The Bible

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1 Samuel Chapter 1

¹Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim Zophim, of the hill country of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite: ²and he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

³This man went up out of his city from year to year to worship and to sacrifice to ForeverOne of Armies in Shiloh. The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, priests to ForeverOne, were there.

⁴When the day came that Elkanah sacrificed, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions: ⁵but to Hannah he gave a double portion; for he loved Hannah, but ForeverOne had shut up her womb.

⁶Her rival provoked her severely, to make her fret, because ForeverOne had shut up her womb.

⁷[as] he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of ForeverOne, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat.

⁸Elkanah her husband said to her, "Hannah, why do you weep? Why don't you eat? Why is your heart grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons?" ⁹So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest was sitting on his seat by the doorpost of the temple of ForeverOne.

¹⁰She was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to ForeverOne, and wept bitterly.

¹¹She vowed a vow, and said, "ForeverOne of Armies, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your handmaid, and remember me, and not forget your handmaid, but will give to your handmaid a boy, then I will give him to ForeverOne all the days of his life, and no razor shall come on his head." ¹²As she continued praying before ForeverOne, Eli saw her mouth.

¹³Now Hannah spoke in her heart. Only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli thought she had been drunken.

¹⁴Eli said to her, "How long will you be drunken? Put away your wine from you." ¹⁵Hannah answered, "No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I poured out my soul before ForeverOne.

¹⁶Don't count your handmaid for a wicked woman; for I have been speaking out of the abundance of my complaint and my provocation." ¹⁷Then Eli answered, "Go in peace; and may the God of Israel grant your petition that you have asked of him." ¹⁸She said, "Let your handmaid find favor in your sight." So the woman went her way, and ate; and her facial expression wasn't sad any more.

¹⁹They rose up in the morning early, and worshiped before ForeverOne, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and ForeverOne remembered her.

²⁰When the time had come, Hannah conceived and bore a son; and she named him Samuel, [saying], "Because I have asked him of ForeverOne." ²¹The man Elkanah, and all his house, went up to offer to ForeverOne the yearly sacrifice, and his vow.

²²But Hannah didn't go up; for she said to her husband, "Not until the child is weaned; then I will bring him, that he may appear before ForeverOne, and stay there forever." ²³Elkanah her husband said to her, "Do what seems good to you. Wait until you have weaned him; only may ForeverOne establish his word." So the woman waited and nursed her son, until she weaned him.

²⁴When she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bulls, and one ephah of meal, and a bottle of wine, and brought him to ForeverOne's house in Shiloh. The child was young.

²⁵They killed the bull, and brought the child to Eli.

²⁶She said, "Oh, my lord, as your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood by you here, praying to ForeverOne.

²⁷For this child I prayed; and ForeverOne has given me my petition which I asked of him.

²⁸Therefore also I have granted him to ForeverOne. As long as he lives he is granted to ForeverOne." He worshiped ForeverOne there.

1 Samuel Chapter 2

¹Hannah prayed, and said: "My heart exults in ForeverOne! My horn is exalted in ForeverOne. My mouth is enlarged over my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation.

²There is no one as holy as ForeverOne, For there is no one besides you, nor is there any rock like our God.

³"Talk no more so exceeding proudly. Don't let arrogance come out of your mouth, For ForeverOne is a God of knowledge. By him actions are weighed.

⁴"The bows of the mighty men are broken. Those who stumbled are armed with strength.

⁵Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread. Those who were hungry have ceased [to hunger]. Yes, the barren has borne seven. She who has many children languishes.

⁶"ForeverOne kills, and makes alive. He brings down to Sheol, and brings up.

⁷ForeverOne makes poor, and makes rich. He brings low, he also lifts up.

⁸He raises up the poor out of the dust. He lifts up the needy from the dunghill, To make them sit with princes, and inherit the throne of glory. For the pillars of the earth are ForeverOne's. He has set the world on them.

⁹He will keep the feet of his holy ones, but the wicked shall be put to silence in darkness; for no man shall prevail by strength.

¹⁰Those who strive with ForeverOne shall be broken to pieces. He will thunder against them in the sky. "ForeverOne will judge the ends of the earth. He will give strength to his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed." ¹¹Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. The child ministered to ForeverOne before Eli the priest.

¹²Now the sons of Eli were base men; they didn't know ForeverOne.

¹³The custom of the priests with the people was that when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant came, while the flesh was boiling, with a fork of three teeth in his hand; ¹⁴and he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the fork brought up the priest took with it. So they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there.

¹⁵Yes, before they burned the fat, the priest's servant came, and said to the man who sacrificed, "Give meat to roast for the priest; for he will not accept boiled meat from you, but raw." ¹⁶If the man said to him, "Let the fat be burned first, and then take as much as your soul desires;" then he would say, "No, but you shall give it to me now; and if not, I will take it by force." ¹⁷The sin of the young men was very great before ForeverOne; for the men despised the offering of ForeverOne.

¹⁸But Samuel ministered before ForeverOne, being a child, clothed with a linen ephod.

¹⁹Moreover his mother made him a little robe, and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.

²⁰Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, "ForeverOne give you offspring of this woman for the petition which was asked of ForeverOne." They went to their own home.

²¹ForeverOne visited Hannah, and she conceived, and bore three sons and two daughters. The child Samuel grew before ForeverOne.

²²Now Eli was very old; and he heard all that his sons did to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who served at the door of the Tent of Meeting.

²³He said to them, "Why do you do such things? for I hear of your evil dealings from all this people.

²⁴No, my sons; for it is no good report that I hear: you make ForeverOne's people disobey.

²⁵If one man sin against another, God shall judge him; but if a man sin against ForeverOne, who shall entreat for him?" Notwithstanding, they didn't listen to the voice of their father, because ForeverOne was minded to kill them.

²⁶The child Samuel grew and increased in favor both with ForeverOne, and also with men.

²⁷A man of God came to Eli, and said to him, "Thus says ForeverOne, 'Did I reveal myself to the house of your father, when they were in Egypt [in slavery] to Pharaoh's house?

²⁸Did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? Did I give to the house of your father all the offerings of the children of Israel made by fire?

²⁹Why do you kick at my sacrifice and at my offering, which I have commanded in [my] habitation, and honor your sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the best of all the offerings of Israel my people?' ³⁰"Therefore ForeverOne, the God of Israel, says, 'I said indeed that your house, and the house of your father, should walk before me forever.' But now ForeverOne says, 'Be it far from me; for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed.

³¹Behold, the days come, that I will cut off your arm, and the arm of your father's house, that there shall not be an old man in your house.

³²You shall see the affliction of [my] habitation, in all the wealth which shall be given Israel; and there shall not be an old man in your house forever.

³³The man of yours, [whom] I shall not cut off from my altar, [shall be] to consume your eyes, and to grieve your heart; and all the increase of your house shall die in the flower of their age.

³⁴"'This shall be the sign to you, that shall come on your two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas: in one day they shall both die.

³⁵I will raise up a faithful priest, that shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind. I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before my anointed forever.

³⁶Everyone who is left in your house shall come and bow down to him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread, and shall say, "Please put me into one of the priests' offices, so I may eat a morsel of bread."'"

1 Samuel Chapter 3

¹The child Samuel ministered to ForeverOne before Eli. The word of ForeverOne was precious in those days; there was no frequent vision.

²At that time, when Eli was laid down in his place (now his eyes had begun to grow dim, so that he could not see), ³and the lamp of God hadn't yet gone out, and Samuel had laid down [to sleep], in the temple of ForeverOne, where the ark of God was; ⁴ForeverOne called Samuel; and he said, "Here I am." ⁵He ran to Eli, and said, "Here I am; for you called me." He said, "I didn't call; lie down again." He went and lay down.

⁶ForeverOne called yet again, "Samuel!" Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am; for you called me." He answered, "I didn't call, my son; lie down again." ⁷Now Samuel didn't yet know ForeverOne, neither was the word of ForeverOne yet revealed to him.

⁸ForeverOne called Samuel again the third time. He arose and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am; for you called me." Eli perceived that ForeverOne had called the child.

⁹Therefore Eli said to Samuel, "Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he calls you, that you shall say, 'Speak, ForeverOne; for your servant hears.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

¹⁰ForeverOne came, and stood, and called as at other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" Then Samuel said, "Speak; for your servant hears." ¹¹ForeverOne said to Samuel, "Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of everyone who hears it shall tingle.

¹²In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from the beginning even to the end.

¹³For I have told him that I will judge his house forever, for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons brought a curse on themselves, and he didn't restrain them.

¹⁴Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be removed with sacrifice nor offering forever." ¹⁵Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of ForeverOne. Samuel was afraid to tell Eli the vision.

¹⁶Then Eli called Samuel, and said, "Samuel, my son!" He said, "Here I am." ¹⁷He said, "What did he say to you? Please don't hide it from me. May God do so to you, and more also, if you hide anything from me of all the things that he spoke to you." ¹⁸Samuel told him every bit, and hid nothing from him. He said, "It is ForeverOne. Let him do what seems good to him." ¹⁹Samuel grew, and ForeverOne was with him, and let none of his words fall to the ground.

²⁰All Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of ForeverOne.

²¹ForeverOne appeared again in Shiloh; for ForeverOne revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of ForeverOne.

1 Samuel Chapter 4

¹The word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and encamped beside Ebenezer: and the Philistines encamped in Aphek.

²The Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was struck before the Philistines; and they killed of the army in the field about four thousand men.

³When the people had entered the camp, the elders of Israel said, "Why has ForeverOne struck us today before the Philistines? Let us get the ark of the covenant of ForeverOne out of Shiloh to us, that it may come among us, and save us out of the hand of our enemies." ⁴So the people sent to Shiloh; and they brought from there the ark of the covenant of ForeverOne of Armies, who sits [above] the cherubim: and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

⁵When the ark of the covenant of ForeverOne came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again.

⁶When the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, "What does the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews mean?" They understood that the ark of ForeverOne had entered the camp.

⁷The Philistines were afraid, for they said, "god has entered the camp." They said, "Woe to us! For there has not been such a thing before.

⁸Woe to us! Who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods that struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the wilderness.

⁹Be strong, and behave like men, O you Philistines, that you not be servants to the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Strengthen yourselves like men, and fight!" ¹⁰The Philistines fought, and Israel was struck, and they fled every man to his tent: and there was a very great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen.

¹¹The ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.

¹²There ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day, with his clothes torn, and with earth on his head.

¹³When he came, behold, Eli was sitting on his seat by the road watching; for his heart trembled for the ark of God. When the man came into the city, and told it, all the city cried out.

¹⁴When Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, "What does the noise of this tumult mean?" The man hurried, and came and told Eli.

¹⁵Now Eli was ninety-eight years old; and his eyes were set, so that he could not see.

¹⁶The man said to Eli, "I am he who came out of the army, and I fled today out of the army." He said, "How did the matter go, my son?" ¹⁷He who brought the news answered, "Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has been also a great slaughter among the people. Your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been captured." ¹⁸When he made mention of the ark of God, Eli fell from his seat backward by the side of the gate; and his neck broke, and he died; for he was an old man, and heavy. He had judged Israel forty years.

¹⁹His daughter-in-law, Phinehas' wife, was with child, near to be delivered. When she heard the news that the ark of God was taken, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and delivered; for her pains came on her.

²⁰About the time of her death the women who stood by her said to her, "Don't be afraid; for you have delivered a son." But she didn't answer, neither did she regard it.

²¹She named the child Ichabod, saying, "The glory has departed from Israel;" because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father-in-law and her husband.

²²She said, "The glory has departed from Israel; for the ark of God is taken."

1 Samuel Chapter 5

¹Now the Philistines had taken the ark of God, and they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod.

²The Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon.

³When they of Ashdod arose early on the next day, behold, Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of ForeverOne. They took Dagon, and set him in his place again.

⁴When they arose early on the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of ForeverOne; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands [lay] cut off on the threshold, only [the stump of] Dagon was left.

⁵Therefore neither the priests of Dagon, nor any who enter Dagon's house, tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod, to this day.

⁶But the hand of ForeverOne was heavy on them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and struck them with tumors, even Ashdod and its borders.

⁷When the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, "The ark of the God of Israel shall not stay with us; for his hand is severe on us, and on Dagon our god." ⁸They sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistines to them, and said, "What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?" They answered, "Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried over to Gath." They carried the ark of the God of Israel [there].

⁹After they had carried it about, the hand of ForeverOne was against the city with a very great confusion: and he struck the men of the city, both small and great; and tumors broke out on them.

¹⁰So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. As the ark of God came to Ekron, the Ekronites cried out, saying, "They have brought the ark of the God of Israel to us, to kill us and our people." ¹¹They sent therefore and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and they said, "Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go again to its own place, that it not kill us and our people." For there was a deadly confusion throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there.

¹²The men who didn't die were struck with the tumors; and the cry of the city went up to heaven.

1 Samuel Chapter 6

¹The ark of ForeverOne was in the country of the Philistines seven months.

²The Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, "What shall we do with the ark of ForeverOne? Show us with which we shall send it to its place." ³They said, "If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, don't send it empty; but by all means return him a trespass offering: then you shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why his hand is not removed from you." ⁴Then they said, "What shall be the trespass offering which we shall return to him?" They said, "Five golden tumors, and five golden mice, [according to] the number of the lords of the Philistines; for one plague was on you all, and on your lords.

⁵Therefore you shall make images of your tumors, and images of your mice that mar the land; and you shall give glory to the God of Israel: perhaps he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land.

⁶Then why do you harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When he had worked wonderfully among them, didn't they let the people go, and they departed?

⁷"Now therefore take and prepare yourselves a new cart, and two milk cows, on which there has been no yoke; and tie the cows to the cart, and bring their calves home from them; ⁸and take the ark of ForeverOne, and lay it on the cart; and put the jewels of gold, which you return him for a trespass offering, in a coffer by its side; and send it away, that it may go.

⁹Behold; if it goes up by the way of its own border to Beth Shemesh, then he has done us this great evil: but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that struck us; it was a chance that happened to us." ¹⁰The men did so, and took two milk cows, and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home; ¹¹and they put the ark of ForeverOne on the cart, and the coffer with the mice of gold and the images of their tumors.

¹²The cows took the straight way by the way to Beth Shemesh; they went along the highway, lowing as they went, and didn't turn aside to the right hand or to the left; and the lords of the Philistines went after them to the border of Beth Shemesh.

¹³They of Beth Shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley; and they lifted up their eyes, and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it.

¹⁴The cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh, and stood there, where there was a great stone: and they split the wood of the cart, and offered up the cows for a burnt offering to ForeverOne.

¹⁵The Levites took down the ark of ForeverOne, and the coffer that was with it, in which the jewels of gold were, and put them on the great stone: and the men of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day to ForeverOne.

¹⁶When the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day.

¹⁷These are the golden tumors which the Philistines returned for a trespass offering to ForeverOne: for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Ashkelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one; ¹⁸and the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both of fortified cities and of country villages, even to the great stone, where they set down the ark of ForeverOne, [which stone remains] to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh.

¹⁹He struck of the men of Beth Shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of ForeverOne, he struck of the people fifty thousand seventy men; and the people mourned, because ForeverOne had struck the people with a great slaughter.

²⁰The men of Beth Shemesh said, "Who is able to stand before ForeverOne, this holy God? To whom shall he go up from us?" ²¹They sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath Jearim, saying, "The Philistines have brought back the ark of ForeverOne; come down, and bring it up to yourselves."

1 Samuel Chapter 7

¹The men of Kiriath Jearim came, and fetched up the ark of ForeverOne, and brought it into the house of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of ForeverOne.

²From the day that the ark stayed in Kiriath Jearim the time was long- for it was twenty years; and all the house of Israel lamented after ForeverOne.

³Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, "If you do return to ForeverOne with all your heart, and reject the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you, and direct your hearts to ForeverOne, and serve him only; and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines." ⁴Then the children of Israel rejected the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and served ForeverOne only.

⁵Samuel said, "Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray for you to ForeverOne." ⁶They gathered together to Mizpah, and drew water, and poured it out before ForeverOne, and fasted on that day, and said there, "We have sinned against ForeverOne." Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpah.

⁷When the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. When the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines.

⁸The children of Israel said to Samuel, "Don't cease to cry to ForeverOne our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines." ⁹Samuel took a suckling lamb, and offered it for a whole burnt offering to ForeverOne: and Samuel cried to ForeverOne for Israel; and ForeverOne answered him.

¹⁰As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel; but ForeverOne thundered with a great thunder on that day on the Philistines, and confused them; and they were struck down before Israel.

¹¹The men of Israel went out of Mizpah, and pursued the Philistines, and struck them, until they came under Beth Kar.

¹²Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, "ForeverOne helped us until now." ¹³So the Philistines were subdued, and they no longer came within the border of Israel. The hand of ForeverOne was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.

¹⁴The cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron even to Gath; and Israel delivered its border out of the hand of the Philistines. There was peace between Israel and the Amorites.

¹⁵Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.

¹⁶He went from year to year in circuit to Bethel and Gilgal, and Mizpah; and he judged Israel in all those places.

¹⁷His return was to Ramah, for his house was there, and he judged Israel there; and he built an altar to ForeverOne there.

1 Samuel Chapter 8

¹When Samuel was old he made his sons judges over Israel.

²Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abijah: they were judges in Beersheba.

³His sons didn't walk in his ways, but turned aside after extortion, and took bribes, and perverted justice.

⁴Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel to Ramah; ⁵and they said to him, "Behold, you are old, and your sons don't walk in your ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations." ⁶But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, "Give us a king to judge us." Samuel prayed to ForeverOne.

⁷ForeverOne said to Samuel, "Listen to the voice of the people in all that they tell you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me, that I should not be king over them.

⁸According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, in that they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so they also do to you.

⁹Now therefore listen to their voice: however you shall protest solemnly to them, and shall show them the way of the king who shall reign over them." ¹⁰Samuel told all the words of ForeverOne to the people who asked him for a king.

¹¹He said, "This will be the way of the king who shall reign over you: he will take your sons, and appoint them to him, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and they shall run before his chariots; ¹²and he will appoint them to him for captains of thousands, and captains of fifties; and [he will set some] to plow his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and the instruments of his chariots.

¹³He will take your daughters to be perfumers, and to be cooks, and to be bakers.

¹⁴He will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your olive groves, even the best of them, and give them to his servants.

¹⁵He will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants.

¹⁶He will take your male servants, and your female servants, and your best young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work.

¹⁷He will take the tenth of your flocks: and you shall be his servants.

¹⁸You shall cry out in that day because of your king whom you shall have chosen; and ForeverOne will not answer you in that day." ¹⁹But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel; and they said, "No; but we will have a king over us, ²⁰that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles." ²¹Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of ForeverOne.

²²ForeverOne said to Samuel, "Listen to their voice, and make them a king." Samuel said to the men of Israel, "Every man go to his city."

1 Samuel Chapter 9

¹Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah, the son of a Benjamite, a mighty man of valor.

²He had a son, whose name was Saul, an impressive young man; and there was not among the children of Israel a better person than he. From his shoulders and upward he was taller than any of the people.

³The donkeys of Kish, Saul's father, were lost. Kish said to Saul his son, "Take now one of the servants with you, and arise, go seek the donkeys." ⁴He passed through the hill country of Ephraim, and passed through the land of Shalishah, but they didn't find them. Then they passed through the land of Shaalim, and they weren't there. Then he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they didn't find them.

⁵When they had come to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant who was with him, "Come, and let us return, lest my father stop caring about the donkeys, and be anxious for us." ⁶He said to him, "See now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is a man who is held in honor. All that he says surely comes to pass. Now let us go there; perhaps he can tell us concerning our journey which we're going on." ⁷Then Saul said to his servant, "But, behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man? For the bread is spent in our vessels, and there is not a gift to bring to the man of God. What do we have?" ⁸The servant answered Saul again, and said, "Behold, I have in my hand the fourth part of a shekel of silver. I will give that to the man of God, to tell us our way." ⁹(In earlier times in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, thus he said, "Come, and let us go to the seer;" for he who is now called a prophet was before called a Seer.) ¹⁰Then Saul said to his servant, "Well said. Come, let us go." So they went to the city where the man of God was.

¹¹As they went up the ascent to the city, they found young maidens going out to draw water, and said to them, "Is the seer here?" ¹²They answered them, and said, "He is. Behold, he is before you. Hurry now, for he has come today into the city; for the people have a sacrifice today in the high place.

¹³As soon as you have entered the city, you shall immediately find him, before he goes up to the high place to eat; for the people will not eat until he comes, because he blesses the sacrifice. Afterwards those who are invited eat. Now therefore go up; for at this time you shall find him." ¹⁴They went up to the city; [and] as they came within the city, behold, Samuel came out toward them, to go up to the high place.

¹⁵Now ForeverOne had revealed to Samuel a day before Saul came, saying, ¹⁶"Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man out of the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over my people Israel; and he shall save my people out of the hand of the Philistines: for I have looked on my people, because their cry has come to me." ¹⁷When Samuel saw Saul, ForeverOne said to him, "Behold, the man of whom I spoke to you! this same shall have authority over my people." ¹⁸Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, "Please tell me where the seer's house is." ¹⁹Samuel answered Saul, and said, "I am the seer. Go up before me to the high place, for you shall eat with me today. In the morning I will let you go, and will tell you all that is in your heart.

²⁰As for your donkeys who were lost three days ago, don't set your mind on them; for they are found. For whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for you, and for all your father's house?" ²¹Saul answered, "Am I not a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? And my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Then why do you speak to me like this?" ²²Samuel took Saul and his servant, and brought them into the guest room, and made them sit in the best place among those who were invited, who were about thirty persons.

²³Samuel said to the cook, "Bring the portion which I gave you, of which I said to you, 'Set it aside.'" ²⁴The cook took up the thigh, and what was on it, and set it before Saul. Samuel said, "Behold, what has been reserved! Set it before yourself and eat; because for the appointed time has it been kept for you, for I said, 'I have invited the people.'" So Saul ate with Samuel that day.

²⁵When they had come down from the high place into the city, he talked with Saul on the housetop.

²⁶They arose early, and at about dawn, Samuel called to Saul on the housetop, saying, "Get up, that I may send you away." Saul arose, and they went out both of them, he and Samuel, abroad.

²⁷As they were going down at the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul, "Tell the servant pass on before us" (and he passed on), "but stand still first, that I may cause you to hear the word of God."

1 Samuel Chapter 10

¹Then Samuel took the vial of oil, and poured it on his head, and kissed him, and said, "Hasn't ForeverOne anointed you to be prince over his inheritance?

²When 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 tell you, 'The donkeys which you went to seek have been found; and behold, your father has stopped caring about the donkeys, and is anxious for you, saying, "What shall I do for my son?"' ³"Then you shall go on forward from there, and you shall come to the oak of Tabor; and three men shall meet you there going up to God to Bethel, one carrying three young goats, and another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a bottle of wine: ⁴and they will greet you, and give you two loaves of bread, which you shall receive of their hand.

⁵"After that you shall come to the hill of God, where the garrison of the Philistines is; and, when you have come there to the city, you shall meet a band of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a tambourine, and a pipe, and a harp, before them; and they will be prophesying: ⁶and the Spirit of ForeverOne will come mightily on you, and you shall prophesy with them, and shall be turned into another man.

⁷Let it be, when these signs have come to you, that you do as occasion shall serve you; for God is with you.

⁸"You shall go down before me to Gilgal; and behold, I will come down to you, to offer burnt offerings, and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings: you shall wait seven days, until I come to you, and show you what you shall do." ⁹When he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and all those signs happened that day.

¹⁰When they came there to the hill, behold, a band of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came mightily on him, and he prophesied among them.

¹¹When all who knew him before saw that, behold, he prophesied with the prophets, then the people said one to another, "What is this that has come to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?" ¹²One from that place answered, "Who is their father?" Therefore it became a proverb, "Is Saul also among the prophets?" ¹³When he had finished prophesying, he came to the high place.

¹⁴Saul's uncle said to him and to his servant, "Where did you go?" He said, "To seek the donkeys. When we saw that they were not found, we came to Samuel." ¹⁵Saul's uncle said, "Please tell me what Samuel said to you." ¹⁶Saul said to his uncle, "He told us plainly that the donkeys were found." But concerning the matter of the kingdom, of which Samuel spoke, he didn't tell him.

¹⁷Samuel called the people together to ForeverOne to Mizpah; ¹⁸and he said to the children of Israel, "Thus says ForeverOne, the God of Israel, 'I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all the kingdoms that oppressed you:' ¹⁹but you have today rejected your God, who himself saves you out of all your calamities and your distresses; and you have said to him, '[No], but set a king over us.' Now therefore present yourselves before ForeverOne by your tribes, and by your thousands." ²⁰So Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken.

²¹He brought the tribe of Benjamin near by their families; and the family of the Matrites was taken; and Saul the son of Kish was taken: but when they sought him, he could not be found.

²²Therefore they asked of ForeverOne further, "Is there yet a man to come here?" ForeverOne answered, "Behold, he has hidden himself among the baggage." ²³They ran and fetched him there; and when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders and upward.

²⁴Samuel said to all the people, "You see him whom ForeverOne has chosen, that there is none like him among all the people?" All the people shouted, and said, "[Long] live the king!" ²⁵Then Samuel told the people the regulations of the kingdom, and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before ForeverOne. Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house.

²⁶Saul also went to his house to Gibeah; and there went with him the army, whose hearts God had touched.

²⁷But certain worthless fellows said, "How shall this man save us?" They despised him, and brought him no gift. But he held his peace.

1 Samuel Chapter 11

¹Then Nahash the Ammonite came up, and encamped against Jabesh Gilead: and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, "Make a covenant with us, and we will serve you." ²Nahash the Ammonite said to them, "On this condition I will make it with you, that all your right eyes be put out; and I will lay it for a reproach on all Israel." ³The elders of Jabesh said to him, "Give us seven days, that we may send messengers to all the borders of Israel; and then, if there is no one to save us, we will come out to you." ⁴Then the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul, and spoke these words in the ears of the people: and all the people lifted up their voice, and wept.

⁵Behold, Saul came following the oxen out of the field; and Saul said, "What troubles the people that they weep?" They told him the words of the men of Jabesh.

⁶The Spirit of God came mightily on Saul when he heard those words, and his anger was kindled greatly.

⁷He took a yoke of oxen, and cut them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the borders of Israel by the hand of messengers, saying, "Whoever doesn't come out after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen." The dread of ForeverOne fell on the people, and they came out as one man.

⁸He counted them in Bezek; and the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.

⁹They said to the messengers who came, "Thus you shall tell the men of Jabesh Gilead, 'Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you shall have deliverance.'" The messengers came and told the men of Jabesh; and they were glad.

¹⁰Therefore the men of Jabesh said, "Tomorrow we will come out to you, and you shall do with us all that seems good to you." ¹¹On the next day Saul put the people in three groups; and they came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch, and struck the Ammonites until the heat of the day: and those who remained were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.

¹²The people said to Samuel, "Who is he who said, 'Shall Saul reign over us?' Bring those men, that we may put them to death!" ¹³Saul said, "No man will be put to death today; for today ForeverOne has rescued Israel." ¹⁴Then Samuel said to the people, "Come, and let us go to Gilgal, and renew the kingdom there." ¹⁵All the people went to Gilgal; and there they made Saul king before ForeverOne in Gilgal; and there they offered sacrifices of peace offerings before ForeverOne; and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.

1 Samuel Chapter 12

¹Samuel said to all Israel, "Behold, I have listened to your voice in all that you said to me, and have made a king over you.

²Now, behold, the king walks before you; and I am old and gray-headed; and behold, my sons are with you: and I have walked before you from my youth to this day.

³Here I am. Witness against me before ForeverOne, and before his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed? Of whose hand have I taken a ransom to blind my eyes with it? I will restore it to you." ⁴They said, "You have not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither have you taken anything of any man's hand." ⁵He said to them, "ForeverOne is witness against you, and his anointed is witness today, that you have not found anything in my hand." They said, "He is witness." ⁶Samuel said to the people, "It is ForeverOne who appointed Moses and Aaron, and that brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt.

⁷Now therefore stand still, that I may plead with you before ForeverOne concerning all the righteous acts of ForeverOne, which he did for you and for your fathers.

⁸"When Jacob had come to Egypt, and your fathers cried to ForeverOne, then ForeverOne sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your fathers out of Egypt, and made them to dwell in this place.

⁹"But they forgot ForeverOne their God; and he sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the army of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab; and they fought against them.

¹⁰They cried to ForeverOne, and said, 'We have sinned, because we have forsaken ForeverOne, and have served the Baals and the Ashtaroth: but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve you.' ¹¹ForeverOne sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side; and you lived in safety.

¹²"When you saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon came against you, you said to me, 'No, but a king shall reign over us;' when ForeverOne your God was your king.

¹³Now therefore see the king whom you have chosen, and whom you have asked for: and behold, ForeverOne has set a king over you.

¹⁴If you will fear ForeverOne, and serve him, and listen to his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of ForeverOne, and both you and also the king who reigns over you are followers of ForeverOne your God, [well]: ¹⁵but if you will not listen to the voice of ForeverOne, but rebel against the commandment of ForeverOne, then the hand of ForeverOne will be against you, as it was against your fathers.

¹⁶"Now therefore stand still and see this great thing, which ForeverOne will do before your eyes.

¹⁷Isn't it wheat harvest today? I will call to ForeverOne, that he may send thunder and rain; and you shall know and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of ForeverOne, in asking for a king." ¹⁸So Samuel called to ForeverOne; and ForeverOne sent thunder and rain that day: and all the people greatly feared ForeverOne and Samuel.

¹⁹All the people said to Samuel, "Pray for your servants to ForeverOne your God, that we not die; for we have added to all our sins [this] evil, to ask for a king." ²⁰Samuel said to the people, "Don't be afraid. You have indeed done all this evil; yet don't turn aside from following ForeverOne, but serve ForeverOne with all your heart.

²¹Don't turn aside; for [then you would go] after vain things which can't profit nor deliver, for they are vain.

²²For ForeverOne will not forsake his people for his great name's sake, because it has pleased ForeverOne to make you a people to himself.

²³Moreover as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against ForeverOne in ceasing to pray for you: but I will instruct you in the good and the right way.

²⁴Only fear ForeverOne, and serve him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things he has done for you.

²⁵But if you shall still do wickedly, you shall be consumed, both you and your king."

1 Samuel Chapter 13

¹Saul was [forty] years old when he began to reign; and when he had reigned two years over Israel, ²Saul chose three thousand men of Israel, of which two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in the Mount of Bethel, and one thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin: and the rest of the people he sent every man to his tent.

³Jonathan struck the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba: and the Philistines heard of it. Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, "Let the Hebrews hear!" ⁴All Israel heard that Saul had struck the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel was had in abomination with the Philistines. The people were gathered together after Saul to Gilgal.

⁵The Philistines assembled themselves together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the seashore in multitude: and they came up, and encamped in Michmash, eastward of Beth Aven.

⁶When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait (for the people were distressed), then the people hid themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in coverts, and in pits.

⁷Now some of the Hebrews had gone over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead; but as for Saul, he was yet in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.

⁸He stayed seven days, according to the set time that Samuel [had appointed]: but Samuel didn't come to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him.

⁹Saul said, "Bring here the burnt offering to me, and the peace offerings." He offered the burnt offering.

¹⁰As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might greet him.

¹¹Samuel said, "What have you done?" Saul said, "Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you didn't come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines assembled themselves together at Michmash; ¹²therefore I said, 'Now the Philistines will come down on me to Gilgal, and I haven't entreated the favor of ForeverOne.' I forced myself therefore, and offered the burnt offering." ¹³Samuel said to Saul, "You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of ForeverOne your God, which he commanded you; for now ForeverOne would have established your kingdom on Israel forever.

¹⁴But now your kingdom shall not continue. ForeverOne has sought for himself a man after his own heart, and ForeverOne has appointed him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what ForeverOne commanded you." ¹⁵Samuel arose, and went from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. Saul counted the people who were present with him, about six hundred men.

¹⁶Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people who were present with them, stayed in Geba of Benjamin: but the Philistines encamped in Michmash.

¹⁷The spoilers came out of the camp of the Philistines in three groups: one group turned to the way that leads to Ophrah, to the land of Shual; ¹⁸and another group turned the way to Beth Horon; and another group turned the way of the border that looks down on the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.

¹⁹Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel; for the Philistines said, "Lest the Hebrews make them swords or spears;" ²⁰but all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his plowshare, mattock, axe, and sickle; ²¹yet they had a file for the mattocks, and for the plowshares, and for the forks, and for the axes, and to set the goads.

²²So it came to pass in the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan: but with Saul and with Jonathan his son was there found.

²³The garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.

1 Samuel Chapter 14

¹Now it fell on a day, 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, that is on the other side." But he didn't tell his father.

²Saul stayed in the uttermost part of Gibeah under the pomegranate tree which is in Migron: and the people who were with him were about six hundred men; ³and Ahijah, the son of Ahitub, Ichabod's brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the priest of ForeverOne in Shiloh, wearing an ephod. The people didn't know that Jonathan was gone.

⁴Between the passes, by which Jonathan sought to go over to the Philistines' garrison, there was a rocky crag on the one side, and a rocky crag on the other side: and the name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh.

⁵The one crag rose up on the north in front of Michmash, and the other on the south in front of Geba.

⁶Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, "Come, and let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that ForeverOne will work for us; for there is no restraint on ForeverOne to save by many or by few." ⁷His armor bearer said to him, "Do all that is in your heart. Turn and, behold, I am with you according to your heart." ⁸Then Jonathan said, "Behold, we will pass over to the men, and we will reveal ourselves to them.

⁹If they say thus to us, 'Wait until we come to you!' then we will stand still in our place, and will not go up to them.

¹⁰But if they say this, 'Come up to us!' then we will go up; for ForeverOne has delivered them into our hand. This shall be the sign to us." ¹¹Both of them revealed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines: and the Philistines said, "Behold, the Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they had hidden themselves!" ¹²The men of the garrison answered Jonathan and his armor bearer, and said, "Come up to us, and we will show you something!" Jonathan said to his armor bearer, "Come up after me; for ForeverOne has delivered them into the hand of Israel." ¹³Jonathan climbed up on his hands and on his feet, and his armor bearer after him: and they fell before Jonathan; and his armor bearer killed them after him.

¹⁴That first slaughter, which Jonathan and his armor bearer made, was about twenty men, within as it were half a furrow's length in an acre of land.

¹⁵There was a trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people; the garrison, and the spoilers, they also trembled; and the earth quaked: so there was an exceeding great trembling.

¹⁶The watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked; and behold, the multitude melted away, and they went [here] and there.

¹⁷Then Saul said to the people who were with him, "Count now, and see who is missing from us." When they had counted, behold, Jonathan and his armor bearer were not there.

¹⁸Saul said to Ahijah, "Bring the ark of God here." For the ark of God was [there] at that time with the children of Israel.

¹⁹While Saul talked to the priest, the tumult that was in the camp of the Philistines went on and increased: and Saul said to the priest, "Withdraw your hand!" ²⁰Saul and all the people who were with him were gathered together, and came to the battle: and behold, every man's sword was against his fellow, [and there was] a very great confusion.

²¹Now the Hebrews who were with the Philistines as before, and who went up with them into the camp, [from the country] all around, even they also [turned] to be with the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan.

²²Likewise all the men of Israel who had hidden themselves in the hill country of Ephraim, when they heard that the Philistines fled, even they also followed hard after them in the battle.

²³So ForeverOne saved Israel that day: and the battle passed over by Beth Aven.

²⁴The men of Israel were distressed that day; for Saul had adjured the people, saying, "Cursed is the man who eats any food until it is evening, and I am avenged of my enemies." So none of the people tasted food.

²⁵All the people came into the forest; and there was honey on the ground.

²⁶When the people had come to the forest, behold, the honey dropped: but no man put his hand to his mouth; for the people feared the oath.

²⁷But Jonathan didn't hear when his father commanded the people with the oath: therefore he put out the end of the rod that was in his hand, and dipped it in the honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth; and his eyes were enlightened.

²⁸Then one of the people answered, and said, "Your father directly commanded the people with an oath, saying, 'Cursed is the man who eats food today.'" The people were faint.

²⁹Then Jonathan said, "My father has troubled the land. Please look how my eyes have been enlightened, because I tasted a little of this honey.

³⁰How much more, if perhaps the people had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies which they found? For now has there been no great slaughter among the Philistines." ³¹They struck of the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon. The people were very faint; ³²and the people flew on the spoil, and took sheep, and cattle, and calves, and killed them on the ground; and the people ate them with the blood.

³³Then they told Saul, saying, "Behold, the people are sinning against ForeverOne, in that they eat meat with the blood." He said, "You have dealt treacherously. Roll a large stone to me today!" ³⁴Saul said, "Disperse yourselves among the people, and tell them, 'Bring me here every man his ox, and every man his sheep, and kill them here, and eat; and don't sin against ForeverOne in eating meat with the blood.'" All the people brought every man his ox with him that night, and killed them there.

³⁵Saul built an altar to ForeverOne. This was the first altar that he built to ForeverOne.

³⁶Saul said, "Let us go down after the Philistines by night, and take spoil among them until the morning light, and let us not leave a man of them." They said, "Do whatever seems good to you." Then the priest said, "Let us draw near here to God." ³⁷Saul asked counsel of God, "Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will you deliver them into the hand of Israel?" But he didn't answer him that day.

³⁸Saul said, "Draw near here, all you chiefs of the people; and know and see in which this sin has been today.

³⁹For, as ForeverOne lives, who saves Israel, though it is in Jonathan my son, he shall surely die." But there was not a man among all the people who answered him.

⁴⁰Then he said to all Israel, "You be on one side, and I and Jonathan my son will be on the other side." The people said to Saul, "Do what seems good to you." ⁴¹Therefore Saul said to ForeverOne, the God of Israel, "Show the right." Jonathan and Saul were chosen; but the people escaped.

⁴²Saul said, "Cast lots between me and Jonathan my son." Jonathan was selected.

⁴³Then Saul said to Jonathan, "Tell me what you have done!" Jonathan told him, and said, "I certainly did taste a little honey with the end of the rod that was in my hand; and behold, I must die." ⁴⁴Saul said, "God do so and more also; for you shall surely die, Jonathan." ⁴⁵The people said to Saul, "Shall Jonathan die, who has worked this great salvation in Israel? Far from it! As ForeverOne lives, there shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground; for he has worked with God today!" So the people rescued Jonathan, that he didn't die.

⁴⁶Then Saul went up from following the Philistines; and the Philistines went to their own place.

⁴⁷Now when Saul had taken the kingdom over Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, and against the children of Ammon, and against Edom, and against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines: and wherever he turned himself, he put [them] to the worse.

⁴⁸He did valiantly, and struck the Amalekites, and delivered Israel out of the hands of those who despoiled them.

⁴⁹Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan, and Ishvi, and Malchishua; and the names of his two daughters were these: the name of the firstborn Merab, and the name of the younger Michal: ⁵⁰and the name of Saul's wife was Ahinoam the daughter of Ahimaaz. The name of the captain of his army was Abner the son of Ner, Saul's uncle.

⁵¹Kish was the father of Saul; and Ner the father of Abner was the son of Abiel.

⁵² There was severe war against the Philistines all the days of Saul: and when Saul saw any mighty man, or any valiant man, he took him to him.

1 Samuel Chapter 15

¹Samuel said to Saul, "ForeverOne sent me to anoint you to be king over his people, over Israel. Now therefore listen to the voice of the words of ForeverOne.

²Thus says ForeverOne of Armies, 'I have marked what Amalek did to Israel, how he set himself against him in the way, when he came up out of Egypt.

³Now go and strike Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and don't spare them; but kill both man and woman, infant and nursing baby, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.'" ⁴Saul summoned the people, and counted them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah.

⁵Saul came to the city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley.

⁶Saul said to the Kenites, "Go, depart, go down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them; for you showed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt." So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.

⁷Saul struck the Amalekites, from Havilah as you go to Shur, that is before Egypt.

⁸He took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.

⁹But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the cattle, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and wouldn't utterly destroy them: but everything that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.

¹⁰Then the word of ForeverOne came to Samuel, saying, ¹¹"It grieves me that I have set up Saul to be king; for he is turned back from following me, and has not performed my commandments." Samuel was angry; and he cried to ForeverOne all night.

¹²Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning; and Samuel was told, saying, "Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself, and turned, and passed on, and went down to Gilgal." ¹³Samuel came to Saul; and Saul said to him, "You are blessed by ForeverOne! I have performed the commandment of ForeverOne." ¹⁴Samuel said, "Then what does this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the cattle which I hear mean?" ¹⁵Saul said, "They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the cattle, to sacrifice to ForeverOne your God. We have utterly destroyed the rest." ¹⁶Then Samuel said to Saul, "Stay, and I will tell you what ForeverOne has said to me last night." He said to him, "Say on." ¹⁷Samuel said, "Though you were little in your own sight, weren't you made the head of the tribes of Israel? ForeverOne anointed you king over Israel; ¹⁸and ForeverOne sent you on a journey, and said, 'Go, and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.' ¹⁹Then why didn't you obey the voice of ForeverOne, but took the spoils, and did what was evil in the sight of ForeverOne?" ²⁰Saul said to Samuel, "But I have obeyed the voice of ForeverOne, and have gone the way which ForeverOne sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.

²¹But the people took of the spoil, sheep and cattle, the chief of the devoted things, to sacrifice to ForeverOne your God in Gilgal." ²²Samuel said, "Has ForeverOne as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of ForeverOne? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.

²³For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as idolatry and teraphim. Because you have rejected the word of ForeverOne, he has also rejected you from being king." ²⁴Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned; for I have transgressed the commandment of ForeverOne, and your words, because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.

²⁵Now therefore, please pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship ForeverOne." ²⁶Samuel said to Saul, "I will not return with you; for you have rejected the word of ForeverOne, and ForeverOne has rejected you from being king over Israel." ²⁷As Samuel turned about to go away, Saul grabbed the skirt of his robe, and it tore.

²⁸Samuel said to him, "ForeverOne has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today, and has given it to a neighbor of yours who is better than you.

²⁹Also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent; for he is not a man, that he should repent." ³⁰Then he said, "I have sinned: yet please honor me now before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and come back with me, that I may worship ForeverOne your God." ³¹So Samuel went back with Saul; and Saul worshiped ForeverOne.

³²Then Samuel said, "Bring here to me Agag the king of the Amalekites!" Agag came to him cheerfully. Agag said, "Surely the bitterness of death is past." ³³Samuel said, "As your sword has made women childless, so your mother will be childless among women!" Samuel cut Agag in pieces before ForeverOne in Gilgal.

³⁴Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house to Gibeah of Saul.

³⁵Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death; for Samuel mourned for Saul: and ForeverOne grieved that he had made Saul king over Israel.

1 Samuel Chapter 16

¹ForeverOne said to Samuel, "How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite; for I have provided a king for myself among his sons." ²Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me." ForeverOne said, "Take a heifer with you, and say, I have come to sacrifice to ForeverOne.

³Call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. You shall anoint to me him whom I name to you." ⁴Samuel did what ForeverOne said, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, "Do you come peaceably?" ⁵He said, "Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to ForeverOne. Sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice." He sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice.

⁶When they had come, he looked at Eliab and said, "Surely ForeverOne's anointed is before him." ⁷But ForeverOne said to Samuel, "Don't look on his face, or on the height of his stature; because I have rejected him: for [ForeverOne sees] not as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but ForeverOne looks at the heart." ⁸Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, "Neither has ForeverOne chosen this one." ⁹Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. He said, "Neither has ForeverOne chosen this one." ¹⁰Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. Samuel said to Jesse, "ForeverOne has not chosen these." ¹¹Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all your children here?" He said, "There remains yet the youngest, and behold, he is keeping the sheep." Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and get him; for we will not sit down until he comes here." ¹²He sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful face, and goodly to look on. ForeverOne said, "Arise, anoint him; for he is the one." ¹³Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brothers: and the Spirit of ForeverOne came mightily on David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.

¹⁴Now the Spirit of ForeverOne departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from ForeverOne troubled him.

¹⁵Saul's servants said to him, "See now, an evil spirit from God troubles you.

¹⁶Let our lord now command your servants who are before you, to seek out a man who is a skillful player on the harp. Then when the evil spirit from God is on you, he will play with his hand, and you will be well." ¹⁷Saul said to his servants, "Provide me now a man who can play well, and bring him to me." ¹⁸Then one of the young men answered, and said, "Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a comely person; and ForeverOne is with him." ¹⁹Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse, and said, "Send me David your son, who is with the sheep." ²⁰Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, and a bottle of wine, and a young goat, and sent them by David his son to Saul.

²¹David came to Saul, and stood before him. He loved him greatly; and he became his armor bearer.

²²Saul sent to Jesse, saying, "Please let David stand before me; for he has found favor in my sight." ²³When the spirit from God was on Saul, David took the harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.

1 Samuel Chapter 17

¹Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle; and they were gathered together at Socoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephesdammim.

²Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and encamped in the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines.

³The 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.

⁴There went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.

⁵He had a helmet of brass on his head, and he was clad with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass.

⁶He had brass shin armor on his legs, and a javelin of brass between his shoulders.

⁷The staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam; and his spear's head [weighed] six hundred shekels of iron: and his shield bearer went before him.

⁸He stood and cried to the armies of Israel, and said to them, "Why have you come out to set your battle in array? Am I not a Philistine, and you servants to Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me.

⁹If he be able to fight with me, and kill me, then will we be your servants; but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then you will be our servants, and serve us." ¹⁰The Philistine said, "I defy the armies of Israel today! Give me a man, that we may fight together!" ¹¹When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.

¹²Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem 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.

¹³The three eldest sons of Jesse had gone after Saul to the battle: and the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.

¹⁴David was the youngest; and the three eldest followed Saul.

¹⁵Now David went back and forth from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem.

¹⁶The Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days.

¹⁷Jesse said to David his son, "Now take for your brothers an ephah of this parched grain, and these ten loaves, and carry [them] quickly to the camp to your brothers; ¹⁸and bring these ten cheeses to the captain of their thousand, and see how your brothers are doing, and bring back news." ¹⁹Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.

²⁰David 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 place of the wagons, as the army which was going out to the fight shouted for the battle.

²¹Israel and the Philistines put the battle in array, army against army.

²²David left his baggage in the hand of the keeper of the baggage, and ran to the army, and came and greeted his brothers.

²³As 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.

²⁴All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were terrified.

²⁵The men of Israel said, "Have you seen this man who has come up? He has surely come up to defy Israel. It shall be, that the man who kills him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father's house free in Israel." ²⁶David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, "What shall be done to the man who kills this Philistine, and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?" ²⁷The people answered him in this way, saying, "So shall it be done to the man who kills him." ²⁸Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, "Why have you come down? With whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride, and the naughtiness of your heart; for you have come down that you might see the battle." ²⁹David said, "What have I now done? Is there not a cause?" ³⁰He turned away from him toward another, and spoke like that again; and the people answered him again the same way.

³¹When the words were heard which David spoke, they rehearsed them before Saul; and he sent for him.

³²David said to Saul, "Let no man's heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine." ³³Saul said to David, "You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth." ³⁴David said to Saul, "Your servant was keeping his father's sheep; and when a lion or a bear came, and took a lamb out of the flock, ³⁵I went out after him, and struck him, and rescued it out of his mouth. When he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and struck him, and killed him.

³⁶Your servant struck both the lion and the bear. This uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God." ³⁷David said, "ForeverOne who delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine." Saul said to David, "Go; and ForeverOne shall be with you." ³⁸Saul dressed David with his clothing. He put a helmet of brass on his head, and he clad him with a coat of mail.

³⁹David strapped his sword on his clothing, and he tried to move; for he had not tested it. David said to Saul, "I can't go with these; for I have not tested them." David took them off.

⁴⁰He took his staff in his hand, and chose for himself five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in the shepherd's bag which he had, even in his wallet. His sling was in his hand; and he drew near to the Philistine.

⁴¹The Philistine came on and drew near to David; and the man who bore the shield went before him.

⁴²When the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him; for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and withal of a fair face.

⁴³The Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" The Philistine cursed David by his gods.

⁴⁴The Philistine said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the sky, and to the animals of the field." ⁴⁵Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a javelin: but I come to you in the name of ForeverOne of Armies, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.

⁴⁶Today, ForeverOne will deliver you into my hand. I will strike you, and take your head from off you. I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines today to the birds of the sky, and to the wild animals of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, ⁴⁷and that all this assembly may know that ForeverOne doesn't save with sword and spear: for the battle is ForeverOne's, and he will give you into our hand." ⁴⁸When the Philistine arose, and came and drew near to meet David, David hurried and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.

⁴⁹David put his hand in his bag, took a stone, and slung it, and struck the Philistine in his forehead; and the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth.

⁵⁰So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine, and killed him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.

⁵¹Then David ran, and stood over the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of its sheath, and killed him, and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.

⁵²The men of Israel and of Judah arose, and shouted, and pursued the Philistines, until you come to Gai, and to the gates of Ekron. The wounded of the Philistines fell down along the road to Shaaraim, even to Gath, and to Ekron.

⁵³The children of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines, and they plundered their camp.

⁵⁴David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armor in his tent.

⁵⁵When Saul saw David go out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the captain of the army, "Abner, whose son is this youth?" Abner said, "As your soul lives, O king, I can't tell." ⁵⁶The king said, "Inquire whose son the young man is!" ⁵⁷As David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand.

⁵⁸Saul said to him, "Whose son are you, you young man?" David answered, "I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite."

1 Samuel Chapter 18

¹When he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.

²Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father's house.

³Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul.

⁴Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him, and gave it to David, and his clothing, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his sash.

⁵David went out wherever Saul sent him, [and] behaved himself wisely: 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.

⁶As they came, when David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tambourines, with joy, and with instruments of music.

⁷The women sang one to another as they played, and said, "Saul has slain his thousands, David his ten thousands." ⁸Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him; and he said, "They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands. What can he have more but the kingdom?" ⁹Saul eyed David from that day and forward.

¹⁰The next day an evil spirit from God came mightily on Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house. David played with his hand, as he did day by day. Saul had his spear in his hand; ¹¹and Saul threw the spear; for he said, "I will pin David even to the wall!" David escaped from his presence twice.

¹²Saul was afraid of David, because ForeverOne was with him, and was departed from Saul.

¹³Therefore Saul removed him from him, and made him his captain over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people.

¹⁴David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and ForeverOne was with him.

¹⁵When Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he stood in awe of him.

¹⁶But all Israel and Judah loved David; for he went out and came in before them.

¹⁷Saul said to David, "Behold, my elder daughter Merab, I will give her to you [to be your] wife. Only be valiant for me, and fight ForeverOne's battles." For Saul said, "Don't let my hand be on him, but let the hand of the Philistines be on him." ¹⁸David said to 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 at the time when Merab, Saul's daughter, should have been given to David, she was given to Adriel the Meholathite [to be his] wife.

²⁰Michal, Saul's daughter, loved David; and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him.

²¹Saul said, I will give her to him, that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him. Therefore Saul said to David, "Today you shall be my son-in-law a second time." ²²Saul commanded his servants, "Talk with David secretly, and say, 'Behold, the king has delight in you, and all his servants love you: now therefore be the king's son-in-law.'" ²³Saul's servants spoke those words in the ears of David. David said, "Does it seems to you a light thing to be the king's son-in-law, since I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed?" ²⁴The servants of Saul told him, saying, "David spoke like this." ²⁵Saul said, "You shall tell David, 'The king desires no dowry except one hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king's enemies.'" Now Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines.

²⁶When his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king's son-in-law. The days were not expired; ²⁷and David arose and went, he and his men, and killed 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. Saul gave him Michal his daughter [to be his] wife.

²⁸Saul saw and knew that ForeverOne was with David; and Michal, Saul's daughter, loved him.

²⁹Saul was yet the more afraid of David; and Saul was David's enemy continually.

³⁰Then the princes of the Philistines went out: and as often as they went out, David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul; so that his name was highly esteemed.

1 Samuel Chapter 19

¹Saul spoke to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that they should kill David. But Jonathan, Saul's son, delighted much in David.

²Jonathan told David, saying, "Saul my father seeks to kill you. Now therefore, please take care of yourself in the morning, and live in a secret place, and hide yourself.

³I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will talk with my father about you; and if I see anything, I will tell you." ⁴Jonathan spoke good of David to Saul his father, and said to him, "Don't let the king sin against his servant, against David; because he has not sinned against you, and because his works have been very good toward you; ⁵for he put his life in his hand, and struck the Philistine, and ForeverOne worked a great victory for all Israel. You saw it, and rejoiced. Then why will you sin against innocent blood, to kill David without a cause?" ⁶Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan: and Saul swore, "As ForeverOne lives, he shall not be put to death." ⁷Jonathan called David, and Jonathan showed him all those things. Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence, as before.

⁸There was war again. David went out, and fought with the Philistines, and killed them with a great slaughter; and they fled before him.

⁹An evil spirit from ForeverOne was on Saul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand; and David was playing with his hand.

¹⁰Saul sought to pin David even to the wall with the spear; but he slipped away out of Saul's presence, and he stuck the spear into the wall. David fled, and escaped that night.

¹¹Saul sent messengers to David's house, to watch him, and to kill him in the morning. Michal, David's wife, told him, saying, "If you don't save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed." ¹²So Michal let David down through the window. He went, fled, and escaped.

¹³Michal took the teraphim, and laid it in the bed, and put a pillow of goats' [hair] at its head, and covered it with the clothes.

¹⁴When Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, "He is sick." ¹⁵Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying, "Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him." ¹⁶When the messengers came in, behold, the teraphim was in the bed, with the pillow of goats' hair at its head.

¹⁷Saul said to Michal, "Why have you deceived me thus, and let my enemy go, so that he is escaped?" Michal answered Saul, "He said to me, 'Let me go! Why should I kill you?'" ¹⁸Now David fled, and escaped, and came to Samuel to Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. He and Samuel went and lived in Naioth.

¹⁹Saul was told, saying, "Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah." ²⁰Saul sent messengers to take David: and when they saw the group of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as head over them, the Spirit of God came on the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied.

²¹When Saul was told, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they also prophesied.

²²Then went he also to Ramah, and came to the great well that is in Secu: and he asked, "Where are Samuel and David?" One said, "Behold, they are at Naioth in Ramah." ²³He went there to Naioth in Ramah. Then the Spirit of God came on him also, and he went on, and prophesied, until he came to Naioth in Ramah.

²⁴He also stripped off his clothes, and he also prophesied before Samuel, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Therefore they say, "Is Saul also among the prophets?"

1 Samuel Chapter 20

¹David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, "What have I done? What is my iniquity? What is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?" ²He said to him, "Far from it; you shall not die. Behold, my father does nothing either great or small, but that he discloses it to me; and why should my father hide this thing from me? It is not so." ³David swore moreover, and said, "Your father knows well that I have found favor in your eyes; and he says, 'Don't let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved:' but truly as ForeverOne lives, and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death." ⁴Then Jonathan said to David, "Whatever your soul desires, I will even do it for you." ⁵David said to Jonathan, "Behold, tomorrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to dine with the king; but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field to the third day at evening.

⁶If your father miss me at all, then say, 'David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Bethlehem his city; for it is the yearly sacrifice there for all the family.' ⁷If he says, 'It is well;' your servant shall have peace: but if he be angry, then know that evil is determined by him.

⁸Therefore deal kindly with your servant; for you have brought your servant into a covenant of ForeverOne with you: but if there be in me iniquity, kill me yourself; for why should you bring me to your father?" ⁹Jonathan said, "Far be it from you; for if I should at all know that evil were determined by my father to come on you, then wouldn't I tell you that?" ¹⁰Then David said to Jonathan, "Who shall tell me if perchance your father answers you roughly?" ¹¹Jonathan said to David, "Come, and let us go out into the field." They both went out into the field.

¹²Jonathan said to David, "ForeverOne, the God of Israel, [be witness]: when I have sounded my father about this time tomorrow, [or] the third day, behold, if there be good toward David, shall I not then send to you, and disclose it to you?

¹³ForeverOne do so to Jonathan, and more also, should it please my father to do you evil, if I don't disclose it to you, and send you away, that you may go in peace: and ForeverOne be with you, as he has been with my father.

¹⁴You shall not only while yet I live show me the loving kindness of ForeverOne, that I not die; ¹⁵but also you shall not cut off your kindness from my house forever; no, not when ForeverOne has cut off the enemies of David everyone from the surface of the earth." ¹⁶So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, "ForeverOne will require it at the hand of David's enemies." ¹⁷Jonathan caused David to swear again, for the love that he had to him; for he loved him as he loved his own soul.

¹⁸Then Jonathan said to him, "Tomorrow is the new moon: and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty.

¹⁹When you have stayed three days, you shall go down quickly, and come to the place where you hid yourself when the business was in hand, and shall remain by the stone Ezel.

²⁰I will shoot three arrows on its side, as though I shot at a mark.

²¹Behold, I will send the boy, saying, 'Go, find the arrows!' If I tell the boy, 'Behold, the arrows are on this side of you. Take them;' then come; for there is peace to you and no hurt, as ForeverOne lives.

²²But if I say this to the boy, 'Behold, the arrows are beyond you;' then go your way; for ForeverOne has sent you away.

²³Concerning the matter which you and I have spoken of, behold, ForeverOne is between you and me forever." ²⁴So David hid himself in the field: and when the new moon had come, the king sat him down to eat food.

²⁵The king sat on his seat, as at other times, even on the seat by the wall; and Jonathan stood up, and Abner sat by Saul's side: but David's place was empty.

²⁶Nevertheless Saul didn't say anything that day: for he thought, "Something has happened to him. He is not clean. Surely he is not clean." ²⁷The next day after the new moon, the second day, David's place was empty. Saul said to Jonathan his son, "Why doesn't the son of Jesse come to eat, neither yesterday, nor today?" ²⁸Jonathan answered Saul, "David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem.

²⁹He said, 'Please let me go, for our family has a sacrifice in the city. My brother has commanded me to be there. Now, if I have found favor in your eyes, please let me go away and see my brothers.' Therefore he has not come to the king's table." ³⁰Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said to him, "You son of a perverse rebellious woman, don't I know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame, and to the shame of your mother's nakedness?

³¹For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, you shall not be established, nor your kingdom. Therefore now send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die!" ³²Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said to him, "Why should he be put to death? What has he done?" ³³Saul threw his spear at him to strike him. By this Jonathan knew that his father was determined to put David to death.

³⁴So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and ate no food the second day of the month; for he was grieved for David, because his father had done him shame.

³⁵In the morning Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little boy with him.

³⁶He said to his boy, "Run, find now the arrows which I shoot." As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.

³⁷When the boy had come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the boy, and said, "Isn't the arrow beyond you?" ³⁸Jonathan cried after the boy, "Go fast! Hurry! Don't delay!" Jonathan's boy gathered up the arrows, and came to his master.

³⁹But the boy didn't know anything. Only Jonathan and David knew the matter.

⁴⁰Jonathan gave his weapons to his boy, and said to him, "Go, carry them to the city." ⁴¹As soon as the boy was gone, David arose out of [a place] toward the South, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times. They kissed one another, and wept one with another, and David wept the most.

⁴²Jonathan said to David, "Go in peace, because we have both sworn in the name of ForeverOne, saying, 'ForeverOne shall be between me and you, and between my offspring and your offspring, forever.'" He arose and departed; and Jonathan went into the city.

1 Samuel Chapter 21

¹Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech came to meet David trembling, and said to him, "Why are you alone, and no man with you?" ²David said to Ahimelech the priest, "The king has commanded me a business, and has said to me, 'Let no man know anything of the business about which I send you, and what I have commanded you; and I have appointed the young men to such and such a place.' ³Now therefore what is under your hand? Give me five loaves of bread in my hand, or whatever there is present." ⁴The priest answered David, and said, "There is no common bread under my hand, but there is holy bread; if only the young men have kept themselves from women." ⁵David answered the priest, and said to him, "Truly, women have been kept from us about these three days. When I came out, the vessels of the young men were holy, though it was but a common journey. How much more then today shall their vessels be holy?" ⁶So the priest gave him holy [bread]; for there was no bread there but the show bread, that was taken from before ForeverOne, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.

⁷Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before ForeverOne; and his name was Doeg the Edomite, the best of the herdsmen who belonged to Saul.

⁸David said to Ahimelech, "Isn't there here under your hand spear or sword? For I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste." ⁹The priest said, "The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will take that, take it; for there is no other except that here." David said, "There is none like that. Give it to me." ¹⁰David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.

¹¹The servants of Achish said to him, "Isn't this David the king of the land? Didn't they sing one to another about him in dances, saying, 'Saul has slain his thousands, David his ten thousands?'" ¹²David laid up these words in his heart, and was very afraid of Achish the king of Gath.

¹³He changed his behavior before them, and pretended to be mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down on his beard.

¹⁴Then Achish said to his servants, "Look, you see the man is mad. Then why have you brought him to me?

¹⁵Do I lack madmen, that you have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence? Shall this fellow enter my house?"

1 Samuel Chapter 22

¹David therefore departed there, and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and all his father's house heard it, they went down there to him.

²Everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented, gathered themselves to him; and he became captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men.

³David went there to Mizpeh of Moab, and he said to the king of Moab, "Please let my father and my mother come out with you, until I know what God will do for me." ⁴He brought them before the king of Moab; and they lived with him all the while that David was in the stronghold.

⁵The prophet Gad said to David, "Don't stay in the stronghold. Depart, and go into the land of Judah." Then David departed, and came into the forest of Hereth.

⁶Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men who were with him. Now Saul was sitting in Gibeah, under the tamarisk tree in Ramah, with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him.

⁷Saul said to his servants who stood about him, "Hear now, you Benjamites! Will the son of Jesse give everyone of you fields and vineyards, will he make you all captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, ⁸that all of you have conspired against me, and there is none who discloses to me when my son makes a treaty with the son of Jesse, and there is none of you who is sorry for me, or discloses to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as it is today?" ⁹Then Doeg the Edomite, who stood by the servants of Saul, answered and said, "I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub.

¹⁰He inquired of ForeverOne for him, gave him food, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine." ¹¹Then the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father's house, the priests who were in Nob: and they came all of them to the king.

¹²Saul said, "Hear now, you son of Ahitub." He answered, "Here I am, my lord." ¹³Saul said to him, "Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread, and a sword, and have inquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as it is today?" ¹⁴Then Ahimelech answered the king, and said, "Who among all your servants is so faithful as David, who is the king's son-in-law, and is taken into your council, and is honorable in your house?

¹⁵Have I today begun to inquire of God for him? Be it far from me! Don't let the king impute anything to his servant, nor to all the house of my father; for your servant knows nothing of all this, less or more." ¹⁶The king said, "You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you, and all your father's house." ¹⁷The king said to the guard who stood about him, "Turn, and kill the priests of ForeverOne; because their hand also is with David, and because they knew that he fled, and didn't disclose it to me." But the servants of the king wouldn't reach out their hand to fall on the priests of ForeverOne.

¹⁸The king said to Doeg, "Turn and attack the priests!" Doeg the Edomite turned, and he attacked the priests, and he killed on that day eighty-five people who wore a linen ephod.

¹⁹He struck Nob, the city of the priests, with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and nursing babies, and cattle and donkeys and sheep, with the edge of the sword.

²⁰One of the sons of Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped, and fled after David.

²¹Abiathar told David that Saul had slain ForeverOne's priests.

²²David said to Abiathar, "I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I am responsible for the death of all the persons of your father's house.

²³Stay with me, don't be afraid; for he who seeks my life seeks your life. For with me you shall be in safeguard."

1 Samuel Chapter 23

¹David was told, "Behold, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah, and are robbing the threshing floors." ²Therefore David inquired of ForeverOne, saying, "Shall I go and strike these Philistines?" ForeverOne said to David, "Go strike the Philistines, and save Keilah." ³David's men said to him, "Behold, we are afraid here in Judah: how much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?" ⁴Then David inquired of ForeverOne yet again. ForeverOne answered him, and said, "Arise, go down to Keilah; for I will deliver the Philistines into your hand." ⁵David and his men went to Keilah, and fought with the Philistines, and brought away their livestock, and killed them with a great slaughter. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.

⁶When Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David [at] Keilah, that he came down with an ephod in his hand.

⁷Saul was told that David had come to Keilah. Saul said, "God has delivered him into my hand; for he is shut in, by entering into a town that has gates and bars." ⁸Saul summoned all the people to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men.

⁹David knew that Saul was devising mischief against him; and he said to Abiathar the priest, "Bring the ephod here." ¹⁰Then David said, "O ForeverOne, the God of Israel, your servant has surely heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah, to destroy the city for my sake.

¹¹Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into his hand? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? ForeverOne, the God of Israel, I beg you, tell your servant." ForeverOne said, "He will come down." ¹²Then David said, "Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul?" ForeverOne said, "They will deliver you up." ¹³Then David and his men, who were about six hundred, arose and departed out of Keilah, and went wherever they could go. Saul was told that David was escaped from Keilah; and he gave up going there.

¹⁴David stayed in the wilderness in the strongholds, and remained in the hill country in the wilderness of Ziph. Saul sought him every day, but God didn't deliver him into his hand.

¹⁵David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. David was in the wilderness of Ziph in the wood.

¹⁶Jonathan, Saul's son, arose, and went to David into the woods, and strengthened his hand in God.

¹⁷He said to him, "Don't be afraid; for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you; and you shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you; and that also Saul my father knows." ¹⁸They both made a covenant before ForeverOne: and David stayed in the woods, and Jonathan went to his house.

¹⁹Then the Ziphites came up to Saul to Gibeah, saying, "Doesn't David hide himself with us in the strongholds in the wood, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of the desert?

²⁰Now therefore, O king, come down, according to all the desire of your soul to come down; and our part shall be to deliver him up into the king's hand." ²¹Saul said, "You are blessed by ForeverOne; for you have had compassion on me.

²²Please go make yet more sure, and know and see his place where his haunt is, [and] who has seen him there; for it is told me that he deals very subtly.

²³See therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurking places where he hides himself, and return to me with certainty, and I will go with you: and if he is in the land I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah." ²⁴They arose, and went to Ziph before Saul: but David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah on the south of the desert.

²⁵Saul and his men went to seek him. When David was told, he went down to the rock, and stayed in the wilderness of Maon. When Saul heard [that], he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon.

²⁶Saul went on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on that side of the mountain: and David made haste to get away for fear of Saul; for Saul and his men surrounded David and his men to take them.

²⁷But a messenger came to Saul, saying, "Hurry and come; for the Philistines have made a raid on the land!" ²⁸So Saul returned from pursuing after David, and went against the Philistines: therefore they called that place Sela Hammahlekoth.

²⁹David went up from there, and lived in the strongholds of En Gedi.

1 Samuel Chapter 24

¹When Saul had returned from following the Philistines he was told, saying, "Behold, David is in the wilderness of En Gedi." ²Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men on the rocks of the wild goats.

³He came to the sheep pens along the road, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were abiding in the innermost parts of the cave.

⁴The men of David said to him, "Behold, the day of which ForeverOne said to you, 'Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.'" Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe secretly.

⁵Afterward, David's heart struck him, because he had cut off Saul's skirt.

⁶He said to his men, "ForeverOne forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, ForeverOne's anointed, to reach out my hand against him, since he is ForeverOne's anointed." ⁷So David checked his men with these words, and didn't allow them to rise against Saul. Saul rose up out of the cave, and went on his way.

⁸David also arose afterward, and went out of the cave, and cried after Saul, saying, "My lord the king!" When Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the earth, and showed respect.

⁹David said to Saul, "Why do you listen to men's words, saying, 'Behold, David seeks your hurt?' ¹⁰Behold, today your eyes have seen how ForeverOne had delivered you today into my hand in the cave. Some urged me to kill you; but I spared you; and I said, I will not reach out my hand against my lord; for he is ForeverOne's anointed.

¹¹Moreover, 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 didn't kill you, know and see that there is neither evil nor disobedience in my hand, and I have not sinned against you, though you hunt for my life to take it.

¹²May ForeverOne judge between me and you, and may ForeverOne avenge me of you; but my hand shall not be on you.

¹³As the proverb of the ancients says, 'Out of the wicked comes out wickedness;' but my hand shall not be on you.

¹⁴Against whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom do you pursue? A dead dog? A flea?

¹⁵May ForeverOne therefore be judge, and give sentence between me and you, and see, and plead my cause, and deliver me out of your hand." ¹⁶It came to pass, when David had finished speaking these words to Saul, that Saul said, "Is this your voice, my son David?" Saul lifted up his voice, and wept.

¹⁷He said to David, "You are more righteous than I; for you have done good to me, whereas I have done evil to you.

¹⁸You have declared today how you have dealt well with me, because when ForeverOne had delivered me up into your hand, you didn't kill me.

¹⁹For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go away unharmed? Therefore may ForeverOne reward you good for what you have done to me today.

²⁰Now, behold, I know that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand.

²¹Swear now therefore to me by ForeverOne, that you will not cut off my offspring after me, and that you will not destroy my name out of my father's house." ²²David swore to Saul. Saul went home; but David and his men went up to the stronghold.

1 Samuel Chapter 25

¹Samuel died; and all Israel gathered themselves together, and lamented him, and buried him in his house at Ramah. David arose, and went down to the wilderness of Paran.

²There was a man in Maon, whose possessions were in Carmel; and the man was very great, and he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats: and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.

³Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail; and the woman was of good understanding, and of a beautiful face: but the man was churlish and evil in his doings; and he was of the house of Caleb.

⁴David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep.

⁵David sent ten young men, and David said to the young men, "Go up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name.

⁶You shall tell him, 'Long life to you! Peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have.

⁷Now I have heard that you have shearers. Your shepherds have now been with us, and we did them no hurt, neither was there anything missing to them, all the while they were in Carmel.

⁸Ask your young men, and they will tell you. Therefore, let the young men find favor in your eyes; for we come in a good day. Please give whatever comes to your hand, to your servants, and to your son David.'" ⁹When David's young men came, they spoke to Nabal according to all those words in the name of David, and ceased.

¹⁰Nabal answered David's servants, and said, "Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants who break away from their masters these days.

¹¹Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my meat that I have killed for my shearers, and give it to men who I don't know where they come from?" ¹²So David's young men turned on their way, and went back, and came and told him according to all these words.

¹³David said to his men, "Every man put on his sword!" Every man put on his sword. David also put on his sword. About four hundred men followed David; and two hundred stayed by the baggage.

¹⁴But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, saying, "Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to Greet our master; and he railed at them.

¹⁵But the men were very good to us, and we were not hurt, neither missed we anything, as long as we went with them, when we were in the fields.

¹⁶They were a wall to us both by night and by day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep.

¹⁷Now therefore know and consider what you will do; for evil is determined against our master, and against all his house; for he is such a worthless fellow that one can't speak to him." ¹⁸Then Abigail hurried and took two hundred loaves of bread, two bottles of wine, five sheep ready dressed, five measures of parched grain, one hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on donkeys.

¹⁹She said to her young men, "Go on before me. Behold, I come after you." But she didn't tell her husband, Nabal.

²⁰As she rode on her donkey and came down by the covert of the mountain, behold, David and his men came down toward her; and she met them.

²¹Now David had said, "Surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that pertained to him. He has returned me evil for good.

²²God do so to the enemies of David, and more also, if I leave of all that belongs to him by the morning light so much as one who urinates on a wall." ²³When Abigail saw David, she hurried, and alighted from her donkey, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground.

²⁴She fell at his feet, and said, "On me, my lord, on me be the iniquity; and please let your handmaid speak in your ears. Hear the words of your handmaid.

²⁵Please don't let my lord regard this worthless fellow, even Nabal; for as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name, and folly is with him; but I, your handmaid, didn't see the young men of my lord, whom you sent.

²⁶Now therefore, my lord, as ForeverOne lives, and as your soul lives, since ForeverOne has withheld you from blood guiltiness, and from avenging yourself with your own hand, now therefore let your enemies, and those who seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal.

²⁷Now this gift which your servant has brought to my lord, let it be given to the young men who follow my lord.

²⁸Please forgive the trespass of your handmaid. For ForeverOne will certainly make my lord a sure house, because my lord fights the battles of ForeverOne; and evil shall not be found in you all your days.

²⁹Though men may rise up to pursue you, and to seek your soul, yet the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with ForeverOne your God. He will sling out the souls of your enemies, as from the hollow of a sling.

³⁰It shall come to pass, when ForeverOne has done to my lord according to all the good that he has spoken concerning you, and shall have appointed you prince over Israel, ³¹that this shall be no grief to you, nor offense of heart to my lord, either that you have shed blood without cause, or that my lord has avenged himself. When ForeverOne has dealt well with my lord, then remember your handmaid." ³²David said to Abigail, "Blessed is ForeverOne, the God of Israel, who sent you today to meet me!

³³Blessed is your discretion, and blessed are you, that have kept me today from blood guiltiness, and from avenging myself with my own hand.

³⁴For indeed, as ForeverOne, the God of Israel, lives, who has withheld me from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, surely there wouldn't have been left to Nabal by the morning light so much as one who urinates on a wall." ³⁵So David received of her hand what she had brought him: and he said to her, "Go up in peace to your house. Behold, I have listened to your voice, and have granted your request." ³⁶Abigail came to Nabal; and behold, he held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was very drunken. Therefore she told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light.

³⁷In the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him, and he became as a stone.

³⁸About ten days after, ForeverOne struck Nabal, so that he died.

³⁹When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, "Blessed is ForeverOne, who has pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and has kept back his servant from evil. ForeverOne has returned the evildoing of Nabal on his own head." David sent and spoke concerning Abigail, to take her [to be his] wife.

⁴⁰When the servants of David had come to Abigail to Carmel, they spoke to her, saying, "David has sent us to you, to take you to him [to be his] wife." ⁴¹She arose, and bowed herself with her face to the earth, and said, "Behold, your handmaid is a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord." ⁴²Abigail hurried, and arose, and rode on a donkey, with five ladies of hers who followed her; and she went after the messengers of David, and became his wife.

⁴³David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel; and they both became his wives.

⁴⁴Now Saul had given Michal his daughter, David's wife, to Palti the son of Laish, who was of Gallim.

1 Samuel Chapter 26

¹The Ziphites came to Saul to Gibeah, saying, "Doesn't David hide himself in the hill of Hachilah, which is before the desert?" ²Then Saul arose, and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, having three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.

³Saul encamped in the hill of Hachilah, which is before the desert, by the road. But David stayed in the wilderness, and he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness.

⁴David therefore sent out spies, and understood that Saul had certainly come.

⁵David arose, and came to the place where Saul had encamped; and David saw the place where Saul lay, and Abner the son of Ner, the captain of his army: and Saul lay within the place of the wagons, and the people were encamped around him.

⁶Then answered David and said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, brother to Joab, saying, "Who will go down with me to Saul to the camp?" Abishai said, "I will go down with you." ⁷So David and Abishai came to the people by night: and, behold, Saul lay sleeping within the place of the wagons, with his spear stuck in the ground at his head; and Abner and the people lay around him.

⁸Then Abishai said to David, "God has delivered up your enemy into your hand today. Now therefore please let me strike him with the spear to the earth at one stroke, and I will not strike him the second time." ⁹David said to Abishai, "Don't destroy him; for who can reach out his hand against ForeverOne's anointed, and be guiltless?" ¹⁰David said, "As ForeverOne lives, ForeverOne will strike him; or his day shall come to die; or he shall go down into battle and perish.

¹¹ForeverOne forbid that I should reach out my hand against ForeverOne's anointed; but now please take the spear that is at his head, and the jar of water, and let us go." ¹²So David took the spear and the jar of water from Saul's head; and they went away: and no man saw it, nor knew it, neither did any awake; for they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from ForeverOne was fallen on them.

¹³Then David went over to the other side, and stood on the top of the mountain far away; a great space being between them; ¹⁴and David cried to the people, and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, "Don't you answer, Abner?" Then Abner answered, "Who are you who cries to the king?" ¹⁵David said to Abner, "Aren't you a man? Who is like you in Israel? Then why have you not kept watch over your lord, the king? For one of the people came in to destroy the king your lord.

¹⁶This thing isn't good that you have done. As ForeverOne lives, you are worthy to die, because you have not kept watch over your lord, ForeverOne's anointed. Now see where the king's spear is, and the jar of water that was at his head." ¹⁷Saul knew David's voice, and said, "Is this your voice, my son David?" David said, "It is my voice, my lord, O king." ¹⁸He said, "Why does my lord pursue after his servant? For what have I done? Or what evil is in my hand?

¹⁹Now therefore, please let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If it is so that ForeverOne has stirred you up against me, let him accept an offering. But if it is the children of men, they are cursed before ForeverOne; for they have driven me out today that I shouldn't cling to ForeverOne's inheritance, saying, 'Go, serve other gods!' ²⁰Now therefore, don't let my blood fall to the earth away from the presence of ForeverOne; for the king of Israel has come out to seek a flea, as when one hunts a partridge in the mountains." ²¹Then Saul said, "I have sinned. Return, my son David; for I will no more do you harm, because my life was precious in your eyes today. Behold, I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly." ²²David answered, "Behold the spear, O king! Then let one of the young men come over and get it.

²³ForeverOne will render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness; because ForeverOne delivered you into my hand today, and I wouldn't reach out my hand against ForeverOne's anointed.

²⁴Behold, as your life was respected today in my eyes, so let my life be respected in the eyes of ForeverOne, and let him deliver me out of all oppression." ²⁵Then Saul said to David, "You are blessed, my son David. You shall both do mightily, and shall surely prevail." So David went his way, and Saul returned to his place.

1 Samuel Chapter 27

¹David said in his heart, "I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul will despair of me, to seek me any more in all the borders of Israel. So shall I escape out of his hand." ²David arose, and passed over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath.

³David lived with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, even David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal's wife.

⁴Saul was told that David was fled to Gath: and he sought no more again for him.

⁵David said to Achish, "If now I have found favor in your eyes, let them give me a place in one of the cities in the country, that I may dwell there. For why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you?" ⁶Then Achish gave him Ziklag that day: why Ziklag pertains to the kings of Judah to this day.

⁷The number of the days that David lived in the country of the Philistines was a full year and four months.

⁸David and his men went up, and made a raid on the Geshurites, and the Girzites, and the Amalekites; for those [nations] were the inhabitants of the land, who were of old, as you go to Shur, even to the land of Egypt.

⁹David struck the land, and saved neither man nor woman alive, and took away the sheep, and the cattle, and the donkeys, and the camels, and the clothing; and he returned, and came to Achish.

¹⁰Achish said, "Against whom have you made a raid today?" David said, "Against the South of Judah, against the South of the Jerahmeelites, and against the South of the Kenites." ¹¹David saved neither man nor woman alive, to bring them to Gath, saying, "Lest they should tell of us, saying, 'So did David, and so has been his way all the while he has lived in the country of the Philistines.'" ¹²Achish believed David, saying, "He has made his people Israel utterly to abhor him. Therefore he shall be my servant forever."

1 Samuel Chapter 28

¹In those days, the Philistines gathered their armies together for warfare, to fight with Israel. Achish said to David, "Know assuredly that you shall go out with me in the army, you and your men." ²David said to Achish, "Therefore you shall know what your servant will do." Achish said to David, "Therefore will I make you my bodyguard for ever." ³Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. Saul had put away those who had familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land.

⁴The Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and encamped in Shunem: and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they encamped in Gilboa.

⁵When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly.

⁶When Saul inquired of ForeverOne, ForeverOne didn't answer him, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.

⁷Then Saul said to his servants, "Seek me a woman who has a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and inquire of her." His servants said to him, "Behold, there is a woman who has a familiar spirit at Endor." ⁸Saul disguised himself, and put on other clothing, and went, he and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, "Please divine to me by the familiar spirit, and bring me up whoever I shall name to you." ⁹The woman said to him, "Behold, you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off those who have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land. Then why do you lay a snare for my life, to cause me to die?" ¹⁰Saul swore to her by ForeverOne, saying, "As ForeverOne lives, no punishment shall happen to you for this thing." ¹¹Then the woman said, "Whom shall I bring up to you?" He said, "Bring Samuel up for me." ¹²When the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice; and the woman spoke to Saul, saying, "Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul!" ¹³The king said to her, "Don't be afraid. For what do you see?" The woman said to Saul, "I see a god coming up out of the earth." ¹⁴He said to her, "What does he look like?" She said, "An old man comes up. He is covered with a robe." Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground, and showed respect.

¹⁵Samuel said to Saul, "Why have you disturbed me, to bring me up?" Saul answered, "I am very distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God has departed from me, and answers me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams. Therefore I have called you, that you may make known to me what I shall do." ¹⁶Samuel said, "Then why do you ask of me, since ForeverOne has departed from you and has become your adversary?

¹⁷ForeverOne has done to you as he spoke by me. ForeverOne has torn the kingdom out of your hand, and given it to your neighbor, even to David.

¹⁸Because you didn't obey the voice of ForeverOne, and didn't execute his fierce wrath on Amalek, therefore ForeverOne has done this thing to you today.

¹⁹Moreover ForeverOne will deliver Israel also with you into the hand of the Philistines; and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. ForeverOne will deliver the army of Israel also into the hand of the Philistines." ²⁰Then Saul fell immediately his full length on the earth, and was terrified, because of the words of Samuel. There was no strength in him; for he had eaten no bread all the day, nor all the night.

²¹The woman came to Saul, and saw that he was very troubled, and said to him, "Behold, your handmaid has listened to your voice, and I have put my life in my hand, and have listened to your words which you spoke to me.

²²Now therefore, please listen also to the voice of your handmaid, and let me set a morsel of bread before you; and eat, that you may have strength, when you go on your way." ²³But he refused, and said, I will not eat. But his servants, together with the woman, constrained him; and he listened to their voice. So he arose from the earth, and sat on the bed.

²⁴The woman had a fattened calf in the house. She hurried and killed it; and she took flour, and kneaded it, and baked unleavened bread of it.

²⁵She brought it before Saul, and before his servants; and they ate. Then they rose up, and went away that night.

1 Samuel Chapter 29

¹Now the Philistines gathered together all their armies to Aphek: and the Israelites encamped by the spring which is in Jezreel.

²The lords of the Philistines passed on by hundreds, and by thousands; and David and his men passed on in the rear with Achish.

³Then the princes of the Philistines said, "What about these Hebrews?" Achish said to the princes of the Philistines, "Isn't this David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, who has been with me these days, or rather these years, and I have found no fault in him since he fell away to this day?" ⁴But the princes of the Philistines were angry with him; and the princes of the Philistines said to him, "Make the man return, that he may go back to his place where you have appointed him, and let him not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become an adversary to us. For with what should this fellow reconcile himself to his lord? Should it not be with the heads of these men?

⁵Is not this David, of whom they sang one to another in dances, saying, 'Saul has slain his thousands, David his ten thousands?'" ⁶Then Achish called David, and said to him, "As ForeverOne 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 to this day. Nevertheless, the lords don't favor you.

⁷Therefore now return, and go in peace, that you not displease the lords of the Philistines." ⁸David said to Achish, "But what have I done? What have you found in your servant so long as I have been before you to this day, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?" ⁹Achish answered David, "I know that you are good in my sight, as an angel of God. Notwithstanding the princes of the Philistines have said, 'He shall not go up with us to the battle.' ¹⁰Therefore now rise up early in the morning with the servants of your lord who have come with you; and as soon as you are up early in the morning, and have light, depart." ¹¹So David rose up early, he and his men, to depart in the morning, to return into the land of the Philistines. The Philistines went up to Jezreel.

1 Samuel Chapter 30

¹When David and his men had come to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made a raid on the South, and on Ziklag, and had struck Ziklag, and burned it with fire, ²and had taken captive the women and all who were there, both small and great. They didn't kill any, but carried them off, and went their way.

³When 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 captive.

⁴Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.

⁵David's two wives were taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.

⁶David 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 ForeverOne his God.

⁷David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, "Please bring me here the ephod." Abiathar brought the ephod to David.

⁸David inquired of ForeverOne, saying, "If I pursue after this troop, shall I overtake them?" He answered him, "Pursue; for you shall surely overtake them, and shall without fail recover all." ⁹So David went, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those who were left behind stayed.

¹⁰But David pursued, he and four hundred men; for two hundred stayed behind, who were so faint that they couldn't go over the brook Besor.

¹¹They found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he ate; and they gave him water to drink.

¹²They gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins. when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him; for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, three days and three nights.

¹³David asked him, "To whom do you belong? Where are you from?" He said, "I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days ago I fell sick.

¹⁴We made a raid on the South of the Cherethites, and on what belongs to Judah, and on the South of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire." ¹⁵David said to him, "Will you bring me down to this troop?" He said, "Swear to me by God that you will neither kill me, nor deliver me up into the hands of my master, and I will bring you down to this troop." ¹⁶When he had brought him down, behold, they were spread around over all the ground, eating, drinking, and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah.

¹⁷David struck them from the twilight even to the evening of the next day. Not a man of them escaped from there, except four hundred young men, who rode on camels and fled.

¹⁸David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken; and David rescued his two wives.

¹⁹There was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor anything that they had taken to them. David brought back all.

²⁰David took all the flocks and the herds, [which] they drove before those [other] livestock, and said, "This is David's spoil." ²¹David came to the two hundred men, who were so faint that they could not follow David, whom also they had made to stay at the brook Besor; and they went out to meet David, and to meet the people who were with him. When David came near to the people, he greeted them.

²²Then all the wicked men and base fellows, of those who went with David, answered and said, "Because they didn't go with us, we will not give them anything of the spoil that we have recovered, except to every man his wife and his children, that he may lead them away, and depart." ²³Then David said, "You shall not do so, my brothers, with what ForeverOne has given to us, who has preserved us, and delivered the troop that came against us into our hand.

²⁴Who will listen to you in this matter? For as his share is who goes down to the battle, so shall his share be who tarries by the baggage: they shall share alike." ²⁵From that day forward he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.

²⁶When David came to Ziklag, he sent of the spoil to the elders of Judah, even to his friends, saying, "Behold, a gift for you of the spoil of the enemies of ForeverOne." ²⁷He sent it to those who were in Bethel, and to those who were in Ramoth of the South, and to those who were in Jattir, ²⁸and to those who were in Aroer, and to those who were in Siphmoth, and to those who were in Eshtemoa, ²⁹and to those who were in Racal, and to those who were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to those who were in the cities of the Kenites, ³⁰and to those who were in Hormah, and to those who were in Borashan, and to those who were in Athach, ³¹and to those who were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men used to stay.

1 Samuel Chapter 31

¹Now the Philistines fought against Israel: and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain on Mount Gilboa.

²The Philistines followed hard on Saul and on his sons; and the Philistines killed Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua, the sons of Saul.

³The battle went hard against Saul, and the archers overtook him; and he was greatly distressed by reason of the archers.

⁴Then Saul said to his armor bearer, "Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me!" But his armor bearer would not; for he was terrified. Therefore Saul took his sword, and fell on it.

⁵When his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he likewise fell on his sword, and died with him.

⁶So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor bearer, and all his men, that same day together.

⁷When the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley, and those who 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 lived in them.

⁸The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.

⁹They cut off his head, and stripped off his armor, and sent into the land of the Philistines all around, to carry the news to the house of their idols, and to the people.

¹⁰They put his armor in the house of the Ashtaroth; and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan.

¹¹When the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard concerning him what 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 burned them there.

¹³They took their bones, and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

The Bible text is a minor adaptation of the WEB to include nuanced meanings of particular ancient words for placenames, God and others of special interest.
In general square brackets:[] are used to indicated words not found in the original text.
They also indicate the 5 books of the Psalms, and the letters in Psalm 119;
and a few passages considered by some to be of questionable authenticity, marked with an asterisk(*).

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