Mar 1 - 1 Samuel 9-18

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 man of Benjamin, strong and robust²And he had a son called Saul, an elect and good man. And there was not a man among the sons of Israel better than he was. For he stood head and shoulders above all the people³Now the donkeys of Kish, the father of Saul, had become lost. And Kish said to his son Saul, "Take with you one of the servants, and rising up, go out and seek the donkeys." And when they had passed through mount Ephraim⁴and through the land of Shalishah, and had not found them, they crossed also through the land of Shaalim, and they were not there, and through the land of Benjamin, and they found nothing⁵And when they had arrived in the land of Zuph, Saul said to the servant who was with him, "Come, and let us return, otherwise perhaps my father may forget the donkeys, and become anxious over us.⁶And he said to him: "Behold, there is a man of God in this city, a noble man. All that he says, happens without fail. Now therefore, let us go there. For perhaps he may tell us about our way, because of which we have arrived.⁷And Saul said to his servant: "Behold, let us go. But what will we bring to the man of God? The bread in our sacks has run out. And we have no small gift that we might give to the man of God, nor anything at all.⁸The servant again responded to Saul, and he said: "Behold, there is found in my hand a coin of the fourth part of a stater. Let us give it to the man of God, so that he may reveal to us our way.⁹(In past times, in Israel, anyone going to consult God would speak in this way, "Come, and let us go to the seer." For one who is called a prophet today, in past times was called a seer.¹⁰And Saul said to his servant: "Your word is very good. Come, let us go." And they went into the city, where the man of God was¹¹And as they were ascending the slope to the city, they found some young women going out to draw water. And they said to them, "Is the seer here?¹²And responding, they said to them: "He is. Behold, he is ahead of you. Hurry now. For he came into the city today, since there is a sacrifice for the people today, on the high place¹³Upon entering the city, you should find him immediately, before he ascends to the high place for the meal. And the people will not eat until he has arrived. For he blesses the victim, and thereafter those who were called will eat. Now therefore, go up. For you will find him today.¹⁴And they ascended into the city. And as they were walking in the midst of the city, Samuel appeared, advancing to meet them, so that he might ascend to the high place¹⁵Now the Lord had revealed to the ear of Samuel, one day before Saul had arrived, saying¹⁶"Tomorrow, at the same hour that it is now, I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin. And you shall anoint him to be the leader over my people Israel. And he will save my people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have looked with favor upon my people, because their outcry has reached me.¹⁷And when Samuel had caught sight of Saul, the Lord said to him: "Behold, the man about whom I spoke to you. This one shall rule over my people.¹⁸Then Saul drew near to Samuel, at the middle of the gate, and he said, "Tell me, I beg you: where is the house of the seer?¹⁹And Samuel responded to Saul, saying: "I am the seer. Ascend before me to the high place, so that you may eat with me today. And I will send you away in the morning. And I shall reveal to you everything that is in your heart²⁰And concerning the donkeys, which were lost the day before yesterday, you should not be anxious, for they have been found. And all the best things of Israel, for whom should they be? Will they not be for you and for all your father’s house?²¹And responding, Saul said: "Am I not a son of Benjamin, the least tribe of Israel, and are not my kindred the last among all the families from the tribe of Benjamin? So then, why would you speak this word to me?²²And so Samuel, taking Saul and his servant, brought them into the dining room, and he gave them a place at the head of those who had been invited. For there were about thirty men²³And Samuel said to the cook, "Present the portion that I gave to you, and which I instructed you to set apart beside you.²⁴Then the cook lifted up the shoulder, and he placed it before Saul. And Samuel said: "Behold, what remains, set it before you and eat. For it was preserved for you intentionally, when I called the people." And Saul ate with Samuel on that day²⁵And they descended from the high place into the town, and he spoke with Saul in the upper room. And he set out a bed for Saul in the upper room, and he slept²⁶And when they had risen in the morning, and it now began to be light, Samuel called to Saul in the upper room, saying, "Rise up, so that I may send you on." And Saul rose up. And they both departed, that is to say, he and Samuel²⁷And as they were descending to the very limit of the city, Samuel said to Saul: "Tell the servant to go ahead of us, and to continue on. But as for you, stay here a little while, so that I may reveal the word of the Lord to you.

Chapter 10

¹Then Samuel took a little vial of oil, and poured it on his head. And he kissed him, and said: "Behold, the Lord has anointed you as first ruler over his inheritance. And you shall free his people from the hands of their enemies, who are all around them. And this shall be a sign for you that God has anointed you as ruler²When you will have departed from me this day, you will find two men beside the sepulcher of Rachel, in the parts of Benjamin to the south. And they will say to you: ‘The donkeys have been found, which you had been seeking as you traveled. And your father, forgetting about the donkeys, has been anxious for you, and he says, "What shall I do about my son?" ³And when you will have departed from there, and will have traveled farther, and will have arrived at the oak of Tabor, in that place three men, who are going up to God at Bethel, will find you. One will be bringing three young goats, and another three loaves of bread, and another will be carrying a bottle of wine⁴And when they will have greeted you, they will give you two loaves. And you shall accept these from their hand⁵After these things, you shall arrive at the hill of God, where the garrison of the Philistines is. And when you will have entered the city there, you will meet a company of prophets, descending from the high place, with a psaltery, and a timbrel, and a pipe, and a harp before them, and they will be prophesying⁶And the Spirit of the Lord will spring up within you. And you shall prophesy with them, and you shall be changed into another man⁷Therefore, when these signs will have happened to you, do whatever your hand will find, for the Lord is with you⁸And you shall descend before me into Gilgal, (for I will descend to you), so that you may offer an oblation, and may immolate victims of peace. For seven days, you shall wait, until I come to you, and reveal to you what you should do.⁹And so, when he had turned his shoulder, so that he might go away from Samuel, God changed him to another heart. And all these signs occurred on that day¹⁰And they arrived at the above-stated hill, and behold, a group of prophets met him. And the Spirit of the Lord leapt up within him, and he prophesied in their midst¹¹Then all those who had known him yesterday and the day before, seeing that he was with the prophets, and that he was prophesying, said to one other: "What is this thing that has happened to the son of Kish? Could Saul also be among the prophets?¹²And one would respond to the other, saying, "And who is their father?" Because of this, it turned into a proverb, "Could Saul also be among the prophets?¹³Then he ceased to prophesy, and he went to the high place¹⁴And the uncle of Saul said to him, and to his servant, "Where did you go?" And they responded: "To seek the donkeys. But when we did not find them, we went to Samuel.¹⁵And his uncle said to him, "Tell me what Samuel said to you.¹⁶And Saul said to his uncle, "He told us that the donkeys would be found." But the word about the kingdom, which Samuel had spoken to him, he did not reveal to him¹⁷And Samuel called the people together, to the Lord at Mizpah¹⁸And he said to the sons of Israel: "Thus says the Lord God of Israel: I led Israel away from Egypt, and I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians, and from the hand of all the kings who were afflicting you¹⁹But today you have rejected your God, who alone saved you from all your evils and tribulations. And you have said: ‘By no means! Instead, appoint a king over us.’ Now therefore, stand in the sight of the Lord, by your tribes and by your families.²⁰And Samuel brought near all the tribes of Israel, and the lot fell upon the tribe of Benjamin²¹And he brought near the tribe of Benjamin, with its families, and the lot fell upon the family of Matri. And then it went to Saul, the son of Kish. Therefore, they sought him, but he was not found²²And after these things, they consulted the Lord as to whether he would soon arrive there. And the Lord responded, "Behold, he is hidden at home.²³And so they ran and brought him there. And he stood in the midst of the people, and he was taller than the entire people, from the shoulders upward²⁴And Samuel said to all the people: "Certainly, you see the one whom the Lord has chosen, that there is not anyone like him among all the people." And all the people cried out and said, "Long live the king!²⁵Then Samuel spoke to the people the law of the kingdom, and he wrote it in a book, and he stored it in the sight of the Lord. And Samuel dismissed all the people, each one to his own house²⁶And then Saul went away to his own house at Gibeah. And a portion of the army, whose hearts had been touched by God, went away with him²⁷Yet the sons of Belial said, "How could this one be able to save us?" And they despised him, and they brought him no presents. But he pretended not to hear them

Chapter 11

¹And, about a month afterward, it happened that Nahash the Ammonite ascended and began to fight against Jabesh Gilead. And all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, "Consider a pact with us, and we will serve you.²And Nahash the Ammonite responded to them, "With this will I strike a pact with you: if I may pluck out all your right eyes, and set you as a disgrace against all of Israel.³And the elders of Jabesh said to him: "Grant to us seven days, so that we may send messengers to all the borders of Israel. And if there is no one who may defend us, we will go out to you.⁴Therefore, the messengers arrived at Gibeah of Saul. And they spoke these words in the hearing of the people. And all the people lifted up their voice and wept⁵And behold, Saul arrived, following oxen from the field. And he said, "What has happened to the people that they would weep?" And they explained to him the words of the men from Jabesh⁶And the Spirit of the Lord rose up within Saul when he had heard these words, and his fury was enraged exceedingly⁷And taking both the oxen, he cut them into pieces, and he sent them into all the borders of Israel, by the hands of messengers, saying, "Whoever will not go out and follow Saul and Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen." Therefore, the fear of the Lord entered into the people, and they went out like one man⁸And he took a census of them at Bezek. And there were three hundred thousand of the sons of Israel. And there were thirty thousand of the men of Judah⁹And they said to the messengers who had arrived: "So shall you say to the men who are of Jabesh Gilead: ‘Tomorrow, when the sun will be hot, you shall have salvation.’ " Therefore, the messengers went and announced it to the men of Jabesh, who became joyful¹⁰And they said, "In the morning, we will go out to you. And you may do whatever you please with us.¹¹And it happened that, when the next day had arrived, Saul arranged the people into three parts. And he entered into the middle of the camp at the early morning watch, and he struck down the Ammonites until the day grew hot. Then the remainder were dispersed, so much so that not even two of them were left together¹²And the people said to Samuel: "Who is the one who said, ‘Should Saul reign over us?’ Present the men, and we will put them to death.¹³And Saul said: "No one shall be killed on this day. For today the Lord has accomplished salvation in Israel.¹⁴Then Samuel said to the people, "Come, and let us go to Gilgal, and let us renew the kingdom there.¹⁵And all the people traveled to Gilgal. And there they made Saul king, in the sight of the Lord at Gilgal. And there they immolated victims of peace, before the Lord. And there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced exceedingly

Chapter 12

¹Then Samuel said to all of Israel: "Behold, I have listened to your voice, according to all that you have said to me, and I have appointed a king over you²And now the king advances before you. But I am old and have gray hair. Moreover, my sons are with you. And so, having conversed before you from my youth, even until this day, behold, I am here³Speak about me before the Lord, and before his Christ, as to whether I have taken anyone’s ox or donkey, or whether I have falsely accused anyone, or whether I have oppressed anyone, or whether I have accepted a bribe from the hand of anyone, and I will repudiate the same, this day, and I will restore it to you.⁴And they said, "You have not falsely accused us, nor oppressed us, nor have you taken anything from the hand of anyone.⁵And he said to them, "The Lord is a witness against you, and his Christ is a witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand." And they said, "He is the witness.⁶And Samuel said to the people: "It is the Lord who appointed Moses and Aaron, and who led our fathers away from the land of Egypt⁷Now therefore, stand, so that I may contend in judgment against you before the Lord, about all the mercies of the Lord, which he has given to you and to your fathers⁸How Jacob entered into Egypt, and your fathers cried out to the Lord. And the Lord sent Moses and Aaron, and he led your fathers away from Egypt, and he transferred them to this place⁹But they forgot the Lord their God, and so he delivered them into the hand of Sisera, master 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 them¹⁰But afterward, they cried out to the Lord, and they said: ‘We have sinned, because we have forsaken the Lord, and we have served the Baals and Ashtaroth. Now therefore, rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and we will serve you.¹¹And the Lord sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and he rescued you from the hand of your enemies all around, and you lived in confidence¹²Then, seeing that Nahash, the king of the sons of Ammon, had arrived against you, you said to me, ‘By no means! Instead, a king shall reign over us,’ even though the Lord your God was reigning over you¹³Now therefore, your king is present, whom you chose and requested. Behold, the Lord has given you a king¹⁴If you will fear the Lord, and serve him, and listen to his voice, and not provoke the mouth of the Lord, then both you, and the king who rules over you, will be following the Lord your God¹⁵But if you will not listen to the voice of the Lord, but instead you provoke his words, then the hand of the Lord will be over you and over your fathers¹⁶Therefore, stand now, and see this great thing, which the Lord will accomplish in your sight¹⁷Is it not the harvest of the wheat today? I will call upon the Lord, and he will send thunder and rain. And you will know and see that you have done a great evil in the sight of the Lord, by petitioning for a king over you.¹⁸And Samuel cried out to the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain on that day¹⁹And all the people feared the Lord and Samuel exceedingly. And all the people said to Samuel: "Pray, on behalf of your servants, to the Lord your God, so that we may not die. For we have added to all our sins this evil, that we would petition for a king.²⁰Then Samuel said to the people: "Do not be afraid. You have done all this evil. Yet truly, do not choose to withdraw from the back of the Lord. Instead, serve the Lord with all your heart²¹And do not choose to turn aside after vanities, which will never benefit you, nor rescue you, since they are empty²²And the Lord will not abandon his people, because of his great name. For the Lord has sworn to make you his people²³So then, far be it from me, this sin against the Lord, that I would cease to pray for you. And so, I will teach you the good and upright way²⁴Therefore, fear the Lord, and serve him in truth and from your whole heart. For you have seen the great works that he has done among you²⁵But if you persevere in wickedness, both you and your king will perish together.

Chapter 13

¹When he began to reign, Saul was the son of one year, and he reigned over Israel for two years²And Saul chose for himself three thousand men of Israel. And two thousand were with Saul at Michmash and at mount Bethel. Then one thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah of Benjamin. But the remainder of the people, he sent back, each one to his own tent³And Jonathan struck the garrison of the Philistines, which was in Gibeah. And when the Philistines had heard about it, Saul sounded the trumpet over all the land, saying, "Let the Hebrews listen.⁴And all of Israel heard this report, that Saul had struck the garrison of the Philistines. And Israel raised himself up against the Philistines. Then the people cried out to Saul at Gilgal⁵And the Philistines gathered to do battle against Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and the remainder of the common people, who were very many, like the sand that is on the shore of the sea. And ascending, they encamped at Michmash, toward the east of Bethaven⁶And when the men of Israel had seen themselves to be in a narrowed position, they hid themselves in caves, and in out of the way places, and in rocks, and in hollows, and in pits (for the people were distressed)⁷Then some of the Hebrews crossed over the Jordan, into the land of Gad and Gilead. And while Saul was still at Gilgal, the entire people who followed him were terrified⁸But he waited for seven days, in accord with what was agreed with Samuel. But Samuel did not arrive at Gilgal, for the people were scattering away from him⁹Therefore, Saul said, "Bring me the holocaust and the peace offerings." And he offered the holocaust¹⁰And when he had completed the offering of the holocaust, behold, Samuel arrived. And Saul went out to meet him, so that he might greet him¹¹And Samuel said to him, "What have you done?" Saul responded: "Since I saw that the people were scattering away from me, and you had not arrived after the agreed upon days, and yet the Philistines had gathered together at Michmash¹²I said: ‘Now the Philistines will descend to me at Gilgal. And I have not appeased the face of the Lord.’ Compelled by necessity, I offered the holocaust¹³And Samuel said to Saul: "You have acted foolishly. You have not kept the commandments of the Lord your God, which he instructed to you. And if you had not acted in this way, the Lord would, here and now, have prepared your kingdom over Israel forever¹⁴But by no means shall your kingdom rise up any more. The Lord has sought for himself a man according to his own heart. And him the Lord has instructed to be the leader over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord has instructed.¹⁵Then Samuel rose up and ascended from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. And the remainder of the people ascended after Saul, to meet the people who were fighting against them, going from Gilgal into Gibeah, to the hill of Benjamin. And Saul took a census of the people, who had been found to be with him, about six hundred men¹⁶And Saul, and his son Jonathan, and the people who had been found to be with them, were at Gibeah of Benjamin. But the Philistines had settled in at Michmash¹⁷And three companies went out from the camp of the Philistines, in order to plunder. One company was traveling toward the way of Ophrah, to the land of Shual¹⁸Then another entered along the way of Beth-horon. But the third turned itself to the way of the border, overhanging the valley of Zeboim, opposite the desert¹⁹Now there was no worker of iron to be found in all the land of Israel. For the Philistines had been cautious, lest perhaps the Hebrews might make swords or spears²⁰Therefore, all of Israel descended to the Philistines, so that each man could sharpen his plowshare, or pick axe, or hatchet, or hoe²¹For their plow blades, and pick axes, and pitch forks, and axes had become blunt, and even the handles needed to be repaired²²And when the day of battle had arrived, there was found neither sword nor spear in the hand of the entire people who were with Saul and Jonathan, except for Saul and his son Jonathan²³Then the army of the Philistines went out in order to go across Michmash

Chapter 14

¹And it happened that, on a certain day, Jonathan, the son of Saul, said to the youth who bore his armor, "Come, and let us go over to the garrison of the Philistines, which is across from that place." But he did not reveal this to his father²Moreover, Saul was staying in the furthermost part of Gibeah, below the pomegranate tree that was at Migron. And the people with him were about six hundred men³And Ahijah, the son of Ahitub, the brother of Ichabod, the son of Phinehas, who had been born of Eli, the priest of the Lord at Shiloh, wore the ephod. But the people did not know where Jonathan had gone⁴Now there were, between the ascents along which Jonathan strove to cross to the garrison of the Philistines, rocks projecting from both sides, and, in the manner of teeth, boulders breaking out from one side and the other. The name of one was Shining, and the name of the other was Thorny⁵One boulder projected toward the north, opposite Michmash, and the other toward the south, opposite Gibeah⁶Then Jonathan said to the youth who bore his armor: "Come, let us go across to the garrison of these uncircumcised. And perhaps the Lord may act on our behalf. For it is not difficult for the Lord to save, either by many, or by few.⁷And his armor bearer said to him: "Do all that is pleasing to your soul. Go wherever you wish, and I will be with you, wherever you will choose.⁸And Jonathan said: "Behold, we will cross over to these men. And when we will be seen by them⁹if they have spoken to us in this way, ‘Stay until we come to you,’ let us stand still in our place, and not ascend to them¹⁰But if they will say, ‘Ascend to us,’ let us ascend. For the Lord has delivered them into our hands. This will be the sign to us.¹¹And so, both of them appeared before the garrison of the Philistines. And the Philistines said, "See, the Hebrews have come out from the holes in which they had been hiding.¹²And the men of the garrison spoke to Jonathan and to his armor bearer, and they said, "Ascend to us, and we will show you something." And Jonathan said to his armor bearer: "Let us ascend. Follow me. For the Lord has delivered them into the hands of Israel.¹³Then Jonathan ascended, crawling on his hands and feet, and his armor bearer after him. And then, some fell before Jonathan, others his armor bearer killed as he was following him¹⁴And the first slaughter was made when Jonathan and his armor bearer struck down about twenty of the men, in the midst of an area of land that a yoke of oxen would usually plow in a day¹⁵And a miracle occurred in the camp, out in the fields. And all of the people of their garrison, who had gone out in order to plunder, were stupefied. And the earth trembled. And it happened as a miracle from God¹⁶And the watchmen of Saul, who were at Gibeah of Benjamin, looked out, and behold, a multitude was thrown down and dispersed, this way and that¹⁷And Saul said to the people who were with him, "Inquire and see who has gone out from us." And when they had inquired, it was found that Jonathan and his armor bearer were not present¹⁸And Saul said to Ahijah, "Bring the ark of the God." (For the ark of God was, in that day, with the sons of Israel in that place.¹⁹And while Saul spoke to the priest, there arose a great tumult in the camp of the Philistines. And it was increasing, little by little, and it was being heard more clearly. And Saul said to the priest, "Withdraw your hand.²⁰Then Saul, and all the people who were with him, cried out together, and they went to the place of the conflict. And behold, each one’s sword had been turned against his neighbor, and there was a very great slaughter²¹Moreover, the Hebrews who had been with the Philistines yesterday and the day before, and who had ascended with them into the camp, turned back so that they might be with those of Israel who were with Saul and Jonathan²²Likewise, all the Israelites who had hidden themselves on mount Ephraim, hearing that the Philistines had fled, joined themselves with their own in the battle. And there were with Saul about ten thousand men²³And the Lord saved Israel on that day. But the fight continued as far as Bethaven²⁴And the men of Israel were joined together on that day. And Saul made the people swear, saying, "Cursed be the man who will eat bread, until evening, until I am avenged of my enemies." And the entire people did not consume bread²⁵And all the common people went into a forest, in which there was honey on the surface of the field²⁶And so the people entered the forest, and there appeared flowing honey, but no one drew his hand near his mouth. For the people were afraid of the oath²⁷But Jonathan had not heard that his father had bound the people to an oath. And so he extended the top of the staff that he was holding in his hand, and he dipped it in a honeycomb. And he turned his hand to his mouth, and his eyes were brightened²⁸And in response, one of the people said, "Your father has bound the people by an oath, saying: ‘Cursed be the man who will eat any bread this day.’ " (For the people were faint.²⁹And Jonathan said: "My father has troubled the land. You have seen for yourselves that my eyes were brightened, because I tasted a little of this honey³⁰How much more so, if the people had eaten from the plunder that they find with their enemies? Would not a greater slaughter have been accomplished among the Philistines?³¹Therefore, on that day, they struck down the Philistines, from Michmash as far as Aijalon. But the people were exceedingly wearied³²And turning to the spoils, they took sheep, and oxen, and calves, and they slew them on the ground. And the people ate with blood³³Then they reported to Saul, saying that the people had sinned against the Lord, eating with blood. And he said: "You have transgressed. Roll a great stone to me, here and now.³⁴And Saul said: "Disperse yourselves among the common people, and tell each one of them to bring to me his ox and his ram, and to slay them upon this stone, and to eat, so that you will not sin against the Lord, in eating with blood." And so, each one, out of all the people, brought his ox, by his own hand, throughout the night. And they slew them there³⁵Then Saul built an altar to the Lord. And so, it was then that he first began to build an altar to the Lord³⁶And Saul said: "Let us fall upon the Philistines by night, and lay waste to them even until the morning light. And let us not leave behind a man among them." And the people said, "Do all that seems good in your eyes." And the priest said, "Let us draw near to God in this place.³⁷And Saul consulted the Lord: "Shall I pursue the Philistines? Will you deliver them into the hands of Israel?" And he did not respond to him on that day³⁸And Saul said: "Bring here every single leader of the people. And we shall know and see by whom this sin was committed this day³⁹As the Lord lives, who is the Saviour of Israel, even if it were done by my son Jonathan, without retraction he shall die." In this, no one among all the people contradicted him⁴⁰And he said to all of Israel, "Separate yourselves on one side, and I, with my son Jonathan, will be on the other side." And the people responded to Saul, "Do what seems good in your eyes.⁴¹And Saul said to the Lord, the God of Israel: "O Lord, God of Israel, grant a sign: Why is it that you will not respond to your servant this day? If this iniquity is in me, or in my son Jonathan, grant an indication. Or if this iniquity is in your people, grant a sanctification." And Jonathan and Saul were discovered, but the people were released⁴²And Saul said, "Cast lots between myself and Jonathan, my son." And Jonathan was caught⁴³Then Saul said to Jonathan, "Tell me what you have done." And Jonathan revealed to him, and said: "Truly, I tasted a little honey with the top of the staff that was in my hand. And behold, I shall die.⁴⁴And Saul said, "May God do these things to me, and may he add these other things, for you shall surely die, Jonathan!⁴⁵And the people said to Saul: "Why should Jonathan have to die, who has accomplished this great salvation in Israel? This is wrong. As the Lord lives, not one hair of his head should fall to the ground. For he has wrought with God this day." Therefore, the people freed Jonathan, so that he would not die⁴⁶And Saul withdrew, and he did not pursue the Philistines. And the Philistines went away to their own places⁴⁷And Saul, his kingdom having been confirmed over Israel, was fighting against all his enemies on all sides: against Moab, and the sons of Ammon, and Edom, and the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines. And wherever he turned himself, he was successful⁴⁸And gathering together an army, he struck Amalek. And he rescued Israel from the hand of those who would lay waste to them⁴⁹Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan, and Ishvi, and Malchishua. And as for the names of his two daughters: the name of the firstborn daughter was Merab, and the name of the younger one was Michal⁵⁰And the name of the wife of Saul was Ahinoam, the daughter of Ahimaaz. And the name of the first ruler of his military was Abner, the son of Ner, the first cousin of Saul⁵¹For Kish was the father of Saul, and Ner was the father of Abner, and the son of Abiel⁵²Now there was a powerful war against the Philistines during all the days of Saul. And so, whomever Saul had seen to be a strong man, and fit for battle, he joined him to himself

Chapter 15

¹And Samuel said to Saul: "The Lord sent me, so that I would anoint you as king over his people Israel. Now therefore, listen to the voice of the Lord²‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: I have taken account of all that Amalek has done to Israel, how he stood against him in the way, when he ascended from Egypt³Now therefore, go and strike Amalek, and demolish all that is his. You shall not spare him, and you shall not covet anything out of the things that are his. Instead, kill from man even to woman, and little ones as well as infants, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’ ⁴And so, Saul instructed the people, and he numbered them like lambs: two hundred thousand foot soldiers, and ten thousand men of Judah⁵And when Saul had arrived as far as the city of Amalek, he placed ambushes at the torrent⁶And Saul said to the Kenite: "Go away, withdraw, and descend from Amalek. Otherwise, I will include you with him. For you showed mercy to all the sons of Israel, when they ascended from Egypt." And so the Kenite withdrew from the midst of Amalek⁷And Saul struck down Amalek, from Havilah even until you arrive at Shur, which is opposite the region of Egypt⁸And he apprehended Agag, the king of Amalek, alive. But all the common people he put to death with the edge of the sword⁹And Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the flocks of sheep, and of the herds, and the garments, and the rams, and all that was beautiful, and they were not willing to destroy them. Yet truly, whatever was vile or worthless, these they demolished¹⁰Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel, sayin¹¹"It displeases me that I have appointed Saul as king. For he has forsaken me, and he has not fulfilled the work of my words." And Samuel was greatly saddened, and he cried out to the Lord, all night lon¹²And when Samuel had risen while it was still dark, so that he might go to Saul in the morning, it was reported to Samuel that Saul had arrived at Carmel, and that he had erected for himself a triumphant arch. And, while returning, he had continued on and descended to Gilgal. Therefore, Samuel went to Saul. And Saul was offering a holocaust to the Lord, from the best of the spoils, which he had brought from Amalek¹³And when Samuel had gone to Saul, Saul said to him: "You are the blessed of the Lord. I have fulfilled the word of the Lord.¹⁴And Samuel said, "Then what is this voice of the flocks, which resounds in my ears, and of the herds, which I am hearing?¹⁵And Saul said: "They have brought these from Amalek. For the people spared the best of the sheep and of the herds, so that they might be immolated to the Lord your God. Yet truly, the remainder we have slain.¹⁶Then Samuel said to Saul, "Permit me, and I will reveal to you what the Lord has said to me this night." And he said to him, "Speak.¹⁷And Samuel said: "Was it not when you were little in your own eyes that you were made the head of the tribes of Israel? And the Lord anointed you as king over Israel¹⁸And the Lord sent you on the way, and he said: ‘Go and put to death the sinners of Amalek. And you shall fight against them, even unto utter annihilation.¹⁹Why then, did you not listen to the voice of the Lord? Instead, you turned to the spoils, and you did evil in the eyes of the Lord.²⁰And Saul said to Samuel: "On the contrary, I did listen to the voice of the Lord, and I walked in the way along which the Lord sent me, and I led back Agag, the king of Amalek, and I put to death Amalek²¹But the people took some of the spoils, sheep and oxen, as the first-fruits of those things that were slain, to immolate to the Lord their God at Gilgal.²²And Samuel said: "Does the Lord want holocausts and victims, and not instead that the voice of the Lord should be obeyed? For obedience is better than sacrifice. And to heed is greater than to offer the fat of rams²³Therefore, it is like the sin of paganism to rebel. And it is like the crime of idolatry to refuse to obey. For this reason, therefore, because you have rejected the word of the Lord, the Lord has also rejected you from being king.²⁴And Saul said to Samuel: "I have sinned, for I have transgressed the word of the Lord, and your words, by fearing the people and obeying their voice²⁵But now, I beg you, to bear my sin, and to return with me, so that I may adore the Lord.²⁶And Samuel said to Saul: "I will not return with you. For you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.²⁷And Samuel turned away, so that he might depart. But Saul took hold of the edge of his cloak, and it tore²⁸And Samuel said to him: "The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel away from you this day. And he has delivered it to your neighbor, who is better than you are²⁹Moreover, the One who triumphs within Israel will not spare, and he will not be moved to repentance. For he is not a man, that he should repent.³⁰Then he said: "I have sinned. But now, honor me before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and return with me, so that I may adore the Lord your God.³¹Therefore, Samuel turned again after Saul. And Saul adored the Lord³²And Samuel said, "Bring near to me Agag, the king of Amalek." And Agag, very fat and trembling, was presented to him. And Agag said, "Does bitter death separate in this manner?³³And Samuel said, "Just as your sword caused women to be without their children, so will your mother be without her children among women." And Samuel cut him into pieces, before the Lord at Gilgal³⁴Then Samuel went away to Ramah. But Saul ascended to his house at Gibeah³⁵And Samuel did not see Saul any more, until the day of his death. Yet truly, Samuel mourned for Saul, because the Lord regretted that he had appointed him as king over Israel

Chapter 16

¹And the Lord said to Samuel: "How long will you mourn for Saul, though I have rejected him, so that he would not reign over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and approach, so that I may send you to Jesse of Bethlehem. For I have provided a king from among his sons for myself.²And Samuel said: "How shall I go? For Saul will hear of it, and he will put me to death." And the Lord said: "You shall take, by your hand, a calf from the herd. And you shall say, ‘I have arrived in order to immolate to the Lord.³And you shall call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will reveal to you what you should do. And you shall anoint whomever I will indicate to you.⁴Therefore, Samuel did just as the Lord told him. And he went to Bethlehem, and the elders of the city wondered. And meeting him, they said, "Is your arrival peaceful?⁵And he said: "It is peaceful. I have arrived in order to immolate to the Lord. Be sanctified, and come with me to the sacrifice." Then he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and he called them to the sacrifice⁶And when they had entered, he saw Eliab, and he said, "Could he be the Christ in the sight of the Lord?⁷And the Lord said to Samuel: "You should not look with favor on his face, nor on the height of his stature. For I have rejected him. Neither do I judge by the appearance of a man. For man sees those things that are apparent, but the Lord beholds the heart.⁸And Jesse called Abinadab, and he brought him before Samuel. And he said, "Neither has the Lord chosen this one.⁹Then Jesse brought Shammah. And he said about him, "And the Lord has not chosen this one.¹⁰And so Jesse brought his seven sons before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, "The Lord has not chosen any of these.¹¹And Samuel said to Jesse, "Could the sons now be completed?" But he responded, "There still remains a little one, and he pastures the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse: "Send and bring him. For we shall not recline to eat, until he arrives here.¹²Therefore, he sent and brought him. Now he was ruddy, and beautiful to behold, and with a stately face. And the Lord said, "Rise up, anoint him! For it is he.¹³Therefore, Samuel took the horn of oil, and he anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord was guiding David from that day and thereafter. And Samuel rose up, and he went away to Ramah¹⁴But the Spirit of the Lord withdrew from Saul, and a wicked spirit from the Lord disturbed him¹⁵And the servants of Saul said to him: "Behold, an evil spirit from God disturbs you¹⁶May our lord order, and your servants, who are before you, will seek a man skillful in playing a stringed instrument, so that when the evil spirit from the Lord assails you, he may play with his hand, and you may bear it more easily.¹⁷And Saul said to his servants, "Then provide for me someone who can play well, and bring him to me.¹⁸And one of the servants, responding, said: "Behold, I have seen the son of Jesse of Bethlehem, a skillful player, and very strong and robust, a man fit for war, and prudent in words, a handsome man. And the Lord is with him.¹⁹Therefore, Saul sent messengers to Jesse, saying, "Send to me your son David, who is in the pastures.²⁰And so, Jesse took a donkey laden with bread, and a bottle of wine, and a kid from one of the goats, and he sent them, by the hand of his son David, to Saul²¹And David went to Saul, and stood before him. And he loved him exceedingly, and he made him his armor bearer²²And Saul sent to Jesse, saying: "Let David remain before my sight. For he has found favor in my eyes.²³And so, whenever the evil spirit from the Lord assailed Saul, David took up his stringed instrument, and he struck it with his hand, and Saul was refreshed and uplifted. For the evil spirit withdrew from him

Chapter 17

¹Now the Philistines, gathering their troops for battle, assembled at Socoh of Judah. And they made camp between Socoh and Azekah, within the borders of Dammim²But Saul and the sons of Israel, having gathered together, went to the Valley of Terebinth. And they positioned the army so as to fight against the Philistines³And the Philistines were standing on a mountain on the one side, and Israel was standing on a mountain on the other side. And there was a valley between them⁴And there went out from the camp of the Philistines, a man of illegitimate birth, named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a palm⁵And he had a helmet of brass upon his head, and he was clothed with a breastplate of scales. Moreover, the weight of his breastplate was five thousand shekels of brass⁶And he had plates of brass on his lower legs, and a small shield of brass was covering his shoulders⁷Now the shaft of his spear was like the beam used by a weaver. And the iron of his spear held six hundred shekels of iron. And his armor bearer went before him⁸And standing still, he cried out to the battle lines of Israel, and he said to them: "Why have you arrived, prepared for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose one man from among you, and let him descend to do battle alone⁹If he is able to fight with me and to strike me down, we will be your servants. But if I will prevail over him, and strike him down, you will be the servants, and you will serve us.¹⁰And the Philistine was saying: "I have reproached the troops of Israel today. Present a man to me, and let him undertake a fight against me alone.¹¹And Saul and all the Israelites, hearing these words of the Philistine in this manner, were stupefied and exceedingly afraid¹²Now David was the son of an Ephrathite man, the one mentioned above, from Bethlehem of Judah, whose name was Jesse. He had eight sons, and during the days of Saul, he was an elderly man, and of great age among men¹³Now his three eldest sons followed Saul into battle. And the names of his three sons, who went to the battle, were Eliab, the firstborn, and the second, Abinadab, and the third Shammah¹⁴But David was the youngest. Therefore, when the three eldest had followed Saul¹⁵David went away from Saul, and he returned, so that he might pasture the flock of his father at Bethlehem¹⁶Truly, the Philistine advanced morning and evening, and he stood forth, for forty days¹⁷Now Jesse said to his son David: "Take, for your brothers, an ephah of cooked grain, and these ten loaves, and hurry to the camp, to your brothers¹⁸And you shall carry these ten little cheeses to the tribune. And visit your brothers, to see if they are doing well. And learn with whom they have been stationed.¹⁹But they were in the valley of Terebinth, with Saul and all the sons of Israel, fighting against the Philistines²⁰And so, David rose up in the morning, and he commended the flock to the caretaker. And he went away burdened, just as Jesse had instructed him. And he went to the place of the battle line, and to the army, which, in going out to fight, was shouting in the conflict²¹For Israel had positioned their troops, but the Philistines also had prepared themselves against them²²Then, leaving the items that he had brought under the hand of the keeper of baggage, David ran to the place of the conflict. And he was asking if all was going well with his brothers²³And while he was still speaking with them, there appeared the man of spurious descent, whose name was Goliath, the Philistine of Gath, ascending from the camp of the Philistines. And he was speaking in these same words, which David heard²⁴Then all the Israelites, when they had seen the man, fled from his face, fearing him greatly²⁵And someone of Israel said: "Have you seen this man, who has risen up. For he ascended in order to reproach Israel. Therefore, the man who will strike him down, the king will enrich with great wealth, and will give to him his daughter, and will cause his father’s house to be free of tribute in Israel.²⁶And David spoke to the men who were standing with him, saying: "What will be given to the man who will have struck down this Philistine, and who will have taken away the disgrace from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should reproach the soldiers of the living God?²⁷Then the people repeated to him the same words, saying, "These things shall be given to the man who will have struck him down.²⁸Now when Eliab, his eldest brother, had heard this, as he was speaking with the others, he became angry against David, and he said: "Why did you come here? And why did you leave behind those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the wickedness of your heart, that you have come down so that you might see the battle.²⁹And David said: "What have I done? Is there any word against me?³⁰And he turned away from him a little, toward another. And he asked the same question. And the people responded to him as before³¹Now the words that David had spoken were heard and reported in the sight of Saul³²When he had been led to Saul, he said to him: "Let no one lose heart over him. I, your servant, shall go and fight against the Philistine.³³And Saul said to David: "You are not able to withstand this Philistine, nor to fight against him. For you are a boy, but he has been a warrior from his boyhood.³⁴And David said to Saul: "Your servant was pasturing the flock of his father. And there approached a lion or a bear, and it took a ram from the midst of the flock³⁵And I pursued after them, and I struck them, and I rescued from their mouth. And they rose up against me. And I caught them by the throat, and I strangled and killed them³⁶For I, your servant, have killed both lion and bear. And so this uncircumcised Philistine, too, will be like one of them. Now I will go and take away the reproach of the people. For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, who has dared to curse the army of the living God?³⁷And David said, "The Lord who rescued me from the hand of the lion, and from the hand of the bear, he himself will free me from the hand of this Philistine." Then Saul said to David, "Go, and may the Lord be with you.³⁸And Saul clothed David with his garments. And he placed a helmet of brass upon his head, and he clothed him with a breastplate³⁹Then David, having girded his sword over his armor, began to see if he could walk in the armor. But he was not accustomed to it. And David said to Saul: "I cannot move about in this way. For I am not used to it." And he put them aside⁴⁰And he took up his staff, which he held always in his hands. And he chose for himself five very smooth stones from the torrent. And he put them into the shepherd’s bag that he had with him. And he took up a sling in his hand. And he went out against the Philistine⁴¹And the Philistine, advancing, went and drew near against David. And his armor bearer was before him⁴²And when the Philistine had seen and considered David, he despised him. For he was a youth, ruddy and of handsome appearance⁴³And the Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you approach against me with a staff?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods⁴⁴And he said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air, and to the beasts of the earth.⁴⁵But David said to the Philistine: "You approach me with sword, and spear, and shield. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, which you have reproached⁴⁶Today, the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down. And I will take your head from you. And today, I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air, and to the beasts of the earth, so that all the earth may know that God is with Israel⁴⁷And this entire assembly will know that the Lord does not save by sword, nor by spear. For this is his war, and he will deliver you into our hands.⁴⁸Then, when the Philistine had risen up, and was approaching, and was drawing near against David, David hurried and ran to the fight against the Philistine⁴⁹And he put his hand into his bag, and took out one stone. And swinging it around, he cast it with the sling and struck the Philistine on the forehead. And the stone became imbedded in his forehead. And he fell on his face, upon the ground⁵⁰And David prevailed against the Philistine with a sling and a stone. And he struck and killed the Philistine. But since David held no sword in his hand⁵¹he ran and stood over the Philistine, and he took his sword, and withdrew it from the sheath. And he killed him and cut off his head. Then the Philistines, seeing that their strongest man was dead, fled away⁵²And the men of Israel and Judah, rising up, shouted and pursued after the Philistines, even until they arrived at the valley and as far as the gates of Ekron. And many wounded among the Philistines fell on the way of Shaaraim, and as far as Gath, and as far as Ekron⁵³And the sons of Israel, returning after they had pursued the Philistines, invaded their camp⁵⁴Then David, taking up the head of the Philistine, brought it to Jerusalem. Yet truly, he placed his armor in his own tent⁵⁵Now at the time that Saul had seen David going out against the Philistines, he said to Abner, the leader of the military, "From what stock is this youth descended, Abner?" And Abner said, "As your soul lives, O king, I do not know.⁵⁶And the king said, "You shall inquire as to whose son this boy may be.⁵⁷And when David had returned, after the Philistine had been struck down, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul, having the head of the Philistine in his hand⁵⁸And Saul said to him, "Young man, from what ancestry are you?" And David said, "I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem.

Chapter 18

¹And it happened that, when he had completed speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan adhered to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him like his own soul²And Saul took him that day, and would not permit him to return to his father’s house³Then David and Jonathan formed a pact. For he loved him like his own soul⁴And Jonathan took off the coat that he was wearing, and he gave it to David, with the rest of his garments, even to his sword and bow, and even his belt⁵Also, David went out to do everything whatsoever that Saul sent him to do, and he conducted himself prudently. And Saul set him over men of war. And he was acceptable in the eyes of the entire people, and most of all in the sight of the servants of Saul⁶Now when David returned, after he had struck down the Philistine, the women went out, from all the cities of Israel, leading the singing and dancing, rejoicing with timbrels and bells, so as to meet king Saul⁷And the women sang, as they played, saying, "Saul has struck down a thousand, and David ten thousand.⁸Then Saul became exceedingly angry, and this word was displeasing in his eyes. And he said: "They have given David ten thousand, and to me they gave only one thousand. What is left for him, except the kingdom itself?⁹Therefore, Saul did not regard David with a good eye, from that day and thereafter¹⁰Then, on the next day, the evil spirit from God assailed Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of his house. And David played with his hand, just as at every other time. And Saul held a lance in his hand¹¹And he threw it, thinking that he would be able to fix David to the wall. And David stepped aside twice, from before his face¹²And Saul feared David, because the Lord was with him, but he had withdrawn from Saul¹³Therefore, Saul sent him away from himself, and he made him tribune over one thousand men. And he entered and departed in the sight of the people¹⁴Also, David acted prudently in all his ways, and the Lord was with him¹⁵And so, Saul saw that he was exceedingly prudent, and he began to be wary of him¹⁶But all of Israel and Judah loved David. For he entered and departed before them¹⁷And Saul said to David: "Behold, my elder daughter, Merab. I will give her to you as wife. Only be a valiant man, and fight the wars of the Lord." Now Saul was considering within himself, saying, "Let not my hand be upon him, but let the hands of the Philistines be upon him.¹⁸Then David said to Saul, "Who am I, and what is my life, and what is my father’s kinship within Israel, that I should be the son-in-law of the king?¹⁹Then it happened that, at the time when Merab, the daughter of Saul, was to be given to David, she was given to Adriel, the Meholathite, as wife²⁰Now Michal, the other daughter of Saul, loved David. And this was reported to Saul, and it pleased him²¹And Saul said, "I will give her to him, so that she may be a stumbling block to him, and so that the hand of the Philistines may be upon him." And Saul said to David, "In two things, you shall be my son-in-law today.²²And Saul commanded his servants to speak to David privately, saying: "Behold, you are pleasing to the king, and all his servants love you. Now therefore, be the son-in-law of the king.²³And the servants of Saul spoke all these words to the ears of David. And David said: "Does it seem a small matter to you, to be the son-in-law of the king? I am but a poor and unimportant man.²⁴And the servants reported to Saul, saying, "David has spoken words in this manner.²⁵Then Saul said, "Speak in this way to David: The king does not have need of any dowry, but only one hundred foreskins from the Philistine men, so that he may be vindicated from the enemies of the king." So did Saul think to deliver David into the hands of the Philistines²⁶And when his servants had repeated to David the words that Saul had spoken, the word was pleasing in the eyes of David, so that he would become son-in-law of the king²⁷And after a few days, David, rising up, went with the men who were under him, and he struck down two hundred men of the Philistines. And he brought their foreskins, and he counted them out for the king, so that he might be his son-in-law. And so, Saul gave to him his daughter Michal as wife²⁸And Saul saw and understood that the Lord was with David. And Michal, the daughter of Saul, loved him²⁹And Saul began to fear David all the more. And Saul became the enemy of David, every day³⁰And the leaders of the Philistines departed. And from the beginning of their departure, David conducted himself more prudently than all the servants of Saul, and his name became exceedingly celebrated