First Samuel-Shmuel Alef

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First Samuel-Shmuel Alef 

To Our Forefathers Yisrael

1 Now there was a certain man of Ramathayim-Zophim, of Har Efrayim and his name was Elchanah, the son of Yeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph,an Ephratite:
 
2 And he had two wives; the name of the one was Channah and the name of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Channah had no children.

3 And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice to YHUH Tzevaot in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hofni and Pinchus, the kohanim of YHUH, were there.

4 And when the time was that Elchanah made an offering, he gave to Peninnah his isha and to all her sons and her daughters, portions:

5 But to Channah he gave one portion; for he loved Channah: but YHUH had shut up her womb.

6 And her rival also provoked and aggravated her and treated her with contempt because YHUH had shut up her womb.

7 And so she did so year by year, when she went up to the Bayit of YHUH, so she was depressed; therefore she wept and did not eat.

8 Then said Elchanah her husband to her, Channah, why do you weep? And why do you eat nothing? Also why is your lev grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons?

9 So Channah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh and after they had drunk. Now Eli the kohen sat upon a seat by a post of the Hekal of YHUH.

10 And she was in bitterness of chayim and made tefillah to YHUH and wept greatly.

11 And she vowed a vow and said, O YHUH Tzevaot, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your female eved and remember me and not forget Your female eved, but will give to Your female eved a male child, then I will dedicate him to YHUH, all the yamim of his chayim and he shall drink no wine or strong drink and there shall no razor come upon his head.

12 And it came to pass, as she continued making tefillah before YHUH, that Eli watched her mouth.

13 Now Channah, she spoke in her lev; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she was drunk.

14 And Eli said to her, How long will you be drunk? Put away your wine and leave the presence of YHUH.

15 And Channah answered and said, No, my master, I am a woman of a heavy ruach: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my chayim before YHUH.

16 Count not your female eved as a daughter of Beliyaal:  for out of the abundance of my complaints and grief have I spoken until now.

17 Then Eli answered and said, Go in shalom: and the Ahlohim of Yisrael grant you your request that you have asked of Him.

18 And she said, Let your female eved find chen in your sight. So the woman went her derech and did eat and her appearance was no longer sad.

19 And they rose up in the boker early and worshipped shachrit before YHUH and returned and came to their bayit in Ramah: and Elchanah knew Channah his isha; and YHUH remembered her request.

20 Therefore it came to pass, when the time had come about after Channah had conceived, that she bore a son and called his name Shmuel, saying, Because I have asked him from YHUH.

21 And the man Elchanah and all his bayit, went up to offer to YHUH the yearly sacrifice and his vow.

22 But Channah did not go up; for she said to her husband, I will not go up while the child is weaned, after that I will bring him, that he may appear before YHUH and there stay le-olam-va-ed.

23 And Elchanah her husband said to her, Do what seems tov to you; stay here until you have nursed him; only YHUH establish His Word. So the woman stayed and gave her son nursing until she weaned him.

24 And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bullocks and one ephah of flour and a bottle of wine and brought him to the Bayit of YHUH in Shiloh: and the child was young.

25 And they brought him before YHUH; and his abba slew his offering, which he offered from year to year to YHUH; and his abba brought near the child and slew the calf; and Channah, the eema of the child brought him to Eli.

26 And she said, Oh my master, as your chayim lives, my master, I am the woman that stood by you here, making tefillah to YHUH.

27 For this child I made tefillah; and YHUH has given me my request which I have asked of Him:

28 Therefore also I have promised him to YHUH; as long as he lives, he shall be lent to YHUH. And she worshipped YHUH there.

2 And Channah made tefillah and said, My lev has gilah in YHUH, my lev is exalted in YHUH: my mouth is enlarged over my enemies; because I gilah in Your deliverance.

2 There is none kadosh as YHUH: for there is none beside You: neither is there any Rock like our Ahlohim.

3 Talk no more so exceedingly proudly; let not arrogance come out of your mouth: for YHUH is an El of da’at and by Him your actions are weighed.

4 The bows of the mighty men are broken and they that stumbled are girded with strength.

5 They that were full have sought work for lechem; and they that were hungry have ceased: Also the barren has born seven; and she that has many children has become feeble.

6 YHUH kills and makes alive: He brings down to Sheol and brings up.

7 YHUH makes poor and makes rich: He brings low and lifts up.

8 He raises up the poor out of the dust and lifts up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them with rulers and to make them inherit the kesay of tifereth: for the pillars of the earth are YHUH's and He has set the olam hazeh upon them.

9 He will guard the feet of His kidushim and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by his own strength shall no man prevail.

10 The adversaries of YHUH shall be broken to pieces; out of the shamayim shall He thunder upon them:  YHUH shall judge the ends of the earth; and He shall give strength to His melech and exalt the position of His anointed.

11 And Elchanah went to Ramah to his bayit. And the child did serve before YHUH in the presence of Eli the kohen.

12 Now the sons of Eli were sons of Beliyaal; they knew not YHUH.

13 And the kohen’s custom with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the kohen’s eved came, while the meat was cooking, with a three-pronged hook in his hand,

14 And he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; so that all that the flesh-hook brought up the kohen took for himself. So this they did in Shiloh to all the Yisraelites that came there.

15 Also before they burned the fat, the kohen's eved came and said to the man that sacrificed, Give the meat for the kohen to roast; for he will not have cooked meat from you, but raw.

16 And if any man said to him, Let the fat burn first and then take as much as your being desires; then he would answer him, No; but you shall give it to me now: and if not, I will take it by force.

17 Therefore the sin of the young men was very great before YHUH: for men despised the offering of YHUH.

18 But Shmuel served before YHUH, being a child, dressed with a linen shoulder garment ephod.

19 Moreover his eema made him a little coat and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.

20 And Eli blessed Elchanah and his isha and said, YHUH give you zera of this woman for the promise that is given to YHUH. And they went to their own home.

21 And YHUH visited Channah, so that she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. And the child Shmuel grew before YHUH.

22 Now Eli was very old and heard all that his sons did to kol Yisrael; and how they had relations with the women that assembled at the door of the Mishkan of the kehilla.

23 And he said to them, Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all the people of YHUH.

24 No, my sons; for it is not a tov report that I hear: for you make YHUH's people to transgress.

25 If one man sins against another, they shall seek YHUH and the shophet shall render mishpat for them: but if a man sins against YHUH, who shall help him? Nevertheless, they listened not to the voice of their abba because YHUH planned to kill them.

26 And the child Shmuel grew up and was in chen both with YHUH and also with men.

27 And there came a man of Ahlohim to Eli and said to him, This says YHUH, I appeared to the bayit of your ahvot, when they were in Mitzrayim in bondage to Pharaoh's bayit.

28 And didn’t I choose your ahvot out of all the tribes of Yisrael to be My kohanim, to offer upon My altar, to burn incense, to wear a shoulder ephod before Me? And didn’t I give to the bayit of your ahvot all the offerings made by fire by the children of Yisrael?

29 Why do you deal wrongly with My sacrifice and keep My offering, which I have commanded in My dwelling; and esteem your sons above Me, to make yourselves fat with the best of all the offerings of Yisrael My people?

30 Therefore YHUH Ahlohim of Yisrael says, I said indeed that your bayit and the bayit of your ahvot, should have their halacha before Me le-olam-va-ed: but now YHUH said, Be it far from Me; for them that esteem Me I will esteem and they that despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.

31 See, the yamim come, that I will cut off your arm and the arm of your abba's bayit, that there shall not be an old man in your bayit.

32 And you shall see an enemy in My Dwelling Place, despite all the wealth which Ahlohim shall give Yisrael: and there shall not be an old man in your bayit le-olam-va-ed.

33 And any of the men of your bayit, whom I shall not cut off from My altar, shall still consume your eyes and grieve your lev: and all the increase of your bayit shall die in their youth.

34 And this shall be an ot to you, that what now comes upon your two sons, on Hofni and Pinchus; in one yom they shall die both of them.

35 And I will raise up for Myself a faithful Kohen, that shall do according to that which is in My lev and in My mind: and I will build Him a sure Bayit; and He shall have His halacha before My anointing le-olam-va-ed.

36 And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left in your bayit shall come and crouch before him for a piece of silver and a piece of lechem and shall say, Put me, I ask you, into one of the kohanim’s offices, that I may eat even a piece of lechem.

3 And the child Shmuel served before YHUH and in front of Eli. And The Word of YHUH was esteemed in those yamim; because he was not blind.

2 And it came to pass at that time, when Eli had lain down in his bed and his eyes began to grow dim, that he could not see;

3 And The Ohr of Ahlohim had not yet gone out in the Hekal of YHUH, where the Ark of Ahlohim was and Shmuel was lying down ready to sleep;
4 And YHUH called:Shmuel: and he answered, Hinayne.

5 And he ran to Eli and said, Hinayne; for you called me. And he said, I did not call you; go lie down again. And he went and laid down.

6 And YHUH called yet again: Shmuel. And Shmuel arose and went to Eli and said, Hinayne; for you did call me. And he answered, I did not call you, my son; go lie down again.

7 Now Shmuel did not yet know YHUH neither was The Word of YHUH yet revealed to him.

8 And YHUH called Shmuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, Hinayne; for you did call me. And Eli then perceived that YHUH had called the child.

9 Therefore Eli said to Shmuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if He calls you, that you shall say, Speak, YHUH; for Your eved hears. So Shmuel went and lay down in his place.

10 And YHUH came and stood and called as at the other times, Shmuel, Shmuel. Then Shmuel answered, Speak; for Your eved hears.

11 And YHUH said to Shmuel, See, I will do a thing in Yisrael, at which both ears of every one that hears shall tingle.

12 In that yom I will perform against Eli all things that I have spoken concerning his bayit: when I begin, I will also make an end.

13 For I have told him that I will judge his bayit le-olam-va-ed for the iniquity which he knows about; because his sons made themselves vile and reviled the people and he restrained them not.

14 And therefore I have sworn to the bayit of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's bayit shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering le-olam-va-ed.

15 And Shmuel lay until the boker and opened the doors of the Bayit of YHUH. And Shmuel feared to show Eli the vision.

16 Then Eli called Shmuel and said, Shmuel, my son. And he answered, Hinayne.

17 And he said, What is the thing that YHUH has said to you? I ask you, hide it not from me: Ahlohim do all He has showed you and even more also, if you hide anything from me of all the things that He said to you.

18 And Shmuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, It is from YHUH: let Him do what seems tov to Him.

19 And Shmuel grew and YHUH was with him and he did not ignore even one of His Words.

20 And kol Yisrael from Dan even to Be-er-Sheva knew that Shmuel was established to be a navi of YHUH.

21 And YHUH appeared again in Shiloh: for YHUH  revealed Himself to Shmuel in Shiloh by The Word of YHUH.

4 And the word of Shmuel came to kol Yisrael. Now Yisrael went out against the Plishtim to battle and camped beside Even-Ezer: and the Plishtim camped in Aphek.

2 And the Plishtim put themselves in battle against Yisrael: and when they joined the battle, Yisrael was smitten before the Plishtim: and they killed of the army in the field about four thousand men.

3 And when the people had come into the camp, the zechanim of Yisrael said, Why has YHUH smitten us today before the Plishtim? Let us get the Ark of the Testimony of YHUH out of Shiloh to us, so that when it comes among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies.

4 So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from there the Ark of the Testimony of YHUH Tzevaot, who dwells between the cheruvim: and the two sons of Eli, Hofni and Pinchus, were there with the Ark of the Testimony of Ahlohim.

5 And when the Ark of the Testimony of YHUH came into the camp, kol Yisrael shouted with a great shout, so that the earth shook.

6 And when the Plishtim heard the noise of the shout, they said, What means the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Ivrim?  And they understood that the Ark of YHUH had come into the camp.

7 And the Plishtim were afraid, for they said, Ahlohim has come into the camp. And they said, Woe to us! For there has not been such a thing before.

8 Woe to us! Who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Ahlohim ? These are the Ahlohim that smote the Mitzrim with all the plagues in the midbar.

9 Be strong and behave yourselves like men, O you Plishtim, that you be not avadim to the Ivrim, as they have been to you: act like men and fight.

10 And the Plishtim fought and Yisrael was smitten and they fled every man into his tent: and there was a very great slaughter; for there fell in Yisrael thirty thousand foot soldiers.

11 And the Ark of Ahlohim was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hofni and Pinchus, were killed.

12 And there ran a man of Benyamin out of the army and came to Shiloh the same yom with his clothes torn and with dust upon his head.

13 And when he came, see, Eli sat upon a seat by the wayside watching: for his lev trembled over the Ark of Ahlohim. And when the man came into the city and told it to them, the entire city shouted out.

14 And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What means the noise of this tumult? And the man came in hastily and told Eli.

15 Now Eli was ninety-eight years old; and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see.

16 And the man said to Eli, I am he that came out of the army and I fled here today out of the battle. And he said, What is going on there, my son?

17 And the messenger answered and said, Yisrael has fled from the Plishtim and there has been also a great slaughter among the people and your two sons also, Hofni and Pinchus, are dead and the Ark of Ahlohim has been taken.

18 And it came to pass, when he made mention of the Ark of Ahlohim, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate and his back broke and he died: for he was an old man and very heavy. And he had been shophet in Yisrael for forty years.

19 And his daughter-in-law, Pinchus’s isha, was with child, near to be delivered: and when she heard the news that the Ark of Ahlohim was taken and that her abba-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and gave birth; for her labor pains came upon her.

20 And about the time of her death the women that stood by her said to her, Fear not; for you have born a son. But she answered nothing and neither did she care.

21 And she named the child Ichavod, saying, The kavod has departed from Yisrael: because the Ark of Ahlohim was taken and because of her abba-in-law and her husband.

22 And she said, The tifereth is departed from Yisrael: for the Ark of Ahlohim is taken.

5 And the Plishtim took the Ark of Ahlohim and brought it from Even-Ezer to Ashdod.

2 When the Plishtim took the Ark of Ahlohim, they brought it into the bayit of Dagon and set it by Dagon.

3 And when those of Ashdod arose early in the boker, see, Dagon was thrown down upon his face to the earth before the Ark of YHUH. And they took Dagon and set him back in his place again.

4 And when they arose early on the next boker, see, Dagon was thrown down upon his face to the ground before the Ark of YHUH; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him.

5 Therefore neither the kohanim of Dagon, nor any that come into Dagon's bayit, step on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this yom.

6 But the Hand of YHUH was heavy upon them of Ashdod and He destroyed them and smote them with tumors, even Ashdod and the borders of it.

7 And when the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, The Ark of the Ahlohim of Yisrael shall not stay with us: for His hand is heavy upon us and upon Dagon our ahlohim.

8 They sent therefore and gathered all the rulers of the Plishtim to them and said, What shall we do with the Ark of the Ahlohim of Yisrael? And they answered, Let the Ark of the Ahlohim of Yisrael be moved to Gat. And they carried the Ark of the Ahlohim of Yisrael there.

9 And it was so, that, after they had removed it, the Hand of YHUH was against the city with a very great destruction: and He smote the men of the city, both small and great and they had tumors in their private parts.

10 Therefore they sent the Ark of Ahlohim to Ekron. And it came to pass, as the Ark of Ahlohim came to Ekron, that the Ekronites shouted out, saying, They have brought here the Ark of the Ahlohim of Yisrael to us, to kill us and our people.

11 So they sent and gathered together all the rulers of the Plishtim and said, Send away the Ark of the Ahlohim of Yisrael and let it go again to its own place, that it kill us not and kill not our people: for there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city; the hand of Ahlohim was very heavy there.

12 And the men that did not die were smitten with the tumors: and the cry of the city went up to the shamayim.

6 And the Ark of YHUH was in the country of the Plishtim seven chodashem.

2 And the Plishtim called for their kohanim and the diviners, saying, What shall we do to the Ark of YHUH? Tell us by what means shall we send it to its place.

3 And they said, If you send away the Ark of YHUH Ahlohim of Yisrael, send it not away empty; you shall surely bring Him a trespass offering: then you shall be healed and it shall be known to you why His hand is not turned aside from you.

4 Then said they, What shall be the trespass offering that we shall return to Him? They answered, Five golden tumors and five golden mice, according to the number of masters of the Plishtim: for one plague was on all of you and on your masters.

5 And you shall make images of your tumors and images of your mice that ruin the land; and you shall give tifereth to the Ahlohim of Yisrael: perhaps then He will lighten His hand from off of you and from off of your ahlohim and from off of your land.

6 Why then do you harden your levavot, as the Mitzrim and Pharaoh hardened their levavot? When He had done wonderful things among them, did they not let the people go and they departed?

7 Now therefore make a new cart and take two milking cows, which have never been yoked and tie the cows to the cart and bring their calves home away from them:

8 And take the Ark of YHUH and lay it upon the cart; and put the jewels of gold, which you return to Him for a trespass offering, in a chest by the side of it; and send it away, that it may go.

9 And see, if it goes up to its own border to Beth-Shemesh, then He has done us this great evil: but if not, then we shall know that it was not His hand that smote us; it was an accident that happened to us.

10 And the men did so; and took two milking cows and tied them to the cart and shut up their calves at home:

11 And they laid the Ark of YHUH upon the cart and the chest with the mice of gold and the images of their tumors.

12 And the cows went immediately to the derech of Beth-Shemesh and went along the highway, bellowing as they went and turned not aside to the right hand, or to the left; and the rulers of the Plishtim went after them to the border of Beth-Shemesh.

13 And those of Beth-Shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley: and they lifted up their eyes and saw the Ark of YHUH and rejoiced to see it.

14 And the cart came into the field of Yahusha, a Beth-Shemite and stood there, where there was a great stone: and they split the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to YHUH.

15 And the Lewiym took down the Ark of YHUH and the chest that was with it, in which the jewels of gold were and put them on the great stone: and the men of Beth-Shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same yom to YHUH.

16 And when the five masters of the Plishtim had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same yom.

17 And these are the golden tumors which the Plishtim returned for a trespass offering to YHUH; for Ashdod one, for Azah one, for Ashkelon one, for Gat one, for Ekron one;

18 And the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Plishtim belonging to the five masters, both of fortified cities and of the country villages, even to the great stone of Avel, where they set down the Ark of YHUH: which stone remains to this yom in the field of Yahusha, the Beth-Shemite.

19 And He smote the men of Beth-Shemesh because they had looked into the Ark of YHUH, even He smote of the people fifty thousand seventy men: and the people lamented because YHUH had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter.

20 And the men of Beth-Shemesh said, Who is able to stand before this kadosh YHUH Ahlohim? And who shall carry up from us the Ark?

21 And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiryath-Yearim, saying, The Plishtim have brought again the Ark of YHUH; come down and take it to you.

7 And the men of Kiryath-Yearim came and got the Ark of YHUH and brought it into the bayit of Aviniadav on the hill and set apart El-Azar his son to keep the Ark of YHUH.

2 And it came to pass, while the Ark stayed in Kiryath-Yearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years: and all Beit Yisrael yearned after YHUH.

3 And Shmuel spoke to all Beit Yisrael, saying, If you do teshuvah to YHUH with all your levavot, then put away the strange ahlohim and Ashtaroth from among you and prepare your levavot for YHUH and serve Him only: then He will deliver you out of the hand of the Plishtim.

4 Then the children of Yisrael did put away the Ba’alim and Ashtaroth and served YHUH only.

5 And Shmuel said, Gather kol Yisrael  to Mitzpah and I will make tefillah for you to YHUH.

6 And they gathered together to Mitzpah and drew mayim and poured it out before YHUH and fasted on that yom and said there, We have sinned against YHUH. And Shmuel was shophet over the children of Yisrael in Mitzpah.

7 And when the Plishtim heard that the children of Yisrael were gathered together to Mitzpah, the rulers of the Plishtim went up against Yisrael. And when the children of Yisrael heard it, they were afraid of the Plishtim.

8 And the children of Yisrael said to Shmuel, Don’t stop crying to YHUH our Ahlohim for us, that He will save us out of the hand of the Plishtim.

9 And Shmuel took a suckling lamb and offered it for a burnt offering wholly to YHUH: and Shmuel shouted to YHUH for Yisrael; and YHUH heard him.

10 And as Shmuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Plishtim drew near to battle against Yisrael: but YHUH thundered with a great thunder on that yom upon the Plishtim and troubled them; and they were smitten before Yisrael.

11 And the men of Yisrael went out of Mitzpah and pursued the Plishtim and smote them, until they came under Beth-Kar.

12 Then Shmuel took a stone and set it between Mitzpah and Shen and called the name of it Even-Ezer, saying, So far has YHUH helped us.

13 So the Plishtim were subdued and they came no more into the borders of Yisrael: and the Hand of YHUH was against the Plishtim all the yamim of Shmuel.

14 And the cities which the Plishtim had taken from Yisrael were restored to Yisrael, from Ekron even to Gat; and all its borders did Yisrael deliver out of the hands of the Plishtim. And there was shalom between Yisrael and the Amorites.

15 And Shmuel was shophet in Yisrael all the yamim of his chayim.

16 And he went from year to year and made rounds to Bethel and Gilgal and Mitzpah and was shophet in Yisrael in all those places.

17 And he returned to Ramah; for there was his bayit; and there he was also the shophet in Yisrael; and there he built an altar to YHUH.

8 And it came to pass, when Shmuel was old, that he made his sons the shophtim over Yisrael.

2 Now the name of his bachor was Yoel; and the name of his second, Aviyah: and they were shophtim in Be-er-Sheva.

3 And his sons walked not in his halacha, but turned aside after gain and took bribes and perverted mishpat.

4 Then all the zechanim of Yisrael gathered themselves together and came to Shmuel to Ramah,

5 And said to him, See, you are old and your sons walk not in your halachot: now make us a melech to judge us like all the pagan goyim.

6 But the thing displeased Shmuel, when they said, Give us a melech to judge us. And Shmuel made tefillah to YHUH.

7 And YHUH  said to Shmuel, Shema to the voice of the people in all that they say to you: for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.

8 According to all the works that they have done since the yom that I brought them up out of Mitzrayim even to this yom, forsaking Me and serving other ahlohim, so do they also to you.

9 Now therefore listen to their voice: but sternly warn them and show them the kind of melech that shall reign over them.

10 And Shmuel told all the Words of YHUH to the people that asked for this melech from him.

11 And he said, This will be the kind of melech that shall reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them for himself, for his mirkavot and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his mirkavot.

12 And he will appoint him captains over thousands and captains over fifties; and will set them to plough his ground and to reap his harvest and to make his instruments of war and instruments for his mirkavot.

13 And he will take your daughters to be perfume makers and to be cooks and to be bakers.

14 And he will take your fields and your vineyards and your oliveyards, even the best of them and give them to his avadim.

15 And he will take the ma’aser of your zera and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his avadim.

16 And he will take your male avadim and your female avadim and your best young men and your donkeys and put them to his own work.

17 He will take the ma’aser of your sheep: and you shall be his avadim.

18 And you shall cry out in that yom because of your melech that you have chosen; and YHUH will not hear you in that yom.

19 Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Shmuel; and they said, No; but we still want a melech over us;

20 That we also may be like all the goyim,  and that our melech may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.

21 And Shmuel heard all the words of the people and he repeated them in the ears of YHUH.

22 And YHUH said to Shmuel, Shema to their voice and make them a melech. And Shmuel said to the men of Yisrael, Go home every man to his city.

9 Now there was a man of Benyamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Aviel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiyah, a Benyamite, a mighty man of human strength.

2 And he had a son, whose name was Shaul, a choice young man and handsome: and there was not among the children of Yisrael a better looking person than him: from his shoulders and upward he was taller than any of the people.

3 And the donkeys of Kish Shaul's abba were lost. And Kish said to Shaul his son, Take now one of the avadim with you and arise, go seek the donkeys.

4 And he passed through Har Efrayim and passed through the land of Shalishah, but they found them not: then they passed through the land of Shalim and they were not there: and he passed through the land of the Benyamites, but they found them not.

5 And when they had come to the land of Zuph, Shaul said to his eved that was with him, Come and let us return; lest my abba stop caring for the donkeys and get worried about us.

6 And he said to him, See now, there is in this city a man of Ahlohim and he is an honorable man; all that he says comes surely to pass: now let us go there; perhaps he can show us the derech that we should go.

7 Then said Shaul to his eved, But, see, if we go, what shall we bring the man? For the lechem is gone in our vessels and there is not a present to bring to the man of Ahlohim: what do we have?

8 And the eved answered Shaul again and said, See, I have here at hand the fourth part of a shekel of silver: that you will give to the man of Ahlohim, to tell us our derech.

9 In the past in Yisrael, when a man went to inquire of Ahlohim, he spoke like this, Come and let us go to the seer: for he that is now called a navi used to be called a seer.

10 Then said Shaul to his eved, Well said; come, let us go. So they went to the city where the man of Ahlohim was.

11 And as they went up the hill to the city, they found young maidens going out to draw mayim and said to them, Is the seer here?

12 And they answered them and said, He is; see, he is in front of you: hurry now, for he came today to the city; for there is a sacrifice of the people today in the high place:

13 As soon as you come into the city, you shall find him immediately, before he goes up to the high place to eat: for the people will not eat until he comes because he does the bracha upon the sacrifice; and afterwards they eat that are invited. Now therefore go; for about this time you shall find him.

14 And they went up into the city: and when they had come into the city, see, Shmuel came out toward them, going up to the high place.

15 Now YHUH had told Shmuel in his ear the yom before Shaul came, saying,

16 Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man out of the land of Benyamin and you shall anoint him to be leader over My people Yisrael, that he may save My people out of the hand of the Plishtim: for I have looked upon My people because their cry has come to Me.

17 And when Shmuel saw Shaul, YHUH said to him, See the man of whom I spoke to you! He shall reign over My people.

18 Then Shaul drew near to Shmuel in the gate and said, Tell me, please, where the seer's bayit is.

19 And Shmuel answered Shaul and said, I am the seer: go up before me to the high place; for you shall eat with me today and tomorrow I will let you go and will tell you all that is in your lev.

20 And as for your donkeys that were lost three yamim ago, set not your mind on them; for they are found. And for whom is all the desire of Yisrael? Is it not on you and all your abba's bayit?

21 And Shaul answered and said, Am not I a Benyamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Yisrael? And my mishpacha is the least of all the mishpachot of the tribe of Benyamin? Why then do you speak like this to me?

22 And Shmuel took Shaul and his eved and brought them into the hall and made them sit in the best place among them that were invited, which were about thirty persons.

23 And Shmuel said to the cook, Bring the portion that I gave you, of which I said to you, Set it aside.

24 And the cook took up the thigh and that which was upon it and set it before Shaul. And Shmuel said, See that which is left! Set it before you and eat: for this time has it been kept for you since I said, I have invited the people. So Shaul did eat with Shmuel that yom.

25 And when they were come down from the high place into the city, Shmuel communed with Shaul upon the top of the bayit.

26 And they rose early: and it came to pass about the dawning of the yom, that Shmuel called Shaul to the top of the bayit, saying, Come up, that I may send you on your derech. And Shaul arose and they went out both of them, he and Shmuel, outside.

27 And as they were going down to the end of the city, Shmuel said to Shaul, Ask your eved to go on ahead of us and he went on, but stay here for a while, that I may show you The Word of Ahlohim.

10 Then Shmuel took a flask of oil and poured it upon his head and kissed him and said, Is it not because YHUH has anointed you to be leader over his inheritance?

2 When you have departed from me today, then you shall find two men by Rachel's tomb at the border of Benyamin at Tzelzah; and they will say to you, The donkeys which you went to seek are found: and, see, your abba has stopped caring about the donkeys and worries about you, saying, What shall I do about my son?

3 Then shall you go on forward from there and you shall come to the plain of Tavor and there shall meet you three men going up to Ahlohim to Beth-El, one carrying three young goats and another carrying three loaves of lechem and another carrying a skin of wine:

4 And they will greet you and give you two loaves of lechem; which you shall receive from their hands.

5 After that you shall come to the hill of Ahlohim, where is the watch-post of the Plishtim: and it shall come to pass, when you are come there to the city, that you shall meet a group of neviim coming down from the high place with a stringed instrument and a flute and a pipe and a harp, before them; and they shall prophesy:

6 And The Ruach of YHUH will come upon you and you shall prophesy with them and shall be turned into another man.

7 And let it be, when these signs have come to you, that you do whatever your hand finds to do; for Ahlohim is with you.

8 And you shall go down before me to Gilgal; and, see, I will come down to you, to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice the sacrifices of the shalom offerings: seven yamim shall you stay, until I come to you and show you what you shall do.

9 And it was so, that when he had left Shmuel, Ahlohim gave him another lev:  and all those signs came to pass that yom.

10 And when they came there to the hill, see, a group of neviim met him; and The Ruach of Ahlohim came upon him and he prophesied among them.

11 And it came to pass, when all that knew him from before saw that, see, he prophesied among the neviim, then the people said one to another, What is this that has happened to the son of Kish? Is Shaul also among the neviim?

12 And a man of the same place answered and said, But who is his abba? Therefore it became a mishle, Is Shaul also among the neviim?

13 And when he had made an end of prophesying, he came to the high place.

14 And Shaul's uncle said to him and to his eved, Where did you go? And he said, To seek the donkeys: and when we saw that they were nowhere, we came to Shmuel.

15 And Shaul's uncle said, Tell me, what did Shmuel say to you?

16 And Shaul said to his uncle, He told us plainly that the donkeys were found. But of the matter of the malchut, about which Shmuel spoke, he told him not.

17 And Shmuel called the people together to YHUH at Mitzpah;

18 And said to the children of Yisrael, This says YHUH Ahlohim of Yisrael, I brought up Yisrael out of Mitzrayim and delivered you out of the hand of the Mitzrim and out of the hand of all the malchutim and from them that oppressed you:

19 And you have this yom rejected your Ahlohim, who Himself saved you out of all your adversities and your tribulations; and you have said to Him, No, but set a melech over us. Now therefore present yourselves before YHUH by your tribes and by your thousands.

20 And when Shmuel had caused all the tribes of Yisrael to come near, the tribe of Benyamin was taken.

21 When he had caused the tribe of Benyamin to come near by their mishpachot, the mishpacha of Matri was taken and Shaul the son of Kish was taken: and when they sought him, he could not be found.

22 And Shmuel asked of YHUH further, if the man should yet come there. And YHUH answered, See, he has hidden himself among the equipment.

23 And they ran and got him there: and when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders and upward.

24 And Shmuel said to all the people, See the man whom YHUH has chosen, that there is none like him among all the people? And all the people shouted, Long live the melech!

25 Then Shmuel told the people the manner of the malchut and wrote it in a scroll and laid it up before YHUH. And Shmuel sent all the people away, every man to his bayit.

26 And Shaul also went home to Givah; and there went with him a band of men, whose levavot Ahlohim had touched.

27 But the children of Beliyaal said, How shall this man save us? And they despised him and brought him no presents. But he held his silence.

11 Then Nachash  the Ammonite came up and camped against Yavesh-Gilad: and all the men of Yavesh said to Nachash, Make a brit with us and we will serve you.

2 And Nachash the Ammonite answered them, On this condition will I make a brit with you, that I may thrust out all your right eyes and lay it for a reproach upon kol Yisrael.

3 And the zechanim of Yavesh said to him, Give us seven yamim to rest, that we may send messengers to all the borders of Yisrael: and then, if there is no man to save us, we will come out to you.

4 Then came the messengers to Givat-Shaul and told the news in the ears of the people: and all the people lifted up their voices and wept.

5 And, see, Shaul came behind the herd out of the field; and Shaul said, What is wrong with the people that they weep? And they told him the news of the men of Yavesh.

6 And The Ruach of YHUH came upon Shaul when he heard the news and his anger was lit greatly.

7 And he took a yoke of cattle and cut them in pieces and sent them throughout all the borders of Yisrael by the hands of messengers, saying, Whoever comes not forth with Shaul and Shmuel to battle, so shall it be done to his cattle. And the fear of YHUH fell on the people and they came out in one accord.

8 And when he numbered them in Bezek, the children of Yisrael were three hundred thousand and the men of Yahudah thirty thousand.

9 And they said to the messengers that came, This shall you say to the men of Yavesh-Gilad, Tomorrow, by the time the shemesh is hot, you shall have help. And the messengers came and showed it to the men of Yavesh; and they had simcha.

10 Therefore the men of Yavesh said to, Nachash the Ammonite; Tomorrow we will come out to meet you and you shall do with us all that seems tov to you.

11 And it was so on the next yom, that Shaul put the people in three companies; and they came into the midst of the camp in the boker watch and killed the Ammonites until the heat of the yom: and it came to pass, that those who remained were scattered, so that not even two of them were left together.

12 And the people said to Shmuel, Who is he that said, Shall Shaul reign over us? Bring the men, that we may put them to death.

13 And Shaul said, There shall not a man be put to death this yom: for today YHUH has brought deliverance in Yisrael.

14 Then said Shmuel to the people, Come and let us go to Gilgal and renew the malchut there.

15 And all the people went to Gilgal; and there they made Shaul melech before YHUH in Gilgal; and there they sacrificed the sacrifices of shalom offerings before YHUH; and there Shaul and all the men of Yisrael rejoiced greatly.

12 And Shmuel said to kol Yisrael, See, I have listened to your voice in all that you said to me and have made a melech over you.

2 And now, see, the melech walks before you: and I am old and gray-headed; and, see, my sons are with you: and I have had my halacha before you from my childhood to this yom.

3 See, here I am; witness against me before YHUH and before His anointed: whose cattle have I taken? Or, whose donkey have I taken? Or, whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed? Or, from whose hand have I received any bribe to blind my eyes with it? If so I will restore it you.

4 And they said, You have not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither have you taken anything from any man's hand.

5 And he said to them, YHUH is witness against you and His anointed is witness this yom, that you have not found anything in my hand. And they answered, He is a witness.

6 And Shmuel said to the people, It is YHUH that advanced Moshe and Aharon and that brought your ahvot up out of the land of Mitzrayim.

7 Now therefore stand still, that I may rehearse with you before YHUH all the tzadik acts of YHUH, which He did to you and to your ahvot.

8 When Yaakov had come into Mitzrayim and your ahvot cried out to YHUH, then YHUH sent Moshe and Aharon, who brought forth your ahvot out of Mitzrayim and made them dwell in this place.

9 And when they forgot YHUH their Ahlohim, He sold them into the hand of Sisra, leader of the host of Hatzor and into the hand of the Plishtim and into the hand of the melech of Moav and they fought against them.

10 And they cried out to YHUH and said, We have sinned because we have forsaken YHUH and have served the Ba’alim and Ashtaroth: but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies and we will serve you.

11 And YHUH  sent Yeruvaal and Bedan and Yiphtach and Shmuel and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side and you dwelt safely.

12 And when you saw that Nachash the melech of the children of Ammon came against you, you said to me, No; but a melech shall reign over us: when YHUH your Ahlohim was your melech.

13 Now therefore see the melech whom you have chosen and whom you have desired! And, see,  YHUH has set a melech over you.

14 If you will fear YHUH and serve Him and obey His voice and not rebel against the mitzvoth of YHUH, then shall both you and also the melech that reigns over you, shall all continue following YHUH your Ahlohim:

15 But if you will not obey the voice of YHUH, but rebel against the commandment of YHUH, then shall the Hand of YHUH be against you, as it was against your ahvot.

16 Now therefore stand and see this great thing, which YHUH will do before your eyes.

17 Is it not Shavuot wheat harvest today? I will call to YHUH and He shall send thunder and rain; that you may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of YHUH, in asking for a melech.

18 So Shmuel called to YHUH; and YHUH sent thunder and rain that yom: and all the people greatly feared YHUH and Shmuel.

19 And all the people said to Shmuel, Make tefillah for your avadim to YHUH your Ahlohim, that we die not: for we have added to all our sins this evil, to ask for a melech.

20 And Shmuel said to the people, Fear not: you have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following YHUH, but serve YHUH with all your lev;

21 And turn not aside: for then you would go after worthless things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are worthless.

22 For YHUH will not forsake His people for His great Name's sake: because it has pleased YHUH to make you His people.

23 Moreover as for me, Ahlohim forbid that I should sin against YHUH in ceasing to make tefillah for you: but I will teach you the tov and the correct halacha:

24 Only fear YHUH and serve Him in emet with all your lev: for consider how great things He has done for you.

25 But if you shall still do wickedly, you shall be consumed, both you and your melech.

13 Shaul reigned one year; and when he had reigned two years over Yisrael,

2 Shaul chose three thousand men of Yisrael; of which two thousand were with Shaul in Michmash and in Har Bethel and a thousand were with Yonathan in Givah of Benyamin: and the rest of the people he sent every man to his tent.

3 And Yonathan smote Nashiv the Plishti in Geva and all the Plishtim heard of it. And Shaul blew the shofar throughout all the land, saying, Let the Ivrim listen.

4 And kol Yisrael heard that Shaul had smitten Nashiv the Plishti and that Yisrael also was now held in contempt by the Plishtim. And the people were called together by Shaul to Gilgal.

5 And the Plishtim gathered themselves together to fight with Yisrael, thirty thousand mirkavot and six thousand horsemen and people as the sand which is on the sea shore in multitude: and they came up and camped in Michmash, opposite of Beth-Aven.

6 When the men of Yisrael saw that they were in trouble, for the people were distressed, then the people did hide themselves in caves and in thickets and in rocks and in high places and in pits.

7 And some of the Ivrim went over the Yarden River to the land of Gad and Gilad. As for Shaul, he was yet in Gilgal and all the people followed him amazed.

8 And he tarried seven yamim, according to the set time that Shmuel had appointed: but Shmuel came not to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him.

9 And Shaul said, Bring here a burnt offering to me and shalom offerings. And he offered the burnt offering.

10 And it came to pass, that as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, see, Shmuel came; and Shaul went out to meet him, that he might greet him.

11 And Shmuel said, What have you done? And Shaul said, Because I saw that the people were scattered from me and that you came not within the yamim appointed and that the Plishtim gathered themselves together at Michmash;

12 Therefore said I, The Plishtim will come down now upon me to Gilgal and I have not made supplication to YHUH: I forced myself therefore and offered a burnt offering.

13 And Shmuel said to Shaul, You have done foolishly: you have not kept the mitzvah of YHUH your Ahlohim, which He commanded you: for now would YHUH have established your malchut upon Yisrael le-olam-va-ed.

14 But now your malchut shall not continue: YHUH has sought Himself a man after His own lev and YHUH has commanded him to be the leader over His people because you have not kept that which YHUH commanded you.

15 And Shmuel arose and got up from Gilgal to Givah of Benyamin. And Shaul numbered the people that were present with him, about six hundred men.

16 And Shaul and Yonathan his son and the people that were present with them, stayed in Givah of Benyamin: but the Plishtim camped in Michmash.

17 And the spoilers came out of the camp of the Plishtim in three troops: one troop turned to the derech that leads to Ophrah, to the land of Shual:

18 And another troop turned the derech to Beth-Horon: and another troop turned to the derech of the border that looks to the Valley of Zevoim toward the midbar.

19 Now there was no blacksmith found throughout all the land of Yisrael: for the Plishtim said, Lest the Ivrim make them swords, or spears:

20 But all the Yisraelites went down to the Plishtim, to sharpen every man his sickle, ploughshare and his forks and his axe and his mattock.

21 Yet they had a broad file for the mattocks and for the coulters and for the forks and for the axes and to sharpen the goads.

22 So it came to pass in the yom of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that were with Shaul and Yonathan: but with Shaul and with Yonathan his son they were found.

23 And the watch-post of the Plishtim went out to the passage of Michmash.

14 Now it came to pass upon a yom, that Yonathan the son of Shaul said to the young man that bore his armor, Come and let us go over to the Plishtims' watch-post, that is on the other side. But he told not his abba.

2 And Shaul stayed in the outskirts of Givah under a pomegranate eytz, which is in Migron: and the people that were with him were about six hundred men;

3 And Achiyah, the son of Achituv, Ichavod's brother, the son of Pinchus, the son of Eli,  
YHUH's kohen in Shiloh, was girded with a ephod shoulder garment. And the people knew not that Yonathan had gone.

4 And between the passages, by which Yonathan sought to go over to the Plishtims' watch-post, there was a sharp rock on the one side and a sharp rock on the other side: and the name of the one was Bozez and the name of the other Seneh.

5 One edge was on the north over against Michmash and the other south over against Givah.

6 And Yonathan said to the young man that bore his armor, Come and let us go over to the watch-post of those not in brit-milah: it may be that YHUH does work for us: for there is no limit for YHUH to save by many, or by just a few.

7 And his armor-bearer said to him, Do all that is in your lev: turn and see, that I am with you according to your lev.

8 Then said Yonathan, See, we will pass over to these men and we will reveal ourselves to them.

9 If they say this to us, Stay until we come to you; then we will stand still in our place and will not go up to them.

10 But if they say this, Come up to us; then we will go up: for YHUH has delivered them into our hand: and this shall be an ot to us.

11 And both of them revealed themselves to the watch-post of the Plishtim: and the Plishtim said, See, the Ivrim come forth out of the holes where they had hidden themselves.

12 And the men of the watch-post answered Yonathan and his armor-bearer and said, Come up to us and we will show you something. And Yonathan said to his armor-bearer, Come up after me: for YHUH has delivered them into the hand of Yisrael.

13 And Yonathan climbed up upon his hands and upon his feet and his armor-bearer after him: and they fell before Yonathan and his armor-bearer and were killed.

14 And that first slaughter, which Yonathan and his armor-bearer made, was about twenty men, within about a half acre of land, which a yoke of cattle usually plows.

15 And there was amazement in the camp, in the field and among all the people: among the watch-post and the invaders, they all were amazed, as there was a change of mind throughout.

16 And the watchmen of Shaul in Givah of Benyamin looked; and, see, the multitude melted away and they went away very confused.

17 Then said Shaul to the people that were with him, Count and see who is gone from us. And when they had counted, see, Yonathan and his armor-bearer were not there.

18 And Shaul said to Achiyah, Bring here the ephod. For the Ark of YHUH was at that time with the children of Yisrael.

19 And it came to pass, while Shaul talked to the kohen, that the noise that was in the camp of the Plishtim went on and increased: and Shaul said to the kohen, Bring your hands together.

20 And Shaul and all the people that were with him assembled themselves and they came to the battle: and, see, every man's sword was against his fellow and there was a very great confusion.

21 Moreover the Ivrim that were with the Plishtim before that time, who went up with them into the camp from the country all around, even they also turned to be with the Yisraelites who were with Shaul and Yonathan.

22 Likewise all the men of Yisrael which had hidden themselves in Har Efrayim, when they heard that the Plishtim fled, even they also followed hard after them in the battle. And all the people with Shaul were about ten thousand.

23 So YHUH saved Yisrael that yom: and the battle moved to every city in the mountains of Efrayim.

24 And the men of Yisrael were distressed that yom: for Shaul had adjured the people, saying, Cursed be the man that eats any food until evening, that I may be avenged on my enemies. So none of the people tasted any food.
 
25 And all those of the land came to a forest; and there was honey upon the ground.

26 And when the people had come into the forest, see, the honey dropped; but no man put his hand to his mouth: for the people feared the oath of YHUH.

27 But Yonathan heard not that his abba charged the people with the oath: therefore he put forth the end of the rod that was in his hand and dipped it in a honeycomb and put his hand to his mouth; and his eyes were brightened.

28 Then answered one of the people and said, Your abba strictly charged the people with an oath, saying, Cursed be the man that eats any food this yom. And the people were weak.

29 Then said Yonathan, My abba has troubled the land: see, I ask you, how my eyes have been brightened because I tasted a little of this honey.

30 How much better, if the people had eaten freely today of the spoils of their enemies, that they found. For there would have been a much greater slaughter among the Plishtim.

31 And they smote the Plishtim that yom from Michmash to Ayalon: and the people were very weak.

32 And the people flew upon the spoil and took sheep and cattle and calves and killed them on the ground: and the people did eat them with the dahm.

33 Then they told Shaul, saying, See, the people sin against YHUH, in that they eat with the dahm. And he said, You have transgressed: roll a great stone to me this yom.

34 And Shaul said, Disperse yourselves among the people and say to them, Bring me here every man his cattle and every man his sheep and kill them here and eat; and sin not against YHUH in eating with the dahm. And all the people brought every man his cattle with him that lyla and killed them there.

35 And Shaul built an altar to YHUH: this was the first altar that he built to YHUH.

36 And Shaul said, Let us go down after the Plishtim by lyla and spoil them until the boker ohr and let us not leave a man of them alive. And they said, Do whatever seems tov to you. Then said the kohen, Let us draw near here to Ahlohim.

37 And Shaul asked counsel of Ahlohim, Shall I go down after the Plishtim? Will you deliver them into the hand of Yisrael? But he answered him not that yom.

38 And Shaul said, Draw near here, all you heads of the people: and know and see what this sin has been this yom.

39 For, as YHUH lives, who saves Yisrael, though it be in Yonathan my son, he shall surely die. But there was not a man among all the people that answered him.

40 Then said he to kol Yisrael, Be on one portion and I and Yonathan my son will be on the other portion. And the people said to Shaul, Do what seems tov to you.

41 Therefore Shaul said to YHUH Ahlohim of Yisrael, Give me a perfect lot. And Shaul and Yonathan were taken: but the people escaped.

42 And Shaul said, Cast lots between me and Yonathan my son. And Yonathan was taken.

43 Then Shaul said to Yonathan, Tell me what you have done. And Yonathan told him and said, I did but taste a little honey with the end of the rod that was in my hand and see, I must die.

44 And Shaul answered, Ahlohim do so and more also: for you shall surely die, Yonathan.

45 And the people said to Shaul, Shall Yonathan die, who has brought this great deliverance in Yisrael? Ahlohim forbid: as YHUH lives, there shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground; for he has worked with Ahlohim this yom. So the people made tefillah for Yonathan, so that he did not die.

46 Then Shaul stopped from following the Plishtim: and the Plishtim went to their own place.

47 So Shaul took the malchut over Yisrael and fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moav and against the children of Ammon and against Edom and against the melechim of Tzovah and against the Plishtim: and wherever he turned, he troubled them.

48 And he gathered an army and smote the Amalekites and delivered Yisrael out of the hands of those that plundered them.

49 Now the sons of Shaul were Yonathan and Ishvi and Melchi-Shua: and the names of his two daughters were these; the name of the bechora Merav and the name of the younger Michal:

50 And the name of Shaul's isha was Achinoam, the daughter of Achimaatz: and the name of the leader of his army was Avner, the son of Ner, Shaul's uncle.

51 And Kish was the abba of Shaul; and Ner the abba of Avner, was the son of Aviel.

52 And there was heavy war against the Plishtim all the yamim of Shaul: and when Shaul saw any strong man, or any brave man, he took him for himself.

15 Shmuel also said to Shaul, YHUH sent me to anoint you to be melech over His people, over Yisrael: now therefore listen to the voice of the Words of YHUH.

2 This said YHUH Tzevaot, I remember that which Amalek did to Yisrael, how he laid wait for him in the derech, when he came up from Mitzrayim.

3 Now go and smite Amalek and utterly destroy all that they have and spare them not; but kill both man and woman, infant and the nursing, cattle and sheep, camel and donkey.

4 And Shaul gathered the people together and numbered them in Gilgal, two hundred thousand footmen and ten thousand men of Yahudah.
5 And Shaul came to a city of Amalek and laid wait in the valley.

6 And Shaul said to the Kenites, Go, depart, get away from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them: for you showed chesed to all the children of Yisrael, when they came up out of Mitzrayim. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.

7 And Shaul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until you come to Shur, that is over against Mitzrayim.

8 And he took Agag the melech of the Amalekites alive and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.

9 But Shaul and the people spared Agag, along with the best of the sheep and of the cattle and of the fatlings and the lambs and all that was tov and would not utterly destroy them: but everything that was vile and useless, that they destroyed utterly.

10 Then came The Word of YHUH   to Shmuel, saying,

11 I regret that I have set up Shaul to be melech: for he is turned back from following Me and has not performed My orders. And it grieved Shmuel; and he cried to YHUH all lyla.

12 And when Shmuel rose early to meet Shaul in the boker, it was told Shmuel, saying, Shaul came to Carmel and, see, he set up a monument and has gone out and moved on and gone down to Gilgal.

13 And Shmuel came to Shaul: and Shaul said to him, Yev-er-ech-echah YHUH: I have performed the order of YHUH.

14 And Shmuel said, What means then this bleating of the sheep in my ears and the bellowing of the cattle which I hear?

15 And Shaul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and cattle, to sacrifice to YHUH your Ahlohim; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.

16 Then Shmuel said to Shaul, Stay and I will tell you what YHUH has said to me this lyla. And he said to him, Go ahead speak.

17 And Shmuel said, When you were little in your own sight, were you not made the head of the tribes of Yisrael and YHUH anointed you melech over kol Yisrael?

18 And YHUH sent you on a journey and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites and fight against them until they are consumed.

19 Why then did you not obey the voice of
YHUH, but did jump upon the spoil and did evil in the sight of YHUH?

20 And Shaul said to Shmuel, But yes, I have obeyed the voice of YHUH and have gone on the derech that YHUH sent me and have brought Agag the melech of Amalek and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.

21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and cattle, the best of the things that should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to YHUH your Ahlohim in Gilgal.

22 And Shmuel said, Has YHUH as great a delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of YHUH? See, to obey is better than sacrifice and to hear than the fat of rams.

23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected The Word of YHUH,The Word of YHUH has also rejected you from being melech.

24 And Shaul said to Shmuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the order of YHUH and your words: because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.

25 Now therefore, I beg you, pardon my sin, help me make teshuvah again, that I may worship YHUH.

26 And Shmuel said to Shaul, I will not make teshuvah with you: for you have rejected The Word of YHUH and The Word of YHUH has rejected you from being melech over kol Yisrael.

27 And as Shmuel turned around to go away, he laid hold upon the robe of his mantle and it tore.

28 And Shmuel said to him, YHUH has torn the malchut of Yisrael from you this yom and has given it to a neighbor of yours, that is better than you.

29 And Yisrael will be divided into two kingdoms. And also the Kadosh One of Yisrael will not lie or change His mind: for He is not a man that He should lie or change His mind.

30 Then he said, I have sinned: yet esteem me now, I beg you, before the zechanim of my people and before Yisrael and make teshuvah with me, that I may worship YHUH  your Ahlohim.

31 So Shmuel made teshuvah with Shaul; and then Shaul worshipped YHUH.

32 Then said Shmuel, Bring here to me Agag the melech of the Amalekites. And Agag came to him with delight. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past.

33 And Shmuel said, As your sword has made women childless, so shall your eema be childless among women. And Shmuel cut Agag in pieces before YHUH in Gilgal.

34 Then Shmuel went to Ramah; and Shaul went up to his bayit to Givat of Shaul.

35 And Shmuel came no more to see Shaul until the yom of his death: nevertheless Shmuel mourned for Shaul: and YHUH regretted that He had made Shaul melech over kol Yisrael.

16 And YHUH said to Shmuel, How long will you mourn for Shaul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over kol Yisrael? Fill your horn with oil and go, I will send you to Yishai the Beth-Lechemite: for I have provided for Me a melech from among his sons.

2 And Shmuel said, How can I go? If Shaul will hear, he will kill me. And YHUH said, Take a heifer with you and say, I have come to sacrifice to YHUH.

3 And call Yishai to the sacrifice and I will show you what you shall do: and you shall anoint for Me the very one whom I name to you.

4 And Shmuel did that which YHUH spoke and came to Beth-Lechem. And the zechanim of the town trembled at his coming and said, Are you coming in shalom?

5 And he said, In shalom: I have come to sacrifice to YHUH: set yourselves apart and come with me to the sacrifice. And he set apart Yishai and his sons and called them to the sacrifice.

6 And it came to pass, when they had come, that he looked on Eliav and said, Surely YHUH's anointed is before Him.

7 But YHUH said to Shmuel, Look not on his appearance, or on his height; because I have refused him: for YHUH sees not as mankind sees; for mankind looks on the outward appearance, but YHUH looks on the lev.

8 Then Yishai called Aviniadav and made him pass before Shmuel. And he said, Neither has YHUH chosen this one.

9 Then Yishai made Shammah to pass by. And he said, Neither has YHUH chosen this one.

10 Again, Yishai made seven of his sons to pass before Shmuel. And Shmuel said to Yishai, YHUH has not chosen any of these.

11 And Shmuel said to Yishai, Are all your children here? And he said, There remains yet the youngest and, see, he keeps the sheep. And Shmuel said to Yishai, Send and get him: for we will not sit down until he comes here.

12 And he sent and brought him in. Now he was dark-skinned and reddish, with beauty of eyes and tov to the sight. And YHUH said, Arise and anoint him: for this one is he.

13 Then Shmuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers: and The Ruach of YHUH came upon Dawid from that yom forward. So Shmuel rose up and went to Ramah.

14 But The Ruach of YHUH departed from Shaul and an evil ruach from YHUH troubled him.

15 And Shaul's avadim said to him, See now, an evil ruach from Ahlohim troubles you.

16 Let our master now command your avadim, which are before you, to seek out a man, who is a skilled player on a harp: and it shall come to pass, when the evil ruach from Ahlohim is upon you, that he shall play with his hand and you shall be well.

17 And Shaul said to his avadim, Provide me now a man that can play well and bring him to me.

18 Then answered one of the avadim and said, See, I have seen a son of Yishai the Beth-Lechemite, that is skilled in playing and a mighty brave man and a man of war and prudent in all matters and a handsome person and YHUH is with him.

19 So Shaul sent messengers to Yishai and said, Send me Dawid your son, which is with the sheep.

20 And Yishai took a donkey loaded with lechem and a bottle of wine and a goat and sent them by Dawid his son to Shaul.

21 And Dawid came to Shaul and stood before him: and he loved him greatly; and he became his armor-bearer.

22 And Shaul sent to Yishai, saying, Let Dawid, stand before me; for he has found chen in my sight.

23 And it came to pass, when the evil ruach from Ahlohim was upon Shaul, that Dawid took a harp and played with his hand: so Shaul was refreshed and was well and the evil ruach departed from him.

17  Now the Plishtim gathered together their armies to battle and were gathered together at Sokhoh, which belongs to Yahudah and camped between Sokhoh and Azekah, in Ephes-Dammim.

2 And Shaul and the men of Yisrael were gathered together and camped by the Valley of Elah and began the battle in battle against the Plishtim.

3 And the Plishtim stood on a har on the one side and Yisrael stood on a har on the other side: and there was a valley between them.

4 And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Plishtim, named Golyat, of Gat, whose height was four  cubits and a span.

5 And he had a helmet of bronze upon his head and he was armed with a coat of scaled armor; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze.

6 And he had shin guards of bronze upon his legs and a spear of bronze between his shoulders.

7 And the shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam; and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and his shield-bearer went before him.

8 And he stood and shouted to the armies of Yisrael and said to them, Why are you come out to set yourselves in battle? Am not I a Plishti and you avadim to Shaul? Choose a man from among you and let him come down to me.

9 If he is able to fight with me and to kill me, then will we be your avadim: but if I prevail against him and kill him, then shall you be our avadim and serve us.

10 And the Plishti said, I defy the armies of Yisrael this yom; give me a man that we may fight together.

11 When Shaul and kol Yisrael heard the words of the Plishti, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

12 Now Dawid was the son of the Ephrathite of Beth-Lechem Yahudah, whose name was Yishai; and he had eight sons: and in the yamim of Shaul, the man Yishai was old and advanced in years.

13 And the three eldest sons of Yishai went and followed Shaul to the battle: and the names of his three sons that went to the battle were Eliav the bachor and next to him Aviniadav and the third Shammah.

14 And Dawid was the youngest: and the three eldest followed Shaul.

15 But Dawid went and returned from Shaul to feed his abba's sheep at Beth-Lechem.

16 And the Plishti drew near boker and evening and presented himself for forty yamim.

17 And Yishai said to Dawid his son, Take now for your brothers an ephah of this parched grain and these ten loaves and run to the camp to your brothers;

18 And carry these ten cheeses to the leader of their thousand and look and see how your brothers are doing and bring back news.

19 Now Shaul and they and all the men of Yisrael, were in the Valley of Elah, fighting with the Plishtim.

20 And Dawid rose up early in the boker and left the sheep with a guardian and took the items and went, as Yishai had commanded him; and he came to the trench, as the host was going forth to the fight and shouted for the battle.

21 For Yisrael and the Plishtim were dressed for battle, army against army.

22 And Dawid left his supplies in the hand of the guardian of the supplies and ran into the army and came and greeted his brothers.

23 And as he talked with them, see, there came up the champion, the Plishti of Gat, Golyat by name, out of the armies of the Plishtim and spoke the same threatening words: and Dawid heard them.

24 And all the men of Yisrael, when they saw the man, fled from him and were heavy with fear.

25 And the men of Yisrael said, Have you seen this man that has come up? Surely to defy Yisrael he is come up: and it shall be, that the man who kills him, the melech will enrich him with great riches and will give him his daughter and make his abba's bayit receive exemptions in Yisrael.

26 And Dawid spoke to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that kills this Plishti and takes away the reproach from Yisrael? For who is this Plishti, not made brit milah, that he should defy the armies of the living Ahlohim?

27 And the people answered him after this manner, saying, So shall it be done to the man that kills him.

28 And Eliav his eldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliav's anger was lit against Dawid and he said, Why did you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the midbar? I know your pride and the evil of your lev; for you have come down that you might watch the battle.

29 And Dawid said, What have I now done? I was just talking.

30 And he turned from him toward another and spoke after the same manner: and the people answered him again after the former manner.

31 And when the words were heard that Dawid spoke, they repeated them before Shaul: and he sent for him.

32 And Dawid said to Shaul, Let no man's lev fail because of him; your eved will go and fight with this Plishti.

33 And Shaul said to Dawid, You are not able to go against this Plishti to fight with him: for you are but a youth and he is a man of war from his youth.

34 And Dawid said to Shaul, Your eved kept his abba's sheep and there came a lion and a bear and took a lamb out of the flock:

35 And I went out after him and smote him and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and smote him and killed him.

36 Your eved killed both the lion and the bear: and this Plishti not in brit milah, shall be as one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living Ahlohim.

37 Dawid said moreover, YHUH that 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 Plishti. And Shaul said to Dawid, Go and YHUH be with you.

38 And Shaul armed Dawid with his armor and he put a helmet of bronze upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of armor.

39 And Dawid girded Shaul's sword upon his armor and he began to go; but stopped for he had not tried them. And Dawid said to Shaul, I cannot go with these; for I have not tried them. And Dawid took them off.

40 And he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones out of the brook and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had, even in a pouch; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Plishti.

41 And the Plishti came on and drew near to Dawid; and the man that bore the shield went before him.

42 And when the Plishti looked around and saw Dawid, he despised him: for he was but a youth and dark-skinned and ruddy and of a handsome appearance.

43 And the Plishti said to Dawid, Am I a dog; that you come to me with sticks? And the Plishti cursed Dawid by his pagan ahlohim.

44 And the Plishti said to Dawid, Come to me and I will give your flesh to the fowls of the air and to the beasts of the field.

45 Then said Dawid to the Plishti, You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a shield: but I come to you in the Name of YHUH Tzevaot, the Ahlohim of the armies of Yisrael, whom you have defied.

46 This yom will YHUH deliver you into my hand; and I will smite you and take your head from you; and I will give the dead bodies of the armies of the Plishtim this yom to the fowls of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that Yisrael has Ahlohim.

47 And all this kehilla  shall know that YHUH saves not with sword and spear: for the battle is YHUH's and He will give you into our hands.

48 And it came to pass, when the Plishti arose and came and drew near to meet Dawid, that Dawid hurried and ran toward the army to meet the Plishti.

49 And Dawid put his hand in his bag and took a stone and slung it and smote the Plishti in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.

50 So Dawid prevailed over the Plishti with a sling and with a stone and smote the Plishti and killed him; but there was no sword in the hand of Dawid.

51 Therefore Dawid ran and stood over the Plishti and took his sword and drew it out of the sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. And when the Plishtim saw that their champion was dead, they fled.

52 And the men of Yisrael and of Yahudah arose,  and shouted and pursued the Plishtim, as far as the valley, to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Plishtim fell down by the derech to Shaaraim, even to Gat and to Ekron.

53 And the children of Yisrael returned from chasing after the Plishtim and they plundered their tents.

54 And Dawid took the head of the Plishti and brought it to Yahrushalayim; but he put his armor in his tent.

55 And when Shaul saw Dawid go forth against the Plishti, he said to Avner, the leader of the army, Avner, whose son is this youth? And Avner said, As your chayim lives, O melech, I cannot tell.

56 And the melech said, Find out whose son the young man is.

57 And as Dawid returned from the slaughter of the Plishti, Avner took him and brought him before Shaul with the head of the Plishti in his hand.

58 And Shaul said to him, Whose son are you, young man? And Dawid answered, Iam the son of your eved Yishai the Beth-Lechemite.

18  And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking to Shaul, that the chayim of Yonathan was knit with the chayim of Dawid and Yonathan loved him as his own chayim.

2 And Shaul took him that yom and would not let him go home to his abba's bayit.

3 Then Yonathan and Dawid made a brit because he loved him as his own chayim.

4 And Yonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him and gave it to Dawid and his garments, even to his sword and to his bow and to his girdle.

5 And Dawid went out wherever Shaul sent him and behaved himself wisely: and Shaul set him over the men of war and he was accepted in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Shaul's avadim.

6 And it came to pass as they came, when Dawid had returned from the slaughter of the Plishti, that the women came out of all cities of Yisrael, singing and dancing, to meet melech Shaul, with tambourines, with simcha and with instruments of music.

7 And the women sang as they played and said, Shaul has killed his thousands and Dawid his tens of thousands.

8 And Shaul was very angry and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed to Dawid ten thousands and to me they have ascribed only thousands: and what can he have more but the malchut itself?

9 And Shaul eyed Dawid carefully from that yom and forward.

10 And it came to pass the next yom, that the evil ruach from Ahlohim came upon Shaul and he prophesied evil in the midst of the bayit: and Dawid played the harp with his hand, as at other times: and there was a javelin in Shaul's hand.

11 And Shaul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite Dawid even to the wall with it. And Dawid withdrew from his presence twice.

12 And Shaul was afraid of Dawid because YHUH  was with him and had departed from Shaul.

13 Therefore Shaul removed Dawid from his presence and made him his leader over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people.

14 And Dawid behaved himself wisely in all his halachot; and YHUH was with him.

15 So when Shaul saw that Dawid behaved himself very wisely, he was afraid of him.

16 But kol Yisrael and Yahudah loved Dawid,  because he went out and came in before them.

17 And Shaul said to Dawid, See my eldest daughter Merav, I will give her to you as an isha: only be brave for me and fight YHUH's battles. For Shaul said, Let not my hand kill him, but let the hand of the Plishtim kill him.

18 And Dawid said to Shaul, Who am I? And what is my chayim, or my abba's mishpacha in Yisrael, that I should be son-in-law to the melech?

19 But it came to pass at the time when Merav Shaul's daughter should have been given to Dawid, that she was given to Adriel the Meholathite as his isha.

20 And Michal Shaul's daughter loved Dawid: and they told Shaul and the thing pleased him.

21 And Shaul said, I will give him to her, that she may be a trap to him and that the hand of the Plishtim may be against him. So Shaul said to Dawid a second time, You shall this yom be my son-in-law.

22 And Shaul commanded his avadim, saying, Commune with Dawid secretly and say, See, the melech delights in you and all his avadim love you: now therefore be the melech's son-in-law.

23 And Shaul's avadim spoke those words in the ears of Dawid. And Dawid said, Does it seem to you a small thing to be a melech's son-in-law, seeing that I am a poor man and lightly esteemed?

24 And the avadim of Shaul told him, saying, In this manner did Dawid react.

25 And Shaul said, This shall you say to Dawid, The melech desires no dowry, but only a hundred foreskins of the Plishtim, to be avenged of the melech's enemies. But Shaul thought to kill Dawid by the hands of the Plishtim.

26 And when his avadim told Dawid these words, it pleased Dawid well to be the melech's son-in-law: and the yamim were not expired.

27 So Dawid arose and went, he and his men and killed of the Plishtim two hundred men; and Dawid brought their foreskins and they gave them all to the melech, that he might be the melech's son-in-law. And Shaul gave him Michal his daughter as an isha.

28 And Shaul saw and knew that YHUH was with Dawid and that Michal Shaul's daughter loved him.

29 And Shaul was yet even more afraid of Dawid; and Shaul became Dawid's enemy continually.

30 Then the rulers of the Plishtim went forth: and it came to pass, after they went forth, that Dawid behaved himself more wisely than all the avadim of Shaul; so that his name came to be very precious.

19 And Shaul spoke to Yonathan his son and to all his avadim, that they should kill Dawid.

2 But Yonathan Shaul's son delighted much in Dawid: and Yonathan told Dawid, saying, Shaul my abba seeks to kill you: now therefore, I beg you, take heed until the boker and stay in a secret place and hide yourself:

3 And I will go out and stand beside my abba in the field where you are and I will commune with my abba about you and what I see, that I will tell you.

4 And Yonathan spoke tov of Dawid to Shaul his abba and said to him, Let not the melech sin against his eved, against Dawid because he has not sinned against you and because his works towards you have been very tov:

5 For he did take his chayim into his hands and killed the Plishti and YHUH brought a great deliverance for kol Yisrael: you saw it and did gilah: why then will you sin against innocent dahm, to kill Dawid without a cause?

6 And Shaul listened to the voice of Yonathan: and Shaul swore, As YHUH lives, he shall not be killed.

7 And Yonathan called Dawid and Yonathan showed him all those things. And Yonathan brought Dawid to Shaul and he was in his presence, as in times past.

8 And there was war again: and Dawid went out and fought with the Plishtim and killed them with a great slaughter; and they fled from him.

9 And the evil ruach from YHUH was upon Shaul again, as he sat in his bayit with his javelin in his hand: and Dawid played the harp with his hand.

10 And Shaul sought to smite Dawid even to the wall with the javelin; but he slipped away out of Shaul's presence and he smote the javelin into the wall: and Dawid fled and escaped that lyla.

11 Shaul also sent messengers to Dawid's bayit, to watch him and to kill him in the boker: and Michal Dawid's isha told him, saying, If you save not your chayim tonight, tomorrow you shall be killed.

12 So Michal let Dawid down through a window: and he went and fled and escaped.

13 And Michal took a bayit idol and laid it in the bed and put a pillow of goats' hair in place of his head and covered it with a cloth.

14 And when Shaul sent messengers to take Dawid, she said, He is sick.

15 And Shaul sent the messengers again to see Dawid, saying, Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him.

16 And when the messengers had come in, see, there was an image in the bed, with a pillow of goats' hair in place of his head.

17 And Shaul said to Michal, Why have you deceived me so and sent away my enemy, that he has escaped? And Michal answered Shaul, He said to me, Let me go; why should I kill you?

18 So Dawid fled and escaped and came to Shmuel in Ramah and told him all that Shaul had done to him. And he and Shmuel went and dwelt in Naioth.

19 And it was told Shaul, saying, See, Dawid is at Naioth in Ramah.

20 And Shaul sent messengers to take Dawid: and when they saw the group of the neviim prophesying and Shmuel standing as appointed over them, The Ruach of Ahlohim was upon the messengers of Shaul and they also prophesied.

21 And when it was told Shaul, he sent other messengers and they prophesied likewise. And Shaul sent messengers again the third time and they prophesied also.

22 Then he also went to Ramah and came to a great well that is in Sechu: and he asked and said, Where are Shmuel and Dawid? And one said, See, they are at Naioth in Ramah.

23 And he went there to Naioth in Ramah: and The Ruach of Ahlohim was upon him also and he went on and prophesied, until he came to Naioth in Ramah.

24 And he stripped off his clothes also and prophesied before Shmuel in like manner and lay down naked all that yom and all that lyla. Which is why they say, Is Shaul also among the neviim?

20 And Dawid fled from Naioth in Ramah and came and said before Yonathan, What have I done? What is my iniquity? And what is my sin before your abba, that he seeks my chayim?

2 And he said to him, Ahlohim forbid; you shall not die: see, my abba will do nothing either great, or small, but that he will show it me: and why should my abba hide this thing from me? It is not so.

3 And Dawid swore moreover and said, Your abba certainly knows that I have found chen in your eyes; and he said, Let not Yonathan know this, lest he be grieved: but truly as YHUH lives and as your chayim lives, there is but a step between me and death.

4 Then said Yonathan to Dawid, Whatever your chayim desires, I will even do it for you.

5 And Dawid said to Yonathan, See, tomorrow is the chodesh and I should be sitting with the melech to eat: but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field until the afternoon.

6 If your abba misses me at all, then say, Dawid earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Beth-Lechem his city: for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the mishpacha.

7 If he says this, It is well; your eved shall have shalom: but if he be very angry, then be sure that evil is determined by him.

8 Therefore you shall deal kindly with your eved; for you have brought your eved into a brit of YHUH with you: nevertheless, if there be in me iniquity, kill me yourself; for why should you bring me to your abba?

9 And Yonathan said, Far be it from you: for if I knew certainly that the evil determined by my abba against you was over, then would I not report it to you?

10 Then said Dawid to Yonathan, Who shall tell me? Or, what if your abba answers you sharply?

11 And Yonathan said to Dawid, Come and let us go out into the field. And they went out both of them into the field.

12 And Yonathan said to Dawid, O YHUH Ahlohim of Yisrael be my witness, when I have sought for my abba sometime tomorrow, or the third yom and, see, if there be tov towards Dawid and I then send not to you and show it to you;

13 Then YHUH do so and much more to Yonathan: but if it pleases my abba to do you evil, then I will show it to you and send you away, that you may go in shalom: and YHUH be with you, as He has been with my abba.

14 And you shall, while yet I live, show me the chesed of YHUH; that I die not:

15 And also you shall not cut off your chesed to my bayit le-olam-va-ed: when YHUH has cut off all the enemies of Dawid from the face of the earth.

16 So Yonathan made a brit, so his bayit would flourish with Beit Dawid, saying, Let YHUH take vengeance against Dawid's enemies.

17 And Yonathan caused Dawid to swear again because he loved him: for he loved him as he loved his own chayim.

18 Then Yonathan said to Dawid, Tomorrow is chodesh: and you shall be missed because your seat will be empty.

19 And when you have stayed three yamim, then you shall go down quickly and come to the place where you hid yourself and shall remain by the stone Ezel.

20 And I will shoot three arrows on the side of the stone, as though I shot at a mark.

21 And, see, I will send a lad, saying, Go, find the arrows. If I expressly say to the lad, See, the arrows are on this side of you, take them; then come out: for there is shalom to you and no hurt; as YHUH lives.

22 But if I say this to the young man, See, the arrows are beyond you; then go your derech: for YHUH has sent you away.

23 And as touching the matter which you and I have spoken of, see, YHUH is witness between you and me le-olam-va-ed.

24 So Dawid hid himself in the field: and when the chodesh had come, the melech sat down to eat.

25 And the melech sat upon his seat, as at other times, even upon a seat by the wall: and Yonathan arose and Avner sat by Shaul's side and Dawid's place was empty.

26 Nevertheless Shaul spoke not anything that yom: for he thought, Something has happened to him, he is not clean; surely he is not clean.

27 And it came to pass on the next yom, which was the second yom of the chodesh, that Dawid's place was empty: and Shaul said to Yonathan his son, Why did not the son of Yishai come to eat, neither yesterday, nor today?

28 And Yonathan answered Shaul, Dawid earnestly asked my permission to go to Beth-Lechem:

29 And he said, Let me go, I ask you; for our mishpacha has a sacrifice in the city; and my brother, he has commanded me to be there: and now, if I have found chen in your eyes, let me go, I ask you and see my brothers. Therefore he came not to the melech's shulchan.

30 Then Shaul's anger was lit against Yonathan and he said to him, You son of the perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that you have chosen the son of Yishai to your own shame and to the shame of your eema's nakedness?

31 For as long as the son of Yishai lives upon the earth, you shall not be established, in your malchut. And now send and get him for me, for he shall surely die.

32 And Yonathan answered Shaul his abba and said to him, Why shall he be killed? What has he done?

33 And Shaul cast a javelin at him to smite him: by which Yonathan knew that it was determined by his abba to kill Dawid.

34 So Yonathan arose from the shulchan in fierce anger and did eat no food the second yom of the chodesh: for he was grieved for Dawid because his abba had done him shame.

35 And it came to pass in the boker, that Yonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with Dawid and a little lad with him.

36 And he said to his lad, Run and find out where the arrows that I shoot will land. And as the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.

37 And when the lad had come to the place of the arrow which Yonathan had shot, Yonathan shouted out to the lad and said, Is not the arrow beyond you?

38 And Yonathan shouted after the lad, Hurry, hurry, stay not. And Yonathan's lad gathered up the arrows and came to his master.

39 But the lad knew not any thing: only Yonathan and Dawid knew the matter.

40 And Yonathan gave his artillery to his lad and said to him, Go, carry them to the city.

41 And as soon as the lad had gone, Dawid arose out of a place toward the south and fell on his face to the ground and bowed himself three times: and they kissed one another and wept one with another, but Dawid wept more.

42 And Yonathan said to Dawid, Go in shalom, since we have sworn both of us in the Name of YHUH, saying, YHUH is witness between me and you and between my zera and your zera le-olam-va-ed. And he arose and departed: and Yonathan went into the city.

21 Then came Dawid to Nov to Achimelech the kohen: and Achimelech was afraid at the meeting with Dawid and said to him, Why are you alone and no man with you?

2 And Dawid said to Achimelech the kohen, The melech has commanded me a word and has said to me, Let no man know any thing of the business about which I send you and what I have commanded you: and I have appointed my avadim to such and such a place.

3 Now therefore what is under your hand? Give me five loaves of lechem in my hand, or what there is present.

4 And the kohen answered Dawid and said, There is no common lechem on hand, but there is kadosh lechem; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women.

5 And Dawid answered the kohen and said to him, Of an emet women have been kept from us around three yamim, since I came out and the vessels of the young men are kadosh, but the lechem is practically common, even though it was kadosh this yom in the vessel.

6 So the kohen gave him kadosh lechem: for there was no lechem there but the Lechem of the Panayim, that was taken from before YHUH, to put hot lechem in the yom when it was taken away.

7 Now a certain man of the avadim of Shaul was there that yom, detained before YHUH; and his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the head of the herdsmen that belonged to Shaul.

8 And Dawid said to Achimelech: And is there not here under your hand spear, or sword? For I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me because the melech's business was urgent.

9 And the kohen said, The sword of Golyat the Plishti, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, see, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the shoulder garment: if you want to take that, take it: for there is no other one except that here. And Dawid said, There is none like that; give it me.

10 And Dawid arose and fled that yom for fear of Shaul and went to Achish the melech of Gat.

11 And the avadim of Achish said to him, Is not this Dawid the melech of the land? Did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Shaul has killed his thousands and Dawid his 
ten thousands?

12 And Dawid laid up these words in his lev and was very afraid of Achish the melech of Gat.

13 And he changed his behavior before them and pretended to be crazy in their hands and scratched on the doors of the gate and let his saliva fall down upon his beard.

14 Then said Achish to his avadim, Look, you see the man is crazy: why then have you brought him to me?

15 Have I need of crazy men, that you have brought this fellow to play the crazy man in my presence? Shall this fellow even come into my bayit?

22 Dawid therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his brothers and all his abba's bayit heard it, they went down there to him.

2 And every one that was in distress and every one that was in debt and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves to him; and he became a leader over them: and there were with him about four hundred men.

3 And Dawid went there to Mitzpah of Moav: and he said to the melech of Moav, Let my abba and my eema, I ask you, come forth and be with you, until I know what Ahlohim will do for me.

4 And he brought them before the melech of Moav: and they dwelt with him all the while that Dawid was in the stronghold.

5 And the navi Gad said to Dawid, Do not stay in the stronghold; depart and get into the land of Yahudah. Then Dawid departed and came into the forest of Hareth.

6 When Shaul heard that Dawid was discovered and the men that were with him - now Shaul stayed in Givat under an eytz in Ramah, having his spear in his hand and all his avadim were standing around him;

7 Then Shaul said to his avadim that stood around him, Shema now, you Benyamites; will the son of Yishai give every one of you fields and vineyards and make you all captains of thousands and captains of hundreds?

8 All of you have conspired against me and there is none that has showed me that my son has made a pact with the son of Yishai and there is none of you that is sorry for me, or showed to me that my son has stirred up my eved against me, to lie in wait, as at this yom.

9 Then answered Doeg the Edomite, which was set over the avadim of Shaul and said, I saw the son of Yishai coming to Nov, to Achimelech the son of Achituv.

10 And he inquired of YHUH for him and gave him food and gave him the sword of Golyat the Plishti.

11 Then the melech sent to call Achimelech the kohen, the son of Achituv and all his abba's bayit, the kohanim that were in Nov: and they came all of them to the melech.

12 And Shaul said, Shema now, you son of Achituv. And he answered, Hinayne, my master.

13 And Shaul said to him, Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Yishai, in that you have given him lechem and a sword and have inquired of Ahlohim for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as at this yom?

14 Then Achimelech answered the melech and said: And who is so faithful among all your avadim as Dawid, which is the melech's son-in-law and goes at your bidding and is honorable in your bayit?

15 Did I then begin to inquire of Ahlohim for him? Be it far from me: let not the melech impute anything to his eved, nor to all the bayit of my abba: for your eved knew nothing of all this, not a little, not a lot.

16 And the melech said, You shall surely die, Achimelech, you and all your abba's bayit.

17 And the melech said to the footmen that stood around him, Turn and kill the kohanim of YHUH; because their hand also is with Dawid and because they knew when he fled and did not show it to me. But the avadim of the melech would not put forth their hand to fall upon the kohanim of YHUH.

18 And the melech said to Doeg, Turn and fall upon the kohanim. And Doeg the Edomite turned and he fell upon the kohanim of YHUH and killed on that yom eighty-five persons, that did wear a linen shoulder garment ephod.

19 And Nov, the city of the kohanim, Doeg smote with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and those nursing and cattle and donkeys and sheep, with the edge of the sword.

20 And one of the sons of Achimelech the son of Achituv, named Aviathar, escaped and fled after Dawid.

21 And Aviathar showed Dawid that Shaul had killed YHUH's kohanim.

22 And Dawid said to Aviathar, I knew it that yom, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Shaul: I have caused the death of all the persons of your abba's bayit.

23 Stay with me, fear not: for he that seeks my chayim seeks your chayim: but with me you shall be safe.

23 Then they told Dawid, saying, See, the Plishtim fight against Keilah and they rob the threshing floors.

2 Therefore Dawid inquired of YHUH, saying, Shall I go and smite these Plishtim? And YHUH said to Dawid, Go and smite the Plishtim and save Keilah.

3 And Dawid's men said to him, See, we are afraid here in Yahudah: how much more then if we come to Keilah against the  armies of the Plishtim?

4 Then Dawid inquired of YHUH yet again. And YHUH answered him and said, Arise, go down to Keilah, for I will deliver the Plishtim into your hand.

5 So Dawid and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Plishtim and brought away their cattle and smote them with a great slaughter. So Dawid saved the inhabitants of Keilah.

6 And it came to pass, when Aviathar the son of Achimelech fled to Dawid at Keilah, that he came down with a shoulder garment in his hand.

7 And it was told Shaul that Dawid was come to Keilah. And Shaul said, Ahlohim has delivered him into my hand; for he is shut in, by entering into a town that has gates and bars.

8 And Shaul called all the people together to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege Dawid and his men.

9 And Dawid knew that Shaul did not remain silent concerning mischief against him; and he said to Aviathar the kohen, Bring here the shoulder garment-ephod.

10 Then said Dawid, O YHUH Ahlohim of Yisrael, Your eved has certainly heard that Shaul seeks to come to Keilah, to destroy the city for my sake.

11 Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into his hand? Should the city be locked up? Will Shaul come down, as Your eved has heard? O YHUH Ahlohim of Yisrael, I beseech You, tell Your eved. And YHUH said, He will come down.

12 Then said Dawid, Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Shaul? And YHUH said, They will deliver you up.

13 Then Dawid and his men, who were about six hundred, arose and departed out of Keilah and went wherever they could go. And it was told Shaul that Dawid had escaped from Keilah; and he ceased to go forth.

14 And Dawid stayed in the midbar in strongholds and remained in a har in the midbar of Zif. And Shaul sought him every yom, but YHUH delivered him not into his hand.

15 And Dawid saw that Shaul had come out to seek his chayim: and Dawid was in the midbar of Zif in the forest.

16 And Yonathan Shaul's son arose and went to Dawid at the forest and strengthened his hand in Ahlohim.

17 And he said to him, Fear not: for the hand of Shaul my abba shall not find you; and you shall be melech over Yisrael and I shall be next to you; and that also Shaul my abba knows.

18 And the two of them made a brit before
YHUH: and Dawid stayed in the forest and Yonathan went to his bayit.

19 Then came up the Zifites to Shaul to Givat, saying, Does not Dawid hide himself with us in strongholds in the forest, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of Yeshimon?

20 Now therefore, O melech, come down according to all the desire of your chayim to come down; and our part shall be to deliver him into the melech's hand.

21 And Shaul said, Blessed are you of YHUH; for you have rachamim on me.

22 Go, I ask you, prepare yet further and know and see his place where his hide-out is and who has seen him there: for it is told to me that he deals very subtly.

23 See therefore and take da’at of all the hiding places where he hides himself and come again to me with the certainty of his place and I will go with you: and it shall come to pass, if he is in the land, that I will search him out throughout all the thousands of Yahudah.

24 And they arose and went to Zif before Shaul: but Dawid and his men were in the midbar of Maon, in the plain on the south of Yeshimon.

25 Shaul also and his men went to seek him. And they told Dawid: therefore he came down into a rock and stayed in the midbar of Maon. And when Shaul heard that, he pursued after Dawid in the midbar of Maon.

26 And Shaul went on this side of the har and Dawid and his men on the other side of the har: and Dawid made a rapid getaway to get away for fear of Shaul; for Shaul and his men surrounded Dawid and his men to take them.

27 But there came a messenger to Shaul, saying, Hurry and get back and come, for the Plishtim have invaded the land.

28 So Shaul returned from pursuing after Dawid and went against the Plishtim; therefore they called that place Sela-HaMachlekot.

29 And Dawid went up from there and dwelt in strongholds at En-Gedi.

24 And it came to pass, when Shaul had returned from following the Plishtim, that it was told him, saying, See, Dawid is in the midbar of En-Gedi.

2 Then Shaul took three thousand chosen men out of kol Yisrael and went to seek Dawid and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats.

3 And he came to the sheep enclosures and on the derech, there was a cave; and Shaul went in to make preparations: and Dawid and his men remained in the far ends of the cave.

4 And the men of Dawid said to him, See the yom of which YHUH said to you, See, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do to him as it shall seem tov to you. Then Dawid arose and cut off the corner of Shaul's robe privately.

5 And it came to pass afterward, that Dawid's lev smote him because he had cut off Shaul's robe.

6 And he said to his men, YHUH forbid that I should do this thing to my master, YHUH's anointed, to stretch forth my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of YHUH.

7 So Dawid stopped his avadim with these words and allowed them not to rise against Shaul. But Shaul rose up out of the cave and went on his derech.

8 Dawid also arose afterward and went out of the cave and shouted after Shaul, saying, My master the melech. And when Shaul looked behind him, Dawid stooped with his face to the earth and bowed himself.

9 And Dawid said to Shaul, Why do you listen to men's words, saying, See, Dawid seeks your hurt?

10 See, this yom your eyes have seen how YHUH has delivered you today into my hand in the cave: and some urged me to kill you: but my eye spared you; and I said, I will not put forth my hand against my master; for he is YHUH's anointed.

11 Moreover, my abba, see the corner of your robe in my hand: for in that I cut off the corner of your robe and killed you not, now you know and see that there is neither evil nor transgression in my hand and I have not sinned against you; yet you hunt my chayim to take it.

12 YHUH judge between us and YHUH avenge me from you: but my own hand shall not be upon you.

13 As says the mishle of the ancients, Wickedness proceeds from the wicked: but my hand shall not be upon you.

14 After whom is the melech of Yisrael come out? After whom do you pursue? After a dead dog, or after a flea?

15 YHUH therefore is Shophet and He will judge between me and you and see and I will plead my cause, to be delivered out of your hand.

16 And it came to pass, when Dawid had made an end of speaking these words to Shaul, that Shaul said, Is this your voice, my son Dawid? And Shaul lifted up his voice and wept.

17 And he said to Dawid, You are more tzadik than I: for you have rewarded me tov, whereas I have rewarded you evil.

18 And you have showed me this yom how that you have dealt well with me: seeing that when YHUH had delivered me into your hand, you killed me not.

19 For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go away whole? Therefore YHUH reward you tov for what you have done to me this yom.

20 And now, see, I know well that you shall surely be melech and that the malchut of Yisrael shall be established in your hand.

21 Swear now therefore to me by YHUH, that you will not cut off my zera after me and that you will not destroy my name out of my abba's bayit.

22 And Dawid swore to Shaul. And Shaul went home; but Dawid and his men went up to the stronghold.

25 And Shmuel died; and all the Yisraelites were gathered together and lamented him and buried him in his bayit at Ramah. And Dawid arose and went down to the midbar of Paran.

2 And there was a man in Maon, whose possessions were in Carmel; and the man was very great and he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats: and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.

3 Now the name of the man was Naval; and the name of his isha Avigail: and she was a woman of tov binah and of a beautiful appearance: but the man was hardened and evil in his doings; and he was like a little dog.

4 And Dawid heard in the midbar that Naval the Carmelite did shear his sheep.

5 And Dawid sent out ten young men and Dawid said to the young men, Get up to Carmel and go to Naval and greet him in my name:

6 And say to him that lives in prosperity, Shalom be both to you and shalom be to your bayit and shalom be to all that you have.

7 And now I have heard that you have shearers: now your shepherds that were with us, we hurt them not, neither was there anything missing to them, all the while they were in Carmel.

8 Ask your young men and they will tell you. So let the young men find chen in your eyes: for we come in a tov yom: give, I ask you, whatever comes to your hand to your avadim and to your son Dawid.

9 And when Dawid's young men came, they spoke to Naval according to all those words in the name of Dawid and waited.

10 And Naval answered Dawid's avadim and said, Who is Dawid? And who is the son of Yishai? There are many avadim nowadays that break away every man from his master.

11 Shall I then take my lechem and my wine and my food, that I have killed for my shearers and give it to men, whom I know not from where they are?

12 So Dawid's young men turned their derech and went again and came and told him all those sayings.

13 And Dawid said to his men, Put on every man his sword. And they put on every man his sword; and Dawid also put on his sword: and there went up after Dawid about four hundred men; and two hundred stayed by the equipement.

14 But one of the young men told Avigail, Naval's isha, saying, See, Dawid sent messengers out of the midbar to greet our master; and he railed at them.

15 But the men were very tov to us and we were not hurt, neither did we miss anything, as long as we were accompanying them, when we were in the fields:

16 They were like a wall to us both by lyla and yom, all the time we were with them keeping the sheep.

17 Now therefore know and consider what you will do; for evil is determined against our master and against all his household: for he is such a son of Beliyaal, that a man cannot even speak to him.

18 Then Avigail hurried and took two hundred loaves and two bottles of wine and five sheep made ready and five measures of parched grain and a hundred clusters of raisins and two hundred cakes of figs and laid them on donkeys.

19 And she said to her avadim, Go before me and I will come after you. But she told it not to her husband Naval.

20 And it was so, as she rode on the donkey, that she came down under the cover of the hill and, see, Dawid and his men came down toward her; and she met them.

21 Now Dawid had said, Surely for nothing have I kept all that this fellow has in the midbar, so that nothing was missed of all that pertained to him: and he has repaid me evil for tov.

22 Let Ahlohim do this and even more to the enemies of Dawid, if I leave even one adult man to him by the boker ohr.

23 And when Avigail saw Dawid, she hurried and got off the donkey and fell before Dawid on her face and bowed herself to the ground,

24 And fell at his feet and said, Upon me, my master, upon me let this iniquity be: and let your female eved, I beg you, speak in your hearing and hear the words of your female eved.

25 Let not my master, I beg you, regard this man of Beliyaal, even Naval: for as his name is, so is he; Naval is his name and folly is with him: but I your female eved did not see the young men of my master, whom you did send.

26 Now therefore, my master, as YHUH lives and as your being lives, seeing YHUH has withheld you from coming to shed dahm and from avenging yourself with your own hand, now let your enemies and they that seek evil to my master, be as Naval.

27 And now this blessing that your female eved has brought to my master, let it even be given to the young men that follow my master.

28 I beg you, forgive the trespass of your female eved: for YHUH will certainly make my master a sure and secure bayit; because YHUH fights the battles of my master and evil has not been found in you all your yamim.

29 Yet a man has risen to pursue you and to seek your chayim: but the chayim of my master shall be bound in the bundle of chayim with YHUH your Ahlohim; and the beings of your enemies, them shall he sling out, as out of the middle of a sling.

30 And it shall come to pass, when YHUH shall have done to my master according to all the tov that He has spoken concerning you and shall have appointed you ruler over Yisrael;

31 That this shall bring no grief to you, no offence of lev to my master, either that you have shed dahm without cause, or that my master has avenged himself: but when YHUH shall have dealt well with my master, then remember your female eved.

32 And Dawid said to Avigail, Blessed be YHUH Ahlohim of Yisrael, who sent you this yom to meet me:

33 And blessed is your advice and blessed are you, who have kept me this yom from coming to shed dahm and from avenging myself with my own hand.

34 For in very deed, as YHUH Ahlohim of Yisrael lives, who has kept me back from hurting you, except you had hurried and come to meet me, surely there had not been left to Naval by the boker ohr any man.

35 So Dawid received from her hand that which she had brought him and said to her, Go up in shalom to your bayit. See, I have listened to your voice and have accepted your whole person.

36 And Avigail came to Naval; and, see, he held a feast in his bayit, like the feast of a melech; and Naval's lev was cheerful within him, for he was very drunk: therefore she told him nothing, at all, until the boker ohr.

37 But it came to pass in the boker, when Naval was sober and his isha had told him these things that his lev died within him; and he became as a stone lev.

38 And it came to pass about ten yamim after that YHUH smote Naval, so that he died.

39 And when Dawid heard that Naval was dead, he said, Barchu-et-YHUH, who has pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Naval and has kept his eved from doing evil: for YHUH has returned the wickedness of Naval upon his own head: And Dawid sent and communicated with Avigail, to take her to him as an isha.

40 And when the avadim of Dawid had come to Avigail to Carmel, they spoke to her, saying, Dawid sent us to you to take you to him as his isha.

41 And she arose and bowed herself on her face to the earth and said, See, let your female eved be an eved to wash the feet of the avadim of my master.

42 And Avigail hurried and arose and rode upon a donkey, with five young women of hers that went after her; and she went after the messengers of Dawid and became his isha.

43 Dawid also took Achinoam of Yezreel; and they were also both of them his wives.

44 But Shaul had given Michal his daughter, Dawid's isha, to Phalti the son of Layish, which was of Gallim.

26 And the Zifites came to Shaul to Givat, saying, Does not Dawid hide himself in the hill of Hachilah, which is before Yeshimon?

2 Then Shaul arose and went down to the midbar of Zif, having three thousand chosen men of Yisrael with him, to seek Dawid in the midbar of Zif.

3 And Shaul camped in the hill of Hachilah, which is before Yeshimon, along the derech. But Dawid stayed in the midbar and he saw that Shaul came after him into the midbar.

4 Dawid therefore sent out spies and understood that Shaul had come from there indeed.

5 And Dawid arose and came to the place where Shaul had camped: and Dawid beheld the place where Shaul lay and Avner the son of Ner, the leader of his army: and Shaul lay in the trench and the people camped around him.

6 Then answered Dawid and said to Achimelech the Hittite and to Avishai the son of Tzaruyah, brother to Yoav, saying, Who will go down with me to Shaul to the camp? And Avishai said, I will go down with you.

7 So Dawid and Avishai came to the people by lyla: and, see, Shaul lay sleeping within the camp and his spear stuck in the ground at his head: but Avner and the people lay around him.

8 Then said Avishai to Dawid, Ahlohim has delivered your enemy into your hand this yom: now therefore let me smite him, I ask you, with the spear even to the earth at once and I will not smite him the second time.

9 And Dawid said to Avishai, Destroy him not: for who can stretch forth his hand against YHUH's anointed and be guiltless?

10 Dawid said furthermore, As YHUH lives, YHUH shall smite him; or his yom shall come to die; or he shall descend into battle and perish.

11 But YHUH forbid that I should stretch forth my hand against YHUH's anointed: but, I ask you, take now the spear that is at his head and the jug of mayim and let us go.

12 So Dawid took the spear and the jug of mayim from Shaul's head and they got away and no man saw it, nor knew it, neither was awakened: for they were all asleep; because a deep sleep from YHUH had fallen upon them.

13 Then Dawid went over to the other side and stood on the top of a hill far off; a great space being between them:

14 And Dawid shouted to the people and to Avner the son of Ner, saying, Don’t you answer, Avner? Then Avner answered and said, Who are you that shouts at the melech?

15 And Dawid said to Avner, Are not you a brave man? And who is like you in Yisrael? Why then have you not guarded your master the melech? For there came one of the people in to destroy the melech your master.

16 This thing is not tov that you have done. As YHUH lives, you are worthy to die because you have not guarded your master,  YHUH's anointed. And now see where the melech's spear is and the jug of mayim that was at his head.

17 And Shaul knew Dawid's voice and said, Is this your voice, my son Dawid? And Dawid said, It is my voice, my master, O melech.

18 And he said, Why does my master still pursue after his eved? For what have I done? Or, what evil is in my hand?

19 Now therefore, I beg you, let my master the melech hear the words of his eved. If YHUH has stirred you up against me, let Him accept an offering: but if they are the children of men, cursed are they before YHUH; for they have driven me out this yom from abiding in the inheritance of YHUH, saying, Go, serve other ahlohim.

20 Now therefore, let not my dahm fall to the earth before the face of YHUH: for the melech of Yisrael is come out to seek a flea, as the night owl pursues its prey in the mountains.

21 Then said Shaul, I have sinned: return, my son Dawid: for I will no more do you harm because my chayim was precious in your eyes this yom: see, I have played the fool and have greatly strayed.

22 And Dawid answered and said, See the melech's spear! Let one of the young men come over and get it.

23 YHUH render to every man his tzedakah and his faithfulness: for YHUH delivered you into my hand today, but I would not stretch forth my hand against 's anointed.

24 And, see, as your chayim was much valued this yom in my eyes, so let my chayim be much valued in the eyes of YHUH and let Him deliver me out of all tribulation.

25 Then Shaul said to Dawid, Blessed are you, my son Dawid: you shall both do great things and also shall prevail. So Dawid went on his derech and Shaul returned to his place.

27 And Dawid said in his lev, I shall now perish one yom by the hand of Shaul: there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Plishtim; so that Shaul shall give up searching for me, to seek me anymore in any of the borders of Yisrael: so shall I escape out of his hand.

2 And Dawid arose and he passed over with the six hundred men that were with him to Achish, the son of Maoch, melech of Gat.

3 And Dawid dwelt with Achish at Gat, he and his men, every man with his household, even Dawid with his two wives, Achinoam the Yezreelitess and Avigail the Carmelitess, Naval's isha.

4 And it was told Shaul that Dawid had fled to Gat: and he sought no more again for him.

5 And Dawid said to Achish, If I have now found chen in your eyes, let them give me a place in some town in the country, that I may dwell there: for why should your eved dwell in the malchut city with you?

6 Then Achish gave him Ziklag that yom: so Ziklag belongs to the melechim of Yahudah to this yom.

7 And the time that Dawid dwelt in the country of the Plishtim was four chodashem.

8 And Dawid and his men went up and invaded the Geshurites and the Gezrites and the Amalekites: for those pagan goyim were the old inhabitants of the land, as you head to Shur, even to the land of Mitzrayim.

9 And Dawid smote the land and left neither man nor woman alive and took away the sheep and the cattle and the donkeys and the camels and the apparel and returned and came to Achish.

10 And Achish said, Where have you made a raid today? And Dawid said, Against the south of Yahudah and against the south of the Yerahmeelites and against the south of the Kenites.

11 And Dawid saved neither man nor woman alive, to bring news to Gat, saying, Lest they should tell on us, saying, So did Dawid and so will be his behavior all the while he dwells in the country of the Plishtim.

12 And Achish believed Dawid, saying, He has made his people Yisrael utterly to hate him; therefore he shall be my eved le-olam-va-ed.

28 And it came to pass in those yamim, that the Plishtim gathered their armies together for warfare, to fight with Yisrael. And Achish said to Dawid, You know of course, that you shall go out with me to battle, you and your men.

2 And Dawid said to Achish, Surely you shall know what your eved can do. And Achish said to Dawid, Therefore will I make you guardian of my head le-olam-va-ed.

3 Now Shmuel was dead and kol Yisrael had lamented him and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Shaul had put away those that had familiar ruachim and the wizards, out of the land.

4 And the Plishtim gathered themselves together and came and camped in Shunem: and Shaul gathered kol Yisrael together and they camped in Gilvoa.

5 And when Shaul saw the host of the Plishtim, he was afraid and his lev greatly trembled.

6 And when Shaul inquired of YHUH and YHUH answered him not, neither by dreams nor by Urim, nor by neviim.

7 Then said Shaul to his avadim, Seek for me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her. And his avadim said to him, See, there is a woman that is a medium at Endor.

8 And Shaul disguised himself and put on other clothes and he went and two men with him and they came to the woman by lyla: and he said, I ask you, divine for me by a familiar ruach and bring me up, the one I shall name to you.

9 And the woman said to him, See, you know what Shaul has done, how he has cut off the mediums and the wizards, out of the land: why then do you lay a trap for my chayim, to cause me to die?

10 And Shaul swore to her by YHUH, saying, As YHUH lives, there shall no punishment happen to you for this thing.

11 Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up to you? And he said, Bring me up Shmuel.

12 And when the woman saw Shmuel, she shouted with a loud voice: and the woman spoke to Shaul, saying, Why have you deceived me? For you are Shaul.

13 And the melech said to her, Be not afraid: what did you see? And the woman said to Shaul, I saw a ruach ascending out of the earth.

14 And he said to her, What does he look like? And she said, An old man comes up; and he is covered with a mantle. And Shaul perceived that it was Shmuel and he stooped with his face to the ground and bowed himself.

15 And Shmuel said to Shaul, Why have you disturbed my rest, to bring me up?  And Shaul answered, I am heavy distressed; for the Plishtim make war against me and Ahlohim has departed from me and answers me no longer, neither by neviim, nor by dreams: therefore I have called you, that you may make known to me what I shall do.

16 Then said Shmuel, Why then do you ask of me, seeing YHUH has departed from you and has become your enemy?

17 And YHUH has done to you, as He spoke by me: for YHUH has torn the malchut out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, even to Dawid:

18 Because you obeyed not the voice of YHUH, nor executed His fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore has YHUH done this thing to you this yom.

19 Moreover YHUH will also deliver Yisrael with you into the hand of the Plishtim: and tomorrow you and your sons shall fall: YHUH also shall deliver the armies of Yisrael into the hand of the Plishtim.

20 Then Shaul fell immediately on the earth and was very afraid because of the words of Shmuel: and there was no strength in him, for he had eaten no lechem all the yom and all the lyla.

21 And the woman came to Shaul and saw that he was heavily troubled and said to him, See, your female eved has obeyed your voice and I have put my chayim in my hands and have listened to your words which you spoke to me.

22 Now therefore, I beg you, Shema also to the voice of your female eved and let me set a piece of lechem before you; and eat, that you may have strength, when you go on your derech.

23 But he refused and said, I will not eat. But his avadim, together with the woman, compelled him; and he listened to their voice. So he arose from the earth and sat upon the bed.

24 And the woman had a fat calf in the bayit; and she hurried and killed it and took flour and kneaded it and did bake matzah from it:

25 And she brought it before Shaul and before his avadim; and they did eat. Then they rose up and went away that lyla.

29 Now the Plishtim gathered together all their armies to Aphek: and the Yisraelites camped by a fountain that is in Yezreel.

2 And the rulers of the Plishtim passed on by hundreds and by thousands: but Dawid and his men passed on in the rear guard with Achish.

3 Then said the rulers of the Plishtim, What are these Ivrim doing here? And Achish said to the rulers of the Plishtim, Is not this Dawid, the eved of Shaul the melech of Yisrael, which has been with me these yamim and these years and I have found no fault in him since he came to me until this yom?

4 And the rulers of the Plishtim were angry with him; and the rulers of the Plishtim said to him, Make this fellow return, that he may go again to his place which you have appointed him and let him not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he be an adversary to us: for how can he reconcile himself to his master? Except with the heads of these our men?

5 Is not this Dawid, of whom they sang one to another in dances, saying, Shaul killed his thousands and Dawid his ten thousands?

6 Then Achish called Dawid and said to him, Surely, as YHUH lives, you have been a tzadik and your going out and your coming in with me in the army is tov in my sight: for I have not found evil in you since the yom of your coming to me to this yom; nevertheless the other rulers’ opinion is not favorable of you.

7 So now return and go in shalom, that you displease not the rulers of the Plishtim.

8 And Dawid said to Achish, But what have I done? And what have you found wrong in your eved as long as I have been with you to this yom, that I may not go fight against the enemies of my master the melech?

9 And Achish answered and said to Dawid, I know that you are as tov in my sight, as a malach of Ahlohim: nevertheless the rulers of the Plishtim have said, He shall not go up with us to the battle.

10 So now rise up early in the boker with your master's avadim that have come with you: and as soon as you are up early in the boker and have ohr, depart.

11 So Dawid and his men rose up early to depart in the boker, to return into the land of the Plishtim. And the Plishtim went up to Yezreel.

30 And it came to pass, when Dawid and his men were come to Ziklag on the third yom, that the Amalekites had invaded the south and Ziklag and smitten Ziklag and burned it with fire;

2 And had taken the women captives, that were there: they killed not any, either great, or small, but carried them away and went on their derech.

3 So Dawid and his men came to the city and, see, it was burned with fire; and their wives and their sons and their daughters, were taken captives.

4 Then Dawid and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.

5 And Dawid's two wives were taken captives, Achinoam the Yezreelitess and Avigail the isha of Naval the Carmelite.

6 And Dawid was greatly distressed; for the people spoke of stoning him because the chayim of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but Dawid encouraged himself in YHUH his Ahlohim.

7 And Dawid said to Aviathar the kohen, Achimelech's son, I ask you, bring me here the shoulder garment. And Aviathar brought there the shoulder garment to Dawid.

8 And Dawid inquired of YHUH, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? Shall I overtake them? And He answered him, Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.

9 So Dawid went, he and the six hundred men who were with him and came to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind stayed.

10 But Dawid pursued, he and four hundred men: for two hundred stayed behind, who were so weak that they could not go over the brook Besor.

11 And they found a Mitzri in the field and brought him to Dawid and gave him lechem and he did eat; and they made him drink mayim;

12 And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins: and when he had eaten, his ruach came again to him: for he had not eaten lechem, nor drunk any mayim, three yamim and three laylot.

13 And Dawid said to him, To whom do you belong? Where are you from? And he said, I am a young man of Mitzrayim, an eved to an Amalekite; and my master left me because three yamim ago I fell sick.

14 We made an invasion upon the south of the Cherethites and upon the border that belongs to Yahudah and upon the south of Kalev; and we burned Ziklag with fire.

15 And Dawid said to him, Can you bring me down to this troop? And he said, Swear to me by Ahlohim, that you will neither kill me, nor deliver me into the hands of my master and I will bring you down to this troop.

16 And when he had brought him down, see, they were spread abroad upon all the land, eating and drinking and dancing because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Plishtim and out of the land of Yahudah.

17 And Dawid smote them from the twilight, even to the evening of the next yom: and there escaped not a man of them, except four hundred young men, who rode upon camels and fled.

18 And Dawid recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and Dawid rescued his two wives.

19 And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor anything that they had taken from them: Dawid recovered all.

20 And Dawid took all the flocks and the herds, which they drove before those other cattle and said, This is Dawid's spoil.

21 And Dawid came to the two hundred men, who were so weak that they could not follow Dawid, whom they had made to stay at the brook Besor: and they went forth to meet Dawid and to meet the people that were with him: and when Dawid came near to the people, he greeted them.

22 Then answered all the wicked men and the men of Beliyaal, of those that went with Dawid and said, Because they went not with us, we will not give them anything of the spoil that we have recovered, except to every man his isha and his children, that they may go away and depart.

23 Then said Dawid, You shall not do so, my brothers, with that which YHUH has given us, who has preserved us and delivered the troop that came against us into our hand.

24 For who will listen to you in this matter? But as the part is for those that went down to the battle, so shall the part be for those that stayed by the baggage: they shall also share the spoil.

25 And it was so from that yom forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Yisrael to this yom.

26 And when Dawid came to Ziklag, he sent some things from the spoil to the zechanim of Yahudah, even to his chaverim, saying, See a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of YHUH;

27 To them which were in Beth-El and to them which were in south Ramot and to them which were in Yattir,

28 And to them which were in Aroer and to them that were in Siphmoth and to them that were in Eshtemoa,

29 And to them which were in Rachal and to them that were in the cities of the Yerachmeelites and to them that were in the cities of the Kenites,

30 And to them that were in Hormah and to them that were in Chor-Ashan and to them that were in Athach,

31 And to them that were in Chevron and to all the places where Dawid himself and his men had been traveling.

31 Now the Plishtim fought against Yisrael: and the men of Yisrael fled from before the Plishtim and fell down killed in Har Gilboa.

2 And the Plishtim overtook Shaul and his sons; and the Plishtim killed Yonathan and Aviniadav and Malchi-Shua, Shaul's sons.

3 And the battle was strong against Shaul and the archers hit him; so he was heavily wounded by the archers.

4 Then said Shaul to his armor-bearer, Draw your sword and thrust me through with it, lest these not in brit milah come and thrust me through and abuse me. But his armor-bearer would not, for he was very afraid. Therefore Shaul took a sword and fell upon it himself.

5 And when his armor-bearer saw that Shaul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword and died with him.

6 So Shaul died and his three sons and his armor-bearer and all his men, that same yom together.

7 And when the men of Yisrael that were on the other side of the valley and they that were on the other side of the Yarden River, saw that the men of Yisrael fled and that Shaul and his sons were dead, they forsook their cities and fled; and the Plishtim came and dwelt in them.

8 And it came to pass on the next yom, when the Plishtim came to strip the killed, that they found Shaul and his three sons fallen in Har Gilboa.

9 And they cut off his head and stripped off his armor and sent word into the land of the Plishtim around, to publish it in the bayit of their idols and among the people.

10 And they put his armor in the bayit of Ashtaroth: and they fastened his gooff to the wall of Beth-Shan.

11 And when the inhabitants of Yavesh-Gilad heard of that which the Plishtim had done to Shaul;

12 All the brave men arose and went all lyla and took the gooff of Shaul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-Shan and came to Yavesh and burned them there.

13 And they took their bones and buried them under an eytz at Yavesh and fasted shiva seven yamim.  X

FIRST SAMUEL 

• 1ˢͭ 1:1 Every prince, or great man that arose in Israel was given the name Ephrati. Ephrati is defined as one who is an aristocrat, or noble man. Descendants of the House of Efrayim became noble aristocrats wherever they were scattered. "Ephrati is taken to mean someone from the tribe of Efrayim and of noble birth.”

• 1ˢͭ 1:11 Will be a lifelong Nazarite.

• 1ˢͭ 1:16 “lord,” or s.a.tan disguised as “the” lord.

• 1ˢͭ 1:21 Day of Atonement.

• 1ˢͭ 2:35 Messiah, the promised Kohen HaGadol – High Priest – that would be given to all Israel as a faithful Mediator.

• 1ˢͭ 2:36 Entry in to the Renewed Covenant priesthood will depend fully on Messiah choosing and supplying the needs for His kohanim.

• 1ˢͭ 3:20 All Israel recognized his authority.

• 1ˢͭ 3:21 Duality of YAH.

• 1ˢͭ 4:1 United nation.

• 1ˢͭ 4:6 Note there were o Jews in those unified days. Israel was known as the “Hebrews.”

• 1ˢͭ 7:5 Still united.

• 1ˢͭ 8:3 If you are a called out minister and your children refuse to serve YAH and walk in Torah, do not be shocked, or confused. It is prideful and unbiblical to think that they will follow your steps just because they are your offspring. They must love YAH for themselves and not because of family relationships, which is why Messiah said that those who hear and do the word of YAH (including faith in Messiah and Torah compliance) are your true eternal family.

• 1ˢͭ 8:20 Pagan nations.

• 1ˢͭ 10:6 Yisraelites were always the recipient of the Spirit and it always turned people into new persons.

• 1ˢͭ 10:9 Born-again.

• 1ˢͭ 10:24 The united kingdom has their first of only three kings.

• 1ˢͭ 11:1 Means: “the snake.”

• 1ˢͭ 11:8 A clear mention of two separate counts for both houses, even before the actual split.

• 1ˢͭ 11:14 A type of the call of Messiah in His first advent, calling all Israel to renew the kingdom, as seen in Acts 1:6.

• 1ˢͭ 13:13 Only sons of Aaron can offer sacrifices.

• 1ˢͭ 14:24 Another sin by making Israel too weak to fight.

• 1ˢͭ 14:32 Another of Saul’s sins. People ate blood due to hunger.

• 1ˢͭ 15:10 The eternal Word is always a reference to Messiah in both covenants.
  

• 1ˢͭ  15:29 A prophecy of two kingdoms or houses. LXX.

• 1ˢͭ 17:4 DSS and original (not later versions) LXX. Confirmed by Josephus, putting the actual height at six feet, not nine.

• 1ˢͭ 17:45 What name do you come in?

• 1ˢͭ 17:47 Kahal – same word for congregation translated as eidta in the Aramaic Renewed Covenant and LXX.

• 1ˢͭ 17:52 Another interesting two-house reference, especially in light of the fact that the split had not yet occurred officially.

• 1ˢͭ 18:16 Another interesting pre-split reference. Apparently there were seething problems below the surface that started around the time of Israel’s call for a king.

• 1ˢͭ 26:9 A lesson Renewed Covenant Yisraelites need to grasp before wrath comes.

• 1ˢͭ 28:15 Notice that like all other righteous men in YAH in the First Covenant, Samuel is in Abraham's Bosom in the earth waiting for the revelation of Messiah to release him to eternal life in the heavens. He is certainly not sleeping in the spirit but is most conscious.

• 1ˢͭ 28:19 In Sheol, or the other compartment in the earth, where the unrighteous went before Messiah, never to be released but held for the Great White Throne Judgment of Revelation 20. They remain conscious as well.

• 1ˢͭ 31:13 Notice they fasted but did not mourn over the unrighteous King Saul.

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