1 Samuel 27–31

¹And David saith unto his heart, ‘Now am I consumed one day by the hand of Saul; there is nothing for me better than that I diligently escape unto the land of the Philistines, and Saul hath been despairing of me—of seeking me any more in all the border of Israel, and I have escaped out of his hand.’ ²And David riseth, and passeth over, he and six hundred men who are with him, unto Achish son of Maoch king of Gath; ³and David dwelleth with Achish in Gath, he and his men, each one with his household, even David and his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail wife of Nabal the Carmelitess. ⁴And it is declared to Saul that David hath fled to Gath, and he hath not added any more to seek him. ⁵And David saith unto Achish, ‘If, I pray thee, I have found grace in thine eyes, then give to me a place in one of the cities of the field, and I dwell there, yea, why doth thy servant dwell in the royal city with thee?’ ⁶And Achish giveth to him in that day Ziklag, therefore hath Ziklag been to the kings of Judah till this day. ⁷And the number of the days which David hath dwelt in the field of the Philistines is days and four months.

⁸And David goeth up and his men, and they push unto the Geshurite, and the Gerizite, and the Amalekite, (for they are inhabitants of the land from of old), as thou comest in to Shur and unto the land of Egypt, ⁹and David hath smitten the land, and doth not keep alive man and woman, and hath taken sheep, and oxen, and asses, and camels, and garments, and turneth back, and cometh in unto Achish. ¹⁰And Achish saith, ‘Whither have ye pushed to-day?’ and David saith, ‘Against the south of Judah, and against the south of the Jerahmeelite, and unto the south of the Kenite.’ ¹¹Neither man nor woman doth David keep alive, to bring in word to Gath, saying, ‘Lest they declare it against us, saying, Thus hath David done, and thus is his custom all the days that he hath dwelt in the fields of the Philistines.’ ¹²And Achish believeth in David, saying, ‘He hath made himself utterly abhorred among his people, in Israel, and hath been to me for a servant age-during.’

Chapter 28

¹And it cometh to pass in those days, that the Philistines gather their camps for the war, to fight against Israel, and Achish saith unto David, ‘Thou dost certainly know that with me thou dost go out into the camp, thou and thy men.’ ²And David saith unto Achish, ‘Therefore—thou dost know that which thy servant dost do.’ And Achish saith unto David, ‘Therefore—keeper of my head I do appoint thee all the days.’ ³And Samuel hath died, and all Israel mourn for him, and bury him in Ramah, even in his city, and Saul hath turned aside those having familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land. ⁴And the Philistines are gathered, and come in, and encamp in Shunem, and Saul gathereth all Israel, and they encamp in Gilboa, ⁵and Saul seeth the camp of the Philistines, and feareth, and his heart trembleth greatly, ⁶and Saul asketh at Jehovah, and Jehovah hath not answered him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets.

⁷And Saul saith to his servants, ‘Seek for me a woman possessing a familiar spirit, and I go unto her, and inquire of her;’ and his servants say unto him, ‘Lo, a woman possessing a familiar spirit in En-dor.’ ⁸And Saul disguiseth himself and putteth on other garments, and goeth, he and two of the men with him, and they come in unto the woman by night, and he saith, ‘Divine, I pray thee, to me by the familiar spirit, and cause to come up to me him whom I say unto thee.’ ⁹And the woman saith unto him, ‘Lo, thou hast known that which Saul hath done, that he hath cut off those having familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land; and why art thou laying a snare for my soul—to put me to death?’ ¹⁰And Saul sweareth to her by Jehovah, saying, ‘Jehovah liveth, punishment doth not meet thee for this thing.’ ¹¹And the woman saith, ‘Whom do I bring up to thee?’ and he saith, ‘Samuel—bring up to me.’ ¹²And the woman seeth Samuel, and crieth with a loud voice, and the woman speaketh unto Saul, saying, ‘Why hast thou deceived me—and thou Saul?’ ¹³And the king saith to her, ‘Do not fear; for what hast thou seen?’ and the woman saith unto Saul, ‘Gods I have seen coming up out of the earth.’ ¹⁴And he saith to her, ‘What is his form?’ and she saith, ‘An aged man is coming up, and he is covered with an upper robe;’ and Saul knoweth that he is Samuel, and boweth—face to the earth—and doth obeisance.

¹⁵And Samuel saith unto Saul, ‘Why hast thou troubled me, to bring me up?’ And Saul saith, ‘I have great distress, and the Philistines are fighting against me, God hath turned aside from me, and hath not answered me any more, either by the hand of the prophets, or by dreams; and I call for thee to let me know what I do.’ ¹⁶And Samuel saith, ‘And why dost thou ask me, and Jehovah hath turned aside from thee, and is thine enemy? ¹⁷And Jehovah doth for Himself as He hath spoken by my hand, and Jehovah rendeth the kingdom out of thy hand, and giveth it to thy neighbour—to David. ¹⁸Because thou hast not hearkened to the voice of Jehovah, nor didst the fierceness of His anger on Amalek—therefore this thing hath Jehovah done to thee this day; ¹⁹yea, Jehovah giveth also Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow thou and thy sons are with me; also the camp of Israel doth Jehovah give into the hand of the Philistines.’

²⁰And Saul hasteth and falleth—the fulness of his stature—to the earth, and feareth greatly because of the words of Samuel; also power was not in him, for he had not eaten bread all the day, and all the night. ²¹And the woman cometh in unto Saul, and seeth that he hath been greatly troubled, and saith unto him, ‘Lo, thy maid-servant hath hearkened to thy voice, and I put my soul in my hand, and I obey thy words which thou hast spoken unto me; ²²and now, hearken, I pray thee, also thou, to the voice of thy maid-servant, and I set before thee a morsel of bread, and eat, and there is in thee power when thou goest in the way.’ ²³And he refuseth, and saith, ‘I do not eat;’ and his servants urge on him, and also the woman, and he hearkeneth to their voice, and riseth from the earth, and sitteth on the bed. ²⁴And the woman hath a calf of the stall in the house, and she hasteth and slaughtereth it, and taketh flour, and kneadeth, and baketh it unleavened things, ²⁵and bringeth nigh before Saul, and before his servants, and they eat, and rise, and go on, during that night.

Chapter 29

¹And the Philistines gather all their camps to Aphek, and the Israelites are encamping at a fountain which is in Jezreel, ²and the princes of the Philistines are passing on by hundreds, and by thousands, and David and his men are passing on in the rear with Achish. ³And the heads of the Philistines say, ‘What are these Hebrews?’ and Achish saith unto the heads of the Philistines, ‘Is not this David servant of Saul king of Israel, who hath been with me these days or these years, and I have not found in him anything wrong from the day of his falling away till this day.’ ⁴And the heads of the Philistines are wroth against him, and the heads of the Philistines say to him, ‘Send back the man, and he doth turn back unto his place whither thou hast appointed him, and doth not go down with us into battle, and is not to us for an adversary in battle; and wherewith doth this one reconcile himself unto his lord—is it not with the heads of those men?’ ⁵Is not this David, of whom they answer in choruses, saying, Saul hath smitten among his thousands, and David among his myriads?’

⁶And Achish calleth unto David, and saith unto him, ‘Jehovah liveth, surely thou art upright, and good in mine eyes is thy going out, and thy coming in, with me in the camp, for I have not found in thee evil from the day of thy coming in unto me till this day; and in the eyes of the princes thou art not good; ⁷and now, turn back, and go in peace, and thou dost do no evil in the eyes of the princes of the Philistines.’ ⁸And David saith unto Achish, ‘But what have I done? and what hast thou found in thy servant from the day that I have been before thee till this day—that I go not in and have fought against the enemies of my lord the king?’ ⁹And Achish answereth and saith unto David, ‘I have known that thou art good in mine eyes as a messenger of God; only, the princes of the Philistines have said, He doth not go up with us into battle; ¹⁰and now, rise thou early in the morning, and the servants of thy lord who have come with thee, when ye have risen early in the morning, and have light, then go ye.’ ¹¹And David riseth early, he and his men, to go in the morning, to turn back unto the land of the Philistines, and the Philistines have gone up to Jezreel.

Chapter 30

¹And it cometh to pass, in the coming in of David and his men to Ziklag, on the third day, that the Amalekites have pushed unto the south, and unto Ziklag, and smite Ziklag, and burn it with fire, ²and they take captive the women who are in it; from small unto great they have not put any one to death, and they lead away, and go on their way. ³And David cometh in—and his men—unto the city, and lo, burnt with fire, and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters have been taken captive! ⁴And David lifteth up—and the people who are with him—their voice and weep, till that they have no power to weep. ⁵And the two wives of David have been taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail wife of Nabal the Carmelite; ⁶and David hath great distress, for the people have said to stone him, for the soul of all the people hath been bitter, each for his sons and for his daughters; and David doth strengthen himself in Jehovah his God.

⁷And David saith unto Abiathar the priest, son of Ahimelech, ‘Bring nigh, I pray thee, to me the ephod;’ and Abiathar bringeth nigh the ephod unto David, ⁸and David asketh at Jehovah, saying, ‘I pursue after this troop—do I overtake it?’ And He saith to him, ‘Pursue, for thou dost certainly overtake, and…