^6:1Now the ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines for seven months. ^6:2And the Philistines sent for the priests and those who were wise in secret arts, and said to them, What are we to do with the ark of the Lord? How are we to send it away to its place? ^6:3And they said, If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it without an offering, but send him a sin-offering with it: then you will have peace again, and it will be clear to you why the weight of his hand has not been lifted from you. ^6:4Then they said, What sin-offering are we to send to him? And they said, Five gold images of the growths caused by your disease and five gold mice, one for every lord of the Philistines: for the same disease came on you and on your lords. ^6:5So make images of the growths caused by your disease and of the mice which are damaging your land; and give glory to the God of Israel: it may be that the weight of his hand will be lifted from you and from your gods and from your land. ^6:6Why do you make your hearts hard, like the hearts of Pharaoh and the Egyptians? When he had made sport of them, did they not let the people go, and they went away? ^6:7So now, take and make ready a new cart, and two cows which have never come under the yoke, and have the cows yoked to the cart, and take their young ones away from them: ^6:8And put the ark of the Lord on the cart, and the gold images which you are sending as a sin-offering in a chest by its side; and send it away so that it may go. ^6:9If it goes by the land of Israel to Beth-shemesh, then this great evil is his work; but if not, then we may be certain that the evil was not his doing, but was the working of chance. ^6:10And the men did so; they took two cows, yoking them to the cart and shutting up their young ones in their living-place: ^6:11And they put the ark of the Lord on the cart and the chest with the gold images. ^6:12And the cows took the straight way, by the road to Beth-shemesh; they went by the highway, not turning to the right or to the left, and the sound of their voices was clear on the road; and the lords of the Philistines went after them as far as the edge of Beth-shemesh. ^6:13And the people of Beth-shemesh were cutting their grain in the valley, and lifting up their eyes they saw the ark and were full of joy when they saw it. ^6:14And the cart came into the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite, and came to a stop there by a great stone: and cutting up the wood of the cart they made a burned offering of the cows to the Lord. ^6:15Then the Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the chest in which were the gold images, and put them on the great stone: and the men of Beth-shemesh made burned offerings and gave worship that day before the Lord. ^6:16And the five lords of the Philistines, having seen it, went back to Ekron the same day. ^6:17Now these are the gold images which the Philistines sent as a sin-offering to the Lord; one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron; ^6:18And the gold mice, one for every town of the Philistines, the property of the five lords, walled towns as well as country places: and the great stone where they put the ark of the Lord is still in the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite to this day. ^6:19But the Lord sent destruction on seventy men of the people of Beth-shemesh for looking into the ark of the Lord; and great was the sorrow of the people for the destruction which the Lord had sent on them. ^6:20And the men of Beth-shemesh said, Who is able to keep his place before the Lord, this holy God? and to whom may he go from us? ^6:21And they sent men to the people living in Kiriath-jearim, saying, The Philistines have sent back the ark of the Lord; come and take it up to your country.

^7:1So the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took the ark of the Lord to the house of Abinadab in Gibeah, and they made his son Eleazar holy and put the ark in his care. ^7:2And the ark was in Kiriath-jearim for a long time, as much as twenty years: and all Israel was searching after the Lord with weeping. ^7:3Then Samuel said to all Israel, If with all your hearts you would come back to the Lord, then put away all the strange gods and the Astartes from among you, and let your hearts be turned to the Lord, and be servants to him only: and he will make you safe from the hands of the Philistines. ^7:4So the children of Israel gave up the worship of Baal and Astarte, and became worshippers of the Lord only. ^7:5Then Samuel said, Let all Israel come to Mizpah and I will make prayer to the Lord for you. ^7:6So they came together to Mizpah, and got water, draining it out before the Lord, and they took no food that day, and they said, We have done evil against the Lord. And Samuel was judge of the children of Israel in Mizpah. ^7:7Now when the Philistines had news that the children of Israel had come together at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And the children of Israel, hearing of it, were full of fear. ^7:8And the children of Israel said to Samuel, Go on crying to the Lord our God for us to make us safe from the hands of the Philistines. ^7:9And Samuel took a young lamb, offering all of it as a burned offering to the Lord; and Samuel made prayers to the Lord for Israel and the Lord gave him an answer. ^7:10And while Samuel was offering the burned offering, the Philistines came near for the attack on Israel; but at the thunder of the Lord's voice that day the Philistines were overcome with fear, and they gave way before Israel. ^7:11And the men of Israel went out from Mizpah and went after the Philistines, attacking them till they came under Beth-car. ^7:12Then Samuel took a stone and put it up between Mizpah and Jeshanah, naming it Eben-ezer, and saying, Up to now the Lord has been our help. ^7:13So the Philistines were overcome, and did not come into the country of Israel again: and all the days of Samuel the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines. ^7:14And the towns which the Philistines had taken were given back to Israel, from Ekron to Gath, and all the country round them Israel made free from the power of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites. ^7:15And Samuel was judge of Israel all the days of his life. ^7:16From year to year he went in turn to Beth-el and Gilgal and Mizpah, judging Israel in all those places. ^7:17And his base was at Ramah, where his house was; there he was judge of Israel and there he made an altar to the Lord.

^8:1Now when Samuel was old, he made his sons judges over Israel. ^8:2The name of his first son was Joel and the name of his second Abijah: they were judges in Beer-sheba. ^8:3And his sons did not go in his ways, but moved by the love of money took rewards, and were not upright in judging. ^8:4Then all the responsible men of Israel got together and went to Samuel at Ramah, ^8:5And said to him, See now, you are old, and your sons do not go in your ways: give us a king now to be our judge, so that we may be like the other nations. ^8:6But Samuel was not pleased when they said to him, Give us a king to be our judge. And Samuel made prayer to the Lord. ^8:7And the Lord said to Samuel, Give ear to the voice of the people and what they say to you: they have not been turned away from you, but they have been turned away from me, not desiring me to be king over them. ^8:8As they have done from the first, from the day when I took them out of Egypt till this day, turning away from me and worshipping other gods, so now they are acting in the same way to you. ^8:9Give ear now to their voice: but make a serious protest to them, and give them a picture of the sort of king who will be their ruler. ^8:10And Samuel said all these words of the Lord to the people who were desiring a king. ^8:11And he said, This is the sort of king who will be your ruler: he will take your sons and make them his servants, his horsemen, and drivers of his war-carriages, and they will go running before his war-carriages; ^8:12And he will make them captains of thousands and of fifties; some he will put to work ploughing and cutting his grain and making his instruments of war and building his war-carriages. ^8:13Your daughters he will take to be makers of perfumes and cooks and bread-makers. ^8:14He will take your fields and your vine-gardens and your olive-gardens, all the best of them, and give them to his servants. ^8:15He will take a tenth of your seed and of the fruit of your vines and give it to his servants. ^8:16He will take your men-servants and your servant-girls, and the best of your oxen and your asses and put them to his work. ^8:17He will take a tenth of your sheep: and you will be his servants. ^8:18Then you will be crying out because of your king whom you have taken for yourselves; but the Lord will not give you an answer in that day. ^8:19But the people gave no attention to the voice of Samuel; and they said, No, but we will have a king over us, ^8:20So that we may be like the other nations, and so that our king may be our judge and go out before us to war. ^8:21Then Samuel, after hearing all the people had to say, went and gave an account of it to the Lord. ^8:22And the Lord said to Samuel, Give ear to their voice and make a king for them. Then Samuel said to the men of Israel, Let every man go back to his town.

^9:1Now there was a man of Benjamin named Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a man of wealth. ^9:2He had a son named Saul, a specially good-looking young man; there was no one better-looking among the children of Israel: he was taller by a head than any other of the people. ^9:3Now the asses of Saul's father Kish had gone wandering away. And Kish said to his son Saul, Take one of the servants with you, and get up and go in search of the asses. ^9:4So they went through the hill-country of Ephraim and through the land of Shalishah, but they saw no sign of them: then they went through the land of Shaalim, but they were not there: and they went through the land of the Benjamites, but they did not come across them. ^9:5And when they had come to the land of Zuph, Saul said to the servant who was with him, Come, let us go back, or my father may give up caring about the asses and be troubled about us. ^9:6But the servant said to him, See now, in this town there is a man of God, who is highly honoured, and everything he says comes true: let us go there now; it may be that he will give us directions about our journey. ^9:7Then Saul said to his servant, But if we go, what are we to take the man? all our bread is gone, and we have no offering to take to the man of God: what are we to do? ^9:8But the servant said in answer, I have here a fourth part of a shekel of silver: I will give that to the man of God, and he will give us directions about our way. ^9:9(In the past in Israel, when a man went to get directions from God, he said, Come let us go to the Seer, for he who now is named Prophet was in those days given the name of Seer.) ^9:10Then Saul said to his servant, You have said well; come, let us go. So they went to the town where the man of God was. ^9:11And when they were on the way up to the town, they saw some young girls going out to get water and said to them, Is the seer here? ^9:12And they said, He is; in fact he is before you: go quickly now, for he has come into the town today, for the people are making an offering in the high place today: ^9:13When you come into the town you will see him straight away, before he goes up to the high place for the feast: the people are waiting for his blessing before starting the feast, and after that the guests will take part in it. So go up now and you will see him. ^9:14So they went up to the town, and when they came inside the town, Samuel came face to face with them on his way to the high place. ^9:15Now the day before Saul came, the word of God had come to Samuel, saying, ^9:16Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and on him you are to put the holy oil, making him ruler over my people Israel, and he will make my people safe from the hands of the Philistines: for I have seen the sorrow of my people, whose cry has come up to me. ^9:17And when Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said to him, This is the man of whom I gave you word! he it is who is to have authority over my people. ^9:18Then Saul came up to Samuel in the doorway of the town and said, Give me directions, if you will be so good, to the house of the seer. ^9:19Then Samuel said to Saul, I am the seer; go up before me to the high place and take food with me today: and in the morning I will let you go, after opening to you all the secrets of your heart. ^9:20As for your asses which have been wandering for three days, give no thought to them, for they have come back. And for whom are all the desired things in Israel? are they not for you and your father's family? ^9:21And Saul said, Am I not a man of Benjamin, the smallest of all the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of the families of Benjamin? why then do you say these words to me? ^9:22Then Samuel took Saul and his servant into the guest room, and made them take the chief place among all the guests who were there, about thirty persons. ^9:23And Samuel said to the cook, Give me that part which I gave you orders to keep by you. ^9:24And the cook took up the leg with the fat tail on it, and put it before Saul. And Samuel said, This is the part which has been kept for you: take it as your part of the feast; because it has been kept for you till the right time came and till the guests were present. So that day Saul took food with Samuel. ^9:25And when they had come down from the high place into the town, where a bed was made ready for Saul, he went to rest. ^9:26And about dawn Samuel said to Saul on the roof, Get up so that I may send you away. So Saul got up, and he and Samuel went out together. ^9:27And on their way down to the end of the town, Samuel said to Saul, Give your servant orders to go on in front of us, (so he went on,) but you keep here, so that I may give you the word of God.

^10:1Then Samuel took the bottle of oil, and put the oil on his head and gave him a kiss and said, Is not the Lord with the holy oil making you ruler over Israel, his people? and you will have authority over the people of the Lord, and you will make them safe from the hands of their attackers round about them, and this will be the sign for you: ^10:2When you have gone away from me today, you will see two men by the resting-place of Rachel's body, in the land of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say to you, The asses which you went in search of have come back, and now your father, caring no longer for the asses, is troubled about you, saying, What am I to do about my son? ^10:3Then you are to go on from there, and when you come to the oak-tree of Tabor, you will see three men going up to God to Beth-el, one having with him three young goats and another three cakes of bread and another a skin full of wine: ^10:4They will say, Peace be with you, and will give you two cakes of bread, which you are to take from them. ^10:5After that you will come to Gibeah, the hill of God, where an armed force of the Philistines is stationed: and when you come to the town, you will see a band of prophets coming down from the high place with instruments of music before them; and they will be acting like prophets: ^10:6And the spirit of the Lord will come on you with power, and you will be acting like a prophet with them, and will be changed into another man. ^10:7And when these signs come to you, see that you take the chance which is offered you; for God is with you. ^10:8Then you are to go down before me to Gilgal, where I will come to you, for the offering of burned offerings and peace-offerings: go on waiting there for seven days till I come to you and make clear to you what you have to do. ^10:9And it came about, that when he went away from Samuel, God gave him a changed heart: and all those signs took place that day. ^10:10And when they came to Gibeah, a band of prophets came face to face with him; and the spirit of God came on him with power and he took his place among them as a prophet. ^10:11Now when Saul's old friends saw him among the band of prophets, the people said to one another, What has come to Saul, the son of Kish? Is even Saul among the prophets? ^10:12And one of the people of that place said in answer, And who is their father? So it became a common saying, Is even Saul among the prophets? ^10:13Then going away from the prophets, he came to the house. ^10:14And Saul's father's brother said to him and his servant, Where have you been? And he said, Searching for the asses: and when we saw no sign of them, we came to Samuel. ^10:15Then he said, And what did Samuel say to you? ^10:16And Saul, answering him, said, He gave us word that the asses had come back. But he said nothing to him of Samuel's words about the kingdom. ^10:17Then Samuel sent for the people to come together before the Lord at Mizpah; ^10:18And he said to the children of Israel, The Lord, the God of Israel, has said, I took Israel out of Egypt, and made you free from the hands of the Egyptians and from all the kingdoms which kept you down: ^10:19But today you are turned away from your God, who himself has been your saviour from all your troubles and sorrows; and you have said to him, Put a king over us. So now, take your places before the Lord by your tribes and by your thousands. ^10:20So Samuel made all the tribes of Israel come near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken. ^10:21Then he made the tribe of Benjamin come near by families, and the family of the Matrites was taken: and from them, Saul, the son of Kish, was taken: but when they went in search of him he was nowhere to be seen. ^10:22So they put another question to the Lord, Is the man present here? And the answer of the Lord was, He is keeping himself from view among the goods. ^10:23So they went quickly and made him come out; and when he took his place among the people, he was taller by a head than any of the people. ^10:24And Samuel said to all the people, Do you see the man of the Lord's selection, how there is no other like him among all the people? And all the people with loud cries said, Long life to the king! ^10:25Then Samuel gave the people the laws of the kingdom, writing them in a book which he put in a safe place before the Lord. And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house. ^10:26And Saul went to Gibeah, to his house; and with him went the men of war whose hearts had been touched by God. ^10:27But certain good-for-nothing persons said, How is this man to be our saviour? And having no respect for him, they gave him no offering.

^11:1Then about a month after this, Nahash the Ammonite came up and put his forces in position for attacking Jabesh-gilead: and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, Make an agreement with us and we will be your servants. ^11:2And Nahash the Ammonite said to them, I will make an agreement with you on this condition, that all your right eyes are put out; so that I may make it a cause of shame to all Israel. ^11:3Then the responsible men of Jabesh said to him, Give us seven days, so that we may send men to every part of Israel: and then, if no one comes to our help, we will come out to you. ^11:4So they sent representatives to Saul's town Gibeah, and these gave the news to the people: and all the people gave themselves to weeping. ^11:5Now Saul came from the field, driving the oxen before him; and he said, Why are the people weeping? And they gave him word of what the men of Jabesh had said. ^11:6And at their words, the spirit of God came on Saul with power, and he became very angry. ^11:7And he took two oxen and, cutting them up, sent them through all the land of Israel by the hand of runners, saying, If any man does not come out after Saul and Samuel, this will be done to his oxen. And the fear of the Lord came on the people and they came out like one man. ^11:8And he had them numbered in Bezek: the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand. ^11:9Then he said to the representatives who had come, Say to the men of Jabesh-gilead, Tomorrow, by the time the sun is high, you will be made safe. And the representatives came and gave the news to the men of Jabesh; and they were glad. ^11:10So the men of Jabesh said, Tomorrow we will come out to you, and you may do to us whatever seems good to you. ^11:11Now on the day after, Saul put the people into three bands, and in the morning watch they came to the tents of the Ammonites, and they went on attacking them till the heat of the day: and those who were not put to death were put to flight in every direction, so that no two of them were together. ^11:12And the people said to Samuel, Who was it who said, Is Saul to be our king? give the men up, so that we may put them to death. ^11:13And Saul said, Not a man is to be put to death today: for today the Lord has made Israel safe. ^11:14Then Samuel said to the people, Come, let us go to Gilgal and there make the kingdom strong in the hands of Saul. ^11:15So all the people went to Gilgal; and there in Gilgal they made Saul king before the Lord; and peace-offerings were offered before the Lord; and there Saul and all the men of Israel were glad with great joy.

^12:1And Samuel said to all Israel, You see that I have given ear to everything you said to me, and have made a king over you. ^12:2And now, see, the king is before you: and I am old and grey-headed, and my sons are with you: I have been living before your eyes from my early days till now. ^12:3Here I am: give witness against me before the Lord and before the man on whom he has put the holy oil: whose ox or ass have I taken? to whom have I been untrue? who has been crushed down by me? from whose hand have I taken a price for the blinding of my eyes? I will give it all back to you. ^12:4And they said, You have never been untrue to us or cruel to us; you have taken nothing from any man. ^12:5Then he said, The Lord is witness against you, and the man on whom he has put the holy oil is witness this day that you have seen no wrong in me. And they said, He is witness. ^12:6And Samuel said to the people, The Lord is witness, who gave authority to Moses and Aaron, and who took your fathers up out of the land of Egypt. ^12:7Keep your places now, while I take up the argument with you before the Lord, and give you the story of the righteousness of the Lord, which he has made clear by his acts to you and to your fathers. ^12:8When Jacob and his sons had come into Egypt, and were crushed by the Egyptians, the prayers of your fathers came up to the Lord, and the Lord sent Moses and Aaron, who took your fathers out of Egypt, and he put them into this place. ^12:9But they were false to the Lord their God, and he gave them up into the hands of Sisera, captain of the army of Jabin, king of Hazor, and into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the king of Moab, who made war against them. ^12:10Then crying out to the Lord, they said, We have done evil, because we have been turned away from the Lord, worshipping the Baals and the Astartes: but now, make us safe from those who are against us and we will be your servants. ^12:11So the Lord sent Jerubbaal and Barak and Jephthah and Samuel and took you out of the power of those who were fighting against you on every side, and made you safe. ^12:12And when you saw that Nahash, the king of the Ammonites, was coming against you, you said to me, No more of this; we will have a king for our ruler: when the Lord your God was your king. ^12:13Here, then, is the king marked out by you: the Lord has put a king over you. ^12:14If in the fear of the Lord you are his servants, hearing his voice and not going against the orders of the Lord, but being true to the Lord your God, you and the king ruling over you, then all will be well: ^12:15But if you do not give ear to the voice of the Lord, but go against his orders, then the hand of the Lord will be against you and against your king for your destruction, as it was against your fathers. ^12:16Now keep where you are and see this great thing which the Lord will do before your eyes. ^12:17Is it not now the time of the grain cutting? My cry will go up to the Lord and he will send thunder and rain: so that you may see and be conscious of your great sin which you have done in the eyes of the Lord in desiring a king for yourselves. ^12:18So Samuel made prayer to the Lord; and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day: and all the people were in fear of the Lord and of Samuel. ^12:19And all the people said to Samuel, Make prayer for us to the Lord your God so that death may not overtake us: for in addition to all our sins we have done this evil, in desiring a king. ^12:20Then Samuel said to the people, Have no fear: truly you have done evil, but do not be turned away from the Lord; be his servants with all your heart; ^12:21And do not go from the right way turning to those false gods in which there is no profit and no salvation, for they are false. ^12:22For the Lord will not give his people up, because of the honour of his name; for it was the Lord's pleasure to make of you a people for himself. ^12:23And as for me, never will I go against the orders of the Lord by giving up my prayers for you: but I will go on teaching you the good and right way. ^12:24Only go in the fear of the Lord, and be his true servants with all your heart, keeping in mind what great things he has done for you. ^12:25But if you still do evil, destruction will overtake you and your king.

^13:1*** ^13:2And Saul took for himself three thousand men of Israel, of whom he kept two thousand with him in Michmash and in the mountain of Beth-el, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah in the land of Benjamin: the rest of the people he sent back to their tents. ^13:3And Jonathan made an attack on the armed force of the Philistines stationed at Gibeah; and news was given to the Philistines that the Hebrews were turned against them. And Saul had a horn sounded through all the land, ^13:4And all Israel had the news that Saul had made an attack on the Philistines, and that Israel was bitterly hated by the Philistines. And the people came together after Saul to Gilgal. ^13:5And the Philistines came together to make war on Israel, three thousand war-carriages and six thousand horsemen and an army of people like the sands of the sea in number: they came up and took up their position in Michmash, to the east of Beth-aven. ^13:6When the men of Israel saw the danger they were in, (for the people were troubled,) they took cover in cracks in the hillsides and in the woods and in rocks and holes and hollows. ^13:7And a great number of the people had gone over Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead; but Saul was still in Gilgal, and all the people went after him shaking in fear. ^13:8And he went on waiting there for seven days, the time fixed by Samuel: but Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were starting to go away from him. ^13:9Then Saul said, Come here and give me the burned offering and the peace-offerings. And he made a burned offering to the Lord. ^13:10And when the burned offering was ended, Samuel came; and Saul went out to see him and to give him a blessing. ^13:11And Samuel said, What have you done? And Saul said, Because I saw that the people were going away from me, and you had not come at the time which had been fixed, and the Philistines had come together at Michmash; ^13:12I said, Now the Philistines will come down on me at Gilgal, and I have made no prayer for help to the Lord: and so, forcing myself to do it, I made a burned offering. ^13:13And Samuel said to Saul, You have done a foolish thing: you have not kept the rules which the Lord your God gave you; it was the purpose of the Lord to make your authority over Israel safe for ever. ^13:14But now, your authority will not go on: the Lord, searching for a man who is pleasing to him in every way, has given him the place of ruler over his people, because you have not done what the Lord gave you orders to do. ^13:15Then Samuel went up from Gilgal and the rest of the people went up after Saul against the men of war, and they came from Gilgal to Gibeah in the land of Benjamin: and Saul took the number of the people who were with him, about six hundred men. ^13:16And Saul, with Jonathan his son and the people who were with them, was waiting in Geba in the land of Benjamin: but the tents of the Philistines were in Michmash. ^13:17And three bands of men came out from the Philistines to make an attack; one band went by the road which goes to Ophrah, into the land of Shual: ^13:18And another went in the direction of Beth-horon: and another went by the hill looking down on the valley of Zeboiim, in the direction of the waste land. ^13:19Now there was no iron-worker in all the land of Israel: for the Philistines said, For fear the Hebrews make themselves swords or spears: ^13:20But all the Israelites had to go to the Philistines to get their ploughs and blades and axes and hooks made sharp; ^13:21For they had instruments for putting an edge on their ploughs and blades and forks and axes, and for putting iron points on their ox-driving rods. ^13:22So on the day of the fight at Michmash, not a sword or a spear was to be seen in the hands of any of the people with Saul and Jonathan: only Saul and his son Jonathan had them. ^13:23And the armed force of the Philistines went out to the narrow way of Michmash.

^14:1Now one day Jonathan, the son of Saul, said to the young man who was with him, looking after his arms, Come, let us go over to the Philistine force over there. But he said nothing to his father. ^14:2And Saul was still waiting in the farthest part of Geba, under the fruit-tree in Migron: there were about six hundred men with him; ^14:3And Ahijah, the son of Ahitub, brother of Ichabod, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the priest of the Lord in Shiloh, who had the ephod. And the people had no idea that Jonathan had gone. ^14:4Now between the narrow roads over the mountains by which Jonathan was making his way to the Philistines' forces, there was a sharp overhanging rock on one side, and a sharp rock on the other side: one was named Bozez and the other Seneh. ^14:5The one rock went up on the north in front of Michmash and the other on the south in front of Geba. ^14:6And Jonathan said to his young servant who had his arms, Come, let us go over to the armies of these men who have no circumcision: it may be that the Lord will give us help, for there is no limit to his power; the Lord is able to give salvation by a great army or by a small band. ^14:7And his servant said to him, Do whatever is in your mind: see, I am with you in every impulse of your heart. ^14:8Then Jonathan said, Now we will go over to these men and let them see us. ^14:9If they say to us, Keep quiet where you are till we come to you; then we will keep our places and not go up to them. ^14:10But if they say, Come up to us; then we will go up, for the Lord has given them into our hands: and this will be the sign to us. ^14:11And they let the Philistine force see the two of them: and the Philistines said, Look! the Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have taken cover. ^14:12And the armed men of the force gave Jonathan and his servant their answer, saying, Come up here to us, and we will let you see something. Then Jonathan said to his servant, Come up after me: for the Lord has given them up into the hands of Israel. ^14:13And Jonathan went up, gripping with his hands and his feet, his servant going up after him; and the Philistines gave way before Jonathan when he made an attack on them, and his servant put them to death after him. ^14:14And at their first attack, Jonathan and his servant put to the sword about twenty men, all inside the space of half an acre of land. ^14:15And there was great fear in the tents and in the field and among all the men of the armed force, and the attackers were shaking with fear; even the earth was moved with a great shaking and there was a fear as from God. ^14:16And the watchmen of Saul, looking out from Geba in the land of Benjamin, saw all the army flowing away and running here and there. ^14:17Then Saul said to the people who were with him, Let everyone be numbered and let us see who has gone from us. And when they had been numbered, it was seen that Jonathan and his servant were not there. ^14:18And Saul said to Ahijah, Let the ephod come here. For he went before Israel with the ephod at that time. ^14:19Now while Saul was talking to the priest, the noise in the tents of the Philistines became louder and louder; and Saul said to the priest, Take back your hand. ^14:20And Saul and all the people with him came together and went forward to the fight: and every man's sword was turned against the man at his side, and there was a very great noise. ^14:21Then the Hebrews who had been with the Philistines for some time, and had gone up with them to their tents, turning round were joined to those who were with Saul and Jonathan. ^14:22And all the men of Israel who had taken cover in the hill-country of Ephraim, hearing that the Philistines had been put to flight, went after them, attacking them. ^14:23So the Lord made Israel safe that day: and the fight went over to Beth-aven. ^14:24And all the people were with Saul, about twenty thousand men, and the fight was general through all the hill-country of Ephraim; but Saul made a great error that day, by putting the people under an oath, saying, Let that man be cursed who takes food before evening comes and I have given punishment to those who are against me. So the people had not a taste of food. ^14:25And there was honey on the face of the field, and all the people came to the honey, the bees having gone from it; ^14:26But not a man put his hand to his mouth for fear of the curse. ^14:27But Jonathan, having no knowledge of the oath his father had put on the people, stretching out the rod which was in his hand, put the end of it in the honey, and put it to his mouth; then his eyes were made bright. ^14:28Then one of the people said to him, Your father put the people under an oath, saying, Let that man be cursed who takes any food this day. And the people were feeble, needing food. ^14:29Then Jonathan said, My father has made trouble come on the land: now see how bright my eyes have become because I have taken a little of this honey. ^14:30How much more if the people had freely taken their food from the goods of those who were fighting against them! would there not have been much greater destruction among the Philistines? ^14:31That day they overcame the Philistines from Michmash to Aijalon: and the people were feeble from need of food. ^14:32And rushing at the goods taken in the fight, the people took oxen and sheep and young oxen, and put them to death there on the earth, and had a meal, taking the flesh with the blood in it. ^14:33Then it was said to Saul, See, the people are sinning against the Lord, taking the blood with the flesh. And he said to those who gave him the news, Now let a great stone be rolled to me here. ^14:34And Saul said, Go about among the people and say to them, Let every man come here to me with his ox and his sheep, and put them to death here, and take his meal: do no sin against the Lord by taking the blood with the flesh. So all the people took their oxen with them that night and put them to death there. ^14:35And Saul put up an altar to the Lord: this was the first altar which he put up to the Lord. ^14:36And Saul said, Let us go down after the Philistines by night, attacking them till the morning, till there is not a man of them living. And they said, Do whatever seems right to you. Then the priest said, Let us come near to God. ^14:37And Saul, desiring directions from God, said, Am I to go down after the Philistines? will you give them up into the hands of Israel? But he gave him no answer that day. ^14:38And Saul said, Come near, all you chiefs of the people, and let us get word from God and see in whom is this sin today. ^14:39For, by the living Lord, the saviour of Israel, even if the sinner is Jonathan, my son, death will certainly be his fate. But not a man among all the people gave him any answer. ^14:40Then he said to all Israel, You be on one side, and I with Jonathan my son will be on the other side. And the people said to Saul, Do whatever seems good to you. ^14:41Then Saul said to the Lord, the God of Israel, Why have you not given me an answer today? If the sin is in me or in Jonathan my son, O Lord God of Israel, give Urim, and if it is in your people Israel, give Thummim. And by the decision of the Lord, Saul and Jonathan were marked out, and the people went free. ^14:42And Saul said, Give your decision between my son Jonathan and me. And Jonathan was taken. ^14:43Then Saul said to Jonathan, Give me an account of what you have done. And Jonathan gave him the story and said, Certainly I took a little honey on the end of my rod; and now death is to be my fate. ^14:44And Saul said, May God's punishment be on me if death is not your fate, Jonathan. ^14:45And the people said to Saul, Is death to come to Jonathan, the worker of this great salvation for Israel? Let it not be so: by the living Lord, not one hair of his head is to be touched, for he has been working with God today. So the people kept Jonathan from death. ^14:46Then Saul, turning back, went after the Philistines no longer: and the Philistines went back to their place. ^14:47Now when Saul had taken his place as ruler of Israel, he made war on those who were against him on every side, Moab and the Ammonites and Edom and the kings of Zobah and the Philistines: and whichever way he went, he overcame them. ^14:48And he did great things, and overcame the Amalekites, and made Israel safe from the hands of their attackers. ^14:49Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan and Ishvi and Malchi-shua; and these are the names of his daughters: the older was named Merab and the younger Michal; ^14:50The name of Saul's wife was Ahinoam, the daughter of Ahimaaz; the captain of his army was Abner, the son of Ner, brother of Saul's father. ^14:51Kish, the father of Saul, and Ner, the father of Abner, were sons of Abiel. ^14:52All through the life of Saul there was bitter war against the Philistines; and whenever Saul saw any strong man or any good fighting man, he kept him near himself.

^15:1And Samuel said to Saul, The Lord sent me to put the holy oil on you and to make you king over his people, over Israel: so give ear now to the words of the Lord. ^15:2The Lord of armies says, I will give punishment to Amalek for what he did to Israel, fighting against him on the way when Israel came out of Egypt. ^15:3Go now and put Amalek to the sword, putting to the curse all they have, without mercy: put to death every man and woman, every child and baby at the breast, every ox and sheep, camel and ass. ^15:4And Saul sent for the people and had them numbered in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen and ten thousand men of Judah. ^15:5And Saul came to the town of Amalek, and took up his position in the valley secretly. ^15:6And Saul said to the Kenites, Go away, take yourselves out from among the Amalekites, or destruction will overtake you with them: for you were kind to the children of Israel when they came out of Egypt. So the Kenites went away from among the Amalekites. ^15:7And Saul made an attack on the Amalekites from Havilah on the road to Shur, which is before Egypt. ^15:8He took Agag, king of the Amalekites, prisoner, and put all the people to the sword without mercy. ^15:9But Saul and the people did not put Agag to death, and they kept the best of the sheep and the oxen and the fat beasts and the lambs, and whatever was good, not desiring to put them to the curse: but everything which was bad and of no use they put to the curse. ^15:10Then the Lord said to Samuel, ^15:11It is no longer my pleasure for Saul to be king; for he is turned back from going in my ways, and has not done my orders. And Samuel was very sad, crying to the Lord in prayer all night. ^15:12And early in the morning he got up and went to Saul; and word was given to Samuel that Saul had come to Carmel and put up a pillar, and had gone from there down to Gilgal. ^15:13And Samuel came to Saul; and Saul said to him, May the blessing of the Lord be with you: I have done what was ordered by the Lord. ^15:14And Samuel said, What then is this sound of the crying of sheep and the noise of oxen which comes to my ears? ^15:15And Saul said, They have taken them from the Amalekites: for the people have kept the best of the sheep and of the oxen as an offering to the Lord your God; all the rest we have given up to destruction. ^15:16Then Samuel said to Saul, Say no more! Let me give you word of what the Lord has said to me this night. And he said to him, Say on. ^15:17And Samuel said, Though you may seem little to yourself, are you not head of the tribes of Israel? for the Lord with the holy oil made you king over Israel, ^15:18And the Lord sent you on a journey and said, Go and put to the curse those sinners, the Amalekites, fighting against them till every one is dead. ^15:19Why then did you not do the orders of the Lord, but by violently taking their goods did evil in the eyes of the Lord? ^15:20And Saul said, Truly, I have done the orders of the Lord and have gone the way the Lord sent me; I have taken Agag, the king of Amalek, and have given the Amalekites up to destruction. ^15:21But the people took some of their goods, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which were put to the curse, to make an offering of them to the Lord your God in Gilgal. ^15:22And Samuel said, Has the Lord as much delight in offerings and burned offerings as in the doing of his orders? Truly, to do his pleasure is better than to make offerings, and to give ear to him than the fat of sheep. ^15:23For to go against his orders is like the sin of those who make use of secret arts, and pride is like giving worship to images. Because you have put away from you the word of the Lord, he has put you from your place as king. ^15:24And Saul said to Samuel, Great is my sin: for I have gone against the orders of the Lord and against your words: because, fearing the people, I did what they said. ^15:25So now, let my sin have forgiveness, and go back with me to give worship to the Lord. ^15:26And Samuel said to Saul, I will not go back with you: for you have put away from you the word of the Lord, and the Lord has put you from your place as king over Israel. ^15:27And when Samuel was turning round to go away, Saul took the skirt of his robe in his hand, and the cloth came away. ^15:28And Samuel said to him, The Lord has taken away the kingdom of Israel from you this day by force, and has given it to a neighbour of yours who is better than you. ^15:29And further, the Glory of Israel will not say what is false, and his purpose may not be changed: for he is not a man, whose purpose may be changed. ^15:30Then he said, Great is my sin: but still, give me honour now before the heads of my people and before Israel, and come back with me so that I may give worship to the Lord your God. ^15:31So Samuel went back after Saul, and Saul gave worship to the Lord. ^15:32Then Samuel said, Make Agag, the king of the Amalekites, come here to me. And Agag came to him shaking with fear. And Agag said, Truly the pain of death is past. ^15:33And Samuel said, As your sword has made women without children, so now your mother will be without children among women. And Agag was cut up by Samuel, bone from bone, before the Lord in Gilgal. ^15:34Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house in Gibeah, in the land of Saul. ^15:35And Samuel never saw Saul again till the day of his death; but Samuel was sorrowing for Saul: and it was no longer the Lord's pleasure for Saul to be king over Israel.

^16:1And the Lord said to Samuel, How long will you go on sorrowing for Saul, seeing that I have put him from his place as king over Israel? Take oil in your vessel and go; I will send you to Jesse, the Beth-lehemite: for I have got a king for myself among his sons. ^16:2And Samuel said, How is it possible for me to go? If Saul gets news of it he will put me to death. And the Lord said, Take a young cow with you and say, I have come to make an offering to the Lord. ^16:3And send for Jesse to be present at the offering, and I will make clear to you what you are to do: and you are to put the holy oil on him whose name I give you. ^16:4And Samuel did as the Lord said and came to Beth-lehem. And the responsible men of the town came out to him in fear and said, Do you come in peace? ^16:5And he said, In peace: I have come to make an offering to the Lord: make yourselves clean and come with me to make the offering. And he made Jesse and his sons clean, and sent for them to be present at the offering. ^16:6Now when they came, looking at Eliab, he said, Clearly the man of the Lord's selection is before him. ^16:7But the Lord said to Samuel, Do not take note of his face or how tall he is, because I will not have him: for the Lord's view is not man's; man takes note of the outer form, but the Lord sees the heart. ^16:8Then Jesse sent for Abinadab and made him come before Samuel. And he said, The Lord has not taken this one. ^16:9Then Jesse made Shammah come before him. And he said, The Lord has not taken this one. ^16:10And Jesse made his seven sons come before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, The Lord has not taken any of these. ^16:11Then Samuel said to Jesse, Are all your children here? And he said, There is still the youngest, and he is looking after the sheep. And Samuel said to Jesse, Send and make him come here: for we will not take our seats till he is here. ^16:12So he sent and made him come in. Now he had red hair and beautiful eyes and pleasing looks. And the Lord said, Come, put the oil on him, for this is he. ^16:13Then Samuel took the bottle of oil, and put the oil on him there among his brothers: and from that day the spirit of the Lord came on David with power. So Samuel went back to Ramah. ^16:14Now the spirit of the Lord had gone from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord was troubling him. ^16:15And Saul's servants said to him, See now, an evil spirit from God is troubling you. ^16:16Now give orders to your servants who are here before you to go in search of a man who is an expert player on a corded instrument: and it will be that when the evil spirit from God is on you, he will make music for you on his instrument, and you will get well. ^16:17And Saul said to his servants, Then get me a man who is an expert player, and make him come to me. ^16:18Then one of the servants in answer said, I have seen a son of Jesse, the Beth-lehemite, who is expert at playing, and a strong man and a man of war; and he is wise in his words, and pleasing in looks, and the Lord is with him. ^16:19So Saul sent his servants to Jesse and said, Send me your son David who is with the sheep. ^16:20And Jesse took five cakes of bread and a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them to Saul by David. ^16:21And David came to Saul, waiting before him: and he became very dear to Saul, who made him his servant, giving him the care of his arms. ^16:22And Saul sent to Jesse saying, Let David be with me, for he is pleasing to me. ^16:23And whenever the evil spirit from God came on Saul, David took his instrument and made music: so new life came to Saul, and he got well, and the evil spirit went away from him.

^17:1Now the Philistines got their armies together for war, and came together at Socoh in the land of Judah, and took up their position between Socoh and Azekah in Ephes-dammim. ^17:2And Saul and the men of Israel came together and took up their position in the valley of Elah, and put their forces in order against the Philistines. ^17:3The Philistines were stationed on the mountain on one side and Israel on the mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them. ^17:4And a fighter came out from the tents of the Philistines, named Goliath of Gath; he was more than six cubits tall. ^17:5And he had a head-dress of brass on his head, and he was dressed in a coat of metal, the weight of which was five thousand shekels of brass. ^17:6His legs were covered with plates of brass and hanging on his back was a javelin of brass. ^17:7The stem of his spear was as long as a cloth-worker's rod, and its head was made of six hundred shekels' weight of iron: and one went before him with his body-cover. ^17:8He took up his position and in a loud voice said to the armies of Israel, Why have you come out to make war? Am I not a Philistine and you servants of Saul? Send out a man for yourselves and let him come down to me. ^17:9If he is able to have a fight with me and overcome me, then we will be your servants: but if I am able to overcome him, then you will be our servants and do work for us. ^17:10And the Philistine said, I have put to shame the armies of Israel this day; give me a man so that we may have a fight together. ^17:11And Saul and all Israel, hearing those words of the Philistine, were troubled and full of fear. ^17:12Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Beth-lehem-judah named Jesse, who had eight sons; and he was an old man in Saul's day, and far on in years. ^17:13And the three oldest sons of Jesse had gone with Saul to the fight: the names of the three who went to the fight were Eliab, the oldest, and Abinadab the second, and Shammah the third. ^17:14And David was the youngest: and the three oldest were with Saul's army. ^17:15Now David went to and from Saul, looking after his father's sheep at Beth-lehem. ^17:16And the Philistine came near every morning and evening for forty days. ^17:17And Jesse said to his son David, Take now for your brothers an ephah of this dry grain and these ten cakes of bread, and go quickly with them to the tents to your brothers; ^17:18And take these ten cheeses to the captain of their thousand, and see how your brothers are and come back with a sign to say how they are. ^17:19Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel were in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. ^17:20And David got up early in the morning, and, giving the sheep into the care of a keeper, took the things and went as Jesse had said; and he came to the lines where the carts were, when the army was going out to the fight giving their war-cry. ^17:21And Israel and the Philistines had put their forces in position, army against army. ^17:22And David gave his parcels into the hands of the keeper of the army stores, and went running to the army and came to his brothers to get knowledge about them. ^17:23And while he was talking to them, the fighter, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came out from the Philistines' lines and said the same words, in David's hearing. ^17:24And all the men of Israel, when they saw him, went in flight, overcome with fear. ^17:25And the men of Israel said, Have you seen this man? Clearly he has come out to put shame on Israel: and it is certain that if any man overcomes him, the king will give that man great wealth, and will give him his daughter, and make his father's family free in Israel. ^17:26And David said to the men near him, What will be done to the man who overcomes this Philistine and takes away the shame from Israel? for who is this Philistine, a man without circumcision, that he has put shame on the armies of the living God? ^17:27And the people gave him this answer, So it will be done to the man who overcomes him. ^17:28And Eliab, his oldest brother, hearing what David said to the men, was moved to wrath against David, and said, Why have you come here? Into whose care have you given that little flock of sheep in the waste land? I have knowledge of your pride and the evil of your heart, you have come down to see the fight. ^17:29And David said, What have I done now? was it not only a word? ^17:30And turning away from him to one of the other men, he said the same words: and the people gave him the same answer. ^17:31And, hearing what David said, they gave Saul word of it: and he sent for him. ^17:32And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart become feeble because of him; I, your servant, will go out and have a fight with this Philistine. ^17:33And Saul said to David, You are not able to go out against this Philistine and have a fight with him: for you are only a boy, and he has been a man of war from his earliest days. ^17:34And David said to Saul, Your servant has been keeper of his father's sheep; and if a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock, ^17:35I went out after him, and overcame him, and took it out of his mouth: and if, turning on me, he came at me, I took him by the hair and overcame him and put him to death. ^17:36Your servant has overcome lion and bear: and the fate of this Philistine, who is without circumcision, will be like theirs, seeing that he has put shame on the armies of the living God. ^17:37And David said, The Lord, who kept me safe from the grip of the lion and the bear, will be my saviour from the hands of this Philistine. And Saul said to David, Go! and may the Lord be with you. ^17:38Then Saul gave David his clothing of war, and put a head-dress of brass on his head and had him clothed with a coat of metal. ^17:39And David took Saul's sword and put the band round him over the metal coat, and was unable to go forward; for he was not used to them. Then David said to Saul, It is not possible for me to go out with these, for I am not used to them. So David took them off. ^17:40Then he took his stick in his hand, and got five smooth stones from the bed of the stream and put them in a bag such as is used by sheep-keepers; and in his hand was a leather band used for sending stones: and so he went in the direction of the Philistine. ^17:41And the Philistine came nearer to David; and the man who had his body-cover went before him. ^17:42And when the Philistine, taking note, saw David, he had a poor opinion of him: for he was only a boy, red-haired and good-looking. ^17:43And the Philistine said to David, Am I a dog, that you come out to me with sticks? And the Philistine put curses on David by all his gods. ^17:44And the Philistine said to David, Come here to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field. ^17:45Then 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 armies, the God of the armies of Israel on which you have put shame. ^17:46This day the Lord will give you up into my hands, and I will overcome you, and take your head off you; and I will give the bodies of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth today, so that all the earth may see that Israel has a God; ^17:47And all these people who are here today may see that the Lord does not give salvation by sword and spear: for the fight is the Lord's, and he will give you up into our hands. ^17:48Now when the Philistine made a move and came near to David, David quickly went at a run in the direction of the army, meeting the Philistine face to face. ^17:49And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and sent it from his leather band straight at the Philistine, and the stone went deep into his brow, and he went down to the earth, falling on his face. ^17:50So David overcame the Philistine with his leather band and a stone, wounding the Philistine and causing his death: but David had no sword in his hand. ^17:51So running up to the Philistine and putting his foot on him, David took his sword out of its cover, and put him to death, cutting off his head with it. And when the Philistines saw that their fighter was dead, they went in flight. ^17:52And the men of Israel and of Judah got up, and gave a cry, and went after the Philistines as far as Gath and the town doors of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines were falling down by the road from Shaaraim all the way to Gath and Ekron. ^17:53Then the children of Israel came back from going after the Philistines, and took their goods from the tents. ^17:54And David took the head of the Philistine to Jerusalem, but the metal war-dress and the arms he put in his tent. ^17:55And when Saul saw David going out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the captain of the army, Abner, whose son is this young man? And Abner said, On your life, O king, I have no idea. ^17:56And the king said, Make search and see whose son this young man is. ^17:57And when David was coming back after the destruction of the Philistine, Abner took him to Saul, with the head of the Philistine in his hand. ^17:58And Saul said to him, Young man, whose son are you? And David in answer said, I am the son of your servant Jesse of Beth-lehem.

^18:1Now after David's talk with Saul was ended, the soul of Jonathan was joined with the soul of David, and David became as dear to him as his very life. ^18:2And that day Saul took David and would not let him go back to his father's house. ^18:3Then Jonathan and David made an agreement together, because of Jonathan's love for David. ^18:4And Jonathan took off the robe he had on and gave it to David, with all his military dress, even to his sword and his bow and the band round his body. ^18:5And David went wherever Saul sent him, and did wisely: and Saul put him at the head of his men of war, and this was pleasing to all the people as well as to Saul's servants. ^18:6Now on their way, when David came back after the destruction of the Philistine, the women came out of all the towns of Israel, with songs and dances, meeting David with melody and joy and instruments of music. ^18:7And the women, answering one another in their song, said, Saul has put to death his thousands and David his tens of thousands. ^18:8And Saul was very angry and this saying was unpleasing to him; and he said, They have given David credit for tens of thousands, and to me for only thousands: what more is there for him but the kingdom? ^18:9And from that day Saul was looking with envy on David. ^18:10Now on the day after, an evil spirit from God came on Saul with great force and he was acting like a prophet among the men of his house, while David was making music for him, as he did day by day: and Saul had his spear in his hand. ^18:11And Saul, balancing the spear in his hand, said, I will give David a blow, pinning him to the wall. And David got away from him twice. ^18:12And Saul went in fear of David, because the Lord was with David and had gone away from Saul. ^18:13So Saul sent him away, and made him a captain over a thousand; and he went about his business before the people. ^18:14And in all his undertakings David did wisely; and the Lord was with him. ^18:15And when Saul saw how wisely he did, he was in fear of him. ^18:16But David was loved by all Israel and Judah, for he went out and came in before them. ^18:17And Saul said to David, Here is my oldest daughter Merab, whom I will give you for your wife: only be strong for me, fighting in the Lord's wars. For Saul said, Let it not be through me that his fate comes to him, but through the Philistines. ^18:18And David said to Saul, Who am I, and what is my father's family in Israel, that I am to be son-in-law to the king? ^18:19But when the time came to give Merab, Saul's daughter, to David, she was given to Adriel of Meholath. ^18:20And Saul's daughter Michal was in love with David: and Saul had word of it and was pleased. ^18:21And Saul said, I will give her to him, so that she may be a cause of danger to him, and so that the hands of the Philistines may be against him. So Saul said to David, Today you are to become my son-in-law for the second time. ^18:22And Saul gave his servants orders saying, Have talk with David secretly and say to him, See how the king has delight in you, and how you are loved by all his servants: then be the king's son-in-law. ^18:23And Saul's servants said these things to David. And David said, Does it seem to you a small thing to be the king's son-in-law, seeing that I am a poor man, of no great name? ^18:24And the servants of Saul gave him an account of what David had said. ^18:25And Saul said, Then say to David, The king has no desire for any bride-price, but only for the private parts of a hundred Philistines so that the king may get the better of his haters. But it was in Saul's mind that David might come to his end by the hands of the Philistines. ^18:26And when his servants said these words to David, he was well pleased to be the son-in-law of the king. And the days were still not past. ^18:27So David and his men got up and went, and put to death two hundred of the Philistines; and David took their private parts and gave the full number of them to the king, so that he might be the king's son-in-law. And Saul gave him his daughter Michal for his wife. ^18:28And it was clear to Saul that the Lord was with David; and he was loved by all Israel. ^18:29And Saul's fear of David became all the greater, and he went on hating him, day by day. ^18:30Then the rulers of the Philistines went out to war: and whenever they went out, David did more wisely than all the other servants of Saul, so that his name became greatly honoured.

^19:1And Saul gave orders to his son Jonathan and to all his servants to put David to death. But Saul's son Jonathan had great delight in David. ^19:2And Jonathan said to David, Saul, my father, is purposing your death: so now, take care in the morning, and keep yourself safe in a secret place: ^19:3And I will go out and take my place by my father's side in the field near where you are; and I will get into talk with my father about you, and when I see how things are, I will give you word. ^19:4And Jonathan gave his father Saul a good account of David, and said to him, Let not the king do wrong against his servant, against David; because he has done you no wrong, and all his acts have had a good outcome for you: ^19:5For he put his life in danger and overcame the Philistine, and the Lord gave all Israel salvation: you saw it and were glad: why then are you sinning against him who has done no wrong, desiring the death of David without cause? ^19:6And Saul gave ear to the voice of Jonathan, and said with an oath, By the living Lord, he is not to be put to death. ^19:7Then Jonathan sent for David and gave him word of all these things. And Jonathan took David to Saul, who kept him by his side as in the past. ^19:8And there was war again: and David went out fighting the Philistines, causing great destruction among them; and they went in flight before him. ^19:9And an evil spirit from the Lord came on Saul, when he was seated in his house with his spear in his hand; and David made music for him. ^19:10And Saul would have sent his spear through him, pinning him to the wall, but he got away and the spear went into the wall: and that night David went in flight and got away. ^19:11Then in that night Saul sent men to David's house to keep watch on him so as to put him to death in the morning: and David's wife Michal said to him, If you do not go away to a safe place tonight you will be put to death in the morning. ^19:12So Michal let David down through the window, and he went in flight and got away. ^19:13Then Michal took the image and put it in the bed, with a cushion of goat's hair at its head, and she put clothing over it. ^19:14And when Saul sent men to take David, she said, He is ill. ^19:15And Saul sent his men to see David, saying, Do not come back without him, take him in his bed, so that I may put him to death. ^19:16And when the men came in, there was the image in the bed, with the cushion of goat's hair at its head ^19:17And Saul said to Michal, why have you been false to me, letting my hater go and get safely away? And in answer Michal said to Saul, He said to me, Let me go, or I will put you to death. ^19:18So David went in flight and got away and came to Ramah, to Samuel, and gave him an account of all Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and were living in Naioth. ^19:19And word was given to Saul that David was at Naioth in Ramah. ^19:20And Saul sent men to take David; and when they saw the band of prophets at work, with Samuel in his place at their head, the spirit of God came on Saul's men, and they became like prophets. ^19:21And Saul, having news of this, sent other men, who in the same way became like prophets. And a third time Saul sent men, and they like the others became like prophets. ^19:22Then he himself went to Ramah, and came to the great water-spring in Secu; and questioning the people he said, Where are Samuel and David? And one said, They are at Naioth in Ramah. ^19:23And he went on from there to Naioth in Ramah: and the spirit of God came on him, and he went on, acting like a prophet, till he came to Naioth in Ramah. ^19:24And he took off his clothing, acting like a prophet before Samuel, and falling down he was stretched out, without his clothing, all that day and all that night. This is the reason for the saying, Is even Saul among the prophets?

^20:1And David went in flight from Naioth in Ramah and came to Jonathan and said, What have I done? What is my crime and my sin against your father that he is attempting to take my life? ^20:2And he said to him, Far be the thought: you will not be put to death: see, my father does nothing, great or small, without giving me word of it: would he keep this secret from me? It is not so. ^20:3But David took his oath again and said, Your father sees that I am dear to you; so he says to himself, Let Jonathan have no idea of this, for it will be a grief to him; but as the Lord is living, and as your soul is living, there is only a step between me and death. ^20:4Then Jonathan said to David, Whatever your desire is, I will do it for you. ^20:5And David said to Jonathan, Tomorrow is the new moon, and I will not be seated with the king at his table: but let me go to a safe place in the country till the evening. ^20:6And if your father takes note of the fact that I am away, say, David made a request to me for himself that he might go to Beth-lehem, to his town: for it is the time when his family make their offering year by year. ^20:7If he says, It is well, your servant will be at peace: but if he is angry, then it will be clear to you that he has an evil purpose in mind against me. ^20:8So, then, be kind to your servant; for you have been united with your servant in an agreement made before the Lord: but if there is any wrongdoing in me, put me to death yourself; why take me to your father? ^20:9And Jonathan said, Do not have such a thought: for if I saw that my father was designing evil against you, would I not give you word of it? ^20:10Then David said to Jonathan, Who will give me word if your father gives you a rough answer? ^20:11And Jonathan said to David, Come, let us go out into the country. And the two of them went out together into the open country. ^20:12And Jonathan said to David, May the Lord, the God of Israel, be witness; when I have had a chance of talking to my father, about this time tomorrow, if his feelings to David are good, will I not send and give you the news? ^20:13May the Lord's punishment be on Jonathan, if it is my father's pleasure to do you evil and I do not give you word of it and send you away so that you may go in peace: and may the Lord be with you, as he has been with my father. ^20:14And may you, while I am still living, O may you be kind to me, as the Lord is kind, and keep me from death! ^20:15And let not your mercy ever be cut off from my family, even when the Lord has sent destruction on all David's haters, cutting them off from the face of the earth. ^20:16And if it comes about that the name of Jonathan is cut off from the family of David, the Lord will make David responsible. ^20:17And Jonathan again took an oath to David, because of his love for him: for David was as dear to him as his very soul. ^20:18Then Jonathan said to him, Tomorrow is the new moon: and it will be seen that you are not present, for there will be no one in your seat. ^20:19And on the third day it will be specially noted, and you will go to the place where you took cover when the other business was in hand, waiting by the hill over there. ^20:20And on the third day I will send arrows from my bow against its side as if at a mark. ^20:21And I will send my boy to have a look for the arrow. And if I say to him, See, the arrow is on this side of you; take it up! then you may come; for there is peace for you and no evil, by the living Lord. ^20:22But if I say to the boy, See, the arrow has gone past you: then go on your way, for the Lord has sent you away. ^20:23As for what you and I were talking of, the Lord is between you and me for ever. ^20:24So David went to a secret place in the country: and when the new moon came, the king took his place at the feast. ^20:25And the king took his seat, as at other times, by the wall: and Jonathan was in front, and Abner was seated by Saul's side, but there was no one in David's seat. ^20:26But Saul said nothing that day, for his thought was, Something has taken place making him unclean; it is clear that he is not clean. ^20:27And on the day after the new moon, that is, the second day, there was still no one in David's seat: and Saul said to his son Jonathan, Why has the son of Jesse not come to the feast yesterday or today? ^20:28And answering Saul, Jonathan said, He made a request to me that he might go to Beth-lehem, ^20:29Saying, Our family is making an offering in the town, and my brothers have given me orders to be there: so now, if I have grace in your eyes, let me go away and see my brothers. This is why he has not come to the king's table. ^20:30Then Saul was moved to wrath against Jonathan, and he said to him, You son of an evil and uncontrolled woman, have I not seen how you have given your love to the son of Jesse, to your shame and the shame of your mother? ^20:31For while the son of Jesse is living on the earth, your position is unsafe and your kingdom is in danger. So make him come here to me, for it is certainly right for him to be put to death. ^20:32And Jonathan, answering his father Saul, said to him, Why is he to be put to death? What has he done? ^20:33And Saul, pointing his spear at him, made an attempt to give him a wound: from which it was clear to Jonathan that his father's purpose was to put David to death. ^20:34So Jonathan got up from the table, burning with wrath, and took no part in the feast the second day of the month, being full of grief for David because his father had put shame on him. ^20:35Now in the morning, Jonathan went out into the fields at the time he had said to David, and he had a little boy with him. ^20:36And he said to the boy, Go and get the arrow I let loose from my bow. And while the boy was running, he sent an arrow past him. ^20:37And when the boy came to the place where the arrow was, Jonathan, crying out after the boy, said, Has it not gone past you? ^20:38And Jonathan went on crying out after the boy, Be quick, do not keep waiting about, go quickly. And Jonathan's boy got the arrow and came back to his master. ^20:39But the boy had no idea what was going on; only Jonathan and David had knowledge of it. ^20:40And Jonathan gave his bow and arrows to the boy, and said to him, Take these and go back to the town. ^20:41And when the boy had gone, David came from his secret place by the hill, and falling to the earth went down on his face three times: and they gave one another a kiss, weeping together, till David's grief was the greater. ^20:42And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, for we two have taken an oath, in the name of the Lord, saying, The Lord will be between me and you, and between my seed and your seed for ever. Then David went away, and Jonathan went into the town.

^21:1Then David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech was full of fear at meeting David, and said to him, Why are you by yourself, having no man with you? ^21:2And David said to Ahimelech the priest, The king has given me orders and has said to me, Say nothing to anyone about the business on which I am sending you and the orders I have given you: and a certain place has been fixed to which the young men are to go. ^21:3So now, if you have here five cakes of bread, give them into my hand, or whatever you have. ^21:4And the priest, answering David, said, I have no common bread here but there is holy bread; if only the young men have kept themselves from women. ^21:5And David in answer said to the priest, Certainly women have been kept from us; and as has been done before when I have gone out the arms of the young men were made holy, even though it was a common journey; how much more today will their arms be made holy. ^21:6So the priest gave him the holy bread: there was no other, only the holy bread which had been taken from before the Lord, so that new bread might be put in its place on the day when it was taken away. ^21:7Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, kept back before the Lord; his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the strongest of Saul's runners. ^21:8And David said to Ahimelech, Have you no sword or spear with you here? for I have come without my sword and other arms, because the king's business had to be done quickly. ^21:9And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you put to death in the valley of Elah, is here folded in a cloth at the back of the ephod: take that, if you will, for there is no other sword here. And David said, there is no other sword like that; give it to me. ^21:10Then David got up and went in flight that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish, the king of Gath. ^21:11And the servants of Achish said to him, Is not this David, the king of the land? did they not make songs about him in their dances, saying, Saul has put to death thousands, and David tens of thousands? ^21:12And David took these words to heart, fearing Achish, the king of Gath. ^21:13So changing his behaviour before them, he made it seem as if he was off his head, hammering on the doors of the town, and letting the water from his mouth go down his chin. ^21:14Then Achish said to his servants, Look! the man is clearly off his head; why have you let him come before me? ^21:15Are there not enough unbalanced men about me, that you have let this person come and do such tricks before me? is such a man to come into my house?

^22:1So David went away from there and took cover in a strong place at Adullam; and his brothers and all his father's people, hearing of it, went down to him there. ^22:2And everyone who was in trouble, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul, came together to him, and he became captain over them: about four hundred men were joined to him. ^22:3And from there David went to Mizpeh in the land of Moab: and he said to the king of Moab, Let my father and mother come and make their living-place with you till it is clear to me what God will do for me. ^22:4And he took them to the king of Moab and they went on living with him while David was in his safe place. ^22:5And the prophet Gad said to David, Do not go on living in this place but go into the land of Judah. Then David went away and came to the woodland of Hereth. ^22:6And news was given to Saul that David had been seen, and the men who were with him: now Saul was in Gibeah, seated under the tree in the high place, with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were in their places before him. ^22:7Then Saul said to his servants who were there about him, Give ear now, you Benjamites; will the son of Jesse give to every one of you fields and vine-gardens, will he make you all captains of hundreds and captains of thousands; ^22:8That all of you have made designs against me, and not one of you gave me word when my son made an agreement with the son of Jesse, and not one of you has pity for me or has made my eyes open to the fact that my servant has been moved by my son against me, as at this day? ^22:9Then Doeg, the Edomite, who was by the side of the servants of Saul, in answer said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub. ^22:10And he got directions from the Lord for him, and gave him food, and put in his hand the sword of Goliath the Philistine. ^22:11Then the king sent for Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and for all the men of his father's family who were priests in Nob: and they all came to the king. ^22:12And Saul said, Give ear now, O son of Ahitub. And answering he said, Here I am, my lord. ^22:13And Saul said to him, Why have you made designs against me with the son of Jesse, giving him food and a sword and getting directions from the Lord for him, and helping him to take up arms against me, and to be on the watch to make a secret attack on me as he is doing now? ^22:14Then Ahimelech answering said to the king, Who among all your servants is so true to you as David, who is the king's son-in-law, and is a captain of your armed men, and has a place of honour in your house? ^22:15Is this the first time I have got directions from God for him? Far be the thought! let the king make no such statement against his servant or my father's family, for your servant has no knowledge, great or small, of this thing. ^22:16And the king said, You will certainly be put to death, Ahimelech, you and all your father's family. ^22:17Then the king said to the runners who were waiting near him, Put the priests of the Lord to death; because they are on David's side, and having knowledge of his flight, did not give me word of it. But the king's servants would not put out their hands to make an attack on the Lord's priests. ^22:18Then the king said to Doeg, You are to put the priests to death. And Doeg the Edomite, turning on the priests and attacking them, put to death that day eighty-five men who took up the ephod. ^22:19And Nob, the town of the priests, he put to the sword, all the men and women, children and babies at the breast, and oxen and asses and sheep. ^22:20And Abiathar, one of the sons of Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub, got away and went in flight after David; ^22:21And gave him the news of how Saul had put to death the Lord's priests. ^22:22And David said to Abiathar, I was certain that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would take the news to Saul: I am responsible for the lives of all your father's family. ^22:23Keep here with me and have no fear; for he who has designs on my life has designs on yours: but with me you will be safe.

^23:1And they sent word to David, saying, The Philistines are fighting against Keilah and taking the grain from the grain-floors. ^23:2So David, questioning the Lord, said, Am I to go and make an attack on these Philistines? And the Lord said to David, Go and make an attack on the Philistines so that Keilah may be kept from falling into their hands. ^23:3And David's men said to him, Even here in Judah we are full of fear: how much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines? ^23:4Then David put the question to the Lord again, and the Lord answering said, Up! go down to Keilah; for I will give the Philistines into your hands. ^23:5So David and his men went to Keilah, and had a fight with the Philistines, and took away their cattle, and put them to the sword with great destruction. So David was the saviour of the people of Keilah. ^23:6Now when Abiathar, the son of Ahimelech, went in flight to David, he came down to Keilah with the ephod in his hand. ^23:7And news was given to Saul that David had come to Keilah. And Saul said, Now God has given him into my hands; for by going into a walled town with locked doors, he has let himself be shut in. ^23:8And Saul sent for all the people to come to the fight, and go down to Keilah to make an attack on David and his men. ^23:9And it was clear to David that Saul had evil designs against him, and he said to Abiathar the priest, Come here with the ephod. ^23:10Then David said, O Lord, the God of Israel, news has been given to your servant that it is Saul's purpose to come to Keilah and send destruction on the town because of me. ^23:11And now, is it true, as they have said to me, that Saul is coming? O Lord, the God of Israel, give ear to your servant, and say if these things are so. And the Lord said, He is coming down. ^23:12Then David said, Will the men of Keilah give me and my men up to Saul? and the Lord said, They will give you up. ^23:13Then David and his men, about six hundred of them, went out of Keilah, and got away wherever they were able to go. And Saul, hearing that David had got away from Keilah, did not go there. ^23:14And David kept in the waste land, in safe places, waiting in the hill-country in the waste land of Ziph. And Saul was searching for him every day, but God did not give him up into his hands. ^23:15And David was full of fear, in the knowledge that Saul had come out to take his life; and David was in the waste land of Ziph, in Horesh. ^23:16And Saul's son Jonathan went to David in Horesh, and made his hands strong in God; ^23:17And said to him, Have no fear, for Saul my father will not get you into his power; and you will be king of Israel, and I will be by your side, and my father Saul is certain of this. ^23:18And the two of them made an agreement before the Lord: and David went on living in Horesh, and Jonathan went back to his house. ^23:19Then the Ziphites came up to Gibeah to see Saul, and said, Is not David living secretly among us in the strong places in Horesh, in the hill of Hachilah to the south of the waste land? ^23:20So now, O king, have your soul's desire and come down, and we, for our part, will give him up into the king's hands. ^23:21And Saul said, The Lord's blessing will be yours, for you have had pity on me. ^23:22Go now, and take more steps, and see where he is living: for they say that he is expert in deceit. ^23:23So take care to get knowledge of all the secret places where he is taking cover, and be certain to come back to me, and I will go with you: and without doubt, if he is anywhere in the land, I will get him, among all the families of Judah. ^23:24And they went back and came to Ziph before Saul: but David and his men were in the waste land of Maon, in the dry land south of the waste land. ^23:25And Saul and his men went in search of him. And David had word of it, so he came down to the rock in the waste land of Maon. And Saul, hearing of this, went after David into the waste land of Maon. ^23:26And Saul and his men went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men went on the other: and David's purpose was to get away as quickly as possible, for fear of Saul; for Saul and his men were making a circle round David and his men in order to take them. ^23:27But a man came to Saul saying, Be quick and come; for the Philistines have made an attack on the land. ^23:28So turning back from going after David, Saul went against the Philistines: so that place was named Sela-hammah-lekoth. ^23:29And from there, David went up and took cover in the safe place of En-gedi.

^24:1Now when Saul came back from fighting the Philistines, news was given him that David was in the waste land of En-gedi. ^24:2Then Saul took three thousand of the best men out of all Israel, and went in search of David and his men on the rocks of the mountain goats. ^24:3And on the way he came to a place where sheep were kept, where there was a hollow in the rock; and Saul went in for a private purpose. Now David and his men were in the deepest part of the hollow. ^24:4And David's men said to him, Now is the time when the Lord says to you, I will give up your hater into your hands to do with him whatever seems good to you. Then David, getting up, took the skirt of Saul's robe in his hand, cutting off the end of it without his knowledge. ^24:5And later, David was full of regret for cutting off Saul's skirt. ^24:6And David said to his men, Before the Lord, never let it be said that my hand was lifted up against my lord, the man of the Lord's selection, for the Lord's holy oil has been put on him. ^24:7So with these words David kept his servants back, and did not let them make an attack on Saul. And Saul got up and went on his way. ^24:8And after that David came out of the hollow rock, and crying after Saul said, My lord the king. And when Saul gave a look back, David went down on his face and gave him honour. ^24:9And David said to Saul, Why do you give any attention to those who say that it is my desire to do you wrong? ^24:10Look! you have seen today how the Lord gave you up into my hands even now in the hollow of the rocks: and some would have had me put you to death, but I had pity on you: for I said, Never will my hand be lifted up against my lord, who has been marked with the holy oil. ^24:11And see, my father, see the skirt of your robe in my hand: for the fact that I took off the skirt of your robe and did not put you to death is witness that I have no evil purpose, and I have done you no wrong, though you are waiting for my life to take it. ^24:12May the Lord be judge between me and you, and may the Lord give me my rights against you, but my hand will never be lifted up against you. ^24:13There is an old saying, From the evil-doer comes evil: but my hand will never be lifted up against you. ^24:14After whom has the king of Israel come out? for whom are you searching? for a dead dog, an insect. ^24:15So let the Lord be judge, and give a decision between me and you, and see and give support to my cause, and keep me from falling into your hands. ^24:16Now when David had said these words to Saul, Saul said, Is this your voice, David, my son? And Saul was overcome with weeping. ^24:17And he said to David, You are right and I am wrong: for you have given me back good, but I have given you evil. ^24:18And you have made clear to me how good you have been to me today: because, when the Lord gave me up into your hands, you did not put me to death. ^24:19If a man comes across his hater, will he let him get away safe? so may you be rewarded by the Lord for what you have done for me today. ^24:20And now I am certain that you will be king, and that the kingdom of Israel will be made strong under your authority. ^24:21So give me your oath by the Lord, that you will not put an end to my seed after me or let my name be cut off from my father's family. ^24:22And David gave Saul his oath. And Saul went back to his house; but David and his men went up to their safe place.

^25:1And death came to Samuel; and all Israel came together, weeping for him, and put his body in its resting-place in his house at Ramah. Then David went down to the waste land of Maon. ^25:2Now there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel; he was a great man and had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats: and he was cutting the wool of his sheep in Carmel. ^25:3Now this man was named Nabal, and his wife's name was Abigail: she was a woman of good sense and pleasing looks: but the man was cruel and evil in his ways; he was of the family of Caleb. ^25:4And David had word in the waste land that Nabal was cutting the wool of his sheep. ^25:5And David sent ten young men, and said to them, Go up to Carmel and go to Nabal, and say kind words to him in my name; ^25:6And say this to my brother, May all be well for you: peace be to you and your house and all you have. ^25:7I have had word that you have wool-cutters: now the keepers of your sheep have been with us, and we have done them no evil, and taken nothing of theirs while they were in Carmel. ^25:8If your young men are questioned they will say the same thing. So now, let my young men have grace in your eyes, for we are come at a good time; please give anything you may have by you to your servants and to your son David. ^25:9And when David's young men came, they said all this to Nabal, in David's name, and said nothing more. ^25:10And Nabal gave them his answer and said, Who is David? who is the son of Jesse? there are a number of servants in these days running away from their masters. ^25:11Am I to take my bread and my wine and the meat I have got ready for my wool-cutters and give it to men coming from I have no idea where? ^25:12So David's young men, turning away, went back and gave him an account of everything he had said. ^25:13And David said to his men, Put on your swords, every one of you. And every man put on his sword; and David did the same; and about four hundred men went up with David, and two hundred kept watch over their goods. ^25:14But one of the young men said to Nabal's wife Abigail, David sent men from the waste land to say kind words to our master, and he gave them a rough answer. ^25:15But these men have been very good to us; they did us no wrong and nothing of ours was touched while we were with them in the fields: ^25:16But day and night they were like a wall round us while we were with them, looking after the sheep. ^25:17So now, give thought to what you are going to do; for evil is in store for our master and all his house: for he is such a good-for-nothing person that it is not possible to say anything to him. ^25:18Then Abigail quickly took two hundred cakes of bread and two skins full of wine and five sheep ready for cooking and five measures of dry grain and a hundred parcels of dry grapes and two hundred cakes of figs, and put them on asses. ^25:19And she said to her young men, Go on in front of me and I will come after you. But she said nothing to her husband Nabal. ^25:20Now while she was going down under cover of the mountain on her ass, David and his men came down against her, and suddenly she came face to face with them. ^25:21Now David had said, What was the use of my taking care of this man's goods in the waste land, so that there was no loss of anything which was his? he has only given me back evil for good. ^25:22May God's punishment be on David, if when morning comes there is so much as one male of his people still living. ^25:23And when Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her ass, falling down on her face before him. ^25:24And falling at his feet she said, May the wrong be on me, my lord, on me: let your servant say a word to you, and give ear to the words of your servant. ^25:25Let my lord give no attention to Nabal, that good-for-nothing: for as his name is, so is he, a man without sense: but I, your servant, did not see the young men whom my lord sent. ^25:26So now, my lord, by the living God and by your living soul, seeing that the Lord has kept you from the crime of blood and from taking into your hands the punishment for your wrongs, may all your haters, and those who would do evil to my lord, be like Nabal. ^25:27And let this offering, which your servant gives to my lord, be given to the young men who are with my lord. ^25:28And may the sin of your servant have forgiveness: for the Lord will certainly make your family strong, because my lord is fighting in the Lord's war; and no evil will be seen in you all your days. ^25:29And though a man has taken up arms against you, putting your life in danger, still the soul of my lord will be kept safe among the band of the living with the Lord your God; and the souls of those who are against you he will send violently away from him, like stones from a bag. ^25:30And when the Lord has done for my lord all those good things which he has said he will do for you, and has made you a ruler over Israel; ^25:31Then you will have no cause for grief, and my lord's heart will not be troubled because you have taken life without cause and have yourself given punishment for your wrongs: and when the Lord has been good to you, then give a thought to your servant. ^25:32And David said to Abigail, May the Lord, the God of Israel, be praised, who sent you to me today: ^25:33A blessing on your good sense and on you, who have kept me today from the crime of blood and from taking into my hands the punishment for my wrongs. ^25:34For truly, by the living Lord, the God of Israel, who has kept me from doing you evil, if you had not been so quick in coming to me and meeting me, by dawn there would not have been in Nabal's house so much as one male living. ^25:35Then David took from her hands her offering: and he said to her, Go back to your house in peace; see, I have given ear to your voice, and taken your offering with respect. ^25:36And Abigail went back to Nabal; and he was feasting in his house like a king; and Nabal's heart was full of joy, for he had taken much wine; so she said nothing to him till dawn came. ^25:37And in the morning, when the effect of the wine was gone, Nabal's wife gave him an account of all these things, and all the heart went out of him, and he became like stone. ^25:38And about ten days after, the Lord sent disease on Nabal and death came to him. ^25:39And David, hearing that Nabal was dead, said, May the Lord be praised, who has taken up my cause against Nabal for the shame which he put on me, and has kept back his servant from evil, and has sent on Nabal's head the reward of his evil-doing. And David sent word to Abigail, desiring to take her as his wife. ^25:40And when David's servants came to Carmel, to Abigail, they said to her, David has sent us to you to take you to him as his wife. ^25:41And she got up, and going down on her face to the earth, said, See, I am ready to be a servant-girl, washing the feet of the servants of my lord. ^25:42Then Abigail got up quickly and went on her ass, with five of her young women, after the men whom David had sent; and she became David's wife. ^25:43And David had taken Ahinoam of Jezreel, to be his wife; these two were his wives. ^25:44Now Saul had given his daughter Michal, David's wife, to Palti the son of Laish of Gallim.