8 and did not eat, Elkana her husband said to her, Anna! and she said to him, Here, my lord. And he said to her, What is die matter with thee, thatthou weepest? And why dost thou not eat? And why is thy heart grieved? Am not I better to thee than

9 ten sons? Thereupon Anna rose up, after they had eaten at Selom, and stood before the Lord. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat at the door posts of the temple of the Lord.

10 And she being in bitterness of soul, prayed to the Lord, and

11 wept sore. And she vowed a vow to the Lord, saying, O Ado- nai, Lord, Eloe Sabbaoth! If thou wilt look on the affliction of thy handmaid, and remember me, and give thy handmaid a man child, I will dedicate him before thee, as a gift to the day of his death; and he shall not drink wine, nor fermented li-

12 quor, nor shall a razor come on his head. And while she was continuing her prayer before the Lord, Eli the priest observed

13 her mouth. When she spoke in her heart, her lips moved, but her voice was not heard, so Eli thought that she was

14 drunk. Thereupon Eli's servant said to her, How long wilt thou be drunk? Take away thy wine, and depart from the pre- 15 sence of the Lord. And Anna answered, and said, No, my

lord. I am a woman in deep affliction. I have not drunk wine nor strong drink; but am pouring out my soul before the Lord.

16 Count not thy handmaid a daughter of wickedness, because, out of the abundance of my deep meditation, I have continued

17 till now. Then Eli in reply said to her, Go in peace. May the God of Israel grant thee thy petition, which thou hast

18 asked of him. And she said, Thy servant hath found favour in thy sight. Then the woman went away, and when she came to her lodging, she ate and drank with her husband, and

19 her countenance was no more dejected. And they arose early in the morning, and worshipped the Lord, and set out on their journey. And when Elkana came to his house at Armathaim, he knew his wife Anna; and the Lord remembered her, and

20 she conceived, and at the appointed time bore a son, and called his name Samuel, because, said she, I asked him of the

21 Lord God of Sabbaoth. And when the man Elkana went up, with his household, to offer at Selom his annual sacrifice, and his vows, and all the tythes of his land, Anna did not go up

22 with him; for she said to her husband, Not till the boy can go

up, after I have weaned him, that he may appear before the

23 Lord, and abide there continually. And Elkana her husband , said to her, Do what seemeth good in thine eyes. Stay till thou

hast weaned him. And may the Lord establish what hath pro-

24 ceeded from thy mouth. So the woman staid at home, and suckled the child. And when she had weaned him, she went up with her husband to Selom, with a bull of three years old, and bread, and an epha of fine flour, and a nebal of wine, and came to the house of the Lord at Selom, and the boy with

25 them. And when they had presented him before the Lord, and his father had slain the victim, which he offered yearly to the Lord, he presented the boy, and slew the bull, and Anna, the mother of the child, presented him before Eli, and said,

26 Attend to me, my lord! As thy soul liveth, I am the woman who stood in thy presence with thee when I prayed to the

27 Lord. For this child I prayed, and the Lord hath granted me the petition which I asked of him; therefore I dedicate him to

28 the Lord, all the days of his life, as a loan to the Lord. Then she said,

II. My heart was strengthened by the Lord;
By my God, my horn was exalted ;
Over my enemies my mouth was enlarged ;
I was made glad by thy salvation.

2 Because there is none holy like the Lord,
And none is righteous like our God,
There is none holy besides thee.

3 Boast not, nor speak haughtily,

Let not arrogance proceed from your mouth.

Because the Lord is a God of all knowledge—
A God who prepareth his own designs;

4 The bow of the mighty he hath made weak,

And the weak have girded themselves with strength :

5 They who were full of bread have been brought low; And they who were hungry have reached land.

For she who was barren hath born seven children;

And she who abounded in children hath been made weak.

6 The Lord killeth, and giveth life ;

He bringeth down to the grave, and raiseth up.

7 The Lord impoverished!, and maketh rich;

He humbleth, and he exalteth on high.

8 He lifteth up the needy from the ground ; And raiseth the beggar from a dunghill; To seat them among a people's princes ;

And he causeth them to possess a throne of glory.

9 He granteth the petitioner his prayer,

And hath blessed the years of the righteous ;
Because a man is not mighty in strength,

10 The Lord will make his adversary weak.

Holy is the Lord.

Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom,
Nor the mighty man boast of his power ;
Nor let the rich man boast of his riches :
But let him who boasteth, boast of this—
That the Lord understandeth, and knoweth,
And that he executeth judgment and justice in the land.

The Lord ascended up to heaven and thundered ;
He will judge the highest on earth :
To our kings he giveth power,
And he will exalt the horn of his anointed.

11 So she left the child there before the Lord, and returned to Armathaim; and the child ministered in the presence of the Lord before Eli the priest.

12 Now the sons of Eli the priest were wicked men. They did not know the Lord; nor what was the priest's due from

13 the people—from all who offered a sacrifice; but the servant of

14 the priest would come when the flesh was boiling; and having a three pronged flesh fork in his hand, would strike it into the great cauldron, or into the brass kettle, or into the pot; and all that came up with the flesh fork the priest took for himself. In this manner they did to all the Israelites who came to sacri-

15 fice to the Lord at Selom. And before the suet was burned, the priest's servant would come, and say to the man who was sacrificing, Give me flesh to roast for the priest, for I will not

16 take boiled flesh from thee out of the kettle. And if the man who was sacrificing said, Let the suet first be burned according to the ritual, then take for thyself any piece thy soul de- sireth; he would say, No; thou shalt give it me now. And if

17 not; I will take it by force. So that the sin of these young

men was very great before the Lord; because they set at

18 naught the sacrifice of the Lord. But Samuel ministered be-

19 fore the Lord, being a child girded with a linen ephod. And his mother made for him a little doublet, and brought it up for him every year, when she came up with her husband, to offer

20 their annual sacrifice. Now Eli had blessed Elkana, and his wife saying, The Lord grant thee seed from this woman in re-

21 turn for the loan which thou hast lent to the Lord. And when the man returned to his place the Lord visited Anna, and she bore three sons more, and two daughters. But the lad Samuel grew up before the Lord.

22 Now Eli was very old; and when he heard what his sons

23 did to the children of Israel, he said to them, Why do you act in the manner I hear from the mouth of all the people of

24 the Lord ? Do not so my sons ; for the reports which I hear

25 are not good, that the people cannot serve God. If one man sin against another, intercession can be made for him to the Lord; but if he sin against the Lord, who can intercede for him? But they hearkened not to the voice of their father, where-

26 fore the Lord determined to destroy them. But the child Samuel proceeded on, and was in favour with the Lord, and with

27 men. And there came a man of God to Eli and said, Thus saith the Lord, I revealed myself clearly to the house of thy father, when they were servants to the house of Pharao, in the

28 land of Egypt. And I chose the house of thy father out of all the sceptres of Israel, to serve me in the priest's office, to go up to my altar, and to bum incense, and wear an ephod; and I gave the house of thy father all the burnt offerings of the

29 children of Israel for meat. Why then hast thou looked with an impudent eye on my incense offerings, and on my sacrifice of flour, and honoured thy sons above me, by indulging them with the dedicated part of every sacrifice of Israel, in prefer-

30 ence to me ? For this cause, thus saith the Lord the God of Israel, I said, Thy house, and the house of thy father, shall go out before me for ever; but nowthe Lord saith, Far be this from

31 me; for I will honour them only who honour me. And he who despiseth me shall be despised. Behold the days are coming when I will root out thy seed, and the seed of thy father's house ; so that thou shalt not have an old man in thy house

Vol. i. 3 M

33 for ever. A chief man indeed for thee I will not cut off from my altar, that his eyes may fail and his soul melt; but all

34 the rest of thy house shall fall by the sword of men. And this which shall come upon thy two sons, shall be a sign to thee. Ophni and Phineas shall both be put to death on the same day.

35 And I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who shall do all that is in my heart and in my mind; and I will build for him a faithful house, and he shall go out before my anointed for

36 ever. And it shall be, that he who is left in thy house, will come to bow down before him, for a piece of silver, saying, Put me into one of the priestly offices that I may eat bread.

IIL Now when the child Samuel was ministering to the Lord before Eli the priest (in those days the word of the Lord was

2 precious—there was no distinct vision) it came to pass at that time, when Eli was sleeping in his place, his eyes having then

3 begun to be heavy, so that he could not see, and before the lamp of God was replenished, and Samuel was sleeping at the temple, where the ark of God was, the Lord called, Samuel! Samuel!

4 Whereupon he said, Here I am, and ran to Eli, and said, Here I

5 am, for thou didst call me.. And he said, I did not call thee. Re-

6 turn, and go to sleep. So he returned and went to sleep. And the Lord again called Samuel! Samuel! Whereupon he went to Eli, a second time, and said, Here I am; for thou didst call me. And

7 he said I did not call thee, Return, and go to sleep. Thus before Samuel knew God, or the word of the Lord was revealed to him,

8 die Lord proceeded to call Samuel the third time; whereupon Samuel arose, and went to Eli, and said, Here I am, for thou

9 didst call me. Then Eli conjectured diat the Lord had called him ; therefore he said, Return my son, and go to sleep, and if he call thee thou shall say, Speak, for thy servant heareth.

10 So Samuel went, and lay down in his place, and the Lord came, and stood over against him, and called him as before.

11 And Samuel said, Speak for thy servant heareth. Then the Lord said to Samuel, Behold I am about to execute my words in Israel, at which both the ears of every one who heareth them shall

12 tingle. In that day I will bring upon Eli all that I have spoken

13 against his house, I will begin and completely finish. I have indeed told him that I will take vengeance on his house for

ever, for the iniquities of his sons. Because his sons spoke

14 evil of God, and he did not chastise them, therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's house shall

15 not be expiated with incense or sacrifices for ever. And Samuel lay till the morning, and arose early in the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the Lord, but was afraid to

16 tell the vision. Then Eli said to Samuel, Samuel, my son!

17 And he said, Here I am. And he said, What was the word spoken to thee? Hide it not from me, I pray thee. God do so to thee, and more also, if thou hide any thing from me, of all

18 that was spoken to thee in thy hearing. Then Samuel told him all the words. He did not hide any thing from him. Whereupon Eli said, He is the Lord. He will do what is good in his sight.

19 And Samuel grew up, and the Lord was with him, so that

20 not one of his words fell to the ground. And all Israel, from Dan to Bersabee, knew that Samuel was a faithful prophet of

21 the Lord. And the Lord continued to manifest himself at Se- lom; for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel, and it was confidently believed that Samuel would be the prophet of the Lord to all Israel, from one end of the land to the other.

IV. Now Eli was very old, and his sons continued their courses. And their way was evil in the sight of the Lord. And in those days the Philistines assembled for war against Israel; and Israel went out to meet them for battle, and encamped at

2 Abenezer, and the Philistines encamped at Aphek. And the Philistines drew up in array for battle against Israel, and the battle was unfavourable; for Israel gave way before the Philistines, and there were smitten in the engagement, on the field

3 of battle, four thousand men. And when the people came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, Why hath the Lord caused us this day to shrink before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of our God from Selom, and let it go forth from the midst

4 of us, and it will save us out of the hands of our enemies. So the people sentto Selom, and broughtthencethc ark of the Lord who is enthroned on the cherubim. And both the sons of Eli,

5 Ophni and Phineas, went with the ark. And when the ark of the Lord came to the camp, all Israel shouted with a great

6 shout, and the earth resounded. Upon hearing the noise of the shouting, the Philistines said, What great shouting is this in

7 the camp of the Hebrews? And when they understood that the ark of the Lord was come to the camp, the Philistines were struck with terror, and said, The gods are come to them into the camp. Alas for us? Deliver us, O Lord, this day! for such a

8 thing hath never been done heretofore. Alas for us ! Who can deliver us out of the hands of these strong gods? These are the gods who continued smiting Egypt with every plague: and

9 in the wilderness—Be strong and quit yourselves like men, O Philistines, that you may not become slaves to the Hebrews, as

10 they have been to us. Quit yourselves like men, and fight them. So they fought them, and Israel gave way, and fled every man to his tent. And there was a very great slaughter;

11 and there fell of Israel thirty thousand warriors. And the ark of God was taken, and Ophni and Phineas, the two sons of Eli,

12 were both slain. And there ran a Jeminite from the battle, and came to Selom the same day, with his clothes rent and dust

13 on his head. And when he came, lo! Eli was sitting on his seat, by the gate, watching the way; for his heart trembled

14 for the ark of God. And when the man went into the city, and tolcl^ the news, the city raised a cry. And upon hearing the sound of the cry, Eli said, What noise of crying is this ? Then

15 the man came in haste, and told Eli. Now Eli was ninety years of age, and his eyes were dim so that he could not see. And just as Eli said to the men who stood round him, W^rhat

16 noise of crying is this ? The man came in haste to Eli, and said to him, I am he who came the from army, and fled to-day

17 from the engagement. Whereupon Eli said, What was the issue, my son ? And the young man in reply, said, Israel fled before the face of the Philistines, and there was a great slaughter among the people, and both thy sons are dead, and the ark

18 of God is taken-. Soon as he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell backward from his seat by the gate, and his back was broken, and he died; for he was an old man and heavy. Now

19 he had judged Israel twenty years. And when his daughter in law, the wife of Phineas, who was with child, heard the news, that the ark of God was taken, and that her father in law and her husband were dead, she burst into tears and travailed, for

20 her pains came upon her. And when she was at the point of death, the women who attended her, said, Fear not, for thou

21 hast brought forth a son; but she made them no answer: her heart regarded it not; but she called her son Ouaibarcha- both, for the ark of God, and for her father in law, and for her

22 husband. And they said, The glory departed from Israel, when the ark of the Lord was taken.

V. Now when the Philistines had taken the ark of God, they

2 carried it from Abenezer to Azotus. And the Philistines took the Ark of the Lord, and carried it into the temple of Dagon,

3 and set it beside Dagon. But when the Azotians arose in the morning, and went into the temple of Dagon, they looked, and lo! Dagon had fallen on its face before the ark of God. Thereupon they raised up Dagon, and set him in his place. But the hand of the Lord was heavy on the Azotians; and he afflicted them, and smote them in the hinder parts, throughout Azotus

4 and its territories. And when they arose early next morning, behold Dagon was fallen prostrate before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; and the head of Dagon, and both his hands, had been hurled away in front of the Amapheth, and the palms of both his hands had fallen on the threshold, so that nothing

5 but the trunk of Dagon was left. For this cause the priests of Dagon, and every one who goeth into the temple of Dagon, do not, even at this day, tread on the threshold of the temple of Dagon, at Azotus, but step over it.

6 Still the hand of the Lord was heavy upon Azotus, and pressed them down. Leaks broke out in their vessels, and their country swarmed with mice, and in the city there was a great

7 confusion of mortality. And when the men of Azotus saw that this was the case, they said, The ark of the God of Israel shall not abide with us, for his hand is grievous upon us, and our

8 god Dagon. So they sent, and convened to them the lords of the Philistines, and said, What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel? Whereupon the Gethites said, Let the ark of

9 the God come to us. So the ark of the God of Israel went to Geth. And when it went there, the hand of the Lord was upon that city, with very great destruction, and smote the men of that city, both small and great. He smote them in their hinder

10 parts, and the Gethites made stools for themselves. Then they sent the ark of God to Ascalon. But when the ark of God came to Ascalon, the Ascalonites cried out saying, Why have you brought the ark of the God of Israel to us, to kill us and

11 our people? So they sent and assembled the lords of the Philistines, and said, Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and

12 let it abide in its own place, and not kill us and our people. For a very deadly disorder broke out in the city, as soon as the ark of the God of Israel entered there; and they who were alive, and had not yet died, were smitten in their hinder parts. And the cry of the city ascended up to heaven.

VI. When the ark had been in the country of the Philistines seven months, and the land poured forth swarms of mice, the

2 Philistines then called for their priests, and their diviners, and their sorcerers, and said, What shall we do with the ark of the

3 Lord? Tell us how we shall send it to its place. Whereupon they said, If you send away the ark of the covenant of the Lord God of Israel, you must not send it away empty, but make some atonement for the injury done it, and then you shall be

4 healed, and he will be appeased with you: otherwise his hand will not be removed from you. And they said, What atonement shall we make to it ? To which they replied, According to the number of the lords of the Philistines, five golden

5 stools, for this is correspondent to the plague among you, both among your chiefs and people; and golden mice, as a semblance of those mice of yours, which destroy the land. And you shall give glory to the Lord, that he may remove his hand

6 from you, and from your gods, and from your land. Now why do you continue obstinate, as Egypt and Pharao did? Did they not when he had insulted them, send the people away,

7 and they departed? Now therefore, take and provide a new cart, and two heifers lately calved, without their young, and yoke the heifers to the cart, and bring home their calves from

8 them. Then take the ark, and put it in the cart, with the jewels of gold which you shall give for an atonement, and lay them on a bed, Bersechthan, by its side, and send it away. And

9 when you have driven it off, you shall quit it, and look. If it taketh the road to its own borders, leading by Baithsamus, then hath he done us this great evil; but if not, we shall then know that his hand hath not touched us, but that this is a ca-

10 sualty which hath befallen us. Accordingly the Philistines did so. They took two heifers which had lately calved, and yoked them

11 to the cart, and shut up their calves at home; and laid the ark of the Lord in the cart, with the bed Ergab, and the golden

12 mice. And the cows took the straight road to the high way leading to Baithsamus, and proceeded on in one track, and though fatigued, they turned not aside to the right, nor to the left. And the lords of the Philistines followed it to the borders of Baithsamus.

13 Now the people of Baithsamus were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley; and when they raised their eyes, and saw

14 the ark of the Lord, they rejoiced at meeting it. So when the cart came into the field of Osea of Baithsamus, they set up there a great stone near it. Then cutting to pieces the wood of die cart, they offered the cows as a whole burnt offering to the

15 Lord. Then the Levites took up the ark of the Lord, and the bed Ergab with it, and the jewels of gold which were by it,

16 and laid them on the great stone. And the men of Baithsamus offered whole burnt offerings, and sacrifices, that day to the Lord. And when the five lords of the Philistines saw this,

17 they returned to Ascalon the same day. Now these were the golden stools which the Philistines gave for an atonement to the Lord—one for Azotus, one for Gaza, one for Ascalon,

18 one for Gath, and one for Akkaron. And the golden mice were according to the number of all the cities which belonged to the five lords of the Philistines, from the fenced city to the village of the Pherezites, and to the great stone, on which they had laid the ark of the Lord, and which is in the field of Osea, the Baithsamite.

19 But among the men of Baithsamus, the sons of Jechonias did not receive it with joy—because they looked into the ark of the Lord, therefore he smote among them seventy men, including fifty of the men's chiliad. Thereupon the people mourned, because the Lord had inflicted a very great blow on

20 that community; and the men of Baithsamus said, Who will be able to pass by before the Lord, the holy God? And, To

21 whom shall the ark of the Lord go up from us. Then they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kariathiarim, saying, The Philistines have sent back the ark of the Lord, Come down

VII. and take it up to you. Thereupon the men of Kariathiarim went, and carried up the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and brought it to the house of Aminadab, who dwelt on the hill, and consecrated Eleazar his son to keep the ark of theco-

2 venant of the Lord. And from the day the ark was at Kariathia- rim, days were multiplied, and twenty years elapsed. And

3 when all the house of Israel looked back after the Lord, Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, If with your whole heart you turn to the Lord, put away the strange gods from among you, and the bowers, and prepare your hearts for the Lord, and serve him alone, and he will deliver you out of

4 the hand of the Philistines. And when the children of Israel had put away the Baals, and the bowers of Astaroth, and serv-

5 ed the Lord alone, Samuel said, Assemble all Israel to Mas-

6 sepha, and I will pray to the Lord for you. So they assembled at Massepha, and drew water, and poured it out before the Lord, on the ground, and fasted that day, and said, We have sinned before the Lord. And Samuel judged the children of Israel at Massepha.

7 Now when the Philistines heard that all the children of Israel were assembled at Massepha, the lords of the Philistines came up against Israel. Upon hearing this the children of Is- rael were terrified because of the Philistines, and said to Sa-

8 muel, Cease not to cry to the Lord thy God for us, that he

9 may save us out of the hand of the Philistines. Thereupon Samuel took a sucking lamb, and, with all the people, offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. And Samuel cried to

10 the Lord for Israel; and the Lord heard him. Now while Samuel was offering the whole burnt offering, the Philistines advanced to battle against Israel; and the Lord thundered that day with a great voice against the Philistines, and they were

11 discomfited, and fled before Israel. And the men of Israel went out from Massepha, and pursued the Philistines, and smote

12 them to below Baithcor. Then Samuel took a stone, and set it up between Massepha and the old town, and called its name Abenezer, (the stone of the helper;) for he said, Even at this

13 place the Lord helped us. And the Lord humbled the Philistines so that they came no more into the borders of Israel. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the

14 days of Samuel;' So that the cities which the Philistines had taken from the Israelites were restored. They delivered them

up to Israel, from Ascalon to Azob. So Israel recovered their

border out of the hand of the Philistines. And there was peace

.15 between Israel and the Amorites. And Samuel judged Israel

16 all the days of his life, and went yearly, in rotation, to Baithel, and Galgala, and Massepha, and judged Israel in all those holy

17 places. And his return was to Armathaim; for his bouse was there. And there he judged Israel, and there he built an altar to the Lord.

VIII. Now when Samuel grew old he appointed his sons

2 judges over Israel. And these were the names of his sons. His first born was Joel, and the name of his second son was Abia.

3 They were judges in Bersabee. But his sons did not walk in

4 his way. They turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and

5 perverted justice. Whereupon all the chief men of Israel assembled, and came to Armathaim, to Samuel, and said to him, Behold thou art grown old, and thy sons do not walk in thy way. Now therefore appoint a king over us to judge us like

6 the other nations. And the thing was evil in the sight of Sa-

7 muel, that they should say, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed to the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, Hearken to the voice of this people as they have spoken to thee. For they have not rejected thee; but they have rejected me,

8 that I should not reign over them. According to all that they have done to me, from the day I brought them out of Egypt even to this day—as they have forsaken me, and served strange

9 gods, so they do also to thee. Now therefore hearken to their voice. Nevertheless testify to them, and tell them the preroga-

10 tive of the king who shall reign over them. Upon this Samuel

11 told the people who asked of him a king, all the words of the Lord, and said, This will be the prerogative of the king who shall reign over you. He will take your sons, and appoint them

12 for his chariots, and for his horsemen, and some to run before his chariots, and others to be made for him captains of hundreds, and captains of thousands, and some to reap his harvest, and gather his vintage, and to make his implements of war, and

13 arms for his chariots. And he will take your daughters for con-

14 fectioners, and cooks, and bakers. And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your olive orchards, and give them to

15 his slaves. And he will take the tenth of your crops, and vine-

vox,, i. 3 N

16 yards, and give it to his officers and vassals. He will take also your men servants, and your maid servants, and the best of your herds, and your asses, even the tenth of them, for his own

17 works. He will also take a tenth of your flocks; and you shall

18 be his slaves. And in that day you will cry aloud, because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves: but the Lord will not hearken to you in those days, because you have chosen

19 a king for yourselves. But the people would not hearken to

20 Samuel, but said to him, None but a king shall be over us. We will be like all the nations, and our king shall judge us, and

21 go out before us, and fight our battles. And when Samuel heard all the words of the people, and rehearsed them in the

22 hearing of the Lord, the Lord said to Samuel, Hearken to their voice, and appoint a king over them. Then Samuel said to the men of Israel, Depart every man to his city.

IX. Now there was a man of the children of Benjamin whose name was Kis, son of Abiel, son of Jared, son of Bachir, son

2 of Aphek, son of Jemenaius, the head of the family. He was a man in authority; and he had a son whose name was Saul, a man of great stature, and comely appearance. There was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he. From the shoulders and upwards he was taller than any in

3 the land. And the asses of Kis, Saul's father, being lost, Kis said to his son Saul, Take with thee one of the servants, and

4 arise, and go seek the asses. So when they had passed through mount Ephraim, they passed through the land of Sel- cha, but found them not. Then they passed through the land of Segalin, but they were not there, then they passed through

5 the land of Jamin but did not find them. And when they came to Siph, Saul said to the servant who was with him, Come, let us return, lest my father, forgetting the asses, be

6 concerned for us. Thereupon the servant said to him, Behold, I pray thee, there is a man of God in this city, and he is a man in high repute. Whatever he saith will surely come to pass. Now therefore let us go, that he may tell us which way we should

7 go. And Saul said to the servant who was with him, But be- hold, if we go what can we carry to the man of God ? For the bread in our vessels is spent, and we have nothing else with

8 us to carry to the man of God. In reply to which the servant i again said to Saul, Behold I have in my hand a quarter of a shekel

of silver, thou shall give that to the man of God, that he may tell

9" us our way. Now heretofore in Israel, when any one went to

consult God, he spoke thus, Come let us go to the Seer; for

10 the people in former times called the prophet, Seer. Then Saul said to his servant, It is well, Come, let us go. So they

11 went to the city, where the man of God" was. And as they were going up the ascent to the city, they met the women coming out to draw water, and said to them, Is the Seer here ?

12 And the women in reply said to them, He is. Behold he is before you. He has just come to the city to-day, because there

13 is, to-day, a sacrifice for the people in the Bama. So when you enter the city you will find him there, before he goeth up to the Bama to eat. For the people will not eat till he come; for he blesseth the sacrifice, and after that the guests eat. Now

14 therefore go up, for to-day you will find him. So they went up to the city, and as they were entering into die middle of the city, behold Samuel came out over against them with

15 an intent to go up to the Bama. Now the Lord had made a revelation to Samuel, the day before Saul came to him, saying,.

16 About this time to-morrow I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shall anoint him lo be ruler over my people Israel; and he shall save my people out of the hand of the Philistines; for I have looked upon the affliction of ihis

17 people; for their cry hath come up to me. And when Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said to him, Behold the man, whom I men-

18 tioned to thee! That man shall rule over my people. So when Saul drew near to Samuel, in the midst of the city, and said to him, Tell me, I pray thee, which is the house of the Seer, Samuel in reply said to Saul, I am he. Go up before me to the Bama, and dine with me to-day. And in the morning I will

20 dismiss thee, and tell thee all that is in thy heart. Bui wilh re- specl lo ihy asses which were losl ihree days ago, give thyself no concern about them, for they are found. Now for whom are ihe besl ihings of Israel? Are they not for thee and thy father's

21 house? Whereupon Saul answered and said, Am not I a Je- minile, a small sceplre of a community of Israel, and lhal com- munily ihe smallesl of ihe whole sceptre of Benjamin? Why

22 therefore hast ihou spoken lo me in ihis manner? Then Samuel took Saul, and his servant, and conducted them to the place of entertainment, and seated them at the head of those who were

23 invited, who were about seventy men. And Samuel said to the cook, Bring me the portion which I gave thee, and which I

24 ordered thee to lay by. Now the cook had boiled the shoulder, and when he set it before Saul, Samuel said to Saul, Behold what was reserved, Set it before thee and eat. Because for a testimony it was laid by for thee, in preference to the rest, help

25 thyself to it. So Saul dined, and went down that day with Samuel from the Bama to the city, and a bed being spread for

26 him on the house top, he went to sleep. And Samuel went up to him early in the morning, and called Saul on the house top and said, Arise, and I will dismiss thee. Thereupon he arose and went out, he and Samuel, till they were out of the city.

27 And as they were going down to the border of the city, Samuel said to Saul, Order thy servant to go on before us; but

X. stand thou still, and hear the word of God. Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it on his head, and kissed him, and said to him, Hath not the Lord anointed thee to be ruler over his people Israel ? Thou therefore shalt rule over the people of the Lord, and save them out of the hand of their enemies. And this shall be to thee the sign that the Lord hath anointed

2 thee to be ruler over his heritage—Soon as thou shalt depart from me to-day, thou wilt meet two men at Rachel's tomb, on mount Benjamin, coming in haste, and they will say to thee, The asses which you went to seek, are found; and behold thy father hath left off caring for the asses, and is anxiously con-

3 cerned for you, saying, What shall I do for my son ? And when thou shalt go thence, and from that place come to the Oaks of Thabor, thou wilt there meet three men going up to God to Baithel, one carrying three kids, and another carrying three bas-

4 kets of bread, and the other carrying a flagon of wine. And they will salute thee courteously, and give thee two of the best

5 loaves, which thou shalt receive at their hand. And after that thou shalt go to the mount of God, where there is a garrison of the Philistines under Nasib the Philistine; And when you there enter the city, thou wilt meet a choir of prophets coming down from the Bama, with nablas, and tympanums, and pipes,

6 and kinaras before them, and they will be prophesying; and the

Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy

7 with them, and be changed into another man. Now when these signs are come to thee; do thou as the occasion may require;

8 for God is with thee. But when thou shalt go down to Galgal, behold I will go down to thee, to offer a burnt offering and peace offerings. Thou shalt wait seven days till I come to thee. And

9 I will let thee know what thou art to do. Accordingly, soon as he turned his back to depart from Samuel, God gave him

10 another heart; and all the signs came to pass that day. And when he went thence to the mount, behold a choir of prophets met him, and a Spirit of God came upon him, and he pro-

11 phesied in the midst of them. Now they were all acquainted with him heretofore, and when they saw him among the prophets, the people said one to another, What is this which hath happened to the son of Kis ? Is Saul also among the prophets?

12 And some of them in reply, said, Who is his father ? Therefore it became a proverb, Is Saul also among the prophets ?

13 And when he had done prophesying, and came to the mount, his uncle said to him and his servant, Where have you been

14 travelling ? And they said, To seek the asses. And when we saw that they were not to be found, we went to Samuel.

15 Whereupon his uncle said to Saul, Tell me, I pray thee, what

16 did Samuel say to thee ? And Saul said to his uncle, He told me that the asses were found. But the matter relating to the kingdom he did not tell him.

17 ' Then Samuel summoned all the people before the Lord,

18 to Massepha, and said to the children of Israel, Thus hath the Lord the God of Israel spoken, saying, I brought the children of Israel up out of Egypt, and delivered them out of the hand of Pharao, king of Egypt, and out of the hand of all the

19 kingdoms which oppressed you. But you have this day rejected God, who is himself your Saviour from all your troubles, and your afflictions; and have said Nay, but thou shalt set a king over us. Now therefore present yourselves before the

20 Lord by your tribes and by your communities. So Samuel presented all the tribes of Israel, and the tribe of Benjamin was

21 chosen by lot. Then he presented the tribe of Benjamin by communities, and the community of Mattari was chosen by lot. Then they presented the community of Mattari by indi-

22 viduals, and Saul son of Kis, was chosen by lot. And when they sought for him, he could not be found. Whereupon Samuel again inquired of the Lord, whether he would come thi-

23 ther. And the Lord said, Behold he is hid among the baggage. So one ran and took him thence, and set him in the midst of the people, and he was taller than the people by the

24 shoulders and upwards. And Samuel said to all the people, Have you seen him whom the Lord hath chosen for himself, that there is none like him among you all ? And when all the

25 people acknowledged him and said, God save the king; then Samuel told the people the prerogative of the king, and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before the Lord. Then Samuel dismissed all the people, and they went away, every man to his

26 place. And Saul went to his house at Gabaa, and there went with Saul a band of men, whose hearts the Lord had touched.

27 But turbulent men said, How can this man save us? And they despised him, and did not bring him gifts.

XI. About a month after this Nahas, the Ammanite, came up and encamped against Jabis Galaad, and all the men of Jabis Galaad said to Nahas, the Ammanite, Make a covenant with us,

2 and we will serve thee. Thereupon Nahas the Ammanite said to them, On this condition I will make a covenant with you, that I may put out all your right eyes, and make you a reproach to Is-

3 rael. And the men of Jabis said to him, Grant us seven days that we may send messengers to all the borders of Israel; and if there

4 be none to deliver us, we will come out to thee. Now when the messengers came to Gabaa, to Saul, and delivered this message in the hearing of the people, all the people raised their

5 voice, and wept. And behold Saul came, at noon, out of the field. And Saul said, Why are the people weeping? And

6 when they told him the words of the men of Jabis, a Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and his anger was greatly inflamed against them, and taking two heifers, he cut them in pieces,

7 and sent them to all the borders of Israel, by the hands of messengers, saying, So shall be done to every man's cattle who goeth not out after Saul and after Samuel. And a dread of the Lord came on all the people of Israel, and they came out as one

8 man. And when he had reviewed them at Bezek, in the Bama, the men of Israel, six hundred thousand, and the men of Juda,

9 seventy thousand, he said to the messengers who came, Thus shall you say to the men of Jabis, To-morrow, by the time the

10 sun is warm, you shall have help. So when the messengers came to the city, and told the men of Jabis, they were rejoiced. And the men of Jabis said to Nahas the Ammanite, To-morrow we will come out to you, that you may do to us what is

11 good in your sight. Now, on the morrow, Saul divided the people into three armies, and they entered the camp in the morning watch, and smote the Ammonites till the day grew

12 warm; and when they who were left, were dispersed, so that not two of them were found together, the people said to Samuel, Who is he who said, Saul shall not reign over us ? De-

13 liver up those men, that we may put them to death. Whereupon Saul said, Not a man shall this day be put to death; for

14 to day the Lord hath wrought salvation in Israel. Then Samuel spoke to the people, saying, Let us go up to Galgal, and

.15 there renew the kingdom. So all the people went to Galgal; and Samuel anointed Saul to be king, before the Lord, at Galgal, and there they offered sacrifices, and peace offerings before the Lord, and Samuel and all the people rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

XII. Then Samuel said to all Israel, Behold, I have hearkened to your voice, according to all that you said to me, and have made a king over you; and now behold the king goeth out

2 before you. As for me, I am grown old, therefore I will stay at home. And as for my sons, behold they are among you. With regard to myself, behold I have gone out before you

3 from my youth even to this day. Here I am. Bring your complaints against me before the Lord, and before his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom among you have I oppressed? or whom have I aggrieved? or from whose hand have I taken a bribe, even to a shoe latchet? Witness against me, and I will make you res-

4 titution. Thereupon they said to Samuel, Thou hast not injured us; nor tyrannised over us; nor afflicted us; nor taken

5 any thing from the hand of any man. Then Samuel said to the people, The Lord is a witness among you, and his anointed is this day a witness, that you have found nothing in my hand.

6 And they said, He is a witness. .Then Samuel spoke to the people saying, The Lord who made Moses, and Aaron, and

7 who brought our fathers up out of Egypt, is witness. Now therefore stand up, that I may cite you to judgment before the Lord, and proclaim to you all the righteousness of the

8 Lord in his dealings with you and your fathers. When Jacob went down with his children to Egypt, and the Egyptians humbled them, your fathers cried to the Lord, and the Lord sent Moses and Aaron; and they brought your fathers out of

9 Egypt. But when he settled them in this place, they forgot the Lord their God, therefore he delivered them into the hands of Sisara, the captain general of Jabis, king of Asor, and into the hands of the foreign tribes, and into the hands of the king

10 of Moab, and with these fought against them. And when they cried to the Lord, and said, We have sinned, because we have forsaken the Lord, and served the Baals, and the groves; but now deliver us out of the hands of our enemies, and we will

11 serve thee; he sent Jerubaal, and Barak, and Jephthae, and, Samuel, and delivered us out of the hands of our enemies

12 round about, and you dwelt securely. But when you saw that Nahas, the king of the Ammanites, had come out against you,

13 you said, None but a king shall reign over us. Still however the Lord our God is our king, even now, (when, Lo! the king whom you have chosen; and behold the Lord hath set a king

14 over you;) provided you fear the Lord, and serve him, and hearken to his voice, and dispute not the command of the Lord, and both you, and the king who reigneth over you, continue

15 walking after the Lord. But if you will not hearken to the voice of the Lord; or if you dispute the command of the Lord, the

16 hand of the Lord will be against you and your king. Now thercfore stand up and see this great thing which the Lord will

17 do in your sight. Is it not now wheat harvest? I will invoke the Lord, and he will send thunder and rain, that you may- know, and see that the evil is great which you have done in

18 the sight of the Lord, in asking for yourselves a king. Then Samuel invoked the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that very day, and all the people greatly feared the Lord and

19 Samuel. And all the people said to Samuel, Pray for thy servants to the Lord thy God, that we may not die, because we have added evil to all our sins, in asking for ourselves a king.

20 Whereupon Samuel said to the people, Fear not. You have done all this evil; yet turn not away from following the Lord;

21 but serve the Lord with your whole heart, and do not transgress by following those imaginary beings which can effect

22 nothing, and which cannot deliver, for they are nothing; for the Lord will not cast off his people for his great name's sake:

23 for the Lord hath in mercy taken you for his people. And as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceas-

24 ing to pray for you. I will indeed serve the Lord, and point out the good and straight way: in addition to this, fear ye the Lord, and serve him with truth, and with your whole heart; for you have seen what great things he hath done with you.

25 But if you proceed on in wickedness, both you and your king shall be devoted to destruction.

XIII. Then Saul chose for himself three thousand men from, among the men of Israel, two thousand of whom were with Saul at Machmas and mount Baithel, and one thousand with Jonathan, at Gabaa, in Benjamin. And the rest of the people

3 he dismissed every man to his tent. And Jonathan smote Na- sib, the Philistine, who was in the fortress, and the Philistines heard of it, and Saul sounded a trumpet through all the land,

4 saying, The servants have revolted. And when all Israel heard the news that Saul had smitten Nasib the Philistine; though Israel had been put to shame by the Philistines, yet all the

5 children of Israel went up after Saul to Galgala. And the Philistines assembled for battle against Israel; and there came up against Israel, thirty thousand charioteers, and six thousand cavalry, and people like the sand on the sea shore for multitude, and they encamped at Machmas, over against Baitho-

6 ron, southward. And when Israel saw that they were strictly enjoined not to offer sacrifices, the people hid themselves in caves, and in dens, and among rocks, and in pits, and wells, and some crossed the Jordan into the land of Gad, and Ga-

7 laad. As for Saul, he was still at Galgal; but all the people

8 who followed him were in the utmost dread. And when he had waited seven days according to appointment, as Samuel said, and Samuel did not come to Galgal, and his people were dis-

9 persed from him, Saul said, Bring your offerings, that I may offer a whole burnt offering and peace offerings. So he

Vol. i. So

10 offered the whole burnt offering. And just as he had finished carrying up the whole burnt offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul

11 went out to meet him, that he might give the blessing. And Samuel said, What hast thou done ? Whereupon Saul said, Because I saw that the people were dispersed from me, and that thou wast not come, in the appointed days, and that the

12 Philistines were assembled at Machmas, I said, Now Avill the Philistines come down upon me to Galgal, and I have not made my supplication to the Lord, therefore I forced myself, and

13 offered the whole burnt offering. And Samuel said to Saul, It is of no avail to thee, because thou hast not kept my command which the Lord commanded thee. Till now the Lord had prepared thy kingdom over Israel for ever: but now thy

14 kingdpm will not be continued to thee. But the Lord will seek for himself a man after his own heart; and the Lord will appoint him to be ruler over his people, because thou hast not

15 kept all that the Lord commanded thee. Then Samuel arose, and departed from Galgal, and the remnant of the people went up after Saul, to overtake the men of war. And when they were come from Galgal to Gabaa of Benjamin, Saul reviewed

16 the people who were with him, about six hundred men. So Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people who were with them, halted at Gabaa of Benjamin, and wept.

17 Now while the Philistines lay encamped at Machmas, there went out spoilers from the field of the Philistines, in three

18 bands. One band took the way of Gophera, to the land of So- gel; another took the way to Baithoron, and another took the

19 way of Gabaa, which leadeth by Gai to Sabim. (Now there was not a blacksmith to be found in all the land of Israel; for

20 the Philistines said, The Hebrews must not make a sword or a spear; so that all the Israelites went down to the land of the Philistines, every one to get a scythe, or a tool made; and

21 every one to get his ax, or his sickle. And when a vine dresser wanted to prune his vineyard, his tools cost him three shekels for a saw; and his ax and his pruning hook cost the same.

22 So that in the days of the battle of Machmas there was not a sword, or a spear found in the hand of all the people who were with Saul and Jonathan. They were to be found with Saul only, and Jonathan his son.)

23 Now from the main body of the Philistines, there was an

XIV. advanced party on the side of Machmas. And one day

Jonathan, the son of Saul, said to his servant who carried his

arms, Come, let us go over to Messab of the Philistines, that

2 is on yonder side: but he did not tell his father. Now Saul had posted himself on the top of the hill, in the pomegranate

3 grove, at Magdon, and there were widi him about six hundred men; and Achia, son of Achitob, the brother of Jochabed, son of Phincas, son of Eli, was the priest of God at Selom, wearing the ephod. And the people did not know that Jonathan

4 was gone. Now in the middle of the passage where Jonathan sought to cross over to the army of the Philistines, there was a point of a rock on this side, and the point of a rock on that, the name of the one was Bases, and the name of the other Senna.

5 There was one way on the north for going to Machmas, and

6 another way on the south, for going to Gabaa. And when Jonathan said to his servant who carried his arms, Come let us go over to Messab of these uncircumcised Philistines, it may be, the Lord may do something for us, for there is no restraint to the Lord to save by many or by few; his armour bearer said

7 to him, Do whatever thy heart is inclined to; behold I am

8 with thee. As thy heart is, so is mine. Then Jonathan said, Behold we are going to cross over to these men, therefore we

9 must shew ourselves before them. If they say to us, Stand oft* there till we tell you, then we must stand where we are, and

10 not go up to them: but if they say to us, Come up to us, then let us go up, for the Lord hath delivered them into our hands.

11 This shall be a sign to us. So they bodi went to Messab of the Philistines; and the Philistines said, Behold the Hebrews are

12 coming out of the holes where they hid themselves. And the men of Messab, addressing Jonathan, and his armour bearer, said, Come up to us, and we will let you know something. Upon which Jonathan said to his armour bearer,Come up after me; for the Lord hath delivered them into the hands of Is-

13 ruel. So Jonathan clambered up upon his hands and feet, and his armour bearer with him; and they turned back at the sight of Jonathan, and he smote them; and his armour bearer be-

14 hind him, supplied him. Now the first slaughter which Jonathan, with his armour bearer made, was about twenty men,

with darts, and sling stones, and pebbles picked up from the 1£ ground. And there was a consternation in the camp, and in the field; and all the people who were in Messab, and they who were spoiling, were struck with horror, and would not do any thing; for the earth trembled, and the consternation was

16 from the Lord. And the watchmen of Saul, at Gabaa of Benjamin, looked, and behold the camp was in confusion from

17 one side to the other. Whereupon Saul said to the people who were with him, Examine I pray you, and see who is gone from us. And when they examined, behold Jonathan

18 and his armour bearer were not to be found. Then Saul said to Achia, Bring the ephod. For he at that time wore the

19 ephod before Israel. But while Saul was speaking to the priest, the noise in the camp of the Philistines continued, and grew louder and louder; whereupon Saul said to the priest, Bring

20 together thy hands. And Saul went up, and all the people with him, and came to the battle, and behold every man's sword was against his fellow, and the confusion was very

21 great. And the slaves, who had heretofore been with the Philistines, who had come up to the camp, even they turned, and

22 joined the Israelites, who were with Saul and Jonathan. And all the Israelites, who had hid themselves in mount Ephraim, when they heard that the Philistines were fleeing, collected to-

23 gether, and went after them to battle. So the Lord saved Israel that day; and the battle passed through the Bamoth, and all the people with Saul were about ten thousand men; and the

24 battle spread to every city on mount Ephraim. But Saul was guilty of a great imprudence that day; for he uttered an imprecation to the people, saying, Cursed be the man who eat- eth bread till evening, that I may take vengeance on mine enemy j so that none of the people tasted bread, though all the

25 country was dining. Nay, though the forest Jaal abounded with honey, on the face of the ground, and the people entered

26 that apiary; yet behold they went on talking, and behold there was not one who put his hand to his mouth; for the

27 people feared the .oath of the Lord. But Jonathan did not hear when his father adjured the people, therefore he stretched forth the end of the sceptre in his hand, and stuck it into a honey comb, and when he put his hand to his mputh, his eyes

28 brightened up. And one of the people addressing him said, Thy father solemnly adjured the people saying, Cursed be the man who eateth bread this day, so the people are become faint.

29 And when Jonathan knew this he said, My father hath troubled the land. See how my eyes have sparkled, because I tast-

30 ed a little of this honey. Consequently, had the people this day eaten freely of the spoils of the enemy, the slaughter among the Philistines would now have been much greater.

3.1 They had now smitten on that day those of the Philistines at Machmas, and as the people were very fainty, they turned

32" upon the spoils; and when they took sheep, or cattle, or calves, they slew them on the ground, and eat them with the blood.

33 And when it was told Saul, saying, The people have sinned against the Lord by eating with the blood, Saul said, Ye of

34 Gethaim, roll for me here a great stone. Then Saul said, Disperse yourselves among the people, and order them to bring here every man his ox, and every one his sheep, and kill it on this stone, and do not sin against the Lord by eating with the blood. So the people brought every one, what he had at hand

35 and they slaughtered them there. And Saul built an altar there to the Lord. This was the first altar which Saul built to the

36 Lord. Then Saul said, Let us go down after the Philistines this night, and make devastation among them till the morning light, and not leave a man among them. And they said, Do what is good in thy sight. But the priest said, Let us draw near hither

37 to God. Whereupon Saul consulted God, Shall I go down after the Philistines? Wilt thou deliver them into the hands of

38 Israel? But he answered him not that day. Then'Saul said, Present here_sall the chiefs of Israel, and know and see by whom

39 this sin hath been done this day; for as the Lord liveth who hath saved Israel, if the answer be given against Jonathan my son, he shall surely be put to death. But there was not one of

40 the people who answered. Then he said to all the men of Israel, You shall be one lot, and I and my son Jonathan shall be the other lot. And the people said to Saul, Do what secmcth

41 good in thy sight. Then Saul said, O Lord the God of Israel, why hast diou not answered thy servant this day ? If the fault be in me, or in Jonathan my son, O Lord God of Israel make us manifest. And when he said these words, Give I beseech thee to thy people Israel, Give I beseech thee Sanctity, the lot

42 fell on Jonathan and Saul; and the people escaped. Then Saul said, Cast die lot between me, and Jonathan my son, and against whomsoever the Lord shall decide by lot, let him be put to death. But the people said to Saul, This is not confirmed. But Saul prevailed over the people, so they cast the lot between

43 him and his son Jonathan; and the lot fell on Jonathan. Thereupon Saul said to Jonathan, Tell me; what hast thou done? And when Jonathan told him, and said, I just tasted a little honey with the end of the sceptre which was in my hand, and

44 behold I must die; Saul said to him, God do so to me, and

45 more also, but thou shalt surely die this day. Upon this the people said to Saul, Shall he this day be put to death who hath wrought this great salvation in Israel ? As the Lord liveth there shall not a hair of his head fall to the ground. Because the people of God had that day performed exploits, therefore the people prayed for Jonathan that day, and he did not die. Then

47 Saul went up from following the Philistines; and the Philistines went to their place.

Now Saul cast losts for the administration of government. Every work over Israel was determined by lot. And he made war on all his enemies round about, on Moab, and on the children of Ammon, and the children of Edom, and on Baithaior, and on the king of Suba, and on the Philistines, and whither-

48 soever he turned he was saved. He formed also an army and smote Amelek, and delivered Israel out of the hand of those

49 who had trampled on them. Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan, and Jessiou, and Melchisa, and these were the names of his two daughters. The name of his first born was Merob, and

50 the name of his second Melchol. And the name of his wife

51 was Achinoam. She was the daughter of Achimaas. And the name of his captain general was Abenner. He was the son of Ner, Saul's uncle; for Kis the father of Saul, and Ner the father of Abenner, were sons of Jamin, son of Abiel.

52 Now there was a fierce war with the Philistines all the days of Saul. And when Saul had assembled to him every man of

XV. valour, and every man whom he saw expert in war, Samuel

said to Saul, the Lord sent me to anoint thee king over Israel;

2 now therefore hearken to the voice of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord of Sabbaoth, Now will I take vengeance on Amelek, for the things which he did to Israel when he opposed them in the

3 way, as they were coming up out of Egypt. Now therefore go, and smite Amelek, and Jerim, and all that belong to him. Thou shalt not spare one of him but utterly destroy him. Having devoted him and all belonging to him to destruction, thou shalt spare none, but shalt slay man and woman, infant and

4 suckling, herds and flocks, camels and asses. Thereupon Saul assembled the people, and reviewed them at Galgal, four hundred thousand men of array, particularly of Juda thirty thou-

5 sand men of array. And when Saul came to the cities of Ame- € lek, he laid an ambush in the valley. And Saul said to the Kin.

ites, Away, remove from among the Amelekites. I must not join you with them, for you dealt kindly with the Israelites when they were coming up out of Egypt. And when the Kin- ites had removed from among the Amelekites, Saul smote

7 Amelek from Evilat to Sur in front of Egypt; and took Agag

8 the king of Amelek alive. When he had slain all the people and Jerim with the edge of the sword, Saul and all the people saved Agag alive, and spared the best of the flocks, and the

9 herds, and provisions, and vineyards, and all that was good; and would not destroy them, but destroyed only what was of

10 no estimation or of little value. Wherefore a word of the Lord

11 came to Samuel saying, Have I had comfort for making Saul king? For he hath turned away from following me, and hath not observed my orders. Thereupon Samuel was grieved, and

12 cried to the Lord that whole night. And Samuel arose early, and went to meet Israel in the morning. Now it had been told Saul, that Samuel had gone to Karmel and erected a hand for himself. But he turned his chariot, and went down to Galgal to Saul, and behold he was offering up as a whole bunit offer- ing to the Lord the prime of the spoils which he had brought

13 out of Amelek. And when Samuel came to Saul, Saul said to him, Blessed art thou of the Lord. I have performed all that

14 the Lord hath spoken. Whereupon Samuel said, But what bleating of flocks is this in my ears? and what is this lowing of

15 cattle which I hear? And Saul said, I have brought out of Ame- lek such as the people spared, the best of the flocks, and the herds, that they may be sacrificed to the Lord thy God; but

16 the rest I have utterly destroyed. And Samuel said, Permit me to tell thee what the Lord said to me last night. And he

17 said to him, Speak. Then Samuel said to Saul, Wastthou not in his sight a little leader of a family of a tribe of Israel? yet

18 the Lord anointed thee to be king over Israel; and the Lord sent thee on a journey, and said to thee, Go and destroy utterly. Thou shalt slay those who have sinned against me; namely Amelek; and thou shalt fight against them until thou hast to-

19 tally destroyed them. Why then didst thou not hearken to the voice of the Lord, but rush upon the spoil, and do evil in the

20 sight of the Lord? And Saul said to Samuel, Because I hearkened to the voice of the people. But I have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have brought Agag king of Amelek, and utterly destroyed Amelek, and the people have taken of

21 the spoils, flocks and herds, as first fruits of the destruction,

22 to sacrifice them before the Lord our God, at Galgal. And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in whole burnt offerings, and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold obedience is better than good sacrifice; and to heark-

23 en, is better than the fat of rams. Because divination is a sin, the consulting Theraphinbringeth sorrow and distress: because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, therefore the Lord

24 hath rejected thee from being king over Israel. Then Saul said to Samuel, I have sinned; for I have transgressed the word of the Lord, and thy orders, because I feared the people

25 and hearkened to their voice. Now therefore bear away my sin, I beseech thee, and return with me that I may worship

26 the Lord thy God. And Samuel said to Saul, I cannot return with thee. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, therefore the Lord will reject thee from being king over Israel.

27 And when Samuel turned his face to go away, Saul took hold

28 of the skirt of his mantle, and rent it. Thereupon Samuel said to him, The Lord hath rent thy regal government from Israel, this day, out of thy hand, and will give it to a neighbour of thine,

29 who is better than thou, and Israel shall be rent in twain. He will not change, nor alter his mind, for he is not a man, that he

SO should change his mind. Then Saul said, I have sinned; but honour me, I beseech thee, in the presence of the elders of Israel, and before my people, and return up with me, that I may

31 worship the Lord thy God. So Samuel returned up after Saul, and when he had worshipped the Lord, Samuel said, Bring be-

32 fore me Agag the king of Amelek. And when Agag came before him, trembling, Agag said, Ah! how bitter is death!

33 Whereupon Samuel said to Agag, As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be made childless among women. So Samuel slew Agag before the Lord at Galgal.

34 Then Samuel went to Armathaim, and Saul went up to his

35 house to Gabaa; and Samuel came no more to see Saul to the day of His death.

Because Samuel mourned for Saul, and the Lord repented

XVI. that he had made Saul king over Israel, therefore the

Lord said to Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul ?

As for me, I have rejected him from being king over Israel.

Fill thy horn with oil, and come, let me send thee to Jessai to

2 Bethlehem; for I have seen among his sons a king for me. And Samuel said, How can I go? Saul will hear and will kill me. And the Lord said, Take with thee a heifer from the kine,

3 and thou shalt say, I come to sacrifice to the Lord; and thou shalt invite Jessai to the sacrifice, and I will let thee know what thou shalt do, and thou shalt anoint him whom I point out

4 to thee. So Samuel did all that the Lord spoke to him. Now when he came to Bethlehem, the elders of the city were sur-

5 prised at meeting him, and said, Seer! Is thy coming peaceable ? And he said, It is peaceable. I come to sacrifice to the

6 Lord. Sanctify yourselves, and rejoice with me to-day. And when he was hallowing Jessai and his sons and inviting them to the sacrifice, he beheld Eliab as they were coming in and

7 said, Is not the Lord's anointed before him ? But the Lord said to Samuel, Look not on his countenance, nor the height of his stature, for I have rejected him: for God looketh not superficially as man looketh; for man looketh at the outward

8 appearance, but God will look to die heart. Then Jessai called Aminadab, and he passed by before Samuel. And when he

9 said God hath not chosen him, Jessai brought forward Sama;

10 but he said, Neither hath the Lord made choice of him. And when Jessai had brought his seven sons before Samuel, Samuel

11 said, The Lord hath not made a choice among these. Then Samuel said to Jessai, Are these all thy children ? And he said,

Vol. .1. 3 P

There is still one more, the youngest. Behold he is tend-

12 ing the flock. And Samuel said to Jessai, Send for him ; for we cannot sit down till he come. So he sent for him. Now he was of a ruddy complexion, with beautiful eyes, and comely in appearance to the Lord, and the Lord said to Samuel, Arise

13 and anoint David, for he is good. So Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And a Spirit of the Lord came upon David, from that day forward.-

14 Then Samuel arose and went to Arhiathahn. And the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul; and an evil spirit from the

15 Lord tormented him. Whereupon the servants of Saul said to him, Behold now an evil spirit from the Lord tormenteth thee.

16 Pray let thy servants before thee give orders, and seek for our lord a man who is skilled in playing on a kynara. And when the evil spirit is upon thee, .let him play on his kynara, and it

1.7 will be good for thee and give thee ease. And Saul said to his servants, Look out, I'pray you, for a man who playeth well,

18 and bring him to me. Then one of his servants answered and said, Behold I have seen a son of Jessai the Bcthlemite. He is skilled in music, and is a man of understanding and a warrior, graceful in speech, and of a comely appearance, and the Lord is

19 with him. Thereupon Saul sent messengers to Jessai saying,

20 Send to me thy son David who is with the flock. So Jessai took a gomer of bread, and a skin of wine, and a kid of the goats, and sent them to Saul by the hand of his son David.

21 And when David came to Saul, and stood before him, he loved

22 him greatly, and made him his armour bearer. And Saul sent to Jessai, saying, Let David, I pray thee, stand before me; for

23 he hath found favour in my sight. And whenever the evil spirit came upon Saul, David took his kynara, and played with his hand, and it composed Saul and gave him relief; and the evil spirit departed from him.

XVII. Now the Philistines had assembled their armies for battle, and having formed a junction at Sokchoth of Judea, they

2 encamped between Sokchoth and Azeka-ephermen. Whereupon Saul and the men of Israel assembled and encamped in the valley, and drew up in array for battle, over against the

3 Philistines. And while the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side, with a vale between them, there came forth a mighty man

4 'from the line of the Philistines. His name was Goliath, of Geth.

5 His height was four cubits and a span. And he had a helmet on his head, and was clad with a breast plate of chain work; and the weight of his breast plate was five thousand shekels.

6 It was of brass and steel: and the greaves on his legs were of

7 brass; and he had a target of brass between his shoulders. And the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam: and his javelin

8 was six hundred shekels of iron. And his armour bearer walked before him. And he stood, and cried with a loud voice, to the line of Israel, and said to them, Why come ye out to array yourselves for battle against us ? Am not I a Philistine ; and you Hebrews the servants of Saul ? Chuse out for yourselves

9 a man, and let him come down to me. And if he be able to fight with me, and kill me, we will be your slaves; but if I prevail,

10 and kill him, you shall be our slaves, and serve us. Then the Philistine said, Behold I have now this day defied the army of Israel. Give me a man that we may fight at single combat.

11 When Saul, and all Israel, heard these words of the Philistine,

32 they were dismayed, and greatly terrified. Whereupon David said to Saul, Let not, I pray thce, the heart of my lord bedis-

33 couraged, thy servant will go and fight this Philistine. And Saul said to David, Thou canst not go against the Philistine to fight with him; for thou art but a youth, and he is a warrior

34 from his youth. And David said to Saul, Thy servant tended his father's flock. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and

35 took a sheep from the flock, I went out after him, and smote him, and rescued it out of his mouth. And if he rose up against me, I seized him by the throat, and smote, and killed him.

36 Thy servant hath slain a lion and a bear; and this uncircum- cised Philistine shall be like one of them. Shall I not go and smite him, and remove, this day, a reproach from Israel ? For who is this uncircumcised, that he should defy the army of

37 the living God ? The Lord who delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear—he will deliver me out of the hand of this uncircumcised Philistine. Then Sau!

38 said to David, Go; and the Lord be with thee. And when Saul had clad David with a coat of mail, and put a helmet of brass on his head, and girded his sword on David over the

39 coat of mail, he essayed to walk about once or twice. Then David said to Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not been

40 accustomed to them. So they took them off him. Then he took his staff in his hand, and having chosen for himself five smooth stones, out of the brook, he put them in the shepherd's scrip, which he kept for a purse, and with a sling in

42 his hand, he went out to meet the man—the Philistine. When Goliath saw David, He despised him exceedingly ; for he was a mere youth, and was of a ruddy complexion with beautiful

43 eyes. And the Philistine said to David, Am I a dog, that thou shouldst come out against me with a stick, and with stones?

44 And David said, Nay, but worse than a dog. Upon which the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And when the Philistine said to David, Come hither to me, and I will give thy flesh to

45 the birds of the air, and the beasts of the earth, David said to the Philistine, Thou comest against me with a sword, and a spear, and a shield, but I am coming to thee with the name of the Lord God of Sabbaoth, of the army of Israel, which thou

46 hast, this day, defied. And the Lord will deliver thee this day into my hand, and I will kill thee, and cut off thy head, and give thy carcass, and the carcasses of the army of the Philistines this day, to the birds of the air, and to the wild beasts of

47 the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel; and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saveth not with a sword or a spear. For the battle is the Lord's,

48 and the Lord will deliver you into our hands. Then the Phi-

49 listine arose and went to meet David. And David put his hand in the scrip, and took out a stone, and slinged it, and smote the Philistine on the forehead, and the stone pierced through the helmet, into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the

51 ground. And David ran, and stood upon him, and took his

52 sword, and killed him, and cut off his head. And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled; and the men of Israel, and Juda, arose, and shouted, and pursued them to the entrance of Geth, and to the gate of Ascalon. And the wounded of the Philistines fell on the road to the gates, all

53 the way to Geth, and even to Akkaron. And when the men of Israel returned from pursuing the Philistines, they trampled

54 down their camps. And David took the head of the Philistine, and carried it to Jerusalem; but his arms he laid up in his tent.

XVIII. 6 Now when the choirs of women came out from all the cities of Israel to meet David, dancing to tympanums, and

7 singing songs of triumph, accompanied with cymbals, and the women in responsive strains, said,

Saul hath slain his thousands;
And David his ten thousands,

8 the thing appeared evil in the eyes of Saul, because of this expression; and he said, The ten thousands they have ascribed

12 to David; and tome they have ascribed thousands. And Saul became afraid of David, and removed him from about

13 his person, and made him a captain over a thousand, and he

14 went out and came in before the people. And David behaved

15 wisely in all his ways, and the Lord was with him. And when Saul saw with what great wisdom he conducted himself, he

16 was afraid of him; but all Israel and Juda loved David, be-

20 cause he went out and came in before the people. And Mel-

21 chol, the daughter of Saul, fell in love with David. When this was told Saul, it was well pleasing in his sight, and Saul said, I will give her to him, that she may be a snare to him. Now

22 the hand of the Philistines was against Saul, therefore Saul gave orders to his servants, saying, Speak privately to David, and say, Behold the king is well pleased withthee; and all his servants love thee, therefore thou must be the king's son in law.

23 But when the servants of Saul rehearsed these words in the hearing of David, David said, Is it a light matter in your eyes to be son in law to a king ? As for me, I am a man of

24 humble condition, and not entitled to honour. And when Saul's servants told him the words which David had spoken,

25 Saul said, Thus shall you say to David, The king desireth no other dowry, but a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king's enemies. Now Saul thought to throw

26 him into the hands of the Philistines. When Saul's servants told David these words, the condition on which he was to be the

27 king's son in law, pleased David. Therefore he arose and went with his men, and smote among the Philistines a hundred men, and brought their foreskins, and contracted to be the king's son in law, and he gave him his daughter Melchol to wife.

28 But when Saul saw that the Lord was with David, and that

XIX. all Israel loved him, he still continued to fear David; there»

fore Saul spoke to his son Jonathan, and all his servants, to kill

2 David. Now Jonathan, the son of Saul, loved David exceedingly ; therefore Jonathan told David, and said, Saul seeketh

3 to kill thee, therefore be on thy guard till to-morrow mprning, and hide thyself, and keep close, and I will go out, and stand near my father in the field where thou art, and speak to my father about thee, and see what may be the matter, and tell thee.

4 So Jonathan spoke to his father in commendation of David, and said to him, Let not the king sin against thy servant David; for heliath not sinned against thee ; and his services are

5 very good. For he hath put his life in his hands, and smitten the Philistines, and the Lord hath wrought a great deliverance, and all Israel have seen and rejoiced. Why then wilt dio« sin

. against innocent blood by putting David to death without

6 cause ? And Saul hearkened to the voice of Jonathan, and swore, saying, As the Lord liveth, he shall not be put to death.

7 Thereupon Jonathan called David, and told him all these words. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in

8 his presence as heretofore: and as the war continued against Saul, David took courage and fought against the Philistines, and smote them with a very great slaughter, and they fled before

9 him. But the evil spirit from God came upon Saul when he was sitting in his house, with his spear in his hand, and while David's hands were engaged in playing, Saul sought to strike

10 the spear into David; but David darted from before him, and

11 he struck the spear into the wall. As David had withdrawn, and escaped, Saul sent messengers that night to David's house, to watch him, with an intent to put him to death in the morning. But Melchol, David's wife, told him, and said, Unless thou save thy life this night, to-morrow thou wilt be put to

12 death. Then Melchol lef David out through a window, and

13 he departed, and fled, and escaped. And Melchol took the cenotaphs, and laid them on the bed, and placed a goat skin

14 pillow for his head, and covered them with a mantle. So whea Saul sent messengers to take David, they said he was sick.

15 Then Saul sent them for David, saying, Bring him to me on

16 the bed, that I may put him to death. And when the messengers came, behold! There were the cenotaphs on the bed, and

17 a goat skin pillow for his head. Whereupon Saul said to Mel-

chol, Why hast them thus deceived me, and sent away my enemy, so that he hath escaped? And Melchol said to Saul,

18 He said, Let me go, else I will put thee to death. So David fled, and escaped, and went to Samuel, to Armathaim, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And Samuel went with,

19 David, and they made their abode at Navath in Rama. And

20 when it was told Saul, saying, Behold David is at Navath, ra Rama, Saul sent messengers to take David. But when they saw the assembly of the prophets, with Samuel, standing at the head of them, a Spirit of God came upon the messengers

21 of Saul, and they prophesied. When this was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. And when Saul sent a third set of messengers, and they also prophesied,

22 he was exceedingly enraged, and went himself to Armathaim. And when he came to the well of Alo, which is at Sephi, he inquired, and said, Where are Samuel and David ? And they

23 said, Behold at Navath, in Rama. Thereupon he went thence to Navath, in Rama, and a Spirit of God came upon him also, and he went on prophesying till he came to Navath, in Rama.

24 And having stripped off his upper garments, he prophesied before them, and lay uncovered that whole day, and the whole night. For this cause they said, Is Saul also among the prophets?

XX. And David fled from Navath in Rama, and came to Jonathan, and said, What have I done? And what is my offence? And wherein have I sinned in the sight of thy father, that he

2 seeketh my life? And Jonathan said to him, God forbid! Thou must not die. Behold my father can do nothing, great or small, without telling me. Why then should he conceal from me

3 such a thing as this? It is not so. And David in reply to Jonathan, said, Thy father knoweth well, that I have found favour in thy sight, therefore he said, Jonathan must not know this. He will not consent. But as the Lord liveth, and thy soul liveth, it is as I said. There is but a step between me and

4 death. Then Jonathan said to David, What doth thy soul

5 desire? And, What shall I do for thee? And David said to Jonathan, Behold, to-morrow is the new moon. As for me, I will not sit down to eat. Thou shalt let me go, and I will hide

6 myself in the field till evening. And if thy father look and in-

quire for me, thou shalt say, David earnestly intreated me, that he might run to Bethlehem, his city, because there is an

7 annual sacrifice there, for the whole community. If he say, Very well; there is peace for thy servant. But if he answer thee sharply, be assured that this mischief is fully determined

8 on by him. Now thou must deal mercifully with thy servant, because thou hast brought thy servant into a covenant of the Lord with thee. If indeed there be iniquity in thy servant, put me to death thyself. Why shouldst thou in that case bring me

9 to thy father? And Jonathan said, Far be it from thee. For if I know certainly that this mischief is fully determined on by my father, to come upon thee, provided it be not against thy

10 cities, I will tell thee. Then David said to Jonathan, Who

11 shall tell me, if thy father hath answered roughly? Whereupon Jonathan said to David, Come and stay in the field. So they

12 both went out to the field. Then Jonathan said to David, The Lord God of Israel knoweth, that I will, as occasion offereth, during the three days, sound my father, and whether good or ill be determined in respect to David, I will send thee word

13 into this field. God do so to Jonathan, and more also, if I do not disclose the evils against thee, and send thee away that thou mayst go in peace. And the Lord be with thee as he hath

14 been with my father, provided that while I am alive, thou deal

15 kindly with me, and, when I die, thou withdraw not thy kindness from my house forever; and with this further proviso, that when the Lord removeth the enemies of David, every one from the face of the earth, the family of Jonathan be not sought for by the house of David, may the Lord search out the ene-

17 mies of David. And Jonathan repeated again his oath to Da-

18 vid, for he loved the soul of one who loved him. Then Jonathan said, To-morrow is new moon, therefore thou shalt hide thyself, that thy seat may be vacant; and when thou hast done

19 so for three days, thou shalt watch an opportunity, and come to this place, where thou mayst conceal thyself on that busy

20 day, and thou shalt sit near that Ergab. And I will come on the third day, and throw darts, taking aim at this Amattari.

21 And behold I will send a servant and say, Go, find me the dart. If I say to the servant, Here, the dart is from thee, even here, pick it up. Come thou to me, for there is peace for thee. And

22 the matter is over, as the Lord liveth. But if I say to the lad, Here, the dart is from thee There. Go thou away, for the Lord

23 hath sent thee away. Now touching the matter of which I and thou have spoken, behold the Lord is witness between me and

24 thee forever. So David hid himself in the field, and w^ien the

25 new moon came, the king came to the table to dine. A,:d when he had seated himself as heretofore, on the seat by the wall, he faced Jonathan, and Abenner sat by Saul's side, but

26 David's seat was vacant. And on that day Saul said nothing, for he thought it was accidental—that being unclean he had

27 not purified himself. But on the morrow, the second day of the moon, when David's seat was vacant, Saul said to his son Jonathan, Why hath not the son of Jessai come to table yes-

28 tcrday and to-day? And Jonathan answered Saul and said to

29 him, David earnestly entreated me, that he might go to his city Bethlehem, and said, Let me go, I entreat thee, for we have a sacrifice of our community in the city, and my brethren have sent for me. Now therefore if I have found favour in thy sight, let me, I pray thee, go down and see my brethren.

30 For this cause he hath not come to the king's table. Upon this Saul was greatly enraged at Jonathan, and said to him, Thou son of the perverse and rebellious! For do I not know that thou art an accomplice of the son of Jessai, to thy own shame,

31 and the confusion of thy mother? For as long as the son of Jessai liveth, thy kingdom will not be established. Now therefore send and seize that young man, for he shall surely die.

32 And when Jonathan in reply said to Saul, Why must he die ?

33 What hath he done? Saul lifted up his spear against Jonathan, to put him to death. So Jonathan knew that his father was fully

34 bent on this mischief, to slay David, and started up from the table in great wrath, and did not eat bread the second day of the moon: for he \vas grieved for David, because his father

35 was determinately set against him. And when it was morning Jonathan went out to the field, as he had fixed by appoint-

36 ment with David, and a little boy with him. And he said tp the lad, Run, find for me the dart which I threw. And as the boy was running, he threw a dart, and it passed the other;

37 and when the boy came to the place where the dart lay which Jonathan had thrown, Jonathan cried with a loud voice after

Vol. i. 3 Q^

the boy, and said, There: trie dart is from thee, even There.

38 Then Jonathan cried with a loud voice after the boy, saying, Haste with all speed. Tarry not. So when Jonathan's servant

39 had picked up the darts, and brought them to his master (Now the boy knew nothing, Jonathan and David only understood

40 the matter) Jonathan gave his weapons to the servant, and said

41 to him, Go, return to the city. And when the servant was gone, David arose from the Argab, and fell on his face, and made obeisance to him three times. And when they had kiss-

42 ed each other, and wept over each other a great while, Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as we have both sworn by the name of the Lord, saying, The Lord be a wit- ness between me and thce, and between my seed and thy seed, forever. Then David arose and departed, and Jonathan returned to the city.

XXI. Now when David came to Nomba, to Abimelech the priest, Abimelech was astonished at meeting him, and said to

2 him, Why art thou alone, and nobody with thee? Thereupon David said to the priest, The king hath given me to-day a business in charge, and said to me, Let none know the business on which I send thee, and with which I have charged thee; therefore I appointed my servants to meet me at the place call-

3 ed Faith of God Phellani Maemoni. Now therefore hast thou

4 five loaves at hand? Give me what thou hast ready. And the priest in reply said to David, I have no common bread at liand. Because there is none but the holy bread; if thy servants have

5 but kept themselves from women they may cat it. And David in answer to the priest, said to him, Of a truth we have kept ourselves from women these three days. When I set out on the journey, all the servants were purified (though the journey was on secular affairs) because they were to be holy

6 this day, on account of my provision for it. So Abimelech the priest gave him the presence loaves, because he had no other, but only those loaves which were taken from the presence of the Lord, that fresh bread might be put in their

7 place on the day he took diem. Now there was there that day, near the Neessaran before the Lord, one of Saul's servants.

8 His name was Doek, the Syrian, who tended Saul's asses. Then David said to Abimelech, See if there be at hand a spear

or a sword, for I did not bring my sword, nor my arms with 9 me, because the king's business required haste. And the priest said, Behold here is the sword of Goliath, the Philistine, whom thou didst slay in the valley of Ela. It is wrapped up in a garment. If thou wilt take that, take it; for there is no

10 other besides that here. And David said, There is none like it, give it me. And when he had given it to him, David arose,

11 and fled that day from the presence of Saul. And when David came to Angchus, king of Geth, the servants of Angchus said to him, Is not this David the king of the land? Was it not of him the choirs of women sung their responsive song saying, Saul hath slain his thousands—And David his ten thou-

12 sands. And David treasured up these words in his mind, and

13 was greatly afraid of Angchus king of Geth, therefore he changed his countenance before him, and personated a character on that day, and beat as on a tympanum on the city gates, and scrabbled with his hands, and fell against the doors

14 of the gate, and let his spittle run down on his beard. Thereupon Angchus said to his servants, Behold, you see the man

15 is epileptic! Why have you brought him to me? Am I in want of epileptics, that you should bring him to be taken with a fit before me ? He shall not enter my house.

XXII. Then David departed thence, and having escaped, he

2 went to the cave Odollam. And when his brethren, and the house of his father heard it, they went down to him there. And every one who was in distress, and every one in debt, and every one aggrieved in mind, collected to him, and he

3 was their leader. So there were with him about four hundred men. And from that place David went to Massephath of Moab, and said to the king of Moab, Let my father and my mother, I pray thee, be with thee, till I know what God will do for me.

4 So he conciliated the favour of the king of Moab, and they dwelt with him all the time that David was at that fortress.

5 And Gad the prophet said to David, Abide not in this fortress ; depart and go to the land of Judea. Thereupon David set out, and came and took up his abode in the city Sarick.

6 When Saul heard that David and his men who were with him shewed themselves, (Now Saul had seated himself on the eminence below the caltivated ground at Rama, with his spear in

7 his hand, and all his servants stood around him) Saul said to his servants who attended him, Hearken, I pray you, ye sons of Benjamin! Can the son of Jessai really give every one of you fields, and vineyards, and make you "all captains of hundreds,

8 and captains of thousands, that you all conspire against me; and there is not one who informed me when my son made a league with the son of Jessai; nor one of you who is sorry for me, or informeth me that my son hath stirred up my vassal against me

9 to be my enemy, as is now the case ? Then Doek the Syrian, who had the care of Saul's asses, answered and said, I saw the, son of Jessai coming to Nomba, to Abimelech the son of Achi-

10 tob, the priest; and he inquired of God for him, and gave him

1.1 victuals. He gave him also the sword of Goliath. Upon this

the king sent for Abimelech, son of Achitob, and all his father's

12 sons, the priests at Nomba; and when they all came to the king, Saul said, Hear now thou son of Achitob! And he said, Here

13 I am. Speak, my lord. Then Saul said to him, Why hast thou conspired against me, thou and the son of Jessai, that thou shouldst give him bread, and a sword, and consult God for him

14 to make him my enemy, as is now the case? And Abimelech answered the king and said, Who among all thy servants was like David, in high trust, and the king's son in law, and thy

15 prime minister, and highly honoured in thy house? Have I now begun to consult God for him? No. Let not the king bring a charge against his servant, and against all my father's house. For thy servant knew nothing of all these things, less or more.

16 Then Saul the king said, Thou shalt surely be put to death,

17 both thou Abimelech, and all the house of thy father. And the king said to the light infantry who stood before him, Go near and put to death the priests of the Lord, because their hand was with David; and because they knew that he was fleeing, and did not inform me. And when the servants of the king refused

18 to lift their hands against the priests of the Lord, the king said to Doek, Turn thou, and fall upon the priests. Thereupon Doek, the Syrian, turned and slew the priests of the Lord that

19 day, three hundred and five men, all wearing an ephod. Then he smote Nomba the city of the priests, with the edge of the sword, both men and women, infant and suckling, with the

20 cattle, and the asses, and the sheep. But one son of Abiraef

lech, son of Achitob, escaped. His name was Abiathar, and he

fled to David. And when Abiathar told David that Saul had slain all the priests of the Lord, David said to Abiathar, I might have known that day—that Dock the Syrian—that he would tell Saul—I am answerable for the lives of thy father's

23 household. Stay with me. Fear not. For wherever I provide a place for my own safety, I will provide also for thy safety; for thou hast been preserved to be with me.

XXIII. Now when it was told David, saying, Behold the Philistines are making war on Keila: They are ravaging, andde-

2 stroying the threshing floors, David inquired of the Lord saying, Shall I go and smite the Philistines? And the Lord said, Go, and thou shalt make a slaughter among the Philistines and

3 save Keila. But David's men said to him, Behold we are in terror here in Judea; and how must it be if we go to Keila?

4 Shall we go to be a prey to the Philistines? Then David inquired again of the Lord, and the Lord answered him, and said to him, Arise and go down to Keila; for I will deliver the Phi-

5 listines into thy hands. So David went with his men to Keila, and fought the Philistines and they fled before him, and he took their cattle, and made a great slaughter among them. So David

6 saved the inhabitants of Keila. Now as Abiathar, son of Abi- melech, had fled to David, he went down with him to Keila,

7 having the ephod in his hand. And when Saul was told that David was come to Keila, Saul said, God hath sold him into my hands; for he is shut up by coming into a city with gates

8 and bars. So Saul gave orders to all the people to go down for

9 battle, to Keila, to take David and his men. And David knew it; for Saul did not conceal his mischievous intention respect- ing him. Therefore David said to Abiathar the priest, Bring

10 here the ephod of the Lord. And David said, O Lord God of Israel, thy servant hath heard that Saul seeketh to come

11 against Keila to destroy the city on my account. Will it be shut up? Or will Saul come down now as thy servant hath

13 heard? O Lord God of Israel tell thy servant. And the Lord said, It will l)e shut up. Thereupon David arose, and his men with him, about three hundred, and departed out of Keila, and went wherever they could go. And when Saul was told that

14 David had escaped from Keila, he forbore going. So David halted at Maserem, in the wilderness, at the straits, and fixed himself in the wilderness on mount Ziph, in that parched land. Though Saul continually sought David, yet the Lord did not

15 deliver him into his hands. Even when David saw that Saul was coming to seek him, when he was on the desert moua-

16 tain in Kaina Ziph, Jonathan son of Saul arose, and went to David at Kaina, and strengthened his confidence in the Lord,

-17 and said to him, Fear not; for the hand of my father Saul cannot find thee; so that thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be second to thee, and Saul my father knoweth that this will be

18 the case. So they two made a covenant before the Lord, and David abode at Kaina, and Jonathan returned to his house.

19 Then the Ziphites went up from the wilderness to Saul, on the mount, and said, Behold doth not David hide himself near us at Messara, at the straits by Kaina, on mount Echala, which is

20 to the right of Jessamon ? Now therefore every thing answer- eth the king's desire to induce him to come down. Come down

21 to us. He is shut into the king's hands. Thereupon Saul said to them, Blessed are you of the Lord; for you have cared for

22 me. Go, I pray you, and make ready, and examine his haunt, whether there be any trace of him there lately, where you men-

23 tioned. Perhaps he will practise wiles. Take a Vicav therefore, and know, and I will go down with you, and if he be in that country I will search him out among all the thousands of Juda.

24 So the Ziphites arose and went before Saul. Now David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, westward, on the right

25 of Jessamon. And when Saul with his men went to seek liim, and David was told, he went down to the rock which is in the wilderness of Maon; and when Saul heard, he pursued after

26 David to the wilderness of Maon. And Saul and his men marched on one side of the mountain, while David and his men were on the other side of the mountain. But David was protected in escaping from the presence of Saul. For while

27 Saul and his men were encamping against David and his men, to. take them, a messenger came to Saul, and said, Haste and

28 come; for the Philistines have invaded the land. Whereupon Saul returned from pursuing David, and went to meet the Philistines. For this cause that place Avas called, The dividing

29 rock. Then David removed from that place, and took up his abode at the straits of Engaddi.

XXIV. And when Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, and was told by men, saying, David is in the wilderness

2 of Engaddi, he took with him three thousand men, selected out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men in front

3 of Saddaicm. And when he came to the sheepcots by the way side, where there was a cave, Saul went into it to prepare himself. Now David and his men had taken up their abode in the

4 inner part of the cave. So David's men said to him, Behold this is the day, which the Lord mentioned to thee, that he would deliver thine enemy into thy hands, that thou maystdo to him what seemeth good in thine eyes. Then David arose,

5 and cut off the skirt of Saul's cloak privily. And after this David's heart smote him, because he had cut off the skirt of

6 Saul's cloak. And David said to his men, The Lord forbid that I should do this tiling to my lord, the anointed of the Lord, to lift up my hand against him; for he is the Lord's anointed.

7 So David prevailed on his men by these words, and did not

8 permit them to rise, and kill Saul. And when Saul arose and went on his way, David went after him out of the cave. And David cried with a loud voice after Saul, and said, My lord, O king! And when Saul looked about behind him, David bowed down, with his face to the ground, and made obeisance

9 to him. Then David said to Saul, Why dost thou hearken fco die words of the people who say, Behold David seelteth thy

10 life? Behold this very day thine eyes have seen, how the Lord delivered thee to-day into my hands, in the cave, and I would not kill thee, but spared thee, and said, I will not lift up my

11 hand against my lord, because he is the Lord's anointed. Now behold here is the skirt of thy cloak in my hand. I cut off the skirt, but did not kill thee. Know, therefore, and see now that there is no wickedness in my hand—no impiety nor disloyalty; nor have I sinned against thee, though thou huntest my life to

12 take it. The Lord judge between me and thee. And the Lord

13 avenge thee on thyself. Let not my hand be upon thee. According to the old proverb, From the wicked will proceed

14 transgression. So let not my hand be upon thee. And now, after whom ait thou coming out, O king of Israel? And after whom art thou in pursuit ? After a dead dog ? Or after

15 a flea ? The Lord be a judge, and a discerner of right, be-

tween me and thee. May the Lortl see, and judge my cause,

16 and deliver me out of thy hand! And when David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, Is this thy voice,

17 my son David? And Saul raised his voice, and wept. Then Saul said to David, Thou art more righteous than I; for dion

18 hast returned me good; but I have returned thee evil. Thou hast indeed proved to me this day the good thou hast done me; as the Lord delivered me this day into thy hands, and

19 thou hast not slain me. No\v, because if any man find his enemy in distress, and send him away well, the Lord will reward

20 him with good, therefore now behold I know that thou shalt surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel will be esta-

21 blished in thy hand. Now therefore swear to me by the Lord, that thou wilt not destroy my seed after me; nor blot

22 out my name from the house of my father. So David swore to Saul, and Saul departed to his place, and David and his men went up to the straits of Messara.

XXV. Now when Samuel died all Israel assembled, and bewailed him, and buried him at his house at Armathaim. Then

2 David arose, and went down to the wilderness of Maon. Now there was a man at Maon whose flocks were at Carmel. He was a very wealthy man. He had three thousand sheep, and a

3 thousand goats, and he was sheering his sheep at Carmel. The man's name was Nabal, and his wife's name was Abigaia. His wife was a woman of good understanding, and very beautiful; but the man was morose, and ill natured, and of a surly dispo-

4 sition. And when David heard in the wilderness that Nabal

5 the Carmelite was sheering his flocks, David sent ten young men, and said to the young men, Go up to Carmel and when you come to Nabal, salute him in my name and say thus—

6 Health and prosperity to thee, and thy house, and to all that

7 thou hast. Now behold I have heard, that thy shepherds who were with us in the wilderness are now shearing. We did not molest them, nor exact any thing of them all the time they were at Carmel. Inquire of thy servants, and they will tell thee.

8 Let thy servants therefore find favour in thy sight, for we are come in a good time. Give, we pray thee, whatever thou

9 canst conveniently to thy son David. So the young men went and delivered the message, in David's name, to Nabal; in

10 these very Words. Upon which Nabal started up, and in reply said to David's young men, Who is David? and who is the son of Jessai? There are now a days many slaves who run

11 away every one from his master; and shall I take my bread, and my wine, and the flesh I have killed for my sheep shearers, and give them to men whom I know not whence they

12 be ? At this David's young men turned about, and came away, and having returned, they came and told David these words, whereupon David said to his men, Gird on every man

13 his sword. So there went up with David about four hundred

14 men, and two hundred staid with the baggage. Now one of the servants had told Abigaia, the wife of Nabal, saying, Behold, David sent messengers from the wilderness to salute

15 our master; but he turned away from them. Now those men were very kind to us. They never molested us, nor exacted

16 any thing from us, all the time we were with them. And when we were in the fields, they were like a wall around us night and day, all the time we were near them, tending the flock.

17 Now therefore consider, and see what thou canst do: for there is mischief determined on against our master, and his house- hold; but he is so perverse that there is no speaking to him.

18 Upon this Abigaia hasted, and took two hundred loaves, and two vessels of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five ephahs of barley meal, and a gomer of dried raisins, and two

19 hundred fig cakes, and laid them on asses, and said to her servants, Go on before me, and behold I will come after you: but

20 she did not tell her husband. And it happened, that as she, mounted on her ass, was going down under the covert of the mountain, behold David and his men were coming down over

21 against,her; so she met them. Now David had said, Surely for an unrighteous fellow have I guarded all that he had in the wilderness, and we have not ordered the taking of any thing

22 belonging to him : but he hath rewarded me evil for good. God do so to David, and more also, if by to-morrow morning

23 I leave of all that belong to Nabal one man—And when Abigaia saw David, she hasted, and alighted from her ass, and fell on her face before David, and made obeisance to him on the ground, at his feet, and said. On me, my lord, be my ini-

24 quity. Let thy sen-ant, I beseech thce, speak in thine audience,

Vol. i. 3 R

25 and hear the words of thy servant. Let not my lord, I pray thee, set his heart against this perverse man. For as is his name so is he. His name is Nabal, and with him is folly. But I thy servant did not see my lord's servants whom thou didst send.

26 Now therefore, my lord, as the Lord liveth, and thy soul liveth, as the Lord hath withheld thee from coming to shed innocent blood, it was to save thy hand for thyself. Now therefore let all thine enemies and those who seek to hurt my lord be like

27 Nabal. And now accept this present, which thy servant hath brought for my lord, and give it to the young men who attend

28 my lord. Forgive, I beseech thee, what is amiss in thy servant. Because the Lord will assuredly make for my lord a faithful house—because the Lord will fight the battle of my lord, there-

29 fore there must never be iniquity found in thee. Though a man may rise up to pursue thee, and seek thy life, yet will the life of my lord be bound up in the bundle of life by the Lord God; but the life of thy enemies thou shalt sling out with a

30 sling. And when the Lord shall do for my lord all the good things which he hath spoken concerning thee, and hath made

31 thee ruler over Israel, thou my lord must not have the stain or guilt of having causelessly shed innocent blood. May the Lord therefore save the hand of my lord for himself, and kindly dispose my lord, that thou mayst remember thy servant, to deal

32 kindly by her. Thereupon David said to Abigaia, Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who hath sent thee this day to meet

33 me. And blessed be thy conduct, and blessed thou who hast kept me back from coming to blood, that I might save my hand for

34 myself. For as the Lord God of Israel liveth, who hath this day withheld me from doing thee an injury, if thou hadst not hastened, and come to meet me_r I had determined that by the morning light there should not be left to Nabal one man.

35 Then David received at her hand all that she brought him, and said lo her, Go up in peace to thy house. See, I have

36 hearkened to thy voice from a personal regard to thee. Then Abigaia went to Nabal, and behold he liad an entertainment at his house like that of a king, and Nabal's heart was elated for he was very drunk, so she told him nothing less or more

37 till the next morning. But in the morning when Nabal had recovered from his wine, his wife told him all these things. and his heart was confounded, and he became like a stone.

38 And in about ten days the Lord smote Nabal, and he died.

39 And when David heard it, he said, Blessed be the Lord who hath judged the cause of my reproach, out of the hand of Nabal, and hath preserved his servant from the hand of wicked men. The Lord hath turned the wickedness of Nabal on his own head. Then David sent and spoke of Abigaia

40 to take her for a wife; and when David's servants came to Abigaia to Carmel, and spoke to her, saying, David hath

41 sent us to thee to take thee to himself for a wife, she arose, and bowed down to the ground on her face, and said, Behold thy servant is ready to be a house maid to wash the feet of thy

42 servants. Then Abigaia arose, and mounted her ass, and five maids accompanied her, and she went with David's servants,

43 and became his wife. Now David had taken Achinaam of Jezracl, and they were both his wives. And Saul gave his daughter Melchol, David's wife, to Phalti, son of Amis, of Romma.

XXVI. Again the Ziphitcs came from the wilderness to Saul,

on the mount, and said, Behold, David is lurking with us on

2 mount Echela, in front of Jessemon. Thereupon Saul arose,

and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, having with him

three thousand chosen men of Israel, to seek David in the

f> wilderness of Ziph. And Saul encamped on that eminence of

4 Echela, which is in front of Jessemon, by the way side. Now David made his abode in that wilderness. So when David saw that Saul was coming after him, into the wilderness, he sent out spies. And when he knew that Saul was come in force

5 out of Keila, David arose privily, and went to the place where Saul was sleeping. And Abenner, son of Ner, his captain general was there, and Saul was asleep in a palanquin, and the

C> people were encamped around him. Now David addressing Abimelech the Chettite, and Abessa, son of Saruia, the brother of Joab, had said, Who will go with me into the camp to Saul?

7 and Abessa said, I will go with thee. So David went with Abessa, in among the people by night, and behold Saul lay last asleep in a palanquin, and his lance was stuck in the ground at his head, and Abenner and his people lay around him.

8 Whereupon Abessa said to David, The Lord hath this day

delivered thine enemy into thy hands, now therefore let me

smite him with my spear, to the ground, at one stroke, and I will

9 not repeat the blow. But David said to Abessa, Thou must

not humble him: for who can lift up his hand against the

10 Lord's anointed, and be guiltless? Then David said, As the Lord liveth, either the Lord will smite him, or his time shall

11 come, and he will go down to battle and fall. The Lord forbid that I should stretch forth my hand against the anointed of the Lord. Now therefore take, I pray thee, the spear from his

12 pillow, and the cup of water, and let us go. So David took the lance, and the cup of water from his pillow, and went away; and there was none who saw, nor was there one who perceived, nor one who awaked. They were all fast asleep. For a deep

13 sleep from the Lord had fallen upon them. And when David had passed over to the other side, he stood on the top of the moun-

14 tain, at a distance, and there was a great way between them, and David called to the people, and spoke to Abenner, saying,

15 Wilt thou not answer, Abenner,! And Abenner answered and said, Who art thou, who callest? Then David said to Abenner, Art thou not a chief man? And who is like thee in Israel? Why then dost thou not guard thy lord the king? For one of the

16 people went in to slay thy lord the king. This tiling which thou hast done is not good. As the Lord liveth, you who guard your lord the king—the anointed of the Lord, are guilty of death; for see now,-1 pray thee, the king's lance, and the

17 cup of water, where are they which were at his head? And when Saul knew David's voice, he said, Is this thy voice, my son David? And David said, I am thy servant, my lord the

18 king. Moreover he said, Why doth my lord pursue after his servant ? For wherein have I offended, or what iniquity is there

19 found in me ? Now therefore let my lord the king hear the word of his servant. If God stirreth thee up against me, let thy sacrifice be fragrant: but if the sons of men; cursed be they before the Lord; for they have now driven me out from abiding securely in the inheritance of the Lord, saying, Go,

20 serve other gods. Now therefore, let not my blood fall on the land before the face of the Lord, because the king of Israel is come out to seek my life, as the night hawk pursueth on the

21 mountains. Then Saul said, I have sinned. Return, my son

David; for I will no more do thec harm ; because my life hath been precious in thy sight, at the very time when I was led

22 astray by folly, and egregiously mistaken. And David answered and said, Behold here is the king's lance; let one of the

23 young men come over and take it. The Lord will rendertoevery one according to his righteousness, and his fidelity. As the Lord delivered thee this day into my hands, and I would not

24 lay my hand on the Lord's anointed; and behold as thy life was this day highly regarded in my eyes, so may my life be highly regarded in the sight of the Lord, and may he protect

25 me! He indeed will deliver me out of all affliction. Then Saul said to David, Blessed art thou, my son. Thou shalt surely perform exploits, and prevail. Then David went his way, and Saul returned to his place.

XXVII. But David spoke in his heart, saying, I may one day fall into the hands of Saul. Is it not best for me to make my escape to the land of the Philistines, so that Saul may cease from seeking me in the borders of Israel? So shall I escape

2 out of his hand. So David arose, and the six hundred men with him, and went to Angchus, son of Ammach, king of

3 Geth. And David abode with Angchus, both he and his men, every one with his household, and David with his two wives, Achinaam the Jezraelitess, and Abigaia late the wife of Nabal

4 the Carmelite. And when Saul was informed that David had fled to Geth, he did not proceed any more to seek him.Now David

5 had said to Angchus, If thy servant hath found favour in thy sight, let a place, I pray thee, be given me in one of thy cities, in the country, and I will settle there. For why should thy

6 servant dwell in the royal city with thee? So he gave him on that day Sekelak; for this cause Sekelak belongeth to the

7 king of Juda to this day. Now the time that David had dwelt in

8 the country of the Philistines was four months, when David went up with his men, and they fell upon all the Geserites, and upon the Amelekites. (Now this country was inhabited by wandering hordes, excepting those who had fixed abodes from

9 Gelampsur to the land of Egypt.) And when he smote the land he saved neither man nor woman alive; but he took their flocks, and herds, and asses, and camels, and raiment, and re-

10 turned, and came to Angchus. And when Angchus said to

David, Upon whom have you fallen? David said to Angchus,
Towards the south of Judea, and towards the south of Jesme-

11 ga, and towards the south of Kenezi. But I saved neither man nor woman to bring them to Geth, saying, They must not carry tidings against us to Geth, and say, Such and such things doth David. And this was his custom all the time that David

12 dwelt in the country of the Philistines. And David was in high confidence with Angchus, who said, He is surely in great disgrace with his people in Israel, therefore he must be my servant forever.

XXVIII. Now in those days when the Philistines were assembling in their camps to go out to war with Israel, Angchus said to David, Know assuredly that thou shalt go out with me

2 to battle, both thou and thy men. Whereupon David said to Angchus, Thus thou shalt now know what thy servant can do. And Angchus said to David, Thus will I make thee captain of

3 my body guard during thy life. Now Samuel was dead and all Israel had bewailed him, and buried him at Armathaim in his city. And Saul had driven from the land the belly speakers, and the

4 diviners; and the Philistines assembled, and came and encamped at Sonam; whereupon Saul assembled all Israel, and they

5 encamped at Gelbua. And when Saul saw the camp of the Philistines he was afraid, and his heart was exceedingly dis-

6 mayed. And Saul inquired of the Lord; but the Lord did not answer him; neither by dreams, nor by manifestations, nor by

7 prophets. Then Saul said to his servants, Seek out for me a woman who is a belly speaker, and I will go to her and con-

8 suit her. And his servants said to him, Behold there is a woman, a belly speaker, at Endor. Thereupon Saul disguised himself, and put on other clothes, and went, he and two men with him. And they came to the woman by night, and said to her, Consult for me, I pray thee, the belly speaker, and bring

9 up for me him whom I shall mention to thee. And the woman said to him, Behold thou knowest what Saul hath done; how he hath rooted out all the belly speakers, and the diviners, out of the land; why then dost thou lay a trap for my life, to put

10 me to death? And Saul swore to her saying, As the Lord liv-

11 eth, there shall no mischief befal thee on this account. Then the woman said, Whom shall I bring up for thee? And when he

12 had said, Bring up Samuel for me, the woman saw Samuel, and cried with a loud voice. And the woman said to Saul, Why

13 hast thou deceived me? Thou indeed art Saul. And the king said to her, Fear not. Tell me, Whom hast thou seen? And the woman said to him, I saw gods coming up out of the earth.

14 And he said to her, What didst thou discover? And she said to him, An erect man coming up out of the earth, and he'had a mantle thrown around him. So Saul knew that this was Samuel, and he bowed down on his face to the ground, and made

15 obeisance to him. And Samuel said, Why hast thou troubled me, that I should come up? And Saul said, I am in great affliction. The Philistines are making war on me, and God hath departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by the

16 agency of prophets, nor by dreams. Now therefore I have called thee, to let me know what I shall do. And Samuel said, Why dost thou ask me, seeing the Lord is departed from thee, and

17 is with thy neighbour? The Lord indeed hath done to thee as the Lord spoke by my agency. And the Lord will rend the kingdom out of thy hand, and give it to thy neighbour, even

18 to David. Because thou didst not hearken to the voice of the Lord, and didst not execute the fierceness of his wrath on Amelek, therefore the Lord hath done this thing to thee this

19 day. And the Lord will deliver Israel with thee into the hands of the Philistines, and to-morrow thou, and thy sons with thee, shall fall, and the Lord will deliver the army of Israel into the

20 hand of the Philistines. At this Saul shuddered, and fell at his full length on the ground, and was struck with horror at the words of Samuel, and there was no more any strength in him, for he had not eaten bread that whole day, and that whole

21 night. Then the woman came to Saul, and when she saw that he was in great trepidation, she said to him, Behold I pray thee, thy servant hath hearkened to thy voice. I put my life in my hand, and heard the words which thou didst speak to

22 me; now therefore, hearken, I pray thee, to the voice of thy servant, and let me set before thee a morsel of bread, and eat

23 that thou mayst have strength; for thou art to travel. And when he declined eating, his servants and the woman pressed him; so he hearkened to their voice, and arose from the ground,

24 and sat on a seat. Now the woman had a fatted-«alf in the

*

house, so she hasted, and slew it, and she took flour, and mix-

ed it, and baked unleavened cakes, and set them before Saul 25 and his servants. And .when they had eaten, they arose and

departed that night. XXIX. The Philistines had now assembled all their armies at

Aphek, and Israel were encamped atEndor which is in Jezrael.

2 Now when the lords of the Philistines were on their march, at the head of their hundreds and thousands, and David and his

3 men were marching in the rear vvidi Angchus, the lords of the Philistines said, Who are these marching here? And Angchus said to the generals of the Philistines, Who, but David the servant of Saul? He hath been long with us. This is the second year, and I have found no fault in him from the day he came to

4 me to this day. But the generals of the Philistines were oSended at him, and said to him, Send this man away and let him return to his place where thou hast fixed him, and let him not go with us to battle, nor be let into the councils of the army. How can he reconcile himself to his master? Will it not be

5 with the heads of these men? Is not this the David of whom they sung the responsive song in choirs, saying, Saul hath slain

6 his thousands, and David his ten t/wusands? Then Angchus called David, and said to him, As the Lord liveth, Thou art good, and upright in my eyes, and so is thy going out and thy coming in with me in the army. Indeed I have not found any thing amiss in thce from the day of thy coming to me even to this

7 day. But thou art not in favour with the lords. Now therefore return, and go in peace, that thou mayst not give offence to

8 the lords of the Philistines. And David said to Angchus, What have I done to thee, and what hast thou found in thy servant from the day I came to thee to this day, that I may not go

9 and fight the enemies of my lord the king? And Angchus replied to David, I know that thou art good in my sight, but the lords of the Philistines say, He shall not go with us to battle;

10 now therefore rise early to-morrow morning, thou and the servants of thy lord who have come with thee, and go to the place where I have fixed thee, and harbour not an evil thought in thy heart; for thou art good in my sight. Be up betimes for the

11 inarch^mand soon as you have light depart. So David arose early,jJ)ftfj$|Ml his men, to go and guard the land of the Philis- tinesfwhile the PRiHstines went up to battle at Jezrael.

XXX. But when David and his men arrived at Sekelak, on the third day, Amelek had invaded the South, and Sekelak, and had smitten Sekelak. Though they had burned it with fire,

2 yet with regard to the women, and all who were in it, they had not slain a man, or a woman, small or great, but had taken

3 them captive, and marched off. So when David and his men came to the city, and saw that' it was burned with fire, and that their wives, and their sons, and their daughters were ta-

4 ken captive, David and his men raised their voices, and wept

5 till they had no more power to weep. Now both David's wives were taken captive; both Achinaam the Jezraelitess, and Abi-

6 gaia, the wife of Nabal, the Carmelite. And David was in great distress, for the people talked of stoning him; for the soul of all the people was exasperated, every one for his sons, and his daughters. David, however, was strengthened by the Lord

7 his God. And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of

8 Abimelech, Bring hither the ephod. And David inquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I pursue this horde ? Shall I overtake them ? And he said to him, Pursue, for thou shall over-

9 take them and without fail rescue. Then David set out, he and the six hundred men who were with him; and when they

10 came to the brook Bosor, the reserve halted. He pursued with four hundred men, and two hundred, who halted on the

11 bank of the brook Bosor, guarded the baggage. And they found an Egyptian in the field, and took him, and brought him to David, and they gave him bread, and he ate, and they

12 gave him water to drink. Then they gave him a piece of fig cake, and when he had eaten, and his spirit was come to him; for he had not tasted bread, nor drank water for three days and

13 three nights, David said to him, To whom dost thou belong, and whence art thou ? And the Egyptian lad said, I am a ser-

14 vant of a man, an Amelekite. My master left me because I fell sick three days ago. We made an invasion on the south of the Chelethites, and on those parts of Judea, and on the south

15 of Chelub, and we burned Sekelak with fire. Then David said to him, Wilt thou conduct me to this horde? And he said, Swear to me now by God, that thou wilt not put me to death nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will conduct thee to

16 the horde. So he conducted him thither, and behold they were

Vol. i. 3s

spread abroad on the face of the whole land, eating and drinking, and celebrating a festival, for all the great spoil which they had taken from the country of the Philistines, and from the land

17 of Judea. And David came upon them, and smote them, from break of day till late in the evening, and part of the next day, so that not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young

18 men, who mounted camels and fled. And David recovered

19 all that the Amelekites had taken. He recovered also his two wives. There was none missing among them, small or great, nor any of the spoils, nor sons nor daughters, nor any thing

20 of what they had taken. David recovered all. He took also all their flocks, and herds, and drove them before the spoils.

21 And of this prey it was said, These are David's prey. And when David came to the two hundred that were left to follow David, and whom he had caused to halt by the brook Bosor, they came out to meet David, and to meet the people who

22 were with him. But when David introduced them to the people, and they had saluted them; all the turbulent and bad men among the warriors, who went with David, answered and said, Because they did not accompany us in the pursuit we will not give them any of the spoils which we have taken, save that every one may take his wife and children. Let them take these

23 and depart. But David said, You must not do so, since the Lord hath given them to us and preserved us. The Lord indeed hath delivered into our hands this wandering horde,

24 which came against us, who then will hearken to your words? For these arc not less entitled to them than we arc. For as is the share of him who goeth down to the battle, so shall be the

25 share of him who guardeth the baggage. They shall all share alike. So from that day forward this was the rule, and it became a statute, and an established custom in Israel even to this day.

26 And when David came to Sckelak, he sent some of the spoils

27 to the elders of Juda, and to his friends, saying, Here are some of the spoils of the enemies of the Lord for those at Baithsur, and for those at South Rama, and for those at Gethor, and for

28 those at Aroer, and for those at Ammadi, and for those at Saphi, and for those at Esthie, and for those at Geth, and for

29 those at Kimath, and for those at Saphek, and for those at Themath, and for those at Carmel, and for those in the cities

30 of JeremeeJ, and for those in the cities of the Kenezites, and for those at Jerimuth, and for those at Bersabee and for those

31 at Nomba, and for those at Chebron, even all the places through which David and his men had passed.

XXXI. Now when the Philistines attacked Israel, the men of Israel fled before the Philistines, and the wounded fell on the

2 mountain Gelbua, and the Philistines came to a close engagement with Saul and his sons, and the Philistines smote Jona-

3 than, and Aminadab, and Melchisa, sons of Saul. And the battle pressed hard against Saul, and the archers hit him, and he

4 was wounded in the hypochondres, whereupon Saul said to his armour bearer, Draw thy sword, and run me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and stab me, and insult me. But his armour bearer would not, for he was struck with horror.

5 Therefore Saul took the sword, and fell on it. And when his armour bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his

6 sword, and died with him. Thus Saul, and his three sons, and his armour bearer, died on the same day in the same place.

7 And when the men of Israel who were on this side the vale, and they who were on the bank of the Jordan, saw that the men of Israel fled; and that Saul and his sons were dead, they left their cities, and fled, and the Philistines came and dwelt

8 therein. Now on the morrow when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul, and his three sons, fallen on the

9 mountains of Gelbua. And they treated him scornfully, and stripped off his armour, and sent it to the land of the Philistines, proclaiming the good news all around to their idols, and

10 to tlie people. And they hung up his arms in the temple of

11 Astarte, and fixed up his body on the wall of Baithsam. But when the inhabitants of Jabis Galaad heard what the Philistines

12 had done to Saul, they arose, even all the men of valour, and marched the whole night, and took the body of Saul, and the body of Jonathan his son, from the wall of Baithsam, and car-

13 ried them to Jabis and there burned them. Then they took their bones, and buried them in the field at Jabis, and fasted seven days.

END OF VOL. I.