And they sent messengers unto the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, saying, - The Philistines have returned the ark of Yahweh, come down, fetch it up unto you.

According to all the doings which they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt, even until this day, in that they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so, are they doing even unto thee.

And, when they had come down from the high place into the city, he spread a couch for Saul upon the house-top, and he lay down.

And it came to pass, at the uprisings of the dawn, that Samuel called unto Saul on the house-top, saying, Arise! that I may send thee away. So Saul arose, and they two, he and Samuel, went forth abroad.

As they were going down the end of the city, Samuel, said unto Saul - Bid the young man, that he pass on before us, (and he passed on) but, thou, stand still where thou art, that I may let time hear the word of God.

After that, shalt thou come unto the hill of God, where is the garrison of the Philistines, - and it shall be, as thou comest in thither into the city, thou shalt light upon a band of prophets, coming down from the high place, and, before them, a harp, and a timbrel, and a flute, and a lyre, they having been moved to prophesy.

And thou shalt go down before me to Gilgal, for lo! I am coming down unto thee, to offer up ascending-offerings, to sacrifice peace-offerings, - seven days, shalt thou tarry, until I come unto thee, then will I let thee know what thou shalt do.

So he took a yoke of oxen, and cut them in pieces, and sent throughout all the bounds of Israel by the hand of messengers - saying, Whosoever cometh not forth after Saul, and after Samuel, so, shall it be done unto his oxen. Then felt the dread of Yahweh, upon the people, and they came forth, as one man.

Is it not wheat harvest, to-day? I will cry unto Yahweh, that he may give forth thunderings and rain, - know ye then and see, that, your wrong, is great which ye have done in the sight of Yahweh, in asking for yourselves, a king.

Then said Samuel unto the people - Do not fear, ye, have done all this wrong, - nevertheless, do not turn aside from following Yahweh, but serve Yahweh, with all your heart;

Only, revere Yahweh, and serve him in truth, with all your heart, - for see, what great things he hath done with you.

Then said Samuel - What hast thou done? And Saul said - Because I saw that the people had been scattered from me, and, thou, hadst not come within the appointed days, and, the Philistines, had gathered themselves together to Michmash,

therefore I said - Now, will the Philistines come down against me, at Gilgal, but, the face of Yahweh, have I not appeased: So I forced myself, and offered up the ascending-sacrifice.

So all Israel went down to the Philistines, - to sharpen every man his share, and his mattock, and his axe, and his sickle.

Then said Saul - Let us go down after the Philistines by night, and make of them a prey until the morning light, and let us not leave of them, a man. And they said, All that is good in thine eyes, do! Then said the priest, Let us draw near hither unto God.

So Saul asked of God, Shall I go down after the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into the hand of Israel? But he answered him not, that day.

And Saul said unto Jonathan, Come tell me, what thou hast done. So Jonathan told him, and said, I, just tasted, with the end of the staff that was in my hand, a little honey, here I am - I must die!

So then Saul called together the people, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, - and ten thousand men of Judah.

Then said Saul unto the Kenites - Go, depart, get you down out of the midst of the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them, yet, ye, dealt in lovingkindness, with all the sons of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed out of the midst of the Amalekites.

Now, therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, - and turn again with me, that I may bow down unto Yahweh.

Then he said: I have sinned, Now, honour me, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, - and turn again with me, then will I bow down unto Yahweh thy God.

So then Samuel turned again, after Saul - and Saul bowed down unto Yahweh.

And he took his stand, and cried unto the ranks of Israel, and said unto them, Wherefore should ye come out, to set in array for battle? Am not, I, a Philistine, while, ye, are servants unto Saul? Choose you a man, and let him come down unto me:

And Jesse said unto David his son, Take, I pray thee, unto thy brethren - this ephah of parched corn, and these ten loaves, - and run to the camp unto thy brethren;

also these ten slices of soft cheese, shalt thou take to the captain of their thousand, - and, as for thy brethren, give good heed to their welfare, their pledge, also shalt thou receive.

Then spake David unto the men that were standing by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that shall smite yonder Philistine, and so shall take away reproach from off Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he hath reproached the ranks of a Living God?

And the people answered him, according to this word saying, - So, shall it be done to the man that shall smite him.

Now Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men, - then was kindled the anger of Eliab against David, and he said - Wherefore is it that thou hast come down? and to whom hast thou entrusted those few sheep in the wilderness? I, know thy pride, and the foolishness of thy heart, for, to see the battle, hast thou come down.

And David said, What have I done, now? Was there not, a cause?

Then was Saul exceeding angry, and this saying was offensive in his eyes, and he said, - They have ascribed, to David, ten thousands, but, to me, have they ascribed thousands, - What, more, then, can he have but, the kingdom?

And, when it came to pass, on the morrow, that a superhuman spirit of sadness came suddenly upon Saul, and he was moved to raving in the midst of the house, - and, David, began playing with his hand, as he had done day by day, that a spear being in Saul's hand,

So Michal let down David, through the window, and he departed and fled, and escaped.

So, David, fled, and escaped, and came in unto Samuel in Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him, - and he and Samuel departed, and dwelt in Naioth.

And David fled from Naioth, in Ramah, - and came in, and said before Jonathan - What have I done? What is my transgression, and what my sin, before thy father, that he seeketh my life?

and, when thou hast tarried three days, thou shalt come down quickly and enter the place, where thou didst hide thyself on the day of the deed, and shall remain by the side of this mound.

So David hid himself in the field - and, when the new moon had come, the king sat down to eat, food,

yea the king sat down on his seat, as at other times, by the seat against the wall, and, when Jonathan arose, Abner seated himself by the side of Saul, - but David's place was empty.

And Jonathan responded to Saul his father, - and said unto him - Wherefore must he be put to death, What hath he done?

As soon as, the lad, was gone, David, arose from beside the South, and fell on his face to the earth, and bowed himself down three times, - and they kissed each other, and wept over each other, until, David, exceeded.

So he feigned himself mad, in their sight, and raged in their hand, - and struck against the doors of the gate, and let his spittle run down upon his beard.

David therefore departed thence, and escaped, into the cave of Adullam, - and, when his brethren and all the household of his father heard it, they went down unto him, thither.

So David yet again enquired if Yahweh, and Yahweh answered him, - and said - Arise, go down to Keilah, for I am about to deliver the Philistines into thy hand.

Now it came to pass, when Abiathar, son of Ahimelech, fled unto David to Keilah, that he came down with, an ephod, in his hand.

So Saul summoned all the people to war, - to go down to Keilah, to besiege David, and his men.

Will the owners of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as thy servant hath heard? O Yahweh, God of Israel, I pray thee, tell thy servant. And Yahweh said - He will come down.

Now, therefore, according to all the desire of thy soul O king, to come down, come! and, ours, will it be to surrender him into the hand of the king.

Then Saul and his men departed, to seek him ; but it had been told David, and he had gone down the cliff, and taken up his abode in the wilderness of Maon, - and when Saul had, heard it, he pursued David in the wilderness of Maon.

Then David rose up, afterwards, and went forth out of the cave, and cried out after Saul, saying - My lord, O king! And, when Saul looked about behind him, David inclined his face to the earth, and bowed himself down.

Yet, when a man findeth his enemy, will he let him get easily away? Yahweh, then, give thee, good, reward for what, this day, thou hast done unto me.

And Samuel died, and all Israel were gathered together, and made lamentation for him, and buried him within his own house, in Ramah, - and David arose and went down into the wilderness of Maon.

David, therefore, sent ten young men, - and David said unto the young men, - Go up to Carmel, and enter in unto Nabal, and ye shall ask him, in my name, of his welfare;

And, when Abigail saw David, she hastened, and alighted from off her ass, - and fell down before David upon her face, and prostrated herself on the ground;

And it came to pass, in about ten days, that Yahweh smote Nabal, that he died.

And she arose, and bowed herself down with her face to the earth, - and said - Lo! thy handmaid, as serving-woman to bathe the feet of the servants of my lord.

Then Saul arose, and went down into the wilderness of Ziph, and, with him, three thousand chosen men of Israel, - to seek David in the wilderness of Zip.

And David responded, and said unto Ahimelech the Hittite, and unto Abishai son of Zeruiah, brother of Joab, saying, Who will go down with me unto Saul, within the camp? And Abishai said, I, will go down with thee.

And David said - By the life of Yahweh, surely, Yahweh himself, must smite him, - or, his day, must come that he die, or, into battle, must he go down, and be swept away.

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?

And he said, Wherefore is it, that my lord is in pursuit of his servant? For what have I done? or what is in my hand that is wrong?

But, neither man nor woman, used David to save alive, to bring into Gath, for he said, Lest they tell of us, saying, - So, hath David done, and, such, his manner, all the days that he hath dwelt in the country of the Philistines.

And the woman said unto him - Lo! thou, knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off them who have familiar spirits and him who is an oracle, out of the land, - wherefore, then, art thou striking at my life, to put me to death?

And he said to her - What was his form? And she said - An old man, coming up, he being wrapped about with a robe. Then Saul knew, that it was, Samuel, so he inclined his face to the earth, and bowed himself down.

Therefore hath Yahweh done for him, as he spake by me, - yea Yahweh hath rent the kingdom out of thy hand, and given it to a neighbour of thine - to David.

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;

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?

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.

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.

So he brought him down, and lo! they were left to themselves over the face of all the land, - eating, and drinking, and dancing around, for all the great spoil which they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah.

Who indeed, could hearken unto you, in this mutter? Surely, like the share of him that went down into the battle, even, so, shall be the share of him that remained by the stores - alike, shall they share.

And, when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard concerning him, what the Philistines had done unto Saul,

And, Joab son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David, went out from Hebron and met, by the pool of Gibeon, together, - and they sat down, these, by the pool, on the one side, and, those, by the pool, on the other side.

by turning over the kingdom from the house of Saul, - and establishing the throne of David, over Israel and over Judah, from Dan, even unto Beer-sheba.

Then Joab came in unto the king, and said - What hast thou done? Lo! Abner came in unto thee. Wherefore is it that thou didst let him go, so that he is clean departed?

And, when the Philistine heard that they had anointed David to be king over Israel, then came up all the Philistines to seek to secure David, and David heard of it, and went down into the citadel.

For the sake of thine own word, and according to thine own heart, hast thou done all this great thing, - making it known unto thy servant.

And he smote Moab, and measured them with the line casting, them down to the ground, and be measured with two lines to put to death, and with one full line to keep alive, - so the Moabites became David's, as servants, bringing gifts.

Then said David unto Uriah, Go down unto thy house, and bathe thy feet. And, when Uriah went out of the house of the king, there followed him, a present from the king.

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 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.

And, when the time of mourning had passed, David sent and received her into his house, and she became his wife, and bare him a son. But the thing which David had done was wicked in the eyes of Yahweh.

Then was kindled the anger of David against the man, fiercely, - and he said unto Nathan, By the life of Yahweh, doomed to death, is the man that hath done this;

Then David arose from the ground, and bathed and anointed, and changed his apparel, and, entering into the house of Yahweh, bowed himself down, - then came he into his own house, and asked, and they set before him food, and he did eat.

Then said his servants unto him, What is this thing that thou hast done? For the child's sake, while living, thou didst fast and weep, but, as soon as the child was dead, thou didst arise and eat food.

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.

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;

for the purpose of turning round the face of the matter, hath thy servant Joab done this thing, - my lord being wise, as with the wisdom of a messenger of God, in knowing all that is done in the land.

Then said the king unto Joab, See, I pray thee, I a have done this thing, - go then - bring back the young man, Absolom.

So Joab came unto the king, and told him, and the king called for Absolom, and he came in unto the king, and bowed himself down with his face to the ground, before the king, - and the king kissed Absolom.

Then said David, to all his servants who were with him in Jerusalem - Arise and let us flee, or we shall have no way of escape from the face of Absolom, - make speed to depart, lest he make speed, and so overtake us, and bring down misfortune upon us, and smite the city with the edge of the sword.

So the king went forth, with all his household attending him, - but the king left ten women who were concubines, to keep the house.

And lo! Zadok also, and all the Levites with him, were bearing the ark of the covenant of God, and they set down the ark of God, and Abiathar went up, until all the people had made an end of passing over out of the city.

And it came to pass, when David reached the summit, where he bowed himself down unto God, that lo! there met him, Hushai the Archite, his tunic rent, and earth upon his head.

Then said the king unto Ziba, Lo! thine, is all that pertained to Mephibosheth. And Ziba said - I have done homage, that I might find favour in thine eyes, my lord O king.

But the king said, What have I in common with you, ye sons of Zeruiah? thus, he curseth, because, Yahweh, hath said unto him - Curse David. Who then can say, Why hast thou done thus?

Therefore I counsel - that there be a general gathering together unto thee of all Israel, from Dan even unto Beer-sheba, as the sand that is by the sea for multitude, - and that, thine own presence, be going on in their midst.

But, if, into a city, he withdraw, then will all Israel bring up unto that city, ropes, - and we will drag it down unto the ravine, until there be not found in that place, so much as a small stone.

And, though a young man did see them, and told Absolom, yet they both departed quickly, and entered the house of a man in Bahurim, and, he, had a well in his court, into which they went down;

But the people said - Thou must not go forth, for, if we, flee, they will not regard us, neither, if half of us die, will they regard us, for, thou, compared with us, art worth ten thousand, - now, therefore, it will be better that thou come to us out of the city, with succour.

Then said Joab to the man that was telling him, Lo! since thou sawest him, why didst thou not smite him there, to the ground? then should I have been bound to give thee ten pieces of silver, and a girdle.