Abide with me! do not fear, for, whoso seeketh my life, seeketh thy life, - for, in safeguard, shall thou be, with me.

Then David abode in the wilderness, in the fortresses, and he abode in the hill country, in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him continually, but God delivered him not into his hand.

and said unto him, - Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee, but, thou, shalt become king over Israel, and, I, shall be, next, unto thee, yea and, Saul my father, knoweth this.

Then came up the Ziphites unto Saul in Gibeah, saying, - Is not David hiding himself with us, in the strongholds in the thicket, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the right of Jeshimon?

So David did chide his men with the words, and did not suffer them to rise up against Saul. And, Saul, rose up out of the cave, and went on his way.

Lo! this day, have thine own eyes seen, how Yahweh had delivered thee up, to-day, into my hand in the cave, and, when one bade me slay thee, I looked with compassion upon thee, - and I said - I will not thrust forth my hand against my lord, for, the Anointed of Yahweh, is he!

But, my father, see, yea, see, the corner of thy robe in my hand, - for, in that I cut off the corner of thy robe, and yet did not slay thee, know thou, and see, that there is not in my hand either wrong or transgression, neither have I sinned against thee, yet art thou hunting my life, to take it.

Let Yahweh do justice betwixt me and thee, and let Yahweh avenge me of thee, - but, mine own hand, shall not be upon thee.

As saith the proverb of the ancients, From the lawless, proceedeth lawlessness, - mine own hand, therefore shall not be upon thee.

Thou, then, hast told to-day, how thou hast dealt with me, for good, - how, when Yahweh had surrendered me into thy hand, thou didst not slay me.

Now, therefore, swear unto me by Yahweh, that thou wilt not eat off my seed, after me, - and wilt not destroy my name out of the house my father.

Now, therefore, have I heard that thou hast shearers, - Well, the shepherds that thou hast, have been with us, we reproached them not, neither missed they, anything, all the days they were in Carmel.

Shall I, then, take my bread, and my wine, and my slain beasts, that I have slaughtered for my shearers, - and give unto men of whom I know not whence they are?

But, the men, were exceeding good to us, - and we were not harmed, neither missed we, anything, all the days we went to and fro with them, while we were in the fields:

A wall, became they unto us, both by night and by day, all the days we were with them, tending the flock.

Let it not be, I pray thee, that my lord regard this abandoned man - Nabal; For, as his name is, so, is he. Nabal, is his name, and, baseness, is with him, - But, I, thy handmaid, saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send.

Forgive, I pray thee, the trespass of thy handmaid, - for Yahweh, will certainly make, for my lord an assured house, for, the battles of Yahweh, is my lord fighting, and, wrong, shall not be found in thee, all thy days;

then shall this not become to thee a staggering and stumbling of heart, unto my lord - that thou didst either shed blood without need, or that the hand of my lord saved himself. And, when Yahweh hath dealt well with my lord, then remember thou thy handmaid.

Nevertheless, by the life of Yahweh, God of Israel, who hath restrained me from harming, thee, surely, except thou hadst hastened and come to meet me, there had not been left unto Nabal, by the light of the morning, so much as a little boy.

And the Ziphites came unto Saul in Gibeah, saying, - Is not David hiding himself in the hill of Hachilah, overlooking Jeshimon?

So David came, with Abishai, unto the people by night, and lo! Saul lying asleep, within the trench, and his spear stuck in the ground, at his head, - and Abner and the people lying round about him.

Then said Abishai unto David, God hath surrendered, to-day, thine enemy, into thy hand: Now, therefore, let me smite him, I pray thee, with the spear to the earth, at one stroke, I, will not do it twice.

But David said unto Abishai, Do not destroy him, - for who that hath thrust forth his hand against the Anointed of Yahweh, shall be guiltless?

And David cried aloud unto the people, and unto Abner son of Ner, saying, Wilt thou not answer, Abner? Then answered Abner, and said, Who art thou, that hast cried aloud unto the king?

And David said unto Abner - Art not thou, a man? Who indeed is like thee, in Israel? Wherefore, then, hast thou not kept watch over thy lord, the king? For one of the people hath entered, to destroy the king - thy lord.

Not good, is this thing which thou hast done, by the life of Yahweh, verily, worthy of death, ye are, in that ye have not kept watch over your lord, over, the Anointed of Yahweh. Now, therefore, see where the spear of the king is, and the cruse of water, that was at his head?

Now, therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth, away from the presence of Yahweh, - for the king of Israel hath come out to hunt for a single flea, as when one pursueth a partridge among the mountains.

And let, Yahweh, give back to each man, his righteousness, and his faithfulness, - in that Yahweh delivered thee, to-day, into my hand, but I would not thrust forth my hand against the Anointed of Yahweh.

Then Saul enquired of Yahweh, but Yahweh answered him not, - neither by Dreams, nor by the Lights, nor by prophets.

Saul therefore disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and departed - he and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night, - and he said - Divine for me, I pray thee, by the familiar spirit, and bring up for me - whomsoever I shall name unto thee.

And the king said unto her - Be not afraid, but what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, A god, saw I, coming up out of the earth.

As thou didst not hearken unto the voice of Yahweh, neither didst execute the glow of his anger upon Amalek, therefore, this thing, hath Yahweh done unto thee this day;

Then Saul hastened, and fell prostrate - the whole length of him - to the earth, and was sore afraid, at the words of Samuel, and indeed, no, strength, was left in him, for he had not eaten food all the day and all the night.

But he refused, and said - I will not eat. But, when his servants, and the woman also, strongly urged him, then hearkened he unto their voice, - and rose up from the earth, and sat on the bed.

and brought near before Saul and before his servants, and they did eat. Then rose they up and departed, the same night.

Then said the princes of the Philistines, What are these Hebrews doing ? And Achish said unto the princes of the Philistines - Is not this David, servant of Saul king of Israel, who hath been with me this year, or two, and I have found in him nothing, from the day of his coming over unto me unto this day?

But the princes of the Philistines raged against him, and the princes of the Philistines said unto him - Let the man go back, that he may return unto the place which thou didst appoint him, and let him not go down with us, into battle, so shall he not become to us a traitor, in the battle, - for, wherewith, should this fellow gain favour with his lord? Would it not be with the heads of those men?

Is not this David, of whom they made responses in the dances, saying, - Saul, hath smitten, his thousands, But, David, his, tens of thousands?

Now, therefore, return, and go in peace, - so shalt thou not do wrong in the eyes of the lords of the Philistines.

Then said David unto Achish - But what have I done? and what hast thou found in thy servant, from the day that I came before thee, unto this day, - that I may not go in and fight, with the enemies of my lord the king.

Then answered Achish, and said unto David, I acknowledge that, pleasing, thou art in mine eyes, as a messenger of God, - notwithstanding, the princes of the Philistines, have said, He shall not go up with us, into the battle.

and had taken captive the women and all who were therein, from small even unto great, they had not put one to death, - but had driven them forth, and gone their way.

And David said unto him, Wilt thou bring me down unto this troop? And he said - Swear unto me by God, that thou wilt not put me to death, neither wilt thou surrender me into the hand of my lord, and I will bring thee down unto this troop.

And David smote them, from the closing twilight even unto the evening of the next day, - and there escaped not of them a man, save four hundred young men who rode upon camels, and fled.

Then responded every man who was bad and abandoned, from among the men who had been with David, and said - Because they went not with me there shall not be given them of the spoil that we have rescued, - save, to every man, his wife and his children, let them put them forth, then, and go.

Then said David, Ye shall not do so, my brethren, - with that which Yahweh hath given to us, who hath preserved us, and delivered the troop that came against us into our hand.

Then said Saul to his armour-bearer - Draw thy sword and pierce me through therewith, lest these uncircumcised come, and pierce me through, and abuse me. But his armour-bearer was not willing, for he was sore afraid. So Saul took his sword and fell thereon.

then arose all the men of valour, and journeyed all the night, and took the body of Saul, and the bodies of his sons, from the wall of Beth-shan, - and came to Jabesh, and burned them there;

So I took my stand by him, and put him to death, for I perceived that he could not survive his fall, - so I took the crown that was on his head, and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them in unto my lord, here.

And David said unto him, - How wast thou not afraid to thrust forth thy hand, to destroy the Anointed of Yahweh?

Do not tell it in Gath, Do not publish it in the streets of Ashkelon, - lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the Uncircumcised triumph.

Saul and Jonathan, delightfully loving in their lives, even, in their death, were not divided, - Beyond eagles, were they swift, beyond lions, were they strong!

And Asahel pursued Abner, - and turned not, in going, to the right hand or to the left, from pursuing Abner.

Then Abner said to him - Turn thee aside, to thy right hand, or to thy left, and lay thee hold on one of the young men, and take thee his armour. But Asahel would not turn aside from pursuing him.

then Abner cried aloud unto Joab, and said - To the uttermost, must the sword devour? Dost thou not well know that, bitter, shall it be, in the latter end? How long, then, wilt thou not bid the people turn back from pursuing their own brethren?

Then said Joab - As God liveth, surely, if thou hadst not spoken, then in the morning, the people would of themselves have gone up, every man from pursuing his brother.

And, Abner and his men, journeyed through the waste plain all that night, - and crossed the Jordan, and went through all the Bithron, and entered Mahanaim.

And they carried Asahel, and buried him in the grave of his father, which was in Bethlehem, - and Joab and his men journeyed all the night, and had daylight in Hebron.

And it provoked Abner greatly, on account of the words of Ish-bosheth, and he said - Am I, the head of the dogs, that pertain unto Judah? To-day, would I deal in lovingkindness with the house of Saul thy father, towards his brethren, and towards his friends, and have not delivered thee into the hand of David, - and yet thou hast charged upon me the transgression of the woman, today.

So, may God do unto Abner, and, so, may he add to him, - if, as Yahweh hath sworn unto David, even so, I deal not with him;

And he said - Good! I, will solemnise with thee a covenant, - but, one thing, must I ask of thee, saying - Thou shalt not see my face, except thou have brought in Michal, Saul's daughter, when thou comest to see my face.

And lo! the servants of David, and Joab, came in from a raid, and, great spoil, brought they in with them; but, Abner, was not with David in Hebron, for he had let him go, and he had departed in peace.

And, when Joab had come out from David, he sent messengers after Abner, and brought him back from the well of Sirah, - but, David, knew it not.

Let it be hurled upon the head of Joab, and against all his father's house, - and let there not fail from the house of Joab - one that hath an issue, or a leper, or one that leaneth on a crutch, or that falleth by the sword, or that lacketh bread.

Thy hands, were not bound, And, thy feet, near to fetters, were not brought, As one falleth before assassins, so didst thou fall! And again all the people wept over him.

And, all the people, took note of it, and it was noble in their eyes, - as, all that the king did, was, in the eyes of all the people, noble.

So then all the people, and all Israel, took note, that day, that it was not of the king, to cause the death of Abner son of Ner.

And the king said unto his servants, - Will ye not take note that, a prince and a great man, hath fallen this day, in Israel?

Thus they entered the house when, he, was lying on his bed, in his sleeping-chamber, and smote him, and slew him, and beheaded him, - and took his head, and journeyed by way of the waste plain all the night;

how much more, when, lawless men, have slain a righteous person, in his own house, upon his bed? -- Now, therefore, must I not require his blood at your hands, and so consume you, out of the earth?

Then went the king and his men, to Jerusalem, against the Jebusites, inhabiting the land, - and they spake to David, saying - Thou canst not come in hither, unless thou take away the blind and lame - Thinking, David will not come in hither.

And David said, on that day - Whosoever is smiting the Jebusites, then let him reach as far as the aqueduct. But, as for the lame and the blind, they were the hated of David's soul, - for which cause, they kept on saying, Blind and lame! he will not enter the place.

So David enquired of Yahweh, and he said - Thou shalt not go up, - Get round behind them, and come in upon them, over against the mulberry-trees.

So David would not remove unto him the ark of Yahweh, unto the city of David, - but David took it aside to the house of Obed-edom, the Gittite.

But so it was, in that night, that the word of Yahweh came unto Nathan, saying:

seeing that I have not dwelt in a house, since the day that I brought up the sons of Israel out of Egypt, even unto this day, - but have been wandering in a tent as my habitation?

Wheresoever I have wandered with any of the sons of Israel, spake I ever, a word, with any one of the tribes of Israel, whom I charged to shepherd my people Israel, saying, - Wherefore have ye not built me a house, of cedar?

But, my lovingkindness, shall not depart from him, - as I caused it to depart from Saul, whom I caused to depart from before thee.

And David said to him - Do not fear, for I will, indeed shew, thee lovingkindness, for the sake of Jonathan thy father, and will restore unto thee all the land of Saul thy father, - but, thou thyself, shall eat bread at my table, continually.

Then said the rulers of the sons of Ammon unto Hanun their lord - Is David honouring thy father, in thine eyes, that he hath sent unto thee comforters? Is it not, for the sake of exploring the city, and spying it out, and overthrowing it, that David hath sent his servants unto thee?

And David sent and enquired after the woman, - and one said - Is not, this, Bath-sheba, daughter of Eliam, wife of Uriah the Hittite?

But Uriah slept at the entrance of the king's house, with all the servants of his lord, - and went not down unto his own house.

And it was told David, saying, Uriah went not down, unto his own house. So David said unto Uriah - Was it not, from a journey, thou didst come? why, then, hast thou not been down unto thine own house?

And Uriah said unto David - The ark, and Israel and Judah, are dwelling in huts and, my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord, on the face of the field, are encamped, Was, I, then, to enter my own house, to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? By thy life, yea by the life of thy soul, I could not do this thing.

And David called him, and he did eat before him, and drank, and he made him drunk, - and he went forth in the evening to lie down on his bed, with the servants of his lord, but, unto his own house, went he not down.

then shall it be, if the king's anger arise, and he say unto thee, Why came ye near unto the city, to fight? Knew ye not, that they would shoot from off the wall?

Who smote Abimelech son of Jerubbaal? Did not, a woman, cast on him an upper millstone from off the wall, that he died, in Thebez? Wherefore came ye near unto the wall? Then shalt thou say - Moreover, thy servant, Uriah the Hittite, died.

Then said David unto the messenger - Thus, shalt thou say unto Joab, - Let not this thing be grievous in thine eyes, for, now this one, and then that one, doth the sword devour, - make hot thy battle against the city, and overthrow it; Thus embolden thou him.

Now, therefore, the sword shall not depart from thy house, unto age-abiding times, - because thou hast despised me, and taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.

And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against Yahweh. Then said Nathan unto David, - Yahweh also, hath put away thy sin, thou shalt not die!

David therefore earnestly sought God in behalf of the boy, - and David kept a fast, and used to go in and pass the night, and lie upon the ground.

And the elders of his house stood up over him, to raise him from the ground, - but he would not, neither would he eat food with them.

And it came to pass, on the seventh day, that the child died, - but the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead, for said they - Lo! while the child was living, we spake unto him, and he hearkened not unto our voice, how then can we say unto him, The child is dead, and so he do himself harm?

And he said, - While yet the child lived, I fasted, and wept, - for I said - Who knoweth whether Yahweh may not grant me favour, and the child live?

But, now, that he is dead, wherefore should I go on fasting? can I bring him back again? I am going unto him, but, he, will not come back unto me.

So he said to him, - Why art thou looking so wretched - a king's son too - morning by morning? Wilt thou not tell me? And Amnon said to him, With Tamar, my brother Absolom's sister, am I in love.

But she said to him - Nay! my brother, do not force me, for it should not be done so in Israel, - do not commit this vileness.

And, I, - whither could I take my reproach? Thou, too, wouldest be as one of the vile fellows, in Israel. Now, therefore, speak, I pray thee, unto the king, for he would not withhold me from thee.

But he would not hearken unto her voice, - and, being stronger than she, forced her, and lay with her.

But she said to him - No occasion for this greater wrong, after what thou hast done with me, to put me away! Nevertheless he would not hearken unto her;