Then said Samuel unto Saul, Stay, and let me tell thee, that which Yahweh hath spoken unto me, this night. And he said to him - Speak.

Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD, but took the spoils, and did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD?"

And Saul said to Samuel, Yea, 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 the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the LORD thy God in Gilgal.

Then said Samuel - Doth that which is pleasing unto Yahweh consist in ascending-offerings and sacrifices, So much as in hearkening unto the voice of Yahweh? Lo! to hearken, is, better, than, sacrifice. And, to give heed, than, the fat of rams;

and thou hast called for Jesse in the sacrifice, and I cause thee to know that which thou dost do, and thou hast anointed to Me him of whom I speak unto thee.'

And Samuel did that which the LORD spoke, and came to Beth-lehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, Comest thou peaceably?

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

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

Now the Philistines collected their armies to battle, and were assembled at Shochoh, which belongeth to Judah, and encamped between Shochoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim.

And he had a head-dress of brass on his head, and he was dressed in a coat of metal, the weight of which was five thousand shekels of brass.

And this David was the son of an Ephrathite of Bethlehem Judah, named Jesse; which Jesse had eight sons, and was an old man in the days of Saul among the people.

And three sons of Jesse, the great ones, going, went after Saul to war: and the names of his three sons which went in the war, Eliab the first-born and his second, Abinadab, and the third, Shammah.

And David rose up early in the morning and left the sheep with a keeper, and got up and went as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the barricade, and to the army which was going out to fight, and shouted for the battle.

While he was speaking with them, suddenly the champion named Goliath, the Philistine from Gath, came forward from the Philistine battle line and shouted his usual words, which David heard.

And when the words were heard which David spoke, they rehearsed them before Saul: and he sent for him.

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

Then said David unto the Philistine - Thou, art coming unto me with sword, and with spear, and with javelin, - but, I, am coming unto thee in the name of Yahweh of hosts, God of the ranks of Israel which thou hast reproached.

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

On every mission on which Saul sent him, David achieved success. So Saul appointed him over the men of war. This pleased not only all the army, but also Saul's servants.

The servants of Saul reported to him according to these words which David spoke.

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

Then he also went to Ramah. When he came to the great cistern which [was] in Secu, he asked and said, "Where [are] Samuel and David?" Someone said, "Look [they are] in Naioth in Ramah."

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

And it came to pass on the morrow, which was the second day of the month, that David's place was empty: and Saul said to Jonathan his son, Why cometh not the son of Jesse to eat, neither yesterday, nor to-day?

For all the days which the son of Jesse lives upon the earth, thou shalt not stand, and thy kingdom. And now send and take him to me, for he is the son of death.

And Saul cast a javelin at him to smite him: by which Jonathan knew that it was determined by his father to slay David.

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

And when the lad had 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 David said to Ahimelech the priest, The king hath commanded me a business, and hath said to me, Let no man know any thing of the business about which I send thee, and what I have commanded thee: and I have appointed my servants to such and such a place.

and now, what is there under thy hand? five loaves give into my hand, or that which is found.'

So the priest gave him [the] holy [bread], for there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence, which was removed from before Yahweh, in order to set hot bread [there] on the day when it was taken away.

And a man there from the servants of Saul in that day, withheld before Jehovah; and his name Doeg, the Edomite, a powerful one of the shepherds which were to Saul.

And there will gather to him every man being pressed and every man which to him a creditor, and every man bitter of soul; and he will be for chief over them: and there will be with him about four hundred men.

And Saul will hear, for David was known, and the men which were with him. And Saul will dwell in the hill under the tamarisk tree, in Ramah, and his spear in his hand, and all his servants standing over him.

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

which asked counsel of the LORD for him, and gave him victuals, and the sword of Goliath the Philistine also."

And the king will send to call Ahimelech, son of Ahitub the priest, and all his father's house, the priests which are in Nob: and all of them will come to the king.

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

And David said unto Abiathar, "I wist it the same day, that Doeg the Edomite which was there would tell it Saul. And I am cause of the death of all the souls of thy father's house.

Then David and his men, which were about six hundred, arose and departed out of Keilah, and went whithersoever they could go. And it was told Saul that David was escaped from Keilah; and he forbare to go forth.

Then came up the Ziphites to Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide himself with us in strong holds in the wood, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of Jeshimon?

Then returned Saul from pursuing David, and departed to meet the Philistines, - for which cause, they called that place Sela-hammahlekoth "the Cliff of Separation".

And he came into the sheep-folds by the way, there, being a cave, which Saul entered, to cover his feet, - David and his men, in the hinder part of the cave, having taken up their abode.

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

And it came to pass afterwards that David's heart smote him, - because he had cut off the corner of the robe which belonged to Saul.

For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go away unharmed? Therefore may the LORD reward you good for that which you have done to me this day.

And say thus to him living, And peace with thee, and to thy house peace, and all which is to thee, peace.

And now I have heard that thou hast shearers: now thy shepherds which were with us, we hurt them not, neither was there ought missing unto them, all the while they were in Carmel.

'Ask thy young men, and they declare to thee, and the young men find grace in thine eyes, for on a good day we have come; give, I pray thee, that which thy hand findeth, to thy servants, and to thy son, to David.'

Should I take my bread and my water and my meat which I have slaughtered for my shearers and give [it] to men whom I do not know where they [are] from?

(And David said, Surely in vain did I watch all which was to this one in the desert, and not any thing was missed from all which was to him; and he will turn back to me evil for good.

Thus will God do the enemies of David and thus will he add if I shall leave from all which is to him till the light of the morning, him pissing against the wall.)

Let not my lord regard this unthrifty man Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name and folly is with him. But I thine handmaid saw not the young men of my lord which thou sendest.

And now this blessing which thy handmaid hath brought to my lord, let it even be given to the young men that follow my lord.

'And it hath been, when Jehovah doth to my lord according to all the good which He hath spoken concerning thee, and appointed thee for leader over Israel,

And David said to Abigail, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me:

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

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

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

And David, hearing that Nabal was dead, said, May the Lord be praised, who has taken up my cause against Nabal for the shame which he put on me, and has kept back his servant from evil, and has sent on Nabal's head the reward of his evil-doing. And David sent word to Abigail, desiring to take her as his wife.

But Saul had given Michal his daughter, David's wife, to Phalti the son of Laish, which was of Gallim.

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

And Saul pitched in the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon, by the way. But David abode in the wilderness, and he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness.

far be it from me, by Jehovah, from putting forth my hand against the anointed of Jehovah; and, now, take, I pray thee, the spear which is at his pillow, and the cruse of water, and we go away.'

This thing is not good which thou hast done. As Jehovah liveth, ye are worthy to die, because ye have not guarded your master, Jehovah's anointed. And now see where the king's spear is, and the cruse of water that was at his head.

Then Achish gave him Ziklag the same day; for which cause Ziklag pertaineth unto the kings of Judah unto this day.

And the number of the days which David hath dwelt in the field of the Philistines is days and four months;

And David and his men went and ran upon the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites: which nations were from the beginning the inhabiters of the land, as men go to Shur, and so forth to Egypt.

And David will not preserve alive a man and woman to bring to Gath, saying, Lest they shall announce against us, saying, Thus did David, and thus his judgment all the days which he dwelt in the field of the rovers.

And David saith unto Achish, 'Therefore -- thou dost know that which thy servant dost do.' And Achish saith unto David, 'Therefore -- keeper of my head I do appoint thee all the days.'

So Saul, putting on other clothing, so that he might not be seen to be the king, took two men with him and went to the woman by night; and he said, Now, with the help of the spirit which you have, make the person whose name I will give you come up.

And the woman saith unto him, 'Lo, thou hast known that which Saul hath done, that he hath cut off those having familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land; and why art thou laying a snare for my soul -- to put me to death?'

And the woman came to Saul, and saw that he was greatly troubled, and said to him, Behold, thy handmaid hath obeyed thy voice, and I have put my life in my hand, and have hearkened to thy words, which thou didst speak

Now the Philistines collected all their armies to Aphek: and the Israelites encamped by a fountain which is in Jezreel.

Then said the princes of the Philistines, What do these Hebrews here? And Achish said unto the princes of the Philistines, Is not this David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, which hath been with me these days, or these years, and I have found no fault in him since he fell unto me unto this day?

And the princes of the Philistines were wroth with him; and the princes of the Philistines said to him, Make this man return, that he may go again to his place which thou hast appointed him, and let him not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he should be an adversary to us: for with what would he reconcile himself to his master? would it not be with the heads of these men?

Is not this David which they will answer to him in dances, saying, Saul struck his thousands and David his ten thousands?

Therefore now rise up early in the morning with the servants of your lord who have come with you, and go to the place which I allotted to you. And do not place an evil thing in your heart, for you are good in my sight. And as soon as you are up early in the morning, and have light, depart."

And David will go, and six hundred men which were with him, and they will come to the torrent of Bezor, and those remaining, stood.

But David pursued, he and four hundred men: for two hundred abode behind, which were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor.

We made an invasion upon the south of the Cherethites, and upon the coast which belongeth to Judah, and upon the south of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.

So he took him down, and {there they were}, spread out over the surface of all the land, eating and drinking and dancing because of all of the abundant plunder which they had taken from the land of [the] Philistines and from the land of Judah.

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

and there was nothing missing to them - whether small or great, whether spoil, or sons or daughters, or, any thing which they had taken unto themselves, - the whole, did David recover.

And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drove before those other cattle, and said, This is David's spoil.

And David came to the two hundred men, which were so faint that they could not follow David, whom they had made also to abide at the brook Besor: and they went forth to meet David, and to meet the people that were with him: and when David came near to the people, he saluted them.

Then all the corrupt and useless men among the men who went with David reacted and said, "Because they did not go with us, we will not give them [anything] from the plunder which we recovered, {except} each [man may take] his own wife and children. They must take them along and go!"

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

To them which were in Bethel, and to them which were in south Ramoth, and to them which were in Jattir,

And to them which were in Aroer, and to them which were in Siphmoth, and to them which were in Eshtemoa,

And to them which were in Rachal, and to them which were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to them which were in the cities of the Kenites,

And to them which were in Hormah, and to them which were in Chorashan, and to them which were in Athach,

And to them which were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were wont to haunt.

And when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard of that which the Philistines had done to Saul,