1 Samuel Chapter 1
Birth of Samuel
1 There was a man from Ramathaim-zophim in the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.
2 He had two wives; the name of one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.
3 Every year this man went up from his town to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord Almighty at Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of the Lord.
4 On the day Elkanah offered his sacrifice, he gave portions to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters.
5 But to Hannah he gave a choice portion, for he loved Hannah, though the Lord had not given her children.
6 And her rival wife provoked her to anger and grief, because the Lord had not given her children.
7 This was her custom year after year. Whenever she went up to the house of the Lord, he provoked Hannah to anger, so that she wept and would not eat.
8 Her husband Elkanah said to her, “Hannah, why are you weeping? Why won’t you eat? Why is your heart so downcast? Am I not more to you than ten sons?”
9 After they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah got up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on a chair by the doorpost of the temple of the Lord.
10 In her deepest sorrow, Hannah prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly.
11 Then she made a vow: “O Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me and not forget her, but will give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.”
12 As Hannah continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth.
13 Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk.
14 He said to her, “How long will you be drunk? Put away your wine.”
15 “No, my lord,” Hannah answered, “I am a woman deeply troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord.
16 Do not take your servant for a wicked woman, for out of my great anguish and grief I have been speaking out.”
17 Eli answered and said, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant your petition that you have made to him.”
18 And she said, “May your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then the woman went on her way, and ate, and was no longer sad.
19 Early the next morning they rose and worshiped before the Lord, and returned and went to their home in Ramah. Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her.
20 In due course Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she named him Samuel, saying, “Because I asked the Lord for him.”
21 Then Elkanah and all his household went up to offer to the Lord the customary sacrifice and to fulfill his vow.
22 But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “I will not go up until the child is weaned, so that I may take him and present him before the Lord, and he may remain there forever.”
23 Her husband Elkanah said to her, “Do what seems best to you; stay here until you have weaned him, only let the Lord fulfill his word.” So the woman stayed and nursed her son until she weaned him.
24 After she had weaned him, she took him with her, along with three bulls, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh. The child was still young.
25 They slaughtered the bull and brought the child to Eli.
26 Then she said, “Oh, my lord! As surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the Lord.”
27 For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him.
28 So I have dedicated him to the Lord; for all the days of his life he will belong to the Lord. And he worshiped the Lord there.
1 Samuel Chapter 2
Song of Anne
1 And Hannah prayed and said: “My heart rejoices in the Lord; my strength is exalted in the Lord. My mouth speaks boldly against my enemies, for I rejoice in your salvation.
2 There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.
3 Do not keep talking so proudly or let arrogant words come from your mouth, for the Lord is a God who knows all things, and by him actions are weighed.
4 The bows of the mighty are broken, but the weak are armed with strength.
5 Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry are no longer hungry. Even the barren woman has borne seven, but she who had many children is languishing.
6 The Lord kills and makes alive; he brings down to Sheol and raises up.
7 The Lord makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and he exalts.
8 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and on them he has set the world.
9 He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked will perish in darkness, for by strength shall no man prevail.
10 The foes of the Lord will be broken to pieces before him; he will thunder against them from heaven. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and exalt the power of his anointed.
11 Then Elkanah returned to his home in Ramah, and the boy ministered to the Lord before Eli the priest. The sin of Eli’s sons
The sin of Eli's sons
12 Now Eli’s sons were wicked men; they did not know the Lord.
13 Now it was the custom of the priests with the people that whenever anyone offered a sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come while the meat was boiling, with a three-pronged fork in his hand.
14 He would thrust it into the pan, pot, kettle, or cauldron, and the priest would take whatever the fork brought up. This was the custom for all the Israelites who came to Shiloh.
15 Also, before the fat was burned, the priest’s servant would come and say to the one offering the sacrifice, “Give the priest some meat to roast, for he will not accept boiled meat from you, but only raw.”
16 And if the man said to him, “Let them burn the fat first, and then take as much as you want,” he would answer, “No, give it to me now, or I will take it by force.”
17 So the sin of the young men was very great in the sight of the Lord; because the men despised the offerings of the Lord.
18 Now the boy Samuel ministered before the Lord, wearing a linen ephod.
19 His mother made him a little robe and brought it to him each year when she went up with her husband to offer the customary sacrifice.
20 Then Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, saying, “May the Lord give you children by this woman instead of the one she asked of the Lord.” So they returned to their home.
21 The Lord visited Hannah, and she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. And the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.
22 Now Eli was very old, and he heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they were sleeping with the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting.
23 And he said to them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear from all these people about your evil ways.
24 No, my sons, for the report I hear is not good; you are causing the Lord’s people to sin.
25 If one person sins against another, God will judge him; but if one person sins against the Lord, who will intercede for him?” But they did not listen to their father’s voice, for the Lord had determined to put them to death.
26 Now the boy Samuel grew in stature and was favored by God and man.
27 A man of God came to Eli and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Did I not clearly reveal myself to your father’s house when they were in Egypt, in Pharaoh’s house?
28 I chose him from all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer sacrifices on my altar, to burn incense, and to wear the ephod in my presence. I gave your father’s house all the offerings of the Israelites.
29 Why then have you scorned my sacrifices and offerings that I commanded to be offered at my tent? Why have you honored your sons more than me, fattening yourselves on the choicest parts of all the offerings of my people Israel?’
30 Therefore, the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I promised that your house and your father’s house would minister before me forever; But now the Lord says: “Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me will be disdained.
31 The days are coming when I will cut off your arm and the arm of your father’s house, so that there will not be an old man in your house.
32 You will see your house brought low, while God showers good things on Israel; there will never be an old man in your house.
33 Any of your men whom I do not cut off from my altar will be a snare to your eyes and a throbbing pain to your soul; all the males born in your house will die in the prime of life.
34 This will be a sign to you: What will happen to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will both die on the same day.
35 Then I will raise up for myself a faithful priest who will do according to what is in my heart and mind. I will build him a lasting house, and he will minister before my anointed one forever.
36 And whoever remains in your house will come and bow down before him for a piece of silver and a morsel of bread, saying, “Please put me in one of the ministries, so that I may eat a morsel of bread.”
1 Samuel Chapter 3
Jehovah calls Samuel
1 Now the boy Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions.
2 One day Eli was lying down in his upper room, his eyes growing dim so that he could not see.
3 Samuel was sleeping in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. Before the lamp of God went out,
4 the Lord called Samuel, and he answered, “Here I am.”
5 So he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am. You called me.” But Eli said, “I did not call you. Go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.
6 Again the Lord called Samuel. So Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am. You called me.” But Eli said, “I did not call you, my son. Go back and lie down.”
7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor had the word of the Lord yet been revealed to him.
8 The Lord called Samuel a third time. So he got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am. You called me.” Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy.
9 So Eli told Samuel, “Go back and lie down. If he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
10 The Lord came and stood there, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
11 Then the Lord said to Samuel, “I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle.
12 On that day I will carry out against Eli everything I have spoken against his family, from beginning to end.
13 I will show him that I will judge his family forever for the sin he knows about. because his sons have blasphemed God, and he has not restrained them.
14 Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of the house of Eli shall never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.
15 So Samuel lay down until morning, and opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel was afraid to tell Eli the vision.
16 So Eli called Samuel and said to him, “Samuel, my son!” And he answered, “Here I am.”
17 Then Eli said, “What is the message he spoke to you? Please do not hide it from me. May God punish you severely if you hide anything from me that he said to you.”
18 So Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing from him. Then Eli said, “It is the Lord; let him do what seems good to him.”
19 Samuel grew up, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground.
20 All Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was a prophet of the Lord.
21 The Lord appeared again at Shiloh, for the Lord had revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord.
1 Samuel Chapter 4
The Philistines capture the ark
1 Samuel spoke to all Israel. At that time Israel went out to battle against the Philistines and encamped at Ebenezer, while the Philistines camped at Aphek.
2 The Philistines drew up their battle lines against Israel, and when the battle was fought, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men in the field.
3 When the people returned to the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord from Shiloh, so that it may come among us and save us from the hand of our enemies.”
4 So the people sent to Shiloh and brought from there the ark of the covenant of the Lord Almighty, who dwells between the cherubim. Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
5 When the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel shouted with such a great shout that the earth shook.
6 When the Philistines heard the sound of the shouting, they said, “What is this great shouting in the camp of the Hebrews?” And they knew that the ark of the Lord had been brought into the camp.
7 And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “God has come into the camp!” And they said, “Woe to us! For it has never been like this before.
8 Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck Egypt with every plague in the wilderness.
9 Be strong, Philistines, and show yourselves to be men, so that you will not become slaves to the Hebrews as they have become slaves to you. Be men and fight!
10 So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and each man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great; thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell.
11 The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were killed.
12 A man of Benjamin ran from the battle and arrived that same day at Shiloh, his clothes torn and dust on his head.
13 When he arrived, Eli was sitting on a chair by the roadside, keeping watch, for his heart was trembling because of the ark of God. When the man reached the city and told the news, all the city cried out.
14 When Eli heard the noise of the uproar, he said, “What is this noise of commotion?” So the man hurried over and told Eli.
15 Now Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes were so dim that he could not see.
16 The man said to Eli, “I have come from the battle; I escaped from the fighting today.” Eli asked, “What happened, my son?”
17 The messenger answered, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and a great slaughter has occurred among the people. Your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are also dead, and the ark of God has been captured.”
18 When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell backward from his chair by the gate, and his neck broke, and he died, for he was an old and heavy man. He had judged Israel forty years.
19 Now his daughter-in-law, Phinehas’ wife, was pregnant and close to giving birth. When she heard the report that the ark of God had been captured and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bent over and gave birth, for her pains came upon her suddenly.
20 As she was dying, those who were with her said, “Do not be afraid, for you have given birth to a son.” But she did not answer or acknowledge their words.
21 She named the child Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel!” because the ark of God had been captured and because of the death of her father-in-law and her husband.
22 She said, “The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.”
1 Samuel Chapter 5
The ark in the land of the Philistines
1 When the Philistines captured the ark of God, they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod.
2 The Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon, and placed it beside Dagon.
3 When the people of Ashdod rose early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord. So they took Dagon and put him back in his place.
4 When they rose early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord. His head and both hands were cut off on the threshold, and only his torso was left.
5 Therefore, to this day, the priests of Dagon and all who go into the temple of Dagon do not tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod.
6 The hand of the Lord was heavy on the people of Ashdod, and he destroyed them and afflicted them with tumors in Ashdod and throughout its territory.
7 When the people of Ashdod saw this, they said, “Let the ark of the God of Israel not remain with us, for his hand is heavy on us and on our god Dagon.”
8 So they summoned all the rulers of the Philistines and asked them, “What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” They answered, “Let the ark of the God of Israel be taken to Gath.” So they took the ark of the God of Israel there.
9 But as soon as they had taken it over, the hand of the Lord was upon the city with a great defeat, and he afflicted the people of the city, both small and great, and they were covered with tumors.
10 Then they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And when the ark of God came to Ekron, the Ekronites cried out, saying, “They have brought the ark of the God of Israel to us to kill us and our people.”
11 So they sent and gathered together all the rulers of the Philistines, saying, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its place, so that it does not kill us or our people.” For there was a deadly panic throughout the city, and the hand of God was heavy there.
12 And those who did not die were afflicted with tumors; and the cry of the city went up to heaven.
1 Samuel Chapter 6
The Philistines return the ark
1 The ark of the Lord remained in the land of the Philistines for seven months.
2 Then the Philistines summoned the priests and diviners and asked, “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us how we should send it back to its place.”
3 They said, “If you send back the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty, but bring a guilt offering to him. Then you will be healed, and you will know why his hand has not been lifted from you.”
4 So they asked, “What guilt offering shall we bring?” They answered, “According to the number of the Philistine rulers, five golden tumors and five golden mice, because the same plague has afflicted all of you and your rulers.
5 Make images of the tumors and the mice that are destroying the land, and give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps he will lift his hand from you, from your gods, and from your land.”
6 Why do you harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? After he had dealt with them in this way, did they not let them go and leave?
7 Now therefore, make a new cart, and take two milk cows that have never been yoked, and hitch the cows to the cart, and bring their calves back home from behind them.
8 Then take the ark of the Lord and put it on the cart, and put the gold articles that you are to give him as a guilt offering in a box beside it, and let it go.
9 And you shall see: if it goes up by the way of his own land to Beth-shemesh, he has done this great harm to us; and if not, we shall know that it was not his hand that struck us, but that this happened by accident.
10 And the men did so; Taking two young cows, they harnessed them to the chariot and shut up their calves in the house.
11 Then they placed the ark of the Lord on the chariot, along with the box containing the golden mice and the images of their tumors.
12 The cows went along the road to Beth-shemesh, lowing low and going straight ahead, without turning to the right or to the left. The Philistine commanders followed them to the border of Beth-shemesh.
13 Now the men of Beth-shemesh were reaping wheat in the valley, and when they looked up and saw the ark, they rejoiced at the sight.
14 The chariot came to the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh and stopped there by a large stone. They cut down the wood of the chariot and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord.
15 Then the Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the chest that was beside it, in which were the gold articles, and placed them on the large stone. And the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrifices to the Lord that day.
16 When the five Philistine rulers saw this, they returned to Ekron that same day.
17 These were the golden tumors that the Philistines paid as a sin offering to the Lord: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, and one for Ekron.
18 The golden mice corresponded to the number of all the Philistine cities belonging to the five rulers, both fortified cities and unwalled villages. The large stone on which they set the ark of the Lord remains in the field of Joshua at Beth-shemesh to this day.
19 Then God struck down the men of Beth-shemesh because they had looked into the ark of the Lord; he struck down seventy men of the people, fifty thousand. And the people wept because the Lord had struck them with such a great slaughter.
20 The men of Beth-shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before the Lord, the Holy One? To whom shall it go up from us?”
21 So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, saying, “The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord; Go down, then, and take her to you.
1 Samuel Chapter 7
1 The men of Kiriath-jearim came and brought the ark of the Lord and placed it in the house of Abinadab on the hill, and they consecrated Eleazar his son to guard the ark of the Lord.
2 From the day the ark came to Kiriath-jearim, many days passed, twenty years; and all the house of Israel mourned after the Lord.
Samuel, judge of Israel
3 Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts for the Lord, and serve him only, and he will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.”
4 So the Israelites put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth and served the Lord only.
5 Then Samuel said, “Assemble all Israel at Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.”
6 So they assembled at Mizpah, drew water, and poured it out before the Lord. They fasted that day and said there, “We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel judged the Israelites at Mizpah.
7 When the Philistines heard that the Israelites had assembled at Mizpah, the Philistine commanders went up against Israel. When the Israelites heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines.
8 Then the Israelites said to Samuel, “Do not stop crying out to the Lord our God for us, that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines.”
9 So Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. He cried out to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him.
10 While Samuel was offering the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack the Israelites. But the Lord thundered that day with a great roar against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel.
11 The Israelites marched out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, striking them down as far as Beth-car.
12 Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.”
13 So the Philistines were subdued, and they never again invaded the land of Israel. The hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.
14 The cities that the Philistines had taken from Israel, from Ekron to Gath, were restored to the Israelites, and Israel delivered its territory from the Philistines. There was peace between Israel and the Amorites.
15 Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.
16 He went back and forth year after year to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah, and judged Israel in all these places.
17 Then he returned to Ramah, for his home was there, and there he judged Israel. There he built an altar to the Lord.
1 Samuel Chapter 8
Israel asks for a king
1 Now when Samuel was old, he appointed his sons as judges over Israel.
2 The name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second was Abijah; and they were judges in Beersheba.
3 But his sons did not walk in the ways of their father, but turned aside after covetousness, accepted bribes, and perverted justice.
4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah.
5 They said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the other nations.”
6 But this suggestion, “Give us a king to judge us,” did not please Samuel. So Samuel prayed to the Lord.
7 The Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me as their king.”
8 Just as they have done from the day I brought them out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you.
9 Now therefore, listen to their voice, but warn them solemnly and show them how the king who will reign over them will treat them.
10 So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who had asked him for a king.
11 He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will do: He will take your sons and put them in his chariots and among his horsemen to run before his chariot.
12 He will appoint commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and he will put them to work plowing his fields and reaping his harvest, and making his weapons of war and the equipment for his chariots.
13 He will also take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers.”
14 He will take the best of your fields, vineyards, and olive groves and give them to his servants.
15 He will take a tenth of your grain and vineyards to give to his officials and servants.
16 He will take your male and female servants, your best young men, and your donkeys, and put them to work.
17 He will also take a tenth of your flocks, and you will be his servants.
18 And you will cry out on that day for the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer you on that day.
19 But the people would not listen to Samuel’s voice, and said, “No, we want a king over us.
20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to rule over us and go out before us and fight our battles.”
21 Samuel heard all that the people said and reported it to the Lord.
22 The Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to their voice and set a king over them.” So Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Go back, every man, to your own towns.”
1 Samuel Chapter 9
Saul is chosen king
1 There was a man of Benjamin, a mighty warrior, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite.
2 He had a son whose name was Saul, a handsome young man. There was no one more handsome among the Israelites than he; from his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people.
3 Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul’s father, had strayed. So Kish said to his son Saul, “Take one of the servants with you, and go and look for the donkeys.”
4 So he passed through the hill country of Ephraim and went on to the land of Shalisha, but they did not find them. Then they passed through the land of Shaalim, but they did not find them there either. After that they passed through the land of Benjamin, but they did not find them there either.
5 When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant who was with him, “Come, let us return; for perhaps my father, having abandoned his concern for the donkeys, will be concerned for us.
6 He answered, “Look, there is a man of God in this city, a man of renown; everything he says comes true. Let us go there; perhaps he can give us some clue as to why we have come on this journey.”
7 Saul answered his servant, “Let us go, but what shall we take to the man? For the bread in our bags is gone, and we have nothing to offer the man of God. What do we have?”
8 Then the servant answered Saul again, saying, “Look, I have with me a quarter of a shekel of silver; I will give it to the man of God, so that he may tell us how to proceed.”
9 (Formerly in Israel, when anyone went to inquire of God, they would say, “Come, let us go to the seer”; for the one who is now called a prophet was formerly called a seer.)
10 Then Saul said to his servant, “You speak well; let us go.” So they went to the city where the man of God was.
11 As they were going up the hill to the city, they met young women coming out to draw water, and they asked them, “Is the seer here?”
12 The women replied, “Yes, he is right there in front of you. Hurry, because he has come to the city today, since the people have a sacrifice today at the high place.
13 When you enter the city, you will find him at once, before he goes up to the high place to eat. The people will not eat until he arrives, because he is the one who blesses the sacrifice; after that, the guests eat. Go up now, because you will find him.”
14 So they went up to the city, and when they were in the middle of it, Samuel was coming toward them to go up to the high place.
15 The day before Saul came, the Lord had revealed something in Samuel’s hearing, saying:
16Tomorrow at this same time I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, whom you shall anoint as ruler over my people Israel, and he will save my people from the hand of the Philistines; for I have looked upon my people, because their cry has come to me.
17 When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said to him, “Here is the man I told you about; he will rule my people.”
18 So Saul went to Samuel at the gate and said, “Please show me where the seer’s house is.”
19 Samuel answered Saul, “I am the seer. Come up ahead of me to the high place and eat with me today. In the morning I will send you on your way and tell you everything that is in your heart.
20 As for the donkeys you lost three days ago, don’t worry about them; they have been found. But who has all the desirable things in Israel to have, if not you and all your father’s house?”
21 Saul answered, “Am I not a Benjamite, from the smallest of the tribes of Israel? And is not my clan the smallest of all the clans of Benjamin?” “Why then have you spoken to me in such a way?”
22 Then Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them into the hall, and gave them seats at the head of the table with the guests, who numbered about thirty men.
23 And Samuel said to the cook, “Bring here the portion I gave you, which I told you to set aside.”
24 So the cook took up a shoulder of lamb with what was on it and set it before Saul. And Samuel said, “Here is what was reserved; set it before you and eat, for it was kept for you for this occasion, when I said, ‘I have invited the people.’” So Saul ate with Samuel that day.
25 And when they had come down from the high place to the city, he spoke with Saul on the roof.
26 Early the next morning they got up, and at daybreak Samuel called to Saul, who was on the roof, and said, “Get up, so that I may send you off.” So Saul got up, and the two of them went out, he and Samuel.
27 And when they were going down to the edge of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to go on ahead” (and the servant went on ahead), “but you wait a little while, that I may declare to you the word of God.”
1 Samuel Chapter 10
1 Then Samuel took a flask of oil, poured it on his head, kissed him, and said, “Has not the Lord anointed you ruler over his people Israel?
2 Today, after you have left me, you will find two men near Rachel’s tomb in Zelzah, in the territory of Benjamin. They will tell you, ‘The donkeys you went to look for have been found. Your father is no longer worried about the donkeys and is concerned about you, saying, “What shall I do about my son?”’”
3 And when you go on from there and come to the great tree of Tabor, three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you. One will be carrying three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and the third a skin of wine.
4 After they have greeted you, they will give you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from them.
5 After this you will come to the hill of God, where the Philistine garrison is. As you enter the city, you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place, with a harp, timbrel, flute, and lyre before them, and they will be prophesying.
6 Then the Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them, and you will be changed into a different person.
7 When these signs have happened to you, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you.
8 Then you will go down ahead of me to Gilgal. I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and sacrifice peace offerings. Wait seven days, until I come to you and show you what you must do.
9 As soon as Samuel turned away, God changed his heart, and all these signs happened that day.
10 When they arrived at the hill, a group of prophets came to meet him, and the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he prophesied among them.
11 When all who had known him before saw him prophesying with the prophets, the people said to one another, “What has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”
12 Some of them answered, “Who is their father?” Therefore it became a proverb: “Is Saul also among the prophets?”
13 When he stopped prophesying, he went to the high place.
14 Saul’s uncle asked him and his servant, “Where did you go?” He replied, “We looked for the donkeys, and when we saw they were nowhere to be found, we went to Samuel.”
15 Saul’s uncle said, “Please tell me what Samuel said to you.”
16 Saul answered his uncle, “He told us explicitly that the donkeys had been found. But he told him nothing about the matter of the kingdom, which Samuel had spoken to him about.”
17Then Samuel summoned the people before the Lord at Mizpah,
18 and said to the children of Israel, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians, and from the hand of all the kingdoms that afflicted you.
19 But you have today rejected your God, who saves you from all your troubles and distresses, and you have said, “No, but set a king over us.” Now therefore, present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your clans.
20 So Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was chosen.
21 He brought the tribe of Benjamin near by their clans, and the clan of Matri was chosen; and from it was chosen Saul the son of Kish. And they sought him, but he could not be found.
22 So they inquired again of the Lord, “Has the man not yet come here?” And the Lord answered, “Behold, he is hiding among the baggage.”
23 So they ran and brought him from there; and standing in the midst of the people, from his shoulders upward he was taller than all the people.
24 And Samuel said to all the people, “Have you seen the one whom the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.” Then the people shouted with joy, saying, “Long live the king!”
25 Samuel then recited to the people the laws of the kingdom and wrote them in a book, which he placed before the Lord.
26 And Samuel sent all the people away, each to his own home. Saul also went to his home in Gibeah, and the men of war whose hearts God had touched went with him.
27 But some wicked men said, “How can this man save us?” And they despised him and brought him no present; but he dissembled.
1 Samuel Chapter 11
Saul defeats the Ammonites
1 Then Nahash the Ammonite went up and encamped against Jabesh-gilead. And all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Make a treaty with us, and we will serve you.”
2 But Nahash the Ammonite said to them, “On this condition I will make a treaty with you: that I gouge out the right eye of every one of you, and bring this disgrace on all Israel.”
3 Then the elders of Jabesh said to him, “Give us seven days, that we may send messengers throughout all the territory of Israel; and if there is no one to defend us, we will come out to you.”
4 When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul, they told these words in the hearing of the people; and all the people lifted up their voices and wept.
5 And behold, Saul came from the field, following the oxen; and Saul said, “Why are the people weeping?” And they told him the words of the men of Jabesh.
6 When Saul heard these words, the Spirit of God came upon him powerfully; And he was greatly angered.
7 So he took a pair of oxen, cut them into pieces, and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel by messengers, saying, “Thus shall be done to the oxen of anyone who does not follow Saul and Samuel.” And the fear of the Lord fell upon the people, and they went out as one man.
8 And he numbered them at Bezek; and the children of Israel were 300,000, and the men of Judah 30,000.
9 And they answered the messengers who had come, “Thus you shall say to the men of Jabesh-gilead: ‘Tomorrow, at sunrise, you shall be delivered.’” So the messengers came and told the men of Jabesh, and they rejoiced.
10 And the men of Jabesh said to the enemy, “Tomorrow we will come out to you, so that you may do to us whatever seems good to you.”
11 The next day Saul arranged the people in three companies, and they came into the midst of the camp in the early morning watch, and struck down the Ammonites until the heat of the day; and those who remained were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.
12 Then the people said to Samuel, “Who were those who said, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ Give us those men, and we will kill them.”
13 But Saul said, “No one shall be put to death today, for today the Lord has given victory to Israel.”
14 Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go up to Gilgal, that we may renew the kingdom there.”
15 So all the people went up to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before the Lord in Gilgal. And they offered peace offerings there before the Lord, and Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly there.
1 Samuel Chapter 12
Samuel's speech to the people
1 Samuel said to all Israel, “I have listened to everything you said to me, and I have made a king over you.
2 Now your king goes before you. I am old and gray, but my sons are with you, and I have led you from my youth to this day.
3 Here I am. Testify against me before the Lord and before his anointed if I have taken anyone’s ox or donkey, if I have slandered or wronged anyone, or if I have taken a bribe to blind myself with it—I will restore it to you.”
4 They said, “You have never slandered or wronged us, nor have you taken anything from anyone.”
5 He said to them, “The Lord is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that you have found nothing in my hand.” They answered, “It is so.”
6 Then Samuel said to the people, “The Lord, who appointed Moses and Aaron and brought your ancestors out of Egypt, is witness.
7 Now stand here, and I will plead with you before the Lord concerning all the deliverances the Lord has given you and your ancestors.
8 When Jacob entered Egypt, and your ancestors cried out to the Lord, the Lord sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your ancestors out of Egypt and settled them in this place.
9 But they forgot the Lord their God, and he sold them into the hands of Sisera, the commander of the army of Hazor, the Philistines, and the king of Moab, who made war against them.
10 Then they cried out to the Lord, ‘We have sinned; we have forsaken the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. Deliver us now from the hand of our enemies, and we will serve you.’”
11 Then the Lord sent Jerubbaal, Barak, Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you from the hand of your enemies all around, and you lived in safety.
12 When you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites was coming against you, you said to me, “No, we want a king to reign over us,” even though the Lord your God was your king.
13 Now then, here is the king you have chosen and asked for; see, the Lord has set a king over you.
14 If you fear the Lord and serve him, and obey his voice, and do not rebel against the word of the Lord, and if both you and the king who reigns over you serve the Lord your God, you will do well.
15 But if you do not obey the voice of the Lord, and if you rebel against the words of the Lord, the hand of the Lord will be against you as it was against your fathers.
16 Wait even now, and see this great thing that the Lord will do before your eyes.
17 Is it not now the wheat harvest? I will call upon the Lord, and he will send thunder and rain, so that you may know and see how great your wickedness is in the sight of the Lord, that you have done in asking for a king for yourselves.
18 So Samuel called upon the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day; and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel.
19 Then all the people said to Samuel, “Pray to the Lord your God for your servants, that we may not die; for we have added this evil to all our sins, asking for a king for ourselves.”
20 But Samuel said to the people, “Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil yourselves. Nevertheless, do not turn away from following the Lord, but serve him with all your heart.
21 Do not turn aside after worthless idols, which cannot profit or deliver, for they are worthless.
22 For the Lord will not forsake his people, for his great name’s sake, because the Lord has been pleased to make you his people.”
23 As for me, far be it from me to sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you; rather, I will instruct you in the good and right way.
24 Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart, for consider what great things he has done for you.
25 But if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will perish.
1 Samuel Chapter 13
War against the Philistines
1 Now Saul had reigned for one year; and when he had reigned for two years over Israel,
2 he chose three thousand men from Israel, of whom two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in the hill country of Bethel, and one thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin; and he sent the rest of the people away, each to his tent.
3 And Jonathan attacked the Philistine garrison that was on the hill, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew a trumpet throughout all the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear!”
4 And all Israel heard that it was said, “Saul has attacked the Philistine garrison,” and also that Israel had made itself an abomination to the Philistines. And the people gathered together after Saul at Gilgal.
5 Then the Philistines gathered together to fight against Israel—30,000 chariots, 6,000 horsemen, and troops as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Michmash, east of Beth-aven.
6 When the men of Israel saw that they were in dire straits (for the people were in a tight spot), they hid in caves, pits, crags, rocks, and cisterns.
7 Some of the Hebrews crossed the Jordan into the land of Gad and Gilead, but Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.
8 He waited seven days, according to the time set by Samuel, but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people deserted him.
9 Then Saul said, “Bring me a burnt offering and peace offerings.” So he offered the burnt offering.
10 Just as he had finished offering the burnt offering, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him and greet him.
11 Then Samuel said, “What have you done?” Saul replied, “When I saw that the people were deserting me, and that you had not come at the appointed time, and that the Philistines were gathered at Michmash,
12 I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the Lord.’ So I was strong and offered the burnt offering.”
13 Then Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lord your God, which he gave you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.
14 But now your kingdom will not endure. The Lord has sought out for himself a man after his own heart, and the Lord has appointed him ruler over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”
15 Then Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the men who were with him, about six hundred men.
16 So Saul, Jonathan his son, and the people who were with them, stayed in Gibeah of Benjamin; but the Philistines had encamped at Michmash.
17 And raiders came out from the camp of the Philistines in three companies; one company marched by way of Ophrah toward the land of Shual,
18 Another squadron marched toward Beth-horon, and the third squadron marched toward the region overlooking the Valley of Zeboiim, toward the wilderness.
19 Now there was no blacksmith to be found in all the land of Israel, for the Philistines had said, “Let the Hebrews not make swords or spears.”
20 So all the men of Israel had to go down to the Philistines to have their plowshares, mattocks, axes, and sickles sharpened.
21 The price was one pim for plowshares and mattocks, and one-third of a shekel for sharpening axes and repairing goads.
22 So it happened on the day of the battle that no sword or spear was found in the hand of any of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan, except Saul and Jonathan his son, who had them.
23 And the Philistine garrison advanced to the pass of Michmash.
1 Samuel Chapter 14
1 One day Jonathan son of Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the Philistine outpost on the other side.” But he did not tell his father.
2 Now Saul was at the edge of Gibeah, under the pomegranate tree in Migron, and the people with him numbered about six hundred.
3 Ahijah son of Ahitub, the brother of Ichabod, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the priest of the Lord at Shiloh, was wearing the ephod. The people did not know that Jonathan had gone.
4 Between the ravines through which Jonathan was trying to cross over to the Philistine outpost, there was a sharp rock on one side and a sharp rock on the other side; the name of one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh.
5 One of the rocks faced north toward Michmash, and the other faced south toward Gibeah.
6 So Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the outpost of these uncircumcised men. Perhaps the Lord will act on our behalf, for nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.”
7 His armor-bearer replied, “Do whatever is in your heart. Go; I am with you, whatever you wish.”
8 Then Jonathan said, “Let’s go over to the men and show ourselves to them.
9 If they say to us, ‘Wait until we come to you,’ then we will stay put and not go up to them.
10 But if they say to us, ‘Come up to us,’ then we will go up, for the Lord has delivered them into our hands. This will be a sign to us.”
11 So the two of them showed themselves to the Philistine outpost, and the Philistines said, “Look, the Hebrews are coming out of the caves where they have been hiding!”
12 The men of the garrison answered Jonathan and his armor-bearer, saying, “Come up to us, and we will tell you something.” Then Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, “Come up after me, for the Lord has delivered them into the hand of Israel.”
13 So Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet, and his armor-bearer followed him; and those who fell before Jonathan, his armor-bearer who followed him killed.
14 This first slaughter that Jonathan and his armor-bearer made was about twenty men in the space of half an acre of land.
15 And there was panic in the camp and in the field, and among all the people of the garrison; and those who had gone out to raid also were panicked, and the earth shook; so there was great consternation.
16 And Saul’s sentries saw from Gibeah of Benjamin how the multitude was in confusion, running to and fro, and was scattered.
17Then Saul said to the people who were with him, “Now take a roll call and see who among us has deserted.” So they took a roll call, and Jonathan and his armor-bearer were missing.
18 Then Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring the ark of God here.” For the ark of God was then with the Israelites.
19 While Saul was still speaking with the priest, the tumult in the Philistine camp grew louder and louder. So Saul said to the priest, “Hold your hand.”
20 So Saul gathered all the people who were with him, and they came to the place of battle. And behold, every man’s sword was turned against his neighbor, and there was great confusion.
21 Now the Hebrews who had been with the Philistines for some time, and had come with them from the surrounding countryside to the camp, also sided with the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan.
22 Likewise, all the Israelites who had hidden themselves in the hill country of Ephraim, hearing that the Philistines were fleeing, also pursued them in that battle.
23 So the Lord saved Israel that day. And the battle reached as far as Beth-aven.
24 But the men of Israel were in distress that day, for Saul had made the people swear, saying, “Whoever eats any food before evening, before I have taken vengeance on my enemies, let him be cursed.” And all the people had not tasted any food.
25 Now all the people came to a forest, where there was honey on the surface of the field.
26 So the people went into the forest, and behold, the honey was flowing; but no one put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath.
27 But Jonathan had not heard when his father had made the people swear, so he stretched out the end of a staff that was in his hand, dipped it into a honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth; and his eyes brightened.
28 Then one of the people spoke up and said, “Your father made the people swear solemnly, saying, ‘Cursed be the man who eats food today.’ And the people fainted.”
29 Jonathan answered, “My father has troubled the land. See now how my eyes have brightened, since I tasted a little of this honey.»
30 How much more so if the people had freely eaten today of the plunder taken from their enemies? Would not there now be even greater destruction among the Philistines?
31 That day they struck down the Philistines from Michmash to Aijalon, but the people were exhausted.
32 Then the people rushed upon the plunder and took sheep, cattle, and calves, and slaughtered them on the ground; and the people ate them with the blood.
33 And they told Saul, saying, “The people are sinning against the Lord by eating meat with the blood.” And he said, “You have transgressed; roll a large stone here to me.”
34 Saul also said, “Go out among the people and tell them to bring me each one his cattle and each one his sheep, and slaughter them here, and eat; and do not sin against the Lord by eating meat with the blood.” So all the people brought their cattle that night, each by his own hand, and slaughtered them there.
35 And Saul built an altar to the Lord; this was the first altar that he built to the Lord.
36 Then Saul said, “Let us go down against the Philistines by night and plunder them until morning, leaving none of them alive.” They said, “Do what seems good to you.” Then the priest said, “Let us approach God here.”
37 So Saul inquired of God, “Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will you deliver them into the hand of Israel?” But the Lord did not answer him that day.
38 Then Saul said, “Come here, all you leaders of the people, and find out and see what this sin has been today.
39 For as the Lord lives, who saves Israel, even if it is my son Jonathan, he shall surely die.” But there was no one among all the people to answer him.
40 Then he said to all Israel, “You stand on one side, and my son Jonathan and I will stand on the other side.” And the people answered Saul, “Do what seems good to you.”
41 Then Saul said to the Lord, the God of Israel, “Give a perfect lot.” So the lot fell on Jonathan and Saul, and the people were delivered.
42 Then Saul said, “Cast lots between me and my son Jonathan.” And the lot fell on Jonathan.
43 Then Saul said to Jonathan, “Tell me what you have done.” Jonathan told him, “I only tasted a little honey with the tip of the staff that was in my hand. Should I die?”
44 Saul replied, “May God deal with me and more also, if you will certainly die, Jonathan.”
45 Then the people said to Saul, “Should Jonathan, who has accomplished this great deliverance for Israel, die? No! As the Lord lives, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground, for he has worked with God today.” So the people saved Jonathan from death.
46 Then Saul stopped pursuing the Philistines. And the Philistines went back to their place.
47After he had taken possession of the kingdom of Israel, Saul waged war against all his enemies around him: against Moab, against the Ammonites, against Edom, against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines; and wherever he turned, he was victorious.
48 He assembled an army and defeated the Amalekites, and delivered Israel from the hand of those who plundered them.
49 The sons of Saul were Jonathan, Ishu, and Malchishua. The names of his two daughters were Merab, the name of the older, and Michal, the name of the younger.
50 The name of Saul’s wife was Ahinoam, the daughter of Ahimaaz. The name of the commander of his army was Abner, the son of Ner, Saul’s uncle.
51 For Kish, Saul’s father, and Ner, Abner’s father, were the sons of Abiel.
52 And there was fierce war against the Philistines all the days of Saul; Saul gathered together all the men he saw who were strong and fit for battle.
1 Samuel Chapter 15
Saul disobeys and is rejected
1 Then Samuel said to Saul, “The Lord sent me to anoint you king over his people Israel; now therefore, listen to the words of the Lord.
2 This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they attacked them on the way as they came up from Egypt.
3 Now go and attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men, women, children, infants, cattle, sheep, camels, and donkeys.’”
4 So Saul summoned the army and mustered them at Telaim—200,000 foot soldiers and 10,000 men from Judah.
5 Then Saul went to the city of the Amalekites and set an ambush in the valley.
6 Saul said to the Kenites, “Go away! Depart from among the Amalekites, or I will destroy you with them; because you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites separated themselves from the Amalekites.
7 Saul defeated the Amalekites from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt.
8 He took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, but he put all the other Amalekites to death with the sword.
9 Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, cattle, fatlings, lambs, and all their good possessions; they would not destroy them completely, but everything worthless and despised they destroyed.
10 The word of the Lord came to Samuel:
11 “ I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned away from me and has not carried out my commands.” Samuel was distressed and cried out to the Lord all that night.
12 Early the next morning Samuel went to meet Saul. And Samuel was told, “Saul has come to Carmel, and behold, he has set up a monument for himself. Then he turned around, went on ahead, and went down to Gilgal.”
13 So Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed are you of the Lord! I have carried out the word of the Lord.”
14 Then Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep and lowing of cattle that I hear?”
15 Saul answered, “They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but the rest we have destroyed.”
16 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.” And he said, “Tell me.”
17 And Samuel said, “Though you were small in your own eyes, have you not become head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord has anointed you king over Israel?”
18 The Lord sent you on a mission and said, “Go and destroy the sinners of the Amalekites, and wage war against them until you have destroyed them.”
19Why then have you not obeyed the voice of the LORD, but turned to the plunder and done evil in the sight of the LORD?
20 Saul answered Samuel, “I have obeyed the Lord and gone on the mission the Lord sent me on. I brought back Agag, king of the Amalekites, and I destroyed the Amalekites.
21 But the people took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the first of the devoted things, to sacrifice to the Lord your God at Gilgal.”
22 Samuel said, “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord’s voice? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance is like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.”
24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned. I have disobeyed the Lord’s command and your instructions. I was afraid of the people and listened to them. Please forgive my sin,
25 and come back with me so that I may worship the Lord.”
26 But Samuel said to Saul, “I will not go back with you, because you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you as king over Israel.”
27 As Samuel turned to leave, Saul caught his hem of his robe, and it tore.
28 Then Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to one of your neighbors, who is better than you.
29 Moreover, he who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind, for he is not a man, that he should change his mind.”
30 And he said, “I have sinned; but please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel, and come back with me so that I may worship the Lord your God.”
31 So Samuel went back after Saul, and Saul worshiped the Lord.
32 Then Samuel said, “Bring me Agag, king of the Amalekites.” And Agag came to him cheerfully. And Agag said, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.”
33 And Samuel said, “As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women.” Then Samuel cut Agag to pieces before the Lord in Gilgal.
34 Then Samuel went to Ramah, and Saul went up to his house in Gibeah of Saul.
35 And Samuel did not see Saul again until the end of his life. And Samuel mourned for Saul; and the Lord regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel.
1 Samuel Chapter 16
Samuel anoints David
1 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”
2 But Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.” The Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’
3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate.”
4 Samuel did as the Lord had said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town met him fearfully and asked, “Do you come in peace?”
5 He replied, “Yes, I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
6 When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and said, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.”
7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass before Samuel, but Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.”
9 Next, Jesse had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.”
10 Jesse then had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.”
11 Samuel asked Jesse, “Are these all your sons?” Jesse replied, “There remains yet the youngest, who is tending the sheep.” Samuel said to Jesse, “Send for him, for we will not sit down until he comes here.”
12 So he sent for him and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him, for this is the one.”
13 So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day forward the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David. Then Samuel returned to Ramah.
David plays for Saul
14 The Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him.
15 Saul’s servants said to him, “See, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you.”
16 Let our lord therefore command your servants who are before you to find someone who knows how to play the harp, so that when the evil spirit from God comes upon you, he may play with his hand, and you may be relieved.
17 And Saul said to his servants, “Find me now someone who plays well, and bring him to me.”
18 And one of the servants answered and said, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem, who knows how to play, and he is a brave and strong man, a man of war, prudent in speech, and handsome; and the Lord is with him.”
19 And Saul sent messengers to Jesse, saying, “Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.”
20 So Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine, and a young goat, and sent them to Saul by his son David.
21 And David came to Saul and stood before him; And he loved him greatly, and made him his armor-bearer.
22 And Saul sent word to Jesse, saying, “Please let David stay with me, for he has found favor in my sight.”
23 And whenever the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, David would take the harp and play it with his hand; and Saul would find relief and be well, and the evil spirit would depart from him.
1 Samuel Chapter 17
David kills Goliath
1 The Philistines gathered their armies for war and assembled at Socoh in Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah, at Ephes-dammim.
2 Saul and the men of Israel also gathered and encamped in the Valley of Elah, and drew up their battle lines against the Philistines.
3 The Philistines stood on one hill, and Israel stood on another hill on the other, with the valley between them.
4 A champion named Goliath, from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. He was six cubits and a span tall.
5 He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of mail; the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze.
6 He had bronze greaves on his legs and a bronze javelin between his shoulders.
7 The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and the iron point of his spear weighed six hundred shekels; and his shield-bearer went before him.
8 He stood and called out to the ranks of Israel, saying, “Why have you drawn up to the battle lines? Am I not the Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Choose a man from among you, and let him come down to me.
9 If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.”
10 The Philistine said, “This day I defy the camp of Israel! Give me a man, that we may fight together.”
11 When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.
12 Now David was the son of that Ephrathite man of Bethlehem in Judah, whose name was Jesse, who had eight sons; and in the days of Saul this man was old and advanced in years.
13 Now the three oldest sons of Jesse had gone to follow Saul to the war. And the names of his three sons who went to the war were: Eliab the firstborn, the second Abinadab, and the third Shammah;
14 and David was the youngest. So the three oldest followed Saul.
15 But David had gone back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s flocks in Bethlehem.
16 Now the Philistine came forward morning and evening, and did so for forty days.
17 And Jesse said to his son David, “Take now for your brothers an ephah of this roasted grain, and these ten loaves of bread, and take them quickly to the camp to your brothers.”
18 And these ten cheeses of milk you shall take to the commander of the thousand; and see if your brothers are well, and take some tokens from them.
19 Now Saul and they and all the men of Israel were in the Valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines.
20 So David got up early in the morning, left the flocks with a keeper, and went with his baggage, as Jesse had instructed him. He arrived at the camp just as the army was marching out to the battle lines and shouting the battle cry.
21 Israel and the Philistines drew up their battle lines, army facing army.
22 David left his baggage with the keeper of the pack and ran to the army. When he arrived, he asked his brothers how they were.
23 While he was talking with them, the champion named Goliath, the Philistine from Gath, who stood between the two camps, came out from the Philistine ranks and spoke the same words, and David heard them.
24 All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him in great fear.
25 And each of the Israelites said, “Have you seen this man who has come out? He has come out to defy Israel.” The king will give great riches to the one who kills him, and he will give him his daughter in marriage and exempt his father’s house from taxes in Israel.
26 Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
27 And the people answered him the same words, saying, “This is what will be done for the man who kills him.”
28 When Eliab, his oldest brother, heard him speaking to the men, he became angry with David and said, “Why have you come down here? Who left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the evil in your heart; you have come down to see the battle.”
29 David replied, “What have I done now? Is it not just talk?”
30 Then he turned away from him to others and asked the same question, and the people gave him the same answer as before.
31 The words that David had spoken were heard, and they were reported to Saul, and he summoned him.
32 David said to Saul, “Let no one’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”
33 Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are but a youth, and he has been a warrior from his youth.”
34 David answered Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock,
35 I went after it, struck it down, and rescued the lamb from its mouth. If it turned on me, I seized it by its jaw, struck it down, and killed it.
36 Whether lion or bear, your servant has killed it. This uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.”
37 David added, “The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” Then Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.”
38 So Saul dressed David in his own robes, put a bronze helmet on his head, and armed him with a coat of mail.
39 David strapped on his sword over his tunic and tried walking, for he had never done so before. David said to Saul, “I cannot walk in these, for I have never used them.” So David took them off.
40 Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd’s bag, in the pouch he carried. He took his sling in his hand and went toward the Philistine.
41 The Philistine came on and drew near to David, with his armor-bearer in front of him.
42 When the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was only a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance.
43 The Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And he cursed David by his gods.
44 Then the Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field.”
45 David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and a spear and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the earth, and all the earth will know that there is a God in Israel.
47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword and spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”
48 As the Philistine moved closer to attack David, David hurried toward the battle line to meet him.
49 Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone, and slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead; the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground.
50So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; he struck the Philistine and killed him, though David had no sword in his hand.
51 Then David ran and stood over the Philistine; and taking his sword and drawing it from its sheath, he killed him and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.
52 Then the men of Israel and Judah rose up and shouted, and pursued the Philistines as far as the valley and the gates of Ekron. The wounded Philistines fell along the road from Shaaraim to Gath and Ekron.
53 Then the Israelites returned from pursuing the Philistines and plundered their camp.
54 David took the Philistine’s head and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent.
55 When Saul saw David going out to meet the Philistine, he said to Abner, the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is this young man?”
56 Abner replied, “As surely as you live, Your Majesty, I don’t know.” The king said, “Find out whose son this young man is.”
57 As David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul, David holding the Philistine’s head in his hand.
58 Saul asked him, “Whose son are you, young man?” David replied, “I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem.”
1 Samuel Chapter 18
Jonathan and David's Covenant
1 As soon as David had finished speaking with Saul, Jonathan became one with David, and he loved him as his own soul.
2 Saul took him that day and would not let him go back to his father’s house.
3 So Jonathan and David made a covenant, because David loved him as his own soul.
4 Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his other garments, including his sword, his bow, and his belt.
5 David went out wherever Saul sent him, and he acted wisely. Saul put him in charge of the fighting men, and he was well-received by all the people and by Saul’s servants.
Saul is jealous of David
6 As they were returning, when David had come back from killing the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with joyful songs, and with musical instruments.
7 The women sang as they danced and said, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.”
8 Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him. He said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me thousands; what more can he have but the kingdom?”
9 From that day on, Saul did not look favorably upon David.
10 The next day, an evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he raved in the house. David played the harp, as usual, and Saul had his spear in his hand.
11 Saul hurled the spear, saying, “I will pin David to the wall.” But David dodged him twice.
12 But Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with him and had departed from Saul.
13 So Saul removed him from his presence and made him commander of a thousand, and he went out and came in before the people.
14 David behaved wisely in all his ways, and the Lord was with him.
15 When Saul saw that he behaved wisely, he was afraid of him.
16 But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them.
17 Then Saul said to David, “I will give you my oldest daughter Merab as a wife, provided you will be a valiant man for me and fight the Lord’s battles.” But Saul said, “My hand will not be against him, but the Philistines will be against him.”
18 But David answered Saul, “Who am I, or what is my life, or my father’s family in Israel, that I should become the king’s son-in-law?”
19 Now when the time came for Merab, Saul’s daughter, to be given to David, she was given to Adriel the Meholathite as a wife.
20 But Michal, Saul’s other daughter, loved David; and when this was told to Saul, it pleased him.
21 And Saul said, “I will give it to him, so that it may be a snare for him, and so that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” So Saul said to David a second time, “You shall be my son-in-law today.”
22 And Saul commanded his servants, “Speak secretly to David, saying, ‘Behold, the king loves you, and all his servants love you; therefore, become the king’s son-in-law.’”
23 So Saul’s servants spoke these words in David’s hearing. And David said, “Do you think it is a small thing to become the king’s son-in-law, since I am a poor man and of no reputation?”
24 And Saul’s servants gave him the answer, saying, “These are the words that David spoke.”
25 And Saul said, “Thus say to David, ‘The king desires not a dowry, but a hundred Philistine foreskins, that vengeance may be taken on the king’s enemies.’” Now Saul intended to make David fall into the hands of the Philistines.
26 When his servants told David these things, it pleased David to become the king’s son-in-law. Before the appointed time had expired,
27 David and his men went out and killed two hundred Philistines. He brought their foreskins and presented them to the king to become his son-in-law. Saul gave him his daughter Michal as a wife.
28 But when Saul saw and realized that the Lord was with David and that his daughter Michal loved him,
29 he became even more afraid of David, and Saul was David’s enemy all his days.
30 The Philistine commanders went out to battle, and David was more successful than all of Saul’s men whenever they went out, so that his name became highly regarded.
1 Samuel Chapter 19
Saul tries to kill David
1 Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, urging them to kill David. But Jonathan, Saul’s son, loved David greatly.
2 He warned David, saying, “My father Saul is seeking to kill you. Therefore, be on your guard until morning, and stay in a secret place and hide yourself.
3 I will go out and stand by my father in the field where you are, and I will speak to my father about you and let you know what has happened.”
4 Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father, and said, “Let not the king sin against his servant David, for he has done nothing wrong against you, and his deeds have been very good to you.
5 For he took his life in his hand and killed the Philistine, and the Lord brought about a great victory to all Israel. You saw it and rejoiced; why then should you sin against innocent blood by killing David without cause?”
6 Saul obeyed Jonathan’s voice and swore, “As the Lord lives, he shall not be put to death.”
7 Then Jonathan summoned David and told him all these things. He brought David to Saul, and he stood before him as before.
8 Again there was war, and David went out and fought against the Philistines and defeated them with a great slaughter, and they fled before him.
9 Now an evil spirit from the Lord came upon Saul. He sat in his house with a spear in his hand, while David played the harp.
10 Saul tried to pin David to the wall with his spear, but David turned away from Saul, who struck him with his spear in the wall. David fled and escaped that night.
11 Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him and kill him in the morning. But Michal, his wife, warned David, “If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.”
12 So Michal let David down through a window, and he fled and escaped.
13 Then Michal took an idol and put it on the bed, placed a pillow of goats’ hair under it for a head, and covered it with a garment.
14 When Saul sent messengers to arrest David, she said, “He is sick.”
15 So Saul sent messengers again to see David, saying, “Bring him to me in his bed so that I may kill him.”
16 And when the messengers entered, behold, the statue was lying on the bed, and a pillow of goat hair was at its head.
17 Then Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me like this and let my enemy escape?” And Michal answered Saul, “Because he said to me, ‘Let me go, or I will kill you.’”
18 So David fled and escaped, and came to Samuel at Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel departed and dwelt in Naioth.
19 Saul was told, “David is at Naioth in Ramah.”
20 So Saul sent messengers to bring David, and they saw a group of prophets prophesying, with Samuel standing there leading them. The Spirit of God came upon Saul’s messengers, and they also prophesied.
21 When Saul heard this, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. Saul sent messengers a third time, and they also prophesied.
22 Then Saul himself went to Ramah. Coming to the great well in Secu, he asked, “Where are Samuel and David?” Someone replied, “They are at Naioth in Ramah.”
23 So he went to Naioth in Ramah, and the Spirit of God came upon him as he went on, prophesying until he reached Naioth in Ramah.
24 And he also stripped off his clothes and prophesied before Samuel, and lay naked all that day and all that night. Hence it was said, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”
1 Samuel Chapter 20
The friendship between David and Jonathan
1 Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah and came to Jonathan and said, “What have I done? What is my wrong, or what sin have I committed against your father, that he seeks my life?”
2 Jonathan said, “By no means! You shall not die. My father does nothing, great or small, without telling me. Why then should he hide this matter from me? It will not be so.”
3 Then David swore again, saying, “Your father knows full well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he will say, ‘Jonathan must not know this, or he will be grieved.’ But as surely as the Lord lives and as you live, there is but a step between me and death.”
4 Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you desire, I will do for you.”
5 David answered Jonathan, “Tomorrow is the new moon, and I am accustomed to sit down to eat with the king. But you must let me hide in the field until the evening of the third day.”
6 If your father mentions me, you shall say, “He earnestly begged me to let him go quickly to Bethlehem, his hometown, because all his family are celebrating the annual sacrifice there.”
7 If he says, “All right,” then your servant will be at peace. But if he becomes angry, know that evil is determined on his part.
8 Therefore, show kindness to your servant, since you have brought your servant into a covenant with the Lord. But if there is any wrongdoing on my part, kill me yourself, for there is no need to take me to your father.
9 Jonathan said to him, “Far be it from you! But if I learn that my father has determined evil against you, should I not tell you?”
10 Then David said to Jonathan, “Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?”
11 Jonathan said to David, “Come, let’s go out to the field.” So they both went out to the field.
12 Then Jonathan said to David, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, witness, when I have inquired of my father about this time tomorrow, or on the third day, whether it will be well for David, then I will send word to you.
13 But if my father intends to harm you, may the Lord deal with Jonathan, and more also, if he does not tell you and send you away in peace. And may the Lord be with you, as he was with my father.
14 And if I live, show me the kindness of the Lord, that I may not die,
15 and do not withdraw your kindness from my house forever. When the Lord has cut off every one of David’s enemies from the land, do not let the name of Jonathan be cut off from the house of David.”
16 So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the Lord hold David’s enemies accountable.”
17 And Jonathan made David swear again, because he loved him, for he loved him as himself.
18Then Jonathan said to him, “Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed, for your seat will be empty.
19 You will remain there for three days, and then you will go down and come to the place where you were hiding the day this happened, and you will wait by the stone of Ezel. ”
20 And I will shoot three arrows that way, as if practicing at a target.
21 Then I will send the servant, saying, “Go and fetch the arrows.” And if I say to the servant, “Look, the arrows are on this side of you; take them,” then you may come, for you are safe, and there is no harm in you, as the Lord lives.
22 But if I say to the boy, “Look, the arrows are beyond you,” then go, for the Lord has sent you.
23 As for the matter that you and I have discussed, may the Lord be between you and me forever.
24 So David hid in the field, and when the new moon came, the king sat down to eat bread.
25 The king sat on his usual seat by the wall, and Jonathan got up, and Abner sat next to Saul, and David’s place was empty.
26 But Saul said nothing that day, for he thought, “Something must have happened to him, and he is not clean; surely he is not purified.”
27 The next day, the second day of the new moon, David’s seat was empty again. So Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why hasn’t the son of Jesse come to eat today or yesterday?”
28 Jonathan answered Saul, “David earnestly begged me to let him go to Bethlehem,
29 saying, ‘Please let me go, for our family is holding a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to go. Now if I have found favor in your sight, please let me go and visit my brothers.’ That is why he has not come to the king’s table.”
30 Then Saul’s anger burned against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of your mother’s disgrace?
31 For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. Now send and bring him to me, for he must die.”
32 Jonathan answered his father Saul, “Why should he die? What has he done?”
33 Then Saul hurled a spear at him to strike him down, and Jonathan knew that his father was determined to kill David.
34 So Jonathan rose from the table in a fierce rage and ate no bread on the second day of the new moon, for he was grieved over David, because his father had insulted him.
35 Early the next morning Jonathan went out to the field at the appointed time with David, and a young boy was with him.
36 He said to the boy, “Run and find the arrows I shoot.” As the boy ran, Jonathan shot the arrow so that it passed beyond him.
37 When the boy came to where the arrow Jonathan had shot lay, Jonathan called out after him, “Isn’t the arrow beyond you?”
38 Again Jonathan called after the boy, “Run! Hurry! Don’t stop!” So Jonathan’s boy gathered the arrows and came to his master.
39 But the boy understood nothing; only Jonathan and David understood what was happening.
40 Then Jonathan gave his weapons to his boy and said, “Go and take them into the city.”
41 As soon as the boy had gone, David got up from the south side and bowed down three times with his face to the ground. Then they kissed each other and wept together, and David wept the most.
42 Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for we have both sworn by the name of the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord be between you and me, and between your offspring and my offspring, forever.’” Then he got up and left, and Jonathan went into the city.
1 Samuel Chapter 21
David fled from Saul
1 David came to Nob to Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech was surprised to see him and asked, “Why are you here alone, with no one with you?”
2 David answered Ahimelech the priest, “The king has given me a command. He told me, ‘Let no one know about the matter on which I am sending you or what I have commanded you.’ I have directed the servants to a certain place.
3 Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever you have.”
4 The priest answered David, “I have no ordinary bread on hand, only consecrated bread. But I will give it to you if the servants at least abstain from women.”
5 David answered the priest, “Indeed, women have been kept away from us both yesterday and the day before. When I left, the vessels of the young men were consecrated, even though the journey is profane. How much more then will their vessels be consecrated today?”
6 So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, for there was no other bread there except the bread of the Presence, which had been removed from before the Lord, to put hot bread in place on the day it was removed.
7 Now one of Saul’s servants, Doeg the Edomite, Saul’s chief shepherd, was there that day detained before the Lord.
8 David said to Ahimelech, “Do you have a spear or a sword here? I did not take my sword or my weapons with me because the king’s command was urgent.”
9 The priest answered, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here wrapped in a veil behind the ephod. If you want it, take it; there is no other here.” David said, “There is none like it; give it to me.”
10 That day David fled from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath.
11 And the servants of Achish said to him, “Is this not David, the king of the land? Is this not he of whom they sang in the dances, saying, ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands’?”
12 And David took these words to heart, and was greatly afraid of Achish king of Gath.
13 He changed his behavior in their presence and pretended to be insane. He wrote on the doorposts and drooled.
14 Achish said to his servants, “Look, you see this man is insane. Why have you brought him here?
15 Do I lack madmen, that you have brought this fellow to act like a madman in my presence? Should this man be allowed into my house?”
1 Samuel Chapter 22
1 David left there and fled to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and all his father’s household heard about it, they went down to him there.
2 Everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in spirit gathered around him, and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him.
3 From there David went to Mizpah of Moab and said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and mother stay with you until I know what God will do for me.”
4 So he brought them to the king of Moab, and they stayed with him all the time David was in the stronghold.
5 But the prophet Gad said to David, “Do not stay in this stronghold; go to the land of Judah.” So David went and came to the forest of Hareth.
Saul kills the priests of Nob
6 Now Saul heard that David and his men had been recognized. Saul was sitting in Gibeah under a tamarisk tree on a high place, with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were gathered around him.
7 Saul said to his servants who were gathered around him, “Listen now, you Benjamites! Will the son of Jesse also give all of you fields and vineyards, and make all of you commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds,
8 so that all of you have conspired against me, and no one has whispered in my ear how my son has made a covenant with the son of Jesse, nor any of you have grieved for me and told me how my son has stirred up my servant against me to lie in wait for me, as he does today?”
9 Then Doeg the Edomite, who was chief of Saul’s servants, answered and said, “I saw the son of Jesse come to Nob, Ahimelech son of Ahitub,
10 who inquired of the Lord for him and gave him provisions, and also gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”
11 And the king sent for Ahimelech the priest, son of Ahitub, and for all his father’s house, the priests who were in Nob; and they all came to the king.
12 And Saul said to him, “Listen now, son of Ahitub.” And he said, “Here I am, my lord.”
13 And Saul said to him, “Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, when you gave him bread and a sword, and inquired of God for him, that he should rise up against me and lie in wait for me, as he does this day?”
14 Then Ahimelech answered the king, “And who among all your servants is as faithful as David, the king’s son-in-law, who serves at your command and is honored in your house?
15 Have I begun to inquire of God for him today? Far be it from me! Let not the king hold his servant or all my father’s house guilty of anything, for your servant knows nothing about this matter, great or small.”
16 And the king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s house.”
17 Then the king said to the men of his guard who were all around him, “Turn around and kill the priests of the Lord, for their hand is also with David. They knew he was fleeing, but they did not tell me.” But the king’s servants would not lay a hand on the priests of the Lord.
18 Then the king said to Doeg, “Turn around and attack the priests.” So Doeg the Edomite turned around and attacked the priests, and that day he killed eighty-five men who wore linen ephods.
19 He also put Nob, the city of the priests, to the sword—men and women, infants and nursing children, cattle, donkeys, and sheep—all of them he put to the sword.
20 But one of the sons of Ahimelech son of Ahitub, whose name was Abiathar, escaped and fled after David.
21 Abiathar told David how Saul had killed the priests of the Lord.
22 David said to Abiathar, “I knew that Doeg the Edomite, who was there that day, would tell Saul. I am responsible for the death of all your father’s family.
23 Stay with me; do not be afraid. Whoever seeks my life seeks yours as well, but you will be safe with me.”
1 Samuel Chapter 23
David in the desert
1 David was told, “The Philistines are attacking Keilah and plundering the threshing floors.”
2 David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go up and attack these Philistines?” The Lord answered David, “Go up and attack the Philistines and save Keilah.”
3 But David’s men said to him, “We are afraid here in Judah. How much more then if we go to Keilah against the Philistine army?”
4 So David inquired of the Lord again. The Lord answered him, “Go down to Keilah, and I will deliver the Philistines into your hands.”
5 So David and his men went down to Keilah and fought against the Philistines. They took their livestock and defeated them soundly, and David saved the people of Keilah.
6 Now it happened, when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled after David to Keilah, that he came down with the ephod in his hand.
7 And it was told Saul that David had come to Keilah. Then Saul said, “God has delivered him into my hand, for he has shut himself in, entering a city with gates and bars.”
8 So Saul summoned all the people to battle to go down to Keilah and besiege David and his men.
9 But David, perceiving that Saul was plotting evil against him, said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod.”
10 And David said, “O Lord God of Israel, your servant has heard that Saul intends to come down against Keilah to destroy the city on account of me.
11 Will the inhabitants of Keilah deliver me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? O Lord God of Israel, I pray you, tell your servant.” And the Lord said, “He will come down.”
12 Then David said, “Will the men of Keilah hand me and my men over to Saul?” And the Lord answered, “They will.”
13 So David and his men, about six hundred strong, left Keilah and wandered from place to place. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he abandoned his mission.
14 David stayed in the wilderness in strongholds, and he lived on a hill in the Desert of Ziph. Saul searched for him every day, but God did not deliver him into his hand.
15 When David saw that Saul had gone out to seek his life, he stayed at Horesh in the Desert of Ziph.
16 Then Jonathan, Saul’s son, went to David at Horesh and strengthened his hand in God.
17 He said to him, “Do not be afraid, for my father Saul will not find you. You will reign over Israel, and I will be your second in command. And even my father Saul knows this.
18 And they both made a covenant before the Lord; and David remained at Horesh, and Jonathan returned to his home.
19Then the Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah and said, “Is not David hiding among us in the rocks of Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, which is south of the desert?”
20 Therefore, Your Majesty, come down quickly, as you wish, and we will deliver him into the king’s hand.
21 And Saul said, “Blessed are you of the Lord, for you have had compassion on me.
22 Go now, make sure, and find out and see the place of his hiding place, and who has seen him there; for I have been told that he is very crafty.”
23 Look out, therefore, and find out all the hiding places where he is hiding, and bring me back with reliable information, and I will go with you. If he is in the land, I will search for him among all the thousands of Judah.
24 So they arose and went to Ziph before Saul. But David and his men were in the Desert of Maon, in the Arabah south of the desert.
25 Saul and his men went to search for him, but David was told, and he went down to the rock and stayed in the Desert of Maon. When Saul heard this, he pursued David into the Desert of Maon.
26 Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side. David was hurrying to escape from Saul, but Saul and his men had surrounded David and his men to capture them.
27 Then a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Come quickly, for the Philistines have invaded the land.”
28 So Saul returned from pursuing David and marched against the Philistines. Therefore they called that place Sela-hamal-lekoth.
29 Then David went up from there and lived in the strongholds of En-gedi.
1 Samuel Chapter 24
David spares Saul's life at En-gedi
1 When Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, “David is in the Desert of En Gedi.”
2 So Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel and went in search of David and his men to the tops of the Rocks of the Wild Goats.
3 When he came to a sheepfold along the road, where there was a cave, Saul went into it to cover his feet, while David and his men sat in the recesses of the cave.
4 Then David’s men said to him, “This is the day the Lord spoke of when he said to you, ‘I will deliver your enemy into your hands, and you can do to him as you please.’” So David got up and quietly cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.
5 Afterward, David was troubled because he had cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.
6 And he said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my lord, the Lord’s anointed, or lay a hand on him; for he is the Lord’s anointed.”
7 So David rebuked his men with words and did not allow them to rise up against Saul. And Saul left the cave and went on his way.
8 Afterward David also arose and went out of the cave and called after Saul, saying, “My lord the king!” And when Saul looked behind him, David bowed his face to the ground and paid homage.
9 And David said to Saul, “Why do you listen to the words of those who say, ‘See, David seeks your harm’?
10 Behold, your own eyes have seen today how the Lord delivered you into my hand in the cave; and they urged me to kill you, but I spared you, for I said, ‘I will not lay a hand on my lord, for he is the Lord’s anointed.
11 And see, my father, see the edge of your robe in my hand; For I cut off the edge of your garment, but I did not kill you. Know then and see that there is no evil or treachery in my hand, nor have I sinned against you; yet you are hunting me down to take my life.
12 May the Lord judge between you and me, and may the Lord avenge me on you; but my hand will not be against you.
13 As the proverb of the ancients says, “Out of the wicked comes wickedness”; therefore my hand will not be against you.
14 After whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom are you pursuing? A dead dog? A flea?
15 The Lord will be judge, and he will judge between you and me. May he see and uphold my cause, and deliver me from your hand.
16 When David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, “Is this not your voice, my son David?” And Saul lifted up his voice and wept,
17 And he said to David, “You are more righteous than I, for you have repaid me with good, though I have repaid you with evil.
18 You have shown today that you have dealt well with me, for you have not put me to death, since the Lord delivered me into your hand.
19 For who can find his enemy and let him go unharmed? May the Lord repay you with good for what you have done for me this day.
20 And now, since I know that you will indeed reign, and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hand,
21 swear to me now by the Lord that you will not destroy my descendants after me, nor blot out my name from my father’s house.”
22 So David swore to Saul. Then Saul went to his house, and David and his men went up to the stronghold.
1 Samuel Chapter 25
David and Abigail
1 Now Samuel died, and all Israel gathered together and mourned for him and buried him at his home in Ramah. David then set out for the Desert of Paran.
2 Now there was a man in Maon whose possessions lay in Carmel. He was very wealthy, owning three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. He was shearing his sheep in Carmel.
3 The man’s name was Nabal, and his wife’s name was Abigail. Abigail was intelligent and beautiful, but the man was harsh and evil in his dealings. He was a descendant of Caleb.
4 David heard in the desert that Nabal was shearing his sheep.
5 So David sent ten young men and said to them, “Go up to Carmel to Nabal and greet him in my name.
6 Say to him, ‘Peace be to you, and peace to your household, and peace to all that you have.
7 I have heard that you have shearers. Now your shepherds have been with us; We did not mistreat them, nor did they lack anything during all the time they were in Carmel.
8 Ask your servants, and they will tell you. Therefore, let these young men find favor in your sight, for we have come on a good day. I beg you to give whatever you have on hand to your servants and to your son David.
9 When the young men sent by David arrived, they spoke all these words to Nabal in David’s name, and then they were silent.
10 Nabal answered the young men sent by David and said, “Who is David, and who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants today who are running away from their masters.
11 Should I now take my bread, my water, and the meat that I have prepared for my shearers, and give it to men whose origin I do not know?”
12 So the young men whom David had sent returned on their way, and came and told David all these words.
13 Then David said to his men, “Each of you strap on your sword.” So each man strapped on his sword, and David also strapped on his sword. About four hundred men went up after David, while two hundred stayed behind with the baggage.
14 But one of the servants told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, “David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master, but he has reviled them.
15 These men have been very kind to us; they never wronged us, and we lacked nothing the entire time we were with them in the fields.
16 They were a wall to us day and night all the days we were with them tending the flocks.
17 Now consider carefully what you will do, because disaster is determined against our master and his entire household. He is such a wicked man that no one can speak to him.”
18Then Abigail took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five prepared sheep, five measures of roasted grain, one hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of dried figs, and loaded them on donkeys.
19 And she said to her servants, “Go on ahead of me, and I will follow you.” But she told nothing to her husband Nabal.
20 Then she mounted a donkey and went down the mountain by a secret passage. And behold, David and his men were coming toward her, and she went out to meet them.
21 Now David had said, “Surely it was in vain that I guarded all that this man has in the wilderness, so that he did not lack anything of all that belongs to him; yet he has repaid me evil for good.”
22 May God do so to David’s enemies, and more also, if by morning I leave alive not one male of all that belongs to him.
23 When Abigail saw David, she quickly dismounted from her donkey and bowed down before him with her face to the ground.
24 She fell at his feet and said, “My lord, let the blame be on me, but please let your servant speak to you, and listen to the words of your servant.
25 Please, my lord, pay no attention to that wicked man Nabal; for he is just like his name. His name is Nabal, and folly is with him. But I, your servant, did not see the young men whom you sent.
26 Now therefore, my lord, as the Lord lives, and as you live, because the Lord has kept you from coming to shed blood and from avenging yourself with your own hand.” Let your enemies be like Nabal, and all who seek evil against my lord.
27 And now let this present that your servant has brought to my lord be given to the men who follow my lord.
28 And I beg you to forgive your servant for this offense; for the Lord will surely establish a lasting home for my lord, because my lord fights the Lord’s battles, and no wrong has been found in you during your lifetime.
29 Even if someone rises up to pursue you and seek your life, yet the life of my lord will be bound in the bundle of those who live before the Lord your God, and he will hurl away the lives of your enemies as from the palm of a sling.
30 And it shall come to pass, when the Lord has done for my lord according to all the good that he has promised concerning you, and has established you as ruler over Israel,
31 then, my lord, you will have no cause for grief or remorse for having shed blood without cause, or for having avenged yourself. “Please be careful, my lord, and when the Lord does my lord good, remember your servant.”
32 David said to Abigail, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who sent you to meet me today.
33 Praise be to your good sense, and praise be to you, for you have kept me from bloodshed and from avenging myself with my own hand.
34 As surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, who has kept me from harming you, unless you had come quickly to meet me, by morning not one male would have been left alive in Nabal.”
35 David accepted from her what she had brought him and said, “Go up to your house in peace. I have listened to your voice and respected you.”
36 So Abigail returned to Nabal, and he was holding a feast in his house like a king’s feast. Nabal was very merry and drunk, so she told him nothing until the next day.
37 But in the morning, when Nabal had sobered up, his wife told him these things; and his heart melted within him, and he became like a stone.
38 Ten days later, the Lord struck Nabal, and he died.
39 When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed be the Lord, who has judged the cause of my reproach at Nabal’s hand, and has kept his servant from evil; the Lord has brought Nabal’s wickedness back on his own head.” Then David sent word to Abigail to take her as his wife.
40 David’s servants came to Abigail at Carmel and spoke to her, saying, “David has sent us to you to take you as his wife.”
41 She arose and bowed with her face to the ground, saying, “Here is your servant, who will be a servant to wash the feet of my master’s servants.”
42Then Abigail arose with five maidservants who attended her, mounted on a donkey, and followed David’s messengers, and became his wife.
43 David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and both of them became his wives.
44 For Saul had given his daughter Michal, David’s wife, to Palti son of Laish, who was from Gallim.
1 Samuel Chapter 26
David spares Saul's life in Ziph
1 The Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah and said, “Isn’t David hiding at the hill of Hachilah, east of the desert?”
2 So Saul got up and went down to the Wilderness of Ziph, taking with him three thousand chosen men of Israel to search for David in the Wilderness of Ziph.
3 Saul camped at the hill of Hachilah, which is east of the desert, by the road. David was in the desert and realized that Saul was pursuing him there.
4 So David sent out spies and learned that Saul had come.
5 David got up and went to the place where Saul had camped. He saw the place where Saul and Abner son of Ner, the commander of his army, were sleeping. Saul was asleep in the camp, and the people were encamped around him.
6 Then David said to Ahimelech the Hittite and Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, “Who will go down with me to Saul in the camp?” Abishai replied, “I will go down with you.”
7 So David and Abishai went to the army by night, and there was Saul, lying asleep in the camp with his spear stuck in the ground by his head, and Abner and the army were lying around him.
8 Then Abishai said to David, “God has delivered your enemy into your hands today. Now let me strike him with my spear; I will pin him to the ground with one blow and not strike him a second time.”
9 But David said to Abishai, “Do not kill him. Who can stretch out their hand against the Lord’s anointed and be innocent?”
10 David also said, “As the Lord lives, if the Lord does not strike him down, or if his day comes and he dies, or if he goes down into battle and perishes,
11 the Lord forbid that I should raise my hand against the Lord’s anointed. But take the spear that is near his head and the jug of water, and let us go.”
12 So David took the spear and the jug of water from Saul’s head, and they went. No one saw or understood or watched, because they were all asleep, a deep sleep from the Lord had fallen on them.
13 David crossed over to the other side and stood on the top of the hill some distance away, a great distance from them.
14 David called out to the people, and Abner son of Ner said, “Aren’t you going to answer, Abner?” Abner answered and said, “Who are you, shouting to the king?”
15 David said to Abner, “Aren’t you a man? And who in Israel is like you?” Why then have you not guarded your lord the king? For one of the people has come in to kill your lord the king.
16What you have done is not right. As surely as the Lord lives, you deserve to die, because you have not guarded your master, the Lord’s anointed. Look now, where are the king’s spear and the jug of water that was at his head?
17 When Saul recognized David’s voice, he said, “Is this not your voice, my son David?” David replied, “It is my voice, my lord the king.”
18 Then he said, “Why does my lord pursue his servant like this? What have I done? What wrong is there in my hand?”
19 Now therefore, let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If the Lord has stirred you up against me, let him accept the offering; but if it is the sons of men, may they be cursed before the Lord, for they have driven me out this day from having any share in the inheritance of the Lord, saying, “Go and serve other gods.”
20 Let not my blood fall on the ground before the Lord, for the king of Israel has gone out to chase a flea, as one chases a partridge in the mountains.
21 Then Saul said, “I have sinned; return, my son David, for I will do you no more harm, for my life was precious in your sight today. Behold, I have acted foolishly and erred greatly.”
22 And David answered and said, “Here is the king’s spear; let one of the servants come here and take it.
23 May the Lord repay to each one for his righteousness and his faithfulness; For the Lord had delivered you into my hand today, but I would not stretch out my hand against the Lord’s anointed.
24 And behold, as your life was precious in my sight today, so may my life be precious in the sight of the Lord, and may he deliver me from all affliction.
25 Then Saul said to David, “Blessed are you, my son David; you will surely do great things and prevail.” So David went his way, and Saul returned to his place.
1 Samuel Chapter 27
David among the Philistines
1 Then David said to himself, “I am surely going to be killed by Saul’s hand. The best thing for me is to escape to the land of the Philistines, so that Saul will not worry about me or search for me throughout all Israel. I will escape from his hand.”
2 So David and the 600 men with him went to Achish son of Maoch, king of Gath.
3 David and his men, each with his household, stayed with Achish in Gath. David and his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail, the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, stayed with him.
4 When Saul was told that David had fled to Gath, he stopped searching for him.
5 David said to Achish, “If I have found favor in your eyes, let me be given a place to live in one of the villages. Why should your servant stay with you in the royal city?”
6 So Achish gave Ziklag to him that day, and Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day.
7 The number of days that David lived in the land of the Philistines was one year and four months.
8 David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites, for they had long inhabited the land, from the direction of Shur to the land of Egypt.
9 David ravaged the land and left neither man nor woman alive; he took the sheep, the cattle, the donkeys, the camels, and the clothing, and returned to Achish.
10 And Achish said, “Where have you been loitering today?” And David said, “In the Negev of Judah, and the Negev of Jerahmeel, or in the Negev of the Kenites.”
11 David left neither man nor woman alive to come to Gath, saying, “Lest they tell about us and say, ‘This is what David did.’” And this was his custom all the time he lived in the land of the Philistines.
12 And Achish believed David, and said, “He has made himself an abomination to his people Israel, and he shall be my servant forever.”
1 Samuel Chapter 28
1 In those days the Philistines gathered their forces to fight against Israel. Achish said to David, “You and your men must go out with me to battle.”
2 David replied to Achish, “Very well; you know what your servant will do.” Achish said to David, “Therefore I will make you my bodyguard for all my life.”
Saul and the Witch of Endor
3 Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, his hometown. Saul had expelled the mediums and spiritists from the land.
4 So the Philistines gathered together and came and camped at Shunem, while Saul gathered all Israel and they camped at Gilboa.
5 When Saul saw the Philistine camp, he was afraid, and his heart troubled greatly.
6 So Saul inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by prophets.
7 Then Saul said to his servants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, so that I may go to her and inquire of her.” His servants told him, “There is a woman at Endor who is a medium.”
8 So Saul disguised himself and put on other clothes, and he and two men went to the woman by night. And he said, “Please divine for me by the spirit of divination, and bring up for me the one I shall name to you.”
9 The woman said to him, “You know what Saul has done, how he has cut off the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why then do you lay a stumbling block against my life, to cause my death?”
10 Then Saul swore to her by the Lord, saying, “As the Lord lives, no harm will come to you for this. ”
11 The woman then said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” And he answered, “Bring up Samuel for me.”
12 When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice, and the woman spoke to Saul, saying,
13 “Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul!” And the king said to her, “Do not be afraid. What did you see?” And the woman answered Saul, “I saw gods coming up out of the earth.”
14 He said to her, “What is their form?” And she answered, “An old man is coming, covered with a robe.” Saul then realized it was Samuel, and bowing his face to the ground, he paid homage.
15 Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” Saul answered, “I am in great distress, for the Philistines are fighting against me, and God has departed from me and no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams; therefore I have called you, that you may tell me what I should do.”
16 Samuel said, “Why do you ask me, since the Lord has departed from you and is your enemy?
17 The Lord has done to you as he said through me; for the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your companion, David.”
18 Because you did not obey the voice of the Lord, nor carry out his fierce anger against Amalek, therefore the Lord has done this to you today.
19 The Lord will also deliver Israel with you into the hands of the Philistines; and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me, and the Lord will also deliver the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines.
20 Then Saul fell to the ground, as great as he was, and was greatly afraid because of the words of Samuel; and he was without strength, for he had eaten no bread all that day and night.
21 Then the woman came to Saul, and seeing that he was greatly troubled, she said to him, “Behold, your servant has obeyed your voice, and I have risked my life, and have listened to the words that you spoke to me.
22 I beg you, therefore, to listen to the voice of your servant; let me set before you a morsel of bread, that you may eat, that you may regain your strength, and go on your way.”
23 But he refused, saying, “I will not eat.” However, his servants and the woman urged him, and he gave in to them. So he got up from the ground and sat down on a bed.
24 Now the woman had a fattened calf in her house, which she slaughtered. Then she took flour, kneaded it, and baked unleavened bread.
25 She brought it before Saul and his servants, and after they had eaten, they got up and left that night.
1 Samuel Chapter 29
The Philistines distrust David
1 The Philistines gathered all their forces at Aphek, and Israel encamped by the spring that is in Jezreel.
2 When the Philistine commanders were mustering their troops of hundreds and thousands, David and his men were with Achish at the rear.
3 The Philistine commanders said, “What are these Hebrews doing here?” Achish answered the Philistine commanders, “Isn’t this David, the servant of Saul king of Israel, who has been with me for days and years, and I have found no fault in him from the day he deserted to me until this day?”
4 Then the Philistine commanders were angry with him and said, “Send this man back to the place you assigned him, so that he doesn’t come with us to the battle, or he might turn against us in the battle. How could he better regain his master’s favor than with the heads of these men?”
5 Is this not David, of whom they sang in the dances, saying, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands”?
6 Then Achish called to David and said to him, “As the Lord lives, you have been upright, and I have found it good that you have gone out and come back into the camp with me, and I have found nothing wrong with you from the day you came to me until this day; but you have no favor in the sight of the princes.
7 Now return, and go in peace, so that you do not displease the princes of the Philistines.”
8 David answered Achish, “What have I done? What have you found in your servant from the day I have been with you until this day, that I should not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?”
9 Achish answered David and said, “I know that you are good in my sight, like an angel of God; but the princes of the Philistines have told me, ‘Do not come with us to the battle.’”
10 Get up early, you and your master’s servants who have come with you, and at daybreak set out.
11 So David and his men got up early to go back to the land of the Philistines, and the Philistines went to Jezreel.
1 Samuel Chapter 30
David defeats the Amalekites
1 When David and his men arrived at Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had invaded the Negev and Ziklag, and had ravaged Ziklag and set it on fire.
2 They had taken captive the women and all who were there, from the least to the greatest; but they had not killed anyone, but had carried them off as they went on their way.
3 So David and his men came to the city, and behold, it was burned with fire, and his wives and his sons and daughters had been taken captive.
4 Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept until they had no strength left to weep.
5 David’s two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail, the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, had also been taken captive.
6 And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each one for his sons and daughters; But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.
7 Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David.
8 David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?” The Lord said to him, “Pursue them, for you will surely overtake them and rescue the captives.”
9 So David and the 600 men with him set out and came to the Besor Valley, where some stayed behind.
10 David went on with 400 men, for 200 were left behind because they were too tired to cross the Besor Valley.
11 They found an Egyptian man in the field and brought him to David. They gave him bread, and he ate; they gave him water to drink;
12 they also gave him a cake of dried figs and two clusters of raisins. And when he had eaten, his spirit returned to him, for he had eaten no bread nor drunk water for three days and three nights.
13 David said to him, “Whose servant are you, and where are you from?” The young Egyptian answered, “I am the servant of an Amalekite, and my master left me three days ago today because I was sick.
14 We raided the Negev, which belongs to the Cherethites, and Judah, and the Negev of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag.”
15 David said to him, “Will you take me to this army?” He said, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will take you to this army.”
16 So he took him; and behold, they were scattered throughout the land, eating and drinking and celebrating over all the great plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah.
17David attacked them from morning until evening, and not one of them escaped except four hundred young men who mounted camels and fled.
18 David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives.
19 Nothing was missing, small or great, sons or daughters, plunder, or anything else that had been taken from them; David recovered everything.
20 David also took all the sheep and cattle; and as they brought them all before him, they said, “This is David’s plunder.”
21 David came to the two hundred men who had been left behind, exhausted and unable to follow him, whom they had left at the Besor Valley. They came out to meet David and the people who were with him, and when David came to the people, he greeted them with peace.
22 Then all the wicked and disreputable men among those who had gone with David answered and said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the plunder we have taken, except each man his wife and children; let them take them and go.”
23 But David said, “Do not do that, my brothers, with what the Lord has given us, who has protected us and delivered into our hands the raiders who came against us.
24 And who will listen to you in this matter? For as the share of him who goes down to the battle shall be, so shall the share of him who stays with the baggage; they shall have an equal share.”
25 From that day forward, this became a statute and an ordinance in Israel, to this day.
26 When David arrived at Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah, his friends, saying, “Here is a present for you from the plunder of the enemies of the Lord.”
27 He sent it to those who were in Bethel, Ramoth-negev, Jattir,
28 Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa,
29 Rachal, the cities of Jerahmeel, the cities of the Kenites,
30 Hormah, Chorashan, Athak,
31 Hebron, and all the places where David and his men had been.
1 Samuel Chapter 31
Death of Saul and his sons
1 So the Philistines fought against Israel, and the Israelites fled before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa.
2 The Philistines pursued Saul and his sons and killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul’s sons.
3 The battle raged against Saul, and the archers overtook him, and he was greatly afraid of them.
4 Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through with it, lest these uncircumcised men come and run me through and abuse me.” But his armor-bearer would not, for he was greatly afraid. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it.
5 When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died with him.
6 So Saul died that day, along with his three sons, his armor-bearer, and all his men.
7 And those of Israel who were on the other side of the valley, and on the other side of the Jordan, seeing that Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons had been killed, left the cities and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.
8 The next day, when the Philistines came to plunder the slain, they found Saul and his three sons lying on Mount Gilboa.
9 They cut off his head and stripped him of his armor. Then they sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to deliver the good news to the temple of their idols and to the people.
10 They laid his armor in the temple of Ashtaroth and hung his body on the wall of Beth-shan.
11 When the men of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,
12 All the valiant men arose and went all that night, and took down the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan; and coming to Jabesh, they burned them there.
13 And they took their bones and buried them under a tree in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.