FIRST SAMUEL terrifieth thee. 16Let our lord now command thy servants, that are be- fore thee, to seek out a man who is a skilful player on the harp; and it shall be, when the evil spirit from God cometh upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well/ 17And^ Saul said unto his servants: 'Provide me now a man that can play well, and bring him to me.' "Then answered one of the young men, and said: 'Behold, I have seen a json of Jesse the Beth-lehemite, that is skil- ful in playing, and a mighty man of valour, and a man of war, and prudent in affairs, and a comely person, and the LORD is with him/ "Wherefore Saul sent messengers unto Jesse, and said: 'Send me David thy son, who is with the sheep.' 20And Jesse took an ass laden with bread, and a bottle of wine, and a kid, and sent them by David his son unto Saul. ^And David came to Saul, and stood before him; and he loved him greatly; and he be- came his armour-bearer. MAnd Saul sent to Jesse, saying: 'Let David, I pray thee, stand before me; for he hath found favour in my sight.' ^And it came to pass, when the [evil] 'spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took the harp, and played with his hand; so Saul found relief, and it was well with him, and the evil spirit de- parted from him.
~| HT Now the Philistines gathered to- x ' gether their armies to battle, and they were gathered together at Spcoh, which belongeth to Judah, and pitched between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim. 2And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered to- gether, and pitched in the vale of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines. 8And the Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side; and there was a valley between them. 4And there went out a champion from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. 5And he had a helmet of brass upon his head, and he was clad with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass. 6And he had greaves of brass upon Ms legs, and a javelin of brass between his shoulders. 7And the shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam; and his spear's head weighed six hun- dred shekels of iron; and his shield- bearer went ^ before him. 8And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them: 'Why do ye come out to set your battle in ar- ray? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me. 9If he be able to fight with me, and kill me, then wiU we be your serv- ants; but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us.' 10And the Philistine said: 'I do taunt the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.' uAnd when Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.
nNow David was the son of that Ephrathite of Beth-lehem in Judah, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons; and the man was an old man in the days of Saul, stricken in years among men. KAnd the three eldest sons of Jesse had gone after Saul to the battle; and the names of his three sons that went to the battle were Eliab the first-born, and next unto him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. 14And David yras the youngest; and the three eldest followed Saul. — 15Now David went to and fro FIRST SAMUEL from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Beth-lehem. — *6And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days.
17And Jesse said unto David his son: 'Take now for thy brethren an ephah of this parched corn, and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to thy brethren. 18And bring these ten cheeses unto the cap- tain of their thousand, and toothy brethren shalt thou bring greetings, and take their pledge; 19now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, are in the vale of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.' 20And David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took, and went, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the barricade, as the host which Was going forth to the fight shouted for the battle. 21And Israel and the Philistines put the battle in array, army against army. MAnd David left his baggage in the hand of the keeper of the baggage, and ran to the army, and came and greeted his brethren. ^And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the ranks of the Philistines, and spoke according to the same words; and David heard them. MAnd all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid. ^And the men of Israel said: 'Have ye seen this man that is come up? surely to taunt Israel is he come up; and it shall be, that the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father's house free in Israel.'
^And David spoke to the men that stood by Mm, saying: 'What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the taunt from Israel? for who is this uncir- cumcised Philistine, that he should have taunted the armies of the living God?' 27And the people answered him after this manner, saying: 'So shall it be done to the man that killeth him.' 28And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spoke unto the men; and Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said: '"Why art thou come down? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilder- ness? I know thy presumptuousness, and the naughtiness of thy heart; for thou art come down that thou might- est see the battle.' 29And David said: 'What have I now done? Was it not but a word?' 80And he turned away from him toward another, and spoke after the same manner; and the peo- ple answered him after the former manner.
31And when the words were heard which David spoke, they rehearsed them before Saul; and he was taken to Kirn. 32And David said to Saul: 'Let no man's heart fail within him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.' ^And Saul said to David: "Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.' ^And David said unto Saul: 'Thy servant kept his father's sheep; and when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock, 35I went out after him, and smote him, and de- livered it out of his mouth; and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. 36Thy servant smote both the lion and the bear; and this uncircum- cised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath taunted the armies of the living God.' 37And David said: 'The LOBD that delivered me out of FIRST SAMUEL FIRST SAMUEL the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, He will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine.' And Saul said unto David: 'Go, and the LORD shall be with thee.' 38And Saul clad David with his apparel, and he put a helmet of brass upon his head, and he clad him with a coat of mail. 39And David girded his sword upon his apparel, and he essayed to go [, but could not]; for he had not tried it. And David said unto Saul: 'I cannot go with these; for I have not tried them.' And David put them off him. 40And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in the shep- herd's bag which he had, even in his scrip; and his sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine.
41 And the Philistine came nearer and nearer unto David; and the man that bore the shield went before him. ^And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him; for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and withal of a fair countenance. ^And the Philistine said unto David: 'Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves?' And the Philistine cursed David by his god. **And the Philis- tine said to David: ' Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field/ ^Then said David to the Phi- listine: 'Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a javelin; but I come to thee in the name of the LOED of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast taunted. ""This day will the LORD deliver thee into my hand; and I will smite thee, and take thy head from off thee; and I will give the carcasses of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel; 47and that all this assembly may know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD'S, and He will give you into our hand.' 48And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hastened, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. 49And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slung it, and smote the Philistine in his fore- head; and the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell upon Ms face to the earth. 50So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David. HAnd David ran, and stood over the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it put of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw that their mighty man was dead, they fled, 52A:nd the men of Israel and of Judah arose, and shouted, and pursued the Philistines, until thou comest to Gai, and to the gates of Ekron, And the wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim, even unto Gath, and unto Ekron. ^And the children of Israel returned from chas- ing after the Philistines, and they spoiled then: camp. wAnd David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armour hi his tent.
^And when Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said unto Abner, the captain of the host: 1 Abner, whose son is this youth? ' And Abner said: 'As thy soul hveth, O king, I cannot tell.' MAnd the king said* 'Inquire thou whose son the stripling is.' "And as David returned FIEST SAMUEL from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took Mm, and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in hid hand. 68And Saul said to him: 'Whose son art^thou, thou young man?' And David an- swered: 'I am the son of thy servant Jesse the Beth-lehemite.' 1 Q And it came to pass, when he xo had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of ^David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. 2And Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father's house. 3Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul. 4And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his apparel, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle. fiAnd David went out; whith- ersoever Saul sent him, he had good success; and Saul^ set him over the men of war; and it was good in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul's servants.
6And it came to pass as they came, when David returned from the slaugh- ter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with timbrels, with joy, and with three-stringed instruments. 7And the women sang ^ one to another in their play, and said: Saul hath slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands. 8And Saul was very wroth, and this saying displeased him; and he said: 'They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands; and all he lacketh is the kingdom!' 9And Saul eyed David from that day and for- ward.
10And it came to pass on the mor- row, that an evil spirit from God came mightily upon Saul, and he raved in the midst of the house; and David played with his hand, as he did day by day; and Saul had his spear in his hand. "And Saul cast the spear; for he said: 'I will smite David even to the wall/ And David stepped aside out of his presence twice. ^And Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him, and was departed from Saul 13Theref ore Saul removed hirn from him, and made him his cap- tain over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people. 14And David had great success in all his ways; and the LORD was with him. 15Aiid when Saul saw that he had great success, he stood in awe of him. 16But all Israel and Judahloved David; for he went out and came in before them* "And Saul said to David: ' Behold my elder daughter Merab, her will I give thee to wife' only be thou valiant for me, and fight the LORD'S battles.' Tor Saul said: 'Let not my hand be upon him., but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him.' 18And David said unto Saul: 'Who am I, and what is my life, or my father's family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?' 19But it came to pass at the time when Merab Saul's daughter should have been given to David, that she was given unto Adriel the Meholathite to wife. 20And Michal Saul's daughter loved David; and they told Sa,ul, and the thing pleased him. ^And Saul said: 'I will give him her, that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.' Wherefore Saul said to David: 'Thou shalt this day be my son-in-law through the one of the twain.'
FIRST SAMUEL FIRST SAMUEL Saul commanded his servants: ' Speak with David secretly, and say: Be- hold, the king hath delight in thee, and all his servants love thee; now therefore be the king's son-in-law.' 23And Saul's servants spoke those words in the ears of David. And David said: 'Seemeth it to you a light thing to be the king's son-in- law, seeing that I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed?' ^And the servants of Saul told him, saying: 'On this manner spoke David ' 25And Saul said: 'Thus shall ye say to David: The king desireth not any dowry, but a hundred foreskins of the Philis- tines, to be avenged of the king's en- emies.' For Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philis- tines. 26And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king's son-in-law. And the days were not expired; 27and David arose and went, he and his men, and slew of the Philistines two hundred men; and David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full number to the king, that he might be the king's son-in-law. And Saul gave him Michal his daughter to wife. 28And Saul saw and knew that the LORD was with David; and Michal Saul's daughter loved him. 29And Saul was yet the more afraid of David; and Saul was David's enemy con- tinually.
30Then the princes of the Philistines went forth; and it came to pass, as often as they went forth, that David prospered more than all the servants of Saul; so that his name was much set by.
1 Q And Saul spoke to Jonathan his x ^ son, and to all his servants, that they should slay David; but Jon- athan Saul's son delighted much in David. 2And Jonathan told David, saying: 'Saul my father seeketh to slay thee; now therefore, I pray thee, take heed to thyself in the morning, and abide in a secret place, and hid0 thyself. 3And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where thou art, and I will speak with my father of thee; and if I see aught, I will teU thee/ 4And Jonathan spoke good of David unto Saul his father, and said unto him: 'Let not the king sin against his servant, against David; because he hath not sinned against thee, and because his work hath been very good towards thee; ^or he put his life in his hand, and smc/te the Philistine, and the LOED wrought a great victory for all Israel; thou sawest it, and didst rejoice; wherefore then wilt thou sin against innocent blood, to slay David without a cause?' t6And Saul heark- ened unto the voice of Jonathan; and Saul swore: 'As the LORD liveth, he shall not be put to death.' 7And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan told Mm all those things. And Jon- athan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence, as beforetime.
8And there was war again; and David went out, and fought with the Philistines, and slew them with a great slaughter; and they fled before him. 9And an evil spirit from the LORD was upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand; and David was playing with his hand. 10And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the spear; but he slipped away out of Saul's pres- ence, and he smote the spear into the wall; and David fled, and escaped that night, uAnd Saul sent messengers unto David's house, to watch Mm, and to slay him in the morning; and Michal David's wife told him, saying: 'If thou save not thy life to-night, FIRST SAMUEL FIRST SAMUEL to-morrow thou shalt be slain.' ^ Michal let David down through the window; and he went, and. fled, and escaped. 13And Michal took the teraphim, and laid it in the bed, and put a quilt of goats' hair at the head thereof, and covered it with a cloth. 14And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said: 'He is sick.7 16And Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying: 'Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may slay him.; 16And when the messengers came in, behold, the teraphim was in the bed, with the quilt of goats' hair at the head thereof. 17And Saul said unto Michal: 'Why hast.thou deceived me thus, and let mine 'enemy go, that he is escaped?' And Michal answered Saul: 'He said unto me: Let me go; why should I kill thee?'
18Now David fled, and escaped, and came to Samuel to Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and dwelt in Naioth. 19And it was told Saul, saying: 'Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.' 20And Saul sent mes- sengers to take David; and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as head over them, the spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied. 21And when it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they also prophesied. ^Then went he also to Ramah, and came to the great cistern that is in Secu; and he asked and said: 'Where are Samuel and David?' And one said: 'Behold, they are at Naioth in Ramah/ ^And he went thither to Naioth in Ramah; and the spirit of God came upon him also, and he went on, and prophesied, until he came to Naioth in Ramah. 24And he also stripped off his clothes, and he also prophesied before Samuel, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Wherefore they say: 'Is Saul also among the prophets?' Of) And David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan. 'What have I done? what is mine iniquity? and what is my sin before thy father, that he seeketh my life?' ^2And he said unto him: 'Far from it; thou shalt not die; behold, my father doeth nothing either great or small, but that he discloseth it unto me, and why should my father hide this thing from me? it is not so.' 3And David swore moreover, and said: 'Thy father knoweth well that I have found favour in thine eyes; and he saith: Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved; but truly as the LORD liveth, and as thy soul hveth, there is but a step between me and death.' 4Then said Jonathan unto David: 'What doth thy soul desire, that I should do it for thee?' 6And David said unto Jonathan. 'Behold, to-morrow is the new moon, when I should sit with the king to eat; so let me go, that I may hide my- self in the field unto the third day at even. *I£ thy father miss me at all, then say: Pavid earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Beth-lehem his city; for it is the yearly sacrifice there for all the family.., 7If be say thus: It is well; thy serv- ant shall have peace; but if he\be wroth, then know that evil is de- termined by him. therefore de^al dndly with thy servant; for thoi^ hast brought thy servant into a cove- nant of the LORD with thee; but if there be in me iniquity, slay, me thy- self; for why shouldest thou bring me FIRST SAMUEL to thy father?' *And Jonathan said: 'Far be it from thee; for if I should at all know that evil were determined by my father to come upon thee, then would not I tell it thee?' 10Then said David to Jonathan: 'Who shall tell me if perchance thy father answer thee roughly?' uAnd Jonathan said unto David: 'Come and let us go out into the field.' And they went out both of them into the field.
12And Jonathan said unto David: 'The LORD, the God of Israel— when I have sounded my father about this time to-morrow, or the third day, behold, if there be good toward David, shall I not then send unto thee, and disclose it unto thee? 13The LORD do so to Jonathan, and more also, should it please my father to do thee evil, if I disclose it not unto thee, and send thee away, that thou mayest go in peace; and the LORD be with thee, as He hath been with my father. 14And thou shalt not only while yet I live show me the kindness of the LORD, that I die not; 15but also thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house for ever; no, not when the LORD hath cut off the enemies of David every one from the face of the earth.' ieSo Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David: 'The LORD even require it at the hand of David's enemies.' 17And Jonathan caused David to swear again, for the love that he had to him; for he loved him as he loved his own soul.
18An,d Jonathan said unto him: 'To-morrow is the new moon; and thou wilt be missed, because thy seat will be empty. 19And in the third day thou shalt hide thyself well, and come to the place where thou didst hide thyself in the day of work, and shalt remain by the stone Ezel. 20And I will shoot three arrows to the side-ward, as though I shot at a mark, ^And, behold, I will send the lad: Go, find the arrows. If I say unto the lad: Behold, the arrows are on this side of thee; take them, and come; for there is peace to thee and no hurt, as the LORD liveth. ^But if I say thus unto the boy: Behold, the arrows are beyond thee; go thy way; for the LORD hath sent thee away. ^And as touching the matter which I and thou have spoken of, behold, the LORD is between me and thee for ever.'
™&o David hid himself in the field; and when the new moon was come, the king sat hire down to the meal to eat. ^And the king sat upon his seat, as at other times, even upon the seat by the, wall; and Jonathan stood up, and Abner sat by Saul's side; but David's place was empty. ^Never- theless Saul spoke not any thing that day; for he thought: ^'Something hath befallen him, he is unclean; surely he is not clean.' 27And it came to pass on the morrow after the new moon, which was the second day, that David's place was empty; and Saul said unto Jonathan his son: 'Where- fore cometh not the son of Jesse to the meal, neither yesterday, nor to- day?' 28And Jonathan answered Saul: 'David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Beth-lehem; 29and he said: Let me go, I pray thee; for our family hath a sacrifice in the city; and my brother, he hath commanded me; and now, if I have found favour in thine eyes, let me get away, I pray thee, and see my brethren. There- fore he is not come unto the king's table.'
30Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said untdf him: 'Thou son of perverse rebellion, do not I know that thou hast chosen FIRST SAMUEL the son of Jesse to thine own shame, and unto the shame of thy mother's nakedness? 31For as long as the son oJ Jesse li veth upon the earth, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom. Wherefore now send and fetch him unto me, for he deserveth to die. ^And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said unto him: 'Wherefore should he be put to death? what hath he done?' ^And Saul cast his spear at him to smite him; whereby Jon- athan knew that it was determined of his father to put David to death. ^So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and did eat no food the second day of the month; for he was grieved for David, and because his father had put him to shame.
^And it came to pass in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad with him. 36And he said unto his lad: 'Run, find now the arrows which I shoot/ And as the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. 37And when the lad was come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the lad, and said: 'Is not the arrow beyond thee?' 38And Jonathan cried after the lad: 'Make speed, hasten, stay not.' And Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows, and came to his master. 39But the lad knew not any thing; only Jonathan and David knew the matter. 40And Jonathan gave his weapons unto his lad, and said unto him: ' Go, carry them to the city.' ^And as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of a place toward the South, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed down three times; and they kissed one an- fether, and wept one with another, until David exceeded 42And Jon- athan said to David. 'Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of the LORD, say- ing: The LORD shall be between me and thee, and between my seed and O"J thy seed, for ever/ xAnd he arose and departed; and Jon- athan went into the city