On the day of battle, none of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan were armed with swords or spears, but Saul and his son Jonathan did have them.

Saul was sitting on the outskirts of Geba under the pomegranate tree which was at Migron, and with him were about 600 men.

Saul's sentries in Gibeah of Benjamin watched as the camp was in disarray, going this way and that.

Saul told the people who were with him, "Do a roll call and see who has left us." They did a roll call, and Jonathan and his armor bearer were not there.

Saul told Ahijah, "Bring the Ark of God here." For at that time the Ark of God was with the Israelis.

While Saul was still speaking to the priest, the commotion in the Philistine camp increased more and more, and Saul told the priest, "Remove your hand."

Then Saul and all the people who were with him assembled and went into battle. Now the swords of all the Philistines were against each other, and there was very great confusion.

The Hebrews who had previously been with the Philistines, who had gone up with them from the surrounding areas to the camp, even they joined Israel and those who were with Saul and Jonathan.

The men of Israel were hard pressed on that day, and Saul required the army to take an oath: "Cursed is the person who eats food before evening and before I've been avenged of my enemies." So no one tasted food.

Someone reported this to Saul: "Right now the army is sinning against the LORD by eating meat with the blood." He said, "You have acted treacherously. Roll a large stone to me today."

Then Saul said, "Disperse yourselves among the soldiers and say to them, "Let each man bring his ox and his sheep to me, and you are to slaughter them here and eat. But don't sin against the LORD by eating meat with the blood.'" So every soldier brought his ox with him that night, and they slaughtered them there.

Saul built an altar to the LORD; it was the first altar that he built to the LORD.

Saul said, "Let's go down after the Philistines tonight and plunder them until dawn, and let's not leave a single one of them alive." They said, "Do whatever seems good to you!" But the priest said, "Let's draw near to God here."

Saul inquired of God, "Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will you give them into the hand of Israel?" But God did not answer him that day.

Saul said, "All you army officers are to come here to find out what constitutes this sin today.

Then he told all Israel, "You will be on one side, and I and my son Jonathan will be on the other side." The people told Saul, "Do what seems good to you."

Then Saul told the LORD God of Israel, "Judge us properly." Jonathan and Saul were selected, but the army was cleared.

Saul said, "Cast lots between me and my son Jonathan," and Jonathan was selected.

Saul told Jonathan, "Tell me what you've done." So Jonathan spoke to him: "I did taste a little honey from the end of the staff that was in my hand. Here I am; I'm ready to die!"

Saul said, "May God do this to me and even more, if you don't surely die, Jonathan!"

Then the army told Saul, "Shall Jonathan die, who brought about this great deliverance in Israel? As the LORD lives, not one hair of his head will fall to the ground, because today he did this with God's help."

Then Saul stopped pursuing the Philistines, and the Philistines went back to their territory.

When Saul became king over Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side against Moab, the Ammonites, Edom, the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines. Everywhere he turned he was victorious.

Saul's sons included Jonathan, Ishvi, and Malchi-shua. Of his two daughters, the firstborn was named Merab, and the younger one was named Michal.

Saul's wife was Ahinoam, daughter of Ahimaaz, while the commander of his army was Saul's uncle Ner's son Abner.

Saul's father Kish and Abner's father Ner were sons of Abiel.

There was intense fighting against the Philistines during Saul's entire reign, and whenever Saul discovered a strong or valiant warrior, he would enlist him for service.

Samuel told Saul, "The LORD sent me to anoint you king over his people, Israel. Now listen to the words of the LORD.

Saul summoned the people and mustered them in Telaim, 200,000 foot soldiers and 10,000 men from Judah.

Saul came to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the valley.

Saul told the Kenites, "Withdraw from the Amalekites so that I don't destroy you with them, for you showed kindness to all the Israelis when they departed from Egypt." So the Kenites withdrew from the Amalekites.

Saul attacked the Amalekites from Havilah to Shur, which is east of Egypt.

Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle the fattened animals and lambs along with all that was good. They were not willing to completely destroy them, but they did completely destroy everything that was worthless and inferior.

"I regret that I made Saul king, because he has turned away from following me and has not carried out my commands." Samuel was angry, and he cried out to the LORD all night.

Samuel got up early in the morning to meet Saul, but Samuel was told, "Saul went up to Carmel to set up a monument for himself. Then he turned around and traveled on to Gilgal."

Samuel approached Saul. "May the LORD bless you," Saul said. "I've carried out the LORD's command."

Saul replied, "They brought them from the Amalekites. The people spared the best of the sheep and cattle to offer sacrifices to the LORD your God, and the rest they completely destroyed."

"Be quiet!" Samuel said. "I'll tell you what the LORD told me last night." Saul told him, "Speak."

Saul told Samuel, "I did obey the LORD. I went on the mission on which the LORD sent me, I brought Agag king of Amalek, and I completely destroyed the Amalekites.

"I've sinned," Saul replied to Samuel. "I've broken the LORD's command and your word, because I was afraid of the people and listened to them.

Samuel told Saul, "I won't return with you because you have rejected the message from the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you from being king over Israel."

As Samuel turned to go Saul seized him by the corner of his robe, and it tore.

"I've sinned," Saul said. "But please honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me so I may worship the LORD your God."

Samuel returned, following Saul, and Saul worshipped the LORD.

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

Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved over Saul, and the LORD regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.

The LORD told Samuel, "How long will you grieve over Saul, since I've rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I'm sending you to Jesse from Bethlehem because I've chosen for myself one of his sons as king."

Samuel said, "How can I go? Saul will hear about this and kill me!"

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

Saul's servants told him, "Look, an evil spirit from God is troubling you.

Saul told his servants, "Find a man for me who can play well and bring him to me."

So Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, "Send me your son David, who is with the sheep."

Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a container of wine, and one kid, and sent them to Saul along with his son David.

David went to Saul and began to serve him. Saul loved him very much, and he became his armor bearer.

Saul sent a messenger to Jesse to tell him, "Allow David to serve me, because I'm pleased with him."

Whenever an evil spirit from God came to Saul, David would take the lyre and play it. Relief would come to Saul and he would be better, because the evil spirit would leave him.

Saul and the Israelis assembled and camped in the valley of Elah, where they set up their forces to meet the Philistines.

He stood still and called out to the ranks of Israel, "Why should you move into position for battle? Am I not a Philistine and you Saul's servants? Choose a man for yourselves to come down against me.

When Saul and all the Israelis heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and very frightened.

David was the son of that Ephrathite man named Jesse from Bethlehem in Judah. He had eight sons; at the time when Saul was king he was old, having lived to an advanced age.

The three oldest sons of Jesse followed Saul into battle. The names of his three sons who went to the battle were his firstborn Eliab, Abinadab, his second son, and Shammah, the third.

David was the youngest, while the three oldest had followed Saul.

And David would go back and forth from Saul to tend his father's sheep in Bethlehem.

Saul, your brothers, and all the men of Israel are in the valley of Elah fighting with the Philistines."

When the words that David had spoken were heard, they were reported to Saul, and he sent for him.

David told Saul, "Let no one's courage fail because of him; your servant will go fight this Philistine."

Saul told David, "You can't go against this Philistine and fight him. You are only a young man, but he has been a warrior since his youth."

David told Saul, "Your servant has been a shepherd for his father. When a lion or bear came and took a lamb from the flock,

David continued, "The LORD who delivered me from the power of the lion and the power of the bear will also deliver me from the power of this Philistine." Saul told David, "Go! And may the LORD be with you."

Saul put his garments on David, set a bronze helmet on his head, and put armor on him.

David strapped Saul's sword over his garments and tried to walk, but he was not used to the armor. David told Saul, "I can't walk in these because I'm not used to them," and then took them off.

When Saul saw David going out to meet the Philistine, he asked Abner, the commander of the army, "Whose son is this young man, Abner?" Abner said, "As surely as you live, your majesty, I don't know."

When David returned from striking down the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him to Saul with the Philistine's head in his hand.

Saul told him, "Whose son are you, young man?" David said, "The son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem."

When David finished speaking with Saul, Jonathan became a close friend to David, and Jonathan loved him as himself.

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

David went out and was successful everywhere Saul sent him, and Saul put him in charge of the troops. This pleased the entire army, as well as Saul's officials.

When David returned from defeating the Philistine, as they were entering the city, women from all the towns of Israel came out to meet King Saul, singing and dancing as they joyously played tambourines and lyres.

As the women sang and played, they said, "Saul has struck down his thousands but David his ten thousands."

Saul was very angry and he did not like what the women sang. He told himself, "They have attributed tens of thousands to David, but to me they have attributed thousands. What else can he have but the kingdom?"

From then on Saul kept his eye on David.

The next day, while David was playing the lyre as he had before, the evil spirit from the LORD attacked Saul, and he began to rave inside the house with a spear in his hand.

Saul hurled it, thinking, "I'll pin David to the wall." But David escaped from him twice.

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

Saul removed David from his presence and made him an officer over a division of soldiers. So David led the troops in battle.

When Saul saw that David was highly successful, he feared him.

Saul told David, "Here is my older daughter Merab. I'll give her to you as a wife. Just be an excellent soldier for me and fight the LORD's battles." Now Saul told himself, "I won't harm him myself. Instead, I'll let the Philistines harm him."

David told Saul, "Who am I and what is my life or my father's family in Israel that I should be the king's son-in-law?"

And when the time came to give Saul's daughter Merab to David, she was given as a wife to Adriel of Meholah.

Saul's daughter Michal loved David. Saul was informed of this and he liked the idea.

Saul told himself, "I'll give her to him and she can be a snare to him and the Philistines will harm him." So Saul told David, "For a second time you can be my son-in-law today."

Saul commanded his officials, "Speak with David privately and say, "Look, the king delights in you, and all his officials love you. Now become the king's son-in-law.'"

Saul's officials delivered this message to David, and he asked, "Is becoming the king's son-in-law an unimportant thing to you? I'm a poor and unimportant man."

Saul's officials reported to him: "This is what David said."

Saul said, "This is what you are to tell David, "The king desires no bride price except 100 Philistine foreskins to take vengeance on the king's enemies.'" Now Saul thought he would cause David to die at the hand of the Philistines.

David got up, went out with his men, and struck down 200 Philistine men. David brought their foreskins and gave them all to the king so he could become the king's son-in-law. So Saul gave him his daughter Michal as a wife.

As Saul continued to observe, he realized that the LORD was with David and that Saul's daughter Michal loved him.

Then Saul was even more afraid of David, and Saul was David's enemy from that time on.

The Philistine commanders would go out to fight and whenever they did, David was more successful than any of Saul's other leaders. His name was held in high esteem.

Saul told his son Jonathan and all his officials to kill David, but Saul's son Jonathan was very fond of David.