And the messenger answered and said, Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has been a great slaughter among the people also. And also your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken.

And his daughter-in-law, Phinehas' wife, was with child, ready to be delivered. And when she heard the report that the ark of God was taken, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and travailed, for her pains came upon her.

And about the time of her death the women that stood by her said to her, Do not fear, for you have borne a son. But she did not answer, nor set her heart.

And the men that did not die were stricken with the hemorrhoids. And the cry of the city went up to the heavens.

And why do you harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When He had worked wonderfully among them, did they not let the people go, and did they not depart?

And the men did so. And they took two milk cows and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home.

And the cows took the straight way to the way of Beth-shemesh, going along the highway, lowing as they went. And they did not turn aside to the right or to the left. And the lords of the Philistines went after them to the border of Beth-shemesh.

And the Philistines were beaten, and they did not come any more into the border of Israel. And the hand of Jehovah was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.

And his sons did not walk in his ways, but turned aside after ill gain and took bribes and perverted judgment.

And he passed through mount Ephraim, and passed through the land of Shalisha, but they did not find them. And they passed through the land of Shaalim, and nothing there. And he passed through the land of Benjamin, but they did not find them.

(In the old days in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he said this: Come, let us go to the seer, for the prophet of today was before called a seer.)

And they answered them and said, He is. Behold, he is before you. Hurry now, for he came today to the city, for there is a feast of the people today in the high place.

And Samuel answered Saul and said, I am the seer. Go up before me to the high place. For you shall eat with me today, and tomorrow I will let you go, and will tell you all that is in your heart.

When you have departed from me today, then you shall find two men by Rachel's tomb in the border of Benjamin at Zelzah. And they will say to you, The asses which you went to seek are found. And, lo, your father has quit caring for the asses and sorrows for you, saying, What shall I do for my son?

And Saul's uncle said to him and to his young man, Where did you go? And he said, To look for the asses. And when we saw that they were nowhere, we came to Samuel.

And Saul said to his uncle, He told us plainly that the asses were found. But he did not tell him of the matter of the kingdom of which Samuel spoke.

And Saul said, There shall not a man be put to death this day, for today Jehovah has worked salvation in Israel.

And now stand still, so that I may reason with you before Jehovah of all the righteous acts of Jehovah which He did to you and to your fathers.

Is it not wheat harvest today? I will call to Jehovah, and He shall send thunder and rain, so that you may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, that which you have done in the sight of Jehovah, in asking a king for you.

And the men of Israel saw that they were in a tight place (for the people were distressed). And the people hid themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in high places, and in pits.

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 the day came that Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man who bore his armor, Come and let us go over to the Philistines' garrison which is on the other side. But he did not tell his father.

And Ahiah, the son of Ahitub, Ichabod's brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, Jehovah's priest in Shiloh, was wearing an ephod. And the people did not know that Jonathan was gone.

But Jonathan did not hear when his father made the people swear. And he put forth the end of the rod in his hand and dipped it in a honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth. And his eyes were lightened.

How much more if the people had happened to eat freely today of the spoil of their enemies which they found? For would not there have been a much greater slaughter among the Philistines?

And they told Saul, saying, Behold, the people sin against Jehovah in that they eat with the blood. And he said, You have transgressed. Roll a great stone to me today.

And Saul said, Draw near here, all the chief of the people, and know and see what this sin has been today.

Then Saul said to Jonathan, Tell me what you have done. And Jonathan told him and said, I did but taste a little honey with the end of the rod in my hand. Behold me, I must die.

And the people said to Saul, Shall Jonathan die, who has worked out this great salvation in Israel? Far be it! As Jehovah lives, not one hair of his head shall fall to the ground, for he has worked with God this day. So the people rescued Jonathan, so that he did not die.

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 Samuel said, When you were little in your own sight, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? And Jehovah anointed you king over Israel.

Why then did you not obey the voice of Jehovah? Why did you fly on the spoil and do evil in the sight of Jehovah?

And Samuel did what Jehovah said, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming and said, Do you come peaceably?

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 ran and stood on the Philistine, and took out his sword and drew it out of its sheath, and killed him, and cut off his head with it. And the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, and fled.

And it happened when he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was joined with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as he did his own soul.

And Saul said, I will give her to him, so that she may be a trap to him, and so that the hand of the Philistines may be against him. And Saul said to David a second time, Today you shall be my son-in-law.

And on the third day you shall quickly come down and shall come there to the place where you were hidden in the day of the deed. And you shall remain near the stone Ezel.

And Saul did not speak anything that day. For he thought, Something has happened to him; he is not clean. Surely he is not clean.

And it happened on the next day, the second of the month, David's place was empty. And Saul said to his son Jonathan, Why does the son of Jesse not come to the meal, neither yesterday nor today?

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.

But the lad did not know anything. Only Jonathan and David knew the matter.

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 servants of Achish said to him, Is not this David the king of the land? Did they not sing to one another of him in dances, saying, Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?

But all of you have conspired against me, and none of you was revealing in my ear when my son cut a covenant with the son of Jesse? And not one of you is sorry for me, even to reveal in my ear that my son has stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as today.

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 the king said to the guard that stood around him, Turn and kill the priests of Jehovah, because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled, and did not reveal it to me. But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall on the priests of Jehovah.

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 David stayed in the wilderness in strongholds, and remained in the stronghold in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul looked for him every day, but God did not deliver him into his hand.

And David held back his men with words, and did not allow them to rise against Saul. And Saul rose up out of the cave and went on his way.

Behold, your eyes have seen today how Jehovah had delivered you today into my hand in the cave. And one said to kill you. But I had pity on you. And I said, I will not put forth my hand against my lord, for he is Jehovah's anointed.

And, my father, behold! Yes, see the skirt of your robe in my hand. For in that I cut off the skirt of your robe and did not kill you, know and see that there is neither evil nor transgression in my hand, and I have not sinned against you. Yet you hunt my soul to take it.

After whom has the king of Israel come out? After whom do you pursue? After a dead dog? After a flea?

And you have shown this day how you have dealt well with me, because when Jehovah shut me up into your hand, you did not kill me.

And now I have heard that you have shearers. And we did not hurt your shepherds who were with us; neither was there anything missing to them all the while they were in Carmel.

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 she said to her servants, Go on before me. Behold, I am coming after you. But she did not tell her husband Nabal.

Please do not let my lord regard this man of worthlessness, Nabal. For as his name is, so he is. Nabal is his name, and foolishness is with him. And I, your handmaid, did not see the young men of my lord, whom you sent.

And David said to Abigail, Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel, who sent you today to meet me.

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 Abigail came to Nabal. And behold, he held a feast in his house like the feast of a king. And Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk. And she did not tell him anything, more or less, until the morning light.

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.

May Jehovah give to each his righteousness and his faithfulness. For Jehovah delivered you into my hand today, but I would not stretch forth my hand against Jehovah's anointed.

And David struck the land, and did not keep alive man nor woman, and took away the sheep and the oxen and the asses and the camels and the clothing, and returned and came to Achish.

And Achish said, Where have you made a raid today? And David said, Against the south of Judah, and against the south of the Jerahmeelites, and against the south of the Kenites.

And David did not keep alive man or woman to bring news to Gath, saying, Lest they should tell on us, saying, So David did, and so has been his custom all the days he lived in the fields of the Philistines.

And Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned him and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away the mediums and the spirit-knowers out of the land.

And when Saul inquired of Jehovah, Jehovah did not answer him, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.

And Saul disguised himself and put on other clothing. And he went. And two men went with him. And they came to the woman by night. And he said, Please divine for me calling up the dead, and bring me up the man whom I shall name to you.

And the king said to her, Do not be afraid. For what did you see? And the woman said to Saul, I saw gods coming up out of the earth.

Because you did not obey the voice of Jehovah, nor execute his fierce wrath on Amalek, therefore Jehovah has done this thing to you now.

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 Achish called David and said to him, Surely, as Jehovah lives, you have been upright, and your going out and your coming in with me in the army is good in my sight. For I have not found evil in you since the day of your coming to me until today. But you are not good in the eyes of the lords.

And they had seized the women in it. They did not kill any, either small or great, but carried them away and went on their way.

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 when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword and died with him.

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, How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?

And David took hold on his garments, and tore them. And likewise all the men with him did so.

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 now let your hands be strengthened, and be brave. For your master Saul is dead, and also the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.

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

And Joab blew a ram's horn, and all the people stood still and did not pursue after Israel any more, nor did they fight any more.

And Abner was very angry over the words of Ishbosheth, and said, Am I a dog's head, who shows kindness against Judah this day to the house of Saul your father, to his brothers, and to his friends, and have not delivered you into the hand of David? Am I a dog's head that you charge me today with a fault concerning this woman today?

And Joab left David and sent messengers after Abner, who brought him again from the well of Sirah. But David did not know.

And the king mourned over Abner and said, Did Abner die like a fool dies?

And all the people took notice, and it pleased them, as whatever the king did pleased all the people.

And Saul's son heard that Abner was dead in Hebron. And his hands were feeble, and all the Israelites were troubled.

when one told me, saying, Behold, Saul is dead, thinking to have brought good news, I took hold of him and killed him in Ziklag. I gave that to him as a reward.

And David did so, as Jehovah had commanded him. And he struck the Philistines from Geba until you come to Gezer.

And David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, How glorious was the king of Israel today, who uncovered himself today in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!

In all places in which I have walked with all the sons of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the tribes of Israel, those I commanded to feed My people Israel, saying, Why do you not build Me a house of cedars?

And David reigned over all Israel. And David did judgment and justice to all his people.

And he bowed himself and said, What is your servant, that you should look upon such a dead dog as I?

And when Uriah had come to him, David asked how Joab did, and how the people did, and how the war went.

But Uriah slept at the door of the king's house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house.

And they told David, saying, Uriah did not go to his house. And David said to Uriah, Did you not come from a journey? Why have you not gone down to your house?

And David said to Uriah, Stay here today also, and tomorrow I will let you go. And Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day and the next day.

And when David had called him, he ate and drank before him. And he made him drunk. And at evening he went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house.