Chapter 14

Jonathan’s Victory

1 Now the day came that Jonathan, the son of Saul, said to the young man who was carrying his armor, “Come and let us cross over to the Philistines’ garrison that is on the other side.” But he did not tell his father.

2 Saul was staying in the outskirts of aGibeah under the pomegranate tree which is in bMigron. And the people who were with him were cabout six hundred men,

3 and Ahijah, the ason of Ahitub, bIchabod’s brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the priest of the Lord at cShiloh, dwas 1wearing an ephod. And the people did not know that Jonathan had gone.

4 aBetween the passes by which Jonathan sought to cross over to the Philistines’ garrison, there was a sharp crag on the one side and a sharp crag on the other side, and the name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh.

5 The one crag rose on the north opposite Michmash, and the other on the south opposite Geba.

6 Then Jonathan said to the young man who was carrying his armor, “Come and let us cross over to the garrison of athese uncircumcised; perhaps the Lord will work for us, for bthe Lord is not restrained to save by many or by few.”

7 His armor bearer said to him, “Do all that is in your heart; turn yourself, and here I am with you according to your 1desire.”

8 Then Jonathan said, “aBehold, we will cross over to the men and reveal ourselves to them.

9 “If they 1say to us, ‘Wait until we come to you’; then we will stand in our place and not go up to them.

10 “But if they 1say, ‘Come up to us,’ then we will go up, for the Lord has given them into our hands; and athis shall be the sign to us.”

11 When both of them revealed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines, the Philistines said, “Behold, aHebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden themselves.”

12 So the men of the garrison 1hailed Jonathan and his armor bearer and said, “Come up to us and awe will tell you something.” And Jonathan said to his armor bearer, “Come up after me, for bthe Lord has given them into the hands of Israel.”

13 Then Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet, with his armor bearer behind him; and they fell before Jonathan, and his armor bearer put some to death after him.

14 That first slaughter which Jonathan and his armor bearer made was about twenty men within about half a furrow in an acre of land.

15 And there was a trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. Even the garrison and athe raiders trembled, and bthe earth quaked so cthat it became a 1great trembling.

16 Now Saul’s watchmen in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and behold, the multitude melted away; and they went here and there.

17 Saul said to the people who were with him, “1Number now and see who has gone from us.” And when they had 1numbered, behold, Jonathan and his armor bearer were not there.

18 Then Saul said to Ahijah, “aBring the ark of God here.” For the ark of God was at that time with the sons of Israel.

19 aWhile Saul talked to the priest, the commotion in the camp of the Philistines continued and increased; so Saul said to the priest, “Withdraw your hand.”

20 Then Saul and all the people who were with him rallied and came to the battle; and behold, aevery man’s sword was against his fellow, and there was very great confusion.

21 Now the Hebrews who were with the Philistines previously, who went up with them all around in the camp, even athey also turned to be with the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan.

22 When all the amen of Israel who had hidden themselves in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines had fled, even they also pursued them closely in the battle.

23 So athe Lord delivered Israel that day, and the battle 1spread beyond bBeth-aven.

Saul’s Foolish Order

24 Now the men of Israel were hard-pressed on that day, for Saul had aput the people under oath, saying, “Cursed be the man who eats food 1before evening, and until I have avenged myself on my enemies.” So none of the people tasted food.

25 All the people of the land entered the forest, and there was honey on the ground.

26 When the people entered the forest, behold, athere was a flow of honey; but no man put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath.

27 But Jonathan had not heard when his father put the people under oath; therefore, ahe put out the end of the staff that was in his hand and dipped it in the honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth, and bhis eyes brightened.

28 Then one of the people said, “Your father strictly put the people under oath, saying, ‘Cursed be the man who eats food today.’ ” And the people were weary.

29 Then Jonathan said, “aMy father has troubled the land. See now, how my eyes have brightened because I tasted a little of this honey.

30 “How much more, if only the people had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies which they found! For now the slaughter among the Philistines has not been great.”

31 They struck among the Philistines that day from aMichmash to bAijalon. And the people were very weary.

32 aThe people 1rushed greedily upon the spoil, and took sheep and oxen and calves, and slew them on the ground; and the people ate them bwith the blood.

33 Then they told Saul, saying, “Behold, the people are asinning against the Lord by eating with the blood.” And he said, “You have acted treacherously; roll a great stone to me today.”

34 Saul said, “Disperse yourselves among the people and say to them, ‘Each one of you bring me his ox or his sheep, and slaughter it here and eat; and do not sin against the Lord by eating with the blood.’ ” So all the people that night brought each one his ox 1with him and slaughtered it there.

35 And aSaul built an altar to the Lord; it was the first altar that he built to the Lord.

36 Then Saul 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.” And they said, “Do whatever seems good 1to you.” So athe priest said, “Let us draw near to God here.”

37 Saul ainquired of God, “Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will You give them into the hand of Israel?” But bHe did not answer him on that day.

38 Saul said, “aDraw near here, all you 1chiefs of the people, and investigate and see how this sin has happened today.

39 “For aas the Lord lives, who delivers Israel, though it is in Jonathan my son, he shall surely die.” But not one of all the people answered him.

40 Then he said to all Israel, “You shall be on one side and I and Jonathan my son will be on the other side.” And the people said to Saul, “Do what seems good 1to you.”

41 Therefore, Saul said to the Lord, the God of Israel, “aGive a perfect lot.” And Jonathan and Saul were taken, but the people escaped.

42 Saul said, “Cast lots between me and Jonathan my son.” And Jonathan was taken.

43 Then Saul said to Jonathan, “aTell me what you have done.” So Jonathan told him and said, “bI indeed tasted a little honey with the end of the staff that was in my hand. Here I am, I must die!”

44 Saul said, “aMay God do 1this to me and more also, for byou shall surely die, Jonathan.”

45 But the people said to Saul, “Must Jonathan die, who has 1brought about this great deliverance in Israel? Far from it! As the Lord lives, anot one hair of his head shall fall to the ground, for bhe has worked with God this day.” So the people 2rescued Jonathan and he did not die.

46 Then Saul went up from 1pursuing the Philistines, and the Philistines went to their own place.

Constant Warfare

47 Now when Saul had taken the kingdom over Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, athe sons of Ammon, Edom, bthe kings of Zobah, and cthe Philistines; and wherever he turned, he 1inflicted punishment.

48 He acted valiantly and 1adefeated the Amalekites, and delivered Israel from the hands of 2those who plundered them.

49 Now athe sons of Saul were Jonathan and Ishvi and Malchi-shua; and the names of his two daughters were these: the name of the firstborn bMerab and the name of the younger cMichal.

50 The name of Saul’s wife was Ahinoam the daughter of Ahimaaz. And athe name of the captain of his army was Abner the son of Ner, Saul’s uncle.

51 aKish was the father of Saul, and Ner the father of Abner was the son of Abiel.

52 Now the war against the Philistines was severe all the days of Saul; and when Saul saw any mighty man or any valiant man, he 1aattached him to 2his staff.

Chapter 15

Saul’s Disobedience

1 Then Samuel said to Saul, “aThe Lord sent me to anoint you as king over His people, over Israel; now therefore, listen to the 1words of the Lord.

2 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘I will 1punish Amalek afor what he did to Israel, how he set himself against him on the way while he was coming up from Egypt.

3 ‘Now go and strike Amalek and autterly destroy all that he has, and do not spare him; but bput to death both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’ ”

4 Then Saul summoned the people and 1numbered them in aTelaim, 200,000 foot soldiers and 10,000 men of Judah.

5 Saul came to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the valley.

6 Saul said to athe Kenites, “Go, depart, go down from among the Amalekites, so that I do not destroy you with them; for byou showed kindness to all the sons of Israel when they came up from Egypt.” So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.

7 So aSaul 1defeated the Amalekites, from bHavilah as you go to cShur, which is 2east of Egypt.

8 He captured aAgag the king of the Amalekites alive, and butterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.

9 But Saul and the people aspared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were not willing to destroy them utterly; but everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.

Samuel Rebukes Saul

10 Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying,

11 “aI regret that I have made Saul king, for bhe has turned back from 1following Me and has not carried out My commands.” And Samuel was distressed and ccried out to the Lord all night.

12 Samuel rose early in the morning to meet Saul; and it was told Samuel, saying, “Saul came to aCarmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself, then turned and proceeded on 1down to bGilgal.”

13 Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “aBlessed are you of the Lord! I have carried out the command of the Lord.”

14 But Samuel said, “aWhat then is this 1bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the 1lowing of the oxen which I hear?”

15 Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for athe people spared the best of the sheep and oxen, to sacrifice to the Lord your God; but the rest we have utterly destroyed.”

16 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Wait, and let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.” And he said to him, “Speak!”

17 Samuel said, “Is it not true, athough you were little in your own eyes, you were made the head of the tribes of Israel? And the Lord anointed you king over Israel,

18 and the Lord sent you on a 1mission, and said, ‘aGo and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are exterminated.’

19 “Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord, abut rushed upon the spoil and did what was evil in the sight of the Lord?”

20 Then Saul said to Samuel, “aI did obey the voice of the Lord, and went on the 1mission on which the Lord sent me, and have brought back Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.

21 “But athe people took some of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the choicest of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the Lord your God at Gilgal.”

22 Samuel said,

“aHas the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices

As in obeying the voice of the Lord?

Behold, bto obey is better than sacrifice,

And to heed than the fat of rams.

23 “For rebellion is as the sin of adivination,

And insubordination is as biniquity and idolatry.

Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,

cHe has also rejected you from being king.”

24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “aI have sinned; bI have indeed transgressed the 1command of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and listened to their voice.

25 “Now therefore, aplease pardon my sin and return with me, that I may worship the Lord.”

26 But Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you; for ayou have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.”

27 As Samuel turned to go, aSaul seized the edge of his robe, and it tore.

28 So Samuel said to him, “aThe Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor, who is better than you.

29 “Also the 1aGlory of Israel bwill not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man that He should change His mind.”

30 Then he said, “I have sinned; abut please honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel, and go back with me, bthat I may worship the Lord your God.”

31 So Samuel went back following Saul, and Saul worshiped the Lord.

32 Then Samuel said, “Bring me Agag, the king of the Amalekites.” And Agag came to him 1cheerfully. And Agag said, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.”

33 But Samuel said, “aAs your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women.” And Samuel hewed Agag to pieces before the Lord at Gilgal.

34 Then Samuel went to aRamah, but Saul went up to his house at bGibeah of Saul.

35 aSamuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death; for Samuel bgrieved over Saul. And the Lord regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel.

Chapter 16

Samuel Goes to Bethlehem

1 Now the Lord said to Samuel, “aHow long will you grieve over Saul, since bI have rejected him from being king over Israel? cFill your horn with oil and go; I will send you to dJesse the Bethlehemite, for I have eselected a king for Myself among his sons.”

2 But Samuel said, “How can I go? When Saul hears of it, he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “aTake a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’

3 “You shall invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and aI will show you what you shall do; and byou shall anoint for Me the one whom I 1designate to you.”

4 So Samuel did what the Lord said, and came to aBethlehem. And the elders of the city came trembling to meet him and said, “bDo you come in peace?”

5 He said, “In peace; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. aConsecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” He also consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

6 When they entered, he looked at aEliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him.”

7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for 1God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, abut the Lord looks at the heart.”

8 Then Jesse called aAbinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.”

9 Next Jesse made 1aShammah pass by. And he said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.”

10 Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.”

11 And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are these all the children?” And he said, “aThere remains yet the youngest, and behold, he is tending the sheep.” Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and 1bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.”

David Anointed

12 So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with abeautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. And the Lord said, “bArise, anoint him; for this is he.”

13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and aanointed him in the midst of his brothers; and bthe Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah.

14 aNow the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and ban evil spirit from the Lord terrorized him.

15 Saul’s servants then said to him, “Behold now, an evil spirit from God is terrorizing you.

16 “Let our lord now command your servants who are before you. Let them seek a man who is a skillful player on the harp; and it shall come about when the evil spirit from God is on you, that ahe shall play the harp with his hand, and you will be well.”

17 So Saul said to his servants, “Provide for me now a man who can play well and bring him to me.”

18 Then one of the young men said, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is a skillful musician, aa mighty man of valor, a warrior, one prudent in speech, and a handsome man; and bthe Lord is with him.”

19 So Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me your son David who is with the flock.”

20 Jesse atook a donkey loaded with bread and a jug of wine and a young goat, and sent them to Saul by David his son.

21 Then David came to Saul and 1aattended him; and 2Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor bearer.

22 Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Let David now stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight.”

23 So it came about whenever athe evil spirit from God came to Saul, David would take the harp and play it with his hand; and Saul would be refreshed and be well, and the evil spirit would depart from him.

Chapter 17

Goliath’s Challenge

1 Now athe Philistines gathered their armies for battle; and they were gathered at Socoh which belongs to Judah, and they camped between bSocoh and cAzekah, in dEphes-dammim.

2 Saul and the men of Israel were gathered and camped in athe valley of Elah, and drew up in battle array to encounter the Philistines.

3 The Philistines stood on the mountain on one side while Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with the valley between them.

4 Then a champion came out from the armies of the Philistines named aGoliath, from bGath, whose height was six 1cubits and a span.

5 He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was clothed with scale-armor 1which weighed five thousand shekels of bronze.

6 He also had bronze 1greaves on his legs and a abronze javelin slung between his shoulders.

7 aThe shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and the head of his spear weighed six hundred shekels of iron; bhis shield-carrier also walked before him.

8 He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel and said to them, “Why do you come out to draw up in battle array? Am I not the Philistine and you aservants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves and let him come down to me.

9 “aIf he is able to fight with me and 1kill me, then we will become your servants; but if I prevail against him and 1kill him, then you shall become our servants and serve us.”

10 Again the Philistine said, “aI defy the ranks of Israel this day; give me a man that we may fight together.”

11 When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

12 Now David was athe son of 1the bEphrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, whose name was Jesse, and che had eight sons. And 2Jesse was old in the days of Saul, advanced in years among men.

13 The three older sons of Jesse had 1gone after Saul to the battle. And athe names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and the second to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.

14 aDavid was the youngest. Now the three oldest followed Saul,

15 abut David went back and forth from Saul bto tend his father’s flock at Bethlehem.

16 The Philistine came 1forward morning and evening for forty days and took his stand.

17 Then Jesse said to David his son, “aTake now for your brothers an ephah of this roasted grain and these ten loaves and run to the camp to your brothers.

18 “aBring also these ten cuts of cheese to the commander of their thousand, band look into the welfare of your brothers, and bring back 1news of them.

19 “For Saul and they and all the men of Israel are in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.”

David Accepts the Challenge

20 So David arose early in the morning and left the flock with a keeper and took the supplies and went as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the acircle of the camp while the army was going out in battle array shouting the war cry.

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

22 Then David left his abaggage in the 1care of the baggage keeper, and ran to the battle line and entered in order to greet his brothers.

23 As he was talking with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine from Gath named Goliath, was coming up from the army of the Philistines, and he spoke athese same words; and David heard them.

24 When all the men of Israel saw the man, they fled from him and were greatly afraid.

25 The men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who is coming up? Surely he is coming up to defy Israel. And it will be that the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches and awill give him his daughter and make his father’s house 1free in Israel.”

26 Then David spoke to the men who were standing by him, saying, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away athe reproach from Israel? For who is this buncircumcised Philistine, that he should ctaunt the armies of dthe living God?”

27 The people 1answered him in accord with this word, saying, “aThus it will be done for the man who kills him.”

28 Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and aEliab’s anger burned against David and he said, “Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your insolence and the wickedness of your heart; for you have come down in order to see the battle.”

29 But David said, “What have I done now? Was it not just a 1question?”

30 Then he turned 1away from him to another and asaid the same thing; and the people answered the same thing as 2before.

David Kills Goliath

31 When the words which David spoke were heard, they told them 1to Saul, and he sent for him.

32 David said to Saul, “aLet no man’s heart fail on account of him; byour servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”

33 Then Saul said to David, “aYou are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are but a youth while he has been a warrior from his youth.”

34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant was tending his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock,

35 I went out after him and 1attacked him, and arescued it from his mouth; and when he rose up against me, I seized him by his beard and 1struck him and killed him.

36 “Your servant has 1killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted the armies of the living God.”

37 And David said, “aThe Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “bGo, and may the Lord be with you.”

38 Then Saul clothed David with his garments and put a bronze helmet on his head, and he clothed him with armor.

39 David girded his sword over his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. So David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.” And David took them 1off.

40 He took his stick in his hand and chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in the shepherd’s bag which he had, even in his pouch, and ahis sling was in his hand; and he approached the Philistine.

41 Then the Philistine came on and approached David, with the shield-bearer in front of him.

42 When the Philistine looked and saw David, ahe disdained him; for he was but a youth, and bruddy, with a handsome appearance.

43 The Philistine said to David, “aAm I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And bthe Philistine cursed David by his gods.

44 The Philistine also said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh ato the birds of the sky and the beasts of the field.”

45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, abut I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted.

46 “This day the Lord will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you. And I will give the adead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, bthat all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel,

47 and that all this assembly may know that athe Lord does not deliver by sword or by spear; bfor the battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into our hands.”

48 Then it happened when the Philistine rose and came and drew near to meet David, that aDavid ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine.

49 And David put his hand into his bag and took from it a stone and slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead. And the stone sank into his forehead, so that he fell on his face to the ground.

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

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

52 The men of Israel and Judah arose and shouted and pursued the Philistines 1as far as the valley, and to the gates of aEkron. And the slain Philistines 2lay along the way to bShaaraim, even to Gath and Ekron.

53 The sons of Israel returned from chasing the Philistines and plundered their camps.

54 Then David took the Philistine’s head and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his weapons in his tent.

55 Now when Saul saw David going out against the Philistine, he said to Abner the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is athis young man?” And Abner said, “By your life, O king, I do not know.”

56 The king said, “You inquire whose son the youth is.”

57 So when David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and abrought him before Saul with the Philistine’s head in his hand.

58 Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” And David answered, “aI am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”