And the LORD replied unto Samuel, Do not look on his countenance or on the height of his stature because I have refused him, for it is not as man sees, for man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.

Do not multiply thyself speaking great and lofty things; let arrogant words cease from your mouth, for the LORD is the all-knowing God, and the magnificent works are his.

And when the day would come, Elkanah would sacrifice, and he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and her daughters.

and she vowed a vow and said, O LORD of the hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thy handmaid and remember me and not forget thy handmaid but wilt give unto thy handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head.

And this would happen year by year when she went up to the house of the LORD, so she would provoke her; therefore, she would weep and not eat.

And her rival provoked her to anger and sorrow because the LORD had shut up her womb.

And she was in bitterness of soul and prayed unto the LORD and wept sore;

Now there was a certain man of Ramath of Zophim, of Mount Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite.

But unto Hannah he would give a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah, even though the LORD had shut up her womb.

Then Elkanah, her husband, said to her, Hannah, why dost thou weep? And why dost thou not eat? And why is thy heart grieved? Am I not better to thee than ten sons?

And Samuel said, Does the LORD have as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in hearing the voice of the LORD? Behold, to hear is better than sacrifice and to hearken than the fat of rams.

And it came to pass as she continued praying before the LORD that Eli was observing her mouth.

So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the LORD.

And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill thy horn with oil and go; I will send thee to Jesse of Bethlehem for I have provided me a king among his sons.

and the LORD called Samuel, and he answered, Here am I.

And it came to pass when he had finished speaking unto Saul that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.

And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision.

And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink but have poured out my soul before the LORD.

Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the LORD hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on.

Now Hannah spoke in her heart and only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard; therefore, Eli thought she was drunk.

And the sons of Israel said to Samuel, Cease not to cry unto the LORD our God for us that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines.

And she said, Let thy handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and ate, and her countenance was no longer sad.

Therefore, it came to pass when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, she bore a son and called his name Samuel, , saying, Because I have asked him of the LORD.

and carry these ten cheeses unto the captain of their thousand and look how thy brethren fare and take their pledge.

But the hand of the LORD was heavy upon those of Ashdod, and he destroyed them and smote them with hemorrhoids in Ashdod and within all their borders.

Now, therefore, make a new cart and take two milk cows, on which no yoke has been placed and tie the cows to the cart and bring their calves home from them.

And Saul said unto his slaves, Provide me now a man that can play well and bring him to me.

And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? Put away thy wine from thee.

And they rose up in the morning early and worshipped before the LORD and returned and came to their house to Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the LORD remembered her.

Now, therefore, hearken unto their voice; however first protest solemnly against them by declaring unto them the rights of the king that shall reign over them.

Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him.

Do not count thy handmaid for a daughter of Belial, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have waited until now to speak.

But Hannah did not go up, for she said unto her husband, I will not go up until the child is weaned, and then I will bring him that he may be presented before the LORD and abide there for ever.

Therefore, I also have given him back to the LORD; as long as he lives he shall belong to the LORD. And he worshipped the LORD there.

Now, therefore, behold the king whom ye have chosen and whom ye have desired! Behold, the LORD has set a king over you.

Then the people said unto Samuel, Who were those that said, Shall Saul reign over us? Bring the men, that we may put them to death.

And the man Elkanah and all his house went up to offer unto the LORD the accustomed sacrifice and his vow.

And Elkanah, her husband, said unto her, Do what seems good unto thee; tarry until thou hast weaned him; only let the LORD establish his word. So the woman abode and gave her son suck until she weaned him.

And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bullocks and one ephah of flour and a bottle of wine, and brought him unto the house of the LORD in Shiloh; and the child was young.

Then Saul said to his servant, Well said; come, let us go. So they went unto the city where the man of God was.

And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked him for a king.

And it came to pass when all that knew him beforetime saw that, behold, he prophesied among the prophets, then the people said one to another, What has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?

And they slew a bullock and brought the child to Eli.

And there was trembling in the host, in the field, and among all the people of the garrison; and those who had gone out to destroy the land, they also trembled, and the earth quaked, and there was fear of God.

For this child I prayed, and the LORD has given me my petition which I asked of him.

And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel?

The bows of the mighty men have been broken, and the weak are girded with strength.

And he ran unto Eli and said, Here am I, for thou didst call me. And he said, I did not call; lie down again. And he went and lay down.

And it came to pass at the time when Merab, Saul's daughter, should have been given to David that she was given unto Adriel, the Meholathite, to wife.

And when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel shouted with such a great shout that the earth trembled.

And they arose and went to Ziph before Saul, but David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon in the plain on the right hand side of the wilderness.

And when they saw this, those of Ashdod said, The ark of the God of Israel shall not abide with us, for his hand is sore upon us and upon Dagon our god.

Abide thou with me; do not fear, for he that seeks my life seeks thy life; it is good that thou shalt be kept with me.

Then one of the servants answered and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem, that is cunning in playing and a mighty valiant man and a man of war and prudent in speech and handsome, and the LORD is with him.

And Saul sent messengers to take David, and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying and Samuel standing as appointed over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied.

If ye will fear the LORD and serve him and hear his voice and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall both ye and also the king that reigns over you continue following the LORD your God.

And she said, Oh my lord, as thy soul lives, my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the LORD.

And Samuel took a sucking lamb and offered it for a burnt offering completely unto the LORD, and Samuel cried unto the LORD for Israel, and the LORD heard him.

Then ye shall take the ark of the LORD and lay it upon the cart and put the jewels of gold, which ye pay him for expiation of guilt, in a coffer by the side thereof, and let it go.

And he will take your menslaves and your maidslaves and your good young men and your asses and do his work with them.

Those that were full have hired themselves out for bread, and those that were hungry ceased so that the barren has given birth to seven, and she that has many children is waxed feeble.

And he will appoint captains over thousands and captains over fifties and will set them to plough his ground and to reap his harvest and to make his weapons of war and the munitions of his chariots.

The LORD kills, and he gives life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up.

And, behold, I will send a lad, saying, Go, find the arrows. If I expressly say unto the lad, Behold, the arrows are on this side of thee; take them, then come thou, for there is peace unto thee and no hurt, as the LORD lives.

And Saul said, There shall not a man be put to death this day, for today the LORD has wrought salvation in Israel.

Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpeh and Shen and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Thus far the LORD has helped us.

And he said, This will be the right of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen, and some shall run before his chariot.

And it came to pass as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering that the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel. But the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines and crushed them, and they were smitten before Israel.

And Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal unto Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people that were present with him, about six hundred men.

And as they went up the hill to the city, they found young maidens going out to draw water and said unto them, Is the seer here?

Now Saul and they and all the men of Israel were in the valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines.

And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, What great shout of joy is this in the camp of the Hebrews? And they understood that the ark of the LORD had come into the camp.

And see if it goes up by the way of his own border to Bethshemesh, then he has done us this great evil, but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that smote us; it was an accident that happened to us.

But Michal, Saul's other daughter, loved David, and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him.

They sent, therefore, and gathered all the cardinals of the Philistines unto themselves and said, What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel? And they answered, Let the ark of the God of Israel be removed unto Gath. And they removed the ark of the God of Israel there.

And they answered them and said, He is; behold, he is before you; make haste now, for he came today to the city, for there is a sacrifice of the people today in the high place.

And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and, behold, the multitude melted away, and they went on beating down one another.

And he will take your fields and your vineyards and your good oliveyards and give them to his slaves.

But if ye will not hear the voice of the LORD but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then the hand of the LORD shall be against you as it was against your fathers.

And one of the same place answered and said, But who is their father? Therefore, it became a proverb, Is Saul also among the prophets?

And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh and pursued the Philistines and smote them until they were below Bethcar.

And Saul and Jonathan, his son, and the people that were present with them, abode in Gibeah of Benjamin, but the Philistines encamped in Michmash.

And he will take your daughters to be confectioneries and to be cooks and to be bakers.

He raises up the poor out of the dust and lifts up the beggar from the dunghill to set them among princes and to make them inherit the throne of glory. For the pillars of the earth are the LORD's, and he has set the world upon them.

And David rose up early in the morning and left the sheep with a keeper and took and went with his burden as Jesse had commanded him, and he came to the trench as the host was going forth in battle array, and they had already sounded the alarm for the battle.

And the LORD sent thee on a journey and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners of Amalek and fight against them until they are consumed.

LORD, thine adversaries shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven he shall thunder upon them. The LORD shall judge the ends of the earth, and he shall give strength unto his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.

And the LORD called Samuel yet again. And Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, Here am I, for thou didst call me. And he answered, I did not call, my son; lie down again.

And he will take the tenth of your seed and of your vineyards to give to his officers and to his slaves.

Another company turned the way to Bethhoron, and another company turned to the way of the border that looks to the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.

And Saul said, Thus shall ye say to David, The desire of the king is not in any dowry, but one hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king's enemies. For Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines.

And all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before the LORD in Gilgal, and there they sacrificed sacrifices of peace offerings before the LORD, and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.

And it came to pass when Samuel was old that he made his sons judges over Israel.

The LORD makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and lifts up.

Now, therefore, my lord, as the LORD lives and as thy soul lives, seeing the LORD has withheld thee from coming to shed blood and from avenging thyself with thy own hand, now let thy enemies and those that seek evil to my lord be as Nabal.

and when they had nicks in the mattocks and the coulters and the forks and the axes, or to fix a goad.

But the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they did not know the LORD.

Now, therefore, stand and see this great thing, which the LORD will do before your eyes.

Therefore, they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And when the ark of God came to Ekron, the Ekronites cried out, saying, They have removed the ark of the God of Israel unto us to kill me and my people.

And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God has come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto us! For yesterday and day before yesterday it was not so.

He keeps the feet of his saints, and the wicked perish in darkness, for no man shall prevail by their own strength.

Is it not wheat harvest to day? I will call unto the LORD, and he shall send thunder and rain that ye may perceive and see that your wickedness is great which ye have done in the sight of the LORD in asking for a king over you.

Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither had the word of the LORD yet been revealed unto him.

Therefore Saul sent messengers unto Jesse and said, Send me David, thy son, who is with the sheep.

And the men of Kirjathjearim came and carried up the ark of the LORD and brought it into the house of Abinadab in the hill and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the LORD.

And the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel from Ekron even unto Gath with their borders, and Israel delivered them out of the hands of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorite.

And those of Bethshemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley, and they lifted up their eyes and saw the ark and rejoiced to see it.

And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you, and the LORD will not hear you in that day.

And the Levites took down the ark of the LORD and the coffer that was with it, in which were the jewels of gold, and put them on the great stone, and the men of Bethshemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day unto the LORD.

Saul also and his men went to seek him. And they told David, and he came down from there into a rock and abode in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon.

And the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer unto Ashdod.

And David came to Saul and stood before him; and he loved him greatly, and he became his armourbearer.

And as for thine asses that were lost three days ago, take no care for them, for they are found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on thee and on all thy father's house?

Now the LORD had told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came, saying,

Tomorrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be prince over my people Israel that he may save my people out of the hand of the Philistines, for I have looked upon my people because their cry is come unto me.

And Samuel lay until the morning and opened the doors of the house of the LORD. And Samuel feared to show Eli the vision.

Then God smote those of Bethshemesh because they had looked at the ark of the LORD; he smote fifty thousand of the people and seventy principal men. And the people lamented because the LORD had smitten the people with such a great slaughter.

But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the firstfruits of the anathema, to sacrifice them unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal.

And the ark of the LORD was in the land of the Philistines seven months.

Then Samuel said to the people, Come, and let us go to Gilgal and renew the kingdom there.

And he said, What is the word that the LORD has spoken unto thee? I pray thee do not hide it from me. God do so to thee and more also, if thou hide any thing from me of all the word that he spoke unto thee.

Then they laid the ark of the LORD upon the cart and the coffer with the rats of gold and the images of their hemorrhoids.

Then he also went to Ramah and came to a great well that is in Sechu, and he asked and said, Where are Samuel and David? And one said, Behold, they are at Naioth in Ramah.

And Samuel declared all of it to him without hiding any thing. Then he said, It is the LORD; let him do what seems good unto him.

and the golden rats, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five cardinals; a ransom for those of the fenced cities and for the country dwellers even unto the great stone of Abel, upon which they placed the ark of the LORD in the field of Joshua, the Bethshemite, and this is remembered unto this day.

So the Philistines were subdued, and they came no more into the border of Israel, and the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.

And Saul said, I will give her to him that she may be a snare to him and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him. Therefore, Saul said to David, Thou shalt this day be my son-in-law with the other one.

And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, Here am I, for thou didst call me. Then Eli perceived that the LORD was calling the child.

And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took a harp and played with his hand; so Saul was refreshed and was better, and the evil spirit departed from him.

And three companies came out of the camp of the Philistines to destroy the land. One company turned unto the way that leads to Ophrah unto the land of Shual.

And Samuel answered Saul and said, I am the seer; go up before me unto the high place; for ye shall eat with me today, and tomorrow I will let thee go and will tell thee all that is in thy heart.

Therefore, Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down, and it shall be if he calls thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD, for thy slave hears. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

Woe unto us! Who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness.

And Saul's uncle said unto him and to his servant, Where went ye? And he said, To seek the asses, and when we saw that they were nowhere, we came to Samuel.

And he ceased prophesying and came to the high place.

And it came to pass that after they had removed it, the hand of the LORD was against the city with a very great destruction. And he smote the men of that city from the smallest to the greatest, and they broke out with hemorrhoids.

And when Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said unto him, Behold the man whom I spoke to thee of! This same shall reign over my people.

And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy slaves unto the LORD thy God that we not die, for we have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask for a king over us.

And the men did so and took two milk cows and tied them to the cart and shut up their calves at home.

But if I say thus unto the young man, Behold, the arrows are beyond thee, then go away, for the LORD has sent thee away.

And the LORD came and stood and called as at the other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy slave hears.

And Saul answered and said, Peradventure am I not of Jemini, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? And is my family not the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Why, therefore, dost thou speak so to me?

So Samuel called unto the LORD, and the LORD sent thunder and rain that day, and all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel.

Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines had said, Lest peradventure the Hebrews make swords or spears.

And the LORD said unto Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of each one that hears it shall tingle.

And Saul said unto Ahiah, Bring the ark of God. For the ark of God was at that time with the sons of Israel.

And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the child ministered unto the LORD before Eli the priest.

And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.

And Jesse took an ass laden with bread and a bottle of wine and a kid and sent them by David, his son, unto Saul.

And the cows went straight down the way of Bethshemesh and went along the highway, lowing as they went and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left, and the cardinals of the Philistines went after them unto the border of Bethshemesh.

And when they were come down from the high place into the city, he spoke with Saul upon the top of the house.

And the LORD said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and place a king over them. Then Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go each one unto his city.

And if the man would say unto him, Let them not fail to burn the fat today and then take as much as thy soul desires, then he would answer him, No, but thou shalt give it to me now, and if not, I will take it by force.

Only fear the LORD and serve him in truth with all your heart, for consider what great things he has done with you.

And all the men of Israel when they saw the man fled from him and feared greatly.

And he went from year to year in circuit to Bethel and Gilgal and Mizpeh and judged Israel in all those places.

Why then didst thou not hear the voice of the LORD but didst fly upon the spoil and didst evil in the sight of the LORD?

Then Samuel took a vial of oil and poured it upon his head and kissed him and said, Is it not because the LORD has anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance?

It was the priests' custom with the people that when anyone offered a sacrifice, the priest's servant would come, while the flesh was being boiled, with a fleshhook of three teeth in his hand;

And each one of the men of Israel were saying, Have ye seen this man that is come up? He is come up to dishonour Israel. It shall be that the king will enrich the man who overcomes him with great riches and will give him his daughter and make his father's house free in Israel.

do not turn aside after vain things which cannot profit nor deliver, for they are vain.

And David left his carriage in the hand of the keeper of the carriage and ran into the army and came and asked about his brethren, if they were well.

So they sent and gathered together all the cardinals of the Philistines and said, Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go again to his own place, that it not kill me and my people, for there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city, and the hand of God had become very heavy there.

And when it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they prophesied likewise. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they prophesied also.

As soon as you are come into the city, ye shall straightway find him before he goes up to the high place to eat, for the people will not eat until he comes because he must bless the sacrifice, and afterwards those that are invited eat. Now therefore go up, for about this time ye shall find him.

And Saul's uncle said, Tell me, I pray thee, what Samuel said unto you.

And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David, I pray thee, stand before me, for he has found favour in my sight.

And also the Overcomer of Israel will not lie nor repent concerning this, for he is not a man, that he should repent.

For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knows of (because his sons made themselves vile, and he did not restrain them).

Then he would return to Ramah, for there was his house, and there he judged Israel, and there he built an altar unto the LORD.

And Saul said unto his uncle, He told us plainly that the asses were found. But of the matter of the kingdom, of which Samuel spoke, he did not tell him.

For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name's sake because it has pleased the LORD to make you his people.

Moreover as for me, in no wise should I sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you, but I will teach you the good and the right way.

Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a son of Jemini, , a mighty man of power.

Then Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned; for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD and thy words because I feared the people and consented unto their voice.

And Saul's slaves spoke those words in the ears of David. And David said, Does it seem to you a light thing to be a king's son-in-law, seeing that I am a poor man and lightly esteemed?

and to those who were in Hebron and in all the places where David had been with his men.

Then Nahash, the Ammonite, came up and encamped against Jabeshgilead. And all the men of Jabesh said unto Nahash, Make a covenant with us, and we will serve thee.

And Saul said unto Samuel, But I have obeyed the voice of the LORD and have gone the way which the LORD sent me and have brought Agag, the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.

But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen each man his share and his coulter and his axe and his mattock

Then David spoke to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that overcomes this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should dishonour the armies of the living God?

And Samuel called the people together unto the LORD to Mizpeh

In that day I will perform against Eli all the things which I have spoken concerning his house; when I begin, I will also make an end.

And Samuel said unto the people, Do not fear. Ye have done all this wickedness, yet do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart;

And he went there to Naioth in Ramah, and the Spirit of God came upon him also, and he went on and prophesied, until he came to Naioth in Ramah.

Likewise, before they burnt the fat, the priest's servant would come and say to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest, for he will not take cooked flesh of thee, but raw.

And the ark of God was taken, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.

And the cart came into the field of Joshua, a Bethshemite, and stopped there, for there was a great stone there; and they clave the wood of the cart and offered the cows in a burnt offering unto the LORD.

Be strong and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye not serve the Hebrews as they have served you; quit yourselves like men and fight.

And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was a faithful prophet of the LORD.

He will also take the tenth of your sheep, and finally ye shall be his slaves.

So the LORD saved Israel that day; and the battle passed over unto Bethaven.

Now Eli was very old and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel and how they lay with the women that served at the door of the tabernacle of the testimony.

But Samuel ministered before the LORD, being a child, girded with a linen ephod.

And the people answered him after this manner, saying, So shall it be done to the man that overcomes him.

Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate and said, Tell me, I pray thee, where the seer's house is.

And he stripped off his clothes also and prophesied before Samuel in like manner and lay down naked all that day and all that night. From here it was said, Is Saul also among the prophets?

And Samuel spoke unto all Israel. Now at that time Israel went out to meet the Philistines in battle and pitched their camp beside Ebenezer; and the Philistines pitched theirs in Aphek.

And therefore, I have sworn unto the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be reconciled, not with sacrifices nor with presents for ever.

And those that did not die were smitten with the hemorrhoids, and the cry of the city went up to heaven.

and he would strike it into the pan or kettle or caldron or pot, and all that the fleshhook brought up, the priest took for himself. Thus would they do in Shiloh to all the Israelites that went there.

And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled each one into his tent, and there was a very great slaughter, for thirty thousand footmen of Israel fell.

And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the passage of Michmash.

Therefore, the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD, for men despised the present of the LORD.

And Samuel said unto him, The LORD has rent the kingdom of Israel from thee today and has given it to a neighbour of thine that is better than thou.

And when Samuel had caused all the tribes of Israel to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was taken.

And they went up into the city. And when they were come into the city, behold, Samuel came out before them to go up to the high place.

And David replied unto Saul, Thy slave was the pastor of his father's sheep, and if a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock,

For Israel and the Philistines had ordered the battle, army against army.

Moreover his mother made him a little coat and brought it to him each year when she came up with her husband to offer the accustomed sacrifice.

Therefore David arose and went, he and his men, and slew of the Philistines two hundred men, and David brought their foreskins, and they gave them all to the king that he might be the king's son-in-law. And Saul gave him Michal, his daughter, to wife.

And a man of God came unto Eli and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Did I not plainly appear unto the house of thy father when they were in Egypt in the house of Pharaoh?

Then Saul said unto the people that were with him, Number now and see who is gone from us. And when they had numbered, behold, Jonathan and his armourbearer were not there.

And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and did not let any of his words fall to the ground.

And Samuel said unto all Israel, Behold, I have hearkened unto your voice in all that ye said unto me and have made a king over you.

and said unto the sons of Israel, Thus hath the LORD God of Israel said, I brought up Israel out of Egypt and delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of all kingdoms and of those that oppressed you.

Moreover, the Hebrews that had been with the Philistines before that time, who had gone up with them into the camp from the country round about, even they also turned to be with the Israelites that were with Saul and Jonathan.

And when the five cardinals of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day.

But ye have this day rejected your God, who saves you out of all your afflictions and your troubles, and ye have said unto him, No, but set a king over us. Now, therefore, present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and by your thousands.

And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him; thy slave will go and fight with this Philistine.

And Samuel spoke unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you and prepare your hearts unto the LORD and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.

And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee, for thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected thee from being king over Israel.

But if ye shall persevere in doing wickedly, both ye and your king shall perish.

But the men of Israel were distressed that day, for Saul had adjured the people, saying, Cursed be the man that eats any food until evening that I may be avenged on my enemies. So none of the people tasted any food.

Likewise all the men of Israel who had hid themselves in Mount Ephraim, when they heard that the Philistines fled, they also followed hard after them in the battle.

So it came to pass in the day of battle that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that were with Saul and Jonathan except with Saul and with Jonathan his son who had them.

Thus the LORD appeared again in Shiloh, for the LORD manifested himself to Samuel in Shiloh with the word of the LORD.

Then Eli called Samuel and said, Samuel, my son. And he answered, Here am I.

And Eliab, his eldest brother, heard when he spoke unto the men, and Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why didst thou come down here? And with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride and the malice of thy heart, for thou art come down that thou might see the battle.

And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee, for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me that I should not reign over them.

And it came to pass in those days, that the Philistines gathered their armies together for warfare, to fight against Israel. And Achish said unto David, Know for certain, that thou shalt go out with me to battle, thou and thy men.

And running out of the battle, a man of Benjamin came to Shiloh that same day with his clothes rent and with earth upon his head.

And the LORD visited Hannah so that she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the LORD.

Nevertheless, the people refused to hear the voice of Samuel, and they said, No, but we will have a king over us

And the words which David had spoken were heard, and they were rehearsed before Saul, and he sent for him.

and before the lamp of God was put out, Samuel was sleeping in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was;

Therefore, they enquired of the LORD further, if the man should yet come there. And the LORD answered, Behold, he has hid himself among the stuff.

How much more if haply the people had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies which they found? Would there not have been now a much greater slaughter among the Philistines?

These, therefore are the golden hemorrhoids which the Philistines returned in expiation for their guilt unto the LORD, for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Askelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one,

And it came to pass while the ark abode in Kirjathjearim, that the time was long, for it was twenty years, and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD.

that we also may be like all the Gentiles and that our king may govern us and go out before us and fight our battles.

And Samuel said, As thy sword has made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. Then Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal.

Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him, Thou son of the perverse rebellious woman, do I not know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion and unto the confusion of thy mother's shame?

And Saul commanded his slaves, saying, Speak with David secretly and say, Behold, the king has delight in thee, and all his slaves love thee; now, therefore, be the king's son-in-law.

And when they came there to the hill, behold, the company of prophets met him, and the Spirit of God prospered him, and he prophesied among them.

And the Spirit of the LORD will prosper thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them and shalt be turned into another man.

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

Then the sons of Israel did put away the Baalim and Ashtaroth and served the LORD only.

When thou art departed from me today, then thou shalt find two men by Rachel's sepulchre in the border of Benjamin at Zelzah, and they will say unto thee, The asses which thou didst go to seek are found, and thy father has left the care of the asses and sorrows for you, saying, What shall I do for my son?

But it came to pass in the morning when the wine was gone out of Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became as a stone.

Then they told Saul, saying, Behold, the people sin against the LORD in that they eat with the blood. And he said, Ye have transgressed; roll a great stone unto me this day.

Now the name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abiah; they were judges in Beersheba.

But Jonathan had not heard when his father charged the people with the oath, therefore, he put forth the end of the rod that was in his hand and dipped it in a honeycomb and put his hand to his mouth, and his eyes were enlightened.

But the sons of Belial said, How shall this man save us? And they despised him and brought him no presents. But he pretended not to notice.

And they cried unto the LORD and said, We have sinned because we have forsaken the LORD and have served the Baalim and Ashtaroth, but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve thee.

If one man sins against another, the judges shall judge him, but if someone sins against the LORD, who shall intreat for him? Notwithstanding they did not hearken unto the voice of their father because the LORD had already decided to kill them.

And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for thou art but a young man, and he a man of war from his youth.

And Nahash, the Ammonite, answered them, On this condition will I make a covenant with you, that I may thrust out all your right eyes and lay it for a reproach upon all Israel.

And the men of Bethshemesh said, Who is able to stand before this holy LORD God? And to whom shall he go up from us?

But Saul, seeing and knowing that the LORD was with David and that his daughter Michal loved him,

After that thou shalt come to the hill of God where the garrison of the Philistines is, and it shall come to pass when thou art come there to the city, that thou shalt meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery and a tambourine and a pipe and a harp before them; and they shall prophesy.

(Beforetime in Israel when anyone went to enquire of God, he spoke thus, Come, and let us go to the seer, for he that is now called a Prophet was called a Seer before.)

and said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons do not walk in thy ways; therefore make us a king to judge us like all the Gentiles.

And it came to pass one day when Eli was lain down in his place, his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see;

And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death; nevertheless, Samuel mourned for Saul because the LORD had repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.

No, my sons, for it is no good report that I hear that ye cause the people of the LORD to transgress.

was yet the more afraid of David; and Saul became David's enemy continually.

And the child Samuel kept on growing and was in favour both with the LORD and also with men.

And Samuel said to all the people, See ye him whom the LORD has chosen, that there is none like him among all the people? And all the people shouted and said, Long live the king.

And the Spirit of God prospered Saul when he heard those tidings, and his anger was kindled greatly.

And he said unto them, Why do ye do such things? For I hear from all the people of your evil dealings.

And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent.

Therefore, the people flew upon the spoil and took sheep and oxen and calves and slew them on the ground, and the people ate them with the blood.

And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a handsome young man. Among the sons of Israel there was not a nicer person than he; from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people.

Then Samuel recited unto the people the rights of the kingdom and wrote it in a book and laid it up before the LORD. And Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his house.

And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel! (Because the ark of God was taken and because of her father-in-law and her husband.)

And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife and said, The LORD give thee seed of this woman for the petition which was asked of the LORD. And they went unto their own home.

And when ye saw that Nahash, the king of the sons of Ammon, came against you, ye said unto me, No, but a king shall reign over us when the LORD your God was your king.

Then one of the people spoke and said, Thy father straitly charged the people with an oath, saying, Cursed be the man that eats any food this day. And the people were faint.

And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth and ruddy and of a fair countenance.

Behold, here I am; witness against me before the LORD and before his anointed. If I have taken anyone's ox or if I have taken anyone's ass or if I have defrauded anyone or if I have oppressed anyone or if I have received a bribe from anyone to blind my eyes, I will restore it you.

And when he came, behold Eli sat upon a seat by the wayside watching, for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city and gave the news, all the city cried out.

Nevertheless, Saul said nothing that day, for he thought, Something has befallen him, he is not clean; surely he is not clean.

Then the LORD sent Jerubbaal and Bedan and Jephthah and Samuel and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and ye dwelt safe.

So the people sent to Shiloh, and they brought from there the ark of the covenant of the LORD of the hosts, who dwells between the cherubim; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel; and when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines, who slew of the army in the field about four thousand men.

Then Jonathan said, My father has troubled the land. See, I pray you, how my eyes have been enlightened because I tasted a little of this honey.

And when the people were come into the wood, behold, the honey dropped, but no man put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath.

And when the people returned into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Why has the LORD smitten us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of Shiloh unto us that when it comes among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies.

And Samuel said, Gather all Israel in Mizpeh, and I will pray for you unto the LORD.

Why then do ye harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When he had dealt thus among them, did they not let the people go, and they departed?

And now, behold, your king walks before you. I am old and grayheaded, and, behold, my sons are with you, and I have walked before you from my childhood unto this day.

And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjathjearim, saying, The Philistines have returned the ark of the LORD; come down, therefore, and carry it up to you.

And his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after greed, receiving bribes and perverting that which is right.

took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones out of the brook and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had, even in a provision bag, and with his sling in his hand he drew near to the Philistine.

But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD.

When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon and set it by Dagon.

And it came to pass when he made mention of the ark of God, Eli fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck broke, and he died; for he was an old man and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years.

Therefore, neither the priests of Dagon nor any that come into Dagon's temple tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod unto this day.

Then said they, What shall be the expiation of guilt which we shall pay unto him? They answered, Five golden hemorrhoids and five golden rats, according to the number of the cardinals of the Philistines, for the same plague that is on you is also on your cardinals.

And they ran and took him from there, and when he stood among the people, he was higher than any of the people from his shoulders and upward.

Therefore, ye shall make images of your hemorrhoids and images of your rats that destroy the land, and ye shall give glory unto the God of Israel; peradventure he will lighten his hand from off you and from off your gods and from off your land.

And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What is the noise of this tumult? And the man came in hastily and told Eli.

And the messenger answered and said, Israel fled before the Philistines, and there has been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God was taken.

Now Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes had become dim so that he could not see.

And I chose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer upon my altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me, and I gave unto the house of thy father all the offerings on fire of the sons of Israel.

And they gathered together in Mizpeh and drew water and poured it out before the LORD and fasted on that day and said there, We have sinned against the LORD. And Samuel judged the sons of Israel in Mizpeh.

And when the Philistines heard that the sons of Israel were gathered together in Mizpeh, the cardinals of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the sons of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines.

When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their lineages, the family of Matri was taken, and from it Saul the son of Kish was taken, and when they sought him, he could not be found.

And the cook took up the shoulder and that which was upon it and set it before Saul. And Samuel said, Behold that which was reserved! Set it before thee and eat because for this time it has been kept for thee, since I said, I have invited the people. So Saul ate with Samuel that day.

And Saul also went home to Gibeah, and there went with him some from the army, whose hearts God had touched.

Then the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? Tell us how we shall return it to his place.

And they said, If ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty, but ye shall pay unto him the expiation of guilt; then ye shall be healed, and ye shall know why his hand was not removed from you.

And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD.

David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee.

And it was so on the next day that Saul put the people in order in three companies, and they came into the midst of the host in the morning watch and slew the Ammonites until the heat of the day, and it came to pass that those who remained were scattered so that two of them were not left together.

And about the time of her death the women that stood by her said unto her, Fear not, for thou hast given birth to a son. But she did not answer, neither did she regard it.

And the men of the garrison answered Jonathan and his armourbearer and said, Come up to us, and we will show you a thing. Then Jonathan said unto his armourbearer, Come up after me, for the LORD has delivered them into the hand of Israel.

And they smote the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon, but the people were very faint.

And he said unto him, Behold now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is an honorable man; all that he says surely comes to pass; now let us go there; peradventure he can show us our way that we should go.

And his daughter-in-law, Phinehas's wife, was with child, near to be delivered, and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and travailed, for her pains had come upon her.

And the she asses of Kish, Saul's father, were lost. And Kish said to Saul, his son, Take now one of the slaves with thee, and arise, go seek the asses.

And it was so that when he had turned his shoulder to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart, and all those signs came to pass that day.

And Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them into the banquet chamber and made them sit at the head among those that were invited, which were about thirty persons.

Therefore, she said, The glory is departed from Israel, for the ark of God is taken.

And the man said unto Eli, I come from the battle; I fled today out of the army. And he said unto him, What has happened, my son?

Why do ye trample my sacrifices and my offerings which I have commanded to be offered in my tabernacle and honor thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people?

Now, therefore, stand still that I may contend with you before the LORD of all the righteousnesses of the LORD which he did to you and to your fathers.

And they said, Thou hast not defrauded us nor oppressed us; neither hast thou taken anything of any man's hand.

And when they forgot the LORD their God, he sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the host of Hazor and into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them.

And the elders of Jabesh said unto him, Give us seven days' respite, that we may send messengers unto all the borders of Israel, and then, if there is no one to save us, we will come out to thee.

And when they arose early on the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD, and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him.

And now this blessing which thy handmaid has brought unto my lord, let it be given unto the servants that follow my lord.

According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, with which they have forsaken me and served other gods, so they also do unto thee.

And he took a yoke of oxen and hewed them in pieces and sent them throughout all the borders of Israel by the hands of messengers, saying, Whoever does not come forth after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done unto his oxen. And the fear of the LORD fell on the people, and they came out with one consent.

Then shalt thou go on forward from there, and thou shalt come to the plain of Tabor, and three men going up to God to Bethel shall meet thee, one carrying three kids and another carrying three loaves of bread and another carrying a bottle of wine.

And when those of Ashdod arose early in the morning, behold, Dagon had fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the LORD. And they took Dagon and set him in his place again.

Then the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and told the tidings in the ears of the people, and all the people lifted up their voices and wept.

And as they were going down to the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul, Bid the servant pass on before us (and he passed on), but stand thou still a while that I may declare thee the word of God.

And when they were come to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant that was with him, Come, and let us return; lest my father leave caring for the asses and take thought for us.

And, behold, Saul came after the oxen out of the field, and Saul said, What ails the people that they weep? And they told him the tidings of the men of Jabesh.

And Jonathan answered Saul, David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem.

And Saul went on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on that side of the mountain; and David made haste to get away from the presence of Saul, for Saul and his men compassed David and his men round about to take them.

And as touching the matter which thou and I have spoken of, behold, let the LORD be between thee and me for ever.

And it came to pass in the morning that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad with him.

Then Samuel said unto the people, The LORD is he who advanced Moses and Aaron and who brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt.

And thou shalt go down before me to Gilgal, and, behold, I will come down unto thee to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings. Seven days shalt thou tarry until I come to thee and show thee what thou shalt do.

And when he numbered them in Bezek, the sons of Israel were three hundred thousand and the men of Judah thirty thousand.

Therefore the men of Jabesh said, Tomorrow we will come out unto you, and ye shall do with us all that seems good unto you.

And they arose early about dawn, and Samuel called Saul, who was on the top of the house, saying, Rise up that I may send thee away. And Saul arose, and they went out both of them, he and Samuel, abroad.

And he passed through Mount Ephraim and passed through the land of Shalisha, but they did not find them. Then they passed through the land of Shalim, and they were not there, and he passed through the land of Jemini, , but they did not find them.

Then Saul replied unto his servant, But, behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man? For the bread is spent in our vessels, and we have nothing to present unto the man of God. What do we have?

After Jacob had entered into Egypt and your fathers cried unto the LORD, then the LORD sent Moses and Aaron who brought forth your fathers out of Egypt and made them dwell in this place.

And he said unto them, The LORD is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day that ye have not found anything in my hand. And they answered, He is witness.

And Samuel said unto the cook, Bring the portion which I gave thee, of which I said unto thee, Set it aside.

And the servant answered Saul again and said, Behold, I have here at hand the fourth part of a shekel of silver; this will I give to the man of God to tell us our way.

I went out after him and smote him and delivered it out of his mouth; and if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and smote him and slew him.

And he said unto his lad, Run and find the arrows which I shoot. And as the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.

And let it be when these signs are come unto thee that thou do according as thou shalt find at hand, for God is with thee.

And as he talked with them, behold, there came up that man, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, speaking the same words, and David heard them.

And they said unto the messengers that came, Thus shall ye say unto the men of Jabeshgilead, Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, ye shall have salvation. And the messengers came and declared it to the men of Jabesh, and they were glad.

And they will salute thee and give thee two loaves of bread; which thou shalt receive of their hands.

And when the lad was come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the lad, and said, Is not the arrow beyond thee?

And Hannah prayed and said, My heart rejoices in the LORD, my horn is exalted in the LORD; my mouth is enlarged over my enemies because I have rejoiced in thy saving health.

Then David came to Nob to Ahimelech, the priest, and Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David and said unto him, Why art thou alone, and no one with thee?

And Saul and all the people that were with him assembled themselves, and they came to the battle; and, behold, each man's sword was against his fellow, and there was a very great discomfiture.

I pray thee, forgive the trespass of thy handmaid, for the LORD will certainly make my lord a sure house because my lord fights the battles of the LORD, and evil has not been found in thee all thy days.

Saul was as a son of one year when he began to reign, and when he had reigned two years over Israel,

Now it came to pass upon a day that Jonathan, the son of Saul, said unto the young man that bore his armour, Come and let us go over to the Philistines' garrison that is on the other side. But he did not tell his father.

And he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

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

And it came to pass while Saul talked unto the priest, that the noise that was in the host of the Philistines went on and increased. Then Saul said unto the priest, Withdraw thy hand.

But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.

And it came to pass when Saul was returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.

There is none holy as the LORD, for there is none beside thee; neither is there any strong One like our God.

And the slaves of Saul told him, saying, David spoke these words.

Saul returned, therefore, from pursuing after David and went against the Philistines. For this reason they called that place Selahammahlekoth.

And David departed from there and escaped to the cave Adullam; ; and when his brethren and all his father's house heard it, they went down there to him.

But there came a messenger unto Saul, saying, Make haste and come, for the Philistines have invaded the land.

Thus hath said the LORD of the hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way when he came up from Egypt.

For rebellion is the sin of witchcraft, and to break the word of the Lord is iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected thee from being king.

Therefore, the LORD God of Israel said, I had said indeed that thy house and the house of thy father should walk before me for ever, but now the LORD said, It shall never be; for those that honor me I will honor, and those that lightly esteem me shall be vile.

And Samuel died, and all Israel gathered together and lamented him and buried him in his house at Ramah. And David arose and went down to the wilderness of Paran.

And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the LORD of the hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, were there.

Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle and were gathered together at Shochoh, which belongs to Judah, and pitched camp between Shochoh and Azekah in Ephesdammim.

But now thy kingdom shall not stand; the LORD has sought a man after his own heart unto whom the LORD has commanded that he be captain over his people because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee.

And Saul spoke to Jonathan, his son, and to all his slaves that they should kill David.

So David hid himself in the field, and when the new moon was come, the king sat down to eat bread.

And a man named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span, came out of the camp of the Philistines and stood between the two camps.

Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him from among his brethren; and the Spirit of the LORD prospered David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.

Then they told David, saying, Behold, the Philistines fight against Keilah, and they rob the threshingfloors.

And David went up from there and dwelt in strong holds at Engedi.

And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with joy, and with instruments of music.

And it came to pass when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day that the Amalekites had invaded the Negev and Ziklag and had smitten Ziklag and burned it with fire.

And Samuel said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel; now, therefore, hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD.

Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah in his own city. And Saul had removed the spiritists and the diviners out of the land.

And when his slaves told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king's son-in-law, and the days were not expired.

Now go and smite Amalek and utterly destroy all that they have and spare him not, but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.

Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together and came to Samuel in Ramah

Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines and fell down slain in Mount Gilboa.

Then he said, I have sinned; yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people and before Israel and turn again with me that I may worship the LORD thy God.

Saul chose three thousand men of Israel, of which two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in Mount Bethel and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin; and of the rest of the people he sent each one to his tent.

Then David said to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword and with a spear and with a shield, but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of the hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast dishonoured.

And there was a man in Maon whose possessions were in Carmel, and the man was very great, and he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats, and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.

And Samuel said, How can I go? If Saul understands it, he will kill me. And the LORD said, Take a heifer with thee and say, I am come to sacrifice to the LORD.

So Samuel turned again after Saul, and Saul worshipped the LORD.

And it shall come to pass when the LORD shall have done to my lord according to all the good that he has spoken concerning thee and shall have appointed thee ruler over Israel,

And the king sat upon his seat as at other times, even upon a seat by the wall; and Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul's side, and David's place was empty.

Then Samuel said, Bring me Agag, the king of Amalek. And Agag came unto him delicately. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is near.

Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel and went to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats.

And David said in his heart, In the end I shall be killed some day by the hand of Saul; there is nothing better for me than that I should escape once and for all into the land of the Philistines; and Saul shall despair of me, to seek me any more within the borders of Israel; so shall I escape out of his hand.

that this shall be no stumblingblock unto thee nor grief of heart unto my lord, either that thou hast shed blood causeless or that my lord has avenged himself; but when the LORD shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember thy handmaid.

And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab and said, Peradventure is the LORD's anointed before him?

Then the Philistines gathered themselves together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen and people as the sand which is on the sea shore in multitude; and they came up and pitched camp in Michmash, eastward from Bethaven.

Then the word of the LORD came unto Samuel, saying,

And Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father's house.

And the Ziphites came unto Saul to Gibeah, saying, Does David not hide himself in the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon?

And David said unto Ahimelech, the priest, The king has commanded me a business and has said unto me, Let no one know anything of this business about which I send thee and what I have commanded thee, and I have appointed my servants to a certain place.

And the army of all the land came to a wood, and there was honey upon the ground.

And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and of a beautiful countenance and handsome. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him, for this is he.

And Jonathan said to the young man that bore his armour, Come and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised; peradventure the LORD will work for us, for it is not difficult for the LORD to save by many or by few.

Then Saul said unto his slaves, Seek me a woman that is a spiritist that I may go to her and enquire of her. And his slaves said to him, Behold, there is a woman that is a spiritist at Endor.

Then Jonathan and David made a covenant because he loved him as his own soul.

And David was the son of an Ephrathite man of Bethlehem of Judah, whose name was Jesse, and he had eight sons, and this man was old in the days of Saul and of advanced age among men.

And Jonathan answered Saul his father and said unto him, Why shall he be slain? What has he done?

And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are all thy young men here? And he said, There remains yet the youngest, and, behold, he keeps the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send for him, for we will not sit down to the table until he comes here.

And every one that was in distress and every one that was in debt and all whose souls were bitter gathered themselves unto him, and he became the captain over them, and there were about four hundred men with him.

For in very deed as the LORD God of Israel lives, who has kept me back from hurting thee, except thou hadst hastened and come to meet me, surely there had not been left unto Nabal by the morning light any that piss against the wall.

Then David said to Abigail, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel who sent thee this day to meet me;

And Jonathan smote the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul caused the shofar to be blown throughout all the land, saying, Let the Hebrews hear.

And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together and pitched camp by the valley of Elah and ordered the battle against the Philistines.

So Saul took the kingdom over Israel and fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab and against the sons of Ammon and against Edom and against the kings of Zobah and against the Philistines; and wherever he turned himself, he troubled them.

Then Doeg, the Edomite, who was set over the slaves of Saul, answered and said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob to Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub.

And it came to pass on the next day that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house, and David played with his hand as at other times, and there was a spear in Saul's hand.

And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him because the soul of all the people was bitter, each one for his sons and for his daughters; but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.

Now, therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin and turn again with me that I may worship the LORD.

And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons, and the Philistines slew Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchishua, Saul's sons.

Then Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly; thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which he commanded thee, for now the LORD would have established thy kingdom over Israel for ever.

And David arose and fled that day from the presence of Saul and went to Achish, the king of Gath.

Now the Philistines gathered together all their camps to Aphek, and the Israelites pitched camp by a fountain which is in Jezreel.

and Ahiah, the son of Ahitub, Ichabod's brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the LORD's priest in Shiloh, was wearing the ephod. And the people did not know that Jonathan was gone.

And Saul enquired of the LORD, but the LORD did not answer him by dreams nor by Urim nor by prophets.

And Saul tarried in the uttermost part of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree which is in Migron, and the people that were with him were about six hundred men;

But David had gone and returned from being with Saul to feed his father's sheep in Bethlehem.

After whom is the king of Israel come out? After whom dost thou pursue? After a dead dog? After a flea?

And Saul clothed David with his clothing, and he put a helmet of brass upon his head; he also armed him with a coat of mail.

And he tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel had appointed, but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were deserting from him.

Behold, this day thine eyes have seen how that the LORD had delivered thee today into my hand in the cave, and some bade me kill thee, but I forgave thee, and I said, I will not put forth my hand against my lord, for he is the LORD's anointed.

Therefore David enquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go and smite these Philistines? And the LORD said unto David, Go and smite the Philistines and save Keilah.

And I will raise me up a faithful priest that shall do according to that which is in my heart and in my mind, and I will build him a sure house, and he shall walk before my anointed for ever.

Let our lord now command thy slaves, which are before thee, to seek out a man who is a cunning player on a harp, and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand and thou shalt have relief.

And it came to pass, when David had finished speaking these words unto Saul, that Saul said, Is this thy voice, my son David? And Saul lifted up his voice and wept.

And he came to a flock of sheep by the way where there was a cave, and Saul went in to cover his feet, and David and his men remained in the sides of the cave.

And Jesse said unto David his son, Take now for thy brethren an ephah of this parched grain and these ten loaves and run to the camp to thy brethren

And it came to pass on the next day, which was the second day of the new moon, that David's place was empty, and Saul said unto Jonathan his son, Why did not the son of Jesse come to food, neither yesterday nor today?

And David abode in the wilderness in strong holds and remained in a mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God did not deliver him into his hand.

So David stayed his servants with these words and did not allow them to rise against Saul. But Saul rose up out of the cave and went on his way.

and blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou who hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood and from avenging myself with my own hand.

And he said unto his men, The LORD keep me from doing this thing unto my master, the LORD's anointed, to stretch forth my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD.

And Saul smote Amalek from Havilah until thou comest to Shur that is over against Egypt.

And David went out wherever Saul sent him and behaved himself prudently, and Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul's slaves.

And Saul said to David, Behold I will give thee my elder daughter Merab to wife; only be thou valiant for me, and fight the LORD's battles. For Saul said to himself, My hand shall not be against him, but the hand of the Philistines shall be against him.

But Jonathan, Saul's son, delighted much in David, and Jonathan told David, saying, Saul, my father, seeks to kill thee: now, therefore, I pray thee, take heed to thyself until the morning and abide in a secret place and hide thyself.

And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him and gave it to David and his garments, even to his sword and to his bow and to his girdle.

And they took their bones and buried them under a tree at Jabesh and fasted seven days.

Then said Saul unto his armourbearer, Draw thy sword and thrust me through with it lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through and abuse me. But his armourbearer would not, for he was sore afraid. Therefore, Saul took his sword and fell upon it.

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

And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? Am I not a Philistine, and ye slaves to Saul? Choose a man from among you, and let him come down to me.

And Samuel did as the LORD said and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming and said, Comest thou peaceably?

Then Abigail made haste and took two hundred loaves and two bottles of wine and five sheep ready dressed and five measures of parched flour and one hundred bunches of raisins and two hundred cakes of figs and laid them on asses.

And he said unto him, No, in no wise; thou shalt not die. Behold, my father will do nothing either great or small, but that he will show it me, and why should my father hide this thing from me? It shall not be so.

Then Samuel went to Ramah, and Saul went up to his house in Gibeah of Saul.

Again, Jesse made his seven sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said unto Jesse, The LORD has not chosen these.

Moreover, my father, see; see the skirt of thy robe is even in my hand, for in that I cut off the skirt of thy robe and did not kill thee, know thou and see that there is neither evil nor transgression in my hand, and I have not sinned against thee; yet thou doest hunt my life to take it.

Behold, the days come that I will cut off thine arm and the arm of thy father's house that there shall not be an old man in thy house.

It grieves me that I have set up Saul to be king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments. And it incensed Samuel, and he cried unto the LORD all night.

Then the men of David said unto him, Behold the day of which the LORD said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thy enemy into thy hand that thou may do to him as it shall seem good unto thee. Then David arose and silently cut off the skirt of Saul's robe.

And the evil spirit from the LORD was upon Saul as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand, and David played with his hand.

As saith the proverb of the ancients, Wickedness proceeds from the wicked, but my hand shall not be upon thee.

David also arose afterward and went out of the cave and cried after Saul, saying, My lord the king. And when Saul looked behind him, David stooped with his face to the earth and worshipped.

And all Israel heard it said that Saul had smitten a garrison of the Philistines and also that Israel had become a stench unto the Philistines. And the people were called together after Saul to Gilgal.

Then those of Ziph came to Saul to Gibeah, saying, Does not David hide himself with us in strong holds in the woods in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the right hand side of the wilderness?

And between the passages by which Jonathan sought to go over unto the Philistines' garrison, there was a sharp rock on the one side and a sharp rock on the other side; and the name of the one was Bozez and the name of the other Seneh.

And he took Agag, the king of the Amalekites, alive and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.

And thou shalt see a competitor in my tabernacle in all the things in which I shall do good unto Israel, and there shall not be an old man in thy house for ever.

And it came to pass afterward that David's heart smote him because he had cut off Saul's skirt.

And the women sang as they played and said, Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten thousands.

And Saul said unto the Kenite, Go, depart, go out from among those of Amalek lest I destroy you with them, for ye showed mercy to all the sons of Israel when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenite departed from among those of Amalek.

But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fatlings and the lambs and all that was good and would not utterly destroy them, but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.

And thou hast showed this day how that thou hast dealt well with me; forasmuch as when the LORD had delivered me into thy hand, thou didst not kill me.

But David understood that Saul devised evil against him, and he said to Abiathar, the priest, Bring here the ephod.

And David swore moreover, and said, Thy father certainly knows that I have found grace in thine eyes, and he saith in himself, Let Jonathan not know this lest he be grieved; but truly as the LORD lives and as thy soul lives, there is but a step between me and death.

And he brought them before the king of Moab, and they dwelt with him all the while that David was in the fortress.

And when the slaves of David were come to Abigail to Carmel, they spoke with her, saying, David sent us unto thee to take thee to him to wife.

I shall not totally cut off all thy men from my altar to consume thine eyes and to grieve thy soul, and all the increase of thy house shall die as young men.

So David received of her hand that which she had brought him and said unto her, Go up in peace to thy house; see, I have hearkened to thy voice and have accepted thy person.

And the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side; and there was a valley between them.

So David fled and escaped and came to Samuel in Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and dwelt in Naioth.

The LORD, therefore, shall judge, and he shall judge between me and thee. Let him see and plead my cause, and defend me from thy hand.

And David said to Saul, Why hearest thou men's words, saying, Behold, David seeks thy hurt?

And he said, Peaceably; I am come to sacrifice unto the LORD; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and called them to the sacrifice.

Yet a man is risen to pursue thee and to seek thy soul, but the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the LORD thy God, and he shall hurl forth the souls of thine enemies as out of the middle of a sling.

And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the LORD; I have performed the commandment of the LORD.

And Abigail came to Nabal, and, behold, he held a banquet in his house like the banquet of a king; and Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was very drunken; therefore, she told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light.

And David went from there to Mizpeh of Moab, and he said unto the king of Moab, Let my father and my mother, I pray thee, come forth and be with you until I know what God will make of me.

And he had a helmet of brass upon his head, and he was clothed with a coat of mail of scales; and the weight of the coat of mail was five thousand shekels of brass.

And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I, for thou hast repaid me with good, whereas I have repaid thee with evil.

And Saul said, Let us go down after the Philistines by night and spoil them until the morning light, and let us not leave a man of them. And they said, Do whatever seems good unto thee. Then the priest said, Let us draw near unto God here.

And the priest replied, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou didst overcome in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a veil behind the ephod; if thou wilt take that, take it, for there is none other except that here. And David said, There is none like that; give it to me.

And David and his men went up and invaded the Geshurites and the Gezrites and the Amalekites, for these had inhabited the land for a long time, from as thou goest unto Shur even unto the land of Egypt.

Then Jonathan, Saul's son, arose and went to David in the woods and strengthened his hand in God.

When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait (for the people were distressed), then the people hid themselves in caves and in thickets and in rocks and in high places and in pits.

The LORD judge between me and thee, and the LORD avenge me of thee, but my hand shall not be upon thee.

And David said to Achish, Surely thou shalt know what thy slave can do. And Achish said to David, Therefore, I will make thee keeper of my head all the days.

And now, behold, I know well that thou shalt surely be king and that the kingdom of Israel shall be firm and stable in thy hand.

Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said, Neither has the LORD chosen this one.

And one of the sons of Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David.

And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.

Then David swore unto Saul. And Saul went home, but David and his men went up unto the fortress.

And his armourbearer said unto him, Do all that is in thy heart; go. Behold, I am with thee according to thy will.

And David said unto Ahimelech, And is there not here under thy hand a spear or a sword? For I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me because the king's business required haste.

Saul also sent messengers unto David's house to watch him and to slay him in the morning. But Michal, David's wife told him, saying, If thou save not thy life tonight, tomorrow thou shalt be dead.

And Saul asked counsel of God, Shall I go down after the Philistines? Wilt thou deliver them into the hand of Israel? But he did not answer him that day.

And as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of a place toward the Negev and fell on his face to the ground and bowed himself three times, and they kissed one another and wept one with another, although David exceeded.

And the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam, and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron, and one bearing a shield went before him.

And that first slaughter which Jonathan and his armourbearer made was about twenty men within as it were a half acre of land, which a yoke of oxen might plow.

Swear now therefore unto me by the LORD that thou wilt not cut off my seed after me and that thou wilt not destroy my name out of my father's house.

For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go away safe and sound? The LORD reward thee with good for that which thou hast done unto me this day.

And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set himself up a monument and is gone about and passed on and gone down to Gilgal.

And this shall be a sign unto thee that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas: in one day they shall both die.

When Saul heard how David had appeared and the men that were with him (now Saul abode in Gibeah under a tree in Ramah, having his spear in his hand, and all his slaves were standing about him),

And David laid up these words in his heart and was sore afraid of Achish, the king of Gath.

And Saul gathered the people together and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen and ten thousand men of Judah.

Now a certain man of the slaves of Saul was there that day, fulfilling a vow before the LORD, and his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the principal of the pastors of Saul.

And David, seeing that Saul had come out to seek his soul, stayed in the woods in the wilderness of Ziph.

And the prophet Gad said unto David, do not abide in this fortress; depart, and go into the land of Judah. Then David departed and came into the forest of Hareth.

Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail. And she was a woman of good understanding and of a beautiful countenance, but the man was hard and evil in his doings, and he was of the lineage of Caleb.

And it came to pass when Abiathar, the son of Ahimelech, fled to David to Keilah that the ephod came in his hand.

Then Samuel said, What hast thou done? And Saul said, Because I saw that the people were leaving me and that thou didst not come within the days appointed and that the Philistines gathered themselves together at Michmash,

And it was told Saul, saying, Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.

Then the king said to Doeg, Turn thou and fall upon the priests. And Doeg, the Edomite, turned and he fell upon the priests and slew on that day eighty-five men that wore a linen ephod.

Then Ahimelech answered the king and said, And who is so faithful among all thy slaves as David, the king's son-in-law, who goes at thy bidding and is honourable in thy house?

And the priest answered David and said, There is no common bread under my hand; there is only sacred bread, which I will give thee if the young men have kept themselves at least from women.

Then Michal took an image and laid it in the bed and put a pillow of goats' hair at his head and covered it with a cloth.

Have I need of mad men that ye have brought this fellow to play the mad man in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?

And David arose, and he went over with the six hundred men that were with him unto Achish, the son of Maoch, king of Gath.

And Abigail hastened and arose and rode upon an ass with five damsels of hers that went after her, and she went after the messengers of David and became his wife.

And Saul said, They have brought them from Amalek, for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God, and the rest we have utterly destroyed.

And the slaves of Achish said unto him, Is this not David, the king of the land? Did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten thousands?

And the two made a covenant before the LORD, and David abode in the woods, and Jonathan returned to his house.

And the LORD will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me; the LORD shall also deliver the camp of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.

Then David enquired of the LORD yet again. And the LORD answered him and said, Arise, go down to Keilah, for I will deliver the Philistines into thy hand.

For as long as the son of Jesse lives upon the land, thou shalt not be established nor thy kingdom. Therefore, now send and bring him unto me, for he shall surely die.

And all this congregation shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear, for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give you into our hands.

And Saul's slaves said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubles thee.

Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither has the LORD chosen this one.

Then Saul said, Bring me a burnt offering and peace offerings. And he offered the burnt offering.

then Saul said unto his slaves that stood about him, Hear now, ye sons of Jemini, will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards and make you all captains of thousands and captains of hundreds

And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show thee what thou shalt do, and thou shalt anoint unto me the one whom I name unto thee.

the LORD do so and much more to Jonathan. But if it pleases my father to do thee evil, then I will show it to thee and send thee away that thou may go in peace; and the LORD be with thee as he has been with my father.

And the Philistine drew near morning and evening and presented himself for forty days.

And David behaved himself prudently in all his ways, and the LORD was with him.

And when Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said unto Abner, the captain of the host, Abner, whose son is this youth? And Abner said, As thy soul lives, O king, I cannot tell.

And it came to pass that as soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him that he might bless him.

And some of the Hebrews went over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. As for Saul, he was yet in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.

And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be the LORD that judged the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal and has kept his slave from evil, for the LORD has returned the wickedness of Nabal upon his own head. And David sent word unto Abigail to take her to him to wife.

So the priest gave him the sacred bread, for there was no bread there but the showbread that had been taken from before the LORD to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.

And the Philistine said, I have dishonoured the ranks of Israel today; give me a man that we may fight together.

And Saul cast the spear, saying, I will smite David to the wall with it. And David avoided out of his presence twice.

So David and his men, who were about six hundred, arose and departed out of Keilah and went from one place to another. And it was told Saul that David was escaped from Keilah, and he forbare to go forth.

And Saul cast a spear at him to smite him whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to slay David.

And Jonathan spoke good of David unto Saul, his father, and said unto him, Let not the king sin against his slave David, for he has not sinned against thee; on the other hand his works have been very good for thee,

And the three eldest sons of Jesse had gone and followed Saul to the battle. And the names of his three sons that went to the battle were Eliab, the firstborn, and next unto him Abinadab and the third Shammah.

And David put his hand in his bag and took a stone from there and slang it and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone remained sunk into his forehead, and he fell upon his face to the earth.

And he changed his behaviour before them and feigned himself a fool in their hands and scrabbled on the doors of the gate and let his spittle fall down upon his beard.

And as the cardinals of the Philistines reviewed their companies of hundreds and of thousands, David and his men were in the rear with Achish.

And David was the youngest, the three eldest having gone after Saul.

Then the people said unto Saul, Shall Jonathan die, who has wrought this great saving health in Israel? No, in no wise: as the LORD lives, there shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground, for he has wrought with God this day. So the people rescued Jonathan that he did not die.

Then Samuel said, What means then this bleating of the sheep in my ears and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?

Then the king sent to call Ahimelech, the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father's house, the priests that were in Nob; and they all came to the king.

And the name of Saul's wife was Ahinoam, the daughter of Ahimaaz. And the name of the captain of his host was Abner, the son of Ner, Saul's uncle.

And Achish would say, Where have ye raided today? And David would say, Against the south of Judah and towards the Negev of the Jerahmeelites or towards the Negev of the Kenites.

And he had greaves of brass upon his legs and a shield of brass between his shoulders.

and I will shoot three arrows on the side thereof as though I shot at a mark.

Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan and Ishui and Melchishua. And the names of his two daughters were these: the name of the firstborn Merab and the name of the younger Michal.

And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed, for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me and no longer answers me neither by prophets nor by dreams; therefore, I have called thee that thou may make known unto me what I shall do.

Then David said, O LORD God of Israel, thy slave has certainly heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah, to destroy the city for my sake.

When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

And David said unto Abiathar, I knew it that day when Doeg, the Edomite, was there that he would surely tell Saul. I have given cause before Saul against all the persons of thy father's house.

And Jonathan climbed up upon his hands and upon his feet and his armourbearer after him; and they fell before Jonathan, and his armourbearer slew after him.

And Saul sought to smite David to the wall with the spear, but he slipped away out of Saul's presence, who smote the spear into the wall; and David fled and escaped that night.

So David overcame the Philistine with a sling and with a stone and smote the Philistine and slew him, but there was no sword in the hand of David.

Then Jonathan said, Behold, we will go over unto these men, and we will show ourselves unto them.

And if I live, thou shalt show me the mercy of the LORD, but if I am dead,

So Michal let David down through a window, and he went and fled and escaped.

And Nabal answered David's slaves and said, Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse? There are many slaves nowadays that break from their masters.

Then Achish said unto his slaves, Behold, ye see the man is mad; why then have ye brought him to me?

And Saul said unto Michal, Why hast thou deceived me so and sent away my enemy that he is escaped? And Michal answered Saul, He said unto me, Let me go; if not, I shall kill thee.

And Saul called all the people together to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men.

And he enquired of the LORD for him and gave him provision and gave him the sword of Goliath, the Philistine.

And Saul disguised himself and put on other clothing, and he went with two men, and they came to the woman by night; and he said, I pray thee, divine unto me by spiritism and bring me him up whom I shall name unto thee.

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

But Saul was afraid of David because the LORD was with him and had departed from Saul.

And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him, and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands; and what can he have more but the kingdom?

And Jonathan swore unto David again because he loved him, for he loved him as he loved his own soul.

And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of the LORD, saying, The LORD be between me and thee and between my seed and thy seed for ever. And he arose and departed, and Jonathan entered into the city.