^14:1Now it fell upon a day, that Jonathan the son of Saul said unto the young man that bare his armor, Come, and let us go over to the Philistines` garrison, that is on yonder side. But he told not his father. <sup>14:2</sup>And Saul abode in the uttermost part of Gibeah under the pomegranate-tree which is in Migron: and the people that were with him were about six hundred men; <sup>14:3</sup>and Ahijah, the son of Ahitub, Ichabod`s brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the priest of Jehovah in Shiloh, wearing an ephod. And the people knew not that Jonathan was gone. ^14:4And between the passes, by which Jonathan sought to go over unto the Philistines` garrison, there was a rocky crag on the one side, and a rocky crag on the other side: and the name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh. <sup>14:5</sup>The one crag rose up on the north in front of Michmash, and the other on the south in front of Geba. <sup>14:6</sup>And Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armor, Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that Jehovah will work for us; for there is no restraint to Jehovah to save by many or by few. <sup>14:7</sup>And his armorbearer said unto him, Do all that is in thy heart: turn thee, behold, I am with thee according to thy heart. <sup>14:8</sup>Then said Jonathan, Behold, we will pass over unto the men, and we will disclose ourselves unto them. <sup>14:9</sup>If they say thus unto us, Tarry until we come to you; then we will stand still in our place, and will not go up unto them. <sup>14:10</sup>But if they say thus, Come up unto us; then we will go up; for Jehovah hath delivered them into our hand: and this shall be the sign unto us. <sup>14:11</sup>And both of them disclosed themselves unto the garrison of the Philistines: and the Philistines said, Behold, the Hebrews come forth out of the holes where they had hid themselves. <sup>14:12</sup>And the men of the garrison answered Jonathan and his armorbearer, and said, Come up to us, and we will show you a thing. And Jonathan said unto his armorbearer, Come up after me; for Jehovah hath delivered them into the hand of Israel. <sup>14:13</sup>And Jonathan climbed up upon his hands and upon his feet, and his armorbearer after him: and they fell before Jonathan; and his armorbearer slew them after him. <sup>14:14</sup>And that first slaughter, which Jonathan and his armorbearer made, was about twenty men, within as it were half a furrow`s length in an acre of land. ^14:15And there was a trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people; the garrison, and the spoilers, they also trembled; and the earth quaked: so there was an exceeding great trembling. ^14:16And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked; and, behold, the multitude melted away, and they went [hither] and thither. ^14:17Then said Saul unto the people that were with him, Number now, and see who is gone from us. And when they had numbered, behold, Jonathan and his armorbearer were not there. ^14:18And Saul said unto Ahijah, Bring hither the ark of God. For the ark of God was [there] at that time with the children of Israel. ^14:19And it came to pass, while Saul talked unto the priest, that the tumult that was in the camp of the Philistines went on and increased: and Saul said unto the priest, Withdraw thy hand. ^14:20And Saul and all the people that were with him were gathered together, and came to the battle: and, behold, every man`s sword was against his fellow, [and there was] a very great discomfiture. <sup>14:21</sup>Now the Hebrews that were with the Philistines as beforetime, and that went up with them into the camp, [from the country] round about, even they also [turned] to be with the Israelites that were with Saul and Jonathan. <sup>14:22</sup>Likewise all the men of Israel that had hid themselves in the hill-country of Ephraim, when they heard that the Philistines fled, even they also followed hard after them in the battle. <sup>14:23</sup>So Jehovah saved Israel that day: and the battle passed over by Beth-aven. <sup>14:24</sup>And the men of Israel were distressed that day; for Saul had adjured the people, saying, Cursed be the man that eateth any food until it be evening, and I be avenged on mine enemies. So none of the people tasted food. <sup>14:25</sup>And all the people came into the forest; and there was honey upon the ground. <sup>14:26</sup>And when the people were come unto the forest, behold, the honey dropped: but no man put his hand to his mouth; for the people feared the oath. <sup>14:27</sup>But Jonathan heard not when his father charged the people with the oath: wherefore he put forth the end of the rod that was in his hand, and dipped it in the honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth; and his eyes were enlightened. <sup>14:28</sup>Then answered one of the people, and said, Thy father straitly charged the people with an oath, saying, Cursed be the man that eateth food this day. And the people were faint. <sup>14:29</sup>Then said Jonathan, My father hath troubled the land: see, I pray you, how mine eyes have been enlightened, because I tasted a little of this honey. <sup>14:30</sup>How much more, if haply the people had eaten freely to-day of the spoil of their enemies which they found? for now hath there been no great slaughter among the Philistines. <sup>14:31</sup>And they smote of the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon. And the people were very faint; <sup>14:32</sup>and the people flew upon the spoil, and took sheep, and oxen, and calves, and slew them on the ground; and the people did eat them with the blood. <sup>14:33</sup>Then they told Saul, saying, Behold, the people sin against Jehovah, in that they eat with the blood. And he said, ye have dealt treacherously: roll a great stone unto me this day. <sup>14:34</sup>And Saul said, Disperse yourselves among the people, and say unto them, Bring me hither every man his ox, and every man his sheep, and slay them here, and eat; and sin not against Jehovah in eating with the blood. And all the people brought every man his ox with him that night, and slew them there. <sup>14:35</sup>And Saul built an altar unto Jehovah: the same was the first altar that he built unto Jehovah. <sup>14:36</sup>And Saul said, Let us go down after the Philistines by night, and take spoil among them until the morning light, and let us not leave a man of them. And they said, Do whatsoever seemeth good unto thee. Then said the priest, Let us draw near hither unto God. <sup>14:37</sup>And Saul asked counsel of God, Shall I go down after the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into the hand of Israel? But he answered him not that day. <sup>14:38</sup>And Saul said, Draw nigh hither, all ye chiefs of the people; and know and see wherein this sin hath been this day. <sup>14:39</sup>For, as Jehovah liveth, who saveth Israel, though it be in Jonathan my son, he shall surely die. But there was not a man among all the people that answered him. <sup>14:40</sup>Then said he unto all Israel, Be ye on one side, and I and Jonathan my son will be on the other side. And the people said unto Saul, Do what seemeth good unto thee. <sup>14:41</sup>Therefore Saul said unto Jehovah, the God of Israel, Show the right. And Jonathan and Saul were taken [by lot]; but the people escaped. <sup>14:42</sup>And Saul said, Cast [lots] between me and Jonathan my son. And Jonathan was taken. <sup>14:43</sup>Then Saul said to Jonathan, Tell me what thou hast done. And Jonathan told him, and said, I did certainly taste a little honey with the end of the rod that was in my hand; and, lo, I must die. <sup>14:44</sup>And Saul said, God do so and more also; for thou shalt surely die, Jonathan. <sup>14:45</sup>And the people said unto Saul, Shall Jonathan die, who hath wrought this great salvation in Israel? Far from it: as Jehovah liveth, there shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground; for he hath wrought with God this day. So the people rescued Jonathan, that he died not. <sup>14:46</sup>Then Saul went up from following the Philistines; and the Philistines went to their own place. <sup>14:47</sup>Now when Saul had taken the kingdom over Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, and against the children of Ammon, and against Edom, and against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines: and whithersoever he turned himself, he put [them] to the worse. <sup>14:48</sup>And he did valiantly, and smote the Amalekites, and delivered Israel out of the hands of them that despoiled them. <sup>14:49</sup>Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan, and Ishvi, and Malchishua; and the names of his two daughters were these: the name of the first-born Merab, and the name of the younger Michal: <sup>14:50</sup>and the name of Saul`s wife was Ahinoam the daughter of Ahimaaz. And the name of the captain of his host was Abner the son of Ner, Saul`s uncle. ^14:51And Kish was the father of Saul; and Ner the father of Abner was the son of Abiel. ^14:52And there was sore war against the Philistines all the days of Saul: and when Saul saw any mighty man, or any valiant man, he took him unto him.

^15:1And Samuel said unto Saul, Jehovah sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of Jehovah. ^15:2Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, I have marked that which Amalek did to Israel, how he set himself against him in the way, when he came up out of Egypt. ^15:3Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass. ^15:4And Saul summoned the people, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah. ^15:5And Saul came to the city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley. ^15:6And Saul said unto the Kenites, Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them; for ye showed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. ^15:7And Saul smote the Amalekites, from Havilah as thou goest to Shur, that is before Egypt. ^15:8And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. ^15:9But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but everything that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly. ^15:10Then came the word of Jehovah unto Samuel, saying, ^15:11It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king; for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And Samuel was wroth; and he cried unto Jehovah all night. ^15:12And Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning; and it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a monument, and turned, and passed on, and went down to Gilgal. ^15:13And Samuel came to Saul; and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of Jehovah: I have performed the commandment of Jehovah. ^15:14And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear? ^15:15And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto Jehovah thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed. ^15:16Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what Jehovah hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on. ^15:17And Samuel said, Though thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel? And Jehovah anointed thee king over Israel; ^15:18and Jehovah sent thee on a journey, and said, Go, and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed. ^15:19Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of Jehovah, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah? ^15:20And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of Jehovah, and have gone the way which Jehovah sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. ^15:21But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the devoted things, to sacrifice unto Jehovah thy God in Gilgal. ^15:22And Samuel said, Hath Jehovah as great delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of Jehovah? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. ^15:23For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as idolatry and teraphim. Because thou hast rejected the word of Jehovah, he hath also rejected thee from being king. ^15:24And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned; for I have transgressed the commandment of Jehovah, and thy words, because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice. ^15:25Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship Jehovah. ^15:26And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee; for thou hast rejected the word of Jehovah, and Jehovah hath rejected thee from being king over Israel. ^15:27And as Samuel turned about to go away, [Saul] laid hold upon the skirt of his robe, and it rent. ^15:28And Samuel said unto him, Jehovah hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbor of thine, that is better than thou. ^15:29And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent; for he is not a man, that he should repent. ^15:30Then he said, I have sinned: yet honor me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship Jehovah thy God. ^15:31So Samuel turned again after Saul; and Saul worshipped Jehovah. ^15:32Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him cheerfully. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past. ^15:33And Samuel said, As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before Jehovah in Gilgal. ^15:34Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house to Gibeah of Saul. ^15:35And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death; for Samuel mourned for Saul: and Jehovah repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.

^16:1And Jehovah said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from being king over Israel? fill thy horn with oil, and go: I will send thee to Jesse the Beth-lehemite; for I have provided me a king among his sons. ^16:2And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me. And Jehovah said, Take a heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to Jehovah. ^16:3And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee. ^16:4And Samuel did that which Jehovah spake, and came to Beth-lehem. And the elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, Comest thou peaceably? ^16:5And he said, Peaceably; I am come to sacrifice unto Jehovah: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice. ^16:6And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely Jehovah`s anointed is before him. <sup>16:7</sup>But Jehovah said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have rejected him: for [Jehovah seeth] not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but Jehovah looketh on the heart. <sup>16:8</sup>Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither hath Jehovah chosen this. <sup>16:9</sup>Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said, Neither hath Jehovah chosen this. <sup>16:10</sup>And Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Jehovah hath not chosen these. <sup>16:11</sup>And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he is keeping the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him; for we will not sit down till he come hither. <sup>16:12</sup>And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look upon. And Jehovah said, Arise, anoint him; for this is he. <sup>16:13</sup>Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of Jehovah came mightily upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah. <sup>16:14</sup>Now the Spirit of Jehovah departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from Jehovah troubled him. <sup>16:15</sup>And Saul`s servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee. ^16:16Let our lord now command thy servants, that are before thee, to seek out a man who is a skilful player on the harp: and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well. ^16:17And Saul said unto his servants, Provide me now a man that can play well, and bring him to me. ^16:18Then answered one of the young men, and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Beth-lehemite, that is skilful in playing, and a mighty man of valor, and a man of war, and prudent in speech, and a comely person; and Jehovah is with him. ^16:19Wherefore Saul sent messengers unto Jesse, and said, Send me David thy son, who is with the sheep. ^16:20And Jesse took an ass [laden] with bread, and a bottle of wine, and a kid, and sent them by David his son unto Saul. ^16:21And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him greatly; and he became his armorbearer. ^16:22And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David, I pray thee, stand before me; for he hath found favor in my sight. ^16:23And it came to pass, when the [evil] spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took the harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.

^17:1Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle; and they were gathered together at Socoh, which belongeth to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim. ^17:2And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and encamped in the vale of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines. ^17:3And the Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them. ^17:4And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. ^17:5And he had a helmet of brass upon his head, and he was clad with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass. ^17:6And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a javelin of brass between his shoulders. ^17:7And the staff of his spear was like a weaver`s beam; and his spear`s head [weighed] six hundred shekels of iron: and his shield-bearer went before him. ^17:8And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me. ^17:9If he be able to fight with me, and kill me, then will we be your servants; but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us. ^17:10And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together. ^17:11And when Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid. ^17:12Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Beth-lehem-judah, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons: and the man was an old man in the days of Saul, stricken [in years] among men. ^17:13And the three eldest sons of Jesse had gone after Saul to the battle: and the names of his three sons that went to the battle were Eliab the first-born, and next unto him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. ^17:14And David was the youngest; and the three eldest followed Saul. ^17:15Now David went to and fro from Saul to feed his father`s sheep at Beth-lehem. <sup>17:16</sup>And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days. <sup>17:17</sup>And Jesse said unto David his son, Take now for thy brethren an ephah of this parched grain, and these ten loaves, and carry [them] quickly to the camp to thy brethren; <sup>17:18</sup>and bring these ten cheeses unto the captain of their thousand, and look how thy brethren fare, and take their pledge. <sup>17:19</sup>Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the vale of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. <sup>17:20</sup>dummy verses inserted by amos <sup>17:21</sup>And Israel and the Philistines put the battle in array, army against army. <sup>17:22</sup>And David left his baggage in the hand of the keeper of the baggage, and ran to the army, and came and saluted his brethren. <sup>17:23</sup>And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the ranks of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard them. <sup>17:24</sup>And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid. <sup>17:25</sup>And the men of Israel said, Have ye seen this man that is come up? surely to defy Israel is he come up: and it shall be, that the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father`s house free in Israel. ^17:26And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God? ^17:27And the people answered him after this manner, saying, So shall it be done to the man that killeth him. ^17:28And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and Eliab`s anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why art thou come down? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thy heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle. <sup>17:29</sup>And David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause? <sup>17:30</sup>And he turned away from him toward another, and spake after the same manner: and the people answered him again after the former manner. <sup>17:31</sup>And when the words were heard which David spake, they rehearsed them before Saul; and he sent for him. <sup>17:32</sup>And David said to Saul, Let no man`s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine. ^17:33And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth. ^17:34And David said unto Saul, Thy servant was keeping his father`s sheep; and when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock, <sup>17:35</sup>I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth; and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. <sup>17:36</sup>Thy servant smote both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God. <sup>17:37</sup>And David said, Jehovah that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and Jehovah shall be with thee. <sup>17:38</sup>And Saul clad David with his apparel, and he put a helmet of brass upon his head, and he clad him with a coat of mail. <sup>17:39</sup>And David girded his sword upon his apparel, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him. <sup>17:40</sup>And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in the shepherd`s bag which he had, even in his wallet; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine. ^17:41And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man that bare the shield went before him. ^17:42And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him; for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and withal of a fair countenance. ^17:43And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. ^17:44And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the birds of the heavens, and to the beasts of the field. ^17:45Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a javelin: but I come to thee in the name of Jehovah of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. ^17:46This day will Jehovah deliver thee into my hand; and I will smite thee, and take thy head from off thee; and I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day unto the birds of the heavens, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, ^17:47and that all this assembly may know that Jehovah saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is Jehovah`s, and he will give you into our hand. ^17:48And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hastened, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. ^17:49And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead; and the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell upon his face to the earth. ^17:50So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David. ^17:51Then David ran, and stood over the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. ^17:52And the men of Israel and of Judah arose, and shouted, and pursued the Philistines, until thou comest to Gai, and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim, even unto Gath, and unto Ekron. ^17:53And the children of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines, and they plundered their camp. ^17:54And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armor in his tent. ^17:55And when Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said unto Abner, the captain of the host, Abner, whose son is this youth? And Abner said, As thy soul liveth, O king, I cannot tell. ^17:56And the king said, Inquire thou whose son the stripling is. ^17:57And as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. ^17:58And Saul said to him, Whose son art thou, thou young man? And David answered, I am the son of thy servant Jesse the Beth-lehemite.

^18:1And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. ^18:2And Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father`s house. <sup>18:3</sup>Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. <sup>18:4</sup>And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his apparel, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle. <sup>18:5</sup>And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, [and] behaved himself wisely: and Saul set him over the men of war, and it was good in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul`s servants. ^18:6And it came to pass as they came, when David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with timbrels, with joy, and with instruments of music. ^18:7And the women sang one to another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands. ^18:8And Saul was very wroth, and this saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom? ^18:9And Saul eyed David from that day and forward. ^18:10And it came to pass on the morrow, that an evil spirit from God came mightily upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as he did day by day. And Saul had his spear in his hand; ^18:11and Saul cast the spear; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall. And David avoided out of his presence twice. ^18:12And Saul was afraid of David, because Jehovah was with him, and was departed from Saul. ^18:13Therefore Saul removed him from him, and made him his captain over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people. ^18:14And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and Jehovah was with him. ^18:15And when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he stood in awe of him. ^18:16But all Israel and Judah loved David; for he went out and came in before them. ^18:17And Saul said to David, Behold, my elder daughter Merab, her will I give thee to wife: only be thou valiant for me, and fight Jehovah`s battles. For Saul said, Let not my hand be upon him, but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him. <sup>18:18</sup>And David said unto Saul, Who am I, and what is my life, [or] my father`s family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king? ^18:19But it came to pass at the time when Merab, Saul`s daughter, should have been given to David, that she was given unto Adriel the Meholathite to wife. <sup>18:20</sup>And Michal, Saul`s daughter, loved David: and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him. ^18:21And Saul said, I will give him her, that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him. Wherefore Saul said to David, Thou shalt this day be my son-in-law a second time. ^18:22And Saul commanded his servants, [saying], Commune with David secretly, and say, Behold, the king hath delight in thee, and all his servants love thee: now therefore be the king`s son-in-law. <sup>18:23</sup>And Saul`s servants spake those words in the ears of David. And David said, Seemeth it to you a light thing to be the king`s son-in-law, seeing that I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed? <sup>18:24</sup>And the servants of Saul told him, saying, On this manner spake David. <sup>18:25</sup>And Saul said, Thus shall ye say to David, The king desireth not any dowry, but a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king`s enemies. Now Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. ^18:26And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king`s son-in-law. And the days were not expired; <sup>18:27</sup>and David arose and went, he and his men, and slew of the Philistines two hundred men; and David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full number to the king, that he might be the king`s son-in-law. And Saul gave him Michal his daughter to wife. ^18:28And Saul saw and knew that Jehovah was with David; and Michal, Saul`s daughter, loved him. <sup>18:29</sup>And Saul was yet the more afraid of David; and Saul was David`s enemy continually. ^18:30Then the princes of the Philistines went forth: and it came to pass, as often as they went forth, that David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul; so that his name was much set by.

^19:1And Saul spake to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that they should slay David. But Jonathan, Saul`s son, delighted much in David. <sup>19:2</sup>And Jonathan told David, saying, Saul my father seeketh to slay thee: now therefore, I pray thee, take heed to thyself in the morning, and abide in a secret place, and hide thyself: <sup>19:3</sup>and I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where thou art, and I will commune with my father of thee; and if I see aught, I will tell thee. <sup>19:4</sup>And Jonathan spake good of David unto Saul his father, and said unto him, Let not the king sin against his servant, against David; because he hath not sinned against thee, and because his works have been to thee-ward very good: <sup>19:5</sup>for he put his life in his hand, and smote the Philistine, and Jehovah wrought a great victory for all Israel: thou sawest it, and didst rejoice; wherefore then wilt thou sin against innocent blood, to slay David without a cause? <sup>19:6</sup>And Saul hearkened unto the voice of Jonathan: and Saul sware, As Jehovah liveth, he shall not be put to death. <sup>19:7</sup>And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan showed him all those things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence, as beforetime. <sup>19:8</sup>And there was war again: and David went out, and fought with the Philistines, and slew them with a great slaughter; and they fled before him. <sup>19:9</sup>And an evil spirit from Jehovah was upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand; and David was playing with his hand. <sup>19:10</sup>And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the spear; but he slipped away out of Saul`s presence, and he smote the spear into the wall: and David fled, and escaped that night. ^19:11And Saul sent messengers unto David`s house, to watch him, and to slay him in the morning: and Michal, David`s wife, told him, saying, If thou save not thy life to-night, to-morrow thou wilt be slain. ^19:12So Michal let David down through the window: and he went, and fled, and escaped. ^19:13And Michal took the teraphim, and laid it in the bed, and put a pillow of goats` [hair] at the head thereof, and covered it with the clothes. <sup>19:14</sup>And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, He is sick. <sup>19:15</sup>And Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying, Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may slay him. <sup>19:16</sup>And when the messengers came in, behold, the teraphim was in the bed, with the pillow of goats` [hair] at the head thereof. ^19:17And Saul said unto Michal, Why hast thou deceived me thus, and let mine enemy go, so that he is escaped? And Michal answered Saul, He said unto me, Let me go; why should I kill thee? ^19:18Now David fled, and escaped, and came to Samuel to Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and dwelt in Naioth. ^19:19And it was told Saul, saying, Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah. ^19:20And Saul sent messengers to take David: and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as head over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied. ^19:21And when it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they also prophesied. ^19:22Then went he also to Ramah, and came to the great well that is in Secu: and he asked and said, Where are Samuel and David? And one said, Behold, they are at Naioth in Ramah. ^19:23And he went thither to Naioth in Ramah: and the Spirit of God came upon him also, and he went on, and prophesied, until he came to Naioth in Ramah. ^19:24And he also stripped off his clothes, and he also prophesied before Samuel, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Wherefore they say, Is Saul also among the prophets?

^20:1And David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, What have I done? what is mine iniquity? and what is my sin before thy father, that he seeketh my life? ^20:2And he said unto him, Far from it; thou shalt not die: behold, my father doeth nothing either great or small, but that he discloseth it unto me; and why should my father hide this thing from me? it is not so. ^20:3And David sware moreover, and said, Thy father knoweth well that I have found favor in thine eyes; and he saith, Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved: but truly as Jehovah liveth, and as thy soul liveth, there is but a step between me and death. ^20:4Then said Jonathan unto David, Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even do it for thee. ^20:5And David said unto Jonathan, Behold, to-morrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king at meat: but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field unto the third day at even. ^20:6If thy father miss me at all, then say, David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Beth-lehem his city; for it is the yearly sacrifice there for all the family. ^20:7If he say thus, It is well; thy servant shall have peace: but if he be wroth, then know that evil is determined by him. ^20:8Therefore deal kindly with thy servant; for thou hast brought thy servant into a covenant of Jehovah with thee: but if there be in me iniquity, slay me thyself; for why shouldest thou bring me to thy father? ^20:9And Jonathan said, Far be it from thee; for if I should at all know that evil were determined by my father to come upon thee, then would not I tell it thee? ^20:10Then said David to Jonathan, Who shall tell me if perchance thy father answer thee roughly? ^20:11And Jonathan said unto David, Come, and let us go out into the field. And they went out both of them into the field. ^20:12And Jonathan said unto David, Jehovah, the God of Israel, [be witness]: when I have sounded my father about this time to-morrow, [or] the third day, behold, if there be good toward David, shall I not then send unto thee, and disclose it unto thee? ^20:13Jehovah do so to Jonathan, and more also, should it please my father to do thee evil, if I disclose it not unto thee, and send thee away, that thou mayest go in peace: and Jehovah be with thee, as he hath been with my father. ^20:14And thou shalt not only while yet I live show me the lovingkindness of Jehovah, that I die not; ^20:15but also thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house for ever; no, not when Jehovah hath cut off the enemies of David every one from the face of the earth. ^20:16So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, [saying], And Jehovah will require it at the hand of David`s enemies. <sup>20:17</sup>And Jonathan caused David to swear again, for the love that he had to him; for he loved him as he loved his own soul. <sup>20:18</sup>Then Jonathan said unto him, To-morrow is the new moon: and thou wilt be missed, because thy seat will be empty. <sup>20:19</sup>And when thou hast stayed three days, thou shalt go down quickly, and come to the place where thou didst hide thyself when the business was in hand, and shalt remain by the stone Ezel. <sup>20:20</sup>And I will shoot three arrows on the side thereof, as though I shot at a mark. <sup>20:21</sup>And, behold, I will send the lad, [saying], Go, find the arrows. If I say unto the lad, Behold, the arrows are on this side of thee; take them, and come; for there is peace to thee and no hurt, as Jehovah liveth. <sup>20:22</sup>But if I say thus unto the boy, Behold, the arrows are beyond thee; go thy way; for Jehovah hath sent thee away. <sup>20:23</sup>And as touching the matter which thou and I have spoken of, behold, Jehovah is between thee and me for ever. <sup>20:24</sup>So David hid himself in the field: and when the new moon was come, the king sat him down to eat food. <sup>20:25</sup>And the king sat upon his seat, as at other times, even upon the seat by the wall; and Jonathan stood up, and Abner sat by Saul`s side: but David`s place was empty. <sup>20:26</sup>Nevertheless Saul spake not anything that day: for he thought, Something hath befallen him, he is not clean; surely he is not clean. <sup>20:27</sup>And it came to pass on the morrow after the new moon, [which was] the second [day], that David`s place was empty: and Saul said unto Jonathan his son, Wherefore cometh not the son of Jesse to meat, neither yesterday, nor to-day? ^20:28And Jonathan answered Saul, David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Beth-lehem: ^20:29and he said, Let me go, I pray thee; for our family hath a sacrifice in the city; and my brother, he hath commanded me [to be there]: and now, if I have found favor in thine eyes, let me get away, I pray thee, and see my brethren. Therefore he is not come unto the king`s table. <sup>20:30</sup>Then Saul`s anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him, Thou son of a perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own shame, and unto the shame of thy mother`s nakedness? <sup>20:31</sup>For as long as the son of Jesse liveth upon the ground, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom. Wherefore now send and fetch him unto me, for he shall surely die. <sup>20:32</sup>And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said unto him, Wherefore should he be put to death? what hath he done? <sup>20:33</sup>And Saul cast his spear at him to smite him; whereby Jonathan knew that is was determined of his father to put David to death. <sup>20:34</sup>So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and did eat no food the second day of the month; for he was grieved for David, because his father had done him shame. <sup>20:35</sup>And it came to pass in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad with him. <sup>20:36</sup>And he said unto his lad, Run, find now the arrows which I shoot. And as the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. <sup>20:37</sup>And when the lad was come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the lad, and said, Is not the arrow beyond thee? <sup>20:38</sup>And Jonathan cried after the lad, Make speed, haste, stay not. And Jonathan`s lad gathered up the arrows, and came to his master. ^20:39But the lad knew not anything: only Jonathan and David knew the matter. ^20:40And Jonathan gave his weapons unto his lad, and said unto him, Go, carry them to the city. ^20:41And as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of [a place] toward the South, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times: and they kissed one another, and wept one with another, until David exceeded. ^20:42And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of Jehovah, saying, Jehovah shall be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed, for ever. And he arose and departed: and Jonathan went into the city.

^21:1Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech came to meet David trembling, and said unto him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee? ^21:2And David said unto Ahimelech the priest, The king hath commanded me a business, and hath said unto me, Let no man know anything of the business whereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee: and I have appointed the young men to such and such a place. ^21:3Now therefore what is under thy hand? give me five loaves of bread in my hand, or whatsoever there is present. ^21:4And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under my hand, but there is holy bread; if only the young men have kept themselves from women. ^21:5And David answered the priest, and said unto him, Of a truth women have been kept from us about these three days; when I came out, the vessels of the young men were holy, though it was but a common journey; how much more then to-day shall their vessels be holy? ^21:6So the priest gave him holy [bread]; for there was no bread there but the showbread, that was taken from before Jehovah, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away. ^21:7Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before Jehovah; and his name was Doeg the Edomite, the chiefest of the herdsmen that belonged to Saul. ^21:8And David said unto Ahimelech, And is there not here under thy hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king`s business required haste. ^21:9And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the vale of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take that, take it; for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none like that; give it me. ^21:10And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath. ^21:11And the servants of Achish said unto him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands? ^21:12And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath. ^21:13And he changed his behavior before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard. ^21:14Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man is mad; wherefore then have ye brought him to me? ^21:15Do I lack madmen, that ye have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence? shall this fellow come into my house?

^22:1David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave of Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father`s house heard it, they went down thither to him. <sup>22:2</sup>And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men. <sup>22:3</sup>And David went thence to Mizpeh of Moab: and he said unto the king of Moab, Let my father and my mother, I pray thee, come forth, [and be] with you, till I know what God will do for me. <sup>22:4</sup>And he brought them before the king of Moab: and they dwelt with him all the while that David was in the stronghold. <sup>22:5</sup>And the prophet Gad said unto David, Abide not in the stronghold; depart, and get thee into the land of Judah. Then David departed, and came into the forest of Hereth. <sup>22:6</sup>And Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men that were with him: now Saul was sitting in Gibeah, under the tamarisk-tree in Ramah, with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him. <sup>22:7</sup>And Saul said unto his servants that stood about him, Hear now, ye Benjamites; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, will he make you all captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, <sup>22:8</sup>that all of you have conspired against me, and there is none that discloseth to me when my son maketh a league with the son of Jesse, and there is none of you that is sorry for me, or discloseth unto me that my son hath stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day? <sup>22:9</sup>Then answered Doeg the Edomite, who stood by the servants of Saul, and said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. <sup>22:10</sup>And he inquired of Jehovah for him, and gave him victuals, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine. <sup>22:11</sup>Then the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father`s house, the priests that were in Nob: and they came all of them to the king. ^22:12And Saul said, Hear now, thou son of Ahitub. And he answered, Here I am, my lord. ^22:13And Saul said unto him, Why have ye conspired against me, thou and the son of Jesse, in that thou hast given him bread, and a sword, and hast inquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as at this day? ^22:14Then Ahimelech answered the king, and said, And who among all thy servants is so faithful as David, who is the king`s son-in-law, and is taken into thy council, and is honorable in thy house? <sup>22:15</sup>Have I to-day begun to inquire of God for him? be it far from me: let not the king impute anything unto his servant, nor to all the house of my father; for thy servant knoweth nothing of all this, less or more. <sup>22:16</sup>And the king said, Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all thy father`s house. ^22:17And the king said unto the guard that stood about him, Turn, and slay the priests of Jehovah; because their hand also is with David, and because they knew that he fled, and did not disclose it to me. But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of Jehovah. ^22:18And the king said to Doeg, Turn thou, and fall upon the priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests, and he slew on that day fourscore and five persons that did wear a linen ephod. ^22:19And Nob, the city of the priests, smote he with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and sucklings, and oxen and asses and sheep, with the edge of the sword. ^22:20And one of the sons of Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped, and fled after David. ^22:21And Abiathar told David that Saul had slain Jehovah`s priests. <sup>22:22</sup>And David said unto Abiathar, I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul: I have occasioned [the death] of all the persons of thy father`s house. ^22:23Abide thou with me, fear not; for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life: for with me thou shalt be in safeguard.

^23:1And they told David, saying, Behold, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah, and are robbing the threshing-floors. ^23:2Therefore David inquired of Jehovah, saying, Shall I go and smite these Philistines? And Jehovah said unto David, Go, and smite the Philistines, and save Keilah. ^23:3And David`s men said unto him, Behold, we are afraid here in Judah: how much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines? <sup>23:4</sup>Then David inquired of Jehovah yet again. And Jehovah answered him, and said, Arise, go down to Keilah; for I will deliver the Philistines into thy hand. <sup>23:5</sup>And David and his men went to Keilah, and fought with the Philistines, and brought away their cattle, and slew them with a great slaughter. So David save the inhabitants of Keilah. <sup>23:6</sup>And it came to pass, when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David to Keilah, that he came down with an ephod in his hand. <sup>23:7</sup>And it was told Saul that David was come to Keilah. And Saul said, God hath delivered him into my hand; for he is shut in, by entering into a town that hath gates and bars. <sup>23:8</sup>And Saul summoned all the people to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men. <sup>23:9</sup>And David knew that Saul was devising mischief against him; and he said to Abiathar the priest, Bring hither the ephod. <sup>23:10</sup>Then said David, O Jehovah, the God of Israel, thy servant hath surely heard that Saul seeketh to come to Keilah, to destroy the city for my sake. <sup>23:11</sup>Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into his hand? will Saul come down, as thy servant hath heard? O Jehovah, the God of Israel, I beseech thee, tell thy servant. And Jehovah said, He will come down. <sup>23:12</sup>Then said David, Will the men of Keilah deliver up to me and my men into the hand of Saul? And Jehovah said, They will deliver thee up. <sup>23:13</sup>Then David and his men, who were about six hundred, arose and departed out of Keilah, and went whithersoever they could go. And it was told Saul that David was escaped from Keilah; and he forbare to go forth. <sup>23:14</sup>And David abode in the wilderness in the strongholds, and remained in the hill-country in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God delivered him not into his hand. <sup>23:15</sup>And David saw that Saul was come out to seek his life: and David was in the wilderness of Ziph in the wood. <sup>23:16</sup>And Jonathan, Saul`s son, arose, and went to David into the wood, and strengthened his hand in God. ^23:17And he said unto him, Fear not; for the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee; and thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next unto thee; and that also Saul my father knoweth. ^23:18And they two made a covenant before Jehovah: and David abode in the wood, and Jonathan went to his house. ^23:19Then came up the Ziphites to Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide himself with us in the strongholds in the wood, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of the desert? ^23:20Now therefore, O king, come down, according to all the desire of thy soul to come down; and our part shall be to deliver him up into the king`s hand. ^23:21And Saul said, Blessed be ye of Jehovah; for ye have had compassion on me. ^23:22Go, I pray you, make yet more sure, and know and see his place where his haunt is, [and] who hath seen him there; for it is told me that he dealeth very subtly. ^23:23See therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurking-places where he hideth himself, and come ye again to me of a certainty, and I will go with you: and it shall come to pass, if he be in the land, that I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah. ^23:24And they arose, and went to Ziph before Saul: but David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah on the south of the desert. ^23:25And Saul and his men went to seek him. And they told David: wherefore he came down to the rock, and abode in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard [that], he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon. ^23:26And Saul went on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on that side of the mountain: and David made haste to get away for fear of Saul; for Saul and his men compassed David and his men round about to take them. ^23:27But there came a messenger unto Saul, saying, Haste thee, and come; for the Philistines have made a raid upon the land. ^23:28So Saul returned from pursuing after David, and went against the Philistines: therefore they called that place Sela-hammahlekoth. ^23:29And David went up from thence, and dwelt in the strongholds of En-gedi.

^24:1And it came to pass, when Saul was returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, Behold, David is in the wilderness of En-gedi. ^24:2Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats. ^24:3And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where was a cave; and Saul went in to cover his feet. Now David and his men were abiding in the innermost parts of the cave. ^24:4And the men of David said unto him, Behold, the day of which Jehovah said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thy hand, and thou shalt do to him as it shall seem good unto thee. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul`s robe privily. <sup>24:5</sup>And it came to pass afterward, that David`s heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul`s skirt. <sup>24:6</sup>And he said unto his men, Jehovah forbid that I should do this thing unto my lord, Jehovah`s anointed, to put forth my hand against him, seeing he is Jehovah`s anointed. <sup>24:7</sup>So David checked his men with these words, and suffered them not to rise against Saul. And Saul rose up out of the cave, and went on his way. <sup>24:8</sup>David also arose afterward, and went out of the cave, and cried after Saul, saying, My lord the king. And when Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the earth, and did obeisance. <sup>24:9</sup>And David said to Saul, Wherefore hearkenest thou to men`s words, saying, Behold, David seeketh thy hurt? ^24:10Behold, this day thine eyes have seen how that Jehovah had delivered thee to-day into my hand in the cave: and some bade me kill thee; but [mine eye] spared thee; and I said, I will not put forth my hand against my lord; for he is Jehovah`s anointed. <sup>24:11</sup>Moreover, my father, see, yea, see the skirt of thy robe in my hand; for in that I cut off the skirt of thy robe, and killed thee not, know thou and see that there is neither evil nor transgression in my hand, and I have not sinned against thee, though thou huntest after my life to take it. <sup>24:12</sup>Jehovah judge between me and thee, and Jehovah avenge me of thee; but my hand shall not be upon thee. <sup>24:13</sup>As saith the proverb of the ancients, Out of the wicked cometh forth wickedness; but my hand shall not be upon thee. <sup>24:14</sup>After whom is the king of Israel come out? after whom dost thou pursue? after a dead dog, after a flea. <sup>24:15</sup>Jehovah therefore be judge, and give sentence between me and thee, and see, and plead my cause, and deliver me out of thy hand. <sup>24:16</sup>And it came to pass, when David had made an end of speaking these words unto Saul, that Saul said, Is this thy voice, my son David? And Saul lifted up his voice, and wept. <sup>24:17</sup>And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I; for thou hast rendered unto me good, whereas I have rendered unto thee evil. <sup>24:18</sup>And thou hast declared this day how that thou hast dealt well with me, forasmuch as when Jehovah had delivered me up into thy hand, thou killedst me not. <sup>24:19</sup>For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away? wherefore Jehovah reward thee good for that which thou hast done unto me this day. <sup>24:20</sup>And now, behold, I know that thou shalt surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in thy hand. <sup>24:21</sup>Swear now therefore unto me by Jehovah, that thou wilt not cut off my seed after me, and that thou wilt not destroy my name out of my father`s house. ^24:22And David sware unto Saul. And Saul went home; but David and his men gat them up unto the stronghold.

^25:1And Samuel died; and all Israel gathered themselves together, and lamented him, and buried him in his house at Ramah. And David arose, and went down to the wilderness of Paran. ^25:2And there was a man in Maon, whose possessions were in Carmel; and the man was very great, and he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats: and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel. ^25:3Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail; and the woman was of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance: but the man was churlish and evil in his doings; and he was of the house of Caleb. ^25:4And David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep. ^25:5And David sent ten young men, and David said unto the young men, Get you up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name: ^25:6and thus shall ye say to him that liveth [in prosperity], Peace be unto thee, and peace be to thy house, and peace be unto all that thou hast. ^25:7And now I have heard that thou hast shearers: thy shepherds have now been with us, and we did them no hurt, neither was there aught missing unto them, all the while they were in Carmel. ^25:8Ask thy young men, and they will tell thee: wherefore let the young men find favor in thine eyes; for we come in a good day: give, I pray thee, whatsoever cometh to thy hand, unto thy servants, and to thy son David. ^25:9And when David`s young men came, they spake to Nabal according to all those words in the name of David, and ceased. <sup>25:10</sup>And Nabal answered David`s servants, and said, Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? there are many servants now-a-days that break away every man from his master. ^25:11Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men of whom I know not whence they are? ^25:12So David`s young men turned on their way, and went back, and came and told him according to all these words. <sup>25:13</sup>And David said unto his men, Gird ye on every man his sword. And they girded on every man his sword; and David also girded on his sword: and there went up after David about four hundred men; and two hundred abode by the baggage. <sup>25:14</sup>But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal`s wife, saying, Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to salute our master; and he railed at them. ^25:15But the men were very good unto us, and we were not hurt, neither missed we anything, as long as we went with them, when we were in the fields: ^25:16they were a wall unto us both by night and by day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep. ^25:17Now therefore know and consider what thou wilt do; for evil is determined against our master, and against all his house: for he is such a worthless fellow, that one cannot speak to him. ^25:18Then Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched grain, and a hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on asses. ^25:19And she said unto her young men, Go on before me; behold, I come after you. But she told not her husband Nabal. ^25:20And it was so, as she rode on her ass, and came down by the covert of the mountain, that, behold, David and his men came down toward her; and she met them. ^25:21Now David had said, Surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow hath in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that pertained unto him: and he hath returned me evil for good. ^25:22God do so unto the enemies of David, and more also, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light so much as one man-child. ^25:23And when Abigail saw David, she hasted, and alighted from her ass, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground. ^25:24And she fell at his feet, and said, Upon me, my lord, upon me be the iniquity; and let thy handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine ears, and hear thou the words of thy handmaid. ^25:25Let not my lord, I pray thee, regard this worthless fellow, even Nabal; for as his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him: but I thy handmaid saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send. ^25:26Now therefore, my lord, as Jehovah liveth, and as thy soul liveth, seeing Jehovah hath withholden thee from bloodguiltiness, and from avenging thyself with thine own hand, now therefore let thine enemies, and them that seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal. ^25:27And now this present which thy servant hath brought unto my lord, let it be given unto the young men that follow my lord. ^25:28Forgive, I pray thee, the trespass of thy handmaid: for Jehovah will certainly make my lord a sure house, because my lord fighteth the battles of Jehovah; and evil shall not be found in thee all thy days. ^25:29And though men be risen up to pursue thee, and to seek thy soul, yet the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with Jehovah thy God; and the souls of thine enemies, them shall he sling out, as from the hollow of a sling. ^25:30And it shall come to pass, when Jehovah shall have done to my lord according to all the good that he hath spoken concerning thee, and shall have appointed thee prince over Israel, ^25:31that this shall be no grief unto thee, nor offence of heart unto my lord, either that thou hast shed blood without cause, or that my lord hath avenged himself. And when Jehovah shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember thy handmaid. ^25:32And David said to Abigail, Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel, who sent thee this day to meet me: ^25:33and blessed be thy discretion, and blessed be thou, that hast kept me this day from bloodguiltiness, and from avenging myself with mine own hand. ^25:34For in very deed, as Jehovah, the God of Israel, liveth, who hath withholden me from hurting thee, except thou hadst hasted and come to meet me, surely there had not been left unto Nabal by the morning light so much as one man-child. ^25:35So David received of her hand that which she had brought him: and he said unto her, Go up in peace to thy house; see, I have hearkened to thy voice, and have accepted thy person. ^25:36And Abigail came to Nabal; and, behold, he held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king; and Nabal`s heart was merry within him, for he was very drunken: wherefore she told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light. <sup>25:37</sup>And it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, that his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him, and he became as a stone. <sup>25:38</sup>And it came to pass about ten days after, that Jehovah smote Nabal, so that he died. <sup>25:39</sup>And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be Jehovah, that hath pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and hath kept back his servant from evil: and the evil-doing of Nabal hath Jehovah returned upon his own head. And David sent and spake concerning Abigail, to take her to him to wife. <sup>25:40</sup>And when the servants of David were come to Abigail to Carmel, they spake unto her, saying, David hath sent us unto thee, to take thee to him to wife. <sup>25:41</sup>And she arose, and bowed herself with her face to the earth, and said, Behold, thy handmaid is a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord. <sup>25:42</sup>And Abigail hasted, and arose, and rode upon an ass, with five damsels of hers that followed her; and she went after the messengers of David, and became his wife. <sup>25:43</sup>David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel; and they became both of them his wives. <sup>25:44</sup>Now Saul had given Michal his daughter, David`s wife, to Palti the son of Laish, who was of Gallim.

^26:1And the Ziphites came unto Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide himself in the hill of Hachilah, which is before the desert? ^26:2Then Saul arose, and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, having three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph. ^26:3And Saul encamped in the hill of Hachilah, which is before the desert, by the way. But David abode in the wilderness, and he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness. ^26:4David therefore sent out spies, and understood that Saul was come of a certainty. ^26:5And David arose, and came to the place where Saul had encamped; and David beheld the place where Saul lay, and Abner the son of Ner, the captain of his host: and Saul lay within the place of the wagons, and the people were encamped round about him. ^26:6Then answered David and said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, brother to Joab, saying, Who will go down with me to Saul to the camp? And Abishai said, I will go down with thee. ^26:7So David and Abishai came to the people by night: and, behold, Saul lay sleeping within the place of the wagons, with his spear stuck in the ground at his head; and Abner and the people lay round about him. ^26:8Then said Abishai to David, God hath delivered up thine enemy into thy hand this day: now therefore let me smite him, I pray thee, with the spear to the earth at one stroke, and I will not smite him the second time. ^26:9And David said to Abishai, Destroy him not; for who can put forth his hand against Jehovah`s anointed, and be guiltless? <sup>26:10</sup>And David said, As Jehovah liveth, Jehovah will smite him; or his day shall come to die; or he shall go down into battle and perish. <sup>26:11</sup>Jehovah forbid that I should put forth my hand against Jehovah`s anointed: but now take, I pray thee, the spear that is at his head, and the cruse of water, and let us go. ^26:12So David took the spear and the cruse of water from Saul`s head; and they gat them away: and no man saw it, nor knew it, neither did any awake; for they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from Jehovah was fallen upon them. <sup>26:13</sup>Then David went over to the other side, and stood on the top of the mountain afar off; a great space being between them; <sup>26:14</sup>and David cried to the people, and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, Answerest thou not, Abner? Then Abner answered and said, Who art thou that criest to the king? <sup>26:15</sup>And David said to Abner, Art not thou a [valiant] man? and who is like to thee in Israel? wherefore then hast thou not kept watch over thy lord the king? for there came one of the people in to destroy the king thy lord. <sup>26:16</sup>This thing is not good that thou hast done. As Jehovah liveth, ye are worthy to die, because ye have not kept watch over your lord, Jehovah`s anointed. And now see where the king`s spear is, and the cruse of water that was at his head. <sup>26:17</sup>And Saul knew David`s voice, and said, Is this thy voice, my son David? And David said, It is my voice, my lord, O king. ^26:18And he said, Wherefore doth my lord pursue after his servant? for what have I done? or what evil is in my hand? ^26:19Now therefore, I pray thee, let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If it be Jehovah that hath stirred thee up against me, let him accept an offering: but if it be the children of men, cursed be they before Jehovah: for they have driven me out this day that I should not cleave unto the inheritance of Jehovah, saying, Go, serve other gods. ^26:20Now therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth away from the presence of Jehovah: for the king of Israel is come out to seek a flea, as when one doth hunt a partridge in the mountains. ^26:21Then said Saul, I have sinned: return, my son David; for I will no more do thee harm, because my life was precious in thine eyes this day: behold, I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly. ^26:22And David answered and said, Behold the spear, O king! let then one of the young men come over and fetch it. ^26:23And Jehovah will render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness; forasmuch as Jehovah delivered thee into my hand to-day, and I would not put forth my hand against Jehovah`s anointed. ^26:24And, behold, as thy life was much set by this day in mine eyes, so let my life be much set by in the eyes of Jehovah, and let him deliver me out of all tribulation. ^26:25Then Saul said to David, Blessed be thou, my son David: thou shalt both do mightily, and shalt surely prevail. So David went his way, and Saul returned to his place.

^27:1And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul will despair of me, to seek me any more in all the borders of Israel: so shall I escape out of his hand. ^27:2And David arose, and passed over, he and the six hundred men that were with him, unto Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath. ^27:3And David dwelt with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, even David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal`s wife. ^27:4And it was told Saul that David was fled to Gath: and he sought no more again for him. ^27:5And David said unto Achish, If now I have found favor in thine eyes, let them give me a place in one of the cities in the country, that I may dwell there: for why should thy servant dwell in the royal city with thee? ^27:6Then Achish gave him Ziklag that day: wherefore Ziklag pertaineth unto the kings of Judah unto this day. ^27:7And the number of the days that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines was a full year and four months. ^27:8And David and his men went up, and made a raid upon the Geshurites, and the Girzites, and the Amalekites; for those [nations] were the inhabitants of the land, who were of old, as thou goest to Shur, even unto the land of Egypt. ^27:9And David smote the land, and saved neither man nor woman alive, and took away the sheep, and the oxen, and the asses, and the camels, and the apparel; and he returned, and came to Achish. ^27:10And Achish said, Against whom have ye made a raid to-day? And David said, Against the South of Judah, and against the South of the Jerahmeelites, and against the South of the Kenites. ^27:11And David saved neither man nor woman alive, to bring them to Gath, saying, Lest they should tell of us, saying, So did David, and so hath been his manner all the while he hath dwelt in the country of the Philistines. ^27:12And Achish believed David, saying, He hath made his people Israel utterly to abhor him; therefore he shall be my servant for ever.

^28:1And it came to pass in those days, that the Philistines gathered their hosts together for warfare, to fight with Israel. And Achish said unto David, Know thou assuredly, that thou shalt go out with me in the host, thou and thy men. ^28:2And David said to Achish, Therefore thou shalt know what thy servant will do. And Achish said to David, Therefore will I make thee keeper of my head for ever. ^28:3Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land. ^28:4And the Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and encamped in Shunem: and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they encamped in Gilboa. ^28:5And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. ^28:6And when Saul inquired of Jehovah, Jehovah answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets. ^28:7Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and inquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at En-dor. ^28:8And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and went, he and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, Divine unto me, I pray thee, by the familiar spirit, and bring me up whomsoever I shall name unto thee. ^28:9And the woman said unto him, Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die? ^28:10And Saul sware to her by Jehovah, saying, As Jehovah liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing. ^28:11Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel. ^28:12And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice; and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul. ^28:13And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what seest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I see a god coming up out of the earth. ^28:14And he said unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a robe. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground, and did obeisance. ^28:15And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do. ^28:16And Samuel said, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing Jehovah is departed from thee, and is become thine adversary? ^28:17And Jehovah hath done unto thee, as he spake by me: and Jehovah hath rent the kingdom out of thy hand, and given it to thy neighbor, even to David. ^28:18Because thou obeyedst not the voice of Jehovah, and didst not execute his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath Jehovah done this thing unto thee this day. ^28:19Moreover Jehovah will deliver Israel also with thee into the hand of the Philistines; and to-morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me: Jehovah will deliver the host of Israel also into the hand of the Philistines. ^28:20Then Saul fell straightway his full length upon the earth, and was sore afraid, because of the words of Samuel: and there was no strength in him; for he had eaten no bread all the day, nor all the night. ^28:21And the woman came unto Saul, and saw that he was sore troubled, and said unto him, Behold, thy handmaid hath hearkened unto thy voice, and I have put my life in my hand, and have hearkened unto thy words which thou spakest unto me. ^28:22Now therefore, I pray thee, hearken thou also unto the voice of thy handmaid, and let me set a morsel of bread before thee; and eat, that thou mayest have strength, when thou goest on thy way. ^28:23But he refused, and said, I will not eat. But his servants, together with the woman, constrained him; and he hearkened unto their voice. So he arose from the earth, and sat upon the bed. ^28:24And the woman had a fatted calf in the house; and she hasted, and killed it; and she took flour, and kneaded it, and did bake unleavened bread thereof: ^28:25and she brought it before Saul, and before his servants; and they did eat. Then they rose up, and went away that night.

^29:1Now the Philistines gathered together all their hosts to Aphek: and the Israelites encamped by the fountain which is in Jezreel. ^29:2And the lords of the Philistines passed on by hundreds, and by thousands; and David and his men passed on in the rearward with Achish. ^29:3Then said the princes of the Philistines, What [do] these Hebrews [here]? And Achish said unto the princes of the Philistines, Is not this David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, who hath been with me these days, or [rather] these years, and I have found no fault in him since he fell away [unto me] unto this day? ^29:4But he princes of the Philistines were wroth with him; and the princes of the Philistines said unto him, Make the man return, that he may go back to his place where thou hast appointed him, and let him not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become an adversary to us: for wherewith should this [fellow] reconcile himself unto his lord? should it not be with the heads of these men? ^29:5Is not this David, of whom they sang one to another in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands? ^29:6Then Achish called David, and said unto him, As Jehovah liveth, thou hast been upright, and thy going out and thy coming in with me in the host is good in my sight; for I have not found evil in thee since the day of thy coming unto me unto this day: nevertheless the lords favor thee not. ^29:7Wherefore now return, and go in peace, that thou displease not the lords of the Philistines. ^29:8And David said unto Achish, But what have I done? and what hast thou found in thy servant so long as I have been before thee unto this day, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king? ^29:9And Achish answered and said to David, I know that thou art good in my sight, as an angel of God: notwithstanding the princes of the Philistines have said, He shall not go up with us to the battle. ^29:10Wherefore now rise up early in the morning with the servants of thy lord that are come with thee; and as soon as ye are up early in the morning, and have light, depart. ^29:11So David rose up early, he and his men, to depart in the morning, to return into the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

^30:1And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had made a raid upon the South, and upon Ziklag, and had smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire, ^30:2and had taken captive the women [and all] that were therein, both small and great: they slew not any, but carried them off, and went their way. ^30:3And when David and his men came to the city, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captive. ^30:4Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep. ^30:5And David`s two wives were taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. <sup>30:6</sup>And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David strengthened himself in Jehovah his God. <sup>30:7</sup>And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David. <sup>30:8</sup>And David inquired of Jehovah, saying, If I pursue after this troop, shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue; for thou shalt surely overtake [them], and shalt without fail recover [all]. <sup>30:9</sup>So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind stayed. <sup>30:10</sup>But David pursued, he and four hundred men; for two hundred stayed behind, who were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor. <sup>30:11</sup>And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they gave him water to drink. <sup>30:12</sup>And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins: and when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him; for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, three days and three nights. <sup>30:13</sup>And David said unto him, To whom belongest thou? and whence art thou? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days ago I fell sick. <sup>30:14</sup>We made a raid upon the South of the Cherethites, and upon that which belongeth to Judah, and upon the South of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire. <sup>30:15</sup>And David said to him, Wilt thou bring me down to this troop? And he said, Swear unto me by God, that thou wilt neither kill me, nor deliver me up into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee down to this troop. <sup>30:16</sup>And when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread abroad over all the ground, eating and drinking, and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah. <sup>30:17</sup>And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, who rode upon camels and fled. <sup>30:18</sup>And David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken; and David rescued his two wives. <sup>30:19</sup>And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor anything that they had taken to them: David brought back all. <sup>30:20</sup>And David took all the flocks and the herds, [which] they drove before those [other] cattle, and said, This is David`s spoil. ^30:21And David came to the two hundred men, who were so faint that they could not follow David, whom also they had made to abide at the brook Besor; and they went forth to meet David, and to meet the people that were with him: and when David came near to the people, he saluted them. ^30:22Then answered all the wicked men and base fellows, of those that went with David, and said, Because they went not with us, we will not give them aught of the spoil that we have recovered, save to every man his wife and his children, that he may lead them away, and depart. ^30:23Then said David, Ye shall not do so, my brethren, with that which Jehovah hath given unto us, who hath preserved us, and delivered the troop that came against us into our hand. ^30:24And who will hearken unto you in this matter? for as his share is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his share be that tarrieth by the baggage: they shall share alike. ^30:25And it was so from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel unto this day. ^30:26And when David came to Ziklag, he sent of the spoil unto the elders of Judah, even to his friends, saying, Behold, a present for you of the spoil of the enemies of Jehovah: ^30:27To them that were in Beth-el, and to them that were in Ramoth of the South, and to them that were in Jattir, ^30:28and to them that were in Aroer, and to them that were in Siphmoth, and to them that were in Eshtemoa, ^30:29and to them that were in Racal, and to them that were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to them that were in the cities of the Kenites, ^30:30and to them that were in Hormah, and to them that were in Bor-ashan, and to them that were in Athach, ^30:31and to them that were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were wont to haunt.

^31:1Now the Philistines fought against Israel: and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa. ^31:2And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua, the sons of Saul. ^31:3And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers overtook him; and he was greatly distressed by reason of the archers. ^31:4Then said Saul to his armorbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armorbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took his sword, and fell upon it. ^31:5And when his armorbearer saw that Saul was dead, he likewise fell upon his sword, and died with him. ^31:6So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armorbearer, and all his men, that same day together. ^31:7And when the men of Israel that were on the other side of the valley, and they that were beyond the Jordan, saw that the men of Israel fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities, and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them. ^31:8And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen in mount Gilboa. ^31:9And they cut off his head, and stripped off his armor, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to carry the tidings unto the house of their idols, and to the people. ^31:10And they put his armor in the house of the Ashtaroth; and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan. ^31:11And when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard concerning him that which the Philistines had done to Saul, ^31:12all the valiant men arose, and went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan; and they came to Jabesh, and burnt them there. ^31:13And they took their bones, and buried them under the tamarisk-tree in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

2 Samuel

^1:1And it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had abode two days in Ziklag; ^1:2it came to pass on the third day, that, behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul, with his clothes rent, and earth upon his head: and so it was, when he came to David, that he fell to the earth, and did obeisance. ^1:3And David said unto him, From whence comest thou? And he said unto him, Out of the camp of Israel am I escaped. ^1:4And David said unto him, How went the matter? I pray thee, tell me. And he answered, The people are fled from the battle, and many of the people also are fallen and dead; and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also. ^1:5And David said unto the young man that told him, How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead? ^1:6And the young man that told him said, As I happened by chance upon mount Gilboa, behold, Saul was leaning upon his spear; and, lo, the chariots and the horsemen followed hard after him. ^1:7And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called unto me. And I answered, Here am I. ^1:8And he said unto me, Who art thou? And I answered him, I am an Amalekite. ^1:9And he said unto me, Stand, I pray thee, beside me, and slay me; for anguish hath taken hold of me, because my life is yet whole in me. ^1:10So I stood beside him, and slew him, because I was sure that he could not live after that he was fallen: and I took the crown that was upon his head, and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them hither unto my lord. ^1:11Then David took hold on his clothes, and rent them; and likewise all the men that were with him: ^1:12and they mourned, and wept, and fasted until even, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of Jehovah, and for the house of Israel; because they were fallen by the sword. ^1:13And David said unto the young man that told him, Whence art thou? And he answered, I am the son of a sojourner, an Amalekite. ^1:14And David said unto him, How wast thou not afraid to put forth thy hand to destroy Jehovah`s anointed? <sup>1:15</sup>And David called one of the young men, and said, Go near, and fall upon him. And he smote him, so that he died. <sup>1:16</sup>And David said unto him, Thy blood be upon thy head; for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain Jehovah`s anointed. ^1:17And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son ^1:18(and he bade them teach the children of Judah [the song of] the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jashar): ^1:19Thy glory, O Israel, is slain upon thy high places! How are the mighty fallen! ^1:20Tell it not in Gath, Publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon; Lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, Lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph. ^1:21Ye mountains of Gilboa, Let there be no dew nor rain upon you, neither fields of offerings: For there the shield of the mighty was vilely cast away, The shield of Saul, not anointed with oil. ^1:22From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, The bow of Jonathan turned not back, And the sword of Saul returned not empty. ^1:23Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, And in their death they were not divided: They were swifter than eagles, They were stronger than lions. ^1:24Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, Who clothed you in scarlet delicately, Who put ornaments of gold upon your apparel. ^1:25How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! Jonathan is slain upon thy high places. ^1:26I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: Very pleasant hast thou been unto me: Thy love to me was wonderful, Passing the love of women. ^1:27How are the mighty fallen, And the weapons of war perished!