more again for him.
5And David said unto Achish: 'If now I have found favour in thine eyes, let them give me a place in one • of the cities in the country, that I may dwell there; for why should thy servant dwell in the royal city with :hee?' 6Then Achish gave him Ziklag that day; wherefore Ziklag belongeth unto the kings of Judah unto this day.
FIRST SAMUEL FIRST SAMUEL 7And the number of the days that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines was a full year and four months. 8And David and his men went up, and made a raid upon the , Geshurites, and the Gizrites, and the Amalekites; for those were the in- habitants of the land, who were of old, as thou goest to Shur, even unto the land of Egypt. 9And David smote the land, and left neither man nor woman alive, and took away the sheep, and the oxen, and the asses, and the camels, and the apparel. And he returned, and came to Achish. 10And Achish said: 'Whither have ye made a raid to-day?' And David said: 'Against the South of Judah, and against the South of the Jerahmeel- ites,t and against the South of the Kenites.' uAnd David left neither man nor woman ahve, to bring them to Gath, saying: 'Lest they should tell on us, saying: So did David, and so hath been his manner all the while he hath dwelt in the country of the Philistines/ ^And Achish be- lieved David, saying: 'He hath made his people Israel utterly to abhor him; therefore he shall be my servant for ever.'
OQ And it came to pass in those ^° days, that the Philistines gath- ered their hosts together for warfare, to fight with Israel. And Achish said unto David: 'Know thou assuredly, that thou shalt go out with 'me in the host, thou and thy men.' 2And David said to Achish: 'Therefore thou shalt know what thy servant: will do.' And Achish said to David: 'Therefore will I make thee keeper of my head for ever.'
3Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away those that divined by a ghost or a familiar spirit out of the land. 4And the Philis- tines gathered themselves together, and came and pitched in Shunem; and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they pitched in Gilboa. 5And when Saul saw the host of the Philis- tines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. 6And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets. 7Then said Saul unto his servants: 'Seek me a woman that divineth by a ghost, that I may go to her, and inquire of her.' And his servants said to him: 'Behold, there is a woman that divin- eth by a ghost at En-dor.'
8And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and went, he and two men with him, and they came to the ^ woman by night; and he said: 'Divine unto me, I pray thee, by a ghost, and bring me up whomsoever I shall name unto thee.' 9And the woman said unto him: 'Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off those that divine by a ghost or a familiar spirit out of the land; wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die?' 10And Saul swore to her by the LORD, saying: 'As the LORD hveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing.' uThen said the woman: 'Whom shall I bring up unto thee?' And he said: 'Bring me up Samuel.'
nd when the woman saw Samuel; she cried with a loud voice; and the woman spoke to Saul, saying: 'Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul.' 13And the king said unto her: Be not afraid; for what seest thou?' And the woman said unto Saul: 'I see a godlike being coming up out of the earth.' 14And he said unto her: FIRST SAMUEL 'What form is he of?' And she said: 'An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a robe.' And Saul per- ceived that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground, and prostrated himself.
15And Samuel said to Saul: 'Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up?' And Saul answered: ' am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams; therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do.' 16And Samuel said: 'Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the LORD is departed from thee, and is become thine adversary? 17And the LORD hath wrought for Himself, as He spoke by me; and the LORD hath rent the kingdom out of thy hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David. 18Because thou didst not hearken to the voice of the LORD, and didst not execute His fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the LORD done this thing unto thee this day. "Moreover the LORD will deliver Israel also with thee into the hand of the Philistines; and to-morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me; the LORD will deliver the host of Israel also into the hand of the Philistines/ 20Then Saul feU straightway his full length upon the earth, and was sore afraid, because of the words of Samuel; and there was no strength in him; for he had eaten no bread all the day, nor all the night. 21And the woman came unto Saul, and saw that he was sore affrighted, and said unto him: 'Behold, thy handmaid hath hearkened unto thy voice, and I have put my life in my hand, and have hearkened unto thy words which thou spokest unto me. ^Now therefore, I pray thee, hearken thou also unto the voice of thy handmaid, and let me set a morsel of bread before thee; and eat, that thou mayest have strength, when thou goest on thy way.3 ^But he refused, and said: 'I will not eat.' But his servants, together with the woman, urged him; and he hearkened unto their voice. So he arose from the earth., and sat upon the bed. ^ ^And the woman had a fatted calf in the house; and she made haste, and killed it; and she took flour, and kneaded it, and did bake unleavened bread thereof; 25and she brought it before Saul, and before his servants; and they did eat. Then they rose up, and went away that night.
OQ Now the Philistines gathered ^ ^ together all their hosts to Aphek; and the Israelites pitched by the fountain which is in Jezreel. 2And the lords of the Philistines passed on by hundreds, and by thousands; and David and his men passed on in the rearward with Achish. 3Then said the princes of the Philistines: 'What dotaese Hebrews here?' And Achish said unto the princes of the Philistines: 'Is not this David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, who hath been with me these days or these years, and I have found no fault in him since he fell away unto me unto this day?' 4But the princes of the Philistines were wroth with him; and the princes of the Philistines said unto him: 'Make the man return, that he may go back to his place where thou hast appointed him, and let him not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become an ad- versary to us; for wherewith should this fellow reconcile himself unto his lord? should it not be with the heads FIRST SAMUEL of these men? 5Is not this David, of whom they sang one to another in dances, saying: Saul hath slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands?7 6Then Achish called David, and said unto him: 'As the LORD Hveth, thpu hast been upright, and thy going out and thy coming in with me in the host is 'good in my sight; for I have not found evil in thee since the day of thy coming unto me unto this day; nevertheless the lords favour thee not. Wherefore now return, and go in peace, that thou displease not the lords of the Philistines.' 8And David said unto Achish: 'But what have I done? and what hast thou found in thy servant so long as I have been before thee unto this day, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?' 9And Achish answered and said to David: 'I know that thou art good in my sight, as an angel of God; notwith- standing the princes of the Philistines have said: He shall not go up with us to the battle. 10Wherefore now rise up early in the morning with the servants of thy lord that are come with fchee; and as soon as ye are up early in the morning, and have light, de- part.' uSo David rose up early, he and his men, to depart in the morn- ing, to return into the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.
OA And it came to pass, when David u v and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites bad made a raid upon the South, and upon Ziklag, and had smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire; 2and had taken captive the women and all that were therein, both small and great; they slew not any, but carried them off, and went their way. 3And when David and his men came to the city, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives, ^hen David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep. 5And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. 6And David was greatly distressed; for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters; but David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.
7And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech: 'I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod.' And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David. 8And David in- quired of the LORD, saying: 'Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them?' And He answered him: 'Pursue; for thou shalt surely overtake them, and shalt without fail recover all.' °So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and came to the brook Bespr, where those that were left behind stayed. 10But David pursued, he and four hundred men; for two hundred stayed behind, who were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor.
uAnd they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they gave him water to drink; ^and they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins; and when he had eaten, his spirit came back to him; for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, three days and three nights. 13And David said unto him: 'To whom, belongest FIRST SAMUEL FIRST SAMUEL thou? and whence art them?' And he said: 'I am a young Egyptian, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days ago I fell sick. 1^We made a raid upon the South of the Cherethites, and upon that which belongeth to Judah, and upon the South of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire/ 15And David said to him: ' Wilt thou bring me down to this troop?' And he said: 'Swear unto me by God, that thou wilt neither kill me, nor deliver me up into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee down to this troop.'
16And when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread abroad over all the ground, eating and drinking, and feasting, because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philis- tines, and out of the land of Judah. 17A.nd David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day; and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, who rode upon camels and fled. 18And David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken; and David rescued his two wives. 19And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor any thing that they had taken to them; David brought back all. 20And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drove before those other cattle, and said: 'Tins is David's spoil.'
^And David came to the two hun- dred men, who were so faint that they could not follow David, whom also they had made to abide at the brook Besor; and they went forth to meet David, and to meet the people that were with him; and when David came near to the people, he saluted them, answered all the wicked men and base fellows, of those that went with David, and said: ' Because they went not with us, we will not give them aught of the spoil that we have recovered, save to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead them away, and depart.' ^Then said David: {Ye shall not do so, my brethren, with that which the LORD hath given unto us, who hath preserved us, and delivered the troop that came against us into our hand, 24And who will hearken unto you in this matter? for as is the share of him that goeth down to the battle, so shall be the share of him that tarrieth by the baggage; they shall share alike.' 25And it was so from that day for- ward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel unto this day.
26And when David came to Ziklag, he sent of the spoil unto the elders of Judah, even to his friends, saying 'Behold a present for you of the spoil of the enemies of the LORD'; 27to them that were in Beth-el, and to them that were in Ramoth of the South, and to them that were in Jattir; 28and to them that were in Aroer, and to them that were in Siphmoth, and to them that were in Eshtemoa; 29and to them that were in Racal, and to them that were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to them that were in the cities of the Kemtes; 30and to them that were in Hormah, and to them that were in Bor-ashan, and to them that were in Athach; 31and to them that were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were wont to haunt. Q-j Now the Philistines fought A against Israel, and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa. 2And the Philistines followed hard FIRST SAMUEL upon Saul and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abina- dab, and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul. 3And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers over- took him; and he was in great anguish by reason of the archers. 4Then said Saul to his armour-bearer: * Draw thy sword, and thrust me through there- with; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and make a mock of me.' But his armour-bearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took his sword, and fell upon it. 5And when his armour- bearer saw that Saul was dead, he likewise fell upon his sword, and died with him. 6So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armour-bearer, and all his men, that same day together. 7And when the men of Israel that were on the other side of the valley, and they that were beyond the Jordan, saw that the men of Israel fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities, and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them. 8And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they ^ found Saul and his three sons fallen in mount Gilboa. 9And they cut off his head, and stripped off his armour, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to carry the tidings unto the house of their idols, and to the people* 10And they put his armour in the house of the Ashtaroth; and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan. HAnd when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard concerning him that which the Philistines had done to Saul, 12all the valiant men arose, and went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan; and they came to Jabesh, and burnt them there. 13And they took their bones, and buried them under the tamarisk-tree in Jabesh and fasted seven days.
SECOND SAMUEL 1 AND it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had abode two days in Ziklag; ^t came even to pass on the third day, that, behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul with his clothes rent, and earth up- on his head; and so it was, when he came to David, that he fell to the earth, and prostrated himself. 3And David said unto him: 'From whence comestthou?' And he said unto him: 'Out of the camp of Israel am I es- caped/ 4And David said unto him: 'How went the matter? I pray thee, tell me.' And he answered: 'The people are fled from the battle, and many of the people also are fallen and dead; and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also/ 5And David said unto the young man that told him: 'How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead?' 6And the young manthattoldhimsaid: 'Aslhappened by chance upon mount Gilboa, be- hold, Saul leaned upon his spear; and, lo, the chariots and the horsemen pressed hard upon him. 7And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called unto me. And I answered: Here am I. 8And he said unto me: Who art thou? And I answered him: I am an Amalekite. 9And he said unto me: Stand, I pray thee, beside me, and slay me, for the agony hath taken hold of me; because my life is just yet in me. 10So I stood beside him, and slew him, because 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 hither unto my lord/ uThen David took hold on his clothes, and rent them; and likewise all the men that were with him. 12And they wailed, and wept, and fasted until even, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of the LOED, and for the house of Israel; because they were fallen by the sword. 13And David said unto the young man that told him: 'Whence art thou?7 And he answered: 'I am the son of an Amalekite stranger/ 14And David said unto him: 'How wast thou not afraid to put forth thy hand to destroy the LORD'S anointed?' 15And David called one of the young men, and said: 1 Go near, and fall upon him/ And he smote him that he died. 16And David said unto him: 'Thy blood be upon thy head • for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying: I have slain the LOKD'S anointed/ 17And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jon- athan his son, 18and said — To teach the sons of Judah the bow. Behold, it is written in the book of Jashar: 19Thy beauty, 0 Israel, upon thy high places is slain' How are the mighty fallen!
20Tell it not in Oath, Publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon; SECOND SAMUEL Lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, Lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph. 21Ye mountains of Gilboa, Let there be no dew nor rain upon you, Neither fields of choice fruits; For there the shield of the mighty was vilely cast away, The shield of Saul, not anointed with oil. ^From the blood of the skin, from the fat of the mighty, The bow of Jonathan turned not back, And the sword of Saul returned not empty. ^Saul and Jonathan, the lovely and the pleasant In their lives, even in their death they were not divided; They were swifter than eagles, They were stronger than lions. ^Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, Who c^thed you in scarlet, with other delights, Who put ornaments of gold upon your apparel. 25How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle!
Jonathan upon thy high places is slain! 26I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan; Very pleasant hast thou been unto me; Wonderful was thy love to me, Passing the love of women. 27How are the mighty fallen, And the weapons of war perished!
O And it came to pass after this, that David inquired of the LORD, saying: 'Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?' And the LORD said unto him: 'Go up.' And David said: 'Whither shall I go up?' And He said: 'Unto Hebron/ 2So David went up thither, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreehtess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmel- ite. 3And his men that were with him did David bring up, every man with his household; and they dwelt in the cities of Hebron. 4And the men of Judali came, and they there anointed David king over the house of Judah.
And they told David, saying: 'The men of Jabesh-gilead were they that buried Saul.' 5And David sent mes- sengers unto the men of Jabesh-gilead, and said unto them: 'Blessed be ye of the LORD, that ye have shown this kindness unto your lord, even unto Saul, and have buried him. 6And now the LORD show kindness and truth unto you; and I also will re- quite you this kindness, because ye have done this thing, *Now there- fore let your hands be strong, and be ye valiant; for Saul your lord is dead, and also the house of Judah have anointed me king over them.'
8Now Abner the son of Ner, cap- tain of Saul's host, had taken Ish- bpsheth the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim; 9and he made him king over Gilead, and over the Ashurites, and over Jezreel, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over all Israel. 10Ish-bosheth Saul's son was forty years old when he be- gan to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David. uAnd the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.
^And Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to SECOND SAMUEL Gibeon. 13And Joab the son of Zeru- iah, and the servants of David, went out; and they met together by the pool of Gibeon, and sat down, the one on the one side of the pool, and the other on the other side of the pool. 14And Abner said to Joab: 'Let the young men, I pray the®, arise and play before us/ And Joab said: 'Let them arise.' passed over by they arose and number: twelve for Benjamin, and for Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David. 16And they caught every- one his fellow by the head, and thrust his sword in his fellow's side; so they fell down together; wherefore that place was called aHe!kath-hazzurim, which is in Gibeon. 17And the battle was very sore that day; and Abner was beaten, and the men of Israel, before the servants of David.
18And the three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel; and Asahel was as light of foot as one of the roes that are in the field. 19And Asahel pursued after Abner; and in going he turned not to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner. 20Then Abner looked behind him, and said: 'Is Asahel?7 And he answered: it thou, 'It is I.'
21And Abner said to him: 'Turn thee aside to thy right hand or to thy left, and lay thee hold on one of the young men, and take thee his armour.' But Asahel would not turn aside from following him. ^And Abner said again to Asahel. 'Turn thee aside from following me; wherefore should I smite thee to the ground? how then should I hold up my face to Joab thy brother?' ^Howbeit he refused to turn aside, wherefore Abner with the hinder end of the spear smote him in the groin, that the spear came out behind him; and he fell down there, and died in the same place; and it came to pass, that as many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died stood still.
Joab and Abishai pursued after Abner; and the sun went down when they were come to the hill of Amman, that lieth before Giah by the way of the wilderness of Gibeon. 25And the children of Benjamin gath- ered themselves together after Abner, and became one band, and stood on the top of a hill. 26Then Abner called to Joab, and said: 'Shall the sword devour for ever? knowest thou not that it will be bitterness in the end? how long shall it be then, ere thou bid the people return from following their brethren?' 2~And Joab said: 'As God liveth, if thou hadst not spoken, surely then only after the morning the people had gone away, every one from following his brother/ 28So Joab blew the horn, and all the people stood still, and pursued after Israel no more, neither fought they any more. 29And Abner and his men went all that night through the Arabah; and they passed over the Jordan, and went through all Bithron, and came to Mahanaim.
30And Joab returned from following Abner; and when he had gathered all the people together, there lacked of David's servants nineteen men and Asahel. 31But the servants of David had smitten of Benjamin, even of Abner's men — three hundred and three- score men died. 32And they took up Asahel, and buried him in the sep- ulchre of his father, which was in Beth-lehem. And Joab and his men went all night, and the day broke upon them at Hebron.
Q Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David; and David waxed stronger That is, The field of the sharp knwes.
SECOND SAMUEL and stronger, but the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker.
2And unto David were sons born in Hebron; and his first-born was Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; sand his second, Chileab, of Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite; and the third, Absalom the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur; 4and the fourth, Adorn j ah the son of Haggith; and the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital; sand the sixth, Ith- ream, of Eglah David's wife. These were born to David in Hebron.
6And it came to pass, while there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, that Abner showed himself strong in the house of Saul. 7Now Saul had a concubine, whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah; and [Ish-bosheth] said to Ab- ner: i Wherefore hast thou gone in unto my father's concubine?' 8Then was Abner very wroth for the words of Ish-bosheth, and said: 'Am I a dog's head that belongeth to Judah? This day do I show kindness unto the house of Saul thy father, to his breth- ren, and to his friends, and have not delivered thee into the hand of David, and yet thou chargest me this day with a fault concerning this woman. 9God do so to Abner, and more also, if, as the LORD hath sworn to David, I do not even so to him; 10to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul, and to set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan even to Beer-sheba.' uAnd he could not answer Abner another word, be- cause he feared him.
^And Abner sent messengers to David straightway, saying; * Whose is the land?' saying also: 'Make thy league with me, and, behold, my hand shall be with thee, to bring over all Israel unto thee.' "And he said*: 'Well; I will make a league with thee; but one thing I require of thee, that is, thou shalt not see my face, except thou first bring Michal Saul's daugh- ter, when thou comest to see my face.' 14And David sent messengers to Ish- bosheth Saul's son, saying: 'Deliver me my wife Michal, whom I be- trothed to me for a hundred fore- skins of the Philistines.' 15And Ish- bosheth sent, and took her from her husband, even from Paltiel the son of Laish. 16And her husband went with her, weeping as he went, and followed her to Bahurim. Then said Abner unto him: 'Go, return'; and he returned.
17And Abner had communication with the elders of Israel, saying: 'In tunes past ye sought for David to be king over you; 18now then do it; for the LORD hath spoken of David, say- ing: By the hand of My servant David I will save My people Israel out of the hand of the Philistines, and out of the hand of all their enemies.' 19And Abner also spoke in the ears of Benjamin; and Abner went also to speak in the ears of David in Hebron all that seemed good to Israel, and to the whole house of Benjamin. 20So Abner came to David to Hebron, and twenty men with him. And David made Abner and the men that were with him a feast. 21And Abner said unto David: 'I will arise and go, and will gather all Israel unto my lord the king, that they may make a covenant with thee, and that thou mayest reign over all that thy soul desireth/ And David sent Abner away; and he went in peace.
^And, behold, the servants of David and Joab came from a foray, and brought in a great spoil with them; but Abner was not with David in Hebron; for he had sent Mm away, 13 SECOND SAMUEL and he was gone in peace. Joab and all the host that was with him were come, they told Joab, say- ing: 'Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he hath sent him away, and he is gone in peace/ ^Then Joab came to the king, and said: 'What hast thou done? behold, Abner came unto thee; why is it that thou hast sent him away, and he is quite gone? 25Thou knowest Abner the son of Ner, that he came to deceive thee, and to know thy going out and thy coming in, and to know all that thou doest/ 26And when Joab was come out from David, he sent messengers after Ab- ner, and they brought him back from Bor-sirah; but David knew it not.