ACCORDING TO THE VULGATE, FIRST OF THE KINGS
PART ONE.
SAMUEL.
I. — BIRTH OF SAMUEL; HIS VOCATION.
Chapter 1
— Birth of Samuel. —
1 There was a man from Ramathaim-sophim, from the hill country of Ephraim, named Elkanah, son of Jeroham, son of Eliu, son of Tohu, son of Suph, an Ephrathite.
2 He had two wives, one named Anne, and the other Phenena; and Phenena had children, but Anne had no children.
3 This man went up from his town every year to worship the Lord Almighty and offer sacrifices to him at Shiloh. were the two sons of Eli, Ophni and Phinehas, priests of Yahweh.
4 On the day Elkanah offered his sacrifice, he gave portions of the victim to Phenena, his wife, and to all his sons and daughters;
5 and he gave Hannah a double portion, because he loved Hannah, and Yahweh had made her barren.
6 Her rival was still afflicting her greatly, in order to make her bitter because Yahweh had made her barren.
7 And every year Elcana She did this every time she went up to the house of Yahweh, and Phenena It mortified her in the same way. So she cried and did not eat.
8 Elkanah, her husband, said to her, «Hannah, why are you weeping and not eating? Why is your heart sad? Am I not better to you than ten sons?»
9 Hannah got up after they had eaten and drunk at Shiloh. — Eli, the big The priest was sitting on a seat in front of one of the pillars of the Temple of Yahweh.
10 In her bitterness, she prayed to Yahweh and wept bitterly;
11 And she made a vow, saying, «Yahweh Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever touch his head.»
12 As she remained a long time praying before Yahweh, Eli observed her mouth.
13 Anne spoke in her heart and only moved her lips, without her voice being heard. Heli thought SO that she was drunk,
14 And he said to him, «How long will you remain drunk? Put away your wine.»
15 Hannah answered, «No, my lord, I am a woman afflicted in my heart; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before Yahweh.
16 Do not take your servant for a wife of Belial, for it is out of my great sorrow and grief that I have spoken thus far.»
17 Heli spoke again and him He said, "Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant the prayer you have addressed to him!"«
18 She said, «May your servant find favor in your eyes!» And the woman went on her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.
19 They got up early in the morning and, having worshiped before Yahweh, they returned and went back to their house in Ramah.
20 Elkanah knew Hannah, his wife, and the Lord remembered her. After the time had passed, Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son, whom she named Samuel, saying, «For I asked the Lord for him.»
— Samuel's consecration to God. —
21 Her husband Elkanah went up with all his household to offer the annual sacrifice to Yahweh and to fulfill his vow.
22 But Hannah did not go up, and she said to her husband, «When the child is weaned, I will bring him so that he may appear before the Lord and remain there forever.»
23 Elkanah, her husband, said to her, «Do what seems best to you, stay here until you have weaned him. Only may Yahweh fulfill his word!» And the woman stayed and nursed her son until she weaned him.
24 When she had weaned him, she took him up with her, bringing three bulls, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of Yahweh at Shiloh; the child was still very young.
25 They slaughtered the bull, and they brought the child to Eli.
26 Hannah said, «Forgive me, my lord. As surely as your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you to pray to Yahweh.
27 It was for this child that I prayed, and Yahweh granted me the request that I made to him.
28 I too give him to Yahweh; all the days of his life, he will be given to Yahweh.» And they bowed down there before Yahweh.
Chapter 2
1 Hannah prayed and said: My heart exults in Yahweh, my horn is lifted up by Yahweh, my mouth is open against my enemies, for I rejoice in your salvation.
2 No one is holy like Yahweh, for there is no other God than you; there is no rock like our God.
3 Do not utter so many proud words that arrogant speech does not come out of your mouth.
For Yahweh is a God who knows all things, and actions of man do not exist.
4 The bow of the mighty is broken, and the weak have strength as their girdle.
5 Those who were full hire themselves out for bread, and those who were hungry are no longer hungry; even the barren woman bears seven children, and she who had many sons withers away.
6 Yahweh kills and gives life; he brings down to the realm of the dead and raises up again.
7 Yahweh makes poor and he makes rich, he humbles and he exalts.
8 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and gives them a throne of glory as their inheritance.
For the pillars of the earth belong to the Lord, and upon them he has set the globe.
9 He will guard the steps of his scepters, but the wicked will perish in darkness.
Because man will not prevail by force.
10 Yahweh! His enemies will be shattered; from heaven he will thunder upon them; Yahweh will judge the ends of the earth.
He will give power to his king, and he will exalt the horn of his anointed one.
11 Elkanah went to his house in Ramah, and the child remained in the service of Yahweh, before Eli the priest.
— The sons of Heli. —
12 Now the sons of Eli were men of Belial; they did not know Yahweh.
13 And this is the way to act these priests in relation to the people. When someone offered a sacrifice, the priest's servant would come, while the meat was being boiled, holding a three-pronged fork in his hand;
14 he there He would dip into the cauldron, the pot, the pan, or the pot, and whatever the fork brought up, the priest would take for himself. This is how they treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh.
15 Even before the fat was burned, the priest's servant would come and say to the man offering the sacrifice, «Give me some meat to roast for the priest; he will not accept boiled meat from you, but only meat from the fat.” flesh raw.»
16 And if the man said to him, «First let the fat be smoked; then you may take what you want,» the servant would answer, «No, you in You will give it now; otherwise, I will’in I will take it by force.»
17 The sin of these young men was very great in the sight of Yahweh, because these men brought contempt upon the offerings of Yahweh.
18 Samuel served before Yahweh: the child was dressed in a linen ephod.
19 Her mother made her a little dress, which she brought her every year when she went up with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice.
20 Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, saying, «May the Lord give you children by this woman, for the gift she has made to the Lord!» And they returned to their homes.
21 The Lord visited Hannah, and she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. And the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.
22 Eli was very old, and he learned how his sons were acting toward all Israel, and how they were sleeping with women which were used at the entrance to the meeting tent.
23 He said to them, «Why are you doing such things? For I hear from all the people about your wicked deeds.
24 No, my children, the rumor I hear is not good; they are causing the people of Yahweh to sin.
25 If a man sins against another man, God will judge; but if he sins against the Lord, who will intercede for him?» But they would not listen to their father’s voice, for the Lord wanted to put them to death.
26 The boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the Lord and with men.
27 A man of God came to Eli and said to him, «Thus says Yahweh: Did I not clearly reveal myself to your father’s house when they were in Egypt in the house of Pharaoh?
28 I have chosen him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, to wear the ephod before me; and I have given to your father’s house all the offerings of the children of Israel made by fire.
29 Why have you trampled underfoot my sacrifices and offerings, which I commanded to offer in my home? Why Have you honored your sons more than me, by fattening yourselves on the best of all the offerings of Israel, my people?
30 That is why, here is The word of the Lord, the God of Israel: I had declared that your house and the house of your father would walk before me forever. But now, says the Lord, it shall not be so! For I will honor those who honor me, and those who despise me shall be despised.
31 The days are coming when I will cut off your arm and the arm of your father’s house, so that there will no longer be an old man in your house.
32 You will see your dwelling humbled, while God will fill Israel with blessings; and there will never again be an old man in your house.
33 I will not remove from my altar All man of your people, so that your eyes may fail and your soul may faint; but every offspring of your house will die in the prime of life.
34 And you will have as a sign what will happen to your two sons, to Ophni and Phinehas: they will both die on the same day.
35 And I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will act according to my heart and my soul; I will build him a lasting house, and he will always walk before my anointed one.
36 And whoever remains of your house shall come and worship him, to to have a piece of silver and a piece of bread, and he will say, »Please assign me to some priestly duty, so that I may have a piece of bread to eat.”
Chapter 3
— Samuel's vocation. —
1 The boy Samuel served the Lord in the presence of Eli. The word of the Lord was rare in those days, and the vision was not frequent.
2 At that time, as Heli was lying in his place, — but his eyes had begun to grow dim and he could no longer see;
3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of Yahweh, where the ark of God was, —
4 Yahweh called Samuel; he answered, «Here I am!»
5 And he ran to Eli, and him He said, "Here I am, for you called me." Eli replied, "I did not call; go back to bed." And he went to bed.
6 The Lord called Samuel again; and Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, «Here I am, for you called me.» Eli replied, «I did not call, my son; go back to bed.»
7 Samuel did not yet know Yahweh, because the word of Yahweh had not yet been revealed to him.
8 The Lord called Samuel again for the third time. He got up and went to Eli and said, «Here I am, for you called me.» Eli understood SO that it was Yahweh Who called the child.
9 And Eli said to Samuel, «Go, lie down, and if they call you Again, You will say: Speak, Yahweh, for your servant is listening.» And Samuel went away and lay down in his place.
10 Yahweh came and stood there, And he called out, as before, "Samuel! Samuel!" Samuel replied, "Speak, for your servant is listening."«
11 And Yahweh said to Samuel, «Behold, I am about to do something in Israel which no one shall hear of it without both ears ringing.
12 On that day I will accomplish for Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house; I will begin and I will finish.
13 I told him that I would judge his house forever, because of the crime of which he knew, and by which his sons made themselves unworthy without his restraining them.
14 That is why I swore to the house of Eli that the sin of the house of Eli would never be atoned for, neither by sacrifices nor by offerings.»
15 Samuel lay down until morning, then he opened the doors of the house of Yahweh. And Samuel was afraid to tell Eli about the vision.
16 But Eli called Samuel, saying, «Samuel, my son!» He answered, «Here I am.»
17 And Eli said, «What is the word that Yahweh Did you tell me? Please, don't hide from me Nothing. May Yahweh deal with you in all his severity if you hide from me anything of all the words he has spoken to you!»
18 Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing from him. And Eli said, «It is the Lord; let him do whatever seems good to him!»
19 Samuel grew up; Yahweh was with him, and he let none of his words fall to the ground.
20 All Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, acknowledged that Samuel was a true prophet of Yahweh.
21 And Yahweh continued to appear at Shiloh, for Yahweh manifested himself to Samuel at Shiloh, by the word of Yahweh.
II. — ISRAEL AND THE PHILISTINES.
Chapter 4
— Israel defeated by the Philistines; capture of the ark. —
1 Samuel's word came to all Israel.
Israel went out to meet the Philistines in battle; they camped near Ebenezer, and the Philistines were camped at Aphek.
2 The Philistines, having drawn up their battle lines against Israel, the battle began, and Israel was defeated by the Philistines, and they killed about four thousand men in battle line in the plain.
3 The people returned to the camp, and the elders of Israel said, «Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord from Shiloh to us, so that it may come among us and deliver us from the hand of our enemies.»
4 The people sent to Shiloh, and from that city they brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord Almighty, who sits upon the cherubim. The two sons of Eli, Ophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
5 When the ark of the covenant of Yahweh entered the camp, all Israel shouted so loudly for joy that the earth resounded.
6 When the Philistines heard the sound of these shouts, they said, «Let means the sound of these loud shouts of joy in the camp of the Hebrews?" And they learned that the ark of Yahweh had come to the camp.
7 The Philistines were afraid, because they said, «God has come into the camp.» And they said, «Woe to us! For nothing like this has ever happened before.
8 Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the desert.
9 »Be strong and act like men, Philistines, or you will be enslaved by the Hebrews as they are enslaved to you. Be men and fight!”
10 The Philistines gave battle, and Israel was defeated, and everyone fled to their tents; there was a very great defeat, and they fell on the from Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers.
11 The ark of God was captured, and the two sons of Eli, Ophni and Phinehas, perished.
— Death of Heli. —
12 A man from Benjamin ran from the battlefield and came to Shiloh that same day, with his clothes torn and his head covered in dust.
13 When he arrived, Eli was sitting on a seat by the roadside, waiting, for his heart trembled because of the ark of God. When this man came into the city with this news, the whole city shouted.
14 When Eli heard the noise of this clamor, he said, «What is this tumultuous noise?» And immediately the man came and brought the news to Eli.
15 Now Eli was ninety-eight years old; his eyes were fixed and he could no longer see.
16 The man said to Eli, «I have just come from the battlefield, and it is from the battlefield that I fled today.» Eli said, «What happened, my son?»
17 The messenger replied, «Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has been a great slaughter among the people; even your two sons, Ophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been captured.»
18 No sooner had he named the ark of God than Eli fell backward from his seat beside the gate; his neck broke, and he died, for he was an old and heavy man. He had judged Israel for forty years.
19 His daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and about to give birth. When she heard the news of the capture of the ark of God, and of the death of her father-in-law and her husband, she went into labor and gave birth, for pains came upon her.
20 As she was about to die, women Those who were near her said to her, "Do not be afraid, for you have given birth to a son." But she did not answer and paid no attention.
21 She named the child Ishabod, saying, «The glory has departed from Israel because of the capture of the ark of God and because of of death of her stepfather and her husband.
22 She said, «The glory has been taken from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured!»
Chapter 5
— The ark among the Philistines. —
1 The Philistines, having seized the ark of God, brought it from Ebenezer to Azotus.
2 The Philistines took the ark of God, brought it into the house of Dagon, and placed it beside Dagon.
3 The next day, the Azotians got up early, and behold, Dagon was He lay face down on the ground before the ark of Yahweh. They took Dagon and put him back in his place.
4 The next day they got up early, and behold, Dagon was Again stretched out face down before the ark of the Lord; Dagon's head and his two severed hands lay on the threshold,
5 and only the fish-shaped trunk remained to it. That is why the priests of Dagon and all who enter the house of Dagon in Azotus do not set foot on Dagon's threshold to this day.
6 The hand of Yahweh fell heavily on the Azotians and afflicted them; he struck them with tumors, in Azotian and in its territory.
7 When the Azotians saw what was happening, they said, «The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for he has laid his hand on us and on Dagon our god.
8 And they summoned to their house by messengers all the princes of the Philistines, and they said, «What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?» The princes They replied, «Let the ark of the God of Israel be taken to Geth!» And they y transported the ark of the God of Israel.
9 But, As soon as it was transported, the hand of Yahweh was upon the city, and there was a very great terror; it struck the people of the city, from the small to the great, and tumors grew on them.
10 So they sent the ark of God to Accaron. When the ark of God entered Accaron, the Accaronites cried out, saying, «They have brought the ark of the God of Israel to us to kill us and our people!»
11 And they summoned by messengers all the princes of the Philistines, and said, «Send back the ark of the God of Israel; let it return to its place, so that it does not cause us and our people to die.»
12 For there was a deadly terror throughout the city, and the hand of God was very heavy upon it. Those who did not die were struck with tumors, and the cry of distress from the city went up to heaven.
Chapter 6
— Return of the ark to Israel. —
1 The ark of Yahweh was seven months in the land of the Philistines.
2 Then the Philistines summoned the priests and the diviners and said to them, «What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us how we should send it back to its place.» They replied:
3 «If you send back the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it back empty, but be sure to bring him a restitution offering; then you will be healed and you will know why his hand has not departed from you.
4 The Philistines They said, "What offering of reparation shall we make to him?"«
5 They answered, «Five golden tumors and five golden mice, according to the number of the Philistine princes, for the same plague has struck you and your princes. Therefore make images of your tumors and images of your mice that are ravaging the land, and in this way give glory to the God of Israel: perhaps he will take away his heavy hand from you, from your gods, and from your land.”.
6 Why should you harden your hearts, as Egypt and Pharaoh hardened theirs? Did they not, when he had punished them, let the children of Israel go?
7 Now therefore make a new cart, and take two suckling cows that have not been yoked; harness the cows to the cart, and bring their calves away from them to the stable.
8 You shall take the ark of Yahweh and put it on the cart; then, having placed beside it, in a box, the gold articles which you have given as a guilt offering, you shall send it away and it shall go.
9 Watch her: if she goes up by the road to her border, toward Beth-sames, it is the Lord who has done this great harm to us; if not, we will know that it is not his hand that has struck us, and that It happened to us by chance.»
10 These people did so; having taken two suckling cows, they harnessed them to the cart and shut their young in the stable.
11 They placed on the cart the ark of Yahweh, and the casket with the golden mice and the images of their tumors.
12 The cows went straight ahead on the road to Beth-sames; they followed always they marched along the same road, roaring, without turning to the right or left. The Philistine princes followed them as far as the border of Beth-sames.
13 The people of Beth-shamesh were harvesting wheat in the valley. When they looked up, they saw the ark and rejoiced when they saw it.
14 The cart arrived in the field of Joshua the Bethsamite and stopped there. There was a large stone there. They split the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to Yahweh.
15 The Levites, after taking down the ark of the Lord and the chest that was beside it, containing the gold articles, set down the whole on the large stone. The people of Beth-Sames offered burnt offerings and sacrifices to Yahweh on that day.
16 The five Philistine princes, having seen this, returned the same day to Accaron.
17 These are the golden tumors that the Philistines gave to Yahweh as a guilt offering: one for Azotus, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Geth, one for Accaron.
18 They offered also golden mice according to the number of all the Philistine cities belonging to the five chiefs, both fortified cities and unwalled villages: witness the great stone on which the ark of Yahweh was placed, and which remained to this day in the field of Joshua the Bethsamite.
19 Yahweh He struck down the people of Beth-shamesh because they had looked at the ark of the Lord; he struck down fifty thousand seventy men from among the people. And the people mourned greatly because the Lord had struck them with a great plague.
20 The people of Beth-shamesh said, «Who can stand before the Lord, this holy God? And to whom will he ascend?” as we moved away of us?
21 They sent messengers to the inhabitants of Cariathariah, saying, «The Philistines have brought back the ark of the Lord; come down and bring it up to you.»
Chapter 7
1 The people of Cariathariah came and brought up the ark of the Lord; they brought it into the house of Abinadab, on the hill, and they consecrated his son Eleazar to guard the ark of the Lord.
— Defeat of the Philistines. —
2 From the day the ark was placed in Cariatharia, a long time passed, twenty years, and all the house of Israel groaned to Yahweh.
3 And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, «If you return to the Lord with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths from among you, and bind your hearts firmly to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.»
4 Then the children of Israel removed the Baals and the Ashtoreths from among them, and they served Yahweh alone.
5 Samuel said, «Assemble all Israel at Masphah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.»
6 And they assembled at Masphah. They drew water and poured it out before the Lord, and they fasted that day, saying, «We have sinned against the Lord.» And Samuel judged the children of Israel at Masphah.
7 When the Philistines heard that the Israelites had gathered at Mizpah, the Philistine leaders came up against Israel. The Israelites heard this and were afraid of the Philistines;
8 And the children of Israel said to Samuel, «Do not cease crying out to the Lord our God for us, that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines.»
9 Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it entirely as a burnt offering to the Lord; and Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him.
10 While Samuel was offering the burnt offering, the Philistines approached to attack Israel. But the Lord thundered that day with a great roar against the Philistines and routed them, and they were defeated before Israel.
11 The men of Israel, coming out of Maspha, pursued the Philistines and defeated them as far as below Beth-Char.
12 Samuel took a stone and set it up between Maspha and Shen, and named it Ebenezer, saying, «Thus far the Lord has helped us.»
13 Thus humbled, the Philistines did not return to the territory of Israel; the hand of Yahweh was upon the Philistines all the days of Samuel.
14 The cities that the Philistines had taken from Israel returned to Israel, from Acharon to Geth; Israel wrested their territory from the hands of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.
— Samuel's court. —
15 Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.
16 Every year he went around to Bethel, Gilgal, and Maspha, and he judged Israel in all these places.
17 Then he returned to Ramah, where his house was, and there he judged Israel; there he built an altar to Yahweh.
PART TWO.
SAMUEL AND SAUL.
I. — ELECTION OF SAUL.
Chapter 8
— The people are demanding a king. —
1 When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges over Israel.
2 His firstborn son was named Joel, and the second Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba.
3 The sons by Samuel they did not follow in his footsteps; they’in embezzled for profit, received gifts, and violated justice.
4 All the elders of Israel assembled and came to Samuel at Ramah.
5 They said to him, «Look, you are old, and your sons do not follow in your footsteps; therefore appoint a king to judge us, as have all nations.»
6 This language displeased Samuel because they were saying, «Give us a king to judge us»; and Samuel prayed to Yahweh.
7 Yahweh said to Samuel, «Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for it is not you whom they reject, it is me whom they reject, so that I no longer reign over them.
8 As they have always acted with regard to me From the day I brought them up out of Egypt until now, forsaking me to serve other gods, this is how they treat you.
9 And now, listen to their voice; but bear witness against them, and make known to them the rights of the king who will reign over them.»
10 Samuel reported all the words of Yahweh to the people who were asking him for a king.
11 He said, «This is what will be the right of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons, and he will put them on his chariot and among his horsemen, and they will run before his chariot.
12 He will appoint commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties; he will make them plow his fields, reap his harvests, make his weapons of war and the equipment for his chariots.
13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers.
14 Your best fields, vineyards, and olive groves he will take and give to his servants.
15 He will take a tenth of your harvests and vineyards and give it to his courtiers and servants.
16 He will take your male and female servants, your best oxen and donkeys, and employ them in his work.
17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves shall be his slaves.
18 On that day you will cry out because of the king you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you.»
19 The people refused to listen to Samuel's voice; they said, "No, but there will be a king over us,
20 And we too will be like all the other nations; our king will judge us, he will lead us and wage our wars.»
21 After hearing all the words of the people, Samuel repeated them in the hearing of Yahweh.
22 And the Lord said to Samuel, «Listen to their voice and appoint a king over them.» Then Samuel said to the men of Israel, «Each of you should go to your own town.»
Chapter 9
— Saul was anointed by Samuel. —
1 There was a man of Benjamin, named Cish, son of Abiel, son of Seror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, son of a Benjamite; he was a valiant man.
2 He had a son named Saul, a handsome young man; none of the children of Israel was more handsome than he, and he was a head taller than all the people.
3 The donkeys belonging to Cish, Saul's father, had strayed, and Cish said to Saul his son, "Take one of the servants with you, get up and go in search of the donkeys."«
4 He passed through the hill country of Ephraim and through the land of Salisa, and they did not THE They did not find them; they passed through the land of Salim, and they were not there; he passed through the land of Benjamin, and they did not THE They couldn't find it.
5 When they arrived in the land of Suph, Saul said to his servant who was with him, «Come, let us return, lest my father forget the donkeys and be distressed about us.»
6 The servant said to him, «Look, there is a man of God in this town, a very respected man, and everything he says comes true. Let us go there; perhaps he can tell us which way we should go.»
7 Saul said to his servant, «If we go there, what shall we bring to the man of God »Because there is no more food in our bags, and we have no gift to offer the man of God. What do we have?”
8 The servant answered again and said to Saul, «Look, I find with me a quarter of a shekel of silver; I will give it to the man of God, and he will show us our way.»
9 — In former times in Israel, when going to consult God, people would say, «Come, let us go to the seer.» For the one who is now called a prophet was formerly called a seer.
10 Saul said to his servant, «Your advice is good; come, let us go.» And they went to the city where the man of God was.
11 As they were going up the hill that leads to the town, they met some young women who had come out to draw water, and they said to them, «Is the seer here?»
12 They answered them, saying, «Yes, he is there, he is before you; but go quickly, for he has come to the city today because the people have a sacrifice today on the high place.
13 As soon as you enter the city, you will find him before he goes up to the high place for the meal; for the people will not eat until he arrives, because they must bless the sacrifice; afterward, those who are invited will eat. So go up now; you will find him today.»
14 And they went up to the city.
They had entered the middle of the city, and behold, Samuel came out to meet them, to go up to a high place.
15 Now, one day before Saul's arrival, the Lord had revealed something to Samuel, saying:
16 «Tomorrow at this time I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to to be the The leader of my people Israel will deliver them from the hand of the Philistines, for I have looked upon my people, because their cry has come to me.»
17 As soon as Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said to him, «This is the man I told you about; he is the one who will reign over my people.»
18 Saul approached Samuel in the middle of the gate and said, «Please tell me where the seer’s house is.»
19 Samuel answered Saul, «I am the seer. Come up before me to the high place, and you will eat with me today; I will let you go tomorrow, and I will tell you everything that is in your heart.
20 As for the donkeys you lost three days ago, don’t worry about them, for they have been found. And whose will all the treasures in Israel belong to? Will they not belong to you and to all your father’s household?»
21 Saul answered, «Am I not a Benjamite, from the smallest of the tribes of Israel? And is not my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Why have you spoken such a word to me?»
22 Samuel, having taken Saul and his servant, brought them into the hall and gave them the first place among the guests, who were about thirty men.
23 Samuel said to the cook, «Serve the portion I gave you and told you to set aside.»
24 The cook raised the shoulder with what was on it and served it to Saul. And Samuel said, «Here is the portion reserved; take it from before you and eat, for it was kept for this time when I summoned the people.» So Saul ate with Samuel that day.
25 They went down Next from the high place in the city, and Samuel spoke with Saul on the roof.
26 The day after, They got up early in the morning and, as dawn was breaking, Samuel called to Saul on the roof, and said, "Get up, and I will let you go." Saul got up, and they both went out, he and Samuel.
27 When they had gone down to the edge of the city, Samuel said to Saul, «Tell your servant to go on ahead of us.» So the servant went on ahead. «Now stop, added Samuel, and I will let you hear what God has said.»
Chapter 10
1 Samuel took a flask of oil, and there poured over the head of Saul ; then he kissed him and said, «Has not Yahweh anointed you ruler over his inheritance?
2 When you leave me today, you will find two men near Rachel’s tomb in Selsah, in the territory of Benjamin. They will say to you, «The donkeys you went to look for have been found. Your father has forgotten about the donkeys, but he is worried about you and says, »What should I do about my son?’”
3 From there, continuing on your way, you will come to the oak of Tabor, and there You will be met by three men going up to God at Bethel, one carrying three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and the other a skin of wine.
4 After they have greeted you, they will give you two loaves of bread, and you will receive them from their hands.
5 After that, you will come to Gibeah of God, where there is a Philistine outpost. As you enter the city, you will meet a procession of prophets coming down from the high place, preceded by lyres, tambourines, flutes, and harps, and prophesying.
6 The Spirit of Yahweh will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them, and you will be changed into another man.
7 When these signs have been fulfilled for you, do whatever is presented to you, for God is with you.
8 You shall go down to Gilgal before me; and behold, I am going down to you to offer burnt offerings and peace offerings. You shall wait seven days until I come to you and I will show you what you must do.»
9 As soon as Saul turned his back to separate from Samuel, God gave him another heart, and all these signs were fulfilled on the same day.
10 When they arrived at Gibeah, behold, a company of prophets came to meet him; and the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied in their midst.
11 When all those who had known him before saw that he was prophesying with the prophets, they all said to one another, «What has happened to the son of Zish? Is Saul now also among the prophets?»
12 Someone from the crowd spoke up and said, «And who is their father?» — That is why it has become a proverb: «Is Saul also among the prophets?» —
13 When he had finished prophesying, he went up to a high place.
14 Saul's uncle said to Saul and his servant, "Where have you been?" Saul replied, "To look for the donkeys; but not seeing them anywhere, we went to Samuel."«
15 Saul's uncle said, "Tell me what Samuel told you."«
16 And Saul answered his uncle, «He told us that the donkeys have been found.» But as for the matter of the kingship, he did not tell him what Samuel had said.
— Saul was chosen by lot. —
17 Samuel summoned the people before Yahweh at Maspha,
18 and he said to the children of Israel, «Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel: I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that oppressed you.
19 And you, today, reject your God, who delivered you from all your afflictions and all your sufferings, and you say to him, »Appoint a king over us!” Now present yourselves before the Lord, by your tribes and by your families.”
20 Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was chosen by fate.
21 He brought the tribe of Benjamin near by families, and the family of Metri was chosen; then Saul, son of Cish, was chosen. They looked for him, but he could not be found.
22 Then they asked Yahweh again, «Has anyone else come here?» Yahweh replied, «Look, he is hidden among the luggage.»
23 They ran and brought him out of there, and he stood in the midst of the people, towering above all the people by his shoulder and beyond.
24 Then Samuel said to all the people, «Do you see the one whom the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.» And all the people shouted, «Long live the king!»
25 Then Samuel explained to the people the rights of the kingship, and he wrote it in the book, which he placed before Yahweh; then he sent all the people away, each to his own house.
26 Saul also went to his house at Gibeah, accompanied of men of value, whose heart God had touched.
27 However, Belial's men said, "Is this the one who will save us?" And they despised him and brought him no gifts. But Saul paid no attention.
II. — WARS AND FAULTS OF SAUL.
Chapter 11
— Saul and the Ammonites. —
1 Naas the Ammonite went up and camped before Jabesh-gilead. All the inhabitants of Jabesh said to Naas, «Make a treaty with us, and we will serve you.»
2 But Naas the Ammonite answered them, «I will make a deal with you on the condition that I put out the right eye of each of you, and that I put Thus a disgrace upon all of Israel.»
3 The elders of Jabesh said to him, «Grant us a delay of "For seven days, and we will send messengers throughout the territory of Israel; and if there is no one to help us, we will surrender to you."»
4 The messengers came to Gibeah from Saul, and told these things in the hearing of the people; and all the people raised their voices and wept.
5 And behold, Saul was returning from the fields behind his oxen; and Saul said, «What is the matter with the people, that they are weeping?» They told him what the men of Jabesh had said.
6 As soon as he heard these words, the Spirit of the Lord came upon Saul, and his anger was kindled.
7 Having taken a pair of oxen, he cut them into pieces, and sent messengers throughout the territory of Israel, saying, «Whoever does not follow Saul and Samuel, his oxen will be treated in the same way.» The terror of the Lord fell upon the people, and they marched as one.
8 Saul reviewed them at Bezek: the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.
9 They told the messengers who had come, «You should also tell the men of Jabesh-gilead: Tomorrow you will receive help, when the sun is in its strength.» The messengers reported this news to the men of Jabesh, and they were filled with joy.
10 And the men of Jabesh said to the Ammonites "Tomorrow, we will surrender to you, and you will treat us as you see fit."«
11 The next day, Saul divided the people into three companies; they entered the camp Ammonites at the early morning, and they beat them until the heat of the day. Those who escaped were scattered, so that not two remained together.
12 The people said to Samuel, «Who was it who said, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ Hand over—We "These people, and we will put them to death."»
13 But Saul said, «No one shall be put to death this day, for today the Lord has saved Israel.»
14 And Samuel said to the people, «Come, let us go to Gilgal, to renew the kingdom there.»
15 All the people went to Gilgal, and they installed Saul as king before the Lord at Gilgal, and they offered peace offerings there before the Lord; and Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly there.
Chapter 12
— Samuel abdicates the judiciary. —
1 Samuel said to all Israel, «Behold, I have listened to your voice in all that you have said to me, and I have appointed a king over you.
2 And now, behold, the king will go before you. As for me, I am old and gray, and my sons are among you; I have gone before you from my youth to this day.
3 Here I am; testify about me before the Lord and before his anointed: Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I wronged? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I taken a bribe to turn a blind eye? I will repay you.»
4 They answered, «You have not wronged us, you have not oppressed us, and you have received nothing from anyone’s hand.»
5 He said to them, «The Lord is witness against you, and his anointed one is witness this day, that you have found nothing in my hands!» The people answered, «He is witness.»
6 And Samuel said to the people, « Yes, Yahweh is a witness, He who established Moses and Aaron, and who brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt.
7 Now stand up, I want to call you into judgment before Yahweh concerning all the good things he has done for you and your fathers.
8 After Jacob came to Egypt, your fathers cried out to Yahweh, and Yahweh sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your fathers out of Egypt and settled them in this place.
9 But they forgot the Lord their God, and he delivered them into the hands of Sisera, commander of Hashor's army, into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the king of Moab, who did to them the war.
10 They cried out to Yahweh, saying, «We have sinned, for we have forsaken Yahweh and served the Baals and the Ashtoreths; now deliver us from the hand of our enemies, and we will serve you.»
11 And Yahweh sent Jerobaal and Badan, and Jephthah and Samuel, and he delivered you from the hand of your enemies all around you, and you dwelt in your homes in safety.
12 And when you saw Naas, king of the Ammonites, marching against you, you said to me, “No! But a king will reign over us!” while Yahweh, your God, was your king.
13 So this is the king whom you have chosen, whom you have asked for; behold, Yahweh has established a king over you.
14 If you fear the Lord, if you serve him and obey his voice, if you do not rebel against the Lord's command, but if you follow both you and the king who reigns over you, the Lord your God,…
15 But if you do not obey the voice of Yahweh and if you rebel against the commandment of Yahweh, the hand of Yahweh will be against you, as it was against your fathers.
16 Now stay a while longer, and see this great thing that Yahweh is going to do before your eyes.
17 Is it not now the wheat harvest? Well, I will call upon the Lord, and he will send thunder and rain; then you will know and see how great is in the eyes of the Lord the evil you have done by asking for a king for yourselves.»
18 Samuel called on the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that same day; and all the people were filled with great fear of the Lord and of Samuel.
19 All the people said to Samuel, «Pray to the Lord your God for your servants, that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins the wrong of asking for a king for ourselves.»
20 Samuel said to the people, «Do not be afraid. You have done all this evil, but do not stop following Yahweh, and serve Yahweh with all your heart.
21 Do not in do not turn away, because it would be to go to worthless things, which would give you neither profit nor deliverance, because they are worthless things.
22 For Yahweh will not abandon his people, for his great name's sake; for it has pleased Yahweh to make you his people.
23 Far be it from me to sin against Yahweh by ceasing to pray for you! I will teach you the good and right way.
24 Only fear Yahweh, and serve him in truth with all your heart; for see what great things he has done in your midst!
25 But if you persist in doing evil, you and your king will perish.»
Chapter 13
— War with the Philistines, first mistake. —
1 Saul was… years old when he became king, and he reigned two years over Israel.
2 Saul chose for himself thirty thousand men of Israel: two thousand were with him at Machmas and on the mountain of Bethel, and one thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah of Benjamin. And he sent the rest of the people away, each to his tent.
3 Jonathan attacked the Philistine outpost at Gabea, and the Philistines heard about it. Then Saul sounded the trumpet throughout the land, saying, «Let the Hebrews hear!»
4 All Israel heard the news: «Saul has defeated the Philistine outpost, and Israel has also made itself odious to the Philistines.» So the people were summoned to Saul at Gilgal.
5 The Philistines gathered together to fight against Israel; they had Thirty thousand chariots, six thousand horsemen, and a people as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Machmas, east of Beth-Aven.
6 The men of Israel, seeing that they were in great distress, for they were closely pressed, hid themselves in caves, in thickets, in rocks, in holes, and in cisterns.
7 Some Hebrews also crossed the Jordan, to go in the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul was still in Gilgal, and all the people behind him were trembling.
8 He waited seven days, according to the time set by Samuel. But Samuel did not arrive at Gilgal, and the people scattered from Saul.
9 Then Saul said, «Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings.» And he offered the burnt offering.
10 As he finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to meet him to greet him.
11 Samuel him said, «What have you done?» Saul replied, «When I saw that the people were scattering from me, that you did not reach the appointed time, and that the Philistines were assembled at Machmas,
12 I said to myself, »Now the Philistines are going to come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the Lord.” So, forcing myself to offer a burnt offering.”
13 Samuel said to Saul, «You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the command that Yahweh your God gave you; for Yahweh would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.
14 But now your kingdom will not stand. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him to be ruler over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.»
15 And Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. Saul mustered the people who were with him: there were about six hundred men.
16 Saul, Jonathan his son, and the people who were with them had positioned themselves at Gabea of Benjamin, and the Philistines were encamped at Machmas.
17 The army of destruction came out of the Philistine camp in three bodies: one body went towards Ephra, towards the land of Shual;
18 one other the body took the road to Beth-Horon; and the third body, that of the border which overlooks the valley of Seboim, on the desert side.
19 There was no blacksmith to be found in all the land of Israel, for the Philistines had said, «Let the Hebrews no longer be able to make swords or spears!»
20 And all Israel went down to the Philistines to sharpen each one his plowshare, his hoe, his axe, or his plow,
21 so that the cutting edge of the plowshares, hoes, tridents and axes was often blunt and the barbs not straightened.
22 It came to pass that on the day of the battle, there was not found any spear or sword in the hand of all the people who were with Saul and Jonathan; but there were some with Saul and Jonathan, his son.
23 A Philistine outpost went to the crossing of Machmas.
Chapter 14
1 One day Jonathan, son of Saul, said to the young man who carried his armor, «Come, let us cross over to the Philistine outpost, which is over there on the other side.» And he said nothing to his father.
2 — Saul was standing at the edge of Gibeah, under the pomegranate tree of Magron, and the people who were with him were about six hundred men.
3 Ahijah, son of Ahitob, brother of Ichabod, son of Phinehas, son of Eli, priest of the Lord in Shiloh, wore the ephod. The people did not know neither that Jonathan had left.
4 Between the passes through which Jonathan sought to reach the Philistine post, there was a rocky outcrop on one side and a rocky outcrop on the other side, one named Boses, and the other named Sene.
5 One of these teeth rises to the north, opposite Machmas, and the other to the south, opposite Gabea.
6 Jonathan said SO To the young man who carried his weapons: «Come, let us go over to the outpost of these uncircumcised men. Perhaps the Lord will act on our behalf; for nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.»
7 His squire answered him, «Do whatever you have in mind; go wherever you wish, here I am with you, ready to follow you.»
8 Jonathan said, «Look, we will pass over to these men and show ourselves to them.
9 If they say to us, "Stop, until we come to you!" we will stay put and will not go up to them.
10 But if they say, »Come up to us,” then we will come up, for the Lord has delivered them into our hands. That will be a sign for us.”
11 They both showed themselves to the Philistine outpost, and the Philistines said, "Look, the Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they were hiding."«
12 And the men of the post, addressing Jonathan and his armor-bearer, said, «Come up to us, and we will tell you something.» And Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, «Come up after me, for Yahweh has delivered them into our hands.»
13 And Jonathan mounted, on his hands and feet, followed by his squire. The Philistines They fell before Jonathan, and his squire killed behind him.
14 This first massacre carried out by Jonathan and his squire was of about twenty men, over the length of half a furrow of an acre of land.
15 Terror spread through the camp Philistines, in the countryside and among all the people; the post also and the army of destruction were seized with fear; the earth trembled: it was a terror from God.
16 Saul’s watchmen at Gibeah of Benjamin saw how the multitude Philistines It dispersed and went to one side and the other.
17 Saul said to the people who were with him, «Take a lookout and see who has gone away from us.» So they took a lookout, and behold, neither Jonathan nor his armor-bearer was there.
18 And Saul said to Ahijah, «Bring the ark of God near.» For the ark of God was with the Israelites that day.
19 While Saul was speaking to the priest, the uproar that was happening The Philistine camp was growing stronger; and Saul said to the priest, "Withdraw your hand."«
20 Then Saul and all the people who were with him gathered together and advanced to the place of battle, and behold, the sword of one was filmed against the other, and the confusion was extreme.
21 The Hebrews who had previously been with the Philistines went up with them to the camp all around, and they too sided with them. of those of Israel who were with Saul and Jonathan.
22 All the men of Israel who had hidden in the hill country of Ephraim, hearing of the Philistines' flight, also set out to pursue them in battle.
23 So the Lord delivered Israel that day.
The fighting continued as far as Beth-Aven.
24 The men of Israel were exhausted that day. Saul made the people swear an oath, saying, «Cursed be the man who eats any food until evening, until I have taken revenge on my enemies!» And no one tasted any food.
25 All the people came into the forest, and there was honey on the surface of the ground.
26 And the people entered the forest, and saw honey flowing from it; but no one put his hand to his mouth, for the people were afraid of the oath.
27 But Jonathan had not heard when his father had the people take the oath; he put out the end of the staff which was in his hand and, having dipped it in a honeycomb, he brought his hand to his mouth, and his eyes were cleared.
28 Then someone from the people spoke up, him He said, «Your father made the people swear an oath, saying, »Cursed be the man who eats any food today!’ And the people were exhausted.”
29 Jonathan said, «My father brought disaster on the people. Now see how bright my eyes are, because I have tasted a little of this honey!”
30 »Ah! If the people had eaten today of the plunder taken from their enemies, how much greater would the defeat of the Philistines have been!”
31 That day they defeated the Philistines from Machmas to Aijalon, and the people were completely helpless.
32 The people rushed upon the plunder and, having taken sheep, oxen, and calves, they slaughtered them on the ground, and the people in ate with the blood.
33 On THE reported to Saul, saying, «Look, the people are sinning against the Lord by eating the flesh with blood.» Saul said, «You have committed an act of unfaithfulness; roll a large stone toward me at once.»
34 And Saul said, «Scatter yourselves among the people and tell them, ‘Each of you bring me your ox and each of you your sheep, and slaughter them—THE here; you may eat of it then, and you will not sin against Yahweh by eating with the blood.» And each one among all the people brought his ox by hand during the night, and slaughtered it there.
35 Saul built an altar to the Lord; this was the first altar he erected to the Lord.
36 Saul said, «Let us go down while it is night and pursue the Philistines. Let us plunder them until morning, and leave not a single one alive.» They said, «Do whatever seems good to you.» But the big The priest said, "Let us draw near to God here."«
37 And Saul inquired of God, «Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will you deliver them into the hands of Israel?» And Yahweh did not give him an answer that day.
38 Saul said, «Come here, all you leaders of the people; search and see what sin has been committed today.
39 For, as true as Yahweh, the liberator of Israel, is alive, sin "Even if it were my son Jonathan, he would die." And no one among all the people answered him.
40 He said to all Israel, «You stand on one side, and I and my son Jonathan will stand on the other side.» And the people said to Saul, «Do what seems best to you.»
41 Saul said to Yahweh, «God of Israel, reveal the truth!» Jonathan and Saul were chosen, and the people were set free.
42 SO Saul said, "Cast lots between me and Jonathan, my son." And Jonathan was chosen.
43 Saul said to Jonathan, «Tell me what you have done.» Jonathan told him, «I tasted a little honey with the end of the staff that was in my hand; here I am, I shall die!»
44 And Saul said, «May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if you do not die, Jonathan!»
45 The people said to Saul, «Should Jonathan die, he who has brought about this great deliverance in Israel? Far be it from us! As the Lord lives, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground, for he has acted with God this day.» So the people saved Jonathan, and he did not die.
46 Saul went up in Gabaa, without pursuing the Philistines, and the Philistines returned to their country.
— General overview of the reign of Saul. —
47 When Saul had taken possession of the kingship over Israel, he did the war around him, to all his enemies, to Moab, to the children of Ammon, to Edom, to the kings of Zobah and to the Philistines, and wherever he turned, he prevailed.
48 He performed mighty deeds, defeated Amalek, and delivered Israel from the hand of those who plundered it.
49 Saul's sons were Jonathan, Jessui, and Melchisua; his two daughters were named Merob, the elder, and Michol, the younger.
50 The name of Saul's wife was Ahinoam, daughter of Ahimaaz. The name of the commander of his army was Abner, son of Ner, Saul's uncle.
51 Cis, father of Saul, and Ner, father of Abner, were sons of Abiel.
52 The war was fierce against the Philistines all the days of Saul, and whenever Saul saw a strong and valiant man, he attached him to his service.
Chapter 15
— War against Amalek; second mistake. —
1 Samuel said to Saul, «It is I whom Yahweh has sent to anoint you as king over his people Israel; therefore listen to what Yahweh says.
2 This is what the Lord Almighty says: I have considered what Amalek did to Israel, when he attacked them in the way, when Israel came up from Egypt.
3 Now go, strike Amalek, and devote to destruction all that belongs to him; you will have no pity on him, and you will put to death men and women, children and infants, oxen and sheep, camels and donkeys.»
4 Saul informed the people, whom he reviewed at Telaim: he counted two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men from Judah.
5 Saul advanced as far as the city of Amalek, and he set an ambush in the valley.
6 Saul said to the Kenites, «Go, depart, go down from the midst of Amalek, lest I encircle you with them; for you showed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt.» So the Kenites departed from the midst of Amalek.
7 Saul defeated Amalek from Hevilah to Sur, which is east of Egypt.
8 He took Agag, king of Amalek, alive, and he devoted all the people to anathema, by passing it by the sword.
9 But Saul and the people spared Agag, as well as the best of the sheep, the oxen, the second-born, the lambs, and all that was good; they would not devote it to destruction; and all that was weak and worthless they devoted to destruction.
10 The word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying:
11 «I regret that I made Saul king, for he has turned away from me and has not carried out my words.» Samuel was grieved, and he cried out to the Lord all night.
12 Samuel got up early in the morning to go to meet Saul; and Samuel was warned, saying, «Saul went to Carmel, and behold, a monument was set up; then he returned and, passing on, went down to Gilgal.»
13 Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, «May you be blessed by the Lord! I have carried out the word of the Lord.»
14 Samuel said, «What is this bleating of sheep in my ears, and this lowing of oxen that I hear?»
15 Saul replied, «They brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and cattle for THE sacrifice to Yahweh, your God; the rest we have devoted to destruction.»
16 Samuel said to Saul, «Enough! I will tell you what the Lord told me last night.» And Saul He said to him, "Speak!"«
17 Samuel said, «When you were little in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? And did not Yahweh anoint you king over Israel?
18 Yahweh had sent you on the way, saying: Go, and devote to the curse these sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are exterminated.
19 Why did you not listen to the voice of the Lord, but instead rushed upon the plunder and did what was evil in the sight of the Lord?»
20 Saul said to Samuel, «Yes, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and I have walked in the way that the Lord sent me. I have brought Agag, king of Amalek, and I have devoted Amalek to destruction.
21 And the people took from the spoil of sheep and cattle the firstfruits of the accursed, to THE sacrifice to Yahweh, your God, at Gilgal.
22 Samuel said, «Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Obedience is better than sacrifice, and docility better than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and stubbornness as idolatry and teraphim. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king.»
24 Then Saul said to Samuel, «I have sinned, for I have transgressed the command of Yahweh and your words; I feared the people and obeyed their voice.
25 Now, I pray you, forgive my sin, return to me, and I will worship the Lord.»
26 Samuel said to Saul, «I will not return with you, because you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.»
27 And as Samuel turned to leave, Saul he grabbed the end of his coat, which tore.
28 And Samuel said to him, «Yahweh has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today, and has given it to your neighbor who is better than you.
29 The one who is The splendor of Israel does not lie and does not repent, for he is not a man that he should repent.»
30 Saul He said, «I have sinned! Now honor me, I pray you, before the elders of my people and before Israel; return with me, and I will worship Yahweh your God.»
31 Samuel returned and followed Saul, and Saul worshiped Yahweh.
32 And Samuel said, «Bring me Agag, king of the Amalekites.» And Agag came to him with a joyful expression; Agag said, “Surely the bitterness of death is past!”
33 Samuel said, «Just as your sword has bereaved women of their children, so your mother will be bereaved of children among the women!» And Samuel cut Agag into pieces before the Lord at Gilgal.
34 Samuel departed for Ramah, and Saul went up to his house in Gibeah of Saul.
35 And Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death.
PART THREE.
SAUL AND DAVID.
I. — BREAK BETWEEN SAUL AND DAVID.
— Anointing of David. —
As Samuel wept for Saul, — for Yahweh had regretted making Saul king over Israel, —
Chapter 16
1 Yahweh said to Samuel, «How long 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 of Bethlehem, for I have chosen among his sons the king I want.»
2 Samuel said, «How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me.» And Yahweh said, «Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to offer a sacrifice to Yahweh.
3 You shall invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you are to do, and you shall anoint for me the one I designate to you.»
4 Samuel did what the Lord had said, and he went to BethlehemThe elders of the city came to meet him, worried, and said, "Do you come for peace?"
5 He answered, «For peace! I have come to offer a sacrifice to Yahweh. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.» So he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
6 When they had entered, Samuel Eliab saw him and said, «Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.»
7 And the Lord said to Samuel, «Do not look at his appearance or at his height, for I have rejected him. It is not what man sees; man looks at the appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.»
8 Jesse summoned Abinadab and brought him before Samuel; and Samuel He said, "This is not yet the one Yahweh has chosen."«
9 Jesse brought Samhah over; and Samuel He said, "This is not yet the one Yahweh has chosen."«
10 Jesse presented his seven sons before Samuel; and Samuel said to Jesse, «The Lord has not chosen any of these.»
11 Then Samuel said to Jesse, «Are these all the young men?» He replied, «There is still the youngest, and look, he is tending the sheep.» Samuel said to Jesse, «Send for him, for we will not sit down to eat until he comes here.»
12 Jesse sent for him. Now he was blond, with beautiful eyes and a handsome face. Yahweh said, «Arise, anoint him, for this is he!»
13 Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers, and the Spirit of Yahweh came upon David from that day forth.
Samuel got up and went to Ramatha.
— David at Saul's house. —
14 The Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit came Yahweh's forces descended upon him.
15 Saul's servants said to him, "Behold, an evil spirit from God has come upon you.
16 Let our lord speak; your servants are before you, they will seek a man who knows how to play the harp, and, when the evil spirit came God's will be upon you, he will play with his hand, and you will be relieved.»
17 Saul answered his servants, «Find me a skilled gambler and bring him to me.»
18 One of the servants spoke up and said, “I saw a son of Jesse from Bethlehemwho knows how to play; he is strong and valiant warrior, articulate; It is a handsome man, and Yahweh is upon him.»
19 Saul sent messengers to Jesse, saying, «Send me David, your son, who is with the sheep.»
20 Jesse took a donkey, with bread, a skin of wine and a young goat, and sent them to Saul by David his son.
21 When David arrived at Saul's house, he stood before him; and Saul He took a liking to him, and became his squire.
22 And Saul sent word to Jesse, saying, «Please let David remain before me, for he has found favor in my eyes.»
23 When the mind came God's presence was upon Saul, David took the harp and played with his hand, and Saul calmed down and felt well, and the evil spirit departed from him.
Chapter 17
— War with the Philistines; Goliath. —
1 The Philistines, having gathered their armies to TO DO the war, gathered in Socho, which belongs to Judah; they camped between Socho and Azekah, at Ephes-Dommim.
2 Saul and the men of Israel gathered together Also and camped in the Valley of Terebinth; they drew up their battle lines opposite the Philistines.
3 The Philistines were stationed on the mountain on one side, and Israel was stationed on the mountain on the other side: the valley was between them.
4 Then a champion came out from the Philistine camps; his name was Goliath, he was from Geth, and his height was six cubits and a palm's length.
5 A bronze helmet covered his head, and he wore a scale breastplate; and the weight of the breastplate was of five thousand shekels of bronze.
6 He had bronze shoes on his feet and a bronze javelin between his shoulders.
7 The shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam, and the point of his spear weighed six hundred shekels of iron; the one who carried his shield walked in front of him.
8 Goliath he stopped and, addressing the battalions of Israel, he shouted to them: «Why have you come out to draw up in battle formation? Am I not the Philistine, and are you not the slaves of Saul? Choose a man who will come down against me.
9 If he prevails in a fight with me and kills me, we shall be your subjects; but if I prevail over him and kill him, you shall be our subjects and serve us.»
10 The Philistine added, «I defy the army of Israel today: Give me a man, and we will fight together.»
11 When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.
12 Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem of Judah named Jesse, who had eight sons; this man, in the time of Saul, was old, advanced in years.
13 The three oldest sons of Jesse had gone to follow Saul to war; and the names of these three sons who had gone to war were Eliab the elder, Abinadab the second, and Samma the third.
14 David was the youngest. The three eldest followed Saul,
15 And David went back and forth from Saul's presence, tending his father's sheep at Bethlehem.
16 The Philistine came forward morning and evening, and he presented himself for forty days.
17 Jesse said to David his son, «Take for your brothers this ephah of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread, and run to the camp to your brothers.
18 And these ten cheeses, take them to the leader of their thousand. You shall visit your brothers to see how they are doing, and you shall take from them a pledge.
19 Saul and they, and all the men of Israel, are in the Valley of Elah, doing the war to the Philistines.»
20 David got up early in the morning and, leaving the sheep with a shepherd, he took the provisions and he left, as Jesse had commanded him. When he arrived at the camp, the army was leaving the camp to line up in battle formation and war cries were being shouted.
21 Israelites and Philistines lined up, troop against troop.
22 David left his baggage with the baggage keeper and ran to the troops. As soon as he arrived, he asked his brothers how they were doing.
23 While he was talking with them, behold, the champion—his name was Goliath, the Philistine of Geth—came forward from the ranks of the Philistines, speaking the same words, and David heard him.
24 When they saw the man, all the Israelites fell back from him in great fear.
25 An Israelite said, «Do you see that man coming forward? He is coming forward to defy Israel. Whoever kills him, the king will reward him handsomely, give him his daughter in marriage, and set him free.” of any charge his father's house in Israel.»
26 David said to the men standing near him, «What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?»
27 The people repeated the same words to him, saying, «This is what will be done to the one who kills him.»
28 Eliab, his eldest brother, heard him speaking to the men, and Eliab's anger burned against David, and he said, "Why have you come down here, and with whom have you left these few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the malice of your heart; you have come down to see the battle."«
29 David replied, «What have I done now? Isn’t this a simple Words?»
30 And turning away from him to to address To another, he spoke the same language; and the people answered him as before.
31 When they heard the words spoken by David, they reported them to Saul, who summoned him.
32 David said to Saul, «Let no one’s heart fail! Your servant will go and fight against this Philistine.»
33 Saul said to David, «You cannot go out against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are only a youth, and he has been a warrior from his youth.»
34 David said to Saul, «When your servant was tending his father’s sheep, and a lion or a bear came and took a sheep from the flock,
35 I went after him, I struck him and I tore off the sheep from its mouth; if it rose up against me, I seized it by the jaw, struck it, and killed it.
36 Your servant has killed a lion like a bear, and this uncircumcised Philistine will be killed like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God.»
37 David added, «The Lord who delivered me from the lion and the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.» And Saul said to David, «Go, and may the Lord be with you!»
38 Saul dressed David in his clothes, put a bronze helmet on his head, and fitted him with a breastplate;
39 Then David girded on the sword of Saul over his armor, and he tried to walk, for he had never tried armor. David said to Saul, "I cannot march with these weapons; I am not used to them." And having rid himself of them,
40 David took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream and put them in his shepherd's bag, in his game bag. Then, With his sling in hand, he advanced towards the Philistine.
41 The Philistine gradually approached David, preceded by the man who carried the shield.
42 The Philistine looked, saw David, and despised him, for he was very young, blond, and handsome.
43 The Philistine said to David, «Am I a dog, that you come at me with a stick?» And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
44 And the Philistine said to David, «Come to me, that I may give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field.»
45 David answered the Philistine, «You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin; but I come to you in the name of Yahweh of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have insulted.
46 Today the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I will strike you and lift your head from your head; this day I will give the corpses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the earth; and all the earth will know that Israel has a God;
47 and all these multitudes will know that it is not by sword or spear that Yahweh saves, for to Yahweh belongs the war, and he delivered you into our hands.»
48 The Philistine got up and moved forward to meet David, and David quickly ran to the front of the army to meet the Philistine.
49 David put his hand in his bag, took out a stone and slung it; he struck the Philistine on the forehead, and the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down to the ground.
50 So David, with a sling and a stone, prevailed over the Philistine, and struck the Philistine down. And there was no sword in David’s hand.
51 David ran, stopped near the Philistine and, taking his sword, drew it from its sheath, killed him and cut off his head with it.
52 When the Philistines saw their hero dead, they fled. Then the men of Israel and Judah rose up, shouting, and pursued the Philistines as far as the entrance to Geth and the gates of Acharon. The Philistine corpses were scattered along the road from Saraim to Geth and to Acharon.
53 When they returned from pursuing the Philistines, the Israelites plundered their camp.
54 David took the Philistine's head and brought it to Jerusalem, and he put the weapons in his tent of the Philistine.
55 When Saul saw David approaching the Philistine, he said to Abner, the commander of the army, «Whose son is this young man, Abner?» Abner replied, «As surely as you live, O king, I do not know.»
56 The king him He said, "Find out who this young man's son is."«
57 When David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul; David had the Philistine's head in his hand.
58 Saul said to him, «Whose son are you, young man?» And David replied, « I am son of your servant, Jesse of Bethlehem. »
Chapter 18
— Jonathan's friendship with David; David is the head of the army. —
1 When David When Jonathan had finished speaking to Saul, Jonathan's soul was drawn to David's soul, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.
2 That same day, Saul took David, and did not let him return to his father's house.
3 And Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul.
4 Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his armor, including his sword, his bow, and his belt.
5 Whenever David went out, wherever Saul sent him, he succeeded; Saul put him in command of the fighting men, and he pleased all the people, even the king's servants.
— Saul's jealousy. —
6 When they entered, when David returned after killing the Philistine, women They came out from all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul with joy, to the sound of tambourines and harps.
7 WomenThe dancers answered each other and said: Saul killed his thousand, and David his ten thousand.
8 Saul was very angry, and these words displeased him: he said, «They give David ten thousand, but to me they give only a thousand! He lacks nothing more than the kingdom.»
9 And from that day on, Saul looked on David with suspicion.
10 The next day, an evil spirit sent God's power came upon Saul, and he was filled with joy in the midst of his house. David was playing the harp, as on other days, and Saul had his spear in his hand.
11 Saul raised his spear, saying in itself "I will strike David and the wall"; but David turned away from him twice.
12 Saul feared David, for the Lord was with him David and had withdrawn from Saul, —
13 and Saul removed him from his presence and made him commander of a thousand men; and David He went out and came back in front of the people.
14 David proved skillful in all his undertakings, and Yahweh was with him.
15 When Saul saw that he was very shrewd, he was afraid of him;
16 But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them.
17 Saul said to David, «Here, I will give you my older daughter Merob as a wife; only be valiant and fight in the Lord’s wars.» But Saul thought to himself, «May my hand not be against him, but may the Philistines» hand be against him!”
18 David answered Saul, «Who am I, and what is my life, what is "My father's family in Israel, so that I might become the king's son-in-law?"»
19 But when they were to give Merob, Saul’s daughter, to David, they gave her as a wife to Hadriel of Molathi.
20 Michal, Saul's daughter, loved David. Saul was informed of this, and it pleased him.
21 Saul thought to himself, «I will give her to him, so that she may be a snare to him, and that the Philistines may fall upon him.» And Saul said to David a second time, «Today you will become my son-in-law.»
22 And Saul gave this order to his servants: «Speak privately to David and tell him: The king has taken a liking to you, and all his servants love you; therefore, now be the king’s son-in-law.»
23 Saul's servants spoke these words to David, and David replied, "Is it a small thing in your eyes to become the king's son-in-law? I am a poor man of humble origin."«
24 Saul's servants reported to him, saying, "David said this."«
25 Saul said, «Say this to David: »The king asks for no bride price, but a hundred Philistine foreskins, as revenge against the king’s enemies.’” Saul thought he would Thus to fall David into the hands of the Philistines.
26 The servants of Saul They reported these words to David, and it pleased David, namely to become the king's son-in-law.
27 Before the days were completed, David arose, went with his men, and killed two hundred Philistines; and David brought their foreskins and gave the king the full number, so that he might become his son-in-law. Then Saul gave him his daughter Michol in marriage.
28 Saul saw and understood that the Lord was with David; and Mishol, Saul's daughter, loved David.
29 And Saul feared David more and more, and Saul was hostile to David every day.
30 The princes of the Philistines made raids, and whenever they went out, David, by his skill, achieved more success than all the servants of Saul; and his name became very famous.
Chapter 19
— Jonathan pleads David's case with his father. —
1 Saul spoke to Jonathan, his son, and to all his servants about putting David to death. But Jonathan, Saul's son, was very fond of David.
2 And Jonathan informed David, saying, «Saul, my father, is seeking to kill you. Therefore, be on your guard tomorrow morning, stay away and hide.
3 I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are; I will speak to my father about you, I will see what’he will say And I'll let you know.»
4 Jonathan spoke favorably of David to Saul his father, saying, «Let not the king sin against his servant David, for he has not sinned against you. On the contrary, all his actions are for your good:
5 He risked his life, he struck down the Philistine, and the Lord acted by him a great deliverance for all Israel. You saw it, and you rejoiced; why then would you be guilty of innocent bloodshed by putting David to death without cause?»
6 Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan, and Saul swore this oath: «As the Lord lives, David will not be put to death.»
7 Jonathan summoned David and Jonathan reported all these words to him; then Jonathan brought David back to Saul, and David stood in his presence as before.
— New attacks against David's life. —
8 The war Having started again, David went out against the Philistines and gave battle; he inflicted a great defeat upon them, and they fled before him.
9 Then the evil spirit of the Lord came upon Saul while he sat in his house with his spear in his hand, and David played the harp with its hand.
10 Saul tried to strike David and the wall with his spear, but David fled from Saul, who struck the spear against the wall. David fled and escaped during the night.
11 Saul sent messengers to David's house to find out about him and kill him in the morning; but Michal, David's wife, informed him, saying, "If you do not escape tonight, tomorrow you will be put to death."«
12 Michol lowered David through the window, and David went away and fled, and he was saved.
13 Michol then took the teraphim and, having placed it in the bed, she put a goatskin over its head, and covered it with a garment.
14 And when Saul sent messengers to take David away, she said, «He is sick.»
15 Saul sent the messengers back to David, saying, «Bring him to me in her "I'll read it, so that I can kill him."»
16 The messengers returned, and behold, the teraphim was on the bed with a goatskin covering his head.
17 And Saul said to Michal, «Why have you deceived me like this, and let my enemy go, so that he might be saved?» Michal answered Saul, «He said to me, »Let me go, or I will kill you.’”
— David sought refuge with Samuel in Ramah. —
18 So David escaped and was saved. He went to Samuel at Ramah and told him everything Saul had done to him. Then he went with Samuel to live at Naioth.
19 Saul was informed, saying, «Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.»
20 Right away Saul sent messengers to capture David; they saw the company of prophets prophesying, and Samuel was standing presiding over them; and the Spirit of God came upon Saul's messengers, who also prophesied.
21 When Saul was told, he sent other messengers, and they too prophesied. For the third time, Saul sent messengers, and they too prophesied.
22 Then Saul also went to Ramah. When he arrived at the great cistern at Soco, he asked, «Where are Samuel and David?» They answered him, «Here, they are to Naioth in Rama.»
23 And he went there, to Naioth in Ramah. The Spirit of God was also upon him, and he went about and prophesied until he arrived at Naioth in Ramah.
24 There, Having also taken off his clothes, he too prophesied before Samuel, and he remained naked on the ground all that day and all that night. That is why people say, «Is Saul also among the prophets?»
Chapter 20
— Jonathan's final attempts to reconcile his father with David. —
1 David fled from Naioth in Ramah and, having come, he said before Jonathan, «What have I done? What is my crime, what is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?»
2 Jonathans He said to her, "Far from it! You will not die. My father does nothing, great or small, without telling me; why then would he hide this from me? It is not so."«
3 David answered with an oath: «Your father knows that I have found favor in your eyes, and he will have said, »Jonathas must not know, lest he be grieved.’ But as surely as the Lord lives and as you live, there is but a step between me and death.”
4 Jonathan said to David, «Whatever your soul asks, I will do for you.»
5 And David said to Jonathan, «Behold, tomorrow is the new moon, and I should sit down with the king at the meal; let me go, and I will hide in the fields until the evening of the third day.
6 If your father notices my absence, tell him, “David asked me to let him run an errand.” Bethlehem, his city, because that is where the annual sacrifice for his entire family takes place.
7 If he says, 'It is good! Your servant can be at peace'; but if he becomes angry, know that he has determined to do evil.
8 Therefore show kindness to your servant, since it was by a covenant in the name of the Lord that you drew your servant to yourself. If there is any fault in me, kill me yourself, for why should you bring me to your father?»
9 Jonathan said: "Far from you this thought "For if I truly learn that my father has resolved to harm you, I swear to inform you."»
10 David said to Jonathan, «Who will inform me?” of that or what your father would say in response that would be unpleasant?»
11 Jonathan said to David, «Come, let us go out into the fields;» and they both went out into the fields.
12 Jonathan said to David, «Yahweh, God of Israel, I will find out about my father tomorrow.” Or The day after tomorrow, and if things are going well for David, and I don't send word to you,
13 May the Lord deal with Jonathan in all his severity! If it pleases my father to harm you, I will also inform you and send you away, so that you may go in peace, and that the Lord may be with you, as he was with my father!
14 And if I am still alive, please treat me with kindness of Yahweh, and, if I die,
15 »Do not ever withdraw your kindness from my house, not even when the Lord cuts off from the face of the earth every one of David’s enemies!”
16 That's how Jonathan made an alliance with the house of David, and that Yahweh took vengeance on David's enemies.
17 Jonathan once again adjured David by the love he had for him, for he loved him as his own soul.
18 Jonathan said to him, «Tomorrow is the new moon; it will be noticed that your place is empty.
19 On the third day, you shall go down quickly and come to the place where you were hiding on the day of the incident, and you shall remain by the stone of Ezel.
20 I will shoot three arrows toward the side of the stone, as if I were aiming at a target.
21 And behold, I will send the boy by saying to him Go, find the arrows. If I say to the boy, "Here are the arrows," are Take them from here! Then come, for everything is well with you, and there is no danger, Yahweh lives!
22 But if I say to the boy, “Look, the arrows are beyond you; go away, for Yahweh is sending you away.”.
23 And as for the word that you and I have spoken, behold, the Lord is between you and me forever.»
24 David hid in the fields. When the new moon came, the king took his place at the feast to eat;
25 As usual, the king sat down on his seat, on the seat who was near from the wall; Jonathan got up, and Abner sat next to Saul, and David's place was left empty.
26 Saul said nothing that day, for, he said, «Something has happened to him; he is not pure, certainly he is not pure.»
27 The next day, the second day of the new moon, David's place was still empty; and Saul said to Jonathan his son, "Why has the son of Jesse not come to the meal, either yesterday or today?"«
28 Jonathan answered Saul, «David earnestly asked my permission.” to go until Bethlehem.
29 He said, “Please let me go, for we have a family sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me…” to attend ; »If I have found favor in your eyes, let me go and see my brothers!” That is why he did not come to the king’s table.”
30 Then Saul’s anger burned against Jonathan, and he said to him, «Son of a perverse and rebellious woman, do I not know that you have made the son of Jesse your friend, to your shame and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness?
31 For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, there will be no security for you or your kingdom. And now send him to get and bring it"Me, because he is a son of death."»
32 Jonathan answered Saul, his father, and said to him, «Why should he be put to death? What has he done?»
33 And Saul raised his spear against him to strike him. Jonathan understood that it was decided with his father to kill David.
34 Jonathan got up from the table in a violent rage, and ate no food on the second day of the new moon; for he was grieved on account of David, because his father had insulted him.
35 The next morning Jonathan went to the fields, as had been agreed with David; a little boy accompanied him.
36 He said to his boy, «Run, find the arrows I am going to shoot.» The boy ran, and Jonathans fired an arrow in such a way as to overtake him.
37 When the boy arrived at the spot where Jonathan had shot his arrow, Jonathan shouted at the boy and said, "Isn't the arrow farther away than you?"«
38 Jonathan shouted again at the boy: "Quickly, hurry up, don't stop!" And Jonathan's boy picked up the arrow and returned to his master.
39 The boy knew nothing; only Jonathan and David understood the matter.
40 Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy who was with him, and said to him, «Go, and carry them to the city.»
41 As soon as the boy had left, David got up toward the south and, falling facedown to the ground, he worshiped three times in front of Jonathan ; Then they embraced and wept for each other, until David burst into tears.
42 And Jonathan said to David, «Go in peace, now that we have both sworn an oath in the name of the Lord, saying, »The Lord be between me and you, and between my offspring and your offspring forever!’”
Chapter 21
1 David got up and left, and Jonathan returned to the city.
II. — DAVID'S ESCAPE; HIS WANDERING LIFE.
— At Nobé, at the home of the priest Achimelech. —
2 David went to Nobah, to the big Ahimelech the priest; and Ahimelech rushed over frightened, he went to David and said to him, "Why are you alone and is there no one with you?"«
3 David answered Ahimelech the priest, «The king has given me a command and said, ‘Let no one know about the matter for which I am sending you and have given you a command.’ I have assigned to my people at such a meeting place.
4 And now, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever you can find.»
5 The priest answered David, «I do not have ordinary bread on hand, but there is consecrated bread; provided that your "People abstained from women."»
6 David answered the priest and said to him, «We have abstained from women for the past three days since I left, and the vessels of my People are a sacred thing; and if the journey is profane, is it nevertheless sanctified with regard to the vessel?»
7 Then the priest gave him consecrated bread, for there was no other bread there except the bread of the Presence, which had been taken away from before Yahweh, to be replaced with fresh bread at the time it was taken away.
8 — That same day, there was found a man from among Saul’s servants, detained before Yahweh; his name was Doeg, an Edomite, chief of Saul’s shepherds.
9 David said to Ahimelech, «Do you not have a spear or a sword with you? For I have not even brought my sword or my weapons with me, because the king’s command was urgent.»
10 The priest replied: « There is "The sword of Goliath, the Philistine whom you killed in the Valley of Elah; here it is, wrapped in the cloak, behind the ephod. If you want to take it, take it, for there is no other here." And David said, "There is no like it; give it to me."»
— Various stages of the escape. —
11 David arose and fled that same day from Saul; he went to Achish, king of Geth.
12 Achish's servants said to him, "Isn't this David, king of the land? Isn't this the one about whom they sang and danced, 'Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousand'?"«
13 David took these words to heart, and he was very afraid of Achish, king of Geth.
14 He hid his reason from their eyes and played the fool in their hands; he beat the drum on the doors, and he let his saliva drip on his beard.
15 Achish said to his servants, «You see that this man is a madman; why did you bring him to me?
16 Do I lack fools, that you bring me this one to act foolishly in my presence? Must he come into my house?»
Chapter 22
1 David left there and fled to the cave of Odollam. When his brothers and all his father’s household heard about it, they went down to him there.
2 All the oppressed, all those who had creditors, and all those who were bitter, gathered around him, and he became their leader; there were about four hundred men with him.
3 From there, David went to Mizpah of Moab. He said to the king of Moab, «Please let my father and mother stay with you until I know what God will do for me.»
4 And he brought them before the king of Moab, and they stayed with him all the time that David was in the stronghold.
5 The prophet Gad said to David, «Do not remain in the stronghold; go away and return to the land of Judah.» So David went away and went to the forest of Hareth.
— Saul's revenge on the priests of Nobah. —
6 Saul learned that David and the people who were They had been recognized as being with him. Now Saul was seated at Gibeah under the tamarisk tree on the hill, with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were lined up before him.
7 Saul said to his servants who were lined up before him, «Listen, Benjamites: will the son of Jesse also give fields and vineyards to all of you, and make all of you commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds,
8 that you have all conspired against me, that there is no one who has informed me that my son has made a pact with the son of Jesse, and that none of you suffers for me or warns me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, to set ambushes for me, as he does it Today ? "»
9 Doeg the Edomite, who was chief of Saul’s servants, answered and said, «I saw the son of Jesse come to Nobah, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitob.
10 Achimelech He consulted the Lord for him, and the Lord gave him food; he also gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.»
11 The king sent for Ahimelech the priest, son of Ahitob, and all his father's household, the priests who were at Nobah.
12 They all came to the king; and Saul said, «Listen, son of Ahitob!» He replied, «Here I am, my lord.»
13 Saul said to him, «Why have you and the son of Jesse conspired against me? You gave him bread and a sword, and you inquired of God for him, so that he would rise up against me and lie in wait for me, as he does it Today ? "»
14 Ahimelech answered the king and said, «Which of all your servants is as faithful as David?” proven, son-in-law of the king, admitted to your councils and honored in your house?
15 Would I have begun to consult God for him today? Far be it from me! Let not the king lay a burden on his servant which would weigh throughout my father's house, for your servant knew nothing of all this, neither little nor much."»
16 The king said, «You will die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s house.»
17 And the king said to the guards who stood near him, «Turn around and put the priests of the Lord to death; for their hand is with David, and knowing full well that he was in flight, they did not inform me.» But the king’s servants would not raise their hands to strike the priests of the Lord.
18 Then the king said to Doeg, «Turn around and strike down the priests.» So Doeg the Edomite turned around and struck down the priests; that day he killed eighty-five men wearing linen ephods.
19 Saul struck again with the edge of the sword Nobah, a priestly city: men and women, children and infants, oxen, donkeys and sheep, had passed by the sword.
20 Only one son of Ahimelech, the son of Ahitob, escaped; his name was Abiathar, and he took refuge with David.
21 Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of Yahweh.
22 And David said to Abiathar, «I knew that day that Doeg the Edomite, who was there, would not fail to inform Saul. I am the one responsible for the death of all your father’s house.
23 Stay with me, do not be afraid; for he who seeks my life seeks your life, and with me you will be safe.»
Chapter 23
— David to Ceila. —
1 David was told, «Look, the Philistines are attacking Ceilah and plundering the threshing floors.»
2 David inquired of the Lord, saying, «Shall I go and defeat these Philistines?» And the Lord answered David, «Go, defeat the Philistines and rescue Ceilah.»
3 But David’s men said to him, «Look, we in Judah are afraid; how much more so if we go to Ceilah against the Philistine troops?»
4 David inquired of the Lord again, and the Lord answered him, saying, «Get up, go down to Ceilah, for I will deliver the Philistines into your hand.»
5 So David and his men went to Ceilah and attacked the Philistines; he carried off their livestock and inflicted a great defeat upon them. Thus David delivered the inhabitants of Ceilah.
6 Now when Abiathar, son of Ahimelech, fled to David at Ceilah, he went down with the ephod in his hand.
7 Saul was told that David had gone to Ceilah, and Saul said, «God has delivered him into my hands, for he has shut himself in by coming to a city which has gates and bars.»
8 And Saul summoned all the people to the war, in order to go down to Ceilah and besiege David and his men.
9 But David, having learned that Saul was plotting evil against him, said to the priest Abiathar, «Bring the ephod.»
10 And David said, «Yahweh, God of Israel, your servant has heard that Saul is trying to come to Ceilah to destroy the city because of me.
11 Will the inhabitants of Ceilah deliver me into his hands? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? Lord, God of Israel, please tell your servant.» The Lord answered, «He will come down.»
12 And David said, «Will the inhabitants of Ceilah hand me and my men over to Saul?» The Lord answered, «They will.»
13 Then David and his men got up number of’about six hundred men; they left Ceilah, and they wandered about aimlessly. When Saul heard that David had fled from Ceilah, he halted his advance.
— In the deserts of Ziph and Maon. —
14 David remained in the desert, in the strongholds, and he stayed in the mountains in the desert of Ziph. Saul sought him every day, but God did not give him into his hands.
15 David knew that Saul had set out to take his life: David was standing in the wilderness of Ziph, in the forest;
16 Then Jonathan, Saul's son, got up and went to David in the forest. He strengthened his hand in God and said to him:
17 «Do not be afraid, for the hand of Saul my father will not touch you. You will reign over Israel, and I will be second only to you; Saul my father knows this well.»
18 They both made a covenant before Yahweh; and David remained in the forest, and Jonathan returned home.
19 The Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah and said, «David is hiding among us in strongholds in the forest on the hill of Hailah, which is south of the heath.
20 »Come down, O king, as all your soul desires; it is our duty to deliver him into the king’s hands.”
21 Saul said, «Blessed are you of Yahweh, for you have had mercy on me!”
22 Go now, I beg you, make sure again, find out and see where he is going and who has seen him there; for I am told he is very cunning.
23 See and find out all the hiding places where he is; then come back to me with reliable information, and I will go with you. If he is in the land, I will search for him among all the clans of Judah.»
24 So they got up and went to Ziph, ahead of Saul. But David and his men had withdrawn in the Maon desert, in the plain, south of the moor.
25 Saul went with his men to search by David. David, having learned of this, went down to the rock and remained in the wilderness of Maon. Saul was informed of this and pursued David into the wilderness of Maon;
26 Saul was walking on one side of the mountain, and David with his men on the other side of the mountain; David was hurrying to escape from Saul, while Saul and his men surrounded David and his men to capture them.
27 A messenger came to Saul, saying, «Hurry and come, for the Philistines have invaded the land.»
28 Saul stopped pursuing David and went to meet the Philistines. Therefore the place was called Sela-Hammahlekoth.
Chapter 24
— In the cave of Engaddi. —
1 David went up from there and settled in the strongholds of Engaddi.
2 When Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, «David is in the wilderness of Engaddi.»
3 Saul took three thousand elite men from all Israel, and he went in search of David and his people as far as the rocks of the wild goats.
4 He arrived at the sheep pens who were near the path; there was There was a cave there, where Saul went in to cover his feet; and David and his men were sitting at the back of the cave.
5 David’s men said to him, «This is the day of which the Lord said to you: »Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand; do to him as you please.’” David got up and secretly cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.
6 After this, David's heart beat fast because he had cut off the side of the coat of Saul.
7 And he said to his men, «May the Lord forbid that I should do such a thing as lay a hand on my lord, the Lord’s anointed, for he is the Lord’s anointed!»
8 With these words, David restrained his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. Saul got up to leave the cave and continued on his way.
9 After this David got up and, coming out of the cave, he began to shout after Saul, saying, «O king, my lord!» Saul looked behind him, and David bowed down with his face to the ground and prostrated himself.
10 And David said to Saul, «Why do you listen to the words of people who say, ‘Behold, David seeks to harm you?’
11 Behold, today your eyes have seen how the Lord has delivered you up, today even, between my hands in the cave. We me said to kill you; but my eye took pity on you, and I said: I will not lay my hand on my lord, for he is the anointed of Yahweh.
12 Look, my father, look in my hand at the corner of your cloak. Since I cut off the corner of your cloak and did not kill you, acknowledge and see that there is no wickedness or rebellion in my conduct, and that I have not sinned against you. And you are hunting me down to take my life.
13 May the Lord judge between you and me, and may the Lord avenge me on you! But my hand will not be on you.
14 From the wicked comes wickedness, says the old proverb; therefore my hand will not be upon you.
15 Whom did the king of Israel set out after? Whom are you pursuing? A dead dog? A flea?
16 May the Lord judge and decide between you and me. May he look upon me and plead my case, and may his judgment deliver me from your hand!»
17 When David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, «Is that your voice, my son David?» And Saul raised his voice and wept.
18 He said to David, «You are more righteous than I am; for you have done me good, and I have repaid you evil.
19 Today you have shown that you are acting kindly towards me, since Yahweh has given me into your hands and you have not killed me.
20 If someone meets his enemy, will he let him go on his way in peace? May the Lord reward you for what you have done for me this day!
21 Now I know that you will be king and that the kingdom of Israel will be firmly established in your hands.
22 Swear to me by the Lord that you will not destroy my descendants after me, and that you will not blot out my name from my father’s house.»
23 David swore to Saul. And Saul went to his house, and David and his men went up to the stronghold.
Chapter 25
— Death of Samuel. —
1 However, Samuel died, and all Israel gathered together; they mourned for him and buried him in his home at Ramah. Then David arose and went down to the wilderness of Paran.
— David and Nabal. —
2 There was a man in Maon whose property was in Carmel; it was a very rich man, he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats, and he was at Carmel for the shearing of his sheep.
3. This man's name was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. The woman was full of sense, and handsome; but the man was hard and wicked in deeds; he was of the race of Caleb.
4 David learned in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep.
5 David sent ten young men, and David said to the young men, «Go up to Carmel and find Nabal; greet him in my name,
6 And you shall speak to him thus: For life! Peace either Peace be with you. either with your home and peace either with everything that belongs to you.
7 And now I have heard that you have shearers. But your shepherds were with us; we caused them no trouble, and nothing of the herd nothing was taken from them during the entire time they were at Carmel.
8 Ask your servants, and they will tell you. May the young men find favor in your sight, since we come in a day of joy. Give, I pray you, to your servants and to your son David whatever your hand can find.»
9 When David’s young men arrived, they repeated all these words to Nabal in David’s name, and then they rested.
10 Nabal answered David’s servants and said, «Who is David, and who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants today who run away from their masters.
11 And I would take my bread and my water, and my cattle that I slaughtered for my shearers, and I would give them to people who come I don't know where from?»
12 David’s young men retraced their steps and returned, and when they arrived, they repeated all these words to him.
13 Then David said to his men, «Each of you put on your sword!» So they each put on their sword, and David also put on his sword; about four hundred men went up after David; two hundred remained near the baggage.
14 One of the servants of Nabal came and brought the news to Abigail, saying, «Behold, David has sent messengers from the desert to greet our master, who has fallen upon them.
15 And Yet These people were good to us; they caused us no pain, and nothing was taken from us all the time we traveled with them when we were in the countryside.
16 They were our shield, both night and day, all the time we were with them, tending the flocks.
17 Now recognize and see what you must do; for evil has been determined against our master and all his house; as for him, he is a son of Belial, and no one can speak to him.»
18 Immediately Abigail took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five prepared sheep, five measures of roasted grain, one hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred dried figs, and, having placed them on donkeys,
19 She said to her young men, «Go on ahead of me, I’ll follow you.» But she said nothing to Nabal, her husband.
20 As she was going down, riding on a donkey, to a sheltered spot on the mountain, David and his men were coming down opposite her, and she met them.
21 David said, «It was in vain that I watched over everything this man had in the wilderness, and nothing was taken from all that he possessed; he repays me evil for good!”
22 May God deal severely with David's enemies! I will not leave any of Nabal's possessions. Nothing to subsist until daybreak, not even "The one who urinates against the wall."»
23 As soon as Abigail saw David, she quickly got off the donkey and fell on her face before David, prostrating herself to the ground.
24 Then she fell at his feet, saying, «Let the blame be on me, my lord, on me! Allow your servant to speak in your hearing, and listen to the words of your servant!”
25 My lord should not pay attention to that man from Belial, Nabal, for he is what his name indicates; his name East The Fool, and there is madness in him. But I, your servant, have not seen my lord's men, whom you sent.
26 Now, my lord, as surely as the Lord lives and as you live, the Lord has preserved you from shedding blood and from taking revenge with your own hand. And now, may your enemies and those who wish harm upon my lord be like Nabal!
27 Accepted Therefore, this gift that your servant brings to my lord, and let it be distributed to the young men who follow my lord.
28 Please forgive your servant’s sin, for the Lord will surely make my lord a lasting house; for my lord fights the Lord’s wars, and no evil will be found in you all the days of your life.
29 If anyone rises up to pursue you and seek your life, the life of my lord will be bound in the bundle of the living before Yahweh your God, and the life of your enemies he will hurl far away from the hollow of the sling.
30 When the Lord has done to my lord according to all the good he has spoken concerning you, and has appointed you ruler over Israel,
31 It will not be a cause of remorse for you, nor will it be a grief for my lord to have shed blood without cause and to have taken revenge himself. And when the Lord has dealt well with my lord, remember your servant.»
32 David said to Abigail, «Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who has sent you to meet me today! Blessed be your great wisdom,
33 and blessed be you, who have prevented me this day from shedding blood and taking revenge with my own hand!
34 Otherwise, as surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, who has kept me from harming you, if you had not hurried to meet me, there would have been Nothing "No one who stays in Nabal until sunrise, not even the one who urinates against the wall."»
35 David took from the hand of’Abigail what she had brought him, and said to him, «Go up in peace to your house; see, I have listened to your voice and lifted up your face!»
36 Abigail returned to Nabal, and behold, he was holding a feast in his house like a king's feast; and Nabal's heart was merry, and he was quite drunk. She taught him neither little nor much, until the break of day.
37 But in the morning, when Nabal came up from his drunkenness, his wife told him these things, and his heart received a mortal blow, and he became like a stone.
38 About ten days later, Yahweh struck Nabal, and he died.
39 When David heard of Nabal’s death, he said, «Blessed be the Lord, who has defended my cause.” and avenged me "For the outrage I received from Nabal's hand, which prevented his servant from doing evil! The Lord has brought Nabal's wickedness back on his own head." Then David sent word to Abigail that he wanted to take her as a wife.
40 When David’s servants arrived at Abigail’s house in Carmel, they spoke to her, saying, «David has sent us to you to take you as his wife.»
41 She got up and, bowing down with her face to the ground, said, «Behold, your servant is like a slave to wash the feet of my lord’s servants!»
42 Immediately Abigail got up and mounted a donkey, and five of her daughters followed her; she went with David’s messengers, and became his wife.
43 David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and both of them became his wives.
44 But Saul had given his daughter Michol, David’s wife, to Phalti of Gallim, son of Laish.
Chapter 26
— Another example of David's magnanimity towards Saul. —
1 The Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah and said, «David is hiding on the hill of Hashilah, east of the desert.»
2 Saul arose and went down to the wilderness of Ziph with three thousand elite men of Israel, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.
3 Saul camped on the hill of Achillah, east of the desert, by the road, while David remained in the wilderness. When David saw that Saul was searching for him in the wilderness,
4 David sent spies and learned that Saul had actually arrived.
5 David arose and went to the place where Saul was encamped. David saw the place where Saul was lying, with Abner son of Ner, the commander of his army: — now Saul was lying in the middle of the camp, and the people were encamped around him.
6 So David spoke to Ahimelech the Hittite and to Abishai, son of Zeruiah and brother of Joab, saying, «Who will go down with me to the camp to Saul?» And Abishai answered, «I will go down with you.»
7 David and Abishai arrived by night among the people, and behold, Saul was He lay in the middle of the camp and slept, his spear stuck in the ground at his bedside; Abner and the people were lying around him.
8 Abishai said to David, «Today God has imprisoned your enemy in your hands; now, please let me strike him with the spear and nail it "It was all in one go, without me having to go back to it."»
9 But David said to Abishai, «Do not kill him! For who could lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed and go unpunished?»
10 And David said, «As surely as the Lord lives, it is surely the Lord who will strike him; either his day will come and he will die, or he will go down to the war and he will perish;
11 But may the Lord forbid that I should lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed! Now take the spear that is by his head, along with the jug of water, and let us go.»
12 And David took the spear and the jug of water that were at Saul’s head, and they went away. No one saw, no one knew, no one woke up, for they were all asleep, because the Lord had put a deep sleep upon them.
13 David crossed over to the other side and stood far off on the top of the mountain; a great distance separated them.
14 And David called out to the people and to Abner son of Ner, saying, «Will you not answer, Abner?» Abner answered, saying, «Who are you, crying out to the king?»
15 David said to Abner, «Are you not a man? And who is your equal in Israel? Why then have you not guarded the king, your lord? For one of the people has come to kill the king, your lord.
16 What you have done is not right. As surely as the Lord lives! You deserve to die because you did not keep your master, the Lord’s anointed. Now look, where are the king’s spear and the water jug that was by his head?»
17 Saul recognized David's voice and said, "Is that your voice, my son David?" And David answered, "It is my voice, O king, my lord."«
18 He added, «Why is my lord pursuing his servant? What have I done, and what crime has my hand committed?
19 Now let the king, my lord, deign to listen to the words of your servant: if It is Yahweh Who If you are incited against me, let him accept the fragrance of an offering; but if these are May these men be cursed before Yahweh, since they have now driven me out, to take away my place from the inheritance of Yahweh, saying: Go serve foreign gods!
20 And now may my blood not fall on the ground, far from the face of the Lord! For the king of Israel has gone out to look for a flea, as one would chase a partridge in the mountains.»
21 Saul said, «I have sinned; return, my son David, for I will not harm you again, since on this day my life was precious in your sight. Behold, I have acted foolishly and have made a great mistake.»
22 David replied, «Here is the spear, O king; let one of your young men come and take it.
23 Yahweh will repay each one according to his justice and faithfulness; for Yahweh had delivered you into my hands today, and I would not lay a hand on Yahweh's anointed.
24 »Behold, as your life has been precious in my sight today, so shall my life be precious in the sight of the Lord, and he shall deliver me from all anguish!”
25 Saul said to David, «Blessed be you, my son David! You will certainly succeed in your endeavors.» David continued on his way, and Saul returned home.
III. — DAVID AMONG THE PHILISTINES.
Chapter 27
— Among the Philistines. —
1 David said to himself, «I will surely perish one day by the hand of Saul; there is nothing better for me than to flee quickly to the land of the Philistines, so that Saul will give up searching for me any longer in all the territory of Israel; thus I will escape from his hand.»
2 And David arose, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and they went over to Achish, son of Maoch, king of Geth.
3 David stayed with Achish in Geth, he and his people, each with his family, and David with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel, and Abigail of Carmel, wife of Nabal.
4 Saul was told that David had fled to Geth, and he did not pursue him again.
5 David said to Achish, «If I have found favor in your eyes, let me be given a place to live in one of the towns in the countryside; for why should your servant live with you in the royal city?»
6 And on that day Achish gave him Siceleg; therefore Siceleg has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day.
7 The number of days that David spent in the land of the Philistines was one year and four months.
8 David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, Gerzites, and Amalekites; for these tribes They inhabited from ancient times the area around Sur and as far as the land of Egypt.
9 David ravaged the land, leaving neither man nor woman alive, taking away the sheep, the oxen, the donkeys, the camels, the garments; then he returned to Achish.
10 Achish said, «Where did you raid today?» And David answered, «Into the Negev of Judah, into the Negev of the Jerahamelites, and into the Negev of the Kenites.»
11 David left no man or woman alive to bring to Geth, for fear, he said to himself, «that they might report against us, saying, »Thus David did.’” And this was his way all the time he remained in the land of the Philistines.
12 Achish trusted David, and he said, «He has made himself odious to his people Israel, therefore he will be my servant forever.
Chapter 28
— In the Philistine camp: Battle of Gelboa. —
1 At that time the Philistines gathered their troops into one army to go to fight against Israel. And Achish said to David, "Know that you and your men will come with me to the camp."«
2 David answered Achish, «You will see what your servant will do.» And Achish said to David, «And I will appoint you as my guardian forever.»
3 Samuel had died; all Israel had mourned for him, and they had buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had removed from the land those who consulted mediums and spiritists.
4 The Philistines having gathered together, came and camped at Shunem; Saul gathered all Israel, and they camped at Gilboa.
5 When Saul saw the Philistine camp, he was afraid, and his heart was greatly troubled.
6 Saul inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams, or by the Urim, or by the prophets.
7 SO Saul said to his servants, «Find me a wife who will speak the dead, and I will go to her and consult her.» His servants told him, «There is a woman in Endor who speaks the dead. »
8 Saul disguised himself and put on other clothes, and he left, accompanied by two men. They arrived at the woman's house by night, and Saul He said to him, "Predict the future for me by summoning a dead person, and bring up for me the one I name."«
9 The woman answered him, «Now you know what Saul did, how he cut off from the land those who evoke the dead and the soothsayers; why are you setting a trap for me, to make me die?
10 Saul swore to him by the Lord, saying, «As surely as the Lord lives, no harm will come to you because of this.»
11 And the woman said, «Whom shall I bring up for you?» He replied, «Bring up Samuel for me.»
12 When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice; and the woman said to Saul, «Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!»
13 The king said to her, «Do not be afraid; but what have you seen?» The woman said to Saul, «I see a god coming up out of the earth.»
14 He said to her, «What does he look like?» And she answered, «It is an old man coming up, and he is wrapped in a cloak.» Saul realized that it was Samuel, and he fell with his face to the ground and prostrated himself.
15 Samuel said to Saul, «Why have you troubled me by bringing me up?» Saul replied, «I am in great distress; the Philistines are attacking me.” the war, »And God has withdrawn from me; he has not answered me through prophets or dreams. I have called upon you to tell me what I should do.”
16 Samuel said, «Why do you consult me, since Yahweh has withdrawn from you and become your adversary?
17 Yahweh has done as he announced through me: Yahweh has taken the kingdom from your hand and given it to your companion, to David.
18 Because you did not obey the voice of Yahweh, and did not deal with Amalek according to the fierceness of his anger, that is why Yahweh has dealt thus with you this day.
19 And the Lord will deliver Israel and you into the hands of the Philistines. Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me, and the Lord will deliver the camp of Israel into the hands of the Philistines.»
20 At once Saul fell to the ground from his full height, for the words of Samuel had filled him with terror; moreover, his strength failed him, for he had eaten no food all day and all night.
21 The woman came to Saul and, seeing his great distress, she said to him, «Your servant has obeyed your voice; I have risked my life, obeying the words that you spoke to me.
22 Now listen, you too, to the voice of your servant, and let me offer you a piece of bread; eat it, so that you may have strength while you go on your way.»
23 But he refused and said, «I will not eat.» His servants and the woman urged him, and he gave in to their entreaties. He got up from the ground and sat on the couch.
24 The woman had a fattened calf at home, she quickly killed it and, taking flour, she kneaded it and baked unleavened loaves of bread.
25 She set them before Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they got up and left that same night.
Chapter 29
— David was sent away from the army by the Philistines. —
1 The Philistines gathered all their troops at Aphek, and Israel was encamped near the spring in Jezreel.
2 While the Philistine princes advanced at the head of hundreds and thousands, and David and his men marched in the rearguard with Achish,
3 The Philistine leaders said, «What are these Hebrews?» Achish answered the Philistine leaders, «Isn’t this David, the servant of Saul, king of Israel, who has been with me for days and years, and I have found nothing wrong with him?” to criticize, since he passed towards us "Until now."»
4 But the Philistine leaders were angry with Achish, and they said to him, «Send this man away, and let him return to the place where you stationed him. Let him not go down with us to battle, lest he become an adversary to us in the fighting. And how could he regain his master's favor except by offering him The heads of these men?
5 Is this not the David about whom they sang while dancing: Saul killed his thousand, and David his ten thousand?.
6 Achish called David and said to him, «As surely as the Lord lives, you are an upright man, and I look favorably upon all your conduct with me in the camp, for I have found nothing wrong with you from the day you came to me until this day; but you are displeasing in the sight of the princes.
7 Return, then, and go in peace, so as not to do anything objectionable in the eyes of the Philistine rulers.»
8 David said to Achish, «But what have I done, and what have you found in your servant, since the day I was [in office]?” came "Will you stay with me until this day, so that I will not have to go and fight the enemies of my lord the king?"»
9 Achish answered and said to David, «I know that you have been good to me like an angel of God; but the leaders of the Philistines say: he will not go up with us to battle.
10 »So get up early, you and the servants of your lord who came with you; get up early, and as soon as it is light, depart.”
11 David and his men got up early, to leave early in the morning and return to the land of the Philistines; and the Philistines went up to Jezreel.
Chapter 30
— David defeats the Amalekites. —
1 When David and his men arrived at Zishaleg on the third day, the Amalekites had invaded the Negev and Zishaleg; they had attacked Zishaleg and burned it;
2 and they had taken the women captive and all those who were there, young and old, without killing anyone, and they had taken them away, and had set off again.
3 When David and his men arrived at the city, they saw that it was burned down, and that their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive.
4 And David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until they had no more strength to weep.
5 David's two wives had been Also taken captive, Achinoam of Jezreel, and Abigail of Carmel, wife of Nabal.
6 David was greatly distressed, for the band of men spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each one for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.
7 David said to Abiathar the priest, son of Ahimelech, «Bring me the ephod.» So Abiathar brought the ephod to David.
8 And David inquired of the Lord, saying, «Shall I pursue this band? Shall I overtake them?» Yahweh He replied, "Continue, for you will surely reach him and deliver him."«
9 And David set out, he and the six hundred men who were with him. When they came to the brook Besor, the stragglers stopped.
10 And David continued the pursuit with four hundred men; two hundred men had stopped, too tired to cross the Besor stream.
11 They found an Egyptian in the fields, whom they brought to David. They gave him bread, which he ate, and they gave him water to drink;
12 They gave him a slice of dried fig cake and two raisin cakes. As soon as he had eaten, his spirits returned to him, for he had not eaten food or drunk water for three days and three nights.
13 David said to him, «Whose are you and where are you from?» He answered, «I am an Egyptian slave, in the service of an Amalekite, and for three days my master has abandoned me because I was sick.
14 We raided the Negev of the Cherethites, the territory of Judah, and the Negev of Caleb, and we burned Zikeleg.»
15 David said to him, «Will you lead me to that band?» He replied, «Swear to me by the name "By God, I promise you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will lead you to that band of men."»
16 When he had brought him in, behold, the Amalekites were spread throughout the whole land, eating, drinking and dancing, because of all the great plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and the land of Judah.
17 David defeated them from twilight until evening the following day, and not one of them escaped except four hundred young men, who fled, riding on camels.
18 David saved everything the Amalekites had taken, and David saved his two wives.
19 They lacked no one, neither small nor great, neither son nor daughter, nor no part of the spoils, nor anything that had been taken from them: David brought it all back.
20 And David took all the flocks and herds, and they set out before the herd, saying, «This is David’s plunder.»
21 David returned to the two hundred men who had been too tired to follow him and had been left at the Besor River; they came out to meet David and the people who were with him. Approaching them, David greeted them warmly.
22 All the wicked and vile men among those who had gone with David spoke up and said, «Since they did not come with us, we will not give them any of the plunder we saved, except to each man his wife and children; let them take them and go.»
23 But David said, «Do not do so, my brothers, with what Yahweh has given us; for he has protected us, and he has delivered into our hands the band that came against us.
24 And who would listen to you in this matter? The share must be the same for the one who went down to battle and for the one who stayed with the baggage: they will share it together.»
25 He in was Thus from this day forward, and David made this a law and a rule which remains to this day.
26 When David returned to Zishaleg, he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah, his friends, saying, «Here is a present for you from the plunder of the enemies of Yahweh.»
27 He made these shipments to those of Bethel, to those of Ramoth of the Negev, to those of Jether,
28 to those of Aroer, to those of Sephamoth, to those of Estamo,
29 to those of Rachal, to those of the cities of the Jerahamelites, to those of the cities of the Kenites,
30 to those of Arama, to those of Cor-Asan, to those of Athach,
31 to those in Hebron and in all the places where David and his men had passed.
Chapter 31
— Defeat and death of Saul. —
1 When the Philistines gave battle to Israel, the men of Israel fled before the Philistines, and fell mortally wounded on Mount Gerboah.
2 The Philistines pursued Saul and his sons, and the Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Melchisua, Saul's sons.
3 The fighting effort was directed against Saul: the archers having discovered him, he was greatly afraid of the archers.
4 Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, «Draw your sword and run me through with it, lest the uncircumcised men come and run me through and insult me.» His armor-bearer did not THE did not want TO DO, for he was seized with fear; then Saul took his sword and threw himself upon it.
5 When the squire saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword and died with him.
6 So Saul and his three sons, his armor-bearer and all his men perished together that day.
7 When the men of Israel who were on this side of the Plain and those who were on this side of the Jordan saw that the children of Israel had fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and took Also the flight; and the Philistines came and settled there.
8 The next day the Philistines came to plunder the dead, and they found Saul and his three sons lying on Mount Gilboa.
9 They cut off his head and him They took off his weapons; then they sent word throughout the land of the Philistines, in the temples of their idols and among the people.
10 They laid down their arms of Saul in the temple of Astarte, and they fastened his body to the walls of Bethsan.
11 When the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,
12 All the valiant men arose and, after marching all night, they removed from the walls of Bethsan the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons, and returned to Jabesh, where they burned them.
13 They took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh; and they fasted for seven days.
