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

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

Then turned he from him unto another, and said - according to this word, - and the people returned him an answer, like the first.

And the words which David spake were overheard, - and, when they told them before Saul, he summoned him.

And David said unto Saul, Let not the heart of my lord fail, because of him, - thy servant, will go, and fight with this Philistine.

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

and I would go out after him, and smite him, and rescue it out of his mouth, - and, if he rose against me, I would catch him by his beard, and smite him, and slay him.

And Saul clad David with his own military coat, and set a helmet of bronze upon his head, - and clad him with a coat of mail.

And David girded his sword above his military coat, but was reluctant to go, for he had not proved them, - so David said unto Saul - I cannot go in these, for I have not proved them. And David put them off him.

Then took he his stick in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the torrent-bed, and put them in the shepherd's-pouch which he had - even in the wallet, and had his sling in his hand, - and so drew near unto the Philistine.

And the Philistine came on and on, and drew near unto David, - and the man carrying the shield was before him.

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

Thus David prevailed over the Philistine, with the sling and with the stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him, - but, sword, was there none in the hand of David.

So David ran, and stood by the Philistine, and took his sword and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off, therewith, his head, - and, when the Philistines saw that their hero was slain, they fled.

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

And Saul said unto him, Whose son art, thou, O young man? And David said, Son of thy servant Jesse, the Bethlehemite.

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

And Saul took him, that day, - and suffered him not to return unto the house of his father.

And Jonathan and David solemnised a covenant, - because he loved him as his own soul.

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.

And David went forth - whithersoever Saul sent him, he behaved himself prudently, so Saul set him over the men of war, - and he became a favourite in the eyes of all the people, yea even in the eyes of the servants of Saul.

Saul hurled the spear, and said to himself - I will smite David, even to the wall! But David moved round from before him, twice.

And Saul feared because of David, - for Yahweh was with him, whereas, from Saul, he had departed.

So Saul removed him from him, and appointed him to be for him the captain of a thousand, - and he went out and came in before the people.

And it came to pass that David, in all his ways, acted prudently, - and, Yahweh, was with him.

And, when Saul saw that, he, was acting very prudently, he was afraid of him.

So then Saul said unto David - Lo! my elder daughter Merab, her, will I give thee to wife, only, approve thyself unto me as a son of valour and fight the battles of Yahweh. Saul, however, had said to himself - Let not, my own hand, be upon him, but let, the hand of the Philistines, be upon him.

And Saul said to himself - I will give her unto him, that she may prove to him a snare, and that, the hand of the Philistines, may be upon him. So then Saul said unto David, A second time, mayest thou become my son-in-law to-day.

So the servants of Saul told him, saying, - According to these words, spake David,

Wherefore David arose, and went - he and his men, and smote among the Philistines two hundred men, and David brought in their foreskins, and gave them in full tale unto the king, that he might become son-in-law unto the king, and Saul gave him Michal his daughter, to wife.

And Saul saw and knew that, Yahweh, was with David, and that, all Israel, loved him.

So then Jonathan spake of David things that were good, unto Saul his father, - and said unto him - May the king not sin against his servant - against David; for he hath not sinned against, thee, nay, indeed, his doings have been good to theeward exceedingly.

And Jonathan called for David, and Jonathan told him all these things, - and Jonathan brought in David unto Saul, and so he was in his presence, as aforetime.

But, when the war again brake out, - and David went forth and fought with the Philistines, and smote them with a great smiting, and they fled before him,

And Saul sent messengers unto David's house, to watch him, and to put him to death, in the morning! And Michal his wife told David, saying, If thou do not deliver thyself to-night, to-morrow, art thou to be put to death.

So Saul sent messengers to see David, saying, - Bring him up in the bed unto me, that I may put him to death.

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

And, when he departed from thence towards Naioth in Ramah, then came upon, him also, the Spirit of God, and he went on and on, and was moved to prophesy, until he entered Naioth in Ramah.

And he said unto him - Far be it! thou shalt not die. Lo! my father doeth nothing, great or small, without unveiling mine ear, - wherefore, then, should my father hide from me, this thing? There is, nothing, in this.

If, thus, he say - It is well, - thy servant shall have, peace, - but, if it, anger, him, know that harm hath been determined by him.

So, let Yahweh do unto Jonathan, and, so, let him add - when harm against thee seemeth good unto my father, then will I unveil thine ear, and let thee go, and thou shall depart in peace, - then Yahweh be with thee, as he hath been with my father.

And again Jonathan sware unto David, by his love to him, - for, as he loved his own soul, so loved he him.

Then said Jonathan unto him - To-morrow, is the new moon, and thou wilt be missed, for thy seat will be empty;

Then was Saul's anger kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him, Thou son of rebellious perversity! do I not know that thou art, confederate, with the son of Jesse to thine own confusion, and to the confusion of the shame of thy mother?

For, as long as, the son of Jesse, liveth on the ground, thou wilt not be established, thou nor thy kingdom, Now, therefore, send and fetch him unto me, for, doomed to death, is he!

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

And Saul hurled his spear at him, to smite him. So Jonathan knew that it was, determined, of his father, to put David to death.

Jonathan therefore rose up from the table, in a glow of anger, - and did eat no food on the second day of the month, for he was grieved for David, because his father had reviled him.

And it came to pass in the morning, that Jonathan went forth into the field, to the place appointed with David, - a little lad, being with him.

And he said to his lad - Run, find, I pray thee, the arrows which I am about to shoot. The boy, ran, but, he, shot the arrow beyond him.

So Jonathan gave his weapons unto his lad, and said to him, Go carry them into the city.

Then came David to Nob, unto Ahimelech, the priest, - and Ahimelech trembled when he met David, and said unto him - Why art thou, alone, and, no man, with thee?

And David answered the priest and said to him - Of a truth, women, have been withheld from us, of late, through my coming out, and the wallets of the young men have become hallowed, - while the bread , itself, is in a manner common, and the more so since, to-day, there are other loaves to be hallowed, in the vessel.

So the priest gave him hallowed bread , - because there was there no bread, save the Presence-Bread, which had to be removed from before Yahweh, to put hot bread, on the day when it should be taken away.

And the servants of Achish said unto him, Is not, this, David, king of the land? Was it not, of this man, that they kept responding in the dances, saying, Saul, hath smitten his, thousands, but, David, his, tens of thousands?

Then said Achish unto his servants, - Lo! ye can see, a madman playing his pranks, wherefore should ye bring him in, unto me?

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

And there gathered themselves unto him - every one that was in distress, and every one that had a creditor, and every one embittered in soul, and he came to be over them as a prince, - and there were with him, about four hundred men.

So he set them before the king of Moab, - and they dwelt with him, all the days that David was in the fortress.

And, when Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men that were with him - Saul, being seated in Gibeah under the tamarisk-tree in Ramah, with his spear in his hand, and all his servants stationed by him, -

then said Saul unto his servants who were stationed by him - Hear, I pray you, ye Benjamites! What! even to all of you, will the son of Jesse give fields and vineyards? All of you, will he appoint to be princes of thousands, and princes of hundreds?

Then enquired he for him of Yahweh, Provisions also, gave he unto him, - and, the sword of Goliath the Philistine, gave he unto him.

And Saul said unto him, Wherefore have ye conspired against me, thou, and the son of Jesse, - in that thou gavest him bread and a sword, and didst enquire for him of God, that he might rise up against me, that he might lie in wait, as at this day?

Did I, that day, begin to enquire for him of God? Far from me! Let not the king impute to his servant such a thing, nor to any of the household of my father, for thy servant knoweth nothing of all this, less or more.

And the king said unto the runners that were stationed by him - Turn ye round and put to death the priests of Yahweh, because, their hand also, is with David, and because they knew that he was, in flight, and unveiled not mine ear. But the servants of the king were not willing to thrust forth their hand, to fall upon the priests of Yahweh.

But the men of David said unto him, Lo! we, here, in Judah, are afraid, - how much more, then, if we go to Keilah, against the ranks of the Philistines?

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

And, when it was told Saul that David had entered Keilah, Saul said - God hath given him over into my hand, for he hath shut himself in by entering into a city with folding doors and bar.

And David ascertained that, against him, Saul was contriving mischief, - so he said unto Abiathar the priest, Bring hither the ephod.

Then David abode in the wilderness, in the fortresses, and he abode in the hill country, in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him continually, but God delivered him not into his hand.

and said unto him, - Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee, but, thou, shalt become king over Israel, and, I, shall be, next, unto thee, yea and, Saul my father, knoweth this.

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

Go, I pray you, make ready yet further, and get to know and see his place, where may be his track, who hath seen him there, - for it hath been said unto me, Cunning indeed, is, he!

See, then, and get to know - of all the hiding places, where he hideth himself, and return unto me, for certainty, then will I go with you, - and it shall be, if he is in the land, that I will search him out, through all the thousands of Judah.

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

And it came to pass, when Saul had returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying: Lo! David is in the wilderness of En-gedi.

So David's men said unto him - Lo! the day of which Yahweh said unto thee - Lo! I am about to deliver up thine enemy, into thy hand: therefore shall thou do unto him, as shall be good in thine eyes. And David arose, and cut off the corner of the robe which belonged to Saul, by stealth.

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.

And he said unto his men - Far be it from me, of Yahweh, that I should do this thing unto my lord, unto the Anointed of Yahweh, to thrust forth my hand against him, - for, the Anointed of Yahweh, is he!

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

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

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

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

So the young men of David turned away for their journey, - and came back, and drew near, and told him, according to all these words.

Now, therefore, know thou, and see, what thou canst do, for mischief is determined against our lord, and against all his household, - but, he, is such an abandoned man, that one cannot speak unto him.

Let it not be, I pray thee, that my lord regard this abandoned man - Nabal; For, as his name is, so, is he. Nabal, is his name, and, baseness, is with him, - But, I, thy handmaid, saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send.

So David received at her hand, that which she had brought him, - and, unto herself, he said - Go up, in peace, unto thy house, see! I have hearkened unto thy voice, and accepted thy person.

And, when Abigail came unto Nabal, lo! he, had a banquet in his house, like the banquet of a king, and, the heart of Nabal, was glad accordingly, he having drunk deeply, - so she told him nothing - less or more, until the light of the morning.

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

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

And Saul encamped in the hill of Hachilah, which overlooketh Jeshimon, by the way, - but, David, was staying in the wilderness, so he saw that Saul was coming after him into the wilderness.

So then David arose, and came to the place where Saul had encamped, and David saw the place where Saul was lying, with Abner, son of Ner, prince of his host, - and, Saul, was lying within the circular trench, with, the people, encamped round about him.

So David came, with Abishai, unto the people by night, and lo! Saul lying asleep, within the trench, and his spear stuck in the ground, at his head, - and Abner and the people lying round about him.

Then said Abishai unto David, God hath surrendered, to-day, thine enemy, into thy hand: Now, therefore, let me smite him, I pray thee, with the spear to the earth, at one stroke, I, will not do it twice.

But David said unto Abishai, Do not destroy him, - for who that hath thrust forth his hand against the Anointed of Yahweh, shall be guiltless?

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

Now, therefore, I pray thee, let my lord the king hear the words of his servant, - If, Yahweh, have goaded thee on against me, let him accept the sweet smell of a gift, but, if the sons of men, accursed, they are before Yahweh, for they have driven me out, to-day, from joining myself with the inheritance of Yahweh, saying - Go, serve other gods!

Lo! then, as thy life was much set by this day in mine eyes, so, let my life be much set by in the eyes of Yahweh, and let him rescue me out of all tribulation.

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

And, when it was told Saul, that David had fled to Gath, he added no more, to seek him.