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.

And, all the land, had entered into the forest, - and there was honey upon the face of the ground.

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.

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

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.

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.

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 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.

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, 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,

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 Saul sent messengers to take David, but, when they saw the assembly of prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as head over them, then came the Spirit of God upon the messengers of Saul, and, they also, were, moved to prophesy.

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 Jonathan said - Far be it from thee! but, if I, get to know, that harm is determined by my father, to bring it upon thee, is not, that, the thing that I will tell thee?

So he feigned himself mad, in their sight, and raged in their hand, - and struck against the doors of the gate, and let his spittle run down upon his beard.

That ye have conspired, all of you, against me, and there is none to uncover mine ear as to the covenanting of my son with the son of Jesse? And none from among you that taketh pity upon me, and that uncovereth mine ear to this , - that, mine own son, hath stirred up, my servants, against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?

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.

Then said the king to Doeg, Turn, thou, and fall upon the priests. So Doeg the Edomite turned, and, himself, fell upon the priests, and put to death, that day, four score and five men bearing an ephod of linen;

Then said Saul, Blessed, be ye, of Yahweh, - because ye have taken pity upon me.

Lo! this day, have thine own eyes seen, how Yahweh had delivered thee up, to-day, into my hand in the cave, and, when one bade me slay thee, I looked with compassion upon thee, - and I said - I will not thrust forth my hand against my lord, for, the Anointed of Yahweh, is he!

Let Yahweh do justice betwixt me and thee, and let Yahweh avenge me of thee, - but, mine own hand, shall not be upon thee.

As saith the proverb of the ancients, From the lawless, proceedeth lawlessness, - mine own hand, therefore shall not be upon thee.

And, when Abigail saw David, she hastened, and alighted from off her ass, - and fell down before David upon her face, and prostrated herself on the ground;

And Abigail hastened, and mounted, and rode upon her ass, with her five damsels that used to journey at her feet, - and she went her way after the messengers of David, and became his wife.

So David took the spear, and the cruse of water, from near the head of Saul, and they went their way, - and no man saw, and no man knew, and no man awoke, for all of them were sleeping, for, a deep sleep from Yahweh, had fallen upon them.

As thou didst not hearken unto the voice of Yahweh, neither didst execute the glow of his anger upon Amalek, therefore, this thing, hath Yahweh done unto thee this day;

And David smote them, from the closing twilight even unto the evening of the next day, - and there escaped not of them a man, save four hundred young men who rode upon camels, and fled.

And, when his armour-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also, fell upon his sword, and died with him.

yea so it was, on the third day, that lo! a man came out of the camp, from Saul, with his clothes rent, and earth upon his head, - and so it was, when he came in unto David, that he fell to the earth, and did homage.

And the young man who was telling him said, It, so happened, that I was on Mount Gilboa, when lo! Saul, leaning upon his spear, and lo! the chariots and horsemen, hotly pursued him;

So David called one of the young men, and said, - Go near - fall upon him. And he smote him, that he died.

And David said unto him, Thy blood, be upon thine own head, - for, thine own mouth, hath testified against thee, saying, I myself, put to death the Anointed of Yahweh.

Ye mountains in Gilboa! Be there neither dew nor rain upon you, nor fields of offerings, - for, there, were cast away, the shields of the mighty, The shield of Saul, unanointed with oil.

And it provoked Abner greatly, on account of the words of Ish-bosheth, and he said - Am I, the head of the dogs, that pertain unto Judah? To-day, would I deal in lovingkindness with the house of Saul thy father, towards his brethren, and towards his friends, and have not delivered thee into the hand of David, - and yet thou hast charged upon me the transgression of the woman, today.

Let it be hurled upon the head of Joab, and against all his father's house, - and let there not fail from the house of Joab - one that hath an issue, or a leper, or one that leaneth on a crutch, or that falleth by the sword, or that lacketh bread.

how much more, when, lawless men, have slain a righteous person, in his own house, upon his bed? -- Now, therefore, must I not require his blood at your hands, and so consume you, out of the earth?

And David entered Baal-perazim, and David smote them there, and said - Yahweh hath broken forth upon mine enemies, before me, like a breaking forth of waters. For this cause, called he the name of that place, Baal-perazim.

So David enquired of Yahweh, and he said - Thou shalt not go up, - Get round behind them, and come in upon them, over against the mulberry-trees.

And it came to pass that, at eventide, David arose from his couch, and walked to and fro on the roof of the king's house, when, from the roof, he saw a woman bathing herself, - the woman being exceeding beautiful to look upon.

Then did the archers shoot upon thy servants, from off the wall, and there died some of the servants of the king, - moreover also, thy servant, Uriah the Hittite, died.

David therefore earnestly sought God in behalf of the boy, - and David kept a fast, and used to go in and pass the night, and lie upon the ground.

Now she had upon her a long tunic, for, so, used king's daughters to apparel themselves, when they were virgins, in robes. And his attendant took her forth, outside, and bolted the door, after her.

And Tamar put ashes upon her head, and, the long tunic that was upon her, she rent, - and put her hand upon her head, and went her way, crying out as she went.

And the king said unto Absolom - Nay! my son, do not, I pray thee, let us all go, lest we be burdensome upon thee. And, though he urged him, he would not go, but blessed him.

Then said the woman of Tekoa unto the king, Upon me, my lord, O king, be the iniquity, and upon the house of my father, - but, the king and his throne, be guiltless.

And when he polled his head - and it was at every year's end that he used to poll it, because it was heavy upon him, therefore he used to poll it - he would weigh the hair of his head, two hundred shekels, by the royal standard.

And there were born to Absolom three sons, and one daughter, whose name, was Tamar, - she, was a woman beautiful to look upon.

Then said David, to all his servants who were with him in Jerusalem - Arise and let us flee, or we shall have no way of escape from the face of Absolom, - make speed to depart, lest he make speed, and so overtake us, and bring down misfortune upon us, and smite the city with the edge of the sword.

And it came to pass, when David reached the summit, where he bowed himself down unto God, that lo! there met him, Hushai the Archite, his tunic rent, and earth upon his head.

Now, David, had passed on but a little from the summit, when lo! Ziba, servant of Mephibosheth, met him, - with a couple of asses saddled, and, upon them, two hundred cakes of bread, and one hundred cakes of raisins, and one hundred summer fruits, and a skin of wine.

Yahweh, hath brought back upon thee, all the shed-blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead thou hast reigned, and Yahweh hath delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absolom thy son, - and, here thou art, in thy ruin, for that, a man of bloodshed, thou art.

And they stretched out for Absolom a tent, upon the house-top, - and Absolom went in unto his father's concubines, in the sight of all Israel.

and let me come upon him, when, he, is weary, and weak-handed, so shall I strike him with terror, and all the people who are with him shall flee, - then will I smite the king alone:

Lo! by this time, hath, he, hidden himself in some pit, or other place, - and it shall be, as soon as he falleth upon them at the first, that he that hearkeneth for tidings will hear of it , and will say - There is a defeat among the people that are following Absolom:

So shall we come upon him in some place where he hath been found, yea, we, shall be upon him, as when the dew falleth upon the ground, - and there shall not be left of him, or of the men that are with him, so much as one.

Then said Absolom and all the men of Israel, Better, is the counsel of Hushai the Archite, than the counsel of Ahithophel. Yahweh, indeed, had given charge to frustrate the wise counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that Yahweh might bring upon Absolom, ruin.

Now, when Absolom met the servants of David, Absolom, was riding upon a mule, and the mule came under the thick branches of a large oak, and his head caught hold of the oak, and he was suspended between heaven and earth, the mule that was under him passing on.

And the man said unto Joab, Though I were weighing upon my palm a thousand pieces of silver, yet would I not put forth my hand against the son of the king, - for, in our hearing, the king Charged thee and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Watch any man who would touch the young man Absolom.

Now, David, was sitting between the two gates, - and the watchman went on to the top of the gate-house, upon the wall, and lifted up his eyes, and looked, and lo! a man, running alone.

Now, therefore, rise - go forth, and speak unto the heart of thy servants, - for, by Yahweh, have I sworn, that, if thou do not go forth, not a man shall tarry with thee to-night, and this will be to thee, a greater misfortune, than all the misfortune that hath come upon thee from thy youth until now.

and he said unto the king - Let not my lord impute to me iniquity, neither do thou remember the perverseness of thy servant, on the day that thou wentest out, my lord O king, from Jerusalem, that the king should lay it upon his heart.

Then said the king, With me, shall Chimham pass over, and, I, will do unto him that which shall be good in thine eyes, - and, whatsoever thou shalt choose to lay upon me, I will do for thee.

When, they, were by the great stone which is in Gibeon, Amasa, had arrived before them. Now, Joab, was girded about with his war-coat as his upper garment, and, over it, a girdle with a sword, fastened upon his loins, in the sheath thereof, and, it, came out and fell.

But the king had pity upon Mephibosheth, son of Jonathan, Saul's son, - because of the oath of Yahweh that was between them, between David and Jonathan, Saul's son.

Then Rizpah daughter of Aiah, took sackcloth, and spread it out for herself, on the rock, from the beginning of harvest, until water poured out upon them from the heavens, - and suffered neither the birds of the heavens to rest on them by day, nor the wild beasts of the field, to devour them by night.

Go, and get thee in unto King David, and thou shalt say unto him - Didst not, thou thyself, my lord O king, swear unto thy handmaid, saying - Solomon thy son, shall become king after me, yea, he, shall sit upon my throne? Why, then, hath, Adonijah, become king?

And she said unto him - My lord, thou thyself, didst swear by Yahweh thy God, unto thy handmaid, Assuredly, Solomon thy son, shall become king after me, - yea, he, shall sit upon my throne.

Thou, therefore, my lord, O king, the eyes of all Israel, are upon thee, - to tell them, who shall sit upon the throne of my lord the king, after him.

Then said Nathan - My lord, O king, hast, thou, said, Adonijah, shall become king after me, - yea, he, shall sit upon my throne?

If, of my lord the king, this thing had been brought to pass, then wouldest thou not have made known unto thy servant, who should sit upon the throne of my lord the king, after him?

even as I sware unto thee by Yahweh, God of Israel, saying, Assuredly, Solomon thy son, shall become king after me, yea, he, shall sit upon my throne, in my stead, even so, will I do this day.

Then said the king unto them - Take ye with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride upon the mule which pertaineth unto myself, - and bring him down unto Gihon;

Then shall ye come up after him, and he shall enter, and sit upon my throne, yea, he, shall become king in my stead; even, him, have I charged to become leader, over Israel, and over Judah.

So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, with the Cherethites and the Pelethites, went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon the mule of King David, - and they escorted him to Gihon.

And the king hath sent with him - Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, with the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, - and they have caused him to ride upon the mule of the king;

Moreover also, Solomon hath taken his seat upon the throne of the kingdom.

Moreover also, the servants of the king have been in, to bless our lord King David, saying - Thy God make the name of Solomon better than thy name, and make his throne greater than thy throne, - And the king bowed himself upon his bed.

Moreover also, thus and thus, hath said the king, - Blessed be Yahweh, God of Israel, who hath given, to-day, one to sit upon my throne, mine own eyes also beholding it.

Moreover also, thou, knowest what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me, how he dealt with two generals of the armies of Israel - with Abner son of Ner, and with Amasa son of Jether - both of whom he slew, shedding the blood of war in peace, - and putting the blood of war upon his girdle that was on his loins, and upon his sandals, that were on his feet.

But, when, Solomon, took his seat upon the throne of David his father, then was the kingdom firmly established.

So Bath-sheba went in unto King Solomon, to speak to him for Adonijah, - and the king rose up to meet her, and bowed himself down to her, and sat down upon his throne, and caused a throne to be set for the mother of the king, and she sat on his right hand.

Now, therefore, by the life of Yahweh, who hath established me, and seated me upon the throne of David my father, and who hath made for me a household, as he had spoken, surely, to-day, shall Adonijah be put to death!

So King Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah son of Jehoiada, - and he fell upon him, that he died.

And it was told King Solomon - Joab hath fled into the Tent of Yahweh, and, there he is, beside the altar. So Solomon sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada, saying - Go fall upon him!

And the king said to him - Do as he hath spoken, fall, then, upon him, and bury him, - and so put away the innocent blood, which Joab shed, from off me, and from off the house of my father;

thus will Yahweh bring back his blood upon his own head, in that he fell upon two men more righteous and better than he, and slew them with the sword, my father David not knowing it, - even Abner son of Ner, general of the army of Israel, and Amasa son of Jether, general of the army of Judah;

thus shall their blood come back upon the head of Joab, and upon the head of his seed unto times age-abiding, - but, David and his seed, and his house, and his throne, shall have peace, unto times age-abiding, from Yahweh.

So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up, and fell upon him, and put him to death, - and he was buried in his own house, in the wilderness.

but it shall be that, on the day thou goest forth, and passest over the Kidron ravine, know, that thou shalt, die, - thy blood, shall be, upon thine own head.

Why then, hast thou not kept the oath of Yahweh, - and the charge which I laid upon thee?

Then said the king unto Shimei - Thou, knowest all the wickedness which thy heart is privy to, which thou didst unto David my father, - therefore shall Yahweh bring back thy wickedness, upon thine own head.

So the king charged Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he went out and fell upon him, that he died, - and, the kingdom, was established in the hand of Solomon.

Then said Solomon - Thou, didst deal, with thy servant David my father, in great lovingkindness, according as he walked before thee, in truth and in righteousness and in uprightness of heart, with thee, - and thou hast kept, for him, this great lovingkindness, that thou hast given unto him a son, to sit upon his throne, as it is this day.

Behold me! then, purposing to build a house for the Name of Yahweh my God - even as Yahweh spake unto David my father, saying - Thy son, whom I will set in thy stead, upon thy throne, he, shall build the house for my Name.

The two doors, also were of olive-wood, and he carved upon them carvings of cherubim, and palm-trees, and festoons of flowers, and overlaid them with gold, - yea he spread out, over the cherubim and over the palm-trees, the gold.

Yea he built the house of the forest of Lebanon, a hundred cubits, the length thereof, and, fifty cubits, the breadth thereof, and, thirty cubits, the height thereof, - upon four rows of pillars of cedar, with beams of cedar, upon the pillars;

and it was covered with cedar above upon the joists, that were on forty-five pillars, - fifteen in a row.

And, two capitals, made he, to set upon the tops of the pillars, of molten bronze, - five cubits, was the height of the one capital, and, five cubits, the height of the other capital;