And he sent and brought him in. And he was brown with goodly eyes, and well favoured in sight. And then the LORD said, "Up and anoint him: for this is he."

And David went to Saul and came before him, and he loved him very well; so that he was made his harness bearer.

And when the spirit of God came upon Saul, David took a harp and played with his hand, and so Saul was refreshed, and did amend; and the evil spirit departed from him.

and had a helmet of brass upon his head, and a coat of mail about him. And the weight of his coat of mail was five thousand sicles of brass.

And the shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam. And his spearhead weighed six hundred sicles of iron. And one bearing a shield went before him.

And this David was the son of an Ephrathite of Bethlehem Judah, named Jesse; which Jesse had eight sons, and was an old man in the days of Saul among the people.

And David was the youngest. And when the three eldest were gone after Saul,

And David rose up early in the morning and left the sheep with a keeper, and took and went, as Jesse had commanded him, and came where the host lay. And the host was going out in array, and shouted in the battle:

And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the man and was angry with David and said, "Why camest thou away, and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride and the malice of thine heart, that thou art come to see the battle."

And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him; for he was but a lad, ruddy and goodly to look upon.

he ran and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword and drew it out of his sheath and slew him and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.

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

And when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David; insomuch that Jonathan loved him as his own soul.

And Jonathan put off his own coat that was upon him, and gave it David, and thereto his mantle, his sword, his bow and his girdle.

And it happened as they went, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that women came out of all cities of Israel singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with timbrels, with joy, and with fiddles.

Then was Saul exceeding wroth and that saying displeased him, and he said, "They have ascribed unto David ten thousand, and to me but a thousand. And what more can he have, save the kingdom?"

And it happened on the morrow, that the evil spirit sent of God came upon Saul, so that he prophesied in the midst of the house. And David played on the instrument with his hand as he was daily wont.

For Saul was afraid of David: because the LORD was with him, and was departed from Saul.

And David was wise in all that he took in hand, and the LORD was with him.

Wherefore, when Saul saw that he was so exceeding wise, he was afraid of him.

Howbeit, when the time was come that Merab, Saul's daughter, should have been given to David she was given unto Adriel, a Meholathite, to wife.

Nevertheless, Michal Saul's daughter loved David. And when it was showed Saul, the thing pleased him well.

And when Saul saw and understood, how that the LORD was with David, and that Michal his daughter loved him,

he was the more afraid of David, and became David's enemy forever.

And when the Philistines went out to war, David behaved himself wiselier than all the servants of Saul: so that his name was much set by.

Then Jonathan called David and showed him all those words, and brought him to Saul. And he was in his presence as in times past.

And the evil spirit of the LORD was upon Saul as he sat in his house having a javelin in his hand, and David played with his hand.

And when Saul sent messengers to fetch David, she said that he was sick.

And it was told Saul, saying, "Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah."

And when it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they prophesied likewise. And Saul sent messengers yet again the third time which prophesied also.

And so David hid himself in the field. And when the new moon was come, the king sat him down at meat, for to eat.

And the king sat him down after the old manner, in his seat by the wall. And Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul's side, and David's place was empty.

But on the morrow which was the second day of the moon, when David's place appeared empty, Saul said unto Jonathan his son, "Wherefore cometh not the son of Jesse to meat, neither yesterday nor today?"

Then was Saul angry with Jonathan and said unto him, "O froward and rebellious, thinkest thou I know not how thou hast chosen the son of Jesse unto thine own rebuke, and unto the rebuke and shame of thy mother?

Then Saul cast a spear at him to hit him, whereby Jonathan wist well, that it was utterly determined of his father to slay David.

And so Jonathan arose from the table in a great anger and did eat no meat the second day of the month, for he was sorry for David, because his father had done him shame.

And when the lad was come to the place whither Jonathan had shot the arrow, Jonathan cried after him and said, "The arrow is beyond thee."

And as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of a place that was toward the south and fell on his face to the ground and bowed himself three times. And they kissed one another and wept together - but David more abundantly.

Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech was astonished at his coming, and said unto him, "Why cometh thou thyself alone, and no man with thee?"

And so the priest gave him hallowed bread, for there was none other bread there save showbreads that were taken from before the LORD; to put fresh bread there the day that it was taken away.

And there was there, the same day, a certain man of the servants of Saul abiding before the LORD named Doeg; an Edomite, the chiefest of Saul's herdsmen.

And David put those words into his heart and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath.

Then said Achish unto his servant, "Lo, ye saw that this man was beside himself; wherefore then have ye brought him to me?

And Saul heard of it: for David was known, and also the men that were with him. And as Saul sat in Gibeah under a grove upon a high bank with his spear in his hand and all his men about him,

And David said unto Abiathar, "I wist it the same day, that Doeg the Edomite which was there would tell it Saul. And I am cause of the death of all the souls of thy father's house.

And it was told Saul, that David was come to Keilah. Then said Saul, "God hath delivered him into mine hand. For he is shut in, that he is come into a town with gates and bars."

Then David and his men, which were upon a six hundred, arose and departed out of Keilah and went whither chance drave them. And when it was told Saul, that David was fled from Keilah, he let the journey alone.

And David saw that Saul was come out, to seek his life, while David was in the wilderness of Ziph in a thicket.

For when Saul was gone with his men to seek, it was told David. And therefore he went unto a rock and dwelt in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he followed after David into the wilderness of Maon.

Then Saul was come again from the Philistines, it was told him, "Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi."

And he came to the flocks of the sheep by a wayside where was a cave. And Saul went in to cover his feet. And David and his men sat along by the sides of the cave.

And when Saul was up out of the cave and gone away, David arose and went out of the cave and cried after Saul, saying, "My lord king!" And Saul looked behind him. And David stooped to the earth and bowed himself,

And there was a man in Maon whose cattle was in Carmel, and the man was exceeding mighty, and had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. And he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.

The name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife was Abigail: and she was a woman of good wisdom and beautiful. But the man was churlish and of shrewd conditions and was a Calebite.

I have heard say that thou hast shearers. Now the shepherds were with us, and we did them no spite, neither was there ought missing unto them, all the while they were in Carmel:

And as she rode on her ass and was coming down in a slade of the hill, David and his men came down against her, and she met them.

And David said, "In vain have I kept all that this fellow had in the wilderness: so that nought was missed that pertained unto him, for he hath quite me with evil for good.

And when Abigail came to Nabal, behold, he held a feast in his house like the feast of a king; and Nabal's heart was merry within him, and he was drunk a good. Wherefore she told him nought, neither little nor more, until the morrow day.

But in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these words, and his heart died within him, and he became as a stone,

And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, "Blessed be the LORD that hath judged the cause of my rebuke of the hand of Nabal, and hath kept his servant from evil, and hath turned the wickedness of Nabal again upon his own head." And David sent to commune with Abigail, to the intent to take her to his wife.

And she arose and bowed herself on her face to the earth, and said, "Behold thy handmaid, to be a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord."

And Abigail hasted and arose and gat her up upon an ass, with five damsels of hers that went at her feet, and went after the messengers of David and was his wife.

he sent out spies and understood that Saul was come of surety.

Then said Saul, "I have sinned. Come again, my son David, for I will do thee no more harm; because my soul was precious in thine eyes this day. Behold, I have played the fool and have erred exceeding much."

And as thy life was much set by this time in mine eyes: so be my life set by in the eyes of the LORD, that he deliver me out of all tribulation."

And when it was told Saul that David was fled to Gath, he sought no more for him.

And the time that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines, was a year and four months.

But David let neither man nor woman come living unto Gath, and thought, "They might peradventure speak, and report against us, 'Thus did David.'" And this was his manner as long as he dwelt in the land of the Philistines.

Samuel was then dead, and all Israel had lamented him and buried him in Ramah his own city. And Saul had put the soothsayers and expounders of tokens out of the land.

And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart was sore astonished.

And he said, "What fashion is he of?" And the woman said, "There cometh up an old man with a mantle upon him." And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and stooped with his face to the ground and bowed himself.

Then Saul fell straightway flat on the earth as long as he was, and was sore a dread of the words of Samuel. And thereto there was no strength in him: for he had not eaten all the day and the night before.

And the woman came unto Saul and saw that he was sore troubled, and said unto him, "See, thine handmaid hath obeyed thy voice and have put my soul in thy hand, and have hearkened unto thy words which thou saidst unto me.

When David and his men came to the city: behold, it was burnt with fire, and their wives, their sons and their daughters were taken prisoners.

Then David and the people that was with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they could weep no more.

And David was in a shrewd strait: for the people intended to stone him because the hearts of the people were vexed for their sons and their daughters.

so that there was no person lacking, small or great, son or daughter, or of the spoil of all that they had taken away - David brought all again.

And so from that day forward was that made a law and a custom in Israel, and endureth to this day.

And the battle went sore against Saul, insomuch that shooters with bows had found him, and he was sore wounded of the shooters.

Then said Saul unto his harness bearer, "Draw out thy sword and thrust me through therewith, lest these uncircumcised come thrust me through and make a mockingstock of me." But his harness bearer would not, for he was sore afraid. Wherefore Saul took a sword and fell upon it.

And when his harness bearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword and died with him.

After the death of Saul, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites and had been two days in Ziklag:

And the young man that told him, said, "I was by chance in mount Gilboa. And see, Saul leaned upon his spear, and the chariots and horsemen followed him at the heels.

And I went on him and slew him: for I was sure that he could not live, after that he was fallen. And I took the crown that was upon his head and the bracelet that was on his arm and have brought them unto my lord hither."

And David said unto him, "How is it that thou wast not afraid to lay thine hand on the LORD's anointed, to destroy him?"

How were the mighty slain in battle? Jonathan on the high hills was wounded to death.

Woe is me for thee, my brother Jonathan! Delectable to me wast thou, exceeding. Thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.

And the men of Judah came, and there anointed David king over the house of Judah. When it was told David, how the men of Jabesh in Gilead had buried Saul,

But Abner the son of Ner that was captain of Saul's host, took Ishbosheth the son of Saul and brought him to Mahanaim;

And Ishbosheth Saul's son was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel - and reigned two years. But the house of Judah only followed David.

And the time which David reigned in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.

And they caught each his fellow that came against him, by the head and thrust his sword in his side, and so fell down all at once. Wherefore the place was called Helkathhazzurim which is in Gibeon.

And there was three sons of Zeruiah there: Joab, Abishai and Asahel - which Asahel was as swift of foot as a wild roe -

There was long strife between the house of Saul and the house of David. But David waxed stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker.

And David had children born him in Hebron: his eldest son was Amnon of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess;

And as long as there was battle between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner held up the house of Saul.

Then was Abner very wroth for the words of Ishbosheth, and said, "Am I a dog's head, then? That I, against Judah, do mercy unto the house of Saul thy father - and unto his brethren and kinsfolk - and have not delivered them into the hand of David? And thou layest a trespass to my charge this day for a woman's sake?

And like words had he with Benjamin, and then went to tell in the ears of David in Hebron all that Israel was content with and the whole house of Benjamin.

And when Abner was come to David to Hebron, and twenty men with him: David made him and the men that were with him a feast.

And see, the servants of David and Joab came from chasing robbers and brought a great prey with them. But Abner was not with David in Hebron: for he had sent him away to depart in peace.