And there came to be a trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people, the outposts and the spoilers, they too, trembled, - and the earth quaked, so it became a preternatural trembling.

Then said Saul unto Ahijah, Bring near the ark of God; for the ark of God was, on that day, in the midst of the sons of Israel.

And it came to pass, as soon as Saul had spoken unto the priest, that, the tumultuous noise that was in the camp of the Philistines, went on and on, increasing. Then said Saul unto the priest, - Withdraw thy hand.

And, the Hebrews who had aforetime belonged to the Philistines, who had come up with them in the host, even they, turned round so as to be with Israel who were with Saul and Jonathan.

Thus did Yahweh, on that day, save Israel, - and, the battle, passed over by Beth-aven.

Now, the men of Israel, were tired out on that day, - yet had Saul bound the people by an oath, saying - Cursed, be the man that eateth food until the evening, and I be avenged upon mine enemies. So none of the people had tasted food.

So the people came into the forest, and lo! there were streams of honey, - but no man reached his hand to his mouth, because the people revered the oath.

But, Jonathan, heard not his father putting the people on oath, so he reached forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and dipped it in the honey-copse, - and brought back his hand to his mouth, and his eyes were brightened.

Then responded one from among the people, and said - With an oath, did thy father charge the people, saying - Cursed, be the man that eateth food to-day! And so the people were faint.

How much more if haply the people had, eaten freely, to-day of the spoil of their enemies, which they found? for, now, would not the smiting of the Philistines have been, mighty?

Howbeit they smote the Philistines on that day from Michmash to Aijalon, - but the people became exceeding faint.

And the people darted greedily upon the spoil, and took sheep, and oxen, and calves, and felled them to the ground, - and the people did eat, with the blood.

Then said Saul - Let us go down after the Philistines by night, and make of them a prey until the morning light, and let us not leave of them, a man. And they said, All that is good in thine eyes, do! Then said the priest, Let us draw near hither unto God.

So Saul asked of God, Shall I go down after the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into the hand of Israel? But he answered him not, that day.

Then said Saul, Come near hither, all ye chiefs of the people, - and get to know and see, wherein, hath been this sin, to-day.

For, by the life of Yahweh, who saveth Israel, though it be in Jonathan my son, yet shall he, die. But there was none ready to answer him, of all the people.

Then said he unto all Israel - Ye, shall be on one side, and, I and Jonathan my son, will be on the other side. And the people said unto Saul, What is good in thine eyes, do!

And Saul said unto Jonathan, Come tell me, what thou hast done. So Jonathan told him, and said, I, just tasted, with the end of the staff that was in my hand, a little honey, here I am - I must die!

Then said Saul: So, may God do, and, so, may he add, surely thou must, die, Jonathan!

But the people said unto Saul - Shall, Jonathan, die, who hath wrought this great salvation in Israel? Far be it! By the life of Yahweh, there shall not fall a hair of his head to the ground, for, with God, hath he wrought this day. So the people delivered Jonathan, that he died not.

And the sons of Saul were Jonathan, and Ishvi, and Malchishua, - and, the names of his two daughters, were, the name of the firstborn, Merab, and, the name of the younger, Michal, -

And Samuel said unto Saul, It was, me, Yahweh sent to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel, - now, therefore, hearken thou to the voice of Yahweh's words.

Now, go and smite Amalek, and devote ye to destruction all that he hath, and spare him not, - but thou shalt slay both man and woman, both child and suckling, both ox and sheep, both camel and ass.

So then Saul called together the people, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, - and ten thousand men of Judah.

And he took Agag, king of Amalek, alive, - but, all the people, devoted he to destruction at the edge of the sword.

But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep and the oxen and the lambs, also the fatlings, and all that was good, and would not devote them to destruction, - but, all the cattle that was contemptible and diseased, that, devoted they to destruction.

I am grieved that I made Saul to be king, for he hath turned back from following me, and, my words, hath he not established. And it was vexing to Samuel, so that he made outcry unto Yahweh, all the night.

And Samuel rose early to meet Saul, in the morning, and it was told Samuel, saying - Saul having come to Carmel, and lo! having set him up a sign, hath gone round, and passed over, and descended to Gilgal.

Then said Saul - From the Amalekites, have they brought them in; in that the people spared the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto Yahweh thy God, - but, the rest, have we devoted to destruction.

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.

And Samuel said, Was it not, when, little, thou wast in thine own eyes, that thou wast made, head of the tribes of Israel, - and that Yahweh anointed thee to be king over Israel?

So then Yahweh sent thee on a journey, - and said - Go, and devastate to destruction, the sinners - the Amalekites, and make war against them, until they have consumed them.

Wherefore, then, didst thou not hearken unto the voice of Yahweh, - but didst rush upon the spoil, and do that which was wrong in the sight of Yahweh?

And Saul said unto Samuel - As indeed I have hearkened unto the voice of Yahweh, and have been on the journey on which Yahweh sent me, - and have brought in Agag, king of Amalek, and, the Amalekites, have I devoted to destruction.

And the people took, of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things so devoted, - to sacrifice unto Yahweh 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, when Samuel turned about to go away, then laid he hold of the skirt of his robe, and it was rent.

And Samuel said unto him, Yahweh hath rent the kingdom of Israel from off thee, to-day, - and will give it unto a neighbour of thine, who is better than thou.

Moreover also, the Eminence of Israel, will not lie, neither will he repent, - For no, iron of earth, is, he, to repent!

And Samuel did no more see Saul, until the day of his death, for Samuel pined for Saul, - but, Yahweh, was grieved that he had made Saul king over Israel.

And Yahweh said unto Samuel - How long, art thou going to pine for Saul, seeing that, I, have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill thy horn with oil, and come! let me send thee unto Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided me, among his sons, a king.

And Samuel said, How can I go? As soon as Saul heareth, he will slay me. Then said Yahweh, A heifer, take thou with thee, and say, To sacrifice unto Yahweh, am I come.

Then shall thou bid Jesse to the sacrifice, - when, I, will let thee know what thou must do, so shalt thou anoint for me him whom I shall name unto thee.

And Samuel did that which Yahweh had spoken, and went to Bethlehem. And the elders of the city came trembling to meet him, and one said - Peaceably, comest thou?

And he said - Peaceably: to sacrifice unto Yahweh, am I come. Hallow yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he hallowed Jesse and his sons, and bade them to the sacrifice.

And it came to pass, when they entered, that he looked upon Eliab, - and said to himself, Surely, before Yahweh, is his Anointed.

But Yahweh said unto Samuel - Do not regard his countenance, or the height of his stature, for I have rejected him, - for it is not what man looketh to but what God looketh to. For, man, looketh to the outward appearance, but, Yahweh, looketh to the heart.

Then said Samuel unto Jesse - Are these all the young men? And he said - There yet remaineth, the youngest, but lo! he is tending the sheep. Then said Samuel unto Jesse - Do, send, and summon him, for we cannot sit round, until he cometh in hither.

And Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren. And the Spirit of Yahweh came mightily upon David, from that day forward. Then arose Samuel, and went his way unto Ramah.

And so it used to be, when a superhuman spirit came unto Saul, then would David take the lyre, and play with his hand, - and Saul would be refreshed, and be joyful, and, the sad spirit, would depart from him.

And he took his stand, and cried unto the ranks of Israel, and said unto them, Wherefore should ye come out, to set in array for battle? Am not, I, a Philistine, while, ye, are servants unto Saul? Choose you a man, and let him come down unto me:

And the Philistine said - I, reproach the ranks of Israel, this day, - give me a man, that we may fight together.

And the three eldest sons of Jesse had followed Saul to the battle, - and, the names of his three sons who went into the battle, were Eliab the firstborn, and, the next to him, Abinadab, and, the third, Shammah.

whereas, David, kept going and returning from Saul, - to tend his father's sheep at Bethlehem.

And Jesse said unto David his son, Take, I pray thee, unto thy brethren - this ephah of parched corn, and these ten loaves, - and run to the camp unto thy brethren;

also these ten slices of soft cheese, shalt thou take to the captain of their thousand, - and, as for thy brethren, give good heed to their welfare, their pledge, also shalt thou receive.

Now, Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the vale of Elah, ready to fight with the Philistines.

So then David rose up early in the morning, and entrusted the sheep to a keeper, and took up the provisions and went his way, as Jesse had commanded him, - and came into the circular rampart, as, the force, was going forth into the ranks, and shouted for the fight.

Then David entrusted the provisions that were upon him to the care of the keeper of the stores, and ran unto the ranks, - and came and asked for the welfare of his brethren.

Now, as he was speaking with them, lo! the champion coming up, Goliath the Philistine, by name, of Gath, coming up out of the ranks of the Philistines, and he spake according to these words, - and David heard them .

And the men of Israel said - Have ye seen this man that is coming up? For, to reproach Israel, is he coming. So then it shall be, that, the man that shall smite him, the same, will the king enrich with great riches, and, his own daughter, will give him, and, his father's house, will he make free in Israel.

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.

Now Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men, - then was kindled the anger of Eliab against David, and he said - Wherefore is it that thou hast come down? and to whom hast thou entrusted those few sheep in the wilderness? I, know thy pride, and the foolishness of thy heart, for, to see the battle, hast thou come down.

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

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.

Then said David unto Saul, Thy servant used to tend his father's sheep, - and there would come a lion, or a bear, and carry off a lamb out of the flock;

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.

And the Philistine said unto David, - Come, unto me, that I may give thy flesh to the birds of heaven, and to the beasts of the field.

This day, will Yahweh deliver thee into my hand, and I will smite thee, and take thy head from off thee, and will give thy dead body and the dead bodies of the host of Philistines, this day, unto the birds of heaven, and unto the wild beasts of the earth, - that all the earth may know that Israel hath a God;

And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew near to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the ranks to meet the Philistine.

And David thrust his hand into his pouch, and took from thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine, in his forehead, - that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell upon his face, to the earth.

Then arose the men of Israel and Judah, and shouted, and pursued the Philistines, as far as the entrance into Gath, and as far as the gates of Ekron, - and the slain of the Philistines fell in the way to the two gates, even as far as Gath and as far as Ekron.

And, when Saul saw David going forth to meet the Philistine, he said unto Abner, prince of the host, Whose son is the young man, Abner? And Abner said, By the life of thy soul, O king! I know not.

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 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.

But so it was, when they came in on the return of David from the smiting of the Philistine, that the women went forth out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet Saul the king, - with timbrels, with rejoicing, and with instruments of three strings.

And the women that made merry responded to each other in song, and said, - Saul, hath smitten, his thousands, but, David, his, tens of thousands.

Then was Saul exceeding angry, and this saying was offensive in his eyes, and he said, - They have ascribed, to David, ten thousands, but, to me, have they ascribed thousands, - What, more, then, can he have but, the kingdom?

And Saul was eyeing David from that day forward.

And, when it came to pass, on the morrow, that a superhuman spirit of sadness came suddenly upon Saul, and he was moved to raving in the midst of the house, - and, David, began playing with his hand, as he had done day by day, that a spear being in Saul's hand,

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

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.

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 David said unto Saul - Who am, I, or who are my kinsfolk, the family of my father, in Israel, - that I should become son-in-law, to the king?

But it came to pass, within the time for giving Merab daughter of Saul to David, that, she, was given to Adriel the Meholathite, to wife.

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.

And Saul commanded his servants - Speak ye unto David quietly saying, Lo! the king delighteth in thee, and, all his servants, love thee, - now, therefore, become thou son-in-law to the king.

And the servants of Saul spake, in the ears of David, these words. And David said - Seemeth it a light thing, in your eyes, to become son-in-law to the king, seeing that, I, am a poor man and lightly esteemed?

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

Then said Saul - Thus, shall ye say unto David - The king hath no delight in purchase-price, but rather in a hundred foreskins of Philistines, by avenging himself on the enemies of the king. But, Saul, thought to let David fall by the hand of the Philistines.

So, when his servants told David these words, the thing was right in the eyes of David, to become son-in-law unto the king, - and the days had not expired.

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.

So then Saul went on to fear because of David, yet more, - and it came to pass that Saul was hostile to David, all the days.

Then spake Saul unto Jonathan his son, and unto all his servants, that they should put David to death;

but, Jonathan, Saul's son, delighted in David, exceedingly, - so Jonathan told David, saying, Saul, my father, is seeking to put thee to death, - now, therefore, take heed to thyself I pray thee, in the morning, and abide thou in concealment, and hide thyself;

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, when he put his life in his hand, and smote the Philistine, and Yahweh wrought a great victory for all Israel, thou sawest, and didst rejoice. Wherefore, then, shouldst thou sin against innocent blood by putting David to death, without cause?