drinking and
dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of
the land of the Philistines and out of the land of Judah. 17And
David struck them from the twilight even to the evening of the
next day and a man of them did not escape, except four
hundred young men, who rode on camels and fled. 18And David
recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away and David
rescued his two wives. 19And there was nothing lacking to them
neither small nor great nor sons nor daughters nor spoil,
nor any thing that they had taken to them. David recovered all.
20And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drove
before those other cattle and said, This is David's spoil.
21And David came to the two hundred men, who were so faint that
they could not follow David, whom they had also made to stay at
the brook Besor and they went out to meet David and to meet
the people who were with him. And when David came near to the
people, he saluted them. 22Then all the wicked men and
men of Belial of those who went with David answered and said, Because
they did not go with us, we will not give them anything of the
spoil that we have recovered, except to every man his wife and
his children so that they may lead them away and depart. 23Then David
said, you shall not do so, my brothers, with that which the
LORD has given us, who has preserved us and delivered the
company who came against us into our hand. 24For who will listen
to you in this matter? But as his part is who goes down to the
battle, so shall his part be who waits by the stuff. They shall part
alike. 25And from that day forward he made it a
statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day 26And when David
came to Ziklag, he sent of the spoil to the elders of Judah, even to
his friends, saying, Behold a present for you of the spoil of the
enemies of the LORD, 27To those who were in Bethel and to
those who were in south Ramoth and to those who were in Jattir
28And to those who were in Aroer and to those who were in
Siphmoth and to those who were in Eshtemoa 29And to those who
were in Rachal and to those who were in the cities of the
Jerahmeelites and to those who were in the cities of the Kenites
30And to those who were in Hormah and to those who were in
Chorashan and to those who were in Athach, 31And to those who
were in Hebron and to all the places where David himself and his
men used to haunt.
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Chapter 31
1Now the Philistines fought against Israel and the men of Israel
fled from before the Philistines and fell down slain in Mount
Gilboa. 2And the Philistines followed hard on Saul and on his
sons and the Philistines killed Jonathan and Abinadab and
Malchishua, Saul's sons. 3And the battle went sore against Saul
and the archers hit him and he was wounded sore by the archers.
4Then Saul said to his armorbearer, Draw your sword and thrust
me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me
through and abuse me. But his armorbearer would not for he
was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword and fell on it. 5And
when his armorbearer saw that Saul was dead, he likewise fell on
his sword and died with him. 6So Saul died and his three sons
and his armorbearer and all his men that same day together.
7And when the men of Israel who were on the other side of the
valley and those who were on the other side of the Jordan, saw
that the men of Israel fled and that Saul and his sons were dead,
they forsook the cities and fled and the Philistines came and
dwelled in them.
8And when the Philistines came to
strip the slain in the morning, they found Saul and his three sons fallen in
Mount Gilboa. 9And they cut off his head and stripped off his
armor and sent into the land of the Philistines around about, to
publish it in the house of their idols and among the people. 10And
they put his armor in the house of Ashtaroth and they fastened
his body to the wall of Bethshan. 11And when the inhabitants of
Jabeshgilead heard of that which the Philistines had done to Saul,
12All the valiant men arose and went all night and took the body
of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Bethshan and
came to Jabesh and burned them there. 13And they took their
bones and buried them under a tree at Jabesh and fasted seven
days.