And then the LORD said unto Samuel, "How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have cast him away from reigning over Israel? Fill a horn with ointment, and come: I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have spied me a king among his sons."

And Saul and the men of Israel came and pitched in Oakdale and put themselves in array, to fight against the Philistines.

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

And he stood and called unto the host of Israel, and said unto them, "What needeth that ye should come out in array to battle? Am not I a Philistine, and you servants to Saul? Choose you a man, and let him come down to me:

And the Philistine said, "I have defied the host of Israel this day; give me a man and let us fight together."

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

And Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in Oakdale fighting with the Philistines.

for Israel and the Philistines had put themselves in array, the one against the other.

And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, ran away from him, and were sore afraid.

And every man of Israel said, "See ye this man that is come forth; even to revile Israel is he come. And to him that beateth him will the king give great riches, and will give him his daughter thereto: yea and make his father's house free in Israel."

Then spake David to the men that stood by and said, "What shall be done to the man that beateth this Philistine and taketh away the shame from Israel? For what is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should revile the host of the living God?"

Then said David to the Philistine, "Thou comest to me with a sword, a spear, and a shield: But I come to thee in the name of the LORD of Hosts, the God of the host of Israel whom thou hast railed upon.

This day shall the LORD deliver thee into my hand, and I shall smite thee and take thine head from thee, and will give the carcasses of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air and to the beasts of the earth - and all the world shall know that there is a God in Israel.

And the men of Israel and of Judah arose and shouted and followed after the Philistines, until they came to the valley and unto the gates of Ekron. And the Philistines fell down dead by the way, even unto Gath and Ekron.

And then the children of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines and robbed their tents.

And it happened as they went, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that women came out of all cities of Israel singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with timbrels, with joy, and with fiddles.

But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and in before them.

And David answered Saul, "What am I? And what is my life or the kindred of my father in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?"

For he did put his life in his hand and slew the Philistine, and the LORD gave a great victory to all Israel. And thou sawest it, and thou rejoicedest. Wherefore then shouldest thou sin against innocent blood, and slay David for nought?"

And Jonathan said unto David, "O LORD God of Israel, when I have groped my father's mind, one time or other within this three days, that it stand well with David: and I then send not unto thee and show it thee, the LORD do so and so unto Jonathan.

Then said David, "O LORD God of Israel, thy servant heareth that Saul is about to come to Keilah to destroy the city for my sake.

Will the men of Keilah deliver me into his hand? Or will Saul come as thy servant heareth say? LORD God of Israel, tell thy servant." And the LORD said, "He will come."

and said unto him, "Fear not, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee, and thou shalt be king over Israel, and I must be next unto thee: And Saul my father thereto knoweth that it shall be so."

Then Saul took three thousand men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men in the rocks, where nothing haunted but wild goats.

After whom art thou come out, thou king of Israel? After whom chasest thou? Even after a dead dog, and after a flea!

And now I know well that thou shalt be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in thine hand.

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

And moreover when the LORD shall have done to my lord all the good that he hath promised thee, and shall have made thee ruler over Israel:

Then said David to Abigail, "Blessed be the LORD God of Israel which sent thee this day to meet me.

For in very deed - as sure as the LORD God of Israel liveth which hath kept me back from hurting thee - except thou hadst hasted and met me, there had not been left Nabal, by the dawning of the day, a pisser against the wall."

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

And David said to Abner, "Art not thou a man? And who is like thee in Israel? But wherefore hast thou not kept thy lord the king? For there came one of the folk to destroy the king thy lord.

And yet I hope my blood shall not fall to the earth before the face of the LORD, though the king of Israel be come out to hunt a flea, as men hunt the partridges in the mountains."

Then thought David in his heart, "I may perish, one day or other, by the hands of Saul. There is no better for me, than to flee into the land of the Philistines; that Saul, of very despair to find me, may cease to seek me anymore in all the coasts of Israel: for so I may escape his hand."

And Achish believed David, saying, "He hath made himself to stink unto his people Israel, and thereto he shall be my servant forever."

And it chanced in those days, that the Philistines gathered their host together to war, intending to fight with Israel. And Achish said to David, "Be sure: thou shalt go out with me in the host, and thy men also."

Samuel was then dead, and all Israel had lamented him and buried him in Ramah his own city. And Saul had put the soothsayers and expounders of tokens out of the land.

And the Philistines gathered together and came and pitched in Shunem. And Saul and all Israel gathered together and pitched in Gilboa.

And moreover, the LORD will deliver Israel with thee into the hands of the Philistines. And tomorrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me, and the LORD shall give the host of Israel into the hands of the Philistines."

The Philistines gathered all their hosts together unto Aphek: And Israel pitched by a fountain in Jezreel.

Then said the lords of the Philistines, "What are yonder Hebrews?" And Achish said unto the lords of the Philistines, "Is not this David the servant of Saul the king of Israel, which hath been with me days or years? And I have found no fault in him since he fled unto me unto this day."

And so from that day forward was that made a law and a custom in Israel, and endureth to this day.

And as the Philistines fought against Israel, the men of Israel fled away from the Philistines, and fell down dead in mount Gilboa.

When the men of Israel that were of the other side of the valley, and they of the other side Jordan, heard that the men of Israel were put to flight, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they left the cities, and ran away, and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.

To whom David said, "Whence comest thou?" And the other answered him, "Out of the host of Israel am I escaped."

And they mourned, wept and fasted until evening - for Saul, and Jonathan his son, and for the people of the LORD, and for the house of Israel, because they were overthrown with the sword.

and bade to teach the children of Israel the staves thereof. And behold, it is written in the book of the righteous:

"The glory of Israel is slain upon the high hills: Oh how were the mighty overthrown!

Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, which clothed you in purple and garments of pleasure, and bordered your raiment with ornaments of gold.

and made him king over Gilead and over the Asherites, and over Jezreel; and over Ephraim and Benjamin and over all Israel.

And Ishbosheth Saul's son was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel - and reigned two years. But the house of Judah only followed David.

And there began an exceeding cruel battle that same day. But Abner and the men of Israel were put to the worse of the servants of David.

And therewith Joab blew a trumpet, and all the people stood still and pursued after Israel no more nor fought no more.

and bring the kingdom from the house of Saul, and set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, even from Dan to Beersheba."

And Abner sent messengers to David forthwith, saying, "Whose is the land?" And he said thereto, "Make a bond with me, and see, my hand is with thee, to bring all Israel unto thee."

And Abner had communication with the elders of Israel, saying, "Ye have long gone about that David should be king over you.

Now then, do it. For the LORD hath said of David, 'By the hand of my servant David, I will save my people Israel; out of the hands of the Philistines, and out of the hand of all their enemies.'"

And like words had he with Benjamin, and then went to tell in the ears of David in Hebron all that Israel was content with and the whole house of Benjamin.

Then Abner said unto David, "I will up and go gather all Israel unto my lord the king, that they may make an appointment with thee, that thou mayest be king over all that thine heart desireth." And so David let Abner depart, and he went in peace.

And all the people and all Israel thereto understood that day how that it was not the king's mind to slay Abner the son of Ner.

And the king said unto his servants, "Know ye not, how that there is a lord, and that a great, fallen this day in Israel?

When Ishbosheth heard that Abner was dead in Hebron, his hands fainted and all Israel was troubled.

Then came all the tribes of Israel to David to Hebron, and said, "See, we are thy bones and thy flesh.

And thereto in time past when Saul was king over us, thou leddest Israel in and out. And the LORD hath said to thee, 'Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be a captain over Israel.'"

And so all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron. And king David made a covenant with them in Hebron before the LORD. And they anointed David king over Israel.

In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months. And in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years over all Israel and Judah.

Whereby David perceived that the LORD had established him king over Israel and had exalted his kingdom for his people Israel's sake.

But when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, they came all up to seek David. And as soon as David heard of it, he gat him to a hold.

After that, David chose out all the chief young men in Israel to the sum of thirty thousand;

And David and all the house of Israel played before the LORD with all manner instruments of fir wood - with harps, psalteries, timbrels, fiddles and cymbals.

And David and all the house of Israel brought the ark of the LORD with shouting and trumpet blowing.

and gave among all the folk - even among the whole multitude of Israel, as well to the women as men - every one a cake of bread and a piece of flesh and a flacket of wine. And so the people departed every man to his house.

Then David returned to salute his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out against him, and said, "Oh how glorious was the king of Israel today, which stripped himself today before the eyes of the maidens of his servants, as a light-brained fellow is wont to strip himself."

But David said again to Michal, "I thought to dance before the LORD - which chose me, rather thy father and all his kin, and commanded me to be ruler over all the people of the LORD, even over Israel.

For I have not dwelt in any house since the time I brought the children of Israel out of Egypt, unto this day: but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle.

In any way where I went among the children of Israel, spake I one word with any of the tribes of Israel which I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying: why build ye not me a house of cedar trees?'

Now therefore so say unto my servant David, thus sayeth the LORD of Hosts, 'I took thee out of a shepherd's cote from following sheep to be a ruler over my people Israel.

And I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant it and they shall continue in one place and shall move no more, neither shall wicked people trouble them any more as they did at the beginning,

and since the time I commanded judges to be over my people Israel; and I will give thee rest from all thine enemies. And the LORD telleth thee that he will build thee a household.

And what one people in the earth is like thy people Israel? Which God went and delivered to be his people, and to make him a name, and to show them great and terrible things in the earth, before thy people which thou redeemest to thee out of Egypt, even from the people and from their gods.

And thou hast ordained thy people Israel to be thy people forever. And thou, LORD, art their God.

And let thy name be great forever, that men may say, 'The LORD of Hosts is the God of Israel.' And let the house of thy servant David be established before thee.

For thou, LORD of Hosts, God of Israel, hast told in the ear of thy servant, saying, "I will build thee a house. And therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto thee.

And David reigned over all Israel and executed right and justice unto all his people.

When Joab saw that the front of the battle was before and after, he chose of all the best of Israel and put them in array against the Syrians.

And when the Syrians saw that they were put to the worse before Israel, they gathered them together.

And when it was showed David, he gathered all Israel and passed over Jordan and came to Helam: where the Syrians put themselves in array against David and fought with him.

Howbeit, the Syrians fled before Israel. And David destroyed seven hundred chariots of them and forty thousand horsemen, and smote Shobach the captain of his host, that he there died.

And when all the kings that were servants to Hadadezer saw that they were put to the worse before Israel, they made peace with them and served them. And so the Syrians feared to help the children of Ammon any more.

And it came to pass in the beginning of a new year, in the times when kings are wont to go forth to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel. And they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem.

And Uriah said unto David, "The ark and Israel and Judah dwell in pavilions; and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord lie in tents upon the flat earth - and should I then go into mine house, to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? By thy life and as sure as thy soul liveth, I will not do that thing."

Then Nathan said to David, "Thou art the man. Thus sayeth the LORD God of Israel, 'I anointed thee king over Israel and rid thee out of the hands of Saul.

And I gave thee thy master's house and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah - and would, if that had been too little, have given thee twice so much more.

And thou didst it secretly, yet will I do this thing before all Israel and in the open sunlight.'"

And she answered him, "Nay, my brother, do not force me, for it ought not to be so in Israel. Do not this folly.

For whither shall I go with my shame? And thou shalt be as one of the fools in Israel. But speak unto the king, and he shall not deny me unto thee."

Moreover, in all Israel there was not so goodly a man as Absalom, or so greatly praised - from the sole of his foot to the top of his head there was no blemish in him.

And thereto he used to rise up early in the mornings and to stand by the wayside that led to the gate of the city. And all the men of Israel that had complaints and came to the king for judgment, he called unto him, and said, "Of what city art thou?" And when the other answered, "thy servant is of such a tribe of Israel,"

And on this manner did Absalom to all Israel that came to the king for judgment; and therewith stole the hearts of the men of Israel.

Then Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, "As soon as ye hear the voice of the trumpet blow, say, 'Absalom reigneth king in Hebron.'"