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 Chapter 1
1:1 There was a man of Armathaim Sipha,
of mount Ephraim, and his name was Helkana, a son of Jeremeel the son of
Elias the son of Thoke, in Nasib Ephraim. 2
And he had two wives; the name of the one was Anna,
and the name of the second Phennana. And Phennana had children, but Anna had no
child.
3 And the man went up from year to year
from his city, from Armathaim, to worship and sacrifice to the Lord God of
Sabaoth at Selom: and there were Heli and his two sons Ophni and Phinees,
the priests of the Lord.
4 And the day came, and Helkana
sacrificed, and gave portions to his wife Phennana and her children.
5 And to Anna he gave a prime portion,
because she had no child, only Helkana loved Anna more than the other; but the
Lord had closed her womb. 6
For the Lord gave her no child in her affliction, and according to the
despondency of her affliction; and she was dispirited on this account, that the
Lord shut up her womb so as not to give her a child. 7
So she did year by year, in going up to the house of the
Lord; and she was dispirited, and wept, and did not eat.
8 And Helkana her husband said to her,
Anna: and she said to him, Here am I, my lord: and he said to her, What
ails thee that thou weepest? and why dost thou not eat? and why does thy heart
smite thee? am I not better to thee than ten children?
9 And Anna rose up after they had eaten
in Selom, and stood before the Lord: and Heli the priest was on a seat by
the threshold of the temple of the Lord.
10 And she was very much grieved
in spirit, and prayed to the Lord, and wept abundantly. 11
And she vowed a vow to the Lord, saying, O Lord God of
Sabaoth, if thou welt indeed look upon the humiliation of thine handmaid, and
remember me, and give to thine handmaid a man-child, then will I indeed dedicate
him to thee till the day of his death; and he shall drink no wine nor strong
drink, and no razor shall come upon his head.
12 And it came to pass, while she was
long praying before the Lord, that Heli the priest marked her mouth.
13 And she was speaking in her heart, and
her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: and Heli accounted her a drunken
woman. 14 And the servant of Heli
said to her, How long wilt thou be drunken? take away thy wine from thee, and go
out from the presence of the Lord. 15
And Anna answered and said, Nay, my lord, I live in a hard
day, and I have not drunk wine or strong drink, and I pour out my soul before
the Lord. 16 Count not thy handmaid
for a pestilent woman, for by reason of the abundance of my importunity I have
continued my prayer until now. 17
And Heli answered and said to her, Go in peace: the God of Israel
give thee all thy petition, which thou hast asked of him.
18 And she said, Thine handmaid has found favour in thine
eyes: and the woman went her way, and entered into her lodging, and ate and
drank with her husband, and her countenance was no more sad.
19 And they rise early in the morning,
and worship the Lord, and they go their way: and Helkana went into his house at
Armathaim, and knew his wife Anna; and the Lord remembered her, and she
conceived. 20 And it came to pass
when the time was come, that she brought forth a son, and called his name
Samuel, and said, Because I asked him of the Lord God of Sabaoth.
21 And the man Helkana and all his house
went up to offer in Selom the yearly sacrifice, and his vows, and all the tithes
of his land. 22 But Anna did not go
up with him, for she said to her husband, I will not go up until the
child goes up, when I have weaned him, and he shall be presented before the
Lord, and he shall abide there continually. 23
And Helkana her husband said to her, Do that which is good in
thine eyes, abide still until thou shalt have weaned him; but may the Lord
establish that which comes out of thy mouth: and the woman tarried, and suckled
her son until she had weaned him.
24 And she went up with him to Selom
with a calf of three years old, and loaves, and an ephah of fine flour, and a
bottle of wine: and she entered into the house of the Lord in Selom, and the
child with them. 25 And they brought
him before the Lord; and his father slew his offering which he offered from year
to year to the Lord; and he brought near the child, and slew the calf; and Anna
the mother of the child brought him to Heli. 26
And she said, I pray thee, my lord, as thy soul liveth, I am
the woman that stood in thy presence with thee while praying to the Lord.
27 For this child I prayed; and the Lord
has given me my request that I asked of him. 28
And I lend him to the Lord all his days that he lives, a loan to
the Lord: and she said,
Chapter 2
2:1 My heart is established in the Lord,
my horn is exalted in my God; my mouth is enlarged over my enemies, I have
rejoiced in thy salvation. 2 For
there is none holy as the Lord, and there is none righteous as our God; there is
none holy besides thee. 3 Boast not,
and utter not high things; let not high-sounding words come out of your mouth,
for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and God prepares his own designs.
4 The bow of the mighty has waxed
feeble, and the weak have girded themselves with strength.
5 They that were full of bread are brought
low; and the hungry have forsaken the land; for the barren has born seven, and
she that abounded in children has waxed feeble. 6
The Lord kills and makes alive; he brings down to the grave, and
brings up. 7 The Lord makes poor,
and makes rich; he brings low, and lifts up. 8
He lifts up the poor from the earth, and raises the needy from
the dunghill; to seat him with the princes of the people, and causing them to
inherit the throne of glory: 9
granting his petition to him that prays; and he blesses the years of the
righteous, for by strength cannot man prevail. 10
The Lord will weaken his adversary; the Lord is holy. Let
not the wise man boast in his wisdom, nor let the mighty man boast in his
strength, and let not the rich man boast in his wealth; but let him that boasts
boast in this, to understand and know the Lord, and to execute judgment and
justice in the midst of the earth. The Lord has gone up to the heavens, and has
thundered: he will judge the extremities of the earth, and he gives strength to
our kings, and will exalt the horn of his Christ.
And she left him there before the Lord,11
and departed to Armathaim: and the child ministered in the
presence of the Lord before Heli the priest. 12
And the sons of Heli the priest were evil sons, not
knowing the Lord. 13 And the
priest’s claim from every one of the people that sacrificed was this: the
servant of the priest came when the flesh was in seething, and a flesh-hook of
three teeth was in his hand. 14
And he struck it into the great caldron, or into the brazen
vessel, or into the pot, and whatever came up with the flesh-hook, the priest
took for himself: so they did to all Israel that came to sacrifice to the Lord
in Selom. 15 And before the fat was
burnt for a sweet savour, the servant of the priest would come, and say to the
man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest, and I will by no means
take of thee sodden flesh out of the caldron. 16
And if the man that sacrificed said, First let the fat be
burned, as it is fit, and take for thyself of all things which thy soul desires:
then he would say, Nay, for thou shalt give it me now; and if not I will take it
by force. 17 So the sin of the young
men was very great before the Lord, for they set at nought the offering of the
Lord.
18 And Samuel ministered before the
Lord, a child girt with a linen ephod. 19
And his mother made him a little doublet, and brought it to him
from year to year, in her going up in company with her husband to offer the
yearly sacrifice. 20 And Heli
blessed Helcana and his wife, saying The Lord recompense to thee seed of this
woman, in return for the loan which thou hast lent to the Lord: and the man
returned to his place.
21 And the Lord visited Anna, and she
bore yet three sons, and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the
Lord.
22 And Heli was very old, and he
heard what his sons did to the children of Israel. 23
And he said to them, Why do ye according to this thing,
which I hear from the mouth of all the people of the Lord?
24 Nay my sons, for the report which
I hear is not good; do not so, for the reports which I hear are
not good, so that the people do not serve God. 25
If a man should at all sin against another, then shall they pray
for him to the Lord; but if a man sin against the Lord, who shall intreat for
him? But they hearkened not to the voice of their father, because the Lord would
by all means destroy them. 26 And
the child Samuel advanced, and was in favour with God and with men.
27 And a man of God came to Heli, and
said, Thus says the Lord, I plainly revealed myself to the house of thy father,
when they were servants in Egypt to the house of Pharao.
28 And I chose the house of thy father out of all the
tribes of Israel to minister to me in the priest’s office, to go up to my altar,
and to burn incense, and to wear an ephod. And I gave to the house of thy father
all the offerings by fire of the children of Israel for food.
29 And wherefore hast thou looked upon my
incense-offering and my meat-offering with a shameless eye, and hast honoured
thy sons above me, so that they should bless themselves with the first-fruits of
every sacrifice of Israel before me? 30
Therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel, I said, Thy house and
the house of thy father shall pass before me for ever: but now the Lord says,
That be far from me; for I will only honour them that honour me, and he that
sets me at nought shall be despised.
31 Behold, the days come when I will
destroy thy seed and the seed of thy father’s house. 32
And thou shalt not have an old man in my house for ever.
33 And if I do not destroy a
man of thine from my altar, it shall be that his eyes may fail and his
soul may perish; and every one that remains in thy house shall fall by the sword
of men.
34 And this which shall come upon thy
two sons Ophni and Phinees shall be a sign to thee; in one day they shall both
die. 35 And I will raise up to
myself a faithful priest, who shall do all that is in my heart and in my soul;
and I will build him a sure house, and he shall walk before my Christ for ever.
36 And it shall come to pass that he
that survives in thy house, shall come to do obeisance before him for a little
piece of silver, saying, Put me into one of thy priest’s offices to eat bread.
Chapter 3
3:1 And the child Samuel ministered to
the Lord before Heli the priest: and the word of the Lord was precious in those
days, there was no distinct vision. 2
And it came to pass at that time that Heli was sleeping in his
place; and his eyes began to fail, and could not see. 3
And the lamp of God was burning before it was
trimmed, and Samuel slept in the temple, where was the ark of God.
4 And the Lord called, Samuel, Samuel; and
he said, Behold, here am I. 5
And he ran to Heli, and said, Here am I, for thou didst
call me: and he said, I did not call thee; return, go to sleep; and he returned
and went to sleep. 6 And the Lord
called again, Samuel, Samuel: and he went to Heli the second time, and said,
Behold here am I, for thou didst call me: and he said, I called thee not;
return, go to sleep. 7 And it was
before Samuel knew the Lord, and before the word of the Lord was revealed
to him. 8 And the Lord called Samuel
again for the third time: and he arose and went to Heli, and said, Behold, I
am here, for thou didst call me: and Heli perceived that the Lord had
called the child. 9 And he said,
Return, child, go to sleep; and it shall come to pass if he shall call thee,
that thou shalt say, Speak for thy servant hears: and Samuel went and lay down
in his place. 10 And the Lord came,
and stood, and called him as before: and Samuel said, Speak, for thy servant
hears.
11 And the Lord said to Samuel, Behold,
I execute my words in Israel; whoever hears them, both his ears shall tingle.
12 In that day I will raise up
against Heli all things that I have said against his house; I will begin, and I
will make an end. 13 And I have told
him that I will be avenged on his house perpetually for the iniquities of his
sons, because his sons spoke evil against God, and he did not admonish them.
14 And it shall not go on
so; I have sworn to the house of Eli, the iniquity of the house of Eli shall not
be atoned for with incense or sacrifices for ever.
15 And Samuel slept till morning, and
rose early in the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the Lord; and
Samuel feared to tell Heli the vision. 16
And Heli said to Samuel, Samuel, my son; and he said,
Behold, here am I. 17 And he
said, What was the word that was spoken to thee? I pray thee hide it not
from me: may God do these things to thee, and more also, if thou hide from me
any thing of all the words that were spoken to thee in thine ears.
18 And Samuel reported all the words, and
hid them not from him. And Heli said, He is the Lord, he shall do that
which is good in his sight.
19 And Samuel grew, and the Lord was
with him, and there did not fall one of his words to the ground.
20 And all Israel knew from Dan even to
Bersabee, that Samuel was faithful as a prophet to the Lord.
21 And the Lord manifested himself again in
Selom, for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel; and Samuel was accredited to all
Israel as a prophet to the Lord from one end of the land to the other: and Heli
was very old, and his sons kept advancing in wickedness, and their
way was evil before the Lord.
Chapter 4
4:1 And it came to pass in those days
that the Philistines gathered themselves together against Israel to war; and
Israel went out to meet them and encamped at Abenezer, and the Philistines
encamped in Aphec. 2 And the
Philistines prepare to fight with Israel, and the battle was turned against
them; and the men of Israel fell before the Philistines, and there were smitten
in the battle in the field four thousand men.
3 And the people came to the camp, and
the elders of Israel said, Why has the Lord caused us to fall this day before
the Philistines? let us take the ark of our God out of Selom, and let it proceed
from the midst of us, and it shall save us from the hand of our enemies.
4 And the people sent to Selom, and they
take thence the ark of the Lord who dwells between the cherubs: and both the
sons of Heli, Ophni and Phinees, were with the ark.
5 And it came to pass when the ark of the
Lord entered into the camp, that all Israel cried out with a loud voice, and the
earth resounded. 6 And the
Philistines heard the cry, and the Philistines said, What is this great
cry in the camp of the Hebrews: and they understood that the ark of the Lord was
come into the camp. 7 And the
Philistines feared, and said, These are the Gods that are come to them into the
camp. 8 Woe to us, O Lord, deliver
us to-day for such a thing has not happened aforetime: woe to us, who shall
deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods? these are the Gods that
smote Egypt with every plague, and in the wilderness. 9
Strengthen yourselves and behave yourselves like men, O ye
Philistines, that ye may not serve the Hebrews as they have served us, but be ye
men and fight with them.
10 And they fought with them; and the
men of Israel fall, and they fled every man to his ten; and there was a very
great slaughter; and there fell of Israel thirty thousand fighting men.
11 And the ark of God was taken, and both
the sons of Heli, Ophni, and Phinees, died.
12 And there ran a man of Benjamin out
of the battle, and he came to Selom on that day: and his clothes were
rent, and earth was upon his head. 13
And he came, an behold, Heli was upon the seat by the gate
looking along the way, for his heart was greatly alarmed for the ark of God: and
the man entered into the city to bring tidings; and the city cried out.
14 And Heli heard the sound of the cry, and
said, What is the voice of this cry? and the men hasted and went in, and
reported to Heli. 15 Now Heli was
ninety years old, and his eyes were fixed, and he saw not.
16 And Heli said to them that stood round
about him, What is the voice of this sound? And the man hasted and
advanced to Heli, and said to him, I am he that is come out of the camp, and I
have fled from the battle to-day: and Heli said, What is the even, my
son? 17 And they young man answered
and said, The men of Israel fled from the face of the Philistines, and there was
a great slaughter among the people, and both thy sons are dead, and the ark of
God is taken. 18 And it came to
pass, when he mentioned the ark of God, that he fell from the seat backward near
the gate, and his back was broken, and he died, for he was an old man and
heavy: and he judged Israel twenty years.
19 And his daughter-in-law the wife of
Phinees was with child, about to bring forth; and she heard the
tidings, that the ark of God was taken, and that her father-in-law and her
husband were dead; and she wept and was delivered, for her pains came upon her.
20 And in her time she was at the
point of death; and the women that stood by her, said to her, Fear not, for thou
hast born a son: but she answered not, and her heart did not regard it.
21 And she called the child Uaebarchaboth,
because of the ark of God, and because of her father-in-law, and because of her
husband. 22 And they said, The glory
of Israel is departed, forasmuch as the ark of the Lord is taken.
Chapter 5
5:1 And the Philistines took the ark of
God, and brought it from Abenezer to Azotus. 2
And the Philistines took the ark of the Lord, and brought it into
the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon. 3
And the people of Azotus rose early, and entered into the house
of Dagon; and looked, and behold, Dagon had fallen on his face before the ark of
the Lord: and they lifted up Dagon, and set him in his place. And the hand of
the Lord was heavy upon the Azotians, and he plagued them, and he smote them in
their secret parts, Azotus and her coasts. 4
And it came to pass when they rose early in the morning, behold,
Dagon had fallen on his face before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; and the
head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off each before
the threshold, and both the wrists of his hands had fallen on the floor of the
porch; only the stump of Dagon was left. 5
Therefore the priests of Dagon, and every one that enters into
the house of Dagon, do not tread upon the threshold of the house of Dagon in
Azotus until this day, for they step over.
6 And the hand of the Lord was heavy
upon Azotus, and he brought evil upon them, and it burst out upon them into the
ships, and mice sprang up in the midst of their country, and there was a great
and indiscriminate mortality in the city. 7
And the men of Azotus saw that it was so, and they said,
The ark of the God of Israel shall not abide with us, for his hand is
heavy upon us and upon Dagon our god. 8
And they send and gather the lords of the Philistines to them,
and say, What shall we do to the ark of the God of Israel? and the Gittites say,
Let the ark of God come over to us; and the ark of the God of Israel came to
Geth.
9 And it came to pass after it went
about to Geth, that the hand of the Lord comes upon the city, a very great
confusion; and he smote the men of the city small and great, and smote them in
their secret parts: and the Gittites made to themselves images of emerods.
10 And they send away the ark of God to
Ascalon; and it came to pass when the ark of God went into Ascalon, that the men
of Ascalon cried out, saying, Why have ye brought back the ark of the God of
Israel to us, to kill us and our people? 11
And they send and gather the lords of the Philistines, and they
said, Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it lodge in its place; and
let it not slay us and our people. 12
For there was a very great confusion in all the city, when the
ark of the God of Israel entered there; and those, who lived and died not were
smitten with emerods; and the cry of the city went up to heaven.
Chapter 6
6:1 And the ark was seven months in the
country of the Philistines, and their land brought forth swarms of mice.
2 And the Philistines call their priests,
and their prophets, and their enchanters, saying, What shall we do to the ark of
the Lord? teach us wherewith we shall send it away to its place.
3 And they said, If ye send away the ark of
the covenant of the Lord God of Israel, do not on any account send it away
empty, but by all means render to it an offering for the plague; and then shall
ye be healed, and an atonement shall be made for you: should not his hand be
thus stayed from off you? 4 And
they say, What is the offering for the plague which we shall
return to it? and they said, 5
According to the number of the lords of the Philistines, five golden emerods,
for the plague was on you, and on your rulers, and on the people; and golden
mice, the likeness of the mice that destroy your land: and ye shall give glory
to the Lord, that he may lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods,
and from off your land. 6 And why do
ye harden your hearts, as Egypt and Pharao hardened their hearts? was it
not so when he mocked them, that they let the people go, and they
departed?
7 And now take wood and make a new
wagon, and take two cows, that have calved for the first time, without their
calves; and do ye yoke the cows to the wagon, and lead away the calves from
behind them home. 8 And ye shall
take the ark and put it on the wagon; and ye shall restore to it the golden
articles for the trespass-offering in a coffer by the side of it: and ye shall
let it go, and sent it away, and ye shall depart. 9
And ye shall see, if it shall go the way of its coasts along by
Baethsamys, he has brought upon us this great affliction; and if not, then shall
we know that his hand has not touched us, but this is a chance which
has happened to us.
10 And the Philistines did so; and they
took two cows that had calved for the first time, and yoked them to the waggon,
and shut up their calves at home. 11
And they set the ark of the Lord, and the coffer, and the golden
mice, on the waggon. 12 And the cows
went straight on the way to the way of Baethsamys, they went along one track;
and laboured, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left, and the
lords of the Philistines went after it as far as the coasts of Baethsamys.
13 And the men of Baethsamys were
reaping the wheat harvest in the valley; and they lifted up their eyes, and saw
the ark of the Lord, and rejoiced to meet it. 14
And the waggon entered into the field of Osee, which was in
Baethsamys, and they set there by it a great stone; and they split the wood of
the waggon, and offered up the cows for a whole-burnt-offering to the Lord.
15 And the Levites brought up the
ark of the Lord, and the coffer with it, and the golden articles upon it, and
placed them on the great stone, and the men of Baethsamys offered
whole-burnt-offerings and meat offerings on that day to the Lord.
16 And the five lords of the Philistines
saw, and returned to Ascalon in that day.
17 And these are the golden
emerods which the lords of the Philistines gave as a trespass-offering to the
Lord; for Azotus one, for Gaza one, for Ascalon one, for Geth one, for Accaron
one. 18 And the golden mice
according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines, belonging to the
five lords, from the fenced city to the village of the Pherezite, and to the
great stone, on which they placed the ark of the covenant of the Lord, that was
in the field of Osee the Baethsamysite.
19 And the sons of Jechonias were not
pleased with the men of Baethsamys, because they saw the ark of the Lord; and
the Lord smote among them seventy men, and fifty thousand men: and the
people mourned, because the Lord had inflicted on the people, a very great
plague. 20 And the men of Baethsamys
said, Who shall be able to pass before this holy Lord God? and to whom shall the
ark of the Lord go up from us?
21 And they send messengers to the
inhabitants of Cariathiarim, saying, The Philistines have brought back the ark
of the Lord, go down and take it home to yourselves.
Chapter 7
7:1 And the men of Cariathiarim come,
and bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord: and they bring it into the
house of Aminadab in the hill; and they sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the
ark of the covenant of the Lord.
2 And it came to pass from the time that
the ark was in Cariathiarim, the days were multiplied, and the time was
twenty years; and all the house of Israel looked after the Lord.
3 And Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, If
ye do with all your heart return to the Lord, take away the strange gods from
the midst of you, and the groves, and prepare your hearts to serve the
Lord, and serve him only; and he shall deliver you from the hand of the
Philistines. 4 And the children of
Israel took away Baalim and the groves of Astaroth, and served the Lord only.
5 And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to
Massephath, and I will pray for you to the Lord. 6
And they were gathered together to Massephath, and they drew
water, and poured it out upon the earth before the Lord. And they fasted on that
day, and said, We have sinned before the Lord. And Samuel judged the children of
Israel in Massephath.
7 And the Philistines heard that all the
children of Israel were gathered together to Massephath: and the lords of the
Philistines went up against Israel: and the children of Israel heard, and they
feared before the Philistines. 8 And
the children of Israel said to Samuel, Cease not to cry to the Lord thy God for
us, and he shall save us out of the hand of the Philistines.
9 And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and
offered it up as a whole-burnt-offering with all the people to the Lord: and
Samuel cried to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord heard him.
10 And Samuel was offering the
whole-burnt-offering; and the Philistines drew near to war against Israel; and
the Lord thundered with a mighty sound in that day upon the Philistines, and
they were confounded and overthrown before Israel. 11
And the men of Israel went forth out of Massephath, and
pursued the Philistines, and smote them to the parts under Baethchor.
12 And Samuel took a stone, and set it
up between Massephath and the old city; and he called the name of it
Abenezer, stone of the helper; and he said, Hitherto has the Lord helped us.
13 So the Lord humbled the Philistines,
and they did not anymore come into the border of Israel; and the hand of the
Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.
14 And the cities which the Philistines took from the
children of Israel were restored; and they restored them to Israel from Ascalon
to Azob: and they took the coast of Israel out of the hand of the Philistines;
and there was peace between Israel and the Amorite.
15 And Samuel judged Israel all the days
of his life. 16 And he went year by
year, and went round Baethel, and Galgala, and Massephath; and he judged Israel
in all these consecrated places. 17
And his return was to Armathaim, because there was his house; and there he
judged Israel, and built there an altar to the Lord.
Chapter 8
8:1 And it came to pass when Samuel was
old, that he made his sons judges over Israel. 2
And these are the names of his sons; Joel the first-born,
and the name of the second Abia, judges in Bersabee. 3
And his sons did not walk in his way; and they turned
aside after gain, and took gifts, and perverted judgments.
4 And the men of Israel gather
themselves together, and come to Armathaim to Samuel, 5
and they said to him, Behold, thou art grown old, and thy
sons walk not in thy way; and now set over us a king to judge us, as also the
other nations have.
6 And the thing was evil in the
eyes of Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us: and Samuel prayed to
the Lord. 7 And the Lord said to
Samuel, Hear the voice of the people, in whatever they shall say to thee; for
they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me from reigning over them.
8 According to all their doings
which they have done to me, from the day that I brought them out of Egypt until
this day, even as they have deserted me, and served other gods, so they
do also to thee. 9 And now hearken
to their voice; only thou shalt solemnly testify to them, and thou shalt
describe to them the manner of the king who shall reign over them.
10 And Samuel spoke every word of the
Lord to the people who asked of him a king. 11
And he said, This shall be the manner of the king that shall rule
over you: he shall take your sons, and put them in his chariots, and among his
horsemen, and running before his chariots, 12
and his manner shall be to make them to himself captains
of hundreds and captains of thousands; and to reap his harvest, and gather his
vintage, and prepare his instruments of war, and the implements of his chariots.
13 And he will take your daughters to be
perfumers, and cooks, and bakers. 14
And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your good
oliveyards, and give them to his servants. 15
And he will take the tithe of your seeds and your vineyards, and
give it to his eunuchs, and to his servants. 16
And he will take your servants, and your handmaids, and
your good herds and your asses, and will take the tenth of them for his works.
17 And he will tithe your flocks;
and ye shall be his servants. 18 And
ye shall cry out in that day because of your king whom ye have chosen to
yourselves, and the Lord shall not hear you in those days, because ye have
chosen to yourselves a king. 19 But
the people would not hearken to Samuel; and they said to him, Nay, but there
shall be a king over us. 20 An we
also will be like all the nations; and our king shall judge us, and shall go out
before us, and fight our battles. 21
And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and spoke them in
the ears of the Lord. 22 And the
Lord said to Samuel, Hearken to their voice, and appoint them a king. And Samuel
said to the men of Israel, Let each man depart to his city.
Chapter 9
9:1 And there was a man of the
sons of Benjamin, and his name was Kis, the son of Abiel, the son of
Jared, the son of Bachir, the son of Aphec, the son of a Benjamite, a man of
might. 2 And this man had a
son, and his name was Saul, of great stature, a goodly man; and there was not
among the sons of Israel a goodlier than he, high above all the people from his
shoulders and upward.
3 And the asses of Kis the father of
Saul were lost; and Kis said to Saul his son, Take with thee one of the young
men, and arise ye, and go seek the asses.
4 And they went through mount Ephraim,
and they went through the land of Selcha, and found them not: and they passed
through the land of Segalim, and they were not there: and they passed through
the land of Jamin, and found them not. 5
And when they came to Siph, then Saul said to his young man that
was with him, Come and let us return, lest my father leave the asses, and take
care for us. 6 And the young man
said to him, Behold now, there is a man of God in this city, and the man
is of high repute; all that he shall speak will surely come to pass: now
then let us go, that he may tell us our way on which we have set out.
7 And Saul said to his young man that was
with him, Lo, then, we will go; but what shall we bring the man of God? for the
loaves are spent out of our vessels, and we have nothing more with us that
belongs to us to bring to the man of God. 8
And the young man answered Saul again, and said, Behold, there is
found in my hand a fourth part of a shekel of silver; and thou shalt give it to
the man of God, and he shall tell us our way. 9
Now before time in Israel every one in going to enquire of God
said, Come and let us go to the seer; for the people beforetime called the
prophet, the seer. 10 And Saul said
to his servant, Well said, come and let us go: and they went to the city where
the man of God was.
11 As they went up the ascent to the
city, they find damsels come out to draw water, and they say to them, Is the
seer here? 12 And the virgins
answered them, and they say to them, He is: behold, he is before you: now
he is coming to the city, because of the day, for to-day there is a
sacrifice for the people in Bama. 13
As soon as ye shall enter into the city, so shall ye find him in
the city, before he goes up to Bama to eat; for the people will not eat until he
comes in, for he blesses the sacrifice, and afterwards the guests eat; now then
go up, for ye shall find him because of the holiday. 14
And they go up to the city; and as they were entering into
the midst of the city, behold, Samuel came out to meet them, to go up to Bama.
15 And the Lord uncovered the ear of
Samuel one day before Saul came to him, saying, 16
At this time to-morrow I will send to thee a man out of the land
of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be ruler over my people Israel, and he
shall save my people out of the hand of the Philistines; for I have looked upon
the humiliation of my people, for their cry is come unto me.
17 And Samuel looked upon Saul, and the
Lord answered him, Behold the man of whom I spoke to thee, this one shall rule
over my people.
18 And Saul drew near to Samuel into the
midst of the city, and said, Tell me now which is the house of the seer?
19 And Samuel answered Saul, and
said, I am he: go up before me to Bama, and eat with me to-day, and I will send
thee away in the morning, and I will tell thee all that is in thine heart.
20 And concerning thine asses that
have been lost now these three days, care not for them, for they are found. And
to whom does the excellency of Israel belong? does it not to thee and to thy
father’s house? 21 And Saul answered
and said, Am not I the son of a Benjamite, the least tribe of the people of
Israel? and of the least family of the whole tribe of Benjamin? and why hast
thou spoken to me according to this word?
22 And Samuel took Saul and his servant,
and brought them to the inn, and set them there a place among the chief of those
that were called, about seventy men. 23
And Samuel said to the cook, Give me the portion which I gave
thee, which I told thee to set by thee. 24
Now the cook had boiled the shoulder, and he set it before
Saul; and Samuel said to Saul, Behold that which is left: set before thee, an
eat; for it is set thee for a testimony in preference to the others; take of
it: and Saul ate with Samuel on that day.
25 And he went down from Bama into the
city; and they prepared a lodging for Saul on the roof, and he lay down.
26 An it came to pass when the morning
dawned, that Samuel called Saul on the roof, saying, Rise up, and I will dismiss
thee. And Saul arose, and he and Samuel went out. 27
As they went down to a part of the city, Samuel said to
Saul, Speak to the young man, and let him pass on before us; and do thou stand
as to-day, and hearken to the word of God.
Chapter 10
10:1 And Samuel took a vial of oil, and
poured it on his head, and kissed him, and said to him, Has not the Lord
anointed thee for a ruler over his people, over Israel? and thou shalt rule
among the people of the Lord, and thou shalt save them out of the hand of their
enemies; and this shall be the sign to thee that the Lord has anointed
thee for a ruler over his inheritance. 2
As soon as thou shalt have departed this day from me, thou
shalt find two men by the burial-place of Rachel on the mount of Benjamin,
exulting greatly; and they shall say to thee, The asses are found which ye went
to seek; and, behold, thy father has given up the matter of the asses, and he is
anxious for you, saying, What shall I do for my son? 3
And thou shalt depart thence, and shalt go beyond that as
far as the oak of Thabor, and thou shalt find there three men going up to God to
Baethel, one bearing three kids, and another bearing three vessels of bread, and
another bearing a bottle of wine. 4
And they shall ask thee how thou doest, and shall give thee two presents of
bread, and thou shall receive them of their hand. 5
And afterward thou shalt go to the hill of God, where is the
encampment of the Philistines; there is Nasib the Philistine: an it shall
come to pass when ye shall have entered into the city, that thou shalt meet a
band of prophets coming down from the Bama; and before them will be lutes, and a
drum, and a pipe, and a harp, and they shall prophesy. 6
And the Spirit of the Lord shall come upon thee, and thou
shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man.
7 And it shall come to pass when these
signs shall come upon thee, —then do thou whatsoever thy hand shall find,
because God is with thee. 8
And thou shalt go down in front of Galgal, and behold, I come down to thee to
offer a whole-burnt-offering and peace-offerings: seven days shalt thou wait
until I shall come to thee, and I will make known to thee what thou shalt do.
9 And it came to pass when he turned his
back to depart from Samuel, God gave him another heart; and all these signs came
to pass in that day. 10 And he comes
thence to the hill, and behold a band of prophets opposite to him; and the
Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied in the midst of them.
11 And all that had known him before came,
and saw, and behold, he was in the midst of the prophets: and the people
said every one to his neighbour, What is this that has happened to the
son of Kis? is Saul also among the prophets? 12
And one of them answered and said, And who is his
father? and therefore it became a proverb, Is Saul also among the
prophets? 13 And he ceased
prophesying, and comes to the hill.
14 And his kinsman said to him and to
his servant, Whither went ye? and they said, To seek the asses; and we saw that
they were lost, and we went in to Samuel. 15
And his kinsman said to Saul, Tell me, I pray thee, What did
Samuel say to thee? 16 And Saul said
to his kinsman, he verily told me that the asses were found. But the matter of
the kingdom he told him not.
17 And Samuel summoned all the people
before the Lord to Massephath. 18
And he said to the children of Israel, Thus has the Lord God of Israel spoken,
saying, I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, and I rescued you out
of the hand of Pharao king of Egypt, and out of all the kingdoms that afflicted
you. 19 And ye have this day
rejected God, who is himself your Deliverer out of all your evils and
afflictions; and ye said, Nay, but thou shalt set a king over us: and now stand
before the Lord according to your tribes, and according to your families.
20 And Samuel brought nigh all the
tribes of Israel, and the tribe of Benjamin is taken by lot.
21 And he brings near the tribe of Benjamin
by families, and the family of Mattari is taken by lot: and they bring near the
family of Mattari, man by man, and Saul the son of Kis is taken; and he sought
him, but he was not found.
22 And Samuel asked yet again of the
Lord, Will the man come hither? and the Lord said, Behold, he is hid among the
stuff. 23 And he ran and took him
thence, and he set him in the midst of the people; and he was higher than all
the people by his shoulders and upwards.
24 And Samuel said to all the people,
Have ye seen whom the Lord has chosen to himself, that there is none like to him
among you all? And all the people took notice, and said, Let the king live!
25 And Samuel told the people the
manner of the king, and wrote it in a book, and set it before the Lord: and
Samuel sent away all the people, and each went to his place.
26 And Saul departed to his house to
Gabaa; and there went with Saul mighty men whose hearts God had touched.
27 But evil men said, Who is this
man that shall save us? and they despised him, and brought him no gifts.
Chapter 11
11:1 And it came to pass about a month
after this, that Naas the Ammanite went up, and encamped against Jabis Galaad:
and all the men of Jabis said to Naas the Ammanite, Make a covenant with us, and
we will serve thee. 2 Naas the
Ammanite said to them, On these terms will I make a covenant with you, that I
should put out all your right eyes, and I will lay a reproach upon Israel.
3 And the men of Jabis say to him,
Allow us seven days, and we will send messengers into all the coasts of Israel:
if there should be no one to deliver us, we will come out to you.
4 And the messengers came to Gabaa to
Saul, and they speak the words into the ears of the people; and all the people
lifted up their voice, and wept. 5
And, behold, Saul came after the early morning out of the field: and Saul said,
Why does the people week? and they tell him the words of the men of Jabis.
6 And the Spirit of the Lord came
upon Saul when he heard these words, and his anger was greatly kindled against
them. 7 And he took two cows, and
cut them in pieces, and sent them into all the coasts of Israel by the hand of
messengers, saying, Whoso comes not forth after Saul and after Samuel, so shall
they do to his oxen: and a transport from the Lord came upon the people of
Israel, and they came out to battle as one man. 8
And he reviews them at Bezec in Bama, every man of Israel six
hundred thousand, and the men of Juda seventy thousand.
9 And he said to the messengers that
came, Thus shall ye say to the men of Jabis, To-morrow ye shall have deliverance
when the sun is hot; and the messengers came to the city, and told the men of
Jabis, and they rejoiced. 10 And the
men of Jabis said to Naas the Ammanite, To-morrow we will come forth to you, and
ye shall do to us what seems good in your sight.
11 And it came to pass on the morrow,
that Saul divided the people into three companies, and they go into the midst of
the camp in the morning watch, and they smote the children of Ammon until the
day was hot; at it came to pass that those who were left were scattered, and
there were not left among them two together.
12 And the people said to Samuel, Who
has said that Saul shall not reign over us? Give up the men, and we will put
them to death. 13 And Saul said, No
man shall die this day, for to-day the Lord has wrought deliverance in Israel.
14 And Samuel spoke to the people,
saying, Let us go to Galgala, and there renew the kingdom.
15 And all the people went to Galgala, and
Samuel anointed Saul there to be king before the Lord in Galgala, and there he
offered meat-offerings and peace-offerings before the Lord: and Samuel and all
Israel rejoiced exceedingly.
Chapter 12
12:1 And Samuel said to all Israel,
Behold, I have hearkened to your voice in all things that ye have said to me,
and I have set a king over you. 2
And now, behold, the king goes before you; and I am grown old and shall rest;
and, behold, my sons are among you; and, behold, I have gone about before
you from my youth to this day. 3
Behold, here am I, answer against me before the Lord and before his
anointed: whose calf have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom of you
have I oppressed? or from whose hand have I taken a bribe, even to a
sandal? bear witness against me, and I will make restitution to you.
4 And they said to Samuel, Thou hast not
injured us, and thou hast not oppressed us; and thou hast not afflicted us, and
thou hast not taken anything from any one’s hand.
5 And Samuel said to the people, The
Lord is witness among you, and his anointed is witness this day,
that ye have not found anything in my hand: and they said, He is witness.
6 And Samuel spoke to the people,
saying, The Lord who appointed Moses and Aaron is witness, who brought
our fathers up out of Egypt. 7 And
now stand still, and I will judge you before the Lord; and I will relate to you
all the righteousness of the Lord, the things which he has wrought among you and
your fathers. 8 When Jacob and his
sons went into Egypt, and Egypt humbled them, then our fathers cried to the
Lord, and the Lord sent Moses and Aaron; and they brought our fathers out of
Egypt, and he made them to dwell in this place. 9
And they forgot the Lord their God, and he sold them into the
hands of Sisara captain of the host of Jabis king of Asor, and into the hands of
the Philistines, and into the hands of the king of Moab; and he fought with
them. 10 And they cried to the Lord,
and said, We have sinned, for we have forsaken the Lord, and have served Baalim
and the groves: and now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will
serve thee. 11 And he sent Jerobaal,
and Barac, and Jephthae, and Samuel, and rescued us out of the hand of our
enemies round about, and ye dwelt in security. 12
And ye saw that Naas king of the children of Ammon came against
you, and ye said, Nay, none but a king shall reign over us; whereas the Lord our
God is our king.
13 And now behold the king whom ye have
chosen; and behold, the Lord has set a king over you. 14
If ye should fear the Lord, and serve him, and hearken to
his voice, and not resist the mouth of the Lord, and ye and your king that
reigns over you should follow the Lord, well. 15
But if ye should not hearken to the voice of the Lord, and
ye should resist the mouth of the Lord, then shall the hand of the Lord be upon
you and upon your king.
16 And now stand still, and see this
great thing, which the Lord will do before your eyes. 17
Is it not wheat-harvest to-day? I will call upon
the Lord, and he shall send thunder and rain; and know ye and see, that your
wickedness is great which ye have wrought before the Lord, having asked
for yourselves a king.
18 And Samuel called upon the Lord, and
the Lord sent thunders and rain in that day; and all the people feared greatly
the Lord and Samuel. 19 And all the
people said to Samuel, Pray for thy servants to the Lord thy God, and let us not
die; for we have added to all our sins this iniquity, in asking for us a king.
20 And Samuel said to the people, Fear
not: ye have indeed wrought all this iniquity; only turn not from
following the Lord, and serve the Lord with all your heart.
21 And turn not aside after the gods
that are nothing, who will do nothing, and will not deliver you, because
they are nothing. 22 For the Lord
will not cast off his people for his great name’s sake, because the Lord
graciously took you to himself for a people. 23
And far be it from me to sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray
for you: but I will serve the Lord, and shew you the good and the right way.
24 Only fear the Lord, and serve him
in truth and with all your heart, for ye see what great things he has wrought
with you. 25 But if ye continue to
do evil, then shall ye and your king be consumed.
Chapter 13
13:1 2 And Saul chooses for himself
three thousand men of the men of Israel: and there were with Saul two thousand
who were in Machmas, and in mount Baethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in
Gabaa of Benjamin: and he sent the rest of the people every man to his tent.
3 And Jonathan smote Nasib the
Philistine that dwelt in the hill; and the Philistines hear of it, and Saul
sounds the trumpet through all the land, saying, The servants have despised
us. 4 And all Israel heard say,
Saul has smitten Nasib the Philistine; now Israel had been put to shame before
the Philistines; and the children of Israel went up after Saul in Galgala.
5 And the Philistines gather
together to war with Israel; and then come up against Israel thirty thousand
chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand by the seashore for
multitude: and they come up, and encamp in Machmas, opposite Baethoron
southward.
6 And the men of Israel saw that they
were in a strait so that they could not draw nigh, and the people hid themselves
in caves, and sheepfolds, and rocks, and ditches, and pits.
7 And they that went over went over Jordan
to the land of Gad and Galaad: and Saul was yet in Galgala, and all the people
followed after him in amazement. 8
And he continued seven days for the appointed testimony, as Samuel told him, and
Samuel came not to Galgala, and his people were dispersed from him.
9 And Saul said, Bring hither victims,
that I may offer whole-burnt-offerings and peace-offerings: and he offered the
whole-burnt-offering.
10 And it came to pass when he had
finished offering the whole-burnt-offering, that Samuel arrived, and Saul went
out to meet him, and to bless him. 11
And Samuel said, What hast thou done? and Saul said, Because I
saw how the people were scattered from me, and thou was not present as thou
purposedst according to the set time of the days, and the Philistines were
gathered to Machmas. 12 Then I said,
Now will the Philistines come down to me to Galgala, and I have not sought the
face of the Lord: so I forced myself and offered the whole-burnt-offering.
13 And Samuel said to Saul, Thou
hast done foolishly; for thou hast not kept my command, which the Lord commanded
thee, as now the Lord would have confirmed thy kingdom over Israel for ever.
14 But now thy kingdom shall not
stand to thee, and the Lord shall seek for himself a man after his own heart;
and the Lord shall appoint him to be a ruler over his people, because thou hast
not kept all that the Lord commanded thee.
15 And Samuel arose, and departed from
Galgala, and the remnant of the people went after Saul to meet him after
the men of war, when they had come out of Galgala to Gabaa of Benjamin. And Saul
numbered the people that were found with him, about six hundred men.
16 And Saul and Jonathan his son, and the
people that were found with them, halted in Gabaa, of Benjamin; and they wept:
and the Philistines had encamped in Machmas. 17
And men came forth to destroy out of the land of the Philistines
in three companies; one company turning by the way of Gophera toward the land of
Sogal, 18 and another company
turning the way of Baethoron, and another company turning by the way of Gabae
that turns aside to Gai of Sabim.
19 And there was not found a smith in
all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make
themselves sword or spear. 20 And
all Israel went down to the Land of the Philistines to forge every one his
reaping-hook and his tool, and every one his axe and his sickle.
21 And it was near the time of vintage: and
their tools were valued at three shekels for a plough-share, and there
was the same rate for the axe and the sickle. 22
And it came to pass in the days of the war of Machmas, that there
was not a sword or spear found in the hand of all the people, that were with
Saul and Jonathan; but with Saul and Jonathan his son was there found.
23 And there went out some from the camp
of the Philistines to the place beyond Machmas.
Chapter 14
14:1 And when a certain day arrived,
Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man that bore his armour, Come, and
let us go over to Messab of the Philistines that is on the other side yonder;
but he told not his father. 2 And
Saul sat on the top of the hill under the pomegranate tree that is in Magdon,
and there were with him about six hundred men. 3
And Achia son of Achitob, the brother of Jochabed the son of
Phinees, the son of Heli, was the priest of God in Selom wearing an
ephod: and the people knew not that Jonathan was gone. 4
And in the midst of the passage whereby Jonathan sought to
pass over to the encampment of the Philistines, there was both a sharp rock on
this side, and a sharp rock on the other side: the name of the one was
Bases, and the name of the other Senna. 5
The one way was northward to one coming to Machmas, and
the other way was southward to one coming to Gabae.
6 And Jonathan said to the young man
that bore his armour, Come, let us go over to Messab of these uncircumcised, if
peradventure the Lord may do something for us; for the Lord is not
straitened to save by many or by few. 7
And his armour-bearer said to him, Do all that thine heart
inclines toward: behold, I am with thee, my heart is as thy heart.
8 And Jonathan said, Behold, we will
go over to the men, and will come down suddenly upon them.
9 If they should say thus to us, Stand
aloof there until we shall send you word; then we will stand still by ourselves,
and will not go up against them. 10
But if they should say thus to us, Come up to us; then will we go up, for
the Lord has delivered them into our hands; this shall be a sign to us.
11 And they both went in to Messab of
the Philistines; and the Philistines said, Behold, the Hebrews come forth out of
their Caves, where they had hidden themselves. 12
And the men of Messab answered Jonathan and his armour-bearer,
and said, Come up to us, and we will shew you a thing: and Jonathan said to his
armour-bearer, Come up after me, for the Lord has delivered them into the hands
of Israel. 13 And Jonathan went up
on his hands and feet, and his armour-bearer with him; and they looked on the
face of Jonathan, and he smote them, and his armour-bearer did smite them
after him. 14 And the first
slaughter which Jonathan and his armour-bearer effected was twenty men, with
darts and slings, and pebbles of the field.
15 And there was dismay in the camp, and
in the field; and all the people in Messab, and the spoilers were amazed; and
they would not act, and the land was terror-struck, and there was dismay from
the lord.
16 And the watchmen of Saul beheld in
Gabaa of Benjamin, and, behold, the army was thrown into confusion on every
side. 17 And Saul said to the people
with him, Number yourselves now, and see who has gone out from you: and they
numbered themselves, and behold, Jonathan and his armour-bearer were not found.
18 And Saul said to Achia, Bring the
ephod; for he wore the ephod in that day before Israel. 19
And it came to pass while Saul was speaking to the priest,
that the sound in the camp of the Philistines continued to increase greatly; and
Saul said to the priest, Withdraw thy hands.
20 And Saul went up and all the people
that were with him, and they come to the battle: and, behold, every man’s
sword was against his neighbour, a very great confusion.
21 And the servants who had been before with the
Philistines, who had gone up to the army, turned themselves also to be with the
Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. 22
And all the Israelites who were hidden in mount Ephraim heard
also that the Philistines fled; and they also gather themselves after them to
battle: and the Lord saved Israel in that day; and the war passed through Bamoth;
and all the people with Saul were about ten thousand men.
23 And the battle extended itself to every city in the
mount Ephraim.
24 And Saul committed a great trespass
of ignorance in that day, and he lays a curse on the people, saying, Cursed
is the man who shall eat bread before the evening; so I will avenge myself
on my enemy: and none of the people tasted bread, though all the land was
dining. 25 And Jaal was a wood
abounding in swarms of bees on the face of the ground. 26
And the people went into the place of the bees, and,
behold, they continued speaking; and, behold, there was none that put his hand
to his mouth, for the people feared the oath of the Lord.
27 And Jonathan had not heard when his father adjured the
people; and he reached forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, an
dipped it into the honeycomb, and returned his hand to his mouth, and his eyes
recovered their sight. 28 And one of
the people answered and said, Thy father solemnly adjured the people, saying,
Cursed is the man who shall eat bread to-day. And the people were very
faint, 29 and Jonathan knew it, and
said, My father has destroyed the land: see how my eyes have received sight
now that I have tasted a little of this honey. 30
Surely if the people had this day eaten freely of the
spoils of their enemies which they found, the slaughter among the Philistines
would have been greater.
31 And on that day he smote some of the
Philistines in Machmas; and the people were very weary. 32
And the people turned to the spoil; and the people took
flocks, and herds, and calves, and slew them on the ground, and the people ate
with the blood. 33 And it was
reported to Saul, saying, The people have sinned against the Lord, eating with
the blood: and Saul said, Out of Getthaim roll a great stone to me hither.
34 And Saul said, Disperse
yourselves among the people, and tell them to bring hither every one his calf,
and every one his sheep: and let them slay it on this stone and sin not
against the Lord in eating with the blood: and the people brought each one that
which was in his hand, and they slew them there. 35
And Saul built an altar there to the Lord: this was the
first altar that Saul built to the Lord.
36 And Saul said, Let us go down after
the Philistines this night, and let us plunder among them till the day break,
and let us not leave a man among them. And they said, Do all that is good in thy
sight: and the priest said, let us draw nigh hither to God.
37 And Saul enquired of God, If I go
down after the Philistines, wilt thou deliver them into the hands of Israel? And
he answered him not in that day.
38 And Saul said, Bring hither all the
chiefs of Israel, and know and see by whom this sin has been committed this day.
39 For as the Lord lives who has
saved Israel, if answer should be against my son Jonathan, he shall surely die.
And there was no one that answered out of all the people.
40 And he said to all the men of Israel, Ye shall be under
subjection, and I an Jonathan my son will be under subjection: and the people
said to Saul, Do that which is good in thy sight. 41
And Saul said, O Lord God of Israel, why hast thou not
answered thy servant this day? is the iniquity in me, or in Jonathan my
son? Lord God of Israel, give clear manifestations; and if the lot
should declare this, give, I pray thee, to thy people of Israel, give, I pray,
holiness. And Jonathan and Saul are taken, and the people escaped.
42 And Saul said, Cast lots
between me and my son Jonathan: whomsoever the Lord shall cause to be taken by
lot, let him die: and the people said to Saul, This thing is not to be done:
and Saul prevailed against the people, and they cast lots between him and
Jonathan his son, and Jonathan is taken by lot. 43
And Saul said to Jonathan, Tell me what thou hast done: and
Jonathan told him, and said, I did indeed taste a little honey, with the end of
my staff that was in my hand, and, lo! I am to die.
44 And Saul said to him, God do so to me,
and more also, thou shalt surely die to-day. 45
And the people said to Saul, Shall he that has wrought this great
salvation in Israel be put to death this day? As the Lord lives, there
shall not fall to the ground one of the hairs of his head; for the people of God
have wrought successfully this day. And the people prayed for Jonathan in that
day, and he died not. 46 And Saul
went up from following the Philistines; and the Philistines departed to their
place.
47 And Saul received the kingdom, by lot
he inherits the office of ruling over Israel: and he fought against all
his enemies round about, against Moab, and against the children of Ammon, and
against the children of Edom, and against Baethaeor, and against the king of
Suba, and against the Philistines: whithersoever he turned, he was victorious.
48 And he wrought valiantly, and
smote Amalec, and rescued Israel out of the hand of them that trampled on him.
49 And the sons of Saul were Jonathan,
and Jessiu, and Melchisa: and these were the names of his two daughters,
the name of the first-born Merob, and the name of the second Melchol.
50 And the name of his wife was Achinoom,
the daughter of Achimaa: and the name of his captain of the host was Abenner,
the son of Ner, son of a kinsman of Saul. 51
And Kis was the father of Saul, and Ner, the father of
Abenezer, was son of Jamin, son of Abiel.
52 And the war was vehement against the
Philistines all the days of Saul; and when Saul saw any mighty man, and any
valiant man, then he took them to himself.
Chapter 15
15:1 And Samuel said to Saul, The Lord
sent me to anoint thee king over Israel: and now hear the voice of the Lord.
2 Thus said the Lord of hosts, Now
will I take vengeance for what Amalec did to Israel, when he met him in the way
as he came up out of Egypt. 3 And
now go, and thou shalt smite Amalec and Hierim and all that belongs to him, and
thou shalt not save anything of him alive, but thou shalt utterly destroy him:
and thou shalt devote him and all his to destruction, and thou shalt
spare nothing belonging to him; and thou shalt slay both man and woman, and
infant and suckling, and calf and sheep, and camel and ass.
4 And Saul summoned the people, and he
numbered them in Galgala, four hundred thousand regular troops, and Juda thirty
thousand regular troops. 5 And Saul
came to the cities of Amalec, and laid wait in the valley.
6 And Saul said to the Kinite, Go, and
depart out of the midst of the Amalekites, lest I put thee with them; for thou
dealedst mercifully with the children of Israel when they went up out of Egypt.
So the Kinite departed from the midst of Amalec. 7
And Saul smote Amalec from Evilat to Sur fronting Egypt.
8 And he took Agag the king of Amalec
alive, and he slew all the people and Hierim with the edge of the sword.
9 And Saul and all the people saved Agag
alive, and the best of the flocks, and of the herds, and of the fruits, of the
vineyards, and of all the good things; and they would not destroy them: but
every worthless and refuse thing they destroyed.
10 And the word of the Lord came to
Samuel, saying, 11 I have repented
that I have made Saul to be king: for he has turned back from following me, and
has not kept my word. And Samuel was grieved, and cried to the Lord all night.
12 And Samuel rose early and went to
meet Israel in the morning, and it was told Saul, saying, Samuel has come to
Carmel, and he has raised up help for himself: and he turned his chariot, and
came down to Galgala to Saul; and, behold, he was offering up a
whole-burnt-offering to the Lord, the chief of the spoils which he brought out
of Amalec.
13 And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul
said to him, Blessed art thou of the Lord: I have performed all that the
Lord said. 14 And Samuel said, What
then is the bleating of this flock in my ears, and the sound of the oxen
which I hear? 15 And Saul said, I
have brought them out of Amalec, that which the people preserved, even the best
of the sheep, and of the cattle, that it might be sacrificed to the Lord thy
God, and the rest have I utterly destroyed. 16
And Samuel said to Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the Lord
has said to me this night: and he said to him, Say on.
17 And Samuel said to Saul, Art thou not
little in his eyes, though a leader of one of the tribes of Israel? and
yet the Lord anointed thee to be king over Israel.
18 And the Lord sent thee on a journey, and said to thee,
Go, and utterly destroy: thou shalt slay the sinners against me, even the
Amalekites; and thou shalt war against them until thou have consumed them.
19 And why didst not thou hearken to
the voice of the Lord, but didst haste to fasten upon the spoils, and didst that
which was evil in the sight of the Lord? 20
And Saul said to Samuel, Because I listened to the voice of the
people: yet I went the way by which the Lord sent me, and I brought Agag the
king of Amalec, and I destroyed Amalec. 21
But the people took of the spoils the best flocks and herds
out of that which was destroyed, to sacrifice before the Lord our God in
Galgal. 22 And Samuel said, Does the
Lord take pleasure in whole-burnt-offerings and sacrifices, as in hearing the
words of the Lord? behold, obedience is better than a good sacrifice, and
hearkening than the fat of rams. 23
For sin is as divination; idols bring on pain and grief. Because thou
hast rejected the word of the Lord, the Lord also shall reject thee from being
king over Israel.
24 And Saul said to Samuel, I have
sinned, in that I have transgressed the word of the Lord and thy direction; for
I feared the people, and I hearkened to their voice. 25
And now remove, I pray thee, my sin, and turn back with
me, and I will worship the Lord thy God. 26
And Samuel said to Saul, I will not turn back with thee, for thou
hast rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord will reject thee from being
king over Israel.
27 And Samuel turned his face to depart,
and Saul caught hold of the skirt of his garment, and tore it.
28 And Samuel said to him, The Lord has
rent thy kingdom from Israel out of thy hand this day, and will give it to thy
neighbour who is better than thou. 29
And Israel shall be divided to two: and God will not turn
nor repent, for he is not as a man to repent. 30
And Saul said, I have sinned; yet honour me, I pray thee, before
the elders of Israel, and before my people; and turn back with me, and I will
worship the Lord thy God. 31 So
Samuel turned back after Saul, and he worshipped the Lord.
32 And Samuel said, Bring me Agag the
king of Amalec: and Agag came to him trembling; and Agag said Is death thus
bitter? 33 And Samuel said to Agag,
As thy sword has bereaved women of their children, so shall thy mother be made
childless among women: and Samuel slew Agag before the Lord in Galgal.
34 And Samuel departed to Armathaim, and
Saul went up to his house at Gabaa. 35
And Samuel did not see Saul again till the day of his death, for
Samuel mourned after Saul, and the Lord repented that he had made Saul king over
Israel.
Chapter 16
16:1 And the Lord said to Samuel, How
long dost thou mourn for Saul, whereas I have rejected him from reigning over
Israel? Fill thy horn with oil, and come, I will send thee to Jessae, to
Bethleem; for I have seen among his sons a king for me. 2
And Samuel said, How can I go? whereas Saul will hear of
it, and slay me: and the Lord said, Take a heifer in thine hand and thou shall
say, I am come to sacrifice to the Lord. 3
And thou shalt call Jessae to the sacrifice, and I will make
known to thee what thou shalt do; and thou shalt anoint him whom I shall mention
to thee.
4 And Samuel did all that the Lord told
him; and he came to Bethleem: and the elders of the city were amazed at meeting
him, and said, Dost thou come peaceably, thou Seer? 5
And he said, Peaceably: I am come to sacrifice to the
Lord. Sanctify yourselves, and rejoice with me this day: and he sanctified
Jessae and his sons, and he called them to the sacrifice.
6 And it came to pass when they came in, that he saw Eliab,
and said, Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.
7 But the Lord said to Samuel, Look not on
his appearance, nor on his stature, for I have rejected him; for God sees not as
man looks; for man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.
8 And Jessae called Aminadab, and he
passed before Samuel: and he said, Neither has God chosen this one.
9 And Jessae caused Sama to pass by: and he
said, Neither has God chosen this one. 10
And Jessae caused his seven sons to pass before Samuel: and
Samuel said, the Lord has not chosen these.
11 And Samuel said to Jessae, Hast thou
no more sons? And Jessae said, There is yet a little one; behold, he
tends the flock. And Samuel said to Jessae, Send and fetch him for we may not
sit down till he comes. 12 And he
sent and fetched him: and he was ruddy, with beauty of eyes, and very goodly to
behold. And the Lord said to Samuel, Arise, and anoint David, for he is good.
13 And Samuel took the horn of oil,
and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the Lord came
upon David from that day forward: and Samuel arose, and departed to Armathaim.
14 And the Spirit of the Lord departed
from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him.
15 And Saul’s servants said to him, Behold
now, and evil spirit from the Lord torments thee. 16
Let now thy servants speak before thee, and let them seek
for our lord a man skilled to play on the harp; and it shall come to pass when
an evil spirit comes upon thee and he shall play on his harp, that thou shalt be
well, and he shall refresh thee. 17
And Saul said to his servants, Look now out for me a skillful player, and bring
him to me. 18 And one of his
servants answered and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jessae the Bethleemite,
and he understands playing on the harp, and the man is prudent,
and a warrior, and wise in speech, and the man is handsome, and the Lord
is with him. 19 And Saul sent
messengers to Jessae, saying, Send to me thy son David who is with thy flock.
20 And Jessae took a homer of bread,
and a bottle of wine, and one kid of the goats, and sent them by the hand of his
son David to Saul.
21 And David went in to Saul, and stood
before him; and he loved him greatly; and he became his armour-bearer.
22 And Saul sent to Jessae, saying, Let
David, I pray thee, stand before me, for he has found grace in my eyes.
23 And it came to pass when the evil spirit
was upon Saul, that David took his harp, and played with his hand: and Saul was
refreshed, and it was well with him, and the evil spirit departed from
him.
Chapter 17
17:1 And the Philistines gather their
armies to battle, and gather themselves to Socchoth of Judaea, and encamp
between Socchoth and Azeca Ephermen. 2
And Saul and the men of Israel gather together, and they encamp
in the valley, and set the battle in array against the Philistines.
3 And the Philistines stand on the mountain
on one side, and Israel stands on the mountain on the other side, and the valley
was between them.
4 And there went forth a mighty man out
of the army of the Philistines, Goliath, by name, out of Geth, his height was
four cubits and a span. 5 And he
had a helmet upon his head, and he wore a breastplate of chain armour; and
the weight of his breastplate was five thousand shekels of brass and
iron. 6 And greaves of grass were
upon his legs, and a brazen target was between his shoulders.
7 And the staff of his spear was
like a weaver’s beam, and the spear’s head was formed of six hundred
shekels of iron; and his armour-bearer went before him. 8
And he stood and cried to the army of Israel, and said to
them, Why are ye come forth to set yourselves in battle array against us? Am not
I a Philistine, and ye He brews of Saul? Choose for yourselves a man, and let
him come down to me. 9 And if he
shall be able to fight against me, and shall smite me, then will we be your
servants: but if I should prevail and smite him, ye shall be our servants, and
serve us. 10 And the Philistine
said, Behold, I have defied the armies of Israel this very day: give me a man,
and we will both of us fight in single combat.
11 And Saul and all Israel heard these
words of the Philistine, and they were dismayed, and greatly terrified.
32 And David said to Saul, Let not, I
pray thee, the heart of my lord be dejected within him: thy servant will go, and
fight with this Philistine. 33 And
Saul said to David, Thou wilt not in anywise be able to go against this
Philistine to fight with him, for thou art a mere youth, and he a man of war
from his youth.
34 And David said to Saul, Thy servant
was tending the flock for his father; and when a lion came and a she-bear, and
took a sheep out of the flock, 35
then I went forth after him, and smote him, and drew the spoil out of his
mouth: and as he rose up against me, then I caught hold of his throat, and smote
him, and slew him. 36 Thy servant
smote both the lion and the bear, and the uncircumcised Philistine shall be as
one of them: shall I not go and smite him, and remove this day a reproach from
Israel? For who is this uncircumcised one, who has defied the army of the
living God? 37 The Lord who
delivered me out of the paw of the lion and out the paw of the bear, he will
deliver me out of the hand of this uncircumcised Philistine. And Saul said to
David, Go, and the Lord shall be with thee.
38 And Saul clothed David with a
military coat, and put his brazen helmet on his head.
39 And he girt David with his sword over
his coat: and he made trial walking with them once and again: and David
said to Saul, I shall not be able to go with these, for I have not proved
them: so they remove them from him. 40
And he took his staff in his hand, and he chose for himself five
smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in the shepherd’s scrip which he
had for his store, and his sling was in his hand; and he approached the
Philistine. 41
42 And Goliath saw David, and despised
him; for he was a lad, and ruddy, with a fair countenance.
43 And the Philistine said to David, Am I
as a dog, that thou comest against me with a staff and stones? [and David said,
Nay, but worse than a dog.] And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
44 And the Philistine said to David, Come
to me, and I will give thy flesh to the birds of the air, and to the beasts of
the earth.
45 And David said to the Philistine,
Thou comest to me with sword, and with spear, and with shield; but I come to
thee in the name of the Lord God of hosts of the army of Israel, which thou hast
defied 46 this day. And the Lord
shall deliver thee this day into my hand; and I will slay thee, and take away
thy head from off thee, and will give thy limbs and the limbs of the army of the
Philistines this day to the birds of the sky, and to the wild beasts of the
earth; and all the earth shall know that there is a God in Israel.
47 And all this assembly shall know that
the Lord delivers not by sword or spear, for the battle is the Lord’s,
and the Lord will deliver you into our hands.
48 And the Philistine arose and went to
meet David. 49 And David stretched
out his hand to his scrip, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the
Philistine on his forehead, and the stone penetrated through the helmet into his
forehead, and he fell upon his face to the ground. 50 51
And David ran, and stood upon him, and took his sword, and
slew him, and cut off his head: and the Philistines saw that their champion was
dead, and they fled.
52 And the men of Israel and Juda arose,
and shouted and pursued them as far as the entrance to Geth, and as far as the
gate of Ascalon: and the slain men of the Philistines fell in the way of the
gates, both to Geth, and to Accaron. 53
And the men of Israel returned from pursuing after the
Philistines, and they destroyed their camp. 54
And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to
Jerusalem; but he put his armour in his tent.
Chapter 18
18:1 And there came out women
in dances to meet David out of all the cities of Israel, with timbrels, and with
rejoicing, and with cymbals. 7 And
the women began the strain, and said, Saul has smitten his thousands, and
David his ten thousands. 8 And it
seemed evil in the eyes of Saul concerning this matter, and he said, To David
they have given ten thousands, and to me they have given thousands.
9 10 11
12 And Saul was alarmed on
account of David. 13 And he removed
him from him, and made him a captain of a thousand for himself; and he went out
and came in before the people. 14
And David was prudent in all his ways, and the Lord was with him.
15 And Saul saw that he was very wise, and
he was afraid of him. 16 And all
Israel and Juda loved David, because he came in and went out before the people.
17 18 19
20 And Melchol the daughter of Saul
loved David; and it was told Saul, and the thing was pleasing in his eyes.
21 And Saul said, I will give her to
him, and she shall be a stumbling-block to him. Now the hand of the Philistines
was against Saul. 22 And Saul
charged his servants, saying, Speak ye privately to David, saying, Behold, the
king delights in thee, and all his servants love thee, and do thou becomes the
king’s son-in-law. 23 And the
servants of Saul spoke these words in the ears of David; and David said, Is
it a light thing in your eyes to become son-in-law to the king? Whereas I
am an humble man, an not honourable? 24
And the servants of Saul reported to him according to these
words, which David spoke. 25 And
Saul said, Thus shall ye speak to David, The king wants no gift but a hundred
foreskins of the Philistines, to avenge himself on the kings enemies. Now Saul
thought to cast him into the hands of the Philistines. 26
And the servants of Saul report these words to David, and
David was well pleased to become the son-in-law to the king.
27 And David arose, and went, he and his
men, and smote among the Philistines a hundred men: and he brought their
foreskins, and he becomes the king’s son-in-law, and Saul gives him
Melchol his daughter to wife. 28 And
Saul saw that the Lord was with David, and that all Israel loved
him. 29 And he was yet more afraid
of David.
Chapter 19
19:1 And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son,
and to all his servants, to slay David. 2
And Jonathan, Saul’s son, loved David much: and Jonathan told
David, saying, Saul seeks to kill thee: take heed to thyself therefore to-morrow
morning, and hide thyself, and dwell in secret. 3
And I will go forth, and stand near my father in the field where
thou shalt be, and I will speak concerning thee to my father; and I will see
what his answer may be, and I will tell thee.
4 And Jonathan spoke favorably
concerning David to Saul his father, and said to him, Let not the king sin
against thy servant David, for he has not sinned against thee, and his deeds
are very good. 5 And he put his
life in his hand, and smote the Philistine, and the Lord wrought a great
deliverance; and all Israel saw, and rejoined: why then dost thou sin against
innocent blood, to slay David without a cause? 6
And Saul hearkened to the voice of Jonathan; and Saul swore,
saying, As the Lord lives, he shall not die. 7
And Jonathan called David, and told him all these words;
and Jonathan brought David in to Saul, and he was before him as in former times.
8 And there was again war against Saul;
and David did valiantly, and fought against the Philistines, and smote them with
a very great slaughter, and they fled from before him.
9 And an evil spirit from God was upon
Saul, and he was resting in his house, and a spear was in his hand, and
David was playing on the harp with his hands. 10
And Saul sought to smite David with the spear; and David withdrew
suddenly from the presence of Saul; and he drove the spear into the wall;
and David retreated and escaped. 11
And it came to pass in that night, that Saul sent messengers to the house of
David to watch him, in order to slay him in the morning; and Melchol David’s
wife told him, saying, Unless thou save thy life this night, to-morrow thou
shalt be slain. 12 So Melchol lets
David down by the window, and he departed, and fled, and escaped.
13 And Melchol took images, and laid them
on the bed, and she put the liver of a goat by his head, and covered them with
clothes.
14 And Saul sent messengers to take
David; and they say that he is sick. 15
And he sends to David, saying, Bring him to me on the bed, that I
may slay him. 16 And the messengers
come, and, behold, the images were on the bed, and the goat’s liver at
his head. 17 And Saul said to
Melchol, Why hast thou thus deceived me, and suffered my enemy to depart, and he
has escaped? and Melchol said to Saul, He said, let me go, and if not, I will
slay thee.
18 So David fled, and escaped, and comes
to Samuel to Armathaim, and tells him all that Saul had done to him: and Samuel
and David went, and dwelt in Navath in Rama.
19 And it was told Saul, saying, Behold,
David is in Navath in Rama. 20
And Saul sent messengers to take David, and they saw the assembly
of the prophets, and Samuel stood as appointed over them; and the Spirit
of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they prophesy.
21 And it was told Saul, and he sent other
messengers, and they also prophesied: and Saul sent again a third set of
messengers, and they also prophesied. 22
And Saul was very angry, and went himself also to Armathaim, and
he comes as far as the well of the threshing floor that is in Sephi; and he
asked and said, Where are Samuel and David? And they said, Behold, in
Navath in Rama. 23 And he went
thence to Navath in Rama: and there came the Spirit of God upon him also, and he
went on prophesying till he came to Navath in Rama. 24
And he took off his clothes, and prophesied before them;
and lay down naked all that day and all that night: therefore they said, Is
Saul also among the prophets?
Chapter 20
20:1 And David fled from Navath in Rama,
and comes into the presence of Jonathan; and he said, What have I done, and what
is my fault, and wherein have I sinned before thy father, that he seeks
my life? 2 And Jonathan said to him,
Far be it from thee: thou shalt not die: behold, my father will not do any thing
great or small without discovering it to me; and why should my father hide this
matter from me? This thing is not so. 3
And David answered Jonathan, and said, Thy father knows surely
that I have found grace in thy sight, and he said, Let not Jonathan know this,
lest he refuse his consent: but as the Lord lives and thy soul lives, as
I said, the space is filled up between me and death.
4 And Jonathan said to David, What does thy
soul desire, and what shall I do for thee.
5 And David said to Jonathan, Behold,
to-morrow is the new moon, and I shall not on any account sit down to
eat, but thou shalt let me go, and I will hide in the plain till the evening.
6 And if thy father do in anywise
enquire for me, then shalt thou say, David earnestly asked leave of me to run to
Bethleem his city, for there is there, a yearly sacrifice for all the
family. 7 If he shall say thus,
Well, —all is safe for thy servant: but if he shall answer harshly to
thee, know that evil is determined by him. 8
And thou shalt deal mercifully with thy servant; for thou hast
brought thy servant into a covenant of the Lord with thyself: and if there is
iniquity in thy servant, slay me thyself; but why dost thou thus bring me to thy
father?
9 And Jonathan said, That be far from
thee: for if I surely know that evil is determined by my father to come upon
thee, although it should not be against thy cities, I will tell thee.
10 And David said to Jonathan, Who can tell
me if thy father should answer roughly? 11
And Jonathan said to David, Go, and abide in the field. And they
went out both into the field.
12 And Jonathan said to David, the Lord
God of Israel knows that I will sound my father as I have an opportunity, three
several times, and, behold, if good should be determined concerning
David, and I do not send to thee to the field, 13
God do so to Jonathan and more also: as I shall also
report the evil to thee, and make it known to thee, and I will let thee go; and
thou shalt depart in peace, and the Lord shall be with thee, as he was with my
father. 14 And if indeed I continue
to live, then shalt thou deal mercifully with me; and if I indeed die,
15 16 thou shalt not withdraw thy mercy
from my house for ever: and if thou doest not, when the Lord cuts off the
enemies of David each from the face of the earth, should it happen that
the name of Jonathan be discovered by the house of David, then let the Lord seek
out the enemies of David. 17 And
Jonathan swore yet again to David, because he loved the soul of him that loved
him.
18 And Jonathan said, To-morrow is
the new moon, and thou wilt be enquired for, because thy seat will be observed
as vacant. 19 And thou shalt stay
three days, and watch an opportunity, and shalt come to thy place where thou
mayest hide thyself in the day of thy business, and thou shalt wait by that
ergab. 20 And I will shoot three
arrows, aiming them at a mark. 21
And behold, I will send a lad, saying, Go find me the arrow.
22 If I should expressly say to the lad,
The arrow is here, and on this side of thee, take it; then come,
for it is well with thee, and there is no reason for fear, as the Lord
lives: but if I should say thus to the young man, The arrow is on
that side of thee, and beyond; go, for the Lord hath sent thee away.
23 And as for the word which thou and I
have spoken, behold, the Lord is witness between me and thee for ever.
24 So David hides himself in the field,
and the new month arrives, and the king comes to the table to eat.
25 And he sat upon his seat as in former
times, even on his seat by the wall, and he went before Jonathan; and Abenner
sat on one side of Saul, and the place of David was empty.
26 And Saul said nothing on that day, for
he said, It seems to have fallen out that he is not clean, because he has not
purified himself.
27 And it came to pass on the morrow, on
the second day of the month, that the place of David was empty; and Saul said to
Jonathan his son, Why has not the son of Jessae attended both yesterday and
today at the table? 28 And Jonathan
answered Saul, and said to him, David asked leave of me to go as far as Bethleem
his city; 29 and he said, Let me go,
I pray thee, for we have a family sacrifice in the city, and my brethren have
sent for me; and now, if I have found grace in thine eyes, I will even go over
and see my brethren: therefore he is not present at the table of the king.
30 And Saul was exceedingly angry with
Jonathan, and said to him, Thou son of traitorous damsels! for do I not know
that thou art an accomplice with the son of Jessae to thy same, and to the shame
of thy mother’s nakedness? 31 For so
long as the son of Jessae lives upon the earth, thy kingdom shall not be
established: now then send and take the young man, for he shall surely die.
32 And Jonathan answered Saul, Why
is he to die? What has he done? 33
And Saul lifted up his spear against Jonathan to slay him: so Jonathan knew that
this evil was determined on by his father to slay David.
34 And Jonathan sprang up from the table in great anger,
and did not eat bread on the second day of the month, for he grieved
bitterly for David, because his father determined on mischief against
him.
35 And morning came, and Jonathan went
out to the field, as he appointed to do for a signal to David, and a
little boy was with him. 36
And he said to the boy, Run, find me the arrows which I shoot: and the boy ran,
and Jonathan shot an arrow, and sent it beyond him.
37 And the boy came to the place where the
arrow was which Jonathan shot; and Jonathan cried out after the lad, and said,
The arrow is on that side of thee and beyond thee.
38 And Jonathan cried out after his boy, saying, Make all
speed, and stay not. And Jonathan’s boy gathered up the arrows, and brought the
arrows to his master. 39 And the boy
knew nothing, only Jonathan and David knew. 40
And Jonathan gave his weapons to his boy, and said to his
boy, Go, enter into the city.
41 And when the lad went in, then David
arose from the argab, and fell upon his face, and did obeisance to him three
times, and they kissed each other, and wept for each other, for a great while.
42 And Jonathan said to David, Go in
peace, and as we have both sworn in the name of the Lord, saying, The Lord shall
be witness between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed for ever—even
so let it be. And David arose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city.
Chapter 21
21:1 And David comes to Nomba to
Abimelech the priest: and Abimelech was amazed at meeting him, and said to him,
Why art thou alone, and nobody with thee? 2
And David said to the priest, The king gave me a command to-day,
and said to me, Let no one know the matter on which I send thee, an concerning
which I have charged thee: and I have charged my servants to be in the
place that is called, The faithfulness of God, phellani maemoni.
3 And now if there are under thy hand five
loaves, give into my hand what is ready. 4
And the priest answered David, and said, There are no common
loaves under my hand, for I have none but holy loaves: if the young men have
been kept at least from women, then they shall eat them.
5 And David answered the priest, and said
to him, Yea, we have been kept from women for three days: when I came forth for
the journey all the young men were purified; but this expedition is unclean,
wherefore it shall be sanctified this day because of my weapons.
6 So Abimelech the priest gave him the
shewbread; for there were no loaves there, but only the presence loaves which
had been removed from the presence of the Lord, in order that hot bread should
be set on, on the day on which he took them.
7 And there was there on that day one of
Saul’s servants detained before the Lord, and his name was Doec the
Syrian, tending the mules of Saul. 8
And David said to Abimelech, See if there is here under thy hand
spear or sword, for I have not brought in my hand my sword or my weapons, for
the word of the king was urgent. 9
And the priest said, Behold the sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou
smotest in the valley of Ela; and it is wrapt in a cloth: if thou wilt take it,
take it for thyself, for there is no other except it here. And David said,
Behold, there is none like it; give it me.
10 And he gave it him; and David arose,
and fled in that day from he presence of Saul: and David came to Anchus king of
Geth. 11 And the servants of Anchus
said to him, Is not this David the king of the land? Did not the dancing
women begin the son to him, saying, Saul has smitten his thousand, and David his
ten thousands? 12 And David laid up
the words in his heart, and was greatly afraid of Anchus king of Geth.
13 And he changed his appearance before
him, and feigned himself a false character in that day; and drummed upon the
doors of the city, and used extravagant gestures with his hands, and fell
against the doors of the gate, and his spittle ran down upon his beard.
14 And Anchus said to his servants, Lo! ye
see the man is mad: why have ye brought him in to me?
15 Am I in want of madmen, that ye
have brought him in to me to play the madman? He shall not come into the house.
Chapter 22
22:1 And David departed thence, and
escaped; and he comes to the cave of Odollam, and his brethren hear, and the
house of his father, and they go down to him there. 2
And there gathered to him every one that was in distress,
and every one that was in debt, and every one that was troubled in mind; and he
was a leader over them, and there were with him about four hundred men.
3 And David departed thence to
Massephath of Moab, and said to the king of Moab, Let, I pray thee, my father
and my mother be with thee, until I know what God will do to me.
4 And he persuaded the King of Moab, and
they dwell with him continually, while David was in the hold.
5 And Gad the prophet said to David, Dwell
not in the hold: go, and thou shalt enter the land of Juda. So David went, and
came and dwelt in the city of Saric. 6
And Saul heard that David was discovered, and his men with him:
now Saul dwelt in the hill below the field that is in Rama, and his spear was
in his hand, and all his servants stood near him. 7
And Saul said to his servants that stood by him, Hear now, ye
sons of Benjamin, will the son of Jessae indeed give all of you fields and
vineyards, and will he make you all captains of hundreds and captains of
thousands? 8 That ye are conspiring
against me, and there is no one that informs me, whereas my son has made a
covenant with the son of Jessae, and there is no one of you that is sorry for
me, or informs me, that my son has stirred up my servant against me for an
enemy, as it is this day?
9 And Doec the Syrian who was over the
mules of Saul answered and said, I saw the son of Jessae as he came to Nomba to
Abimelech son of Achitob the priest. 10
And the priest enquired of God for him, and gave him
provision, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.
11 And the king sent to call Abimelech
son of Achitob and all his father’s sons, the priests that were in Nomba; and
they all came to the king. 12 And
Saul said, Hear now, thou son of Achitob. And he said, Lo! I am here,
speak, my lord. 13 And Saul
said to him, Why have thou and the son of Jessae conspired against me, that thou
shouldest give him bread and a sword, and shouldest enquire of God for him, to
raise him up against me as an enemy, as he is this day?
14 And he answered the king, and said, And
who is there among all thy servants faithful as David, and he is a
son-in-law of the king, and he is executor of all thy commands, and is
honourable in thy house? 15 Have I
begun to-day to enquire of God for him? By no means: let not the king bring a
charge against his servant, and against thee whole of my father’s house; for thy
servant knew not in all these matters anything great or small.
16 And king Saul said, Thou shalt surely
die, Abimelech, thou, and all thy father’s house. 17
And the king said to the footmen that attended on him,
Draw nigh and slay the priests of the Lord, because their hand is with
David, and because they knew that he fled, and they did not inform me. But the
servants of the king would not lift their hands to fall upon the priest of the
Lord. 18 And the king said to Doec,
Turn thou, and fall upon the priests: and Doec the Syrian turned, and slew the
priests of the Lord in that day, three hundred and five men, all wearing an
ephod. 19 And he smote Nomba the
city of the priest with the edge of the sword, both man, and woman, infant and
suckling, and calf, and ox, and sheep.
20 And one son of Abimelech son of
Achitob escapes, and his name was Abiathar, and he fled after David.
21 And Abiathar told David that Saul
had slain all the priests of the Lord. 22
And David said to Abiathar, I knew it in that day, that Doec the
Syrian would surely tell Saul: I am guilty of the death of the house of thy
father. 23 Dwell with me; fear not,
for wherever I shall seek a place of safety for my life, I will also seek
a place for thy life, for thou art safely guarded while with me.
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