eng_aiv Amundson Interpretive Version 1 Samuel 1 Samuel 1 Samuel 1 Sam 1 Samuel id=eng_aiv name=Amundson Interpretive Version (AIV) status=draft spec=USFM-USX 3.1.1 export=2026-11-02 char:add=translator-addition-italic char:wj=words-of-Jesus-as-received-unmapped note:f=footnotes para:r=parallel-passage-references para:d=psalm-superscriptions Elkanah and His Wives (Psalm 113:1–9) And there was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim,1.1 Or from Ramathaim, a Zuphite; see LXX and 1 Chronicles 6:26 and 35. of the hill country of Ephraim. And his name was Elkanah, son of Jeroham, son of Elihu,1.1 Elihu is also called Eliab and Eliel; see 1 Chronicles 6:27 and 34. son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. And to him were two wives: The name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the second Peninnah. And Peninnah had children, and Hannah had no children. And that man went up from his city from days to days to bow and sacrifice to YHWH of Hosts in Shiloh. And were there the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of YHWH. And whenever came the time for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters portions. And to Hannah he would give a double portion,1.5 Or a choice portion for he loved Hannah, although YHWH had closed her womb. And her rival also provoked her severely to make her miserable, because YHWH had shut up her womb. And it was year by year, when she went up to the house of YHWH, that she provoked her. And she wept and did not eat. And Elkanah her husband said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? And why do you not eat? And why is your heart grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons?” Hannah Prays for a Son And Hannah arose after they had finished eating in Shiloh, and after drinking, and Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the temple of YHWH. And she was bitter of soul, and she prayed to YHWH and wept bitterly. And she made a vow and said, “O YHWH of Hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant, and remember me and not forget Your maidservant, and will give to your maidservant a male seed, I will give him to YHWH all the days of his life, and a razor shall not go up on his head.” And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the face of YHWH, that Eli watched her mouth. And Hannah, she spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. And Eli thought she was drunk. And Eli said to her, “How long will you be drunk? Put away your wine from you.” And Hannah answered and said, “No, my lord, I am a woman oppressed in spirit; and I have not drunk any wine or strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the face of YHWH. Do not put your maidservant before the face of a daughter of worthlessness, for out of the abundance of my anguish and grief I have been speaking until now.” And Eli answered and said, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant your petition that you have asked of Him.” And she said, “Let your maidservant find favor in your eyes.” And the woman went her way, and ate, and her face was not sad for herself anymore. The Birth of Samuel And they rose early in the morning and worshiped before the face of YHWH, and they returned and came to their house in Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and YHWH remembered her. And it came to pass, in the coming around of the days, that Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, “For from YHWH I have asked for him.” 1.20 Samuel sounds like the Hebrew for heard of God. And the man Elkanah went up, and all his house, to offer to YHWH the yearly sacrifice, and his vow. And Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “Until the child is weaned, then I will bring him, that he may appear before YHWH and remain there even to forever.1.22 MT; DSS include I will offer him as a Nazirite for all time.” And Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what is good in your eyes. Wait until you have weaned him. Only let YHWH establish His word.1.23 MT; DSS, LXX, and Syriac your word” And the woman stayed and nursed her son until she had weaned him. And she took him up with her when she had weaned him, along with a three-year-old bull1.24 DSS, LXX, and Syriac; MT three bulls and one ephah of flour,1.24 An ephah is approximately 20 dry quarts or 22 liters (probably about 25.5 pounds or 11.6 kilograms of flour). and a skin of wine, and she brought him to the house of YHWH in Shiloh; and the boy was a young boy. And they slaughtered a bull and brought the boy to Eli. And she said, “Please, my lord, as your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood by you in this place praying to YHWH. I prayed for this boy, and YHWH has granted to me my petition that I asked of Him. And also I have granted him to YHWH. As long as the days that he lives he shall be granted to YHWH.” And they bowed low1.28 One DSS manuscript; MT he bowed low there before YHWH. Hannah’s Prayer of Thanksgiving (Luke 1:46–56) And Hannah prayed and said, “My heart rejoices in YHWH; My horn2.1 Or strength; also in verse 10 is exalted in YHWH. My mouth is wide over my enemies, for I rejoice in Your salvation. No one is holy like YHWH, for there is none besides You, and no rock like our God. Do not multiply to speak so exceedingly proudly; the old saying goes out from your⁺ mouth, for YHWH is a God of knowledge and by Him actions are weighed. The bows of the mighty are broken, and those who stumbled are girded with strength. The satisfied have hired themselves out for bread, and the hungry have ceased. Even The barren woman has borne seven, and she who has many sons has languished. YHWH kills and keeps alive; He brings down to Sheol and He raises up. YHWH makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and He exalts. He raises the poor from the dust; from the ash heap He lifts the needy to set them among princes, and the throne of glory He bestows on them. For of YHWH are the pillars of the earth, and He has set upon them the world. The feet of His holy ones He will guard, and the wicked in the darkness shall be silent; for not by strength shall man prevail. YHWH—broken down are His adversaries; against them from the heavens He will thunder. YHWH will judge the ends of the earth, and He will give strength to His king and exalt the horn of His anointed.” And Elkanah went to Ramath to his house, and the boy had been ministering to YHWH before Eli the priest. Eli’s Wicked Sons And the sons of Eli were sons of worthlessness; they did not know YHWH. And the custom of the priests with the people was when any man offered a sacrifice, the servant of the priest would come at the boiling of the flesh, and with the fork of three teeth in his hand. And he would thrust it into the pan, or the kettle, or the cauldron, or the pot. All that the fork brought up, the priest would take for himself. Thus they did to all Israel who came there to Shiloh. Also before they burned the fat, the servant of the priest would come and say to the man who sacrificed, “Give flesh for roasting to the priest; and he will not take from you boiled flesh, but only raw.” And the man said to him, “The fat must surely be burned first, and you may take to you as your soul desires,” and he would answer to him, “Surely now you must give it, and if not, I will take it by force.” Therefore the sin of the young men was very great before YHWH, for they2.17 DSS and LXX; MT the men despised the offering of YHWH. And Samuel ministered before YHWH, a boy girded with an ephod of linen. And a small robe his mother would make for him and bring it to him year by year in her coming up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. And Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, “May YHWH give to you seed from this woman for the petition that she asked of YHWH,2.20 DSS; MT in place of the request that one requested of YHWH” and they would go to their own home. And YHWH visited Hannah, and she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. And the boy Samuel grew up before YHWH. And Eli was very old, and he heard all that his sons did to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who assembled at the door of the Tent of Meeting. And he said to them, “Why do you⁺ do these things? For I hear of your⁺ evil deeds from all these people. No, my sons, for the report is not good that I hear spreading among the people of YHWH. If one man sins against another, God2.25 Or the judges will judge him, but if a man sins against YHWH, who will intercede for him?” And they did not listen to the voice of their father, because YHWH delighted to put them to death. And the boy Samuel was going on and growing up in favor both with YHWH and with men. A Prophecy against the House of Eli And a man of God came to Eli and said to him, “Thus says YHWH, ‘Did I clearly reveal Myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt in the house of Pharaoh? And did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel for a priest to Me, to offer upon My altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod before Me? And did I give to the house of your father all the fire offerings of the sons of Israel? Why do you⁺ kick2.29 Or scorn at My sacrifice and at My offering, which I have commanded in My dwelling place, and honor your sons more than Me, to make yourselves fat with the best of all the offerings of Israel My people?’ Therefore the declaration of YHWH, God of Israel, ‘I surely said that your house and the house of your father would walk before Me even to forever. And the declaration of YHWH, Far be it from Me! For those honoring Me I will honor, and those despising Me shall be lightly esteemed. Behold, the days are coming, and I will cut off your arm and the arm of the house of your father, lest there be an old man in your house. And you will see an enemy in My dwelling place, in all that He does good with Israel, and there will not be an old man in your house all the days. And the man I do not cut off of you from My altar2.33 , I will consume your eyes and grieve your heart,2.33 Hebrew; LXX his eyes will fail and his heart will grieve and all the seed2.33 Or increase of your house will die by the sword of men.2.33 DSS and LXX; MT will die as men or will die in the prime of life And this to you is a sign that will come upon your two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas: In one day the two of them will die. And I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest. And he will do according to what is in My heart and in My mind. And I will build him a steadfast house, and he will walk before the face of My anointed all the days. And it will come to pass that everyone remaining in your house will come to bow down to him for a piece of silver and a morsel of bread, and he will say: Put me, please, in one of the priestly positions, that I may eat a morsel of bread.’ Yahweh Calls Samuel And the boy Samuel ministered to YHWH before the face of Eli. And the word of YHWH was rare in those days; there was no vision broken forth. And it came to pass at that time, while Eli was lying down in his place and his eyes had begun to be dim, that he could not see, and the lamp of God was not yet extinguished, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of YHWH where there was the ark of God, that YHWH called to Samuel. And he answered, “Behold.” And he ran to Eli and said, “Behold, for you have called me.” And he said, “I did not call. Turn back, lie down.” And he went and lay down. And YHWH added to call again, “Samuel!” And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, “Behold, for you called me.” And He answered, “I did not call, my son. Turn back, lie down.” And Samuel did not know YHWH, and the word of YHWH was not yet revealed to him. And YHWH again called Samuel the third time, and he arose and went to Eli and said, “Behold, for you called me.” And Eli perceived that YHWH had called the boy. And Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and it shall come to pass, if He calls to you, that you shall say, ‘Speak, YHWH, for Your servant is listening.’” And Samuel went and lay down in his place. And YHWH came and stationed Himself and called as at other times, “Samuel, Samuel.” And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.” And YHWH said to Samuel, “Behold, I am doing a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. In that day I will establish against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. For I have told him that I will judge his house even to forever for the iniquity that he knows, because his sons blasphemed God,3.13 LXX; Hebrew made themselves vile and he did not restrain them. And now I have sworn to the house of Eli, ‘The iniquity of the house of Eli shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or by offering even to forever.’” Samuel Shares the Vision And Samuel lay down until the morning, and he opened the doors of the house of YHWH. And Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. And Eli called Samuel, and said, “Samuel, my son.” And he answered, “Behold.” And he said, “What is the word that He has spoken to you? Please do not hide it from me. Thus may God do to you, and even more, if you hide from me anything of all the words that He has spoken to you.” And Samuel told to him all the words, and he hid nothing from him. And he said, “It is YHWH. Let Him do what is good in His eyes.” And Samuel grew, and YHWH was with him and did not let any of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel knew, from Dan and to Beersheba, that Samuel was established as a prophet of YHWH. And YHWH again appeared in Shiloh, for YHWH revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of YHWH. The Philistines Capture the Ark And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. And Israel went out to meet the Philistines in the battle, and they encamped beside Eben-ezer. And the Philistines encamped in Aphek. And the Philistines arrayed themselves against Israel, and the battle spread, and Israel was defeated by the Philistines, and they struck down among the ranks in the field about four thousand men. And the people had come into the camp, and the elders of Israel said, “Why has YHWH defeated us today before the face of the Philistines? Let us bring for ourselves from Shiloh the ark of the covenant of YHWH, that when it comes4.3 Or He may go into our midst, it may save us from the hand of our enemies.” And the people sent to Shiloh, and they lifted from there the ark of the covenant of YHWH of Hosts, inhabiting the cherubim. And were there the two sons of Eli with the ark of the covenant of God—Hophni and Phinehas. And it came to pass at the coming in of the ark of the covenant of YHWH into the camp, that all Israel shouted a great shout, and the earth resounded. And the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, and they said, “What is the sound of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews?” And they understood that the ark of YHWH had come into the camp. And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “The gods have come into4.7 Or A god has come into the camp.” And they said, “Woe to us, for there has not been such as this before heretofore. Woe to us! Who will snatch us up from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck Egypt with all the plagues in the wilderness. Be strong and be like men, O Philistines, that you⁺ do not become servants of the Hebrews as they have been to you⁺. Be like men and fight.” And the Philistines fought and Israel was defeated, and every man fled to his tent, and there was a very great slaughter, and there fell from Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers. And the ark of God was captured, and the two sons of Eli died—Hophni and Phinehas. The Death of Eli And a man of Benjamin ran from the battle line, and he came to Shiloh that day—and his clothes were torn, and dirt was on his head. And he came, and behold, Eli was sitting on the seat by the side of the way watching, for his heart had been trembling for the ark of God. And the man came and told it in the city, and all the city cried out. And Eli heard the noise of the outcry, and he said, “What is the sound of this tumult?” And the man hurried and came in and declared to Eli. And Eli was a son of ninety-eight years, and his eyes stood, and he could not see. And the man said to Eli, “I am he who came from the battle, and I have fled from the battle line today.” And he said, “What has been the matter, my son?” And the messenger answered and said, “Israel has fled before the face of the Philistines, and there has been a great slaughter among the people, and your two sons are dead—Hophni and Phinehas—and the ark of God has been captured.” And it came to pass, at his mentioning of the ark of God, that he fell off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck was broken, and he died; for the man was old and heavy. And he had judged4.18 Or governed or led Israel forty years. And his daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant about to give birth, and she heard the news that the ark of God was captured and her father-in-law and her husband were dead; and she bowed herself and gave birth, for her labor pains came upon her. And at the time of her death, the women who stood by her said to her, “Fear not, for you have borne a son.” And she did not answer nor set her heart to it. And she named the child Ichabod,4.21 Ichabod means no glory. saying, “The glory has departed4.21 Or gone into exile; also in verse 22 from Israel,” because the ark of God had been captured, and because of her father-in-law and her husband. And she said, “The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.” The Ark Afflicts the Philistines And the Philistines took the ark of God, and they brought it in from Eben-ezer to Ashdod. And the Philistines took the ark of God, and they brought it into the house of Dagon and set it beside Dagon. And the Ashdodites arose early in the morning, and there was Dagon, fallen on his face to the earth before the face of the ark of YHWH. And they took Dagon, and returned him to his place. And they arose in the morning on the next day, and behold, Dagon was fallen on his face to the ground before the face of the ark of YHWH, and the head of Dagon and the two palms of its hands were broken off on the threshold. Only Dagon was left of it. Upon thus the priests of Dagon—and all those coming into the house of Dagon—do not tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day. And the hand of YHWH was heavy on the Ashdodites, and He ravaged them and struck them with tumors, Ashdod and its borders. 5.6 Hebrew; LXX and Vulgate include And rats appeared in their land, and death and destruction were throughout the city. And the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, and they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for His hand is harsh against us and against Dagon our god.” And they sent and gathered all the lords of the Philistines to themselves 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 away to Gath.” And they carried away the ark of the God of Israel. And it came to pass, after they had carried it away, that the hand of YHWH was against the city with a very great destruction, and He struck the men of the city from small and to great, and tumors broke forth on them. And they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And it came to pass, as came the ark of God to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out, saying, “They have brought to us the ark of the God of Israel to kill me and my people.” And 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 back to its own place, so that it does not5.11 Or He will not kill me and my people.” For there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there. And the men who did not die were stricken with tumors, and the cry of the city went up to the heavens. The Ark Returned to Israel And the ark of YHWH was in the country of the Philistines seven months. And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, “What shall we do with the ark of YHWH? Tell us, by what should we send it to its place?” And they said, “If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty. But you⁺ shall by all means return it to Him with a guilt offering. Then you⁺ will be healed, and it will be known to you⁺ why His hand has not turned aside from you⁺.” And they said, “What is the guilt offering that we shall return to Him?” And they answered, “The number of the lords of the Philistines—five golden tumors and five golden rats—for one plague is on all of you and on your⁺ lords. And you⁺ shall make images of your⁺ tumors and images of your⁺ rats that are ravaging the land, and you⁺ shall give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps He will lighten His hand from upon you⁺ and from upon your⁺ gods and from upon your⁺ land. And why do you⁺ harden6.6 Or make heavy; similarly again in this verse your⁺ hearts, as Egypt and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? Was it not that only when He had dealt severely with them that they sent them off so they could go on their way? And now, take and make one new cart, and two suckling cows on which a yoke has not gone up, and hitch the cows to the cart, and return their calves from them to the house. And take the ark of YHWH, and set it on the cart. And the articles of gold that you⁺ are returning to Him as a guilt offering, put in the chest by its side, and send it away that it may go. And watch: If it goes up the way of its own border toward Beth-shemesh, He has done to us this great disaster. But if not, then we will know that it is not His hand that struck us; it happened to us by chance.” And the men did so, and they took two suckling cows and bound them to the cart, and they shut up their calves in the house. And they set the ark of YHWH on the cart, and the chest, and the golden rats, and the images of their tumors. And the cows went in the way, on the way to Beth-shemesh, along one highway as they went, going and lowing, and they did not turn aside to the right hand or the left. And the lords of the Philistines went after them to the border of Beth-shemesh. And Beth-shemesh were reaping their harvest of wheat in the valley, and they lifted their eyes and saw the ark, and they rejoiced to see it. And the cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh, and it stood still there; and there was a large stone. And they split the wood of the cart, and they offered the cows as a burnt offering to YHWH. And the Levites took down the ark of YHWH, and the chest that was with it in which were the articles of gold, and they placed them on the large stone, and the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices in that day to YHWH. And the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, and they returned to Ekron that day. And these are the golden tumors that the Philistines returned as a guilt offering to YHWH; for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Ashkelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one; and the golden rats—the number of all the cities of the Philistines for the five princes, from the fortified city and to the village of the countryside, even to Abel-haggedolah,6.18 Abel-haggedolah means great meadow or large rock which they placed in it the ark of YHWH—are to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh. And He struck the men of Beth-shemesh, for they had looked into the ark of YHWH, and He struck seventy men of the people,6.19 A few late Hebrew manuscripts and Josephus; most Hebrew manuscripts 70 men and 50,000 men; LXX 70 men and 50,000 men of the people; Syriac and Arabic 70 men and 5,000 men; alternately, possibly 70 men and 50 oxen and the people lamented because YHWH had struck the people with a great slaughter. And the men of Beth-shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before the face of YHWH, this holy God? And to whom shall it go up from us?” And they sent messengers to those dwelling in Kiriath-jearim, saying, “The Philistines have brought back the ark of YHWH; come down, take it up with you⁺.” Samuel Subdues the Philistines And the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took the ark of YHWH, and brought it into the house of Abinadab on the hill. And they consecrated Eleazar his son to guard the ark of YHWH. And it came to pass that the ark remained at Kiriath-jearim, and the days were multiplied—and it was there twenty years. And all the house of Israel lamented after YHWH. And Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If with all your⁺ heart you⁺ are returning to YHWH, put away the foreign gods from your⁺ midst, and the Ashtoreths, and prepare your⁺ hearts for YHWH, and serve Him only. And He will snatch you⁺ up from the hand of the Philistines.” And the sons of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and they served YHWH only. And Samuel said, “Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray for you⁺ to YHWH.” And they gathered together at Mizpah, and they drew water and poured it out before the face of YHWH. And they fasted that day and said there, “We have sinned against YHWH.” And Samuel judged7.6 Or governed or led; similarly in verses 15, 16, and 17 the sons of Israel at Mizpah. And the Philistines heard that the sons of Israel had gathered together at Mizpah, and the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And the sons of Israel heard, and they were afraid of the Philistines. And the sons of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not cease from crying out to YHWH our God, that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines.” And Samuel took one suckling lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to YHWH. And Samuel cried out to YHWH for Israel, and YHWH answered him. And Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, and the Philistines drew near to the battle against Israel. And YHWH thundered in a loud thunder that day upon the Philistines, and He confused them and they were struck before the face of Israel. And Israel went out from the men of Mizpah, and they pursued the Philistines and drove them back even as far as below Beth-car. And Samuel took one stone and set it up between Mizpah and between Shen,7.12 Hebrew; LXX and Syriac Jeshanah and he called its name Ebenezer7.12 Ebenezer means stone of help. and said, “As far as here, YHWH has helped us.” And the Philistines were subdued; and they added not anymore to come into the territory of Israel. And the hand of YHWH was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. And the cities that the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath; and its territory Israel delivered from the hand of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and between the Amorite. And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. And He went from year to year on a circuit to Bethel, and Gilgal, and Mizpah, and he judged Israel in all these places. And his returning was to Ramath, for his house was there, and there he judged Israel. And he built there an altar to YHWH. Israel Demands a King (Deuteronomy 17:14–20) And it came to pass when Samuel was old that he made his sons judges8.1 Or governors or leaders; similarly in verses 2, 5, 6, and 20 over Israel. And the name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second Abijah—judges in Beersheba. And his sons did not walk in his ways, and they turned aside after dishonest gain, and they took bribes and perverted justice. And all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, and they said to him, “Behold, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint to us a king to judge us like all the nations.” And the thing was bad in the eyes of Samuel when they said, “Give to us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to YHWH. And YHWH said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but Me they have rejected from reigning over them. According to all the works that they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, and to this day—and they have forsaken Me and served other gods—so they are doing also to you. And now listen to their voice. Only surely you must solemnly warn them and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them.” Samuel’s Warning And Samuel told all the words of YHWH to the people who were asking from him a king. And he said, “This will be the behavior of the king who will reign over you⁺: Your⁺ sons he will take and appoint to his own chariots and horses, and some will run before the face of his chariots. And He will appoint for himself captains of thousands and captains of fifties also to plow his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. And your⁺ daughters he will take for perfumers, and for cooks, and for bakers. And your⁺ fields and your⁺ vineyards and your⁺ olive groves—the best ones—he will take and give to his servants. And your⁺ grain and your⁺ vintage, He will take a tenth and give it to his officers and servants. And your⁺ menservants, and your⁺ maidservants, and your⁺ best cattle, and your⁺ donkeys, he will take and put to his work. 8.16 LXX; Hebrew your best young men He will take a tenth of your⁺ flock, and you⁺ will be his slaves. And you⁺ will cry out in that day because of your⁺ king whom you⁺ have chosen for yourselves, and YHWH will not answer you⁺ in that day.” God Grants the Request And the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel, and they said, “No, but surely we will have a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he spoke them in the ears of YHWH. And YHWH said to Samuel, “Listen to their voice and appoint to them a king.” And Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Go, every man to his city.” Saul Chosen as King And there was a man of Benjamin, and his name was Kish son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Bechorath, son of Aphiah, the son of a man of Benjamin, mighty of valor. And he had a son, and his name was Saul, a choice youth and handsome. And not a man among the sons of Israel was more handsome than he—from his shoulder and upward he was taller than any of the people. And the donkeys of Kish father of Saul were lost, and Kish said to Saul his son, “Please take with you one of the servants and arise, go and look for the donkeys.” And he passed through the hill country of Ephraim, and through the land of Shalisha, and they did not find them. And they passed through the land of Shaalim and they were not there. And he passed through the land of the Benjamite, and they did not find them. They came into the land of Zuph, and Saul said to his servant who was with him, “Come and let us return, lest my father cease about the donkeys, and become worried about us.” And he said to him, “Behold now, a man of God is in this city, and the man is honored; all that he says surely comes to pass. So let us go there; perhaps he can declare to us the way on which we should go.” And Saul said to his servant, “And behold, if we go, what shall we bring to the man? For the bread is all gone in our vessels, and there is no gift to bring to the man of God. What do we have?” And the servant added to answer Saul, and he said, “Behold, I have here at hand a fourth of a shekel of silver.9.8 A fourth of a shekel is approximately 0.1 ounces or 2.85 grams of silver. I will give that to the man of God to declare to us our way.” (Formerly in Israel, thus spoke the man in his going to inquire of God: “Come, and let us go to the seer.” For the prophet today was formerly called the seer.) And Saul said to his servant, “Your word is good. Come, let us go.” And they went to the city where there was the man of God. They were going up on the ascent of the city, and they met young women going out to draw water and said to them, “Is there the seer in this place?” And they answered them and said, “He is; behold, ahead of you. Hurry now, for today he came to the city, for unto the people there is a sacrifice today on the high place. In your⁺ entering the city, thus you⁺ will find him before he goes up to the high place to eat, for the people will not eat until he comes, because he must bless the sacrifice. After thus, those will eat who are invited. And now go up, for at this time you⁺ will find him.” And they went up to the city. They were coming into the midst of the city, and there was Samuel coming out toward them on his way up to the high place. And YHWH had uncovered the ear of Samuel one day before the coming of Saul, saying, “At this time tomorrow I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him commander over My people Israel, that he may save My people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have looked upon My people, because their cry has come to Me.” And Samuel saw Saul, and YHWH said to him, “Behold, the man of whom I spoke to you. This one shall reign over My people.” And Saul drew near to Samuel in the midst of the gate and said, “Tell me please, where is the house of the seer?” And 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 I will let you go tomorrow, and all that is in your heart I will declare to you. And as for the donkeys that were lost to you three days ago, set not your heart to them, for they have been found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on you and on all the house of your father?” And Saul answered and said, “Am I not a Benjamite, from the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family the least of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? And why do you speak to me like this?” And Samuel took Saul and his servant, and brought them into the hall and had them sit in the place of honor of those called, and they were about thirty persons. And Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the portion that I gave to you, of which I said to you: Set it by you.” And the cook took up the leg and what was attached to it, and he set it before the face of Saul. And he said, “Behold, what was kept back! It was set apart for you. Eat, for to this appointed season it has been kept for you, saying, ‘The people I have invited.’” And Saul ate with Samuel that day. And they had come down from the high place into the city, and he spoke with Saul on the roof. And they arose early, and it came to pass at the ascending of the dawn, that Samuel called to Saul on the roof, saying, “Get up, that I may send you on your way.” And Saul arose, and went the two of them—he and Samuel—outside. As they were going down to the outskirts of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Speak to the servant that he may pass on before our face,” and he went on. “And you stand awhile, and I will make you hear the word of God.” Samuel Anoints Saul And Samuel took a flask of the oil and poured it on his head, and he kissed him and said, “Is it not because YHWH has anointed you over His inheritance as ruler?10.1 Hebrew; LXX “Has not the LORD anointed you ruler over Israel? And you will rule over the LORD’s people and save them from their enemies around them. This will be the sign to you that the LORD has appointed you to be leader over His inheritance. When you have departed today from me, you will find two men by the tomb of Rachel in the territory of Benjamin in Zelzah. And they will say to you, ‘The donkeys have been found that you went to look for. And behold, your father has ceased the matter of the donkeys, and is worrying about you⁺, saying, “What shall I do about my son?”’ And you shall go on from there and beyond, and come to the Oak10.3 Or Terebinth or Great Tree of Tabor, and there will meet you three men going up to God at Bethel, one carrying three young goats, and one carrying three loaves of bread, and one carrying a skin of wine; and they will greet you and give to you two loaves of bread, and you shall receive from their hands. After that you shall come to Gibeath-Elohim,10.5 Gibeath-Elohim means the hill of God where there is the garrison of the Philistines. And it will come to pass when you have come there to the city, that you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place, and before their face will be a harp, and a tambourine, and a flute, and a lyre, and they will be prophesying. And the Spirit of YHWH will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man. And it will come to pass, when these signs come to you, that you shall do for yourself as your hand finds, for God is with you. And you shall go down before me to Gilgal, and surely I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings. Seven days you shall wait until I come to you and show you what you should do. Samuel’s Signs Fulfilled And it came to pass, at his turning his back to go from Samuel, that God gave to him another heart, and all these signs came on that day. And they came there to Gibeah,10.10 Gibeah means the hill. and there was a group of prophets to meet him, and the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied in their midst. And it came to pass that all who knew him before now saw, and behold, among the prophets he prophesied, and the people said one to another, “What is this that has come to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?” And a man from there answered and said, “And who is their father?” Upon thus it became a proverb: “Is Saul also among the prophets?” And he had finished prophesying, and he went to the high place. And the uncle of Saul said to him and his servant, “Where did you⁺ go?” And he said, “To look for the donkeys. And we saw that they were not, and we went to Samuel.” And the uncle of Saul said, “Please declare to me what Samuel said to you⁺.” And Saul said to his uncle, “He surely declared to us that the donkeys had been found.” And about the matter of the kingdom he did not declare to him what Samuel had said. Saul Proclaimed King And Samuel called together the people to YHWH at Mizpah, and he said to the sons of Israel, “Thus says YHWH, God of Israel, ‘I brought up Israel out of Egypt and snatched you⁺ up from the hand of Egypt and from the hand of all the kingdoms who were oppressing you⁺.” And you⁺ today have rejected your⁺ God, who Himself saved you⁺ from all your⁺ adversities and your⁺ distresses, and you⁺ have said to Him, ‘No, but a king set over us.’ And now present yourselves before the face of YHWH by your⁺ tribes and by your⁺ thousands.” And Samuel had caused to come near all the tribes of Israel, and the tribe of Benjamin was chosen. And he had caused to come near the tribe of Benjamin by their clans, and the family of Matri was chosen.10.21 LXX includes And he brought the family of the Matrites near, man by man. And Saul son of Kish was chosen, and they sought him, and he could not be found. And they inquired further of YHWH, “Has the man yet come here?” And YHWH answered, “Behold, he has hidden himself among the vessels.” And they ran and brought him from there, and he stood in the midst of the people, and he was taller than any of the people from his shoulder and upward. And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you⁺ see him whom YHWH has chosen, that no one is like him among all the people?” And all the people shouted and said, “May the king live!” And Samuel explained to the people the right of the kingdom, and he wrote it in a book and laid it up before the face of YHWH. And Samuel sent away all the people, every man to his house. And also Saul went home to Gibeah, and the mighty went with him of whom the hearts God had touched. And sons of worthlessness said, “How can this one save us?” And they despised him and brought him no gift, and he was like one being silent.10.27 MT and LXX; one DSS manuscript includes Nahash, king of the Ammonites, had viciously oppressed the people of Gad and Reuben, gouging out the right eye of each Israelite dwelling there. He would not allow anyone to rescue them, and there was no Israelite east of the Jordan whose right eye had not been gouged out. But 7,000 men had escaped from the Ammonites and settled in Jabesh-gilead. Saul Defeats the Ammonites And Nahash11.1 DSS and LXX About a month later Nahash the Ammonite came up and encamped against Jabesh-gilead. And all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Make with us a covenant,11.1 Or a treaty. and we will serve you.” And Nahash the Ammonite answered to them, “On this I will cut with you⁺, that I may put out of you⁺ every right eye and bring reproach on all Israel.” And the elders of Jabesh said to him, “Hold off for seven days, that we may send messengers to all the territory of Israel. And if no one is saving us, we will come out to you.” And 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. And there was Saul coming behind the herd from the field, and Saul said, “What is to the people, that they weep?” And they told him the words of the men of Jabesh. And the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard these words, and his anger was kindled greatly. And he took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel by the hands of messengers, saying, “Whoever does not go out to battle with Saul and Samuel, so it shall be done to his oxen.” And the dread of YHWH fell on the people, and they came out as one man. And he numbered them in Bezek, and the sons of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.11.8 DSS and LXX 70,000 And they said to the messengers who had come, “Thus you⁺ shall say to the men of Jabesh-gilead, ‘Tomorrow shall be to you⁺ salvation by the heat of the sun.’” And the messengers came and declared this to the men of Jabesh, and they were glad. And the men of Jabesh said, “Tomorrow we will come out to you⁺, and you⁺ may do with us whatever seems good to you⁺.” And it came to pass on the next day that Saul put the people in three companies, and they came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch, and they struck the Ammonites until the heat of the day. And it came to pass that those who survived were scattered, and not two of them were left together. Saul Confirmed as King And the people said to Samuel, “Who is he who said: Saul shall reign over us? Bring the men, that we may put them to death.” And Saul said, “Not a man shall be put to death this day, for today YHWH has done salvation in Israel.” And Samuel said to the people, “Come, and we go to Gilgal and renew the kingdom there.” And all the people went to Gilgal, and they made Saul king there before the face of YHWH in Gilgal. And they made sacrifices there of peace offerings before the face of YHWH, and there Saul rejoiced, and all the men of Israel, very greatly. Samuel’s Farewell Address And Samuel said to all Israel, “Behold, I have listened to your⁺ voice in all that you⁺ said to me, and I have made reign over you⁺ a king. And here is the king, walking before you⁺, and I am old and have become gray. And my sons, behold, are with you⁺, and I have walked before you⁺ from my childhood to this day. Behold, witness against me before YHWH and before His anointed. The ox of whom have I taken? Or the donkey of whom have I taken? Or whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? Or from the hand of whom have I received a bribe and hidden my eyes with it? And I will restore it12.3 LXX Testify against me, and I will restore it to you⁺.” And they said, “You have not oppressed us and you have not crushed us, and you have not taken anything from the hand of man.” And he said to them, “YHWH is witness against you⁺, and His anointed is witness this day, that you⁺ have not found anything in my hand.” And he said, “Witness.” And Samuel said to the people, “YHWH is He who12.6 Hebrew; LXX The LORD is the witness who made Moses and Aaron, and who brought up your⁺ fathers from the land of Egypt. And now station yourselves, and I will judge with you⁺ before the face of YHWH concerning all the righteous acts of YHWH that He did for you⁺ for you your⁺ fathers. When Jacob had gone into Egypt,12.8 Hebrew; LXX includes and the Egyptians oppressed them then your⁺ fathers cried out to YHWH, and YHWH sent Moses and Aaron, and they brought out your⁺ fathers from Egypt and made them dwell in this place. And they forgot YHWH their God, and He sold them into the hand of Sisera commander of the army of Hazor,12.9 LXX the army of Jabin king of Hazor and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab. And they fought against them. And they cried out to YHWH and said, ‘We have sinned, because we have forsaken YHWH and served the Baals and the Ashtoreths. Now snatch us up from the hand of our enemies, and we will serve You.’ And YHWH sent Jerubbaal,12.11 Jerubbaal is another name for Gideon and probably means let Baal contend; see Judges 6:32. and Barak,12.11 LXX and Syriac; Hebrew Bedan and Jephthah, and Samuel,12.11 LXX and Syriac Samson and He snatched you⁺ up out of the hand of your⁺ enemies on every side, and you⁺ dwelt in safety. And you⁺ saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites came against you⁺, and you⁺ said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us’—when YHWH your⁺ God was your⁺ king. And now here is the king whom you⁺ have chosen and whom you⁺ have desired. And behold, YHWH has set over you⁺ a king. If you⁺ fear YHWH, and serve Him, and listen to His voice, and do not rebel against the commandment of YHWH, then you⁺ will be well—both you⁺ and the king who reigns over you⁺ after YHWH your⁺ God! But if you⁺ do not listen to the voice of YHWH and rebel against the commandment of YHWH, then the hand of YHWH will be against you⁺ as against your⁺ fathers.12.15 Hebrew; LXX against your king Therefore now stand and see this great thing that YHWH will do before your⁺ eyes. Is it not the harvest of wheat this day? I will call to YHWH, and He will send thunder and rain, that you⁺ may perceive and see that your⁺ wickedness is great, which you⁺ have done in the eyes of YHWH in asking for yourselves a king.” And Samuel called to YHWH, and YHWH sent thunder and rain that day. And all the people greatly feared YHWH and Samuel. And all the people said to Samuel, “Pray for your servants to YHWH your God, that we may not die. For we have added to all our sins the evil of asking for ourselves a king.” And Samuel said to the people, “Do not be afraid. You⁺ have done all this evil; yet do not turn aside from following YHWH, and serve YHWH with all your⁺ heart. And do not turn aside as though after the empty things that do not profit and do not deliver; for they are nothing. For YHWH will not forsake His people for the sake of His great name, because it has pleased YHWH to make you⁺ unto Him a people. As for me, moreover, far be it from me that I should sin against YHWH in ceasing to pray for you⁺. And I will teach you⁺ the good and the straight way. Only fear YHWH and serve Him in truth with all your⁺ heart; for consider that which He has made great with you⁺. But if you⁺ persist in doing evil, both you⁺ and your⁺ king will be swept away.” War with the Philistines A son thirty years,13.1 A few late LXX manuscripts; MT A son of a year Saul reigned, and forty-two years13.1 Or forty years (see Acts 13:21); MT two years he had reigned over Israel, and Saul chose for himself three thousand of Israel: And two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. And the rest of the people he sent away, every man to his tent. And Jonathan struck the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew upon a shofar throughout all the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear.” And all Israel heard it said, “Saul has attacked a garrison of the Philistines, and also Israel has become a stench to the Philistines.” And the people were called together to Saul at Gilgal. And the Philistines gathered together to fight with Israel—three thousand13.5 Some LXX manuscripts and Syriac; Hebrew thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and people like the sand that is on the shore of the sea in multitude. And they came up and encamped in Michmash, to the east of Beth-aven. And the men of Israel saw that it was narrow to them, for the people were distressed. And the people hid in the caves, and in the thickets, and in the cliffs, and in the holes, and in the pits. And Hebrews passed over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. And as for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people trembled after him. Saul’s Unlawful Sacrifice And he waited seven days, for the time appointed by Samuel, and Samuel did not come to Gilgal. And the people were scattered from him. And Saul said, “Bring here to me the burnt offering and the peace offerings,” and he offered the burnt offering. And it came to pass, as he finished offering the burnt offering, that Samuel came, and Saul went out to meet him to bless him. And Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and you did not come within the appointed days, and the Philistines gathered together at Michmash, then I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down upon me at Gilgal, and to YHWH I have not made supplication.’ And I forced myself and I offered the burnt offering.” And Samuel said to Saul, “You have been foolish. You have not kept the commandment of YHWH your God, which He commanded you. For now YHWH would have established your kingdom over Israel even to forever. And your kingdom shall not continue, for YHWH Himself has sought a man after His own heart, and YHWH has commanded him to be ruler over His people, because you have not kept what YHWH commanded you.” And Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people present with him, about six hundred men. 13.15 LXX Then Samuel set out, and the rest of the people went up after Saul to meet the army; they went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. Israel without Weapons And Saul and Jonathan his son and the people present with them remained in Geba of Benjamin. And the Philistines encamped in Michmash. And the destroyer went out from the camp of the Philistines—three companies. One company turned to the way of Ophrah, to the land of Shual. And one company turned to the way of Beth-Horon. And one company turned to the way of the border which is looking on the Valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness. And there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, “Lest the Hebrews make swords or spears.” And all Israel would go down to the Philistines to sharpen each man his plowshare, and his mattock, and his ax, and his sickle.13.20 LXX; Hebrew plowshare; (so plowshare appears twice in the Hebrew). And the charge was a pim13.21 A pim possibly refers to a polished stone weighing approximately 0.25 ounces or 7 grams found in excavations. This is equivalent to about two-thirds of a shekel and likely refers to the price charged by the Philistines for the services listed. for the plowshares and the mattocks, and for a third of a shekel13.21 Hebrew does not include the currency unit of a shekel charged for sharpening a pitchfork, an axe, or an oxgoad; alternatively, possibly a third of a pim for each. the forks and the axes, and to set the points of the goads. And it came to pass on the day of battle that there was found not a sword or spear in the hand of any of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan. And one was found for Saul and for Jonathan his son. And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash. Jonathan’s Victory over the Philistines And one day it came to pass that Jonathan son of Saul said to the young man who bore his armor, “Come, and let us pass over to the garrison of the Philistines that is on the other side of this.” And his father he did not tell. And Saul was sitting in the outskirts of Gibeah under the pomegranate tree14.2 Or around the rock of Rimmon or in the pomegranate cave; see Judges 20:45, Judges 20:47, and Judges 21:13. that is in Migron, and the people who were with him, about six hundred men. And Ahijah son of Ahitub, brother of Ichabod, son of Phinehas, son of Eli priest of YHWH in Shiloh, was wearing an ephod. And the people did not know that Jonathan had gone. And between the passes by which Jonathan sought to pass over to the garrison of the Philistines were a sharp rock on this side and a sharp rock on this side—the name of one Bozez, and the name of one Seneh. The front of one faced northward opposite Michmash, and one southward opposite Geba. And Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, “Come and let us pass over to the garrison of these uncircumcised. Perhaps YHWH will work for us, for nothing can restrain YHWH from saving by many or by few.” And the bearer of his armor said to him, “Do all that is in your heart; turn for yourself. Behold, I am with you according to your heart.” And Jonathan said, “Behold, we will pass over to the men and we will show ourselves to them. If they say thus to us, ‘Wait until we come to you⁺,’ we will stand still in our place and not go up to them. But if thus they say, ‘Come up to us,’ we will go up, for YHWH has delivered them into our hands, and this is a sign to us.” And the two of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines, and the Philistines said, “Behold, the Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden.” And the men of the garrison called to Jonathan and the bearer of his armor and said, “Come up to us, and we will show you⁺ something.” And Jonathan said to the bearer of his armor, “Come up after me, for YHWH has delivered them into the hand of Israel.” And Jonathan climbed up on his hands and on his feet, and the bearer of his armor after him, and they fell before the face of Jonathan, and the bearer of his armor killed them after him. And that first slaughter that Jonathan and the bearer of his armor struck was about twenty men in about half a furrow of a yoke14.14 A yoke was the amount of land plowed by a pair of yoked oxen in one day. of land, and there was trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people in the garrison, and the raiders trembled—even they—and the earth quaked. And it became a trembling14.15 Or and a terrible panic spread from God. And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and there was the multitude melting away, and it went here and there. And Saul said to the people who were with him, “Call the roll now, and see who has gone from us.” And they had called the roll, and behold, Jonathan and the bearer of his armor were not there. And Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring here the ark of God.” (For the ark of God was at that time with the sons of Israel.14.18 Hebrew; LXX “Bring the ephod.” For at that time he wore the ephod before the Israelites.) And it came to pass, while Saul talked to the priest, that the noise that was in the camp of the Philistines went on, going on and increasing. And Saul said to the priest, “Withdraw your hand.” And Saul assembled all the people who were with him, and they went to the battle. And behold, the sword of every man was against his neighbor—very great confusion. And the Hebrews who were with the Philistines before that time, who went up with them into the camp from all around, even they were with Israel, who were with Saul and Jonathan. And all the men of Israel who had hidden in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines had fled, and they also pursued after them in the battle. And YHWH saved Israel that day, and the battle shifted to beyond Beth-aven. Jonathan Eats the Honey And the men of Israel were distressed that day, for Saul had adjured the people, saying, “Cursed is the man who eats food before the evening, when I have taken vengeance on my enemies.” And none of all the people tasted food. And the whole land came into the forest, and there was honey on the face of the ground. And the people had come into the forest, and there was the honey dripping, and no one put his hand to his mouth. For the people feared the oath. And Jonathan had not heard that his father had adjured the people, and he stretched out 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.14.27 Or his strength was renewed; similarly in verse 29 And a man of the people answered and said, “Your father adjured the people with a solemn oath, saying, ‘Cursed is the man who eats food this day.’” And the people were faint. And Jonathan said, “My father has troubled the land. Behold now, how my eyes have been enlightened because I tasted a little of this honey. How much better that if the people had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies that they found? For now would there not have been a much greater slaughter among the Philistines?” And that day they had driven back the Philistines from Michmash to Aijalon, and the people were very faint. And the people rushed upon the plunder, and they took sheep and oxen and sons of the herd, and slaughtered them on the ground; and the people ate them with the blood. And they declared to Saul, saying, “Behold, the people are sinning against YHWH by eating with the blood.” And he said, “You⁺ have dealt treacherously. Roll to me this day a large stone.” And Saul said, “Be you scattered among the people, and say to them, ‘Bring to me here every man’s ox, and every man’s sheep, and slaughter them in this place, and eat, and do not sin against YHWH by eating with the blood.’” And all the people brought everyone his ox in his hand that night, and slaughtered it there. And Saul built an altar to YHWH; it was the first altar that he built to YHWH. And Saul said, “Let us go down after the Philistines by night, and plunder them until the light of the morning, and let us leave not a man of them.” And they said, “All that is good in your eyes, do.” And the priest said, “Let us draw near here to God.” The People Save Jonathan And Saul inquired of God, “Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will You give them into the hand of Israel?” And He did not answer him on that day. And Saul said, “Draw near here, all the chiefs of the people, and know and see what this sin was today. For as YHWH lives who saves Israel, surely if it is in Jonathan my son, indeed he must surely be put to death.” And not a man answered him among all the people. And he said to all Israel, “You⁺ will be on one side, and I and Jonathan my son will be on one side.” And the people said to Saul, “The good in your eyes, do.” And Saul said to YHWH, God of Israel, “Why have You not answered Your servant this day? If the fault is with me or my son Jonathan, respond with Urim, but if the fault is with the men of Israel, respond with Thummim.”14.41 LXX and Vulgate; MT contains only the short quotation, “Respond with Thummin.” And Jonathan and Saul were taken, and the people escaped. And Saul said, “Cast lots between me and between Jonathan my son.” And Jonathan was taken. And Saul said to Jonathan, “Tell me what you have done.” And Jonathan told him and said, “I surely tasted with the end of the rod that was in my hand a little honey. And behold, I must die?” And Saul answered, “Thus God does, and thus does He add, for you shall surely be put to death, Jonathan.” And the people said to Saul, “Shall Jonathan die, who has accomplished this great salvation in Israel? Profane! As YHWH lives, if shall fall a hair of his head to the ground! For with God he has worked this day.” And the people rescued Jonathan, and he did not die. And Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, and the Philistines went to their own place. Saul’s Victories And Saul captured the kingdom over Israel, and he fought on every side against all his enemies—against Moab, and against the sons of Ammon, and against Edom, and against the kings14.47 MT; DSS and LXX king of Zobah, and against the Philistines. And wherever he turned, he inflicted punishment.14.47 LXX he was victorious And he made a force and struck the Amalekite, and he delivered Israel from the hand of those who plundered them. And the sons of Saul were Jonathan and Ishvi and Malchishua—and as for the names of his two daughters, the name of the firstborn was Merab, and the name of the younger was Michal. And the name of the wife of Saul was Ahinoam daughter of Ahimaaz. And the name of the commander of his army was Abner son of Ner, uncle of Saul. And Kish was the father of Saul, and Ner the father of Abner was son of Abiel. And war with the Philistines was severe all the days of Saul. And Saul saw any strong man, or any valiant son, and he gathered him to himself. Saul’s Disobedience And Samuel said to Saul, “YHWH sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Israel. And now listen to the voice of the words of YHWH. Thus says YHWH of Hosts: ‘I have looked after that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid in wait for him on the way in his going up out of Egypt. Now go and strike the Amalekite, and utterly destroy15.3 Forms of the Hebrew cherem refer to the giving over of things or persons to YHWH, either by destroying them or by giving them as an offering; also in verses 8, 9, 15, 18, 20, and 21. all that is unto him, and do not spare him, and kill from man to woman, and from infant to nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’” And Saul summoned the people and numbered them in Telaim—two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men of Judah. And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and he lay in wait in the valley. And Saul said to the Kenite, “Go, depart, get down from the midst of the Amalekite, lest I consume you with him. For you showed kindness to all the sons of Israel in their going up out of Egypt.” And the Kenite departed from the midst of the Amalekite, and Saul struck the Amalekite from Havilah all the way to Shur, which is on the face of Egypt. And He took Agag king of the Amalekite alive, and all the people he devoted to destruction with the mouth of the sword. And Saul and the people had pity on Agag, and on the best of the flock and of the herd and of the seconds,15.9 Or the grown bulls or the fat calves and on the lambs, and on all that was good, and they were not willing to utterly destroy them, and all the work that was despised and worthless they devoted to destruction. Samuel Denounces Saul And the word of YHWH came to Samuel, saying, “I regret that Saul I have made reign as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and My commandments he has not performed.” And it grieved Samuel, and he cried out to YHWH all the night. And Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, and it was declared to Samuel, saying, “Saul has come in to Carmel, and indeed, he has set up for himself a monument, and he has turned and passed over and gone down to Gilgal.” And Samuel went to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed are you of YHWH! I have performed the commandment of YHWH.” And Samuel said, “And what is this bleating of sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the herd that I am hearing?” And Saul said, “From the Amalekite they have brought them, for the people spared the best of the flock and of the herd to sacrifice to YHWH your God, and the rest we devoted to destruction.” And Samuel said to Saul, “Be quiet, and I will tell you what YHWH said to me in the night.” And he said to him, “Speak.” And Samuel said, “Is it not that when you were small in your own eyes—the head of the tribes of Israel—then YHWH anointed you as king over Israel? And YHWH sent you in the way and said, ‘Go and devote to destruction the sinful Amalekite, and fight against them until they are consumed.’ And why did you not listened to the voice of YHWH, and why did you swoop down on the spoil and do the evil in the eyes of YHWH?” And Saul said to Samuel, “Because I have listened to the voice of YHWH and gone in the way that YHWH sent me and brought back Agag king of Amalek, and the Amalekite I have devoted to destruction. And the people took from the plunder sheep and oxen, the first part of the devoted thing, to sacrifice to YHWH your God in Gilgal.” And Samuel said, “Has YHWH delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in listening to the voice of YHWH? Behold, to listen is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. For as the sin of witchcraft is rebellion, and iniquity and teraphim is stubbornness, because you have rejected the word of YHWH, so He has rejected you as king.” Saul’s Confession And Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned; for I have transgressed the commandment of YHWH, and your words, because I feared the people and I listened to their voice. And now, please, lift up my sin and return with me, that I may worship YHWH.” And Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you, for you have rejected the word of YHWH, and YHWH has rejected you from being king over Israel.” And Samuel turned around to go away, and he laid hold of the edge of his robe, and it tore. And Samuel said to him, “YHWH has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today, and He has given it to your neighbor who is better than you. And also the Glory of Israel does not lie and does not repent, for He is not a man, that He should repent.” And he said, “I have sinned; now honor me, please, before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, that I may worship YHWH your God.” And Samuel turned back after Saul, and Saul worshiped YHWH. And Samuel said, “Bring here to me Agag king of the Amalekite.” And Agag came to him cheerfully.15.32 Or cautiously or in chains; see DSS and LXX. And Agag said, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.15.32 Or “Surely this is the bitterness of death.” See DSS and LXX.” And Samuel said, “As your sword has made childless women, so Your mother shall be childless among women.” And Samuel hacked to pieces Agag before the face of YHWH in Gilgal. And Samuel went to Ramah, and Saul went up to his house at Gibeah of Saul. And Samuel added not to see Saul until the day of his death; nevertheless, Samuel mourned for Saul, and YHWH regretted that Saul He had made king over Israel. Samuel Anoints David And YHWH said to Samuel, “Until when will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse the Beth-lehemite, for I have provided among his sons for Myself a king.” And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” And YHWH said, “Take a heifer of the herd with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to YHWH.’ And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. And you shall anoint for Me whom I speak to you.” And Samuel did what YHWH had spoken, and he came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, “Do you come in peace?” And he said, “In peace to sacrifice to YHWH I have come. Sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. And it was in their coming that he saw Eliab and said, “Surely before YHWH is His anointed.” And YHWH said to Samuel, “Look not at his appearance, or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For it is not as the man sees—for the man looks at the eyes, and YHWH looks at the heart.” And Jesse called to Abinadab and made him pass before the face of Samuel. And he said, “Also this one YHWH has not chosen.” And Jesse made Shammah pass over, and he said, “This one YHWH has not chosen.” 16.9 Shammah is a variant of Shimeah, Shimea, and Shimei; see 2 Samuel 13:3, 2 Samuel 21:21, and 1 Chronicles 2:13. And Jesse made seven of his sons pass over before the face of Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “YHWH has not chosen these.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “The young men are finished?” And he said, “Yet there remains the youngest, and behold, he is tending the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him, for we will not sit down until he comes here.” And he sent and brought him in, and he was ruddy with bright eyes, and good in appearance. And YHWH said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” And Samuel took the horn of the oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of YHWH came upon David from that day and forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah. David Serves Saul And the Spirit of YHWH departed from Saul, and a spirit of distress16.14 Or a harmful spirit; similarly in verses 15, 16, and 23 from YHWH troubled him. And the servants of Saul said to him, “Behold, please, a spirit of distress from God is troubling you. Command, our master, please, your servants to seek out before you a skillful man, playing on the harp. And it shall be when the spirit of distress from God is upon you, that he shall play with his hand, and it will be well with you.” And Saul said to his servants, “Please provide for me a man playing well, and bring him to me.” And one of the servants answered and said, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, being skilled in playing and mighty of valor, and a man of war, and prudent in speech, and a man of good appearance, and YHWH is with him.” And Saul sent messengers to Jesse, and he said, “Send to me David your son, who is with the sheep.” And Jesse took a donkey with bread, and a skin of wine, and one kid of the goats, and he sent them by the hand of David his son to Saul. And David came to Saul and stood before his face, and he loved him greatly, and he became to him a bearer of weapons. And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Let David, please, stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight.” And it came to pass when the spirit from God is upon Saul, that David would take the harp and play with his hand for Saul, and he would become refreshed, and it was well with him, and the spirit of distress would depart from him. Goliath’s Challenge And the Philistines gathered together their camps for the battle, and they were gathered together at Sochoh which is to Judah, and they encamped between Sochoh and between Azekah in Ephes-dammim. And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and they encamped in the Valley of Elah and arrayed for battle against the Philistines. And the Philistines stood on the mountain on this side, and Israel stood on the mountain on this side, and the valley was between them. And went out a man, a champion from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, from Gath. His height was six cubits and a span.17.4 Goliath was approximately 9 feet 9 inches or 297 centimeters tall; LXX, DSS, and Josephus four cubits and a span in height (approximately 6 feet 9 inches or 206 centimeters tall). And a helmet of brass was on his head, and with a coat of mail he was clothed, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze.17.5 5,000 shekels is approximately 125.6 pounds or 57 kilograms. And a frontlet of bronze was on his legs, and a javelin of bronze between his shoulders. And the staff of his spear was like a beam of weavers, and the flame of his spear was six hundred shekels of iron.17.7 600 shekels is approximately 15.1 pounds or 6.8 kilograms. And the bearer of the buckler went before his face. And he stood and cried out to the ranks of Israel and said to them, “Why have you⁺ come out to draw up lines for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and you⁺ the servants of Saul? Choose for yourselves a man, and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will become your⁺ servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you⁺ will become our servants and serve us.” And the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel this day! Give to me a man, that we may fight together.” And Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, and they were dismayed and greatly afraid. David Accepts the Challenge And David was the son of this Ephrathite man from Bethlehem in Judah, and his name was Jesse. And were to him eight sons among men. In the days of Saul he had become aged among men. And the three oldest the sons of Jesse had gone to follow after Saul to the battle. And the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and his second Abinadab, and the third Shammah. And David was the youngest, and the three oldest followed Saul. And David went and returned from Saul to feed the flock of his father in Bethlehem. And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and he stationed himself forty days. And Jesse said to David his son, “Take now for your brothers an ephah of this roasted grain,17.17 An ephah is approximately 20 dry quarts or 22 liters of roasted grain. and these ten loaves of bread, and run to the camp to your brothers. And these ten cuttings of the cheese carry to the captain of the thousand, and your brothers inspect for welfare, and bring back their pledge.17.18 Or some token from them or an assurance from them” And Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the Valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. And David rose early in the morning, and left the flock with a keeper, and loaded up, and went as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the camp and to the force going out to the fight and shouting for the battle. And Israel and the Philistines had arrayed rank against rank. And David left his supplies in the hand of the keeper of the goods, and he ran into the rank, and came and asked his brothers of welfare. And as he talked with them, behold, a man, the champion, was coming up, by the name of Goliath the Philistine of Gath, from the armies of the Philistines. And he spoke these words, and David heard. And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were greatly afraid. And the men of Israel said, “Have you⁺ seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel. And it shall come to pass that the man who kills him, the king will enrich with great riches, and his daughter will give to him, and the house of his father he will make free in Israel.” And David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from upon Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the ranks of the living God?” And the people answered him in this manner, saying, “So shall it be done for the man who kills him.” And Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men, and the anger of Eliab was kindled against David, and he said, “Why is this that you came down, and with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the insolence of your heart, for in order you have come down to see the battle.” And David said, “What have I done now? Was it not a word?” And he turned from him toward another front, and he spoke this word, and the people answered him a word as the first word. And the words that David spoke were heard, and they reported them to Saul, and he sent for him. And David said to Saul, “Let no heart of man fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are a youth, and he is a man of war from his youth.” And David said to Saul, “Your servant has been pasturing the sheep of his father, and the lion or the bear came and carried away a lamb out of the flock, and I went out after it and struck it and snatched it up from its mouth. And it arose against me, and I caught it by its beard, and struck it down and killed it. Even the lion and the bear your servant has killed, and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” And David said, “YHWH, who snatched me up from the hand of the lion and from the hand of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and YHWH be with you.” David Slays Goliath And Saul clothed David with his armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head, and he clothed him in armor. And David fastened his sword above his long robe and began to go, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, “I am not able to walk with these, for I have not tested them.” And David turned them aside from himself. And he took his staff in his hand, and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and he put them in a bag of the shepherd that was unto him, even in the pouch. And his sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine. And the Philistine came, going and drawing near to David, and the man went who bore the shield before him. And the Philistine looked about and saw David and despised him, for he was a youth, and ruddy, with a fair appearance. And the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you would come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the bird of the heavens and to the beast of the field.” And David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with the sword, and with the spear, and with the javelin, and I come to you in the name of YHWH of Hosts, the God of the ranks of Israel, whom you have defied. This day YHWH will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you, and I will give the carcass of the camp of the Philistines this day to the bird of the heavens and to the beast of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that YHWH saves not with sword and with spear, for the battle is to YHWH, and He will give to you⁺ into our hands.” And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hurried and ran to the rank to meet the Philistine. And David put his hand in the vessel and took out a stone, and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, and the stone sank into his forehead. And he fell on his face to the ground. And David prevailed over the Philistine with the sling and with the stone, and he struck the Philistine and killed him. And no sword was in the hand of David. And David ran and stood over the Philistine, and he took his sword and drew it out of its sheath, and he killed him and cut off with it his head. And the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, and they fled. And the men of Israel and Judah arose, and they shouted and pursued the Philistines as far as the entrance of Gath17.52 LXX; Hebrew of Gai; that is, of the valley and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell along the road to Shaaraim, and to Gath, and to Ekron. And the sons of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines, and they plundered their camps. And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem. And he put his weapons in his tent. And Saul saw David going out against the Philistine, and he said to Abner the commander of the army, “The son of whom is this youth, Abner?” And Abner said, “As your soul lives, O king, if I know.” And the king said, “Inquire you, the son of whom this is—the young man.” And David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, and Abner took him and brought him before the face of Saul, and the head of the Philistine was in his hand. And Saul said to him, “The son of whom are you, O young man?” And David answered, “The son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.” Jonathan Befriends David And it came to pass, when he had finished speaking to Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. And Saul took him that day, and not anymore would he let him return to the house of his father. And cut Jonathan and David a covenant, in his love for him as his own soul. And Jonathan took off the robe that was on him and gave it to David, and his tunic, and even his sword and his bow and his belt. Saul Envies David And David went out everywhere Saul sent him; he acted wisely, and Saul set him over the men of war, and it was good in the eyes of all the people and also in the eyes of the servants of Saul. And it came to pass in their coming in, that David was returning from the striking down of the Philistine, and the women had come out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet Saul the king with tambourines, with joy, and with triples.18.6 Possibly three-stringed instruments or cymbals or lutes or lyres And the women answered as they danced, and said, “Saul has struck his thousands, and David his myriads.” And Saul was very hot, and this thing was evil in his eyes, and he said, “They have ascribed to David myriads, and to me they have ascribed the thousands. And more to him is only the kingdom.” And Saul eyed David from that day and forward. And it came to pass on the next day, that a spirit of distress18.10 Or a harmful spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house, and David played by his hand, day by day, and a spear was in the hand of Saul. And Saul cast the spear; for he said, “I will pin David to the wall.” And David escaped from his face twice. And Saul was afraid of David because YHWH was with him, and He had departed from Saul. And Saul turned aside from him and made him captain of a thousand, and he went out and came in before the face of the people. And David in all his ways acted wisely, and YHWH was with him. And Saul saw that he acted very wisely, and he was afraid of him. And all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before their faces. David Marries Michal And Saul said to David, “Behold, my older daughter Merab, I will give her to you as a wife. Only be for me a valiant man and fight the battles of YHWH.” For Saul thought, “Let not my hand be against him, but let the hand of the Philistines be against him.” And David said to Saul, “Who am I? And what is my life—the family of my father in Israel—that I should be son-in-law to the king?” And it came to pass at the time to give Merab daughter of Saul to David, that she was given to Adriel the Meholathite as a wife. And Michal daughter of Saul loved David, and they told Saul, and the thing was right in his eyes. And Saul said, “I will give her to him, that she may be to him a snare, and the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” And Saul said to David a second time, “You shall be son-in-law to me today.” And Saul commanded his servants, “Speak to David in secrecy and say, ‘Behold, the king has delight in you, and all his servants love you, and now become son-in-law of the king.’” And the servants of Saul spoke in the ears of David these words. And David said, “Does it seem light in your⁺ eyes to be a son-in-law of the king? And I am a poor man and lightly esteemed.” And the servants of Saul declared to him, saying, “In these words David spoke.” And Saul said, “Thus you⁺ shall say to David, ‘The king does not desire any dowry, but a hundred foreskins of the Philistines to take vengeance on the enemies of the king.’” And Saul planned to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. And his servants told to David these words, and the thing was right in the eyes of David to become son-in-law of the king. And the days were not full. And David arose and went, he and his men, and he struck among the Philistines two hundred men. And David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full count to the king, to make himself son-in-law of the king. And Saul gave to him Michal his daughter as a wife. And Saul saw and knew that YHWH was with David, and that Michal daughter of Saul loved him. And Saul added to be afraid from the face of David; and still Saul was enemy of David all the days. And the princes of the Philistines went out. And it came to pass whenever they went out, that David acted more wisely than all the servants of Saul, and His name became highly esteemed. Saul Tries to Kill David (Psalm 59:1–17) And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David. And Jonathan son of Saul delighted in David greatly. And Jonathan told David, saying, “Saul My father seeks to kill you. And now be on your guard, please, until the morning, and stay in a secret place and hide yourself. And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak about you with my father. And I will observe what it is, and I will tell you.” And Jonathan spoke well 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 are very good toward you. For he took his life in his hands and killed the Philistine, and YHWH brought about a great deliverance for all Israel. You saw it and rejoiced; and why would you sin against innocent blood to kill David for nothing?” And Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan, and Saul swore, “As YHWH lives, he shall not be killed.” And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan told him all these things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was before his face, as before heretofore. And it added to be war, and David went out and fought with the Philistines, and he struck them with a mighty blow, and they fled from his face. And a spirit of distress19.9 Or a harmful spirit from YHWH came upon Saul, and he sat in his house, and his spear was in his hand, and David was playing by hand. And Saul sought to strike David with the spear and into the wall, and he slipped away from the face of Saul, and he drove the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped in that night. And Saul sent messengers to the house of David to watch him and to kill him in the morning. And Michal his wife declared it to David, saying, “If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.” And Michal let down David through a window, and he went and fled and escaped. And Michal took the teraphim19.13 That is, a household idol; also in verse 16 and laid it in the bed, and she put a cover of goats’ hair for his head, and covered it with clothing. And Saul sent messengers to take David, and she said, “He is sick.” And Saul sent back the messengers to see David, saying, “Bring him up in the bed to me, that I may kill him.” And the messengers had come in, and there was the teraphim in the bed, and a cover of goats’ hair for his head. And Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me like this and sent away my enemy, so that he has escaped?” And Michal answered to Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go; why should I kill you?’” And David fled and escaped and went to Samuel at Ramah, and he told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and stayed in Naioth. And it was declared to Saul, saying, “Behold, David is in Naioth in Ramah.” And Saul sent messengers to take David, and they saw the group of prophets prophesying and Samuel standing as leader over them, and the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied. And was told Saul, and he sent other messengers and prophesied they likewise. And Saul added and sent messengers the third time, and prophesied they also. And he went also to Ramah, and he came to the great well that is at Sechu. And he asked and said, “Where are Samuel and David?” And one said, “Behold, in Naioth in Ramah.” And he went there to Naioth in Ramah, and the Spirit of God was upon him, even him, and he went, going on, and he prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah. And he also stripped off his clothes, and he prophesied in like manner before the face of Samuel, and he lay naked all that day and all the night. Upon thus they say, “Is Saul also among the prophets?” Jonathan Helps David And David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and he came and said to Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my iniquity? And what is my sin before the face of your father, that he is seeking my life?” And Jonathan said to him, “Far be it! You shall not die! Behold, my father will not do a thing great or a thing small without first telling me. And why should my father hide from me this thing? This is not so.” And David took an oath again and said, “Your father knows very well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he has said, ‘Do not let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved.’ But truly as YHWH lives, and as your soul lives, but a step is between me and between death.” And Jonathan said to David, “What your soul says, I will do for you.” And David said to Jonathan, “Indeed, the New Moon20.5 That is, the New Moon feast; also in verses 18, 24, and 27 is tomorrow, and I shall surely sit with the king to eat. Let me go, that I may hide in the field until the third evening. If your father misses me at all, then say, ‘David urgently requested from me to run to Bethlehem his city, for a yearly sacrifice is there for all of the clan.’ If thus he says: ‘Good,’ your servant will be safe. But if he is enraged, then be sure that evil is determined by him. Therefore you shall deal kindly with your servant, for into a covenant of YHWH you have brought your servant with you. And if there is in me iniquity, kill me yourself; and for what is this that you should bring me to your father?” And Jonathan said, “Far be it from you, for if I ever found out that evil was determined by my father to come upon you, would I not tell you?” Jonathan and David Renew Their Covenant And David said to Jonathan, “Who will tell me? Or what if your father answers you roughly?” And Jonathan said to David, “Come and let us go out into the field.” And the two of them went out into the field. And Jonathan said to David, “By YHWH, God of Israel—when I have sounded out my father by this time tomorrow or the third, and behold, there is good toward David, then will I not send to you and tell you. And may YHWH do to Jonathan, and thus may he add, if the evil upon you is good unto my father, and I will report it to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. And YHWH be with you as He has been with my father. And not only while I still live, will you show me loving devotion20.14 Forms of the Hebrew chesed are translated here and in most cases throughout the Scriptures as loving devotion; the range of meaning includes love, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, and mercy, as well as loyalty to a covenant. of YHWH, that I may not die. And you shall not cut off your loving devotion from my house even to forever, not even when YHWH has cut off each man of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.” And Jonathan cut with the house of David: “And may YHWH seek it at the hand of the enemies of David.” And Jonathan added for David to vow out of love for him, for with the love of his own soul he loved him. And Jonathan said to David, “Tomorrow is the New Moon, and you will be missed because your seat will be found empty. And on the third day quickly go down, and come to the place where you hid yourself there on the day of the deed, and remain by the stone of Ezel.20.19 Ezel means departure. And I will shoot three arrows to the side, sending them out as though at a target. And there I will send a boy: ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I expressly say to him, ‘Look, the arrows are here on this side and away from you, take them and come,’ then there is safety for you and there will be no matter, as YHWH lives. But if thus I say to the young man: ‘Behold, the arrows are away from you and further beyond,’ then you must go, for YHWH has sent you away. And as for the matter that we have spoken of—I and you—behold, YHWH is between me and between you even to forever.” And David hid in the field; and the New Moon had come, and the king sat down by the food to eat. And the king sat on his seat, as time by time, on a seat by the wall. And Jonathan arose, and Abner sat at the side of Saul, and the place of David was found empty. And Saul did not say anything on that day, for he said, “Something has happened to that he is not clean; he surely is not clean.” And it came to pass on the next day, the second of the New Moon, that the place of David was found empty. And Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why has not the son of Jesse come either yesterday or today to eat?” And Jonathan answered Saul, “David urgently requested from me to go to Bethlehem, and he said, ‘Let me go, please, for our clan has a sacrifice in the city, and my brother himself has commanded to me. And if I have found favor in your eyes, may I go away, please, and see my brothers.’ Upon thus he has not come to the table of the king.” Saul Seeks to Kill Jonathan And the anger of Saul 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 shame, and to the shame of the nakedness of your mother? For all the days that the son of Jesse lives on the earth, you and your kingdom shall not be established. And now send and bring him to me, for he is a son of death.” And Jonathan answered Saul his father and said to him, “Why should he be killed? What has he done?” And Saul cast a spear at him to kill him, and Jonathan knew that it was determined by his father to kill David. And Jonathan arose from the table in the heat of anger, and he ate no food on the second day of the new moon, for he was grieved for David because his father had treated him shamefully. And it came to pass in the morning that Jonathan went out into the field for the appointment with David, and a small boy was with him. And he said to his boy, “Run, find now the arrows that I shoot.” The boy ran, and he shot an arrow beyond him. And the boy had come to the place where the arrow was that Jonathan had shot, and Jonathan cried out after the boy and said, “Is not the arrow from you and beyond?” And Jonathan cried out after the boy, “Hurry, hurry; do not delay.” And the boy of Jonathan gathered up the arrows and came back to his master. And the boy did not know anything; only Jonathan and David knew of the matter. And Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy who was to him, and he said to him, “Go, bring them to the city.” The boy had gone, and David arose from the side at the south,20.41 LXX from beside the stone and he fell on his nostrils to the ground, and he bowed down three times. And they kissed one another, and they wept one with another. But David did so more. And Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, since the two of us have sworn in the name of YHWH, saying, ‘May YHWH be between me and between you and between my seed and between your seed, even to forever.’” And he arose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city. David Takes the Consecrated Bread (Matthew 12:1–8; Mark 2:23–28; Luke 6:1–5) And David came to Nob to Ahimelech the priest, and Ahimelech was afraid when he met David, and he said to him, “Why are you alone, and no man is with you?” And David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has ordered me on some business and said to me, ‘No man is to know anything about the business on which I send you, and about which I have commanded you.’ And I have directed the young men to such and such a place. And now, what have you on hand? Give five loaves of bread into my hand, or what is found.” And the priest answered David, and said, “There is no common bread to under my hand, but there is holy bread, if indeed the young men have kept themselves from women.” And David answered the priest and said to him, “Surely if women have been kept from us as yesterday and the day before yesterday when I came out, then the vessels of the young men are holy, and it is a common way; and also surely today it was sanctified in the vessel.” And the priest gave to him holy bread, for there was no bread except for the Bread of the Presence, which is turned aside from the face of YHWH, to put hot bread in the day of its being taken away. And there was a man of the servants of Saul on that day detained before the face of YHWH, and his name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of the shepherds who belonged to Saul. David Flees to Gath (Psalm 34:1–22; Psalm 56:1–13) And David said to Ahimelech, “And is there not here under your hand a spear or a sword? For even my sword and even my weapons I have not brought with me, for the matter of the king was urgent.” And the priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, behold, it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If that you will take to you, take it, for there is no other except it in this place.” And David said, “None is like it; give it to me.” And David arose and fled that day from before Saul, and he came to Achish the king of Gath. And the servants of Achish said to him, “Is not this David the king of the land? Did not of this one they sing in their dances, saying, ‘Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his myriads?’” And David set these words in his heart, and he was exceedingly afraid of Achish king of Gath. And he changed his behavior before their eyes and feigned madness in their hands; and he scratched on the doors of the gate, and he let fall down his saliva on his beard. And Achish said to his servants, “Behold, you⁺ see the man is insane, why have you⁺ brought him to me? Am I lacking madmen, that you⁺ have brought this one to play the madman in my presence? Shall this one come into my house?” David Flees to Adullam and Mizpeh (Psalm 57:1–11; Psalm 142:1–7) And David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. And his brothers heard it, and all the house of his father, and they went down to him there. And gathered to him every man in distress, and every man who himself was indebted, and everyone bitter in soul, and he was captain over them. And there were with him about four hundred men. And David went from there to Mizpeh of Moab, and he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and mother come here22.3 Syriac and Vulgate; Hebrew go forth with you⁺, until that I know what God will do for me.” And he brought them in before the king of Moab, and they dwelt with him all the time that David was in the stronghold. And Gad the prophet said to David, “Do not stay in the stronghold. Depart and go into the land of Judah.” And David departed and entered the forest of Hereth. Saul Slays the Priests of Nob (Psalm 52:1–9) And Saul heard that David and the men who were with him had become known. And Saul was staying in Gibeah under the tamarisk tree on the height, and his spear was in his hand, and all his servants were standing around him. And Saul said to his servants who stood around him, “Listen now, sons of Benjamin! Even to all of you⁺ will the son of Jesse give fields and vineyards, and make you⁺ all captains of thousands and captains of hundreds? For you⁺ have all conspired against me, and there is no one uncovering my ear that my son has cut in with the son of Jesse. And none of you⁺ has shown concern for me or uncovered to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait as this day.” And answered Doeg the Edomite, and he was set over the servants of Saul, and he said, “I saw the son of Jesse going to Nob, to Ahimelech son of Ahitub. And he inquired for him of YHWH, and he gave provisions to him, and the sword of Goliath the Philistine he gave to him.” And the king sent to call Ahimelech son of Ahitub the priest, and all the house of his father, the priests who were in Nob. And they all came to the king. And Saul said, “Hear now, son of Ahitub.” And he answered, “Behold, my lord.” And Saul said to him, “Why have you⁺ conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in your giving to him bread and a sword and inquiring for him of God, that he should rise against me to lie in wait, as this day?” And Ahimelech answered the king, and said, “And who among all your servants is as faithful as David, and son-in-law of the king, and has turned aside at your council, and is honorable in your house? Today did I begin to inquire for him of God? Far be it from me! Let not the king impute anything to his servant, or to any in the house of my father. For your servant knew nothing of all this matter, small or great.” And the king said, “You will surely die, Ahimelech, you and all the house of your father.” And the king said to the guards who stood beside him, “Turn and kill the priests of YHWH, because their hands are also with David, and because they knew when he fled and did not tell it to me.” But the servants of the king would not lift their hands to strike the priests of YHWH. And the king said to Doeg, “Turn you and kill the priests.” And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he himself attacked the priests. And he killed on that day eighty-five men who wore a linen ephod. And Nob, the city of the priests, he struck with the mouth of the sword, from men and to women, from children and to nursing infants, and oxen, and donkeys, and sheep, with the mouth of the sword. And escaped one son of Ahimelech son of Ahitub, and his name was Abiathar, and he fled after David. And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of YHWH. And David said to Abiathar, “I knew that day when Doeg the Edomite was there that he was sure to tell Saul. I myself have turned against every soul of the house of your father. Stay with me; fear not, for he who seeks my life seeks your life, but you are safe with me.” David Delivers Keilah And they declared to David, saying, “Behold, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah, and they are plundering the threshing floors.” And David inquired of YHWH, saying, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” And YHWH said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines, and save Keilah.” And the men of David said to him, “Behold, we here in Judah are afraid, and how much more when we go to Keilah against the ranks of the Philistines?” And David once again inquired of YHWH, and YHWH answered him and said, “Arise, go down to Keilah, for I am giving the Philistines into your hand.” And David and his men went to Keilah, and fought with the Philistines, and he led away their livestock and struck them with a mighty blow. And David saved those dwelling in Keilah. (And it came to pass, when Abiathar son of Ahimelech had fled to David at Keilah, that an ephod came down in his hand.) Saul Pursues David (Psalm 54:1–7) And it was told to Saul that David had gone to Keilah. And Saul said, “God has delivered him into my hand, for he has shut himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars.” And Saul called together all the people for war to go down to Keilah to lay siege to David and his men. And David knew that Saul was devising evil against him, and he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring near the ephod.” And David said, “O YHWH, God of Israel, Your servant has surely heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah to destroy the city for my sake. Will the men of Keilah shut me up into his hand?23.11 Some manuscripts omit this question. Will Saul come down, as Your servant has heard? O YHWH, God of Israel, declare, please, to Your servant.” And YHWH said, “He will come down.” And David said, “Will the men of Keilah shut up me and my men into the hand of Saul?” And YHWH said, “They will shut you up.” And David and his men arose, about six hundred men, and they went out from Keilah, and they went about in wherever they could go about. And to Saul it was declared that David had escaped from Keilah. And he ceased to go out. And David stayed in the wilderness in the strongholds, and remained in the hill country in the Wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, and God did not deliver him into his hand. And David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. And David was in the Wilderness of Ziph in Horesh. And Jonathan son of Saul arose and went to David in Horesh, and he strengthened his hand in God. And he said to him, “Do not be afraid, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. And You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be to you for a second. Even thus knows Saul my father.” And the two of them cut a covenant before the face of YHWH. And David stayed in Horesh, and Jonathan went to his own house. And the Ziphites came up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is not David hiding with us in the strongholds in Horesh, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of Jeshimon? And now according to all the desire of your soul, O king, to come down, come down, and to us is to enclose him into the hand of the king.” And Saul said, “Blessed are you⁺ of YHWH, for you⁺ have had compassion on me. Go, please, prepare further, and know and see the place where his foot is, and who has seen him there. For it is told to me he is extremely cunning. And see and know of all of the hiding places where he hides, and come back to me with certainty, and I will go with you⁺. And it shall be, if he is in the land, that I will search for him throughout all the thousands of Judah.” And they arose and went to Ziph before the face of Saul. And David and his men were in the Wilderness of Maon, in the plain on the south of Jeshimon. And Saul and his men went to seek him, and they declared to David. And he went down to the rock and stayed in the Wilderness of Maon. And Saul heard and pursued after David in the Wilderness of Maon. And Saul went on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on this side of the mountain. And David made haste to get away from Saul, and Saul and his men were encircling upon David and his men to capture them. And a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come, for the Philistines have pushed against the land.” And Saul returned from pursuing after David, and he went against the Philistines. Upon thus they called that place Sela-hammahlekoth.23.28 Sela-hammahlekoth means Rock of Escape. And David went up from there and dwelt in the strongholds of En-gedi. David Spares Saul And it came to pass, when Saul had returned from after the Philistines, that it was declared to him, saying, “Behold, David is in the Wilderness of En-gedi.” And Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel, and he went to seek David and his men on the face of the Rocks of the Wild Goats. And he came to the folds of the flock by the road, and there was a cave. And Saul went in to cover his feet.24.3 cover his feet is a euphemism for relieving oneself And David and his men were staying in the recesses of the cave. And the men of David said to him, “This is the day of which YHWH said to you, ‘Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do to him as is good in your eyes.’” And David arose and cut off a corner of the robe that was on Saul—in secrecy. And it came to pass after thus, that the heart of David troubled him, upon that he had cut off the skirt that was on Saul. And he said to his men, “Far be it from me, YHWH, that I should do this thing to my master—to the anointed of YHWH—to stretch out my hand against him, since he is the anointed of YHWH.” And David restrained his servants with words, and he did not allow them to rise against Saul. And Saul got up from the cave and went on his way. And David arose after thus, and he went out of the cave, and he called out to Saul, saying, “My lord the king!” And Saul looked behind him, and David bowed nostrils to the earth, and bowed down. And David said to Saul, “Why do you listen to the words of a man saying, ‘Behold, David is seeking your harm’? behold, this day your eyes have seen that YHWH had delivered you today into my hand in the cave. And one said to kill you, and I had pity on you, and I said, ‘I will not stretch out my hand against my lord; for he is the anointed of YHWH.’ And my father, see, yes, see the corner of your robe in my hand! For by cutting off the skirt of your robe and not killing you, know and see that evil and rebellion are not in my hand, and I have not sinned against you, and you hunt my life to take it. May YHWH judge between me and between you, and may YHWH avenge me on you. And my hand shall not be against you. As says the proverb of the ancients, ‘From the wicked proceeds wickedness,’ and my hand shall not be against you. After whom has the king of Israel come out? After whom do you pursue? After a dead dog? After one flea? And may YHWH be judge, and judge between me and between you, and may He see and plead my case and deliver me out of your hand.” David’s Oath to Saul And it came to pass, when David had finished speaking these words to Saul, that Saul said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” And Saul lifted up his voice and wept. And he said to David, “You are more righteous than I, for you have done me the good, and I have done you the evil. And you have shown today how you have done good with me; that YHWH delivered me into your hand, and you did not kill me. When a man finds his enemy, does he send him away in a good manner? And YHWH repays you with good for what you have done to me this day. And behold, I know that you shall surely reign, and the kingdom of Israel shall stand in your hand. And now, swear to me by YHWH that you will not cut off my seed after me or destroy my name from the house of my father.” And David swore to Saul. And Saul went to his house; and David and his men went up to the stronghold. The Death of Samuel And Samuel died, and all Israel gathered together and lamented for him, and they buried him at his house in Ramah. And David arose and went down to the Wilderness of Paran.25.1 Hebrew and some LXX manuscripts; other LXX manuscripts Maon David, Nabal, and Abigail And there was a man in Maon, and his work was in Carmel. And the man was very rich, and He had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. And he was shearing his sheep in Carmel. And the name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. And she was a woman of good understanding and beautiful appearance, and the man was harsh and evil in his deeds; and he was a Calebite. And David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep. And David sent ten young men, and David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and ask of his welfare in my name. And you⁺ shall say thus: ‘To life! And to you peace, and to your house peace, and to all that is unto you, peace! And I have heard that shearers are unto you. Now the shepherds that are unto you were with us. We did not hurt them, nor was there missing anything from them all the days they were in Carmel. Ask your young men, and they will tell you. And let my young men find favor in your eyes, for on a good day we come. Give, please, whatever your hand finds to your servants, and to your son David.’” And the young men of David came, and they spoke to Nabal according to all these words in the name of David, and they rested. And Nabal answered the servants of David, and said, “Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse? Today there are many servants who break away, a man from the face of his master. And shall I 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 from?” And the young men of David turned to their way, and went back, and they came and declared to him according to all these words. And 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 went with David about four hundred men, and two hundred stayed with the vessels. And to Abigail wife of Nabal a young man, one of the young men, declared, saying, “Behold, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master, and he reviled them. And the men were very good to us, and we were not hurt, nor did we miss anything all the days we accompanied them when we were in the fields. They were a wall for us, both by night and by day, all the days we were with them pasturing the sheep. And now know and consider what you will do. For harm is determined against our master and against all his house. And he is too much a son of worthlessness to speak to him.” Abigail Intercedes for Nabal And Abigail hurried, and took two hundred loaves of bread, and two skins of wine, and five sheep already dressed, and five seahs of roasted grain,25.18 5 seahs is approximately 33 dry quarts or 36.5 liters of roasted grain. and a hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and she put them on the donkeys. And she said to her servants, “Go on before me. Behold, after you⁺ I am coming.” And her husband Nabal she did not tell. And it came to pass as she rode on the donkey, that she went down under cover of the mountain, and behold, David and his men were coming down toward her, and she met them. And David had said, “Surely in vain I have kept all that was unto this one in the wilderness, and not anything was missed of all that was unto him. And he has repaid me evil for good. And may God do to David,25.22 Some LXX manuscripts; MT to the enemies of David and thus may he add, if I leave of all who are unto him by the morning light one who urinates against the wall.” And Abigail saw David, and she hurried and dismounted from the donkey, and she fell before the face of David on her face and she bowed herself to the earth, and she fell at his feet and said, “On me, my lord, let this iniquity be. And please let your maidservant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your maidservant. Let not, please, my lord set his heart to this man of worthlessness, upon Nabal;25.25 Nabal means fool. for as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name, and folly is with him. And I your maidservant did not see the young men of my lord whom you sent. And now my lord, as YHWH lives, and as your soul lives, since YHWH has held you back from coming to bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hand, let now your enemies be as Nabal and those seeking harm against my lord. And this blessing that your maidservant has brought to my lord, let it be given to the young men who follow at the feet of my lord. Forgive, please, the trespass of your maidservant, for YHWH will surely make for my lord an enduring house, because my lord fights the battles of YHWH, and evil is not found in you throughout your days. And a man has risen to pursue you and seek your life, and the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living with YHWH your God. And the souls of your enemies He shall sling out in the midst of the hollow of the sling. And it shall come to pass, when YHWH has done for my lord according to all the good that He has spoken concerning you, and has appointed you ruler over Israel, that this to you will not be grief and offense of heart—to my lord—that you have shed blood without cause, or that my lord has avenged himself, and YHWH shall have dealt well with my lord, and remember your maidservant.” And David said to Abigail, “Blessed is YHWH, God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me. And blessed is your discernment, and blessed are you, because you have kept me this day from coming to bloodshed and from avenging myself with my own hand. Yet as lives YHWH, God of Israel, who has kept me back from hurting you, surely unless you had hurried and come to meet me, surely would not have been left to Nabal by the morning light one who urinates against the wall.” And David received from her hand what she had brought to him, and he said to her, “Go up in peace to your house. Behold, I have listened to your voice and I have lifted up your face.” And Abigail went to Nabal, and there he was holding a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And the heart of Nabal was glad within him, and he was very drunk; therefore she told him not a thing small to great until the morning light. And it was in the morning, when the wine had gone from Nabal, that his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him and he became a stone. And it was in about ten days that YHWH struck Nabal, and he died. David Marries Abigail And David heard that Nabal was dead, and he said, “Blessed be YHWH, who has pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and has kept His servant from evil. For the wickedness of Nabal YHWH has returned on his own head.” And David sent and spoke with Abigail to take her to him as wife. And the servants of David had come to Abigail at Carmel, and they spoke to her, saying, “David sent us to you to take you to him as wife.” And she arose and bowed her face to the earth, and said, “Here is your maidservant, a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.” And Abigail hurried and rose, and rode on a donkey, and five of her maidens were going at her feet, and she followed after the messengers of David and became his wife. And also Ahinoam David took from Jezreel, and became even both unto him for wives. And Saul had given Michal his daughter, wife of David, to Palti son of Laish, who was from Gallim. 25.44 Palti is a variant of Paltiel; see 2 Samuel 3:15. David Again Spares Saul And the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is not David hiding on the hill of Hachilah, upon the face of Jeshimon?” And Saul arose and went down to the Wilderness of Ziph, and with him three thousand chosen men of Israel, to seek David in the Wilderness of Ziph. And Saul encamped on the hill of Hachilah, which is upon the face of Jeshimon, by the road. And David stayed in the wilderness, and he saw that Saul was coming after him into the wilderness. And David sent out spies, and he knew that Saul had come to Nachon. And David arose and came to the place where Saul had encamped there. And David saw the place where Saul lay there, and Abner son of Ner, the commander of his army. And Saul lay within the camp, and the people encamped all around him. And David answered and spoke to Ahimelech the Hittite and to Abishai son of Zeruiah, brother of Joab, saying, “Who will go down with me to Saul in the camp?” And Abishai said, “I will go down with you.” And David and Abishai came to the people by night, and there Saul lay sleeping within the camp, and his spear was pressed into the ground by his head. And Abner and the people lay all around him. And Abishai said to David, “God has delivered this day your enemy into your hand. And now let me strike him, please, with the spear and into the earth with one stroke; and I will not need repeat it to him.” And David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can stretch out his hand against the anointed of YHWH and be guiltless?” And David said, “As YHWH lives, if rather YHWH shall strike him, or his day shall come and he will die, or he shall go out to the battle and perish. Far be it from me by YHWH to stretch out my hand against the anointed of YHWH. And take, please, the spear that is by his head, and the jug of water, and let us go.” And David took the spear and the jug of water by the head of Saul, and they went away to them, and no one saw it, and no one knew it, and no one awoke, for they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from YHWH had fallen on them. David Reproves Abner And David went over to the other side and stood on the top of the hill afar off, a great distance between them. And David called out to the people and to Abner son of Ner, saying, “Do you not answer, Abner?” And Abner answered and said, “Who are you calling out to the king?” And David said to Abner, “Are you not a man? And who is like you in Israel? And why have you not watched over your lord the king? For one of the people came in to destroy the king your lord. This thing that you have done is not good. As YHWH lives, surely you⁺ deserve to die, because you⁺ have not watched over your⁺ master, over the anointed of YHWH. And now see, where is the spear of the king and the jug of water that was by his head?” And Saul knew the voice of David, and said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” And David said, “It is my voice, my lord, the king.” And he said, “Why is this that my lord pursues after his servant? For what have I done? Or what evil is in my hand? And now, please, let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If YHWH has stirred you up against me, let Him accept an offering. But if it is the sons of man, may they be cursed before the face of YHWH. For they have driven me out this day from sharing in the inheritance of YHWH, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods.’ And now, let not my blood fall to the earth before the face of YHWH; for the king of Israel has come out to seek one flea, as one pursues the partridge in the mountains.” Saul Acknowledges His Sin And Saul said, “I have sinned. Return, my son David, for I will harm you no more, upon that my life was precious in your eyes this day. Behold, I have acted foolishly and erred exceedingly greatly.” And David answered and said, “Here is the spear of the king! And let one of the young men come over and get it. And may YHWH repay every man for his righteousness and his faithfulness. For YHWH delivered you today into my hand, and I would not stretch out my hand against the anointed of YHWH. And behold, as your life was valued much this day in my eyes, so let my life be valued much in the eyes of YHWH, and let Him deliver me out of all tribulation.” And Saul said to David, “Blessed be you, my son David; also you will accomplish great things, and you will surely prevail.” And David went on his way, and Saul returned to his place. David and the Philistines And David said in his heart, “Now I will be swept away one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing for me better than that I diligently escape to the land of the Philistines. And Saul will despair of me to seek me anymore in all the border of Israel, and I shall escape out of his hand.” And David arose and passed over—he and the six hundred men who were with him—to Achish son of Maoch king of Gath. 27.2 Maoch is a variant of Maacah; see 1 Kings 2:39. And David dwelt with Achish at Gath, he and his men, each man and his household, and David and his two wives—Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelitess. And it was declared to Saul that David had fled to Gath. And he sought him no more. And David said to Achish, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, let them give to me a place in one of the cities of the field, that I may dwell there. For why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you?” And Achish gave to him that day Ziklag. Therefore Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day. And the number of the days that David dwelt in the field of the Philistines was a year and four months. And David and his men went up and raided against the Geshurite, and the Girzite, and the Amalekite (for those were those dwelling in the land from of old) in your going to Shur, and as far as the land of Egypt. And whenever David struck the land, he left alive not a man or a woman, and he took the sheep, and the oxen, and the donkeys, and the camels, and the apparel. And he returned and came to Achish. And Achish would say, “Where have you⁺ made a raid today?” And David would say, “Against the south of Judah, and against the south of the Jerahmeelite, and against the south of the Kenite.” And man and woman David would not save alive to be brought to Gath, saying, “Lest they declare it against us, saying, ‘Thus David did.’” And thus was his custom all the days that he dwelt in the field of the Philistines. And Achish believed David, saying, “He has made himself an utter stench among his people Israel, and he will be my servant forever.” The Philistines Gather against Israel And it came to pass in those days that the Philistines gathered together their armies for the war, to fight with Israel. And Achish said to David, “You shall surely know that with me you will go out into the camp, you and your men.” And David said to Achish, “Surely you know what your servant can do.” And Achish said to David, “Therefore I am appointing you the keeper of my head all the days.” And Samuel had died, and all Israel had lamented for him and buried him in Ramah, even in his city. And Saul had put the mediums and the spiritists out of the land. And the Philistines gathered together, and they came and encamped at Shunem. And Saul gathered together all Israel, and they encamped at Gilboa. And Saul saw the camp of the Philistines, and he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. And Saul inquired of YHWH, and YHWH did not answer him either by dreams or by the Urim28.6 Or the Lights or by the prophets. Saul and the Medium of En-dor And Saul said to his servants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.” And his servants said to him, “Behold, a woman of a mistress a familiar spirit is at Endor.” And Saul disguised himself and put on other clothes, and he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night. And he said, “Please divine for me the familiar spirit, and bring up for me whom I say to you.” And the woman said to him, “Behold, you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off the mediums and the spiritists from the land. And why do you lay a snare for my life to cause me to die?” And Saul swore to her by YHWH, saying, “As YHWH lives, punishment shall not come upon you for this thing.” And the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” And he said, “Bring up Samuel for me.” And the woman saw Samuel, and she cried out in a loud voice, and the woman spoke to Saul, saying, “Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul.” And the king said to her, “Do not be afraid, for what did you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I have seen a god28.13 Or I have seen a spirit or I have seen a divine being ascending out of the earth.” And he said to her, “What is his form?” And she said, “An old man is coming 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 down. And Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” And Saul answered, deeply “I am distressed, for the Philistines are fighting against me, and God has departed from me and does not answer me anymore, neither by the prophets nor by dreams. And I have called to you, that you may reveal to me what I should do.” And Samuel said, “And why do you ask me, since YHWH has turned aside from you and has become your enemy? And YHWH has done for Himself as He spoke by me, for YHWH has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor—to David. Because you did not obey the voice of YHWH nor kill His fierce wrath upon Amalek, upon thus this thing YHWH has done to you this day. And YHWH will deliver also Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. And YHWH will deliver the army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.” And Saul hurried and fell—the fullness of his stature—to the earth, and he was afraid dreadfully because of the words of Samuel. And there was no power in him, for he had eaten no food all the day or all the night. And the woman came to Saul and saw that he was troubled severely, and she said to him, “Behold, your maidservant has obeyed your voice, and I have put my life in my palm and heeded the words that you spoke to me. And now listen, please, you also, to the voice of your maidservant, and let me set before you a piece of bread, and eat, that there may be to you power when you go in the way.” And he refused and said, “I will not eat.” And his servants urged him, and also the woman, and he listened to their voice. And he arose from the ground and sat on the bed. And to the woman was a calf of the stall in the house, and she hurried and slaughtered it, and she took flour and kneaded it and baked it as unleavened bread. And she brought it before the face of Saul and his servants, and they ate. And they rose and went away that night. The Philistines Reject David And the Philistines gathered together all their camps to Aphek, and Israel encamped by the fountain that is in Jezreel. And the princes of the Philistines were passing over by hundreds and by thousands, and David and his men were passing over at the rear with Achish. And the princes of the Philistines said, “What are these Hebrews?” And Achish said to the princes of the Philistines, “Is this not David, the servant of Saul king of Israel, who has been with me these days, even these years? And I have not found in him anything from the day of his falling up to this day.” And the princes of the Philistines were angry with him. And the princes of the Philistines said to him, “Make this fellow return, that he may go back to the place that you assigned him there, and do not let him go down with us to the battle, that he become not our adversary in the battle. For by what shall this one make himself acceptable to his master, if not by the heads of those men? Is not this David, whom they sang of him in the dances, saying, ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his myriads’?” and Achish called to David and said to him, “As YHWH lives, surely you have been upright, and good in my eyes is your going out and your coming in with me in the camp. For I have not found in you evil since the day of your coming to me until this day. And in the eyes of the princes is no favor of you. And now, return and go in peace, that you do not do evil in the eyes of the princes of the Philistines.” And David said to Achish, “But what have I done? And what have you found in your servant as long as I have been with you to this day, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?” And Achish answered and said to David, “I know that you are as pleasing in my sight as an angel of God. Nevertheless, the princes of the Philistines have said, ‘He shall not go up with us to the battle.’ And now rise early in the morning with the servants of your master who have come with you, and when you⁺ have risen early in the morning, and have light for it, then depart.” And David rose early, he and his men, to depart in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel. The Amalekites Raid Ziklag And it came to pass, when David and his men came into Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekite had invaded against the Negev and against Ziklag, and they had struck Ziklag, and burned it with the fire, and they took captive the women and all30.2 LXX; Hebrew does not include and all. those who were in it, from small and to great. They did not kill anyone, and they carried them off and went on their way. And David and his men came to the city, and behold, it was burned with the fire, and their wives and their sons and their daughters had been taken captive. And David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until that there was not in them power to weep. And the two wives of David had been taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite. And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. And David strengthened himself in YHWH his God. David Destroys the Amalekites And David said to Abiathar the priest, son of Ahimelech, “Please bring here to me the ephod.” And Abiathar brought the ephod to David. And David inquired of YHWH, saying, “Shall I pursue after this troop? Will I overtake them?” And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and you shall surely deliver.” And David went, he and six hundred men who were with him, and they came to the Brook of Besor, and those left behind stood still. And David pursued, he and four hundred men; for two hundred men stayed behind who were so weary that they could not cross the Brook of Besor. And they found an Egyptian in the field and brought him to David, and they gave to him bread, and he ate, and they let him drink water. And they gave to him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins. And he ate and his strength came back to him, for he had not eaten bread nor drunk water for three days and three nights. And David said to him, “To whom are you, and where are you from?” And he said, “An Egyptian, a young man, I am servant of an Amalekite. And my master left me behind because I fell sick three days ago. We made an invasion to the south of the Cherethite and against that which is unto Judah, and against the south of Caleb, and Ziklag we burned with the fire.” And David said to him, “Can you take me down to this troop?” And he said, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or deliver me into the hand of my master, and I will take you down to this troop.” And he brought him down, and behold, they were spread out over the face of all the land, eating and drinking and dancing because of all the great plunder that they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. And David attacked them from twilight and until the evening of the next day, and not a man escaped of them, but rather four hundred young men who rode on the camels and fled. And David snatched away all that the Amalekite had carried away, and his two wives David snatched away. And nothing was lacking of theirs either small and to great, and sons and daughters, and from plunder, and to all that they had taken from them. David brought back everything. And David took all of the flock and of the herd they had driven before the face of these livestock, and they said, “This is the plunder of David.” The Spoils Are Divided And David came to the two hundred men who had been so weary that they could not follow behind David, and whom they had made to stay at the Brook of Besor, and they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him. And David came near the people, and he asked them of welfare. And all the wicked and worthless of those men who went with David answered and said, “Because that they did not go with us, we will not give to them from the plunder that we have snatched away. But rather for every man, his wife and his sons, that they may lead them away and depart.” And David said, “You⁺ shall not do so, my brothers, with what YHWH has given to us, who has preserved us and delivered the troop that came against us into our hands. For who will listen to you⁺ in this matter? But as is the portion of the one having gone down to the battle, so shall be the portion of the one having stayed with the supplies. They shall take portions together.” And it came to pass from that day forward that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day. And David came to Ziklag, and he sent some from the plunder to the elders of Judah, to his friends, saying, “Behold, for you⁺ a present from the plunder of the enemies of YHWH.”— To those in Bethel, and to those in Ramoth of the Negev, and to those in Jattir, and to those in Aroer, and to those in Siphmoth, and to those in Eshtemoa, and to those in Rachal, and to those in the cities of the Jerahmeelite, and to those in the cities of the Kenite, and to those in Hormah, and to those in Bor-ashan, and to those in Athach, and to those in Hebron, and to all the places where David had gone up and down there—he and his men. Saul’s Overthrow and Death (2 Samuel 1:1–16; 1 Chronicles 10:1–6) And the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. And the Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons, and the Philistines killed Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchishua, the sons of Saul. And the battle became fierce against Saul, and the archers found him—men with the bow—and he was wounded severely by the archers. And Saul said to the bearer of his armor, “Draw your sword and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised ones come and thrust me through and torture me.” And the bearer of his armor was not willing, for he was greatly afraid. And Saul took a sword and fell on it. And the bearer of his armor saw that Saul was dead, and he fell he also on his sword, and he died with him. And Saul died, and his three sons, and the bearer of his armor, and all his men, that day together. The Philistines Possess the Towns (1 Chronicles 10:7–10) And they saw—the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley, and who were beyond the Jordan—that the men of Israel had fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead. And they forsook the cities and fled. And the Philistines came and dwelt in them. And it came to pass the next day that the Philistines came to strip the slain, and they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. And they cut off his head and stripped off his armor, and they sent into the land of the Philistines all around, to proclaim it in the temple of their idols and among the people. And they put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths, and his body they fastened to the wall of Beth-shan. Jabesh-gilead’s Tribute to Saul (1 Chronicles 10:11–14) And those dwelling in Jabesh-gilead heard about what the Philistines had done to Saul, and all the valiant men arose and traveled all the night, and they took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan. And they came to Jabesh and burned them there. And they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.