then Saul chose for himself three thousand from Israel. Two thousand of these 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 man to his tent.

And the Philistines gathered to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and people like the sand on the seashore in multitude. And they came up and pitched in Michmash, eastward from Beth-aven.

And he waited seven days, according to the set time with Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal. And the people were scattered from him.

And Samuel said, What have you done? And Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and you did not come in the days appointed, and the Philistines gathered themselves at Michmash,

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

And Saul said to the people with him, Number now and see who is gone from us. And when they had counted, behold, Jonathan and his armor-bearer were not there.

And one from the people answered and said, Your father strictly charged the people with an oath, saying, Cursed is the man who eats food this day. And the people were weary.

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

Then Saul went up from following the Philistines. And the Philistines went to their own place.

So says Jehovah of Hosts, I will visit Amalek with what he did to Israel, how he set against him in the way when he came up from Egypt.

And Saul said to the Kenites, Go! Depart! Get down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them. For you showed kindness to all the sons of Israel when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.

And Saul struck the Amalekites from Havilah, as you come to Shur, which is over across from Egypt.

It repents Me that I have set up Saul to be king. For he has turned back from following Me and has not done My commands. And it grieved Samuel, and he cried out to Jehovah all night.

And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites. For the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to Jehovah your God. And the rest we have completely destroyed.

But the people took from the spoil, of the flocks and herd, the best of the things devoted to sacrifice to Jehovah your God in Gilgal.

For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idol-worship. Because you have rejected the Word of Jehovah, He has also rejected you from being king!

And Samuel said to Saul, I will not return with you, for you have rejected the Word of Jehovah, and Jehovah has rejected you from being king over Israel.

And Samuel said to him, Jehovah has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day, and has given it to a neighbor of yours who is better than you.

And Jehovah said to Samuel, How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I will send you to Jesse of Bethlehem. For I have seen a king for Me among his sons.

And Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the spirit of Jehovah came on David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.

But the spirit of Jehovah departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from Jehovah terrified him.

And Saul's servants said to him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God terrifies you.

Let our lord now command his servants before you to seek out a man who knows to play on a harp. And it shall be, when the evil spirit from God is on you, then he shall play with his hand, and it shall be well with you.

And it happened when the spirit from God was on Saul, that David took a harp and played with his hand. And there was relief for Saul, and it was well with him, and the evil spirit departed from him.

And a champion named Goliath came out of the Philistines camp; he was from Gath. His height was six cubits and a span.

And David went and returned from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem.

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

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

And he turned from him toward another, and spoke according to this word. And the people answered him again in the same way.

And Saul said to David, You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him. For you are but a youth, and he is a man of war from his youth.

Jehovah will deliver you into my hand today, and I will strike you and take your head from you and give the bodies of the army of the Philistines to the birds of the air today, and to the wild beasts of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.

And David put his hand into his bag and took a stone from there, and slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead. And he fell on his face to the earth.

And the sons of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines, and they spoiled their tents.

And as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul, with the head of the Philistine in his hand.

And it happened as they came in, as David returned from striking the Philistine, the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of music.

And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.

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

And Saul was afraid of David, because Jehovah was with him and had departed from Saul.

And Saul moved him away from himself, and made him his commander over a thousand. And he went out and came in before the people.

And there was war again. And David went out and fought with the Philistines, and killed them with a great slaughter. And they fled from him.

And the evil spirit from Jehovah was on Saul as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. And David played with his hand.

And Saul thought to strike David even to the wall with the spear. But he burst forth from Saul's presence, and he struck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night.

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

And he said to him, Far be it. You shall not die! Behold, my father will do nothing either great or small that he will not show to me. And why should my father hide this thing from me? It is not so.

And Jonathan said, Far be it from you. For if I knew certainly that evil was determined by my father to come on you, then would I not tell you?

but you shall not cut off your kindness from my house forever, no, not when Jehovah has cut off the enemies of David, every one, from the face of the earth.

And Jonathan rose from the table in fierce anger, and did not eat food on the second day of the new moon. For he was grieved for David, because his father had put him to shame.

As soon as the lad had gone, David rose from the south, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times. And they kissed one another, and wept with one another, until David exceeded.

And the priest answered David and said, There is no common bread under my hand, but there is holy bread if the young men have kept themselves at least from women.

And David answered the priest and said to him, Truly women have been kept from us for about three days, since I came out, and the vessels of the young men are holy, and in a way the holy bread is common. Also surely today it is sanctified in the vessels.

And the priest gave him holy bread. For there was no bread there but the Bread of the Presence that was taken from before Jehovah, in order to put hot bread in on the day when it was taken away.

And a man from the servants of Saul was there that day, held before Jehovah. And his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chief of Saul's herdsmen.

And David went from there to Mizpeh of Moab. And he said to the king of Moab, Please let my father and my mother come forth and be with you until I know what God will do for me.

Have I today begun to ask of God for him? Be it far from me. Do not let the king charge a thing to his servant, nor to all the house of my father. For your servant knew nothing of all this, more or less.

And David and his men, about six hundred, arose and departed out of Keilah and went wherever they could go. And it was told to Saul that David had escaped from Keilah. And he did not go forth.

And Saul said, Blessed are you from Jehovah, for you have pity on me.

Saul and his men also went to look for him. And they told David. And he came down from the rock and stayed in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard, he followed after David in the wilderness of Maon.

And Saul returned from pursuing David, and went against the Philistines. Therefore they called that place, The Rock of the Division.

And David went up from there and stayed in strongholds at En-gedi.

And it happened when Saul had returned from following the Philistines, they told him, saying, Behold, David is in the wilderness of En-gedi.

And he said to his men, Far be it from me, by Jehovah, if I will do this thing to my lord, Jehovah's anointed, to stretch forth my hand against him, since he is the anointed of Jehovah.

As the ancient proverb says, Wickedness proceeds from the wicked. But my hand shall not be on you.

And Nabal answered David's servants and said, Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse? The servants who have broken away, each man from his master, have multiplied.

Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers, and give it to men about whom I know not where they come from?

But the men were very good to us, and we were not hurt, neither did we miss anything as long as we were going to and fro among them, when we were in the fields.

And it happened, she was riding on the ass and coming down under cover of the mountain. And behold, David and his men came down across from her. And she met them.

And Abigail saw David and hurried and dismounted from the ass, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground.

And now, my lord, as Jehovah lives and as your soul lives, since Jehovah has withheld you from coming to shed blood, and from avenging yourself with your own hand, now let your enemies, and those that seek to do evil to my lord, be as Nabal.

Yet a man has risen to pursue you and to seek your soul. But the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with Jehovah your God. And the souls of your enemies, He shall sling them from the hollow of a sling.

And blessed is your advice, and blessed are you who have kept me from coming to shed blood today, and from delivering myself with my own hand.

And truly, as Jehovah, the God of Israel lives, who has kept me back from doing evil to you, for unless you had hurried and come to meet me, surely there would not have been left to Nabal by the morning light one who urinates against the wall.

And David received from her hand that which she had brought him, and said to her, Go up in peace to your house. See, I have listened to your voice and have accepted your person.

And David heard that Nabal had died, and he said, Blessed is Jehovah who has pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and has kept His servant from evil. For Jehovah has returned the wickedness of Nabal on his own head. And David sent and spoke with Abigail, to take her to him for a wife.

far be it from me by Jehovah, from putting forth my hand against Jehovah's anointed. And now, please take the spear at his head and the cruse of water, and we will go.

And David took the spear and the cruse of water from Saul's head. And they went away, and no one saw, and no one knew; and no one was awake; for all of them were sleeping, because a deep sleep from Jehovah had fallen on them.

And now, please let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If Jehovah has stirred you up against me, let Him accept an offering. But if it is the sons of men, they are cursed before Jehovah. For they have driven me out today from joining myself with the inheritance of Jehovah, saying, Go, serve other gods.

And David and his men went up and invaded the Geshurites, and the Gezrites, and the Amalekites. For they were the inhabitants of the land from the past days, as you come into Shur, even into the land of Egypt.

But he refused, and said, I will not eat. But his servants, forced him, and the woman also. And he listened to their voices and arose from the earth and sat on the bed.

And the rulers of the Philistines said, What are these Hebrews doing? And Achish said to the rulers of the Philistines, Is this not David the servant of Saul the king of Israel, who has been with me these days, or these years. And I have not found anything evil in him from the day he fell away until today?

And David said to him, Whose are you? And where do you come from? And he said, I am an Egyptian youth, servant to an Amalekite. And my master left me because three days ago I fell sick.

And David struck them from the twilight even to the evening of the next day. And not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled.

And nothing was lacking to them, from the small to the great, even to sons and daughters, and from the spoil, even to all that they had taken to themselves. David recovered all.

And every evil and worthless man of the men who went with David answered and said, Because they did not go with us, we will not give them from a thing the spoil that we have seized, except to every man his wife and his sons. Let them take them, and go.

And it was so, from that day forward he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.

And David came to Ziklag, and sent some of the spoil to the elders of Judah, to his friends, saying, Behold, a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of Jehovah;

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

then all the brave men arose, and they traveled all night. And they took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and came to Jabesh, and burned them there.

And it happened after the death of Saul, David returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David stayed two days in Ziklag,

on the third day, behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul with his clothes torn and earth upon his head. And it happened when he came to David, he fell to the earth and bowed to him.

And David said to him, Where do you come from? And he said to him, I have escaped out of the camp of Israel.

And David said to him, How did the matter go? Please tell me. And he answered, The people have fled from the battle, and many of the people also have fallen and are dead. And Saul and his son Jonathan are dead also.

And David said to the young man who told him, From where are you? And he answered, I am the son of a stranger, an Amalekite.

From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan did not turn back, and the sword of Saul did not return empty.

And Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ishbosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.

And Asahel ran after Abner, and in going he did not turn to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner.

And Abner said to him, Turn aside to your right hand or to your left, and lay hold on one of the young men, and take for yourself. But Asahel would not turn aside from following him.

And Abner said again to Asahel, Turn aside from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then should I hold up my face to Joab your brother?

Then Abner called to Joab and said, Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that it will be bitter in the end? How long shall it be then before you command the people to return from chasing their brothers?

And Joab said, As God lives, unless you had spoken, surely then in the morning the people would have gone up each one from following his brother.

And Joab returned from following Abner. And when he had gathered all the people together, nineteen men and Asahel were missing from David's servants.