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1st Samuel1There was a man named Elkanah

who lived in Ramah in the hill country ofEphraim. He was the son of Jerohamand grandson of Elihu, from the family ofTohu and the clan of Zuph.2Elkanah had two wives, Hannah andPeninnah. Peninnah had children, whileHannah did not.3Each year Elkanah and his familywould travel to Shiloh to worship andsacrifice to the LORD Almighty at theTabernacle. The priests of the LORD atthat time were the two sons of Eli--Hophni and Phinehas.4On the day Elkanah presented hissacrifice, he would give portions of thesacrifice to Peninnah and each of herchildren.5But he gave Hannah a special portionbecause he loved her very much, eventhough the LORD had given her nochildren.6But Peninnah made fun of Hannahbecause the LORD had closed herwomb.7Year after year it was the same--Peninnah would taunt Hannah as theywent to the Tabernacle. Hannah wouldfinally be reduced to tears and would noteven eat.8"What's the matter, Hannah?" Elkanahwould ask. "Why aren't you eating? Whybe so sad just because you have nochildren? You have me--isn't that betterthan having ten sons?"9Once when they were at Shiloh,Hannah went over to the Tabernacleafter supper to pray to the LORD. Eli thepriest was sitting at his customary placebeside the entrance.10Hannah was in deep anguish, cryingbitterly as she prayed to the LORD.11And she made this vow: "O LORDAlmighty, if you will look down upon mysorrow and answer my prayer and giveme a son, then I will give him back toyou. He will be yours for his entirelifetime, and as a sign that he has beendedicated to the LORD, his hair willnever be cut."12As she was praying to the LORD, Eliwatched her.13Seeing her lips moving but hearing nosound, he thought she had beendrinking.14"Must you come here drunk?" he

demanded. "Throw away your wine!"15"Oh no, sir!" she replied, "I'm notdrunk! But I am very sad, and I waspouring out my heart to the LORD.16Please don't think I am a wickedwoman! For I have been praying out ofgreat anguish and sorrow."17"In that case," Eli said, "cheer up! Maythe God of Israel grant the request youhave asked of him."18"Oh, thank you, sir!" she exclaimed.Then she went back and began to eatagain, and she was no longer sad.19The entire family got up early the nextmorning and went to worship the LORDonce more. Then they returned home toRamah. When Elkanah slept withHannah, the LORD remembered herrequest,20and in due time she gave birth to a son.She named him Samuel, for she said, "Iasked the LORD for him."21The next year Elkanah, Peninnah, andtheir children went on their annual trip tooffer a sacrifice to the LORD.22But Hannah did not go. She told herhusband, "Wait until the baby is weaned.Then I will take him to the Tabernacleand leave him there with the LORDpermanently."23"Whatever you think is best," Elkanahagreed. "Stay here for now, and may theLORD help you keep your promise." Soshe stayed home and nursed the baby.24When the child was weaned, Hannahtook him to the Tabernacle in Shiloh.They brought along a three-year-old bullfor the sacrifice and half a bushel offlour and some wine.25After sacrificing the bull, they took thechild to Eli.26"Sir, do you remember me?" Hannahasked. "I am the woman who stood hereseveral years ago praying to the LORD.27I asked the LORD to give me this child,and he has given me my request.28Now I am giving him to the LORD, andhe will belong to the LORD his wholelife." And they worshiped the LORDthere.

2Then Hannah prayed: "My heart

rejoices in the LORD! Oh, how theLORD has blessed me! Now I have ananswer for my enemies, as I delight inyour deliverance.2No one is holy like the LORD! There isno one besides you; there is no Rocklike our God.

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3"Stop acting so proud and haughty!Don't speak with such arrogance! TheLORD is a God who knows your deeds;and he will judge you for what you havedone.4Those who were mighty are mighty nomore; and those who were weak arenow strong.5Those who were well fed are nowstarving; and those who were starvingare now full. The barren woman nowhas seven children; but the woman withmany children will have no more.6The LORD brings both death and life;he brings some down to the grave butraises others up.7The LORD makes one poor andanother rich; he brings one down andlifts another up.8He lifts the poor from the dust-- yes,from a pile of ashes! He treats them likeprinces, placing them in seats of honor."For all the earth is the LORD's, and hehas set the world in order.9He will protect his godly ones, but thewicked will perish in darkness. No onewill succeed by strength alone.10Those who fight against the LORD willbe broken. He thunders against themfrom heaven; the LORD judgesthroughout the earth. He gives mightystrength to his king; he increases themight of his anointed one."11Then Elkanah and Hannah returnedhome to Ramah without Samuel. Andthe boy became the LORD's helper, forhe assisted Eli the priest.12Now the sons of Eli were scoundrelswho had no respect for the LORD13or for their duties as priests. Wheneveranyone offered a sacrifice, Eli's sonswould send over a servant with a threeprongedfork. While the meat of thesacrificed animal was still boiling,14the servant would stick the fork intothe pot and demand that whatever itbrought up be given to Eli's sons. All theIsraelites who came to worship at Shilohwere treated this way.15Sometimes the servant would comeeven before the animal's fat had beenburned on the altar. He would demandraw meat before it had been boiled sothat it could be used for roasting.16The man offering the sacrifice mightreply, "Take as much as you want, butthe fat must first be burned." Then theservant would demand, "No, give it tome now, or I'll take it by force."17So the sin of these young men was

very serious in the LORD's sight, forthey treated the LORD's offerings withcontempt.18Now Samuel, though only a boy, wasthe LORD's helper. He wore a linentunic just like that of a priest.19Each year his mother made a smallcoat for him and brought it to him whenshe came with her husband for thesacrifice.20Before they returned home, Eli wouldbless Elkanah and his wife and say,"May the LORD give you other childrento take the place of this one she gave tothe LORD. "21And the LORD gave Hannah threesons and two daughters. Meanwhile,Samuel grew up in the presence of theLORD.22Now Eli was very old, but he wasaware of what his sons were doing tothe people of Israel. He knew, forinstance, that his sons were seducingthe young women who assisted at theentrance of the Tabernacle.23Eli said to them, "I have been hearingreports from the people about thewicked things you are doing. Why doyou keep sinning?24You must stop, my sons! The reports Ihear among the LORD's people are notgood.25If someone sins against anotherperson, God can mediate for the guiltyparty. But if someone sins against theLORD, who can intercede?" But Eli'ssons wouldn't listen to their father, forthe LORD was already planning to putthem to death.26Meanwhile, as young Samuel grewtaller, he also continued to gain favorwith the LORD and with the people.27One day a prophet came to Eli andgave him this message from the LORD:"Didn't I reveal myself to your ancestorswhen the people of Israel were slaves inEgypt?28I chose your ancestor Aaron fromamong all his relatives to be my priest,to offer sacrifices on my altar, to burnincense, and to wear the priestlygarments as he served me. And Iassigned the sacrificial offerings to youpriests.29So why do you scorn my sacrificesand offerings? Why do you honor yoursons more than me--for you and theyhave become fat from the best offeringsof my people!30"Therefore, the LORD, the God of

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Israel, says: The terrible things you aredoing cannot continue! I had promisedthat your branch of the tribe of Leviwould always be my priests. But I willhonor only those who honor me, and Iwill despise those who despise me.31I will put an end to your family, so it willno longer serve as my priests. All themembers of your family will die beforetheir time. None will live to a ripe old age.32You will watch with envy as I pour outprosperity on the people of Israel. Butno members of your family will ever liveout their days.33Those who are left alive will live insadness and grief, and their children willdie a violent death.34And to prove that what I have said willcome true, I will cause your two sons,Hophni and Phinehas, to die on thesame day!35"Then I will raise up a faithful priestwho will serve me and do what I tell himto do. I will bless his descendants, andhis family will be priests to my anointedkings forever.36Then all of your descendants will bowbefore his descendants, begging formoney and food. 'Please,' they will say,'give us jobs among the priests so wewill have enough to eat.' "

3Meanwhile, the boy Samuel was

serving the LORD by assisting Eli. Nowin those days messages from the LORDwere very rare, and visions were quiteuncommon.2One night Eli, who was almost blind bynow, had just gone to bed.3The lamp of God had not yet gone out,and Samuel was sleeping in theTabernacle near the Ark of God.4Suddenly, the LORD called out,"Samuel! Samuel!" "Yes?" Samuelreplied. "What is it?"5He jumped up and ran to Eli. "Here Iam. What do you need?" "I didn't callyou," Eli replied. "Go on back to bed."So he did.6Then the LORD called out again,"Samuel!" Again Samuel jumped up andran to Eli. "Here I am," he said. "Whatdo you need?" "I didn't call you, myson," Eli said. "Go on back to bed."7Samuel did not yet know the LORDbecause he had never had a messagefrom the LORD before.8So now the LORD called a third time,and once more Samuel jumped up and

ran to Eli. "Here I am," he said. "Whatdo you need?" Then Eli realized it wasthe LORD who was calling the boy.9So he said to Samuel, "Go and liedown again, and if someone calls again,say, 'Yes, LORD, your servant islistening.' " So Samuel went back to bed.10And the LORD came and called asbefore, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuelreplied, "Yes, your servant is listening."11Then the LORD said to Samuel, "I amabout to do a shocking thing in Israel.12I am going to carry out all my threatsagainst Eli and his family.13I have warned him continually thatjudgment is coming for his family,because his sons are blaspheming Godand he hasn't disciplined them.14So I have vowed that the sins of Eliand his sons will never be forgiven bysacrifices or offerings."15Samuel stayed in bed until morning,then got up and opened the doors of theTabernacle as usual. He was afraid totell Eli what the LORD had said to him.16But Eli called out to him, "Samuel, myson." "Here I am," Samuel replied.17"What did the LORD say to you? Tellme everything. And may God punishyou if you hide anything from me!"18So Samuel told Eli everything; hedidn't hold anything back. "It is theLORD's will," Eli replied. "Let him dowhat he thinks best."19As Samuel grew up, the LORD waswith him, and everything Samuel saidwas wise and helpful.20All the people of Israel from one end ofthe land to the other knew that Samuelwas confirmed as a prophet of theLORD.21The LORD continued to appear atShiloh and gave messages to Samuelthere at the Tabernacle. And Samuel'swords went out to all the people of Israel.

4At that time Israel was at war with the

Philistines. The Israelite army wascamped near Ebenezer, and thePhilistines were at Aphek.2The Philistines attacked and defeatedthe army of Israel, killing four thousandmen.3After the battle was over, the army ofIsrael retreated to their camp, and theirleaders asked, "Why did the LORDallow us to be defeated by thePhilistines?" Then they said, "Let's bringthe Ark of the Covenant of the LORD

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from Shiloh. If we carry it into battle withus, it will save us from our enemies."4So they sent men to Shiloh to bringback the Ark of the Covenant of theLORD Almighty, who is enthronedbetween the cherubim. Hophni andPhinehas, the sons of Eli, helped carrythe Ark of God to where the battle wasbeing fought.5When the Israelites saw the Ark of theCovenant of the LORD coming into thecamp, their shout of joy was so loud thatit made the ground shake!6"What's going on?" the Philistinesasked. "What's all the shouting about inthe Hebrew camp?" When they weretold it was because the Ark of the LORDhad arrived,7they panicked. "The gods have comeinto their camp!" they cried. "This is adisaster! We have never had to faceanything like this before!8Who can save us from these mightygods of Israel? They are the same godswho destroyed the Egyptians withplagues when Israel was in thewilderness.9Fight as you never have before,Philistines! If you don't, we will becomethe Hebrews' slaves just as they havebeen ours!"10So the Philistines fought desperately,and Israel was defeated again. Theslaughter was great; thirty thousandIsraelite men died that day. Thesurvivors turned and fled to their tents.11The Ark of God was captured, andHophni and Phinehas, the two sons ofEli, were killed.12A man from the tribe of Benjamin ranfrom the battlefront and arrived at Shilohlater that same day. He had torn hisclothes and put dust on his head toshow his grief.13Eli was waiting beside the road to hearthe news of the battle, for his hearttrembled for the safety of the Ark of God.When the messenger arrived and toldwhat had happened, an outcryresounded throughout the town.14"What is all the noise about?" Eliasked. The messenger rushed over toEli,15who was ninety-eight years old andblind.16He said to Eli, "I have just come fromthe battlefront--I was there this veryday." "What happened?" Eli demanded.17"Israel has been defeated," themessenger replied. "Thousands of

Israelite troops are dead on thebattlefield. Your two sons, Hophni andPhinehas, were killed, too. And the Arkof God has been captured."18When the messenger mentioned whathad happened to the Ark, Eli fellbackward from his seat beside the gate.He broke his neck and died, for he wasold and very fat. He had led Israel forforty years.19Eli's daughter-in-law, the wife ofPhinehas, was pregnant and near hertime of delivery. When she heard thatthe Ark of God had been captured andthat her husband and father-in-law weredead, her labor pains suddenly began.20She died in childbirth, but before shepassed away the midwives tried toencourage her. "Don't be afraid," theysaid. "You have a baby boy!" But shedid not answer or respond in any way.21She named the child Ichabod--"Whereis the glory?"--murmuring, "Israel's gloryis gone." She named him this becausethe Ark of God had been captured andbecause her husband and her father-inlawwere dead.22Then she said, "The glory hasdeparted from Israel, for the Ark of Godhas been captured."

5After the Philistines captured the Ark

of God, they took it from thebattleground at Ebenezer to the city ofAshdod.2They carried the Ark of God into thetemple of Dagon and placed it besidethe idol of Dagon.3But when the citizens of Ashdod wentto see it the next morning, Dagon hadfallen with his face to the ground in frontof the Ark of the LORD! So they set theidol up again.4But the next morning the same thinghappened--the idol had fallen face downbefore the Ark of the LORD again. Thistime his head and hands had broken offand were lying in the doorway. Only thetrunk of his body was left intact.5That is why to this day neither thepriests of Dagon nor anyone who entersthe temple of Dagon will step on itsthreshold.6Then the LORD began to afflict thepeople of Ashdod and the nearbyvillages with a plague of tumors.7When the people realized what washappening, they cried out, "We can'tkeep the Ark of the God of Israel here

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any longer! He is against us! We will allbe destroyed along with our godDagon."8So they called together the rulers of thefive Philistine cities and asked, "Whatshould we do with the Ark of the God ofIsrael?" The rulers discussed it andreplied, "Move it to the city of Gath." Sothey moved the Ark of the God of Israelto Gath.9But when the Ark arrived at Gath, theLORD began afflicting its people, youngand old, with a plague of tumors, andthere was a great panic.10So they sent the Ark of God to the cityof Ekron, but when the people of Ekronsaw it coming they cried out, "They arebringing the Ark of the God of Israelhere to kill us, too!"11So the people summoned the rulersagain and begged them, "Please sendthe Ark of the God of Israel back to itsown country, or it will kill us all." For theplague from God had already begun,and great fear was sweeping across thecity.12Those who didn't die were afflictedwith tumors; and there was weepingeverywhere.

6The Ark of the LORD remained in

Philistine territory seven months in all.2Then the Philistines called in theirpriests and diviners and asked them,"What should we do about the Ark of theLORD? Tell us how to return it to its ownland."3"Send the Ark of the God of Israel back,along with a gift," they were told. "Senda guilt offering so the plague will stop.Then, if the plague doesn't stop, you willknow that God didn't send the plagueafter all."4"What sort of guilt offering should wesend?" they asked. And they were told,"Since the plague has struck both youand your five rulers, make five goldtumors and five gold rats, just like thosethat have ravaged your land.5Make these things to show honor to theGod of Israel. Perhaps then he will stopafflicting you, your gods, and your land.6Don't be stubborn and rebellious asPharaoh and the Egyptians were. Theywouldn't let Israel go until God hadravaged them with dreadful plagues.7Now build a new cart, and find twocows that have just had calves. Makesure the cows have never been yoked to

a cart. Hitch the cows to the cart, butshut their calves away from them in apen.8Put the Ark of the LORD on the cart,and beside it place a chest containingthe gold rats and gold tumors. Then letthe cows go wherever they want.9If they cross the border of our land andgo to Beth-shemesh, we will know it wasthe LORD who brought this greatdisaster upon us. If they don't, we willknow that the plague was simply acoincidence and was not sent by theLORD at all."10So these instructions were carried out.Two cows with newborn calves werehitched to the cart, and their calves wereshut up in a pen.11Then the Ark of the LORD and thechest containing the gold rats and goldtumors were placed on the cart.12And sure enough, the cows wentstraight along the road toward Bethshemesh,lowing as they went. ThePhilistine rulers followed them as far asthe border of Beth-shemesh.13The people of Beth-shemesh wereharvesting wheat in the valley, andwhen they saw the Ark, they wereoverjoyed!14The cart came into the field of a mannamed Joshua and stopped beside alarge rock. So the people broke up thewood of the cart for a fire and killed thecows and sacrificed them to the LORDas a burnt offering.15Several men of the tribe of Levi liftedthe Ark of the LORD and the chestcontaining the gold rats and gold tumorsfrom the cart and placed them on thelarge rock. Many burnt offerings andsacrifices were offered to the LORD thatday by the people of Beth-shemesh.16The five Philistine rulers watched allthis and then returned to Ekron thatsame day.17The five gold tumors that were sent bythe Philistines as a guilt offering to theLORD were gifts from the rulers ofAshdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, andEkron.18The five gold rats represented the fivePhilistine cities and their surroundingvillages, which were controlled by thefive rulers. The large rock at Bethshemesh,where they set the Ark of theLORD, still stands in the field of Joshuaas a reminder of what happened there.19But the LORD killed seventy men fromBeth-shemesh because they looked into

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the Ark of the LORD. And the peoplemourned greatly because of what theLORD had done.20"Who is able to stand in the presenceof the LORD, this holy God?" they criedout. "Where can we send the Ark fromhere?"21So they sent messengers to thepeople at Kiriath-jearim and told them,"The Philistines have returned the Ark ofthe LORD. Please come here and getit!"

7So the men of Kiriath-jearim came to

get the Ark of the LORD. They took it tothe hillside home of Abinadab andordained Eleazar, his son, to be incharge of it.2The Ark remained in Kiriath-jearim for along time--twenty years in all. Duringthat time, all Israel mourned because itseemed that the LORD had abandonedthem.3Then Samuel said to all the people ofIsrael, "If you are really serious aboutwanting to return to the LORD, get rid ofyour foreign gods and your images ofAshtoreth. Determine to obey only theLORD; then he will rescue you from thePhilistines."4So the Israelites destroyed their imagesof Baal and Ashtoreth and worshipedonly the LORD.5Then Samuel told them, "Come toMizpah, all of you. I will pray to theLORD for you."6So they gathered there and, in a greatceremony, drew water from a well andpoured it out before the LORD. Theyalso went without food all day andconfessed that they had sinned againstthe LORD. So it was at Mizpah thatSamuel became Israel's judge.7When the Philistine rulers heard that allIsrael had gathered at Mizpah, theymobilized their army and advanced. TheIsraelites were badly frightened whenthey learned that the Philistines wereapproaching.8"Plead with the LORD our God to saveus from the Philistines!" they beggedSamuel.9So Samuel took a young lamb andoffered it to the LORD as a whole burntoffering. He pleaded with the LORD tohelp Israel, and the LORD answered.10Just as Samuel was sacrificing theburnt offering, the Philistines arrived forbattle. But the LORD spoke with a

mighty voice of thunder from heaven,and the Philistines were thrown intosuch confusion that the Israelitesdefeated them.11The men of Israel chased them fromMizpah to Beth-car, slaughtering themall along the way.12Samuel then took a large stone andplaced it between the towns of Mizpahand Jeshanah. He named it Ebenezer--"the stone of help"--for he said, "Up tothis point the LORD has helped us!"13So the Philistines were subdued anddidn't invade Israel again for a long time.And throughout Samuel's lifetime, theLORD's powerful hand was raisedagainst the Philistines.14The Israelite towns near Ekron andGath that the Philistines had capturedwere restored to Israel, along with therest of the territory that the Philistineshad taken. And there was also peacebetween Israel and the Amorites inthose days.15Samuel continued as Israel's judge forthe rest of his life.16Each year he traveled around, settingup his court first at Bethel, then at Gilgal,and then at Mizpah. He judged thepeople of Israel at each of these places.17Then he would return to his home atRamah, and he would hear cases there,too. And Samuel built an altar to theLORD at Ramah.

8As Samuel grew old, he appointed

his sons to be judges over Israel.2Joel and Abijah, his oldest sons, heldcourt in Beersheba.3But they were not like their father, forthey were greedy for money. Theyaccepted bribes and perverted justice.4Finally, the leaders of Israel met atRamah to discuss the matter withSamuel.5"Look," they told him, "you are now old,and your sons are not like you. Give usa king like all the other nations have."6Samuel was very upset with theirrequest and went to the LORD foradvice.7"Do as they say," the LORD replied,"for it is me they are rejecting, not you.They don't want me to be their king anylonger.8Ever since I brought them from Egyptthey have continually forsaken me andfollowed other gods. And now they aregiving you the same treatment.

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9Do as they ask, but solemnly warnthem about how a king will treat them."10So Samuel passed on the LORD'swarning to the people.11"This is how a king will treat you,"Samuel said. "The king will draft yoursons into his army and make them runbefore his chariots.12Some will be commanders of histroops, while others will be slavelaborers. Some will be forced to plow inhis fields and harvest his crops, whileothers will make his weapons andchariot equipment.13The king will take your daughters fromyou and force them to cook and bakeand make perfumes for him.14He will take away the best of yourfields and vineyards and olive grovesand give them to his own servants.15He will take a tenth of your harvestand distribute it among his officers andattendants.16He will want your male and femaleslaves and demand the finest of yourcattle and donkeys for his own use.17He will demand a tenth of your flocks,and you will be his slaves.18When that day comes, you will beg forrelief from this king you are demanding,but the LORD will not help you."19But the people refused to listen toSamuel's warning. "Even so, we stillwant a king," they said.20"We want to be like the nations aroundus. Our king will govern us and lead usinto battle."21So Samuel told the LORD what thepeople had said,22and the LORD replied, "Do as they say,and give them a king." Then Samuelagreed and sent the people home.

9Kish was a rich, influential man from

the tribe of Benjamin. He was the son ofAbiel and grandson of Zeror, from thefamily of Becorath and the clan ofAphiah.2His son Saul was the most handsomeman in Israel--head and shoulders tallerthan anyone else in the land.3One day Kish's donkeys strayed away,and he told Saul, "Take a servant withyou, and go look for them."4So Saul took one of his servants andtraveled all through the hill country ofEphraim, the land of Shalishah, theShaalim area, and the entire land ofBenjamin, but they couldn't find the

donkeys anywhere.5Finally, they entered the region of Zuph,and Saul said to his servant, "Let's gohome. By now my father will be moreworried about us than about thedonkeys!"6But the servant said, "I've just thoughtof something! There is a man of Godwho lives here in this town. He is held inhigh honor by all the people becauseeverything he says comes true. Let's gofind him. Perhaps he can tell us whichway to go."7"But we don't have anything to offerhim," Saul replied. "Even our food isgone, and we don't have a thing to givehim."8"Well," the servant said, "I have onesmall silver piece. We can at least offerit to him and see what happens!"9(In those days if people wanted amessage from God, they would say,"Let's go and ask the seer," for prophetsused to be called seers.)10"All right," Saul agreed, "let's try it!" Sothey started into the town where theman of God was.11As they were climbing a hill toward thetown, they met some young womencoming out to draw water. So Saul andhis servant asked, "Is the seer heretoday?"12"Yes," they replied. "Stay right on thisroad. He is at the town gates. He hasjust arrived to take part in a publicsacrifice up on the hill.13Hurry and catch him before he goesup the hill to eat. The guests won't startuntil he arrives to bless the food."14So they entered the town, and as theypassed through the gates, Samuel wascoming out toward them to climb the hill.15Now the LORD had told Samuel theprevious day,16"About this time tomorrow I will sendyou a man from the land of Benjamin.Anoint him to be the leader of my people,Israel. He will rescue them from thePhilistines, for I have looked down onmy people in mercy and have heardtheir cry."17When Samuel noticed Saul, the LORDsaid, "That's the man I told you about!He will rule my people."18Just then Saul approached Samuel atthe gateway and asked, "Can youplease tell me where the seer's houseis?"19"I am the seer!" Samuel replied. "Goon up the hill ahead of me to the place

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of sacrifice, and we'll eat there together.In the morning I will tell you what youwant to know and send you on your way.20And don't worry about those donkeysthat were lost three days ago, for theyhave been found. And I am here to tellyou that you and your family are thefocus of all Israel's hopes."21Saul replied, "But I'm only fromBenjamin, the smallest tribe in Israel,and my family is the least important ofall the families of that tribe! Why are youtalking like this to me?"22Then Samuel brought Saul and hisservant into the great hall and placedthem at the head of the table, honoringthem above the thirty special guests.23Samuel then instructed the cook tobring Saul the finest cut of meat, thepiece that had been set aside for theguest of honor.24So the cook brought it in and placed itbefore Saul. "Go ahead and eat it,"Samuel said. "I was saving it for youeven before I invited these others!" SoSaul ate with Samuel.25After the feast, when they hadreturned to the town, Samuel took Saulup to the roof of the house and prepareda bed for him there.26At daybreak the next morning, Samuelcalled up to Saul, "Get up! It's time youwere on your way." So Saul got ready,and he and Samuel left the housetogether.27When they reached the edge of town,Samuel told Saul to send his servant onahead. After the servant was gone,Samuel said, "Stay here, for I havereceived a special message for you fromGod."

10Then Samuel took a flask of olive

oil and poured it over Saul's head. Hekissed Saul on the cheek and said, "Iam doing this because the LORD hasappointed you to be the leader of hispeople Israel.2When you leave me today, you will seetwo men beside Rachel's tomb at Zelzah,on the border of Benjamin. They will tellyou that the donkeys have been foundand that your father is worried about youand is asking, 'Have you seen my son?'3"When you get to the oak of Tabor, youwill see three men coming toward youwho are on their way to worship God atBethel. One will be bringing three younggoats, another will have three loaves of

bread, and the third will be carrying askin of wine.4They will greet you and offer you two ofthe loaves, which you are to accept.5"When you arrive at Gibeah of God,where the garrison of the Philistines islocated, you will meet a band ofprophets coming down from the altar onthe hill. They will be playing a harp, atambourine, a flute, and a lyre, and theywill be prophesying.6At that time the Spirit of the LORD willcome upon you with power, and you willprophesy with them. You will bechanged into a different person.7After these signs take place, dowhatever you think is best, for God willbe with you.8Then go down to Gilgal ahead of meand wait for me there seven days. I willjoin you there to sacrifice burnt offeringsand peace offerings. When I arrive, I willgive you further instructions."9As Saul turned and started to leave,God changed his heart, and all Samuel'ssigns were fulfilled that day.10When Saul and his servant arrived atGibeah, they saw the prophets comingtoward them. Then the Spirit of Godcame upon Saul, and he, too, began toprophesy.11When his friends heard about it, theyexclaimed, "What? Is Saul a prophet?How did the son of Kish become aprophet?"12But one of the neighbors responded,"It doesn't matter who his father is;anyone can become a prophet." So thatis the origin of the saying "Is Saul aprophet?"13When Saul had finished prophesying,he climbed the hill to the altar.14"Where in the world have you been?"Saul's uncle asked him. "We went tolook for the donkeys," Saul replied, "butwe couldn't find them. So we went to theprophet Samuel to ask him where theywere."15"Oh? And what did he say?" his uncleasked.16"He said the donkeys had beenfound," Saul replied. But Saul didn't tellhis uncle that Samuel had anointed himto be king.17Later Samuel called all the people ofIsrael to meet before the LORD atMizpah.18And he gave them this message fromthe LORD, the God of Israel: "I broughtyou from Egypt and rescued you from

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the Egyptians and from all of the nationsthat were oppressing you.19But though I have done so much foryou, you have rejected me and said,'We want a king instead!' Now, therefore,present yourselves before the LORD bytribes and clans."20So Samuel called the tribal leaderstogether before the LORD, and the tribeof Benjamin was chosen.21Then he brought each family of thetribe of Benjamin before the LORD, andthe family of the Matrites was chosen.And finally Saul son of Kish was chosenfrom among them. But when they lookedfor him, he had disappeared!22So they asked the LORD, "Where ishe?" And the LORD replied, "He ishiding among the baggage."23So they found him and brought him out,and he stood head and shoulders aboveanyone else.24Then Samuel said to all the people,"This is the man the LORD has chosenas your king. No one in all Israel is hisequal!" And all the people shouted,"Long live the king!"25Then Samuel told the people what therights and duties of a king were. Hewrote them down on a scroll and placedit before the LORD. Then Samuel sentthe people home again.26When Saul returned to his home atGibeah, a band of men whose heartsGod had touched became his constantcompanions.27But there were some wicked men whocomplained, "How can this man saveus?" And they despised him and refusedto bring him gifts. But Saul ignored them.a continues: Nahash, king of theAmmonites, had been grievouslyoppressing the Gadites and Reubeniteswho lived east of the Jordan River. Hegouged out the right eye of each of theIsraelites living there, and he didn't allowanyone to come and rescue them. Infact, of all the Israelites east of theJordan, there wasn't a single one whoseright eye Nahash had not gouged out.But there were seven thousand menwho had escaped from the Ammonites,and they had settled in Jabesh-gilead.

11About a month later, King Nahash

of Ammon led his army against theIsraelite city of Jabesh-gilead. But thecitizens of Jabesh asked for peace."Make a treaty with us, and we will be

your servants," they pleaded.2"All right," Nahash said, "but only onone condition. I will gouge out the righteye of every one of you as a disgrace toall Israel!"3"Give us seven days to sendmessengers throughout Israel!" repliedthe leaders of Jabesh. "If none of ourrelatives will come to save us, we willagree to your terms."4When the messengers came to Gibeah,Saul's hometown, and told the peopleabout their plight, everyone broke intotears.5Saul was plowing in the field, and whenhe returned to town, he asked, "What'sthe matter? Why is everyone crying?"So they told him about the messagefrom Jabesh.6Then the Spirit of God came mightilyupon Saul, and he became very angry.7He took two oxen and cut them intopieces and sent the messengers tocarry them throughout Israel with thismessage: "This is what will happen tothe oxen of anyone who refuses tofollow Saul and Samuel into battle!" Andthe LORD made the people afraid ofSaul's anger, and all of them came outtogether as one.8When Saul mobilized them at Bezek,he found that there were 300,000 menof Israel, in addition to 30,000 fromJudah.9So Saul sent the messengers back toJabesh-gilead to say, "We will rescueyou by noontime tomorrow!" What joythere was throughout the city when thatmessage arrived!10The men of Jabesh then told theirenemies, "Tomorrow we will come out toyou, and you can do to us as you wish."11But before dawn the next morning,Saul arrived, having divided his armyinto three detachments. He launched asurprise attack against the Ammonitesand slaughtered them the wholemorning. The remnant of their army wasso badly scattered that no two of themwere left together.12Then the people exclaimed to Samuel,"Now where are those men who saidSaul shouldn't rule over us? Bring themhere, and we will kill them!"13But Saul replied, "No one will beexecuted today, for today the LORD hasrescued Israel!"14Then Samuel said to the people,"Come, let us all go to Gilgal to reaffirmSaul's kingship."

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15So they went to Gilgal, and in asolemn ceremony before the LORD theycrowned him king. Then they offeredpeace offerings to the LORD, and Sauland all the Israelites were very happy.

12Then Samuel addressed the

people again: "I have done as youasked and given you a king.2I have selected him ahead of my ownsons, and I stand here, an old, grayhairedman. I have served as yourleader since I was a boy.3Now tell me as I stand before theLORD and before his anointed one--whose ox or donkey have I stolen?Have I ever cheated any of you? Have Iever oppressed you? Have I ever takena bribe? Tell me and I will make rightwhatever I have done wrong."4"No," they replied, "you have nevercheated or oppressed us in any way,and you have never taken even a singlebribe."5"The LORD and his anointed one aremy witnesses," Samuel declared, "thatyou can never accuse me of robbingyou." "Yes, it is true," they replied.6"It was the LORD who appointedMoses and Aaron," Samuel continued."He brought your ancestors out of theland of Egypt.7Now stand here quietly before theLORD as I remind you of all the greatthings the LORD has done for you andyour ancestors.8"When the Israelites were in Egypt andcried out to the LORD, he sent Mosesand Aaron to rescue them from Egyptand to bring them into this land.9But the people soon forgot about theLORD their God, so he let them beconquered by Sisera, the general ofHazor's army, and by the Philistines andthe king of Moab.10"Then they cried to the LORD againand confessed, 'We have sinned byturning away from the LORD andworshiping the images of Baal andAshtoreth. But we will worship you andyou alone if you will rescue us from ourenemies.'11Then the LORD sent Gideon, Barak,Jephthah, and Samuel to save you, andyou lived in safety.12"But when you were afraid of Nahash,the king of Ammon, you came to me andsaid that you wanted a king to reign overyou, even though the LORD your God

was already your king.13All right, here is the king you havechosen. Look him over. You asked forhim, and the LORD has granted yourrequest.14"Now if you will fear and worship theLORD and listen to his voice, and if youdo not rebel against the LORD'scommands, and if you and your kingfollow the LORD your God, then all willbe well.15But if you rebel against the LORD'scommands and refuse to listen to him,then his hand will be as heavy upon youas it was upon your ancestors.16"Now stand here and see the greatthing the LORD is about to do.17You know that it does not rain at thistime of the year during the wheatharvest. I will ask the LORD to sendthunder and rain today. Then you willrealize how wicked you have been inasking the LORD for a king!"18So Samuel called to the LORD, andthe LORD sent thunder and rain. And allthe people were terrified of the LORDand of Samuel.19"Pray to the LORD your God for us, orwe will die!" they cried out to Samuel."For now we have added to our sins byasking for a king."20"Don't be afraid," Samuel reassuredthem. "You have certainly done wrong,but make sure now that you worship theLORD with all your heart and that youdon't turn your back on him in any way.21Don't go back to worshiping worthlessidols that cannot help or rescue you--they really are useless!22The LORD will not abandon hischosen people, for that would dishonorhis great name. He made you a specialnation for himself.23"As for me, I will certainly not sinagainst the LORD by ending my prayersfor you. And I will continue to teach youwhat is good and right.24But be sure to fear the LORD andsincerely worship him. Think of all thewonderful things he has done for you.25But if you continue to sin, you and yourking will be destroyed."

13Saul was thirty years old when he

became king, and he reigned for fortytwoyears.2Saul selected three thousand specialtroops from the army of Israel and sentthe rest of the men home. He took two

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thousand of the chosen men with him toMicmash and the hill country of Bethel.The other thousand went with Saul's sonJonathan to Gibeah in the land ofBenjamin.3Soon after this, Jonathan attacked anddefeated the garrison of Philistines atGeba. The news spread quickly amongthe Philistines that Israel was in revolt,so Saul sounded the call to armsthroughout Israel.4He announced that the Philistinegarrison at Geba had been destroyed,and he warned the people that thePhilistines now hated the Israelites morethan ever. So the entire Israelite armymobilized again and met Saul at Gilgal.5The Philistines mustered a mighty armyof three thousand chariots, six thousandhorsemen, and as many warriors as thegrains of sand along the seashore! Theycamped at Micmash east of Beth-aven.6When the men of Israel saw the vastnumber of enemy troops, they lost theirnerve entirely and tried to hide in caves,holes, rocks, tombs, and cisterns.7Some of them crossed the Jordan Riverand escaped into the land of Gad andGilead. Meanwhile, Saul stayed at Gilgal,and his men were trembling with fear.8Saul waited there seven days forSamuel, as Samuel had instructed himearlier, but Samuel still didn't come.Saul realized that his troops wererapidly slipping away.9So he demanded, "Bring me the burntoffering and the peace offerings!" AndSaul sacrificed the burnt offering himself.10Just as Saul was finishing with theburnt offering, Samuel arrived. Saulwent out to meet and welcome him,11but Samuel said, "What is this youhave done?" Saul replied, "I saw mymen scattering from me, and you didn'tarrive when you said you would, and thePhilistines are at Micmash ready forbattle.12So I said, 'The Philistines are ready tomarch against us, and I haven't evenasked for the LORD's help!' So I feltobliged to offer the burnt offering myselfbefore you came."13"How foolish!" Samuel exclaimed."You have disobeyed the command ofthe LORD your God. Had you obeyed,the LORD would have established yourkingdom over Israel forever.14But now your dynasty must end, forthe LORD has sought out a man afterhis own heart. The LORD has already

chosen him to be king over his people,for you have not obeyed the LORD'scommand."15Samuel then left Gilgal and went onhis way, but the rest of the troops wentwith Saul to meet the army. They wentup from Gilgal to Gibeah in the land ofBenjamin. When Saul counted the menwho were still with him, he found onlysix hundred left!16Saul and Jonathan and the troops withthem were staying at Geba, nearGibeah, in the land of Benjamin. ThePhilistines set up their camp at Micmash.17Three raiding parties soon left thecamp of the Philistines. One went northtoward Ophrah in the land of Shual,18another went west to Beth-horon, andthe third moved toward the borderabove the valley of Zeboim near thewilderness.19There were no blacksmiths in the landof Israel in those days. The Philistineswouldn't allow them for fear they wouldmake swords and spears for theHebrews.20So whenever the Israelites needed tosharpen their plowshares, picks, axes,or sickles, they had to take them to aPhilistine blacksmith.21(The schedule of charges was asfollows: a quarter of an ounce of silverfor sharpening a plowshare or a pick,and an eighth of an ounce forsharpening an ax, a sickle, or an oxgoad.)22So none of the people of Israel had asword or spear, except for Saul andJonathan.23The pass at Micmash had meanwhilebeen secured by a contingent of thePhilistine army.

14One day Jonathan said to the

young man who carried his armor,"Come on, let's go over to where thePhilistines have their outpost." ButJonathan did not tell his father what hewas doing.2Meanwhile, Saul and his six hundredmen were camped on the outskirts ofGibeah, around the pomegranate tree atMigron.3(Among Saul's men was Ahijah thepriest, who was wearing the linen ephod.Ahijah was the son of Ahitub, Ichabod'sbrother. Ahitub was the son of Phinehasand the grandson of Eli, the priest of theLORD who had served at Shiloh.) No

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one realized that Jonathan had left theIsraelite camp.4To reach the Philistine outpost,Jonathan had to go down between tworocky cliffs that were called Bozez andSeneh.5The cliff on the north was in front ofMicmash, and the one on the south wasin front of Geba.6"Let's go across to see those pagans,"Jonathan said to his armor bearer."Perhaps the LORD will help us, fornothing can hinder the LORD. He canwin a battle whether he has manywarriors or only a few!"7"Do what you think is best," the youthreplied. "I'm with you completely,whatever you decide."8"All right then," Jonathan told him. "Wewill cross over and let them see us.9If they say to us, 'Stay where you are orwe'll kill you,' then we will stop and notgo up to them.10But if they say, 'Come on up and fight,'then we will go up. That will be theLORD's sign that he will help us defeatthem."11When the Philistines saw them coming,they shouted, "Look! The Hebrews arecrawling out of their holes!"12Then they shouted to Jonathan,"Come on up here, and we'll teach you alesson!" "Come on, climb right behindme," Jonathan said to his armor bearer,"for the LORD will help us defeat them!"13So they climbed up using both handsand feet, and the Philistines fell back asJonathan and his armor bearer killedthem right and left.14They killed about twenty men in all,and their bodies were scattered overabout half an acre.15Suddenly, panic broke out in thePhilistine army, both in the camp and inthe field, including even the outpostsand raiding parties. And just then anearthquake struck, and everyone wasterrified.16Saul's lookouts in Gibeah saw astrange sight--the vast army ofPhilistines began to melt away in everydirection.17"Find out who isn't here," Saul ordered.And when they checked, they found thatJonathan and his armor bearer weregone.18Then Saul shouted to Ahijah, "Bringthe ephod here!" For at that time Ahijahwas wearing the ephod in front of theIsraelites.

19But while Saul was talking to the priest,the shouting and confusion in thePhilistine camp grew louder and louder.So Saul said to Ahijah, "Never mind;let's get going!"20Then Saul and his six hundred menrushed out to the battle and found thePhilistines killing each other. There wasterrible confusion everywhere.21Even the Hebrews who had gone overto the Philistine army revolted andjoined in with Saul, Jonathan, and therest of the Israelites.22Likewise, the men who were hiding inthe hills joined the chase when they sawthe Philistines running away.23So the LORD saved Israel that day,and the battle continued to rage evenout beyond Beth-aven.24Now the men of Israel were worn outthat day, because Saul had made themtake an oath, saying, "Let a curse fall onanyone who eats before evening--beforeI have full revenge on my enemies." Sono one ate a thing all day,25even though they found honeycombon the ground in the forest.26They didn't even touch the honeybecause they all feared the oath theyhad taken.27But Jonathan had not heard hisfather's command, and he dipped a stickinto a piece of honeycomb and ate thehoney. After he had eaten it, he feltmuch better.28But one of the men saw him and said,"Your father made the army take a strictoath that anyone who eats food todaywill be cursed. That is why everyone isweary and faint."29"My father has made trouble for us all!"Jonathan exclaimed. "A command likethat only hurts us. See how much betterI feel now that I have eaten this little bitof honey.30If the men had been allowed to eatfreely from the food they found amongour enemies, think how many more wecould have killed!"31But hungry as they were, they chasedand killed the Philistines all day fromMicmash to Aijalon, growing more andmore faint.32That evening they flew upon the battleplunder and butchered the sheep, cattle,and calves, but they ate them withoutdraining the blood.33Someone reported to Saul, "Look, themen are sinning against the LORD byeating meat that still has blood in it."

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"That is very wrong," Saul said. "Find alarge stone and roll it over here.34Then go out among the troops and tellthem, 'Bring the cattle and sheep here tokill them and drain the blood. Do not sinagainst the LORD by eating meat withthe blood still in it.' " So that night all thetroops brought their animals andslaughtered them there.35And Saul built an altar to the LORD,the first one he had ever built.36Then Saul said, "Let's chase thePhilistines all night and destroy everylast one of them." His men replied,"We'll do whatever you think is best."But the priest said, "Let's ask God first."37So Saul asked God, "Should we goafter the Philistines? Will you help usdefeat them?" But God made no replythat day.38Then Saul said to the leaders,"Something's wrong! I want all my armycommanders to come here. We mustfind out what sin was committed today.39I vow by the name of the LORD whorescued Israel that the sinner will surelydie, even if it is my own son Jonathan!"But no one would tell him what thetrouble was.40Then Saul said, "Jonathan and I willstand over here, and all of you standover there." And the people agreed.41Then Saul prayed, "O LORD, God ofIsrael, please show us who is guilty andwho is innocent. Are Jonathan and Iguilty, or is the sin among the others?"And Jonathan and Saul were chosen asthe guilty ones, and the people weredeclared innocent.42Then Saul said, "Now choose betweenme and Jonathan." And Jonathan wasshown to be the guilty one.43"Tell me what you have done," Sauldemanded of Jonathan. "I tasted a littlehoney," Jonathan admitted. "It was onlya little bit on the end of a stick. Doesthat deserve death?"44"Yes, Jonathan," Saul said, "you mustdie! May God strike me dead if you arenot executed for this."45But the people broke in and said toSaul, "Should Jonathan, who savedIsrael today, die? Far from it! As surelyas the LORD lives, not one hair on hishead will be touched, for he has beenused of God to do a mighty miracletoday." So the people rescued Jonathan,and he was not put to death.46Then Saul called back the army fromchasing the Philistines, and the

Philistines returned home.47Now when Saul had secured his graspon Israel's throne, he fought against hisenemies in every direction--againstMoab, Ammon, Edom, the kings ofZobah, and the Philistines. Andwherever he turned, he was victorious.48He did great deeds and conquered theAmalekites, saving Israel from all thosewho had plundered them.49Saul's sons included Jonathan,Ishbosheth, and Malkishua. He also hadtwo daughters: Merab, who was older,and Michal.50Saul's wife was Ahinoam, the daughterof Ahimaaz. The commander of Saul'sarmy was his cousin Abner, his uncleNer's son.51Abner's father, Ner, and Saul's father,Kish, were brothers; both were sons ofAbiel.52The Israelites fought constantly withthe Philistines throughout Saul's lifetime.So whenever Saul saw a young manwho was brave and strong, he draftedhim into his army.

15One day Samuel said to Saul, "I

anointed you king of Israel because theLORD told me to. Now listen to thismessage from the LORD!2This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Ihave decided to settle accounts with thenation of Amalek for opposing Israelwhen they came from Egypt.3Now go and completely destroy theentire Amalekite nation--men, women,children, babies, cattle, sheep, camels,and donkeys.' "4So Saul mobilized his army at Telaim.There were 200,000 troops in addition to10,000 men from Judah.5Then Saul went to the city of Amalekand lay in wait in the valley.6Saul sent this message to the Kenites:"Move away from where the Amalekiteslive or else you will die with them. Foryou were kind to the people of Israelwhen they came up from Egypt." So theKenites packed up and left.7Then Saul slaughtered the Amalekitesfrom Havilah all the way to Shur, east ofEgypt.8He captured Agag, the Amalekite king,but completely destroyed everyone else.9Saul and his men spared Agag's lifeand kept the best of the sheep andcattle, the fat calves and lambs--everything, in fact, that appealed to

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them. They destroyed only what wasworthless or of poor quality.10Then the LORD said to Samuel,11"I am sorry that I ever made Saul king,for he has not been loyal to me and hasagain refused to obey me." Samuel wasso deeply moved when he heard thisthat he cried out to the LORD all night.12Early the next morning Samuel went tofind Saul. Someone told him, "Saul wentto Carmel to set up a monument tohimself; then he went on to Gilgal."13When Samuel finally found him, Saulgreeted him cheerfully. "May the LORDbless you," he said. "I have carried outthe LORD's command!"14"Then what is all the bleating of sheepand lowing of cattle I hear?" Samueldemanded.15"It's true that the army spared the bestof the sheep and cattle," Saul admitted."But they are going to sacrifice them tothe LORD your God. We havedestroyed everything else."16Then Samuel said to Saul, "Stop!Listen to what the LORD told me lastnight!" "What was it?" Saul asked.17And Samuel told him, "Although youmay think little of yourself, are you notthe leader of the tribes of Israel? TheLORD has anointed you king of Israel.18And the LORD sent you on a missionand told you, 'Go and completelydestroy the sinners, the Amalekites, untilthey are all dead.'19Why haven't you obeyed the LORD?Why did you rush for the plunder and doexactly what the LORD said not to do?"20"But I did obey the LORD," Saulinsisted. "I carried out the mission hegave me. I brought back King Agag, butI destroyed everyone else.21Then my troops brought in the best ofthe sheep and cattle and plunder tosacrifice to the LORD your God inGilgal."22But Samuel replied, "What is morepleasing to the LORD: your burntofferings and sacrifices or yourobedience to his voice? Obedience isfar better than sacrifice. Listening to himis much better than offering the fat oframs.23Rebellion is as bad as the sin ofwitchcraft, and stubbornness is as badas worshiping idols. So because youhave rejected the word of the LORD, hehas rejected you from being king."24Then Saul finally admitted, "Yes, Ihave sinned. I have disobeyed your

instructions and the LORD's command,for I was afraid of the people and didwhat they demanded.25Oh, please, forgive my sin now and gowith me to worship the LORD."26But Samuel replied, "I will not returnwith you! Since you have rejected theLORD's command, he has rejected youfrom being the king of Israel."27As Samuel turned to go, Saul grabbedat him to try to hold him back and torehis robe.28And Samuel said to him, "See? TheLORD has torn the kingdom of Israelfrom you today and has given it tosomeone else--one who is better thanyou.29And he who is the Glory of Israel willnot lie, nor will he change his mind, forhe is not human that he should changehis mind!"30Then Saul pleaded again, "I know Ihave sinned. But please, at least honorme before the leaders and before mypeople by going with me to worship theLORD your God."31So Samuel finally agreed and wentwith him, and Saul worshiped the LORD.32Then Samuel said, "Bring King Agagto me." Agag arrived full of smiles, for hethought, "Surely the worst is over, and Ihave been spared!"33But Samuel said, "As your sword haskilled the sons of many mothers, nowyour mother will be childless." AndSamuel cut Agag to pieces before theLORD at Gilgal.34Then Samuel went home to Ramah,and Saul returned to his house atGibeah.35Samuel never went to meet with Saulagain, but he mourned constantly forhim. And the LORD was sorry he hadever made Saul king of Israel.

16Finally, the LORD said to Samuel,

"You have mourned long enough forSaul. I have rejected him as king ofIsrael. Now fill your horn with olive oiland go to Bethlehem. Find a mannamed Jesse who lives there, for I haveselected one of his sons to be my newking."2But Samuel asked, "How can I do that?If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.""Take a heifer with you," the LORDreplied, "and say that you have come tomake a sacrifice to the LORD.3Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will

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show you which of his sons to anoint forme."4So Samuel did as the LORD instructedhim. When he arrived at Bethlehem, theleaders of the town became afraid."What's wrong?" they asked. "Do youcome in peace?"5"Yes," Samuel replied. "I have come tosacrifice to the LORD. Purify yourselvesand come with me to the sacrifice."Then Samuel performed the purificationrite for Jesse and his sons and invitedthem, too.6When they arrived, Samuel took onelook at Eliab and thought, "Surely this isthe LORD's anointed!"7But the LORD said to Samuel, "Don'tjudge by his appearance or height, for Ihave rejected him. The LORD doesn'tmake decisions the way you do! Peoplejudge by outward appearance, but theLORD looks at a person's thoughts andintentions."8Then Jesse told his son Abinadab tostep forward and walk in front of Samuel.But Samuel said, "This is not the onethe LORD has chosen."9Next Jesse summoned Shammah, butSamuel said, "Neither is this the one theLORD has chosen."10In the same way all seven of Jesse'ssons were presented to Samuel. ButSamuel said to Jesse, "The LORD hasnot chosen any of these."11Then Samuel asked, "Are these all thesons you have?" "There is still theyoungest," Jesse replied. "But he's outin the fields watching the sheep." "Sendfor him at once," Samuel said. "We willnot sit down to eat until he arrives."12So Jesse sent for him. He was ruddyand handsome, with pleasant eyes. Andthe LORD said, "This is the one; anointhim."13So as David stood there among hisbrothers, Samuel took the olive oil hehad brought and poured it on David'shead. And the Spirit of the LORD camemightily upon him from that day on.Then Samuel returned to Ramah.14Now the Spirit of the LORD had leftSaul, and the LORD sent a tormentingspirit that filled him with depression andfear.15Some of Saul's servants suggested aremedy. "It is clear that a spirit from Godis tormenting you," they said.16"Let us find a good musician to playthe harp for you whenever thetormenting spirit is bothering you. The

harp music will quiet you, and you willsoon be well again."17"All right," Saul said. "Find mesomeone who plays well and bring himhere."18One of the servants said to Saul, "Theson of Jesse is a talented harp player.Not only that; he is brave and strongand has good judgment. He is also afine-looking young man, and the LORDis with him."19So Saul sent messengers to Jesse tosay, "Send me your son David, theshepherd."20Jesse responded by sending David toSaul, along with a young goat and adonkey loaded down with food and wine.21So David went to Saul and served him.Saul liked David very much, and Davidbecame one of Saul's armor bearers.22Then Saul sent word to Jesse asking,"Please let David join my staff, for I amvery pleased with him."23And whenever the tormenting spiritfrom God troubled Saul, David wouldplay the harp. Then Saul would feelbetter, and the tormenting spirit wouldgo away.

17The Philistines now mustered their

army for battle and camped betweenSocoh in Judah and Azekah at Ephesdammim.2Saul countered by gathering his troopsnear the valley of Elah.3So the Philistines and Israelites facedeach other on opposite hills, with thevalley between them.4Then Goliath, a Philistine championfrom Gath, came out of the Philistineranks to face the forces of Israel. Hewas a giant of a man, measuring overnine feet tall!5He wore a bronze helmet and a coat ofmail that weighed 125 pounds.6He also wore bronze leggings, and heslung a bronze javelin over his back.7The shaft of his spear was as heavyand thick as a weaver's beam, tippedwith an iron spearhead that weighedfifteen pounds. An armor bearer walkedahead of him carrying a huge shield.8Goliath stood and shouted across tothe Israelites, "Do you need a wholearmy to settle this? Choose someone tofight for you, and I will represent thePhilistines. We will settle this dispute insingle combat!9If your man is able to kill me, then wewill be your slaves. But if I kill him, you

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will be our slaves!10I defy the armies of Israel! Send me aman who will fight with me!"11When Saul and the Israelites heardthis, they were terrified and deeplyshaken.12Now David was the son of a mannamed Jesse, an Ephrathite fromBethlehem in the land of Judah. Jessewas an old man at that time, and he hadeight sons in all.13Jesse's three oldest sons--Eliab,Abinadab, and Shammah--had alreadyjoined Saul's army to fight the Philistines.14David was the youngest of Jesse'ssons. Since David's three oldestbrothers were in the army, they stayedwith Saul's forces all the time.15But David went back and forthbetween working for Saul and helpinghis father with the sheep in Bethlehem.16For forty days, twice a day, morningand evening, the Philistine giant struttedin front of the Israelite army.17One day Jesse said to David, "Takethis half-bushel of roasted grain andthese ten loaves of bread to yourbrothers.18And give these ten cuts of cheese totheir captain. See how your brothers aregetting along, and bring me back a letterfrom them. "19David's brothers were with Saul andthe Israelite army at the valley of Elah,fighting against the Philistines.20So David left the sheep with anothershepherd and set out early the nextmorning with the gifts. He arrived at theoutskirts of the camp just as the Israelitearmy was leaving for the battlefield withshouts and battle cries.21Soon the Israelite and Philistine forcesstood facing each other, army againstarmy.22David left his things with the keeper ofsupplies and hurried out to the ranks togreet his brothers.23As he was talking with them, he sawGoliath, the champion from Gath, comeout from the Philistine ranks, shoutinghis challenge to the army of Israel.24As soon as the Israelite army saw him,they began to run away in fright.25"Have you seen the giant?" the menwere asking. "He comes out each day tochallenge Israel. And have you heardabout the huge reward the king hasoffered to anyone who kills him? Theking will give him one of his daughtersfor a wife, and his whole family will be

exempted from paying taxes!"26David talked to some others standingthere to verify the report. "What will aman get for killing this Philistine andputting an end to his abuse of Israel?"he asked them. "Who is this paganPhilistine anyway, that he is allowed todefy the armies of the living God?"27And David received the same reply asbefore: "What you have been hearing istrue. That is the reward for killing thegiant."28But when David's oldest brother, Eliab,heard David talking to the men, he wasangry. "What are you doing around hereanyway?" he demanded. "What aboutthose few sheep you're supposed to betaking care of? I know about your prideand dishonesty. You just want to see thebattle!"29"What have I done now?" Davidreplied. "I was only asking a question!"30He walked over to some others andasked them the same thing andreceived the same answer.31Then David's question was reported toKing Saul, and the king sent for him.32"Don't worry about a thing," David toldSaul. "I'll go fight this Philistine!"33"Don't be ridiculous!" Saul replied."There is no way you can go against thisPhilistine. You are only a boy, and hehas been in the army since he was aboy!"34But David persisted. "I have beentaking care of my father's sheep," hesaid. "When a lion or a bear comes tosteal a lamb from the flock,35I go after it with a club and take thelamb from its mouth. If the animal turnson me, I catch it by the jaw and club it todeath.36I have done this to both lions andbears, and I'll do it to this paganPhilistine, too, for he has defied thearmies of the living God!37The LORD who saved me from theclaws of the lion and the bear will saveme from this Philistine!" Saul finallyconsented. "All right, go ahead," he said."And may the LORD be with you!"38Then Saul gave David his own armor--a bronze helmet and a coat of mail.39David put it on, strapped the swordover it, and took a step or two to seewhat it was like, for he had never wornsuch things before. "I can't go in these,"he protested. "I'm not used to them." Sohe took them off again.40He picked up five smooth stones from

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a stream and put them in his shepherd'sbag. Then, armed only with hisshepherd's staff and sling, he startedacross to fight Goliath.41Goliath walked out toward David withhis shield bearer ahead of him,42sneering in contempt at this ruddyfacedboy.43"Am I a dog," he roared at David, "thatyou come at me with a stick?" And hecursed David by the names of his gods.44"Come over here, and I'll give yourflesh to the birds and wild animals!"Goliath yelled.45David shouted in reply, "You come tome with sword, spear, and javelin, but Icome to you in the name of the LORDAlmighty--the God of the armies of Israel,whom you have defied.46Today the LORD will conquer you, andI will kill you and cut off your head. Andthen I will give the dead bodies of yourmen to the birds and wild animals, andthe whole world will know that there is aGod in Israel!47And everyone will know that the LORDdoes not need weapons to rescue hispeople. It is his battle, not ours. TheLORD will give you to us!"48As Goliath moved closer to attack,David quickly ran out to meet him.49Reaching into his shepherd's bag andtaking out a stone, he hurled it from hissling and hit the Philistine in theforehead. The stone sank in, andGoliath stumbled and fell facedownward to the ground.50So David triumphed over the Philistinegiant with only a stone and sling. Andsince he had no sword,51he ran over and pulled Goliath's swordfrom its sheath. David used it to kill thegiant and cut off his head. When thePhilistines saw that their champion wasdead, they turned and ran.52Then the Israelites gave a great shoutof triumph and rushed after thePhilistines, chasing them as far as Gathand the gates of Ekron. The bodies ofthe dead and wounded Philistines werestrewn all along the road from Shaaraim,as far as Gath and Ekron.53Then the Israelite army returned andplundered the deserted Philistine camp.54(David took Goliath's head toJerusalem, but he stored the Philistine'sarmor in his own tent.)55As Saul watched David go out to fightGoliath, he asked Abner, the general ofhis army, "Abner, whose son is he?" "I

really don't know," Abner said.56"Well, find out!" the king told him.57After David had killed Goliath, Abnerbrought him to Saul with the Philistine'shead still in his hand.58"Tell me about your father, my boy,"Saul said. And David replied, "His nameis Jesse, and we live in Bethlehem."

18After David had finished talking

with Saul, he met Jonathan, the king'sson. There was an immediate bond oflove between them, and they becamethe best of friends.2From that day on Saul kept David withhim at the palace and wouldn't let himreturn home.3And Jonathan made a special vow tobe David's friend,4and he sealed the pact by giving himhis robe, tunic, sword, bow, and belt.5Whatever Saul asked David to do,David did it successfully. So Saul madehim a commander in his army, anappointment that was applauded by thefighting men and officers alike.6But something happened when thevictorious Israelite army was returninghome after David had killed Goliath.Women came out from all the townsalong the way to celebrate and to cheerfor King Saul, and they sang anddanced for joy with tambourines andcymbals.7This was their song: "Saul has killed histhousands, and David his tenthousands!"8This made Saul very angry. "What'sthis?" he said. "They credit David withten thousands and me with onlythousands. Next they'll be making himtheir king!"9So from that time on Saul kept ajealous eye on David.10The very next day, in fact, atormenting spirit from God overwhelmedSaul, and he began to rave like amadman. David began to play the harp,as he did whenever this happened. ButSaul, who had a spear in his hand,11suddenly hurled it at David, intendingto pin him to the wall. But David jumpedaside and escaped. This happenedanother time, too,12for Saul was afraid of him, and he wasjealous because the LORD had left himand was now with David.13Finally, Saul banned him from hispresence and appointed him

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commander over only a thousand men,but David faithfully led his troops intobattle.14David continued to succeed ineverything he did, for the LORD waswith him.15When Saul recognized this, hebecame even more afraid of him.16But all Israel and Judah loved Davidbecause he was so successful atleading his troops into battle.17One day Saul said to David, "I amready to give you my older daughter,Merab, as your wife. But first you mustprove yourself to be a real warrior byfighting the LORD's battles." For Saulthought to himself, "I'll send him outagainst the Philistines and let them killhim rather than doing it myself."18"Who am I, and what is my family inIsrael that I should be the king's son-inlaw?"David exclaimed. "My father'sfamily is nothing!"19So when the time came for thewedding, Saul gave Merab in marriageto Adriel, a man from Meholah.20In the meantime, Saul's daughterMichal had fallen in love with David, andSaul was delighted when he heardabout it.21"Here's another chance to see himkilled by the Philistines!" Saul said tohimself. But to David he said, "I have away for you to become my son-in-lawafter all!"22Then Saul told his men to sayconfidentially to David, "The king reallylikes you, and so do we. Why don't youaccept the king's offer and become hisson-in-law?"23When Saul's men said these things toDavid, he replied, "How can a poor manfrom a humble family afford the brideprice for the daughter of a king?"24When Saul's men reported this back tothe king,25he told them, "Tell David that all I wantfor the bride price is one hundredPhilistine foreskins! Vengeance on myenemies is all I really want." But whatSaul had in mind was that David wouldbe killed in the fight.26David was delighted to accept the offer.So before the time limit expired,27he and his men went out and killed twohundred Philistines and presented alltheir foreskins to the king. So Saul gaveMichal to David to be his wife.28When the king realized how much theLORD was with David and how much

Michal loved him,29he became even more afraid of him,and he remained David's enemy for therest of his life.30Whenever the Philistine army attacked,David was more successful againstthem than all the rest of Saul's officers.So David's name became very famousthroughout the land.

19Saul now urged his servants and

his son Jonathan to assassinate David.But Jonathan, because of his closefriendship with David,2told him what his father was planning."Tomorrow morning," he warned him,"you must find a hiding place out in thefields.3I'll ask my father to go out there withme, and I'll talk to him about you. ThenI'll tell you everything I can find out."4The next morning Jonathan spoke withhis father about David, saying manygood things about him. "Please don't sinagainst David," Jonathan pleaded. "He'snever done anything to harm you. Hehas always helped you in any way hecould.5Have you forgotten about the time herisked his life to kill the Philistine giantand how the LORD brought a greatvictory to Israel as a result? You werecertainly happy about it then. Whyshould you murder an innocent man likeDavid? There is no reason for it at all!"6So Saul listened to Jonathan andvowed, "As surely as the LORD lives,David will not be killed."7Afterward Jonathan called David andtold him what had happened. Then hetook David to see Saul, and everythingwas as it had been before.8War broke out shortly after that, andDavid led his troops against thePhilistines. He attacked them with suchfury that they all ran away.9But one day as Saul was sitting athome, the tormenting spirit from theLORD suddenly came upon him again.As David played his harp for the king,10Saul hurled his spear at David in anattempt to kill him. But David dodged outof the way and escaped into the night,leaving the spear stuck in the wall.11Then Saul sent troops to watchDavid's house. They were told to killDavid when he came out the nextmorning. But Michal, David's wife,warned him, "If you don't get away

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tonight, you will be dead by morning."12So she helped him climb out through awindow, and he escaped.13Then she took an idol and put it in hisbed, covered it with blankets, and put acushion of goat's hair at its head.14When the troops came to arrest David,she told them he was sick and couldn'tget out of bed.15"Then bring him to me in his bed," Saulordered, "so I can kill him as he liesthere!" And he sent them back toDavid's house.16But when they came to carry David out,they discovered that it was only an idolin the bed with a cushion of goat's hairat its head.17"Why have you tricked me and let myenemy escape?" Saul demanded ofMichal. "I had to," Michal replied. "Hethreatened to kill me if I didn't help him."18So David got away and went toRamah to see Samuel, and he told himall that Saul had done to him. ThenSamuel took David with him to live atNaioth.19When the report reached Saul thatDavid was at Naioth in Ramah,20he sent troops to capture him. Butwhen they arrived and saw Samuel andthe other prophets prophesying, theSpirit of God came upon Saul's men,and they also began to prophesy.21When Saul heard what had happened,he sent other troops, but they, too,prophesied! The same thing happened athird time!22Finally, Saul himself went to Ramahand arrived at the great well in Secu."Where are Samuel and David?" hedemanded. "They are at Naioth inRamah," someone told him.23But on the way to Naioth the Spirit ofGod came upon Saul, and he, too,began to prophesy!24He tore off his clothes and lay on theground all day and all night, prophesyingin the presence of Samuel. The peoplewho were watching exclaimed, "What?Is Saul a prophet, too?"

20David now fled from Naioth in

Ramah and found Jonathan. "Whathave I done?" he exclaimed. "What ismy crime? How have I offended yourfather that he is so determined to killme?"2"That's not true!" Jonathan protested."I'm sure he's not planning any such

thing, for he always tells me everythinghe's going to do, even the little things. Iknow he wouldn't hide something likethis from me. It just isn't so!"3Then David took an oath beforeJonathan and said, "Your father knowsperfectly well about our friendship, so hehas said to himself, 'I won't tellJonathan--why should I hurt him?' But Iswear to you that I am only a step awayfrom death! I swear it by the LORD andby your own soul!"4"Tell me what I can do!" Jonathanexclaimed.5David replied, "Tomorrow we celebratethe new moon festival. I've always eatenwith your father on this occasion, buttomorrow I'll hide in the field and staythere until the evening of the third day.6If your father asks where I am, tell him Iasked permission to go home toBethlehem for an annual family sacrifice.7If he says, 'Fine!' then you will know allis well. But if he is angry and loses histemper, then you will know he wasplanning to kill me.8Show me this kindness as my swornfriend--for we made a covenant togetherbefore the LORD--or kill me yourself if Ihave sinned against your father. Butplease don't betray me to him!"9"Never!" Jonathan exclaimed. "Youknow that if I had the slightest notion myfather was planning to kill you, I wouldtell you at once."10Then David asked, "How will I knowwhether or not your father is angry?"11"Come out to the field with me,"Jonathan replied. And they went outthere together.12Then Jonathan told David, "I promiseby the LORD, the God of Israel, that bythis time tomorrow, or the next day atthe latest, I will talk to my father and letyou know at once how he feels aboutyou. If he speaks favorably about you, Iwill let you know.13But if he is angry and wants you killed,may the LORD kill me if I don't warn youso you can escape and live. May theLORD be with you as he used to be withmy father.14And may you treat me with the faithfullove of the LORD as long as I live. But ifI die,15treat my family with this faithful love,even when the LORD destroys all yourenemies."16So Jonathan made a covenant withDavid, saying, "May the LORD destroy

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all your enemies!"17And Jonathan made David reaffirm hisvow of friendship again, for Jonathanloved David as much as he lovedhimself.18Then Jonathan said, "Tomorrow wecelebrate the new moon festival. Youwill be missed when your place at thetable is empty.19The day after tomorrow, towardevening, go to the place where you hidbefore, and wait there by the stone pile.20I will come out and shoot three arrowsto the side of the stone pile as though Iwere shooting at a target.21Then I will send a boy to bring thearrows back. If you hear me tell him,'They're on this side,' then you will know,as surely as the LORD lives, that all iswell, and there is no trouble.22But if I tell him, 'Go farther--the arrowsare still ahead of you,' then it will meanthat you must leave immediately, for theLORD is sending you away.23And may the LORD make us keep ourpromises to each other, for he haswitnessed them."24So David hid himself in the field, andwhen the new moon festival began, theking sat down to eat.25He sat at his usual place against thewall, with Jonathan sitting opposite himand Abner beside him. But David's placewas empty.26Saul didn't say anything about it thatday, for he said to himself, "Somethingmust have made David ceremoniallyunclean. Yes, that must be why he's nothere."27But when David's place was emptyagain the next day, Saul askedJonathan, "Why hasn't the son of Jessebeen here for dinner either yesterday ortoday?"28Jonathan replied, "David earnestlyasked me if he could go to Bethlehem.29He wanted to take part in a familysacrifice. His brother demanded that hebe there, so I told him he could go.That's why he isn't here."30Saul boiled with rage at Jonathan."You stupid son of a whore!" he swore athim. "Do you think I don't know that youwant David to be king in your place,shaming yourself and your mother?31As long as that son of Jesse is alive,you'll never be king. Now go and get himso I can kill him!"32"But what has he done?" Jonathandemanded. "Why should he be put to

death?"33Then Saul hurled his spear atJonathan, intending to kill him. So at lastJonathan realized that his father wasreally determined to kill David.34Jonathan left the table in fierce angerand refused to eat all that day, for hewas crushed by his father's shamefulbehavior toward David.35The next morning, as agreed,Jonathan went out into the field and tooka young boy with him to gather hisarrows.36"Start running," he told the boy, "soyou can find the arrows as I shootthem." So the boy ran, and Jonathanshot an arrow beyond him.37When the boy had almost reached thearrow, Jonathan shouted, "The arrow isstill ahead of you.38Hurry, hurry, don't wait." So the boyquickly gathered up the arrows and ranback to his master.39He, of course, didn't understand whatJonathan meant; only Jonathan andDavid knew.40Then Jonathan gave his bow andarrows to the boy and told him to takethem back to the city.41As soon as the boy was gone, Davidcame out from where he had beenhiding near the stone pile. Then Davidbowed to Jonathan with his face to theground. Both of them were in tears asthey embraced each other and saidgood-bye, especially David.42At last Jonathan said to David, "Go inpeace, for we have made a pact in theLORD's name. We have entrusted eachother and each other's children into theLORD's hands forever." Then David left,and Jonathan returned to the city.

21David went to the city of Nob to

see Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelechtrembled when he saw him. "Why areyou alone?" he asked. "Why is no onewith you?"2"The king has sent me on a privatematter," David said. "He told me not totell anyone why I am here. I have toldmy men where to meet me later.3Now, what is there to eat? Give me fiveloaves of bread or anything else youhave."4"We don't have any regular bread," thepriest replied. "But there is the holybread, which I guess you can have ifyour young men have not slept with any

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women recently."5"Don't worry," David replied. "I neverallow my men to be with women whenthey are on a campaign. And since theystay clean even on ordinary trips, howmuch more on this one!"6So, since there was no other foodavailable, the priest gave him the holybread--the Bread of the Presence thatwas placed before the LORD in theTabernacle. It had just been replacedthat day with fresh bread.7Now Doeg the Edomite, Saul's chiefherdsman, was there that day forceremonial purification.8David asked Ahimelech, "Do you havea spear or sword? The king's businesswas so urgent that I didn't even havetime to grab a weapon!"9"I only have the sword of Goliath thePhilistine, whom you killed in the valleyof Elah," the priest replied. "It is wrappedin a cloth behind the ephod. Take that ifyou want it, for there is nothing elsehere." "There is nothing like it!" Davidreplied. "Give it to me!"10So David escaped from Saul and wentto King Achish of Gath.11But Achish's officers weren't happyabout his being there. "Isn't this David,the king of the land?" they asked. "Isn'the the one the people honor withdances, singing, 'Saul has killed histhousands, and David his tenthousands'?"12David heard these comments and wasafraid of what King Achish might do tohim.13So he pretended to be insane,scratching on doors and drooling downhis beard.14Finally, King Achish said to his men,"Must you bring me a madman?15We already have enough of themaround here! Why should I let someonelike this be my guest?"

22So David left Gath and escaped to

the cave of Adullam. Soon his brothersand other relatives joined him there.2Then others began coming--men whowere in trouble or in debt or who werejust discontented--until David was theleader of about four hundred men.3Later David went to Mizpeh in Moab,where he asked the king, "Would you letmy father and mother live here underroyal protection until I know what God isgoing to do for me?"

4The king agreed, and David's parentsstayed in Moab while David was living inhis stronghold.5One day the prophet Gad told David,"Leave the stronghold and return to theland of Judah." So David went to theforest of Hereth.6The news of his arrival in Judah soonreached Saul. At the time, the king wassitting beneath a tamarisk tree on the hillat Gibeah, holding his spear andsurrounded by his officers.7"Listen here, you men of Benjamin!"Saul shouted when he heard the news."Has David promised you fields andvineyards? Has he promised to makeyou commanders in his army?8Is that why you have conspired againstme? For not one of you has ever toldme that my own son is on David's side.You're not even sorry for me. Think of it!My own son--encouraging David to tryand kill me!"9Then Doeg the Edomite, who wasstanding there with Saul's men, spokeup. "When I was at Nob," he said, "I sawDavid talking to Ahimelech the priest.10Ahimelech consulted the LORD to findout what David should do. Then he gaveDavid food and the sword of Goliath thePhilistine."11King Saul immediately sent forAhimelech and all his family, whoserved as priests at Nob.12When they arrived, Saul shouted athim, "Listen to me, you son of Ahitub!""What is it, my king?" Ahimelech asked.13"Why have you and David conspiredagainst me?" Saul demanded. "Why didyou give him food and a sword? Whyhave you inquired of God for him? Whydid you encourage him to revolt againstme and to come here and attack me?"14"But sir," Ahimelech replied, "is thereanyone among all your servants who isas faithful as David, your son-in-law?Why, he is the captain of yourbodyguard and a highly honoredmember of your household!15This was certainly not the first time Ihad consulted God for him! Please don'taccuse me and my family in this matter,for I knew nothing of any plot againstyou."16"You will surely die, Ahimelech, alongwith your entire family!" the king shouted.17And he ordered his bodyguards, "Killthese priests of the LORD, for they areallies and conspirators with David! Theyknew he was running away from me, but

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they didn't tell me!" But Saul's menrefused to kill the LORD's priests.18Then the king said to Doeg, "You doit." So Doeg turned on them and killedthem, eighty-five priests in all, all stillwearing their priestly tunics.19Then he went to Nob, the city of thepriests, and killed the priests' families--men and women, children and babies,and all the cattle, donkeys, and sheep.20Only Abiathar, one of the sons ofAhimelech, escaped and fled to David.21When he told David that Saul hadkilled the priests of the LORD,22David exclaimed, "I knew it! When Isaw Doeg there that day, I knew hewould tell Saul. Now I have caused thedeath of all your father's family.23Stay here with me, and I will protectyou with my own life, for the sameperson wants to kill us both."

23One day news came to David that

the Philistines were at Keilah stealinggrain from the threshing floors.2David asked the LORD, "Should I goand attack them?" "Yes, go and saveKeilah," the LORD told him.3But David's men said, "We're afraideven here in Judah. We certainly don'twant to go to Keilah to fight the wholePhilistine army!"4So David asked the LORD again, andagain the LORD replied, "Go down toKeilah, for I will help you conquer thePhilistines."5So David and his men went to Keilah.They slaughtered the Philistines andtook all their livestock and rescued thepeople of Keilah.6Abiathar the priest went to Keilah withDavid, taking the ephod with him to getanswers for David from the LORD.7Saul soon learned that David was atKeilah. "Good!" he exclaimed. "We'vegot him now! God has handed him overto me, for he has trapped himself in awalled city!"8So Saul mobilized his entire army tomarch to Keilah and attack David andhis men.9But David learned of Saul's plan andtold Abiathar the priest to bring theephod and ask the LORD what heshould do.10And David prayed, "O LORD, God ofIsrael, I have heard that Saul is planningto come and destroy Keilah because Iam here.

11Will the men of Keilah surrender me tohim? And will Saul actually come as Ihave heard? O LORD, God of Israel,please tell me." And the LORD said, "Hewill come."12Again David asked, "Will these men ofKeilah really betray me and my men toSaul?" And the LORD replied, "Yes,they will betray you."13So David and his men--about sixhundred of them now--left Keilah andbegan roaming the countryside. Wordsoon reached Saul that David hadescaped, so he didn't go to Keilah afterall.14David now stayed in the strongholds ofthe wilderness and in the hill country ofZiph. Saul hunted him day after day, butGod didn't let him be found.15One day near Horesh, David receivedthe news that Saul was on the way toZiph to search for him and kill him.16Jonathan went to find David andencouraged him to stay strong in hisfaith in God.17"Don't be afraid," Jonathan reassuredhim. "My father will never find you! Youare going to be the king of Israel, and Iwill be next to you, as my father is wellaware."18So the two of them renewed theircovenant of friendship before the LORD.Then Jonathan returned home, whileDavid stayed at Horesh.19But now the men of Ziph went to Saulin Gibeah and betrayed David to him."We know where David is hiding," theysaid. "He is in the strongholds of Horeshon the hill of Hakilah, which is in thesouthern part of Jeshimon.20Come down whenever you're ready, Oking, and we will catch him and handhim over to you!"21"The LORD bless you," Saul said. "Atlast someone is concerned about me!22Go and check again to be sure ofwhere he is staying and who has seenhim there, for I know that he is verycrafty.23Discover his hiding places, and comeback with a more definite report. Then I'llgo with you. And if he is in the area at all,I'll track him down, even if I have tosearch every hiding place in Judah!"24So the men of Ziph returned homeahead of Saul. Meanwhile, David andhis men had moved into the wildernessof Maon in the Arabah Valley south ofJeshimon.25When David heard that Saul and his

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men were searching for him, he wenteven farther into the wilderness to thegreat rock, and he remained there in thewilderness of Maon. But Saul kept afterhim.26He and David were now on oppositesides of a mountain. Just as Saul andhis men began to close in on David andhis men,27an urgent message reached Saul thatthe Philistines were raiding Israel again.28So Saul quit the chase and returned tofight the Philistines. Ever since that time,the place where David was camped hasbeen called the Rock of Escape.29David then went to live in thestrongholds of En-gedi.

24After Saul returned from fighting

the Philistines, he was told that Davidhad gone into the wilderness of En-gedi.2So Saul chose three thousand specialtroops from throughout Israel and wentto search for David and his men nearthe rocks of the wild goats.3At the place where the road passessome sheepfolds, Saul went into a caveto relieve himself. But as it happened,David and his men were hiding in thatvery cave!4"Now's your opportunity!" David's menwhispered to him. "Today is the day theLORD was talking about when he said, 'Iwill certainly put Saul into your power, todo with as you wish.' " Then David creptforward and cut off a piece of Saul'srobe.5But then David's conscience beganbothering him because he had cutSaul's robe.6"The LORD knows I shouldn't havedone it," he said to his men. "It is aserious thing to attack the LORD'sanointed one, for the LORD himself haschosen him."7So David sharply rebuked his men anddid not let them kill Saul. After Saul hadleft the cave and gone on his way,8David came out and shouted after him,"My lord the king!" And when Saullooked around, David bowed low beforehim.9Then he shouted to Saul, "Why do youlisten to the people who say I am tryingto harm you?10This very day you can see with yourown eyes it isn't true. For the LORDplaced you at my mercy back there inthe cave, and some of my men told me

to kill you, but I spared you. For I said, 'Iwill never harm him--he is the LORD'sanointed one.'11Look, my father, at what I have in myhand. It is a piece of your robe! I cut itoff, but I didn't kill you. This proves that Iam not trying to harm you and that Ihave not sinned against you, eventhough you have been hunting for me tokill me.12The LORD will decide between us.Perhaps the LORD will punish you forwhat you are trying to do to me, but I willnever harm you.13As that old proverb says, 'From evilpeople come evil deeds.' So you can besure I will never harm you.14Who is the king of Israel trying to catchanyway? Should he spend his timechasing one who is as worthless as adead dog or a flea?15May the LORD judge which of us isright and punish the guilty one. He is myadvocate, and he will rescue me fromyour power!"16Saul called back, "Is that really you,my son David?" Then he began to cry.17And he said to David, "You are abetter man than I am, for you haverepaid me good for evil.18Yes, you have been wonderfully kindto me today, for when the LORD put mein a place where you could have killedme, you didn't do it.19Who else would let his enemy getaway when he had him in his power?May the LORD reward you well for thekindness you have shown me today.20And now I realize that you are surelygoing to be king, and Israel will flourishunder your rule.21Now, swear to me by the LORD thatwhen that happens you will not kill myfamily and destroy my line ofdescendants!"22So David promised, and Saul wenthome. But David and his men went backto their stronghold.

25Now Samuel died, and all Israel

gathered for his funeral. They buriedhim near his home at Ramah. ThenDavid moved down to the wilderness ofMaon.2There was a wealthy man from Maonwho owned property near the village ofCarmel. He had three thousand sheepand a thousand goats, and it wassheep-shearing time.

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3This man's name was Nabal, and hiswife, Abigail, was a sensible andbeautiful woman. But Nabal, adescendant of Caleb, was mean anddishonest in all his dealings.4When David heard that Nabal wasshearing his sheep,5he sent ten of his young men to Carmel.He told them to deliver this message:6"Peace and prosperity to you, yourfamily, and everything you own!7I am told that you are shearing yoursheep and goats. While your shepherdsstayed among us near Carmel, wenever harmed them, and nothing wasever stolen from them.8Ask your own servants, and they willtell you this is true. So would you pleasebe kind to us, since we have come at atime of celebration? Please give us anyprovisions you might have on hand."9David's young men gave this messageto Nabal and waited for his reply.10"Who is this fellow David?" Nabalsneered. "Who does this son of Jessethink he is? There are lots of servantsthese days who run away from theirmasters.11Should I take my bread and water andthe meat I've slaughtered for myshearers and give it to a band of outlawswho come from who knows where?"12So David's messengers returned andtold him what Nabal had said.13"Get your swords!" was David's replyas he strapped on his own. Fourhundred men started off with David, andtwo hundred remained behind to guardtheir equipment.14Meanwhile, one of Nabal's servantswent to Abigail and told her, "David sentmen from the wilderness to talk to ourmaster, and he insulted them.15But David's men were very good to us,and we never suffered any harm fromthem. Nothing was stolen from us thewhole time they were with us.16In fact, day and night they were like awall of protection to us and the sheep.17You'd better think fast, for there isgoing to be trouble for our master andhis whole family. He's so ill-temperedthat no one can even talk to him!"18Abigail lost no time. She quicklygathered two hundred loaves of bread,two skins of wine, five dressed sheep,nearly a bushel of roasted grain, onehundred raisin cakes, and two hundredfig cakes. She packed them on donkeysand said to her servants,

19"Go on ahead. I will follow you shortly."But she didn't tell her husband what shewas doing.20As she was riding her donkey into amountain ravine, she saw David and hismen coming toward her.21David had just been saying, "A lot ofgood it did to help this fellow. Weprotected his flocks in the wilderness,and nothing he owned was lost or stolen.But he has repaid me evil for good.22May God deal with me severely if evenone man of his household is still alivetomorrow morning!"23When Abigail saw David, she quicklygot off her donkey and bowed lowbefore him.24She fell at his feet and said, "I acceptall blame in this matter, my lord. Pleaselisten to what I have to say.25I know Nabal is a wicked and illtemperedman; please don't pay anyattention to him. He is a fool, just as hisname suggests. But I never even sawthe messengers you sent.26"Now, my lord, as surely as the LORDlives and you yourself live, since theLORD has kept you from murdering andtaking vengeance into your own hands,let all your enemies be as cursed asNabal is.27And here is a present I have broughtto you and your young men.28Please forgive me if I have offended inany way. The LORD will surely rewardyou with a lasting dynasty, for you arefighting the LORD's battles. And youhave not done wrong throughout yourentire life.29"Even when you are chased by thosewho seek your life, you are safe in thecare of the LORD your God, secure inhis treasure pouch! But the lives of yourenemies will disappear like stones shotfrom a sling!30When the LORD has done all hepromised and has made you leader ofIsrael,31don't let this be a blemish on yourrecord. Then you won't have to carry onyour conscience the staggering burdenof needless bloodshed and vengeance.And when the LORD has done thesegreat things for you, please rememberme!"32David replied to Abigail, "Praise theLORD, the God of Israel, who has sentyou to meet me today!33Thank God for your good sense! Blessyou for keeping me from murdering the

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man and carrying out vengeance withmy own hands.34For I swear by the LORD, the God ofIsrael, who has kept me from hurtingyou, that if you had not hurried out tomeet me, not one of Nabal's men wouldbe alive tomorrow morning."35Then David accepted her gifts and toldher, "Return home in peace. We will notkill your husband."36When Abigail arrived home, she foundthat Nabal had thrown a big party andwas celebrating like a king. He was verydrunk, so she didn't tell him anythingabout her meeting with David until thenext morning.37The next morning when he was sober,she told him what had happened. As aresult he had a stroke, and he lay on hisbed paralyzed.38About ten days later, the LORD struckhim and he died.39When David heard that Nabal wasdead, he said, "Praise the LORD, whohas paid back Nabal and kept me fromdoing it myself. Nabal has received thepunishment for his sin." Then Davidwasted no time in sending messengersto Abigail to ask her to become his wife.40When the messengers arrived atCarmel, they told Abigail, "David hassent us to ask if you will marry him."41She bowed low to the ground andresponded, "Yes, I am even willing tobecome a slave to David's servants!"42Quickly getting ready, she took alongfive of her servant girls as attendants,mounted her donkey, and went withDavid's messengers. And so shebecame his wife.43David also married Ahinoam fromJezreel, making both of them his wives.44Saul, meanwhile, had given hisdaughter Michal, David's wife, to a manfrom Gallim named Palti son of Laish.

26Now some messengers from Ziph

came back to Saul at Gibeah to tell him,"David is hiding on the hill of Hakilah,which overlooks Jeshimon."2So Saul took three thousand of his besttroops and went to hunt him down in thewilderness of Ziph.3Saul camped along the road beside thehill of Hakilah, near Jeshimon, whereDavid was hiding. But David knew ofSaul's arrival,4so he sent out spies to watch hismovements.

5David slipped over to Saul's camp onenight to look around. Saul and hisgeneral, Abner son of Ner, weresleeping inside a ring formed by theslumbering warriors.6"Will anyone volunteer to go in therewith me?" David asked Ahimelech theHittite and Abishai son of Zeruiah,Joab's brother. "I'll go with you," Abishaireplied.7So David and Abishai went right intoSaul's camp and found him asleep, withhis spear stuck in the ground beside hishead. Abner and the warriors were lyingasleep around him.8"God has surely handed your enemyover to you this time!" Abishai whisperedto David. "Let me thrust that spearthrough him. I'll pin him to the ground,and I won't need to strike twice!"9"No!" David said. "Don't kill him. Forwho can remain innocent after attackingthe LORD's anointed one?10Surely the LORD will strike Saul downsomeday, or he will die in battle or of oldage.11But the LORD forbid that I should killthe one he has anointed! But I'll tell youwhat--we'll take his spear and his jug ofwater and then get out of here!"12So David took the spear and jug ofwater that were near Saul's head. Thenhe and Abishai got away without anyoneseeing them or even waking up,because the LORD had put Saul's meninto a deep sleep.13David climbed the hill opposite thecamp until he was at a safe distance.14Then he shouted down to Abner andSaul, "Wake up, Abner!" "Who is it?"Abner demanded.15"Well, Abner, you're a great man,aren't you?" David taunted. "Where in allIsrael is there anyone as mighty? Sowhy haven't you guarded your masterthe king when someone came to killhim?16This isn't good at all! I swear by theLORD that you and your men deserve todie, because you failed to protect yourmaster, the LORD's anointed! Lookaround! Where are the king's spear andthe jug of water that were beside hishead?"17Saul recognized David's voice andcalled out, "Is that you, my son David?"And David replied, "Yes, my lord theking.18Why are you chasing me? What have Idone? What is my crime?

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19But now let my lord the king listen tohis servant. If the LORD has stirred youup against me, then let him accept myoffering. But if this is simply a humanscheme, then may those involved becursed by the LORD. For you havedriven me from my home, so I can nolonger live among the LORD's peopleand worship as I should.20Must I die on foreign soil, far from thepresence of the LORD? Why has theking of Israel come out to search for asingle flea? Why does he hunt me downlike a partridge on the mountains?"21Then Saul confessed, "I have sinned.Come back home, my son, and I will nolonger try to harm you, for you valuedmy life today. I have been a fool andvery, very wrong."22"Here is your spear, O king," Davidreplied. "Let one of your young mencome over and get it.23The LORD gives his own reward fordoing good and for being loyal, and Irefused to kill you even when the LORDplaced you in my power, for you are theLORD's anointed one.24Now may the LORD value my life,even as I have valued yours today. Mayhe rescue me from all my troubles."25And Saul said to David, "Blessings onyou, my son David. You will do heroicdeeds and be a great conqueror." ThenDavid went away, and Saul returnedhome.

27But David kept thinking to himself,

"Someday Saul is going to get me. Thebest thing for me to do is escape to thePhilistines. Then Saul will stop huntingfor me, and I will finally be safe."2So David took his six hundred men andtheir families and went to live at Gathunder the protection of King Achish.3David brought his two wives along withhim--Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail ofCarmel, Nabal's widow.4Word soon reached Saul that Davidhad fled to Gath, so he stopped huntingfor him.5One day David said to Achish, "If it isall right with you, we would rather live inone of the country towns instead of herein the royal city."6So Achish gave him the town of Ziklag(which still belongs to the kings of Judahto this day),7and they lived there among thePhilistines for a year and four months.

8David and his men spent their timeraiding the Geshurites, the Girzites, andthe Amalekites--people who had livednear Shur, along the road to Egypt,since ancient times.9David didn't leave one person alive inthe villages he attacked. He took thesheep, cattle, donkeys, camels, andclothing before returning home to seeKing Achish.10"Where did you make your raidtoday?" Achish would ask. And Davidwould reply, "Against the south of Judah,the Jerahmeelites, and the Kenites."11No one was left alive to come to Gathand tell where he had really been. Thishappened again and again while he wasliving among the Philistines.12Achish believed David and thought tohimself, "By now the people of Israelmust hate him bitterly. Now he will haveto stay here and serve me forever!"

28About that time the Philistines

mustered their armies for another warwith Israel. King Achish told David, "Youand your men will be expected to joinme in battle."2"Very well!" David agreed. "Now youwill see for yourself what we can do."Then Achish told David, "I will make youmy personal bodyguard for life."3Meanwhile, Samuel had died, and allIsrael had mourned for him. He wasburied in Ramah, his hometown. AndSaul had banned all mediums andpsychics from the land of Israel.4The Philistines set up their camp atShunem, and Saul and the armies ofIsrael camped at Gilboa.5When Saul saw the vast Philistine army,he became frantic with fear.6He asked the LORD what he should do,but the LORD refused to answer him,either by dreams or by sacred lots or bythe prophets.7Saul then said to his advisers, "Find awoman who is a medium, so I can goand ask her what to do." His advisersreplied, "There is a medium at Endor."8So Saul disguised himself by wearingordinary clothing instead of his royalrobes. Then he went to the woman'shome at night, accompanied by two ofhis men. "I have to talk to a man whohas died," he said. "Will you call up hisspirit for me?"9"Are you trying to get me killed?" thewoman demanded. "You know that Saul

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has expelled all the mediums andpsychics from the land. Why are yousetting a trap for me?"10But Saul took an oath in the name ofthe LORD and promised, "As surely asthe LORD lives, nothing bad will happento you for doing this."11Finally, the woman said, "Well, whosespirit do you want me to call up?" "Callup Samuel," Saul replied.12When the woman saw Samuel, shescreamed, "You've deceived me! Youare Saul!"13"Don't be afraid!" the king told her."What do you see?" "I see a god comingup out of the earth," she said.14"What does he look like?" Saul asked."He is an old man wrapped in a robe,"she replied. Saul realized that it wasSamuel, and he fell to the ground beforehim.15"Why have you disturbed me by callingme back?" Samuel asked. "Because Iam in deep trouble," Saul replied. "ThePhilistines are at war with us, and Godhas left me and won't reply by prophetsor dreams. So I have called for you totell me what to do."16But Samuel replied, "Why ask me ifthe LORD has left you and has becomeyour enemy?17The LORD has done just as he said hewould. He has taken the kingdom fromyou and given it to your rival, David.18The LORD has done this because youdid not obey his instructions concerningthe Amalekites.19What's more, the LORD will hand youand the army of Israel over to thePhilistines tomorrow, and you and yoursons will be here with me. The LORDwill bring the entire army of Israel downin defeat."20Saul fell full length on the ground,paralyzed with fright because ofSamuel's words. He was also faint withhunger, for he had eaten nothing all dayand all night.21When the woman saw how distraughthe was, she said, "Sir, I obeyed yourcommand at the risk of my life.22Now do what I say, and let me giveyou something to eat so you can regainyour strength for the trip back."23But Saul refused. The men who werewith him also urged him to eat, so hefinally yielded and got up from theground and sat on the couch.24The woman had been fattening a calf,so she hurried out and killed it. She

kneaded dough and baked unleavenedbread.25She brought the meal to Saul and hismen, and they ate it. Then they went outinto the night.

29The entire Philistine army now

mobilized at Aphek, and the Israelitescamped at the spring in Jezreel.2As the Philistine rulers were leading outtheir troops in groups of one hundredand one thousand, David and his menmarched at the rear with King Achish.3But the Philistine commandersdemanded, "What are these Hebrewsdoing here?" And Achish told them,"This is David, the man who ran awayfrom King Saul of Israel. He's been withme for years, and I've never found asingle fault in him since he defected tome."4But the Philistine commanders wereangry. "Send him back!" they demanded."He can't go into the battle with us. Whatif he turns against us? Is there anybetter way for him to reconcile himselfwith his master than by turning on us inbattle?5Isn't this the same David about whomthe women of Israel sing in their dances,'Saul has killed his thousands, andDavid his ten thousands'?"6So Achish finally summoned David andhis men. "I swear by the LORD," he toldthem, "you are some of the finest menI've ever met. I think you should go withus, but the other Philistine rulers won'thear of it.7Please don't upset them, but go backquietly."8"What have I done to deserve thistreatment?" David demanded. "Whycan't I fight the enemies of my lord, theking?"9But Achish insisted, "As far as I'mconcerned, you're as perfect as anangel of God. But my commanders areafraid to have you with them in the battle.10Now get up early in the morning, andleave with your men as soon as it getslight."11So David headed back into the land ofthe Philistines, while the Philistine armywent on to Jezreel.

30Three days later, when David and

his men arrived home at their town ofZiklag, they found that the Amalekiteshad made a raid into the Negev and had

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burned Ziklag to the ground.2They had carried off the women andchildren and everyone else but withoutkilling anyone.3When David and his men saw the ruinsand realized what had happened to theirfamilies,4they wept until they could weep nomore.5David's two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreeland Abigail, the widow of Nabal ofCarmel, were among those captured.6David was now in serious troublebecause his men were very bitter aboutlosing their wives and children, and theybegan to talk of stoning him. But Davidfound strength in the LORD his God.7Then he said to Abiathar the priest,"Bring me the ephod!" So Abiatharbrought it.8Then David asked the LORD, "Should Ichase them? Will I catch them?" And theLORD told him, "Yes, go after them. Youwill surely recover everything that wastaken from you!"9So David and his six hundred men setout, and they soon came to Besor Brook.10But two hundred of the men were tooexhausted to cross the brook, so Davidcontinued the pursuit with his fourhundred remaining troops.11Some of David's troops found anEgyptian man in a field and brought himto David. They gave him some bread toeat and some water to drink.12They also gave him part of a fig cakeand two clusters of raisins because hehadn't had anything to eat or drink forthree days and nights. It wasn't longbefore his strength returned.13"To whom do you belong, and wheredo you come from?" David asked him. "Iam an Egyptian--the slave of anAmalekite," he replied. "My master leftme behind three days ago because Iwas sick.14We were on our way back from raidingthe Kerethites in the Negev, the territoryof Judah, and the land of Caleb, and wehad just burned Ziklag."15"Will you lead me to them?" Davidasked. The young man replied, "If youswear by God's name that you will notkill me or give me back to my master,then I will guide you to them."16So the Egyptian led them to theAmalekite encampment. When Davidand his men arrived, the Amalekiteswere spread out across the fields, eatingand drinking and dancing with joy

because of the vast amount of plunderthey had taken from the Philistines andthe land of Judah.17David and his men rushed in amongthem and slaughtered them throughoutthat night and the entire next day untilevening. None of the Amalekitesescaped except four hundred youngmen who fled on camels.18David got back everything theAmalekites had taken, and he rescuedhis two wives.19Nothing was missing: small or great,son or daughter, nor anything else thathad been taken. David broughteverything back.20His troops rounded up all the flocksand herds and drove them on ahead."These all belong to David as hisreward!" they said.21When they reached Besor Brook andmet the two hundred men who had beentoo tired to go with them, David greetedthem joyfully.22But some troublemakers amongDavid's men said, "They didn't go withus, so they can't have any of the plunder.Give them their wives and children, andtell them to be gone."23But David said, "No, my brothers!Don't be selfish with what the LORD hasgiven us. He has kept us safe andhelped us defeat the enemy.24Do you think anyone will listen to youwhen you talk like this? We share andshare alike--those who go to battle andthose who guard the equipment."25From then on David made this a lawfor all of Israel, and it is still followed.26When he arrived at Ziklag, David sentpart of the plunder to the leaders ofJudah, who were his friends. "Here is apresent for you, taken from the LORD'senemies," he said.27The gifts were sent to the leaders ofthe following towns where David and hismen had been: Bethel, Ramoth-negev,Jattir,28Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa,29Racal, the towns of the Jerahmeelites,the towns of the Kenites,30Hormah, Bor-ashan, Athach,31Hebron, and all the other places theyhad visited.

31Now the Philistines attacked Israel,

forcing the Israelites to flee. Many wereslaughtered on the slopes of MountGilboa.

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2The Philistines closed in on Saul andhis sons, and they killed three of hissons--Jonathan, Abinadab, andMalkishua.3The fighting grew very fierce aroundSaul, and the Philistine archers caughtup with him and wounded him severely.4Saul groaned to his armor bearer,"Take your sword and kill me beforethese pagan Philistines run me throughand humiliate me." But his armor bearerwas afraid and would not do it. So Saultook his own sword and fell on it.5When his armor bearer realized thatSaul was dead, he fell on his own swordand died beside the king.6So Saul, three of his sons, his armorbearer, and his troops all died togetherthat same day.7When the Israelites on the other side ofthe Jezreel Valley and beyond theJordan saw that their army had beenrouted and that Saul and his sons weredead, they abandoned their towns andfled. So the Philistines moved in andoccupied their towns.8The next day, when the Philistines wentout to strip the dead, they found thebodies of Saul and his three sons onMount Gilboa.9So they cut off Saul's head andstripped off his armor. Then theyproclaimed the news of Saul's death intheir pagan temple and to the peoplethroughout the land of Philistia.10They placed his armor in the temple ofthe Ashtoreths, and they fastened hisbody to the wall of the city of Beth-shan.11But when the people of Jabesh-gileadheard what the Philistines had done toSaul,12their warriors traveled all night to Bethshanand took the bodies of Saul andhis sons down from the wall. Theybrought them to Jabesh, where theyburned the bodies.13Then they took their remains andburied them beneath the tamarisk treeat Jabesh, and they fasted for sevendays.