1 Samuel New Century

1 Samuel 1 - New Century

 ¹ There was a man named Elkanah son of Jeroham from Ramathaim in the mountains of Ephraim. Elkanah was from the family of Zuph. (Jeroham was Elihu's son. Elihu was Tohu's son, and Tohu was the son of Zuph from the family group of Ephraim.)² Elkanah had two wives named Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none. ³ Every year Elkanah left his town of Ramah and went up to Shiloh to worship the Lord All-Powerful and to offer sacrifices to him. Shiloh was where Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli, served as priests of the Lord.⁴ When Elkanah offered sacrifices, he always gave a share of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to her sons and daughters.⁵ But Elkanah always gave a special share of the meat to Hannah, because he loved Hannah and because the Lord had kept her from having children.⁶ Peninnah would tease Hannah and upset her, because the Lord had made her unable to have children.⁷ This happened every year when they went up to the house of the Lord at Shiloh. Peninnah would upset Hannah until Hannah would cry and not eat anything.⁸ Her husband Elkanah would say to her, "Hannah, why are you crying and why won't you eat? Why are you sad? Don't I mean more to you than ten sons?" ⁹ Once, after they had eaten their meal in Shiloh, Hannah got up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on a chair near the entrance to the Lord's house.¹⁰ Hannah was so sad that she cried and prayed to the Lord.¹¹ She made a promise, saying, "Lord All-Powerful, see how sad I am. Remember me and don't forget me. If you will give me a son, I will give him back to you all his life, and no one will ever cut his hair with a razor." ¹² While Hannah kept praying, Eli watched her mouth.¹³ She was praying in her heart so her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk¹⁴ and said to her, "Stop getting drunk! Throw away your wine!" ¹⁵ Hannah answered, "No, sir, I have not drunk any wine or beer. I am a deeply troubled woman, and I was telling the Lord about all my problems.¹⁶ Don't think I am an evil woman. I have been praying because I have many troubles and am very sad." ¹⁷ Eli answered, "Go! I wish you well. May the God of Israel give you what you asked of him." ¹⁸ Hannah said, "May I always please you." When she left and ate something, she was not sad anymore. ¹⁹ Early the next morning Elkanah's family got up and worshiped the Lord. Then they went back home to Ramah. Elkanah had sexual relations with his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her.²⁰ So Hannah became pregnant, and in time she gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, "His name is Samuel because I asked the Lord for him." ²¹ Every year Elkanah went with his whole family to Shiloh to offer sacrifices and to keep the promise he had made to God.²² But one time Hannah did not go with him. She told him, "When the boy is old enough to eat solid food, I will take him to Shiloh. Then I will give him to the Lord, and he will always live there." ²³ Elkanah, Hannah's husband, said to her, "Do what you think is best. You may stay home until the boy is old enough to eat. May the Lord do what you have said." So Hannah stayed at home to nurse her son until he was old enough to eat. ²⁴ When Samuel was old enough to eat, Hannah took him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh, along with a three-year-old bull, one-half bushel of flour, and a leather bag filled with wine.²⁵ After they had killed the bull for the sacrifice, Hannah brought Samuel to Eli.²⁶ She said to Eli, "As surely as you live, sir, I am the same woman who stood near you praying to the Lord.²⁷ I prayed for this child, and the Lord answered my prayer and gave him to me.²⁸ Now I give him back to the Lord. He will belong to the Lord all his life." And he worshiped the Lord there.

1 Samuel 2 - New Century

 ¹ Hannah prayed:
    "The Lord has filled my heart with joy;
       I feel very strong in the Lord.
    I can laugh at my enemies;
       I am glad because you have helped me!

 ² "There is no one holy like the Lord.
       There is no God but you;
       there is no Rock like our God.

 ³ "Don't continue bragging,
       don't speak proud words.
    The Lord is a God who knows everything,
       and he judges what people do.

 ⁴ "The bows of warriors break,
       but weak people become strong.
 ⁵ Those who once had plenty of food now must work for food,
       but people who were hungry are hungry no more.
    The woman who could not have children now has seven,
       but the woman who had many children now is sad.

 ⁶ "The Lord sends death,
       and he brings to life.
    He sends people to the grave,
       and he raises them to life again.
 ⁷ The Lord makes some people poor,
       and others he makes rich.
    He makes some people humble,
       and others he makes great.
 ⁸ The Lord raises the poor up from the dust,
       and he lifts the needy from the ashes.
    He lets the poor sit with princes
       and receive a throne of honor.

    "The foundations of the earth belong to the Lord,
       and the Lord set the world upon them.
 ⁹ He protects those who are loyal to him,
       but evil people will be silenced in darkness.
       Power is not the key to success.
 ¹⁰ The Lord destroys his enemies;
       he will thunder in heaven against them.
    The Lord will judge all the earth.
       He will give power to his king
       and make his appointed king strong." ¹¹ Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy continued to serve the Lord under Eli the priest. ¹² Now Eli's sons were evil men; they did not care about the Lord.¹³ This is what the priests would normally do to the people: Every time someone brought a sacrifice, the meat would be cooked in a pot. The priest's servant would then come carrying a fork that had three prongs.¹⁴ He would plunge the fork into the pot or the kettle. Whatever the fork brought out of the pot belonged to the priest. But this is how they treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh to offer sacrifices.¹⁵ Even before the fat was burned, the priest's servant would come to the person offering sacrifices and say, "Give the priest some meat to roast. He won't accept boiled meat from you, only raw meat." ¹⁶ If the one who offered the sacrifice said, "Let the fat be burned up first as usual, and then take anything you want," the priest's servant would answer, "No, give me the meat now. If you don't, I'll take it by force." ¹⁷ The Lord saw that the sin of the servants was very great because they did not show respect for the offerings made to the Lord. ¹⁸ But Samuel obeyed the Lord. As a boy he wore a linen holy vest.¹⁹ Every year Samuel's mother made a little coat for him and took it to him when she went with her husband to Shiloh for the sacrifice.²⁰ When Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, he would say, "May the Lord repay you with children through Hannah to take the place of the boy Hannah prayed for and gave back to the Lord." Then Elkanah and Hannah would go home.²¹ The Lord was kind to Hannah, so she became the mother of three sons and two daughters. And the boy Samuel grew up serving the Lord. ²² Now Eli was very old. He heard about everything his sons were doing to all the Israelites and how his sons had sexual relations with the women who served at the entrance to the Meeting Tent.²³ Eli said to his sons, "Why do you do these evil things that the people tell me about?²⁴ No, my sons. The Lord's people are spreading a bad report about you.²⁵ If you sin against someone, God can help you. But if you sin against the Lord himself, no one can help you!" But Eli's sons would not listen to him, because the Lord had decided to put them to death. ²⁶ The boy Samuel grew physically. He pleased the Lord and the people. ²⁷ A man of God came to Eli and said, "This is what the Lord says: 'I clearly showed myself to the family of your ancestor Aaron when they were slaves to the king of Egypt.²⁸ I chose them from all the tribes of Israel to be my priests. I wanted them to go up to my altar, to burn incense, and to wear the holy vest. I also let the family of your ancestor have part of all the offerings sacrificed by the Israelites.²⁹ So why don't you respect the sacrifices and gifts? You honor your sons more than me. You grow fat on the best parts of the meat the Israelites bring to me.' ³⁰ "So the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'I promised that your family and your ancestor's family would serve me always.' But now the Lord says: 'This must stop! I will honor those who honor me, but I will dishonor those who ignore me.

1 Samuel 3 - New Century

 ¹ The boy Samuel served the Lord under Eli. In those days the Lord did not speak directly to people very often; there were very few visions. ² Eli's eyes were so weak he was almost blind. One night he was lying in bed.³ Samuel was also in bed in the Lord's house, where the Ark of the Agreement was. God's lamp was still burning. ⁴ Then the Lord called Samuel, and Samuel answered, "I am here!"⁵ He ran to Eli and said, "I am here. You called me."    But Eli said, "I didn't call you. Go back to bed." So Samuel went back to bed. ⁶ The Lord called again, "Samuel!"    Samuel again went to Eli and said, "I am here. You called me."    Again Eli said, "I didn't call you. Go back to bed." ⁷ Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the Lord had not spoken directly to him yet. ⁸ The Lord called Samuel for the third time. Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "I am here. You called me."    Then Eli realized the Lord was calling the boy.⁹ So he told Samuel, "Go to bed. If he calls you again, say, 'Speak, Lord. I am your servant and I am listening.' " So Samuel went and lay down in bed. ¹⁰ The Lord came and stood there and called as he had before, "Samuel, Samuel!"    Samuel said, "Speak, Lord. I am your servant and I am listening." ¹¹ The Lord said to Samuel, "Watch, I am going to do something in Israel that will shock those who hear about it.¹² At that time I will do to Eli and his family everything I promised, from beginning to end.¹³ I told Eli I would punish his family always, because he knew his sons were evil. They acted without honor, but he did not stop them.¹⁴ So I swore to Eli's family, 'Your guilt will never be removed by sacrifice or offering.' " ¹⁵ Samuel lay down until morning. Then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord. He was afraid to tell Eli about the vision,¹⁶ but Eli called to him, "Samuel, my son!"    Samuel answered, "I am here." ¹⁷ Eli asked, "What did the Lord say to you? Don't hide it from me. May God punish you terribly if you hide from me anything he said to you."¹⁸ So Samuel told Eli everything and did not hide anything from him. Then Eli said, "He is the Lord. Let him do what he thinks is best." ¹⁹ The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up; he did not let any of Samuel's messages fail to come true.²⁰ Then all Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, knew Samuel was a true prophet of the Lord.²¹ And the Lord continued to show himself at Shiloh, and he showed himself to Samuel through his word.

1 Samuel 4 - New Century

 ¹ So, news about Samuel spread through all of Israel.    At that time the Israelites went out to fight the Philistines. The Israelites camped at Ebenezer and the Philistines at Aphek.² The Philistines went to meet the Israelites in battle. And as the battle spread, they defeated the Israelites, killing about four thousand soldiers on the battlefield.³ When some Israelite soldiers went back to their camp, the elders of Israel asked, "Why did the Lord let the Philistines defeat us? Let's bring the Ark of the Agreement with the Lord here from Shiloh and take it with us into battle. Then God will save us from our enemies." ⁴ So the people sent men to Shiloh. They brought back the Ark of the Agreement with the Lord All-Powerful, who sits between the gold creatures with wings. Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the Ark. ⁵ When the Ark of the Agreement with the Lord came into the camp, all the Israelites gave a great shout of joy that made the ground shake.⁶ When the Philistines heard Israel's shout, they asked, "What's all this shouting in the Hebrew camp?"    Then the Philistines found out that the Ark of the Lord had come into the Hebrew camp.⁷ They were afraid and said, "A god has come into the Hebrew camp! We're in trouble! This has never happened before!⁸ How terrible it will be for us! Who can save us from these powerful gods? They are the ones who struck the Egyptians with all kinds of disasters in the desert.⁹ Be brave, Philistines! Fight like men! In the past they were our slaves. So fight like men, or we will become their slaves." ¹⁰ So the Philistines fought hard and defeated the Israelites, and every Israelite soldier ran away to his own home. It was a great defeat for Israel, because thirty thousand Israelite soldiers were killed.¹¹ The Ark of God was taken by the Philistines, and Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died. ¹² That same day a man from the tribe of Benjamin ran from the battle. He tore his clothes and put dust on his head to show his great sadness.¹³ When he arrived in Shiloh, Eli was by the side of the road. He was sitting there in a chair, watching, because he was worried about the Ark of God. When the Benjaminite entered Shiloh, he told the bad news. Then all the people in town cried loudly.¹⁴ Eli heard the crying and asked, "What's all this noise?"    The Benjaminite ran to Eli and told him what had happened.¹⁵ Eli was now ninety-eight years old, and he was blind.¹⁶ The Benjaminite told him, "I have come from the battle. I ran all the way here today."    Eli asked, "What happened, my son?" ¹⁷ The Benjaminite answered, "Israel ran away from the Philistines, and the Israelite army has lost many soldiers. Your two sons are both dead, and the Philistines have taken the Ark of God." ¹⁸ When he mentioned the Ark of God, Eli fell backward off his chair. He fell beside the gate, broke his neck, and died, because he was old and fat. He had led Israel for forty years. ¹⁹ Eli's daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and was about to give birth. When she heard the news that the Ark of God had been taken and that Eli, her father-in-law, and Phinehas, her husband, were both dead, she began to give birth to her child. The child was born, but the mother had much trouble in giving birth.²⁰ As she was dying, the women who helped her said, "Don't worry! You've given birth to a son!" But she did not answer or pay attention.²¹ She named the baby Ichabod, saying, "Israel's glory is gone." She said this because the Ark of God had been taken and her father-in-law and husband were dead.²² She said, "Israel's glory is gone, because the Ark of God has been taken away."

1 Samuel 5 - New Century

 ¹ After the Philistines had captured the Ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod.² They carried it into Dagon's temple and put it next to Dagon.³ When the people of Ashdod rose early the next morning, they found that Dagon had fallen on his face on the ground before the Ark of the Lord. So they put Dagon back in his place.⁴ The next morning when they rose, they again found Dagon fallen on the ground before the Ark of the Lord. His head and hands had broken off and were lying in the doorway. Only his body was still in one piece.⁵ So, even today, Dagon's priests and others who enter his temple at Ashdod refuse to step on the doorsill. ⁶ The Lord was hard on the people of Ashdod and their neighbors. He caused them to suffer and gave them growths on their skin.⁷ When the people of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, "The Ark of the God of Israel can't stay with us. God is punishing us and Dagon our god."⁸ The people of Ashdod called all five Philistine kings together and asked them, "What should we do with the Ark of the God of Israel?"    The rulers answered, "Move the Ark of the God of Israel to Gath." So the Philistines moved it to Gath. ⁹ But after they moved it to Gath, there was a great panic. The Lord was hard on that city also, and he gave both old and young people in Gath growths on their skin.¹⁰ Then the Philistines sent the Ark of God to Ekron.    But when it came into Ekron, the people of Ekron yelled, "Why are you bringing the Ark of the God of Israel to our city? Do you want to kill us and our people?"¹¹ So they called all the kings of the Philistines together and said, "Send the Ark of the God of Israel back to its place before it kills us and our people!" All the people in the city were struck with terror because God was so hard on them there.¹² The people who did not die were troubled with growths on their skin. So the people of Ekron cried loudly to heaven.

1 Samuel 6 - New Century

 ¹ The Philistines kept the Ark of God in their land seven months.² Then they called for their priests and magicians and said, "What should we do with the Ark of the Lord? Tell us how to send it back home!" ³ The priests and magicians answered, "If you send back the Ark of the God of Israel, don't send it back empty. You must give a penalty offering. If you are then healed, you will know that it was because of the Ark that you had such trouble." ⁴ The Philistines asked, "What kind of penalty offering should we send to Israel's God?"    They answered, "Make five gold models of the growths on your skin and five gold models of rats. The number of models must match the number of Philistine kings, because the same sickness has come on you and your kings.⁵ Make models of the growths and the rats that are ruining the country, and give honor to Israel's God. Then maybe he will stop being so hard on you, your gods, and your land.⁶ Don't be stubborn like the king of Egypt and the Egyptians. After God punished them terribly, they let the Israelites leave Egypt. ⁷ "You must build a new cart and get two cows that have just had calves. These must be cows that have never had yokes on their necks. Hitch the cows to the cart, and take the calves home, away from their mothers.⁸ Put the Ark of the Lord on the cart and the gold models for the penalty offering in a box beside the Ark. Then send the cart straight on its way.⁹ Watch the cart. If it goes toward Beth Shemesh in Israel's own land, the Lord has given us this great sickness. But if it doesn't, we will know that Israel's God has not punished us. Our sickness just happened by chance." ¹⁰ The Philistines did what the priests and magicians said. They took two cows that had just had calves and hitched them to the cart, but they kept their calves at home.¹¹ They put the Ark of the Lord and the box with the gold rats and models of growths on the cart.¹² Then the cows went straight toward Beth Shemesh. They stayed on the road, mooing all the way, and did not turn right or left. The Philistine kings followed the cows as far as the border of Beth Shemesh. ¹³ Now the people of Beth Shemesh were harvesting their wheat in the valley. When they looked up and saw the Ark of the Lord, they were very happy.¹⁴ The cart came to the field belonging to Joshua of Beth Shemesh and stopped near a large rock. The people of Beth Shemesh chopped up the wood of the cart. Then they sacrificed the cows as burnt offerings to the Lord.¹⁵ The Levites took down the Ark of the Lord and the box that had the gold models, and they put both on the large rock. That day the people of Beth Shemesh offered whole burnt offerings and made sacrifices to the Lord.¹⁶ After the five Philistine kings saw this, they went back to Ekron the same day. ¹⁷ The Philistines had sent these gold models of the growths as penalty offerings to the Lord. They sent one model for each Philistine town: Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron.¹⁸ And the Philistines also sent gold models of rats. The number of rats matched the number of towns belonging to the Philistine kings, including both strong, walled cities and country villages. The large rock on which they put the Ark of the Lord is still there in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh. ¹⁹ But some of the men of Beth Shemesh looked into the Ark of the Lord. So God killed seventy of them. The people of Beth Shemesh cried because the Lord had struck them down.²⁰ They said, "Who can stand before the Lord, this holy God? Whom will he strike next?" ²¹ Then they sent messengers to the people of Kiriath Jearim, saying, "The Philistines have brought back the Ark of the Lord. Come down and take it to your city."

1 Samuel 7 - New Century
 ¹ The men of Kiriath Jearim came and took the Ark of the Lord to Abinadab's house on a hill. There they made Abinadab's son Eleazar holy for the Lord so he could guard the Ark of the Lord. ² The Ark stayed at Kiriath Jearim a long time—twenty years in all. And the people of Israel began to follow the Lord again.³ Samuel spoke to the whole group of Israel, saying, "If you're turning back to the Lord with all your hearts, you must remove your foreign gods and your idols of Ashtoreth. You must give yourselves fully to the Lord and serve only him. Then he will save you from the Philistines." ⁴ So the Israelites put away their idols of Baal and Ashtoreth, and they served only the Lord. ⁵ Samuel said, "All Israel must meet at Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you."⁶ So the Israelites met together at Mizpah. They drew water from the ground and poured it out before the Lord and fasted that day. They confessed, "We have sinned against the Lord." And Samuel served as judge of Israel at Mizpah. ⁷ The Philistines heard the Israelites were meeting at Mizpah, so the Philistine kings came up to attack them. When the Israelites heard they were coming, they were afraid.⁸ They said to Samuel, "Don't stop praying to the Lord our God for us! Ask him to save us from the Philistines!"⁹ Then Samuel took a baby lamb and offered it to the Lord as a whole burnt offering. He called to the Lord for Israel's sake, and the Lord answered him. ¹⁰ While Samuel was burning the offering, the Philistines came near to attack Israel. But the Lord thundered against them with loud thunder. They were so frightened they became confused. So the Israelites defeated the Philistines in battle.¹¹ The men of Israel ran out of Mizpah and chased the Philistines almost to Beth Car, killing the Philistines along the way. ¹² After this happened Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named the stone Ebenezer, saying, "The Lord has helped us to this point."¹³ So the Philistines were defeated and did not enter the Israelites' land again.    The Lord was against the Philistines all Samuel's life.¹⁴ Earlier the Philistines had taken towns from the Israelites, but the Israelites won them back, from Ekron to Gath. They also took back from the Philistines the lands near these towns. There was peace also between Israel and the Amorites. ¹⁵ Samuel continued as judge of Israel all his life.¹⁶ Every year he went from Bethel to Gilgal to Mizpah and judged the Israelites in all these towns.¹⁷ But Samuel always went back to Ramah, where his home was. There he judged Israel and built an altar to the Lord.

1 Samuel 8 - New Century

 ¹ When Samuel was old, he made his sons judges for Israel.² His first son was named Joel, and his second son was named Abijah. Joel and Abijah were judges in Beersheba.³ But Samuel's sons did not live as he did. They tried to get money dishonestly, and they accepted money secretly to make wrong judgments. ⁴ So all the elders came together and met Samuel at Ramah. ⁵ They said to him, "You're old, and your sons don't live as you do. Give us a king to rule over us like all the other nations." ⁶ When the elders said that, Samuel was not pleased. He prayed to the Lord,⁷ and the Lord told Samuel, "Listen to whatever the people say to you. They have not rejected you. They have rejected me from being their king.⁸ They are doing as they have always done. When I took them out of Egypt, they left me and served other gods. They are doing the same to you.⁹ Now listen to the people, but warn them what the king who rules over them will do." ¹⁰ So Samuel told those who had asked him for a king what the Lord had said.¹¹ Samuel said, "If you have a king ruling over you, this is what he will do: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and his horses, and they will run in front of the king's chariot.¹² The king will make some of your sons commanders over thousands or over fifties. He will make some of your other sons plow his ground and reap his harvest. He will take others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots.¹³ He will take your daughters to make perfume and cook and bake for him.¹⁴ He will take your best fields, vineyards, and olive groves and give them to his servants.¹⁵ He will take one-tenth of your grain and grapes and give it to his officers and servants.¹⁶ He will take your male and female servants, your best cattle, and your donkeys and use them all for his own work.¹⁷ He will take one-tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves.¹⁸ When that time comes, you will cry out because of the king you chose. But the Lord will not answer you then." ¹⁹ But the people would not listen to Samuel. They said, "No! We want a king to rule over us.²⁰ Then we will be the same as all the other nations. Our king will judge for us and go with us and fight our battles." ²¹ After Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated their words to the Lord.²² The Lord answered, "You must listen to them. Give them a king."    Then Samuel told the people of Israel, "Go back to your towns."

1 Samuel 9 - New Century

 ¹ Kish, son of Abiel from the tribe of Benjamin, was an important man. (Abiel was the son of Zeror, who was the son of Becorath, who was the son of Aphiah of Benjamin.)² Kish had a son named Saul, who was a fine young man. There was no Israelite better than he. Saul stood a head taller than any other man in Israel. ³ Now the donkeys of Saul's father, Kish, were lost. So Kish said to Saul, his son, "Take one of the servants, and go and look for the donkeys."⁴ Saul went through the mountains of Ephraim and the land of Shalisha, but he and the servant could not find the donkeys. They went into the land of Shaalim, but the donkeys were not there. They went through the land of Benjamin, but they still did not find them.⁵ When they arrived in the area of Zuph, Saul said to his servant, "Let's go back or my father will stop thinking about the donkeys and will start worrying about us." ⁶ But the servant answered, "A man of God is in this town. People respect him because everything he says comes true. Let's go into the town now. Maybe he can tell us something about the journey we have taken." ⁷ Saul said to his servant, "If we go into the town, what can we give him? The food in our bags is gone. We have no gift to give him. Do we have anything?" ⁸ Again the servant answered Saul. "Look, I have one-tenth of an ounce of silver. Give it to the man of God. Then he will tell us about our journey."⁹ (In the past, if someone in Israel wanted to ask something from God, he would say, "Let's go to the seer." We call the person a prophet today, but in the past he was called a seer.) ¹⁰ Saul said to his servant, "That's a good idea. Come, let's go." So they went toward the town where the man of God was. ¹¹ As Saul and the servant were going up the hill to the town, they met some young women coming out to get water. Saul and the servant asked them, "Is the seer here?" ¹² The young women answered, "Yes, he's here. He's ahead of you. Hurry now. He has just come to our town today, because the people will offer a sacrifice at the place of worship.¹³ As soon as you enter the town, you will find him before he goes up to the place of worship to eat. The people will not begin eating until the seer comes, because he must bless the sacrifice. After that, the guests will eat. Go now, and you should find him." ¹⁴ Saul and the servant went up to the town. Just as they entered it, they saw Samuel coming toward them on his way up to the place of worship. ¹⁵ The day before Saul came, the Lord had told Samuel:¹⁶ "About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Appoint him to lead my people Israel. He will save my people from the Philistines. I have seen the suffering of my people, and I have listened to their cry." ¹⁷ When Samuel first saw Saul, the Lord said to Samuel, "This is the man I told you about. He will organize my people." ¹⁸ Saul approached Samuel at the gate and said, "Please tell me where the seer's house is." ¹⁹ Samuel answered, "I am the seer. Go with me to the place of worship. Today you and your servant are to eat with me. Tomorrow morning I will answer all your questions and send you home.²⁰ Don't worry about the donkeys you lost three days ago, because they have been found. Soon all the wealth of Israel will belong to you and your family." ²¹ Saul answered, "But I am from the tribe of Benjamin, the smallest tribe in Israel. And my family group is the smallest in the tribe of Benjamin. Why are you saying such things?" ²² Then Samuel took Saul and his servant into a large room and gave them a choice place at the table. About thirty guests were there.²³ Samuel said to the cook, "Bring the meat I gave you, the portion I told you to set aside." ²⁴ So the cook took the thigh and put it on the table in front of Saul. Samuel said, "This is the meat saved for you. Eat it, because it was set aside for you for this special time. As I said, 'I had invited the people.' " So Saul ate with Samuel that day. ²⁵ After they finished eating, they came down from the place of worship and went to the town. Then Samuel talked with Saul on the roof of his house.²⁶ At dawn they got up, and Samuel called to Saul on the roof. He said, "Get up, and I will send you on your way." So Saul got up and went out of the house with Samuel.²⁷ As Saul, his servant, and Samuel were getting near the edge of the city, Samuel said to Saul, "Tell the servant to go on ahead of us, but you stay, because I have a message from God for you."

1 Samuel 10 - New Century

 ¹ Samuel took a jar of olive oil and poured it on Saul's head. He kissed Saul and said, "The Lord has appointed you to lead his people.² After you leave me today, you will meet two men near Rachel's tomb on the border of Benjamin at Zelzah. They will say to you, 'The donkeys you were looking for have been found. But now your father has stopped thinking about his donkeys and is worrying about you. He is asking, "What will I do about my son?" ' ³ "Then you will go on until you reach the big tree at Tabor. Three men on their way to worship God at Bethel will meet you there. One man will be carrying three goats. Another will be carrying three loaves of bread. And the third will have a leather bag full of wine.⁴ They will greet you and offer you two loaves of bread, which you must accept.⁵ Then you will go to Gibeah of God, where a Philistine camp is. When you approach this town, a group of prophets will come down from the place of worship. They will be playing harps, tambourines, flutes, and lyres, and they will be prophesying.⁶ Then the Spirit of the Lord will rush upon you with power. You will prophesy with these prophets, and you will be changed into a different man.⁷ After these signs happen, do whatever you find to do, because God will help you. ⁸ "Go ahead of me to Gilgal. I will come down to you to offer whole burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. But you must wait seven days. Then I will come and tell you what to do." ⁹ When Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul's heart. All these signs came true that day.¹⁰ When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, Saul met a group of prophets. The Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he prophesied with the prophets.¹¹ When people who had known Saul before saw him prophesying with the prophets, they asked each other, "What has happened to Kish's son? Is even Saul one of the prophets?" ¹² A man who lived there said, "Who is the father of these prophets?" So this became a famous saying: "Is even Saul one of the prophets?"¹³ When Saul finished prophesying, he entered the place of worship. ¹⁴ Saul's uncle asked him and his servant, "Where have you been?"    Saul said, "We were looking for the donkeys. When we couldn't find them, we went to talk to Samuel." ¹⁵ Saul's uncle asked, "Please tell me. What did Samuel say to you?" ¹⁶ Saul answered, "He told us the donkeys had already been found." But Saul did not tell his uncle what Samuel had said about his becoming king. ¹⁷ Samuel called all the people of Israel to meet with the Lord at Mizpah.¹⁸ He said, "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'I led Israel out of Egypt. I saved you from Egypt's control and from other kingdoms that were troubling you.'¹⁹ But now you have rejected your God. He saves you from all your troubles and problems, but you said, 'No! We want a king to rule over us.' Now come, stand before the Lord in your tribes and family groups." ²⁰ When Samuel gathered all the tribes of Israel, the tribe of Benjamin was picked.²¹ Samuel had them pass by in family groups, and Matri's family was picked. Then he had each man of Matri's family pass by, and Saul son of Kish was picked. But when they looked for Saul, they could not find him.²² They asked the Lord, "Has Saul come here yet?"    The Lord said, "Yes. He's hiding behind the baggage." ²³ So they ran and brought him out. When Saul stood among the people, he was a head taller than anyone else.²⁴ Then Samuel said to the people, "See the man the Lord has chosen. There is no one like him among all the people."    Then the people shouted, "Long live the king!" ²⁵ Samuel explained the rights and duties of the king and then wrote them in a book and put it before the Lord. Then he told the people to go to their homes. ²⁶ Saul also went to his home in Gibeah. God touched the hearts of certain brave men who went along with him.²⁷ But some troublemakers said, "How can this man save us?" They disapproved of Saul and refused to bring gifts to him. But Saul kept quiet.

1 Samuel 11 - New Century

 ¹ About a month later Nahash the Ammonite and his army surrounded the city of Jabesh in Gilead. All the people of Jabesh said to Nahash, "Make a treaty with us, and we will serve you." ² But he answered, "I will make a treaty with you only if I'm allowed to poke out the right eye of each of you. Then all Israel will be ashamed!" ³ The elders of Jabesh said to Nahash, "Give us seven days to send messengers through all Israel. If no one comes to help us, we will give ourselves up to you."  ⁴ When the messengers came to Gibeah where Saul lived and told the people the news, they cried loudly.⁵ Saul was coming home from plowing the fields with his oxen when he heard the people crying. He asked, "What's wrong with the people that they are crying?" Then they told Saul what the messengers from Jabesh had said.⁶ When Saul heard their words, God's Spirit rushed upon him with power, and he became very angry.⁷ So he took a pair of oxen and cut them into pieces. Then he gave the pieces of the oxen to messengers and ordered them to carry them through all the land of Israel.    The messengers said, "This is what will happen to the oxen of anyone who does not follow Saul and Samuel." So the people became very afraid of the Lord. They all came together as if they were one person.⁸ Saul gathered the people together at Bezek. There were three hundred thousand men from Israel and thirty thousand men from Judah. ⁹ They said to the messengers who had come, "Tell the people at Jabesh Gilead this: 'Before the day warms up tomorrow, you will be saved.' " So the messengers went and reported this to the people at Jabesh, and they were very happy.¹⁰ The people said to Nahash the Ammonite, "Tomorrow we will come out to meet you. Then you can do anything you want to us." ¹¹ The next morning Saul divided his soldiers into three groups. At dawn they entered the Ammonite camp and defeated them before the heat of the day. The Ammonites who escaped were scattered; no two of them were still together. ¹² Then the people said to Samuel, "Who didn't want Saul as king? Bring them here and we will kill them!" ¹³ But Saul said, "No! No one will be put to death today. Today the Lord has saved Israel!" ¹⁴ Then Samuel said to the people, "Come, let's go to Gilgal. There we will again promise to obey the king."¹⁵ So all the people went to Gilgal, and there, before the Lord, the people made Saul king. They offered fellowship offerings to the Lord, and Saul and all the Israelites had a great celebration.

1 Samuel 12 - New Century

 ¹ Samuel said to all Israel, "I have done everything you wanted me to do and have put a king over you.² Now you have a king to lead you. I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have been your leader since I was young.³ Here I am. If I have done anything wrong, you must testify against me before the Lord and his appointed king. Did I steal anyone's ox or donkey? Did I hurt or cheat anyone? Did I ever secretly accept money to pretend not to see something wrong? If I did any of these things, I will make it right." ⁴ The Israelites answered, "You have not cheated us, or hurt us, or taken anything unfairly from anyone." ⁵ Samuel said to them, "The Lord is a witness to what you have said. His appointed king is also a witness today that you did not find anything wrong in me."    "He is our witness," they said. ⁶ Then Samuel said to the people, "It is the Lord who chose Moses and Aaron and brought your ancestors out of Egypt.⁷ Now, stand there, and I will remind you of all the good things the Lord did for you and your ancestors. ⁸ "After Jacob entered Egypt, his descendants cried to the Lord for help. So the Lord sent Moses and Aaron, who took your ancestors out of Egypt and brought them to live in this place. ⁹ "But they forgot the Lord their God. So he handed them over as slaves to Sisera, the commander of the army of Hazor, and as slaves to the Philistines and the king of Moab. They all fought against your ancestors.¹⁰ Then your ancestors cried to the Lord and said, 'We have sinned. We have left the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtoreths. But now save us from our enemies, and we will serve you.'¹¹ So the Lord sent Gideon, Barak, Jephthah, and Samuel. He saved you from your enemies around you, and you lived in safety.¹² But when you saw Nahash king of the Ammonites coming against you, you said, 'No! We want a king to rule over us!'—even though the Lord your God was your king.¹³ Now here is the king you chose, the one you asked for. The Lord has put him over you.¹⁴ You must honor the Lord and serve him. You must obey his word and not turn against his commands. Both you and the king ruling over you must follow the Lord your God. If you do, it will be well with you.¹⁵ But if you don't obey the Lord, and if you turn against his commands, he will be against you. He will do to you what he did to your ancestors. ¹⁶ "Now stand still and see the great thing the Lord will do before your eyes.¹⁷ It is now the time of the wheat harvest. I will pray for the Lord to send thunder and rain. Then you will know what an evil thing you did against the Lord when you asked for a king." ¹⁸ Then Samuel prayed to the Lord, and that same day the Lord sent thunder and rain. So the people were very afraid of the Lord and Samuel.¹⁹ They said to Samuel, "Pray to the Lord your God for us, your servants! Don't let us die! We've added to all our sins the evil of asking for a king." ²⁰ Samuel answered, "Don't be afraid. It's true that you did wrong, but don't turn away from the Lord. Serve the Lord with all your heart.²¹ Idols are of no use, so don't worship them. They can't help you or save you. They are useless!²² For his own sake, the Lord won't leave his people. Instead, he was pleased to make you his own people.²³ I will surely not stop praying for you, because that would be sinning against the Lord. I will teach you what is good and right.²⁴ You must honor the Lord and truly serve him with all your heart. Remember the wonderful things he did for you!²⁵ But if you are stubborn and do evil, he will sweep you and your king away."

1 Samuel 13 - New Century

 ¹ Saul was thirty years old when he became king, and he was king over Israel forty-two years. ² Saul chose three thousand men from Israel. Two thousand men stayed with him at Micmash in the mountains of Bethel, and one thousand men stayed with Jonathan at Gibeah in Benjamin. Saul sent the other men in the army back home. ³ Jonathan attacked the Philistine camp in Geba, and the other Philistines heard about it. Saul said, "Let the Hebrews hear what happened." So he told the men to blow trumpets through all the land of Israel.⁴ All the Israelites heard the news. The men said, "Saul has defeated the Philistine camp. Now the Philistines will really hate us!" Then the Israelites were called to join Saul at Gilgal. ⁵ The Philistines gathered to fight Israel with three thousand chariots and six thousand men to ride in them. Their soldiers were as many as the grains of sand on the seashore. The Philistines went and camped at Micmash, which is east of Beth Aven.⁶ When the Israelites saw that they were in trouble, they went to hide in caves and bushes, among the rocks, and in pits and wells.⁷ Some Hebrews even went across the Jordan River to the land of Gad and Gilead.    But Saul stayed at Gilgal, and all the men in his army were shaking with fear.⁸ Saul waited seven days, because Samuel had said he would meet him then. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the soldiers began to leave. ⁹ So Saul said, "Bring me the whole burnt offering and the fellowship offerings." Then Saul offered the whole burnt offering.¹⁰ Just as he finished, Samuel arrived, and Saul went to greet him. ¹¹ Samuel asked, "What have you done?"    Saul answered, "I saw the soldiers leaving me, and you were not here when you said you would be. The Philistines were gathering at Micmash.¹² Then I thought, 'The Philistines will come against me at Gilgal, and I haven't asked for the Lord's approval.' So I forced myself to offer the whole burnt offering." ¹³ Samuel said, "You acted foolishly! You haven't obeyed the command of the Lord your God. If you had obeyed him, the Lord would have made your kingdom continue in Israel always,¹⁴ but now your kingdom will not continue. The Lord has looked for the kind of man he wants. He has appointed him to rule his people, because you haven't obeyed his command." ¹⁵ Then Samuel left Gilgal and went to Gibeah in Benjamin. Saul counted the men who were still with him, and there were about six hundred. ¹⁶ Saul and his son Jonathan and the soldiers with him stayed in Gibeah in the land of Benjamin. The Philistines made their camp at Micmash.¹⁷ Three groups went out from the Philistine camp to make raids. One group went on the Ophrah road in the land of Shual.¹⁸ The second group went on the Beth Horon road. The third group went on the border road that overlooks the Valley of Zeboim toward the desert. ¹⁹ The whole land of Israel had no blacksmith because the Philistines had said, "The Hebrews might make swords and spears."²⁰ So all the Israelites had to go down to the Philistines to have their plows, hoes, axes, and sickles sharpened.²¹ The Philistine blacksmiths charged about one-fourth of an ounce of silver for sharpening plows and hoes. And they charged one-eighth of an ounce of silver for sharpening picks, axes, and the sticks used to guide oxen. ²² So when the battle came, the soldiers with Saul and Jonathan had no swords or spears. Only Saul and his son Jonathan had them. ²³ A group from the Philistine army had gone out to the pass at Micmash.

1 Samuel 14 - New Century

 ¹ One day Jonathan, Saul's son, said to the officer who carried his armor, "Come, let's go over to the Philistine camp on the other side." But Jonathan did not tell his father. ² Saul was sitting under a pomegranate tree at the threshing floor near Gibeah. He had about six hundred men with him.³ One man was Ahijah who was wearing the holy vest. (Ahijah was a son of Ichabod's brother Ahitub. Ichabod was the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the Lord's priest in Shiloh.) No one knew Jonathan had left. ⁴ There was a steep slope on each side of the pass that Jonathan planned to go through to reach the Philistine camp. The cliff on one side was named Bozez, and the cliff on the other side was named Seneh.⁵ One cliff faced north toward Micmash. The other faced south toward Geba. ⁶ Jonathan said to his officer who carried his armor, "Come. Let's go to the camp of those men who are not circumcised. Maybe the Lord will help us. The Lord can give us victory if we have many people, or just a few." ⁷ The officer who carried Jonathan's armor said to him, "Do whatever you think is best. Go ahead. I'm with you." ⁸ Jonathan said, "Then come. We will cross over to the Philistines and let them see us.⁹ If they say to us, 'Stay there until we come to you,' we will stay where we are. We won't go up to them.¹⁰ But if they say, 'Come up to us,' we will climb up, and the Lord will let us defeat them. This will be the sign for us." ¹¹ When both Jonathan and his officer let the Philistines see them, the Philistines said, "Look! The Hebrews are crawling out of the holes they were hiding in!"¹² The Philistines in the camp shouted to Jonathan and his officer, "Come up to us. We'll teach you a lesson!"    Jonathan said to his officer, "Climb up behind me, because the Lord has given the Philistines to Israel!"¹³ So Jonathan climbed up, using his hands and feet, and his officer climbed just behind him. Jonathan struck down the Philistines as he went, and his officer killed them as he followed behind him.¹⁴ In that first fight Jonathan and his officer killed about twenty Philistines over a half acre of ground. ¹⁵ All the Philistine soldiers panicked—those in the camp and those in the raiding party. The ground itself shook! God had caused the panic. ¹⁶ Saul's guards were at Gibeah in the land of Benjamin when they saw the Philistine soldiers running in every direction.¹⁷ Saul said to his army, "Check to see who has left our camp." When they checked, they learned that Jonathan and his officer were gone. ¹⁸ So Saul said to Ahijah the priest, "Bring the Ark of God." (At that time it was with the Israelites.)¹⁹ While Saul was talking to the priest, the confusion in the Philistine camp was growing. Then Saul said to Ahijah, "Put your hand down!" ²⁰ Then Saul gathered his army and entered the battle. They found the Philistines confused, striking each other with their swords!²¹ Earlier, there were Hebrews who had served the Philistines and had stayed in their camp, but now they joined the Israelites with Saul and Jonathan.²² When all the Israelites hidden in the mountains of Ephraim heard that the Philistine soldiers were running away, they also joined the battle and chased the Philistines.²³ So the Lord saved the Israelites that day, and the battle moved on past Beth Aven. ²⁴ The men of Israel were miserable that day because Saul had made an oath for all of them. He had said, "No one should eat food before evening and before I finish defeating my enemies. If he does, he will be cursed!" So no Israelite soldier ate food. ²⁵ Now the army went into the woods, where there was some honey on the ground.²⁶ They came upon some honey, but no one took any because they were afraid of the oath.²⁷ Jonathan had not heard the oath Saul had put on the army, so he dipped the end of his stick into the honey and lifted some out and ate it. Then he felt better.²⁸ Then one of the soldiers told Jonathan, "Your father made an oath for all the soldiers. He said any man who eats today will be cursed! That's why they are so weak." ²⁹ Jonathan said, "My father has made trouble for the land! See how much better I feel after just tasting a little of this honey!³⁰ It would have been much better for the men to eat the food they took from their enemies today. We could have killed many more Philistines!"

1 Samuel 15 - New Century

 ¹ Samuel said to Saul, "The Lord sent me to appoint you king over Israel. Now listen to his message.² This is what the Lord All-Powerful says: 'When the Israelites came out of Egypt, the Amalekites tried to stop them from going to Canaan. So I will punish them.³ Now go, attack the Amalekites and destroy everything they own as an offering to the Lord. Don't let anything live. Put to death men and women, children and small babies, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.' " ⁴ So Saul called the army together at Telaim. There were two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men from Judah.⁵ Then Saul went to the city of Amalek and set up an ambush in the ravine.⁶ He said to the Kenites, "Go away. Leave the Amalekites so that I won't destroy you with them, because you showed kindness to the Israelites when they came out of Egypt." So the Kenites moved away from the Amalekites. ⁷ Then Saul defeated the Amalekites. He fought them all the way from Havilah to Shur, at the border of Egypt.⁸ He took King Agag of the Amalekites alive, but he killed all of Agag's army with the sword.⁹ Saul and the army let Agag live, along with the best sheep, fat cattle, and lambs. They let every good animal live, because they did not want to destroy them. But when they found an animal that was weak or useless, they killed it. ¹⁰ Then the Lord spoke his word to Samuel:¹¹ "I am sorry I made Saul king, because he has stopped following me and has not obeyed my commands." Samuel was upset, and he cried out to the Lord all night long. ¹² Early the next morning Samuel got up and went to meet Saul. But the people told Samuel, "Saul has gone to Carmel, where he has put up a monument in his own honor. Now he has gone down to Gilgal." ¹³ When Samuel came to Saul, Saul said, "May the Lord bless you! I have obeyed the Lord's commands." ¹⁴ But Samuel said, "Then why do I hear cattle mooing and sheep bleating?" ¹⁵ Saul answered, "The soldiers took them from the Amalekites. They saved the best sheep and cattle to offer as sacrifices to the Lord your God, but we destroyed all the other animals." ¹⁶ Samuel said to Saul, "Stop! Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night."    Saul answered, "Tell me." ¹⁷ Samuel said, "Once you didn't think much of yourself, but now you have become the leader of the tribes of Israel. The Lord appointed you to be king over Israel.¹⁸ And he sent you on a mission. He said, 'Go and destroy those evil people, the Amalekites. Make war on them until all of them are dead.'¹⁹ Why didn't you obey the Lord? Why did you take the best things? Why did you do what the Lord said was wrong?" ²⁰ Saul said, "But I did obey the Lord. I did what the Lord told me to do. I destroyed all the Amalekites, and I brought back Agag their king.²¹ The soldiers took the best sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God at Gilgal." ²² But Samuel answered,
    "What pleases the Lord more:
       burnt offerings and sacrifices
       or obedience to his voice?
    It is better to obey than to sacrifice.
       It is better to listen to God than to offer the fat of sheep.
 ²³ Disobedience is as bad as the sin of sorcery.
       Pride is as bad as the sin of worshiping idols.
    You have rejected the Lord's command.
       Now he rejects you as king." ²⁴ Then Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned. I didn't obey the Lord's commands and your words. I was afraid of the people, and I did what they said.²⁵ Now, I beg you, forgive my sin. Come back with me so I may worship the Lord." ²⁶ But Samuel said to Saul, "I won't go back with you. You rejected the Lord's command, and now he rejects you as king of Israel." ²⁷ As Samuel turned to leave, Saul caught his robe, and it tore.²⁸ Samuel said to him, "The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to one of your neighbors who is better than you.²⁹ The Lord is the Eternal One of Israel. He does not lie or change his mind. He is not a human being, so he does not change his mind." ³⁰ Saul answered, "I have sinned. But please honor me in front of the elders of my people and in front of the Israelites. Come back with me so that I can worship the Lord your God."

1 Samuel 16 - New Century

 ¹ The Lord said to Samuel, "How long will you continue to feel sorry for Saul? I have rejected him as king of Israel. Fill your container with olive oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse who lives in Bethlehem, because I have chosen one of his sons to be king." ² But Samuel said, "If I go, Saul will hear the news and will try to kill me."    The Lord said, "Take a young calf with you. Say, 'I have come to offer a sacrifice to the Lord.'³ Invite Jesse to the sacrifice. Then I will tell you what to do. You must appoint the one I show you." ⁴ Samuel did what the Lord told him to do. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of Bethlehem shook with fear. They met him and asked, "Are you coming in peace?" ⁵ Samuel answered, "Yes, I come in peace. I have come to make a sacrifice to the Lord. Set yourselves apart to the Lord and come to the sacrifice with me." Then he set Jesse and his sons apart to the Lord, and he invited them to come to the sacrifice. ⁶ When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab, and he thought, "Surely the Lord has appointed this person standing here before him." ⁷ But the Lord said to Samuel, "Don't look at how handsome Eliab is or how tall he is, because I have not chosen him. God does not see the same way people see. People look at the outside of a person, but the Lord looks at the heart." ⁸ Then Jesse called Abinadab and told him to pass by Samuel. But Samuel said, "The Lord has not chosen this man either."⁹ Then Jesse had Shammah pass by. But Samuel said, "No, the Lord has not chosen this one."¹⁰ Jesse had seven of his sons pass by Samuel. But Samuel said to him, "The Lord has not chosen any of these." ¹¹ Then he asked Jesse, "Are these all the sons you have?"    Jesse answered, "I still have the youngest son. He is out taking care of the sheep."    Samuel said, "Send for him. We will not sit down to eat until he arrives." ¹² So Jesse sent and had his youngest son brought in. He was a fine boy, tanned, and handsome.    The Lord said to Samuel, "Go, appoint him, because he is the one." ¹³ So Samuel took the container of olive oil and poured it on Jesse's youngest son to appoint him in front of his brothers. From that day on, the Lord's Spirit worked in David. Samuel then went back to Ramah. ¹⁴ But the Lord's Spirit had left Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him. ¹⁵ Saul's servants said to him, "See, an evil spirit from God is troubling you.¹⁶ Give us the command to look for someone who can play the harp. When the evil spirit from God troubles you, he will play, and you will feel better." ¹⁷ So Saul said to his servants, "Find someone who can play well and bring him to me." ¹⁸ One of the servants said, "I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem play the harp. He is brave and courageous. He is a good speaker and handsome, and the Lord is with him." ¹⁹ Then Saul sent messengers to Jesse, saying, "Send me your son David, who is with the sheep."²⁰ So Jesse loaded a donkey with bread, a leather bag full of wine, and a young goat, and he sent them with his son David to Saul. ²¹ When David came to Saul, he began to serve him. Saul liked David and made him the officer who carried his armor.²² Saul sent a message to Jesse, saying, "Let David stay and serve me because I like him." ²³ When the evil spirit from God troubled Saul, David would take his harp and play. Then the evil spirit would leave him, and Saul would feel better.

1 Samuel 17 - New Century

 ¹ The Philistines gathered their armies for war. They met at Socoh in Judah and camped at Ephes Dammim between Socoh and Azekah.² Saul and the Israelites gathered in the Valley of Elah and camped there and took their positions to fight the Philistines.³ The Philistines controlled one hill while the Israelites controlled another. The valley was between them. ⁴ The Philistines had a champion fighter from Gath named Goliath. He was about nine feet, four inches tall. He came out of the Philistine camp⁵ with a bronze helmet on his head and a coat of bronze armor that weighed about one hundred twenty-five pounds.⁶ He wore bronze protectors on his legs, and he had a bronze spear on his back.⁷ The wooden part of his larger spear was like a weaver's rod, and its blade weighed about fifteen pounds. The officer who carried his shield walked in front of him. ⁸ Goliath stood and shouted to the Israelite soldiers, "Why have you taken positions for battle? I am a Philistine, and you are Saul's servants! Choose a man and send him to fight me.⁹ If he can fight and kill me, we will be your servants. But if I can kill him, you will be our servants."¹⁰ Then he said, "Today I stand and dare the army of Israel! Send one of your men to fight me!"¹¹ When Saul and the Israelites heard the Philistine's words, they were very scared. ¹² Now David was the son of Jesse, an Ephrathite from Bethlehem in Judah. Jesse had eight sons. In Saul's time Jesse was an old man.¹³ His three oldest sons followed Saul to the war. The first son was Eliab, the second was Abinadab, and the third was Shammah.¹⁴ David was the youngest. Jesse's three oldest sons followed Saul,¹⁵ but David went back and forth from Saul to Bethlehem, where he took care of his father's sheep. ¹⁶ For forty days the Philistine came out every morning and evening and stood before the Israelite army. ¹⁷ Jesse said to his son David, "Take this half bushel of cooked grain and ten loaves of bread to your brothers in the camp.¹⁸ Also take ten pieces of cheese to the commander and to your brothers. See how your brothers are and bring back some proof to show me that they are all right.¹⁹ Your brothers are with Saul and the army in the Valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines." ²⁰ Early in the morning David left the sheep with another shepherd. He took the food and left as Jesse had told him. When David arrived at the camp, the army was going out to their battle positions, shouting their war cry.²¹ The Israelites and Philistines were lining up their men to face each other in battle. ²² David left the food with the man who kept the supplies and ran to the battle line to talk to his brothers.²³ While he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, came out. He shouted things against Israel as usual, and David heard him.²⁴ When the Israelites saw Goliath, they were very much afraid and ran away. ²⁵ They said, "Look at this man! He keeps coming out to challenge Israel. The king will give much money to whoever kills him. He will also let whoever kills him marry his daughter. And his father's family will not have to pay taxes in Israel." ²⁶ David asked the men who stood near him, "What will be done to reward the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the shame from Israel? Who does this uncircumcised Philistine think he is? Does he think he can speak against the armies of the living God?" ²⁷ The Israelites told David what would be done for the man who would kill Goliath. ²⁸ When David's oldest brother Eliab heard David talking with the soldiers, he was angry with David. He asked David, "Why did you come here? Who's taking care of those few sheep of yours in the desert? I know you are proud and wicked at heart. You came down here just to watch the battle." ²⁹ David asked, "Now what have I done wrong? Can't I even talk?"³⁰ When he turned to other people and asked the same questions, they gave him the same answer as before.

1 Samuel 18 - New Century

 ¹ When David finished talking with Saul, Jonathan felt very close to David. He loved David as much as he loved himself.² Saul kept David with him from that day on and did not let him go home to his father's house.³ Jonathan made an agreement with David, because he loved David as much as himself.⁴ He took off his coat and gave it to David, along with his armor, including his sword, bow, and belt. ⁵ Saul sent David to fight in different battles, and David was very successful. Then Saul put David over the soldiers, which pleased Saul's officers and all the other people. ⁶ After David had killed the Philistine, he and the men returned home. Women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul. They sang songs of joy, danced, and played tambourines and stringed instruments.⁷ As they played, they sang,
    "Saul has killed thousands of his enemies,
       but David has killed tens of thousands." ⁸ The women's song upset Saul, and he became very angry. He thought, "The women say David has killed tens of thousands, but they say I have killed only thousands. The only thing left for him to have is the kingdom!"⁹ So Saul watched David closely from then on, because he was jealous. ¹⁰ The next day an evil spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he prophesied in his house. David was playing the harp as he usually did, but Saul had a spear in his hand.¹¹ He threw the spear, thinking, "I'll pin David to the wall." But David escaped from him twice. ¹² The Lord was with David but had left Saul. So Saul was afraid of David.¹³ He sent David away and made him commander of a thousand soldiers. So David led them in battle.¹⁴ He had great success in everything he did because the Lord was with him.¹⁵ When Saul saw that David was very successful, he feared David even more.¹⁶ But all the people of Israel and Judah loved David because he led them well in battle. ¹⁷ Saul said to David, "Here is my older daughter Merab. I will let you marry her. All I ask is that you remain brave and fight the Lord's battles." Saul thought, "I won't have to kill David. The Philistines will do that." ¹⁸ But David answered Saul, saying, "Who am I? My family is not important enough for me to become the king's son-in-law."¹⁹ So, when the time came for Saul's daughter Merab to marry David, Saul gave her instead to Adriel of Meholah. ²⁰ Now Saul's other daughter, Michal, loved David. When they told Saul, he was pleased.²¹ He thought, "I will let her marry David. Then she will be a trap for him, and the Philistines will defeat him." So Saul said to David a second time, "You may become my son-in-law." ²² And Saul ordered his servants to talk with David in private and say, "Look, the king likes you. His servants love you. You should be his son-in-law." ²³ Saul's servants said these words to David, but David answered, "Do you think it is easy to become the king's son-in-law? I am poor and unimportant." ²⁴ When Saul's servants told him what David had said,²⁵ Saul said, "Tell David, 'The king doesn't want money for the bride. All he wants is a hundred Philistine foreskins to get even with his enemies.' " Saul planned to let the Philistines kill David. ²⁶ When Saul's servants told this to David, he was pleased to become the king's son-in-law.²⁷ So he and his men went out and killed two hundred Philistines. David brought all their foreskins to Saul so he could be the king's son-in-law. Then Saul gave him his daughter Michal for his wife.²⁸ Saul saw that the Lord was with David and that his daughter Michal loved David.²⁹ So he grew even more afraid of David, and he was David's enemy all his life. ³⁰ The Philistine commanders continued to go out to fight the Israelites, but every time, David was more skillful than Saul's officers. So he became famous.

1 Samuel 19 - New Century

 ¹ Saul told his son Jonathan and all his servants to kill David, but Jonathan liked David very much.² So he warned David, "My father Saul is looking for a chance to kill you. Watch out in the morning. Hide in a secret place.³ I will go out and stand with my father in the field where you are hiding, and I'll talk to him about you. Then I'll let you know what I find out." ⁴ When Jonathan talked to Saul his father, he said good things about David. Jonathan said, "The king should do no wrong to your servant David since he has done nothing wrong to you. What he has done has helped you greatly.⁵ David risked his life when he killed Goliath the Philistine, and the Lord won a great victory for all Israel. You saw it and were happy. Why would you do wrong against David? He's innocent. There's no reason to kill him!" ⁶ Saul listened to Jonathan and then made this promise: "As surely as the Lord lives, David won't be put to death." ⁷ So Jonathan called to David and told him everything that had been said. He brought David to Saul, and David was with Saul as before. ⁸ When war broke out again, David went out to fight the Philistines. He defeated them, and they ran away from him. ⁹ But once again an evil spirit from the Lord rushed upon Saul as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand. David was playing the harp.¹⁰ Saul tried to pin David to the wall with his spear, but David jumped out of the way. So Saul's spear went into the wall, and David ran away that night. ¹¹ Saul sent messengers to David's house to watch it and to kill him in the morning. But Michal, David's wife, warned him, saying, "Tonight you must run for your life. If you don't, you will be dead in the morning."¹² So she let David down out of a window, and he ran away and escaped.¹³ Then Michal took an idol, laid it on the bed, covered it with clothes, and put goats' hair at its head. ¹⁴ Saul sent messengers to take David prisoner, but Michal said, "He is sick." ¹⁵ Saul sent them back to see David, saying, "Bring him to me on his bed so I can kill him." ¹⁶ When the messengers entered David's house, they found just an idol on the bed with goats' hair on its head. ¹⁷ Saul said to Michal, "Why did you trick me this way? You let my enemy go so he could run away!"    Michal answered Saul, "David told me if I did not help him escape, he would kill me." ¹⁸ After David had escaped from Saul, he went to Samuel at Ramah and told him everything Saul had done to him. Then David and Samuel went to Naioth and stayed there.¹⁹ Saul heard that David was in Naioth at Ramah.²⁰ So he sent messengers to capture him. But they met a group of prophets prophesying, with Samuel standing there leading them. So the Spirit of God entered Saul's men, and they also prophesied. ²¹ When Saul heard the news, he sent more messengers, but they also prophesied. Then he sent messengers a third time, but they also prophesied.²² Finally, Saul himself went to Ramah, to the well at Secu. He asked, "Where are Samuel and David?"    The people answered, "In Naioth at Ramah." ²³ When Saul went to Naioth at Ramah, the Spirit of God also rushed upon him. And he walked on, prophesying until he came to Naioth at Ramah.²⁴ He took off his robes and prophesied in front of Samuel. He lay that way all day and all night. That is why people ask, "Is even Saul one of the prophets?"

1 Samuel 20 - New Century

 ¹ Then David ran away from Naioth in Ramah. He went to Jonathan and asked, "What have I done? What is my crime? How did I sin against your father? Why is he trying to kill me?" ² Jonathan answered, "No! You won't die! See, my father doesn't do anything great or small without first telling me. Why would he keep this from me? It's not true!" ³ But David took an oath, saying, "Your father knows very well that you like me. He says to himself, 'Jonathan must not know about it, or he will tell David.' As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I am only a step away from death!" ⁴ Jonathan said to David, "I'll do anything you want me to do." ⁵ So David said, "Look, tomorrow is the New Moon festival. I am supposed to eat with the king, but let me hide in the field until the third evening.⁶ If your father notices I am gone, tell him, 'David begged me to let him go to his hometown of Bethlehem. Every year at this time his family group offers a sacrifice.'⁷ If your father says, 'Fine,' I am safe. But if he becomes angry, you will know that he wants to hurt me.⁸ Jonathan, be loyal to me, your servant. You have made an agreement with me before the Lord. If I am guilty, you may kill me yourself! Why hand me over to your father?" ⁹ Jonathan answered, "No, never! If I learn that my father plans to hurt you, I will warn you!" ¹⁰ David asked, "Who will let me know if your father answers you unkindly?" ¹¹ Then Jonathan said, "Come, let's go out into the field." So the two of them went out into the field. ¹² Jonathan said to David, "I promise this before the Lord, the God of Israel: At this same time the day after tomorrow, I will find out how my father feels. If he feels good toward you, I will send word to you and let you know.¹³ But if my father plans to hurt you, I will let you know and send you away safely. May the Lord punish me terribly if I don't do this. And may the Lord be with you as he has been with my father.¹⁴ But show me the kindness of the Lord as long as I live so that I may not die.¹⁵ You must never stop showing your kindness to my family, even when the Lord has destroyed all your enemies from the earth." ¹⁶ So Jonathan made an agreement with David. He said, "May the Lord hold David's enemies responsible."¹⁷ And Jonathan asked David to repeat his promise of love for him, because he loved David as much as he loved himself. ¹⁸ Jonathan said to David, "Tomorrow is the New Moon festival. Your seat will be empty, so my father will miss you.¹⁹ On the third day go to the place where you hid when this trouble began. Wait by the rock Ezel.²⁰ On the third day I will shoot three arrows to the side of the rock as if I am shooting at a target.²¹ Then I will send a boy to find the arrows. If I say to him, 'The arrows are near you; bring them here,' you may come out of hiding. You are safe. As the Lord lives, there is no danger.²² But if I say to the boy, 'Look, the arrows are beyond you,' you must go, because the Lord is sending you away.²³ Remember what we talked about. The Lord is a witness between you and me forever." ²⁴ So David hid in the field. When the New Moon festival came, the king sat down to eat.²⁵ He sat where he always sat, near the wall. Jonathan sat across from him, and Abner sat next to Saul, but David's place was empty.²⁶ That day Saul said nothing. He thought, "Maybe something has happened to David so that he is unclean."²⁷ But the next day was the second day of the month, and David's place was still empty. So Saul said to Jonathan, "Why hasn't the son of Jesse come to the feast yesterday or today?" ²⁸ Jonathan answered, "David begged me to let him go to Bethlehem.²⁹ He said, 'Let me go, because our family has a sacrifice in the town, and my brother has ordered me to be there. Now if I am your friend, please let me go to see my brothers.' That is why he has not come to the king's table." ³⁰ Then Saul became very angry with Jonathan. He said, "You son of a wicked, worthless woman! I know you are on the side of David son of Jesse! You bring shame on yourself and on your mother who gave birth to you.

1 Samuel 21 - New Century

 ¹ David went to Nob to see Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech shook with fear when he saw David, and he asked, "Why are you alone? Why is no one with you?" ² David answered him, "The king gave me a special order. He told me, 'No one must know what I am sending you to do or what I told you to do.' I told my men where to meet me.³ Now, what food do you have with you? Give me five loaves of bread or anything you find." ⁴ The priest said to David, "I don't have any plain bread here, but I do have some holy bread. You may eat it if your men have kept themselves from women." ⁵ David answered, "No women have been near us for days. My men always keep themselves holy, even when we do ordinary work. And this is especially true when the work is holy." ⁶ So the priest gave David the holy bread from the presence of God because there was no other. Each day the holy bread was replaced with hot bread. ⁷ One of Saul's servants happened to be there that day. He had been held there before the Lord. He was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul's shepherds. ⁸ David asked Ahimelech, "Do you have a spear or sword here? The king's business was very important, so I left without my sword or any other weapon." ⁹ The priest answered, "The sword of Goliath the Philistine, the one you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here. It is wrapped in a cloth behind the holy vest. If you want it, you may take it. There's no other sword here but that one."    David said, "There is no other sword like it. Give it to me." ¹⁰ That day David ran away from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath.¹¹ But the servants of Achish said to him, "This is David, the king of the Israelites. He's the man they dance and sing about, saying:
    'Saul has killed thousands of his enemies,
       but David has killed tens of thousands.' " ¹² David paid attention to these words and was very much afraid of Achish king of Gath.¹³ So he pretended to be crazy in front of Achish and his servants. While he was with them, he acted like a madman and clawed on the doors of the gate and let spit run down his beard. ¹⁴ Achish said to his servants, "Look at the man! He's crazy! Why do you bring him to me?¹⁵ I have enough madmen. I don't need you to bring him here to act like this in front of me! Don't let him in my house!"

1 Samuel 22 - New Century

 ¹ David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and other relatives heard that he was there, they went to see him.² Everyone who was in trouble, or who owed money, or who was unsatisfied gathered around David, and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him. ³ From there David went to Mizpah in Moab and spoke to the king of Moab. He said, "Please let my father and mother come and stay with you until I learn what God is going to do for me."⁴ So he left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed with him as long as David was hiding in the stronghold. ⁵ But the prophet Gad said to David, "Don't stay in the stronghold. Go to the land of Judah." So David left and went to the forest of Hereth. ⁶ Saul heard that David and his men had been seen. Saul was sitting under the tamarisk tree on the hill at Gibeah, and all his officers were standing around him. He had a spear in his hand.⁷ Saul said to them, "Listen, men of Benjamin! Do you think the son of Jesse will give all of you fields and vineyards? Will David make you commanders over thousands of men or hundreds of men?⁸ You have all made plans against me! No one tells me when my son makes an agreement with the son of Jesse! No one cares about me! No one tells me when my son has encouraged my servant to ambush me this very day!" ⁹ Doeg the Edomite, who was standing there with Saul's officers, said, "I saw the son of Jesse. He came to see Ahimelech son of Ahitub at Nob.¹⁰ Ahimelech prayed to the Lord for David and gave him food and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine." ¹¹ Then the king sent for the priest Ahimelech son of Ahitub and for all of Ahimelech's relatives who were priests at Nob. And they all came to the king.¹² Saul said to Ahimelech, "Listen now, son of Ahitub."    Ahimelech answered, "Yes, master." ¹³ Saul said, "Why are you and Jesse's son against me? You gave him bread and a sword! You prayed to God for him. David has turned against me and is waiting to attack me even now!" ¹⁴ Ahimelech answered, "You have no other servant who is as loyal as David, your own son-in-law and captain of your bodyguards. Everyone in your house respects him.¹⁵ That was not the first time I prayed to God for David. Don't blame me or any of my relatives. I, your servant, know nothing about what is going on." ¹⁶ But the king said, "Ahimelech, you and all your relatives must die!"¹⁷ Then he told the guards at his side, "Go and kill the priests of the Lord, because they are on David's side. They knew he was running away, but they didn't tell me."    But the king's officers refused to kill the priests of the Lord. ¹⁸ Then the king ordered Doeg, "Go and kill the priests." So Doeg the Edomite went and killed the priests. That day he killed eighty-five men who wore the linen holy vest.¹⁹ He also killed the people of Nob, the city of the priests. With the sword he killed men, women, children, babies, cattle, donkeys, and sheep. ²⁰ But Abiathar, a son of Ahimelech, who was the son of Ahitub, escaped. He ran away and joined David.²¹ He told David that Saul had killed the Lord's priests.²² Then David told him, "Doeg the Edomite was there at Nob that day. I knew he would surely tell Saul. So I am responsible for the death of all your father's family.²³ Stay with me. Don't be afraid. The man who wants to kill you also wants to kill me. You will be safe with me."

1 Samuel 23 - New Century

 ¹ Someone told David, "Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and stealing grain from the threshing floors." ² David asked the Lord, "Should I go and fight these Philistines?"    The Lord answered him, "Go. Attack them, and save Keilah." ³ But David's men said to him, "We're afraid here in Judah. We will be more afraid if we go to Keilah where the Philistine army is." ⁴ David again asked the Lord, and the Lord answered, "Go down to Keilah. I will help you defeat the Philistines."⁵ So David and his men went to Keilah and fought the Philistines and took their cattle. David killed many Philistines and saved the people of Keilah.⁶ (Now Abiathar son of Ahimelech had brought the holy vest with him when he came to David at Keilah.) ⁷ Someone told Saul that David was now at Keilah. Saul said, "God has handed David over to me! He has trapped himself, because he has entered a town with gates and bars."⁸ Saul called all his army together for battle, and they prepared to go down to Keilah to attack David and his men. ⁹ David learned Saul was making evil plans against him. So he said to Abiathar the priest, "Bring the holy vest."¹⁰ David prayed, "Lord, God of Israel, I have heard that Saul plans to come to Keilah to destroy the town because of me.¹¹ Will the leaders of Keilah hand me over to Saul? Will Saul come down to Keilah, as I heard? Lord, God of Israel, tell me, your servant!"    The Lord answered, "Saul will come down." ¹² Again David asked, "Will the leaders of Keilah hand me and my men over to Saul?"    The Lord answered, "They will." ¹³ So David and his six hundred men left Keilah and kept moving from place to place. When Saul found out that David had escaped from Keilah, he did not go there. ¹⁴ David stayed in the desert hideouts and in the hills of the Desert of Ziph. Every day Saul looked for David, but the Lord did not surrender David to him. ¹⁵ While David was at Horesh in the Desert of Ziph, he learned that Saul was coming to kill him.¹⁶ But Saul's son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and strengthened his faith in God.¹⁷ Jonathan told him, "Don't be afraid, because my father won't touch you. You will be king of Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul knows this."¹⁸ The two of them made an agreement before the Lord. Then Jonathan went home, but David stayed at Horesh. ¹⁹ The people from Ziph went to Saul at Gibeah and told him, "David is hiding in our land. He's at the hideouts of Horesh, on the hill of Hakilah, south of Jeshimon.²⁰ Now, our king, come down anytime you want. It's our duty to hand David over to you." ²¹ Saul answered, "The Lord bless you for helping me.²² Go and learn more about him. Find out where he is staying and who has seen him there. I have heard that he is clever.²³ Find all the hiding places he uses, and come back and tell me everything. Then I'll go with you. If David is in the area, I will track him down among all the families in Judah." ²⁴ So they went back to Ziph ahead of Saul. Now David and his men were in the Desert of Maon in the desert area south of Jeshimon.²⁵ Saul and his men went to look for David, but David heard about it and went down to a rock and stayed in the Desert of Maon. When Saul heard that, he followed David into the Desert of Maon. ²⁶ Saul was going along one side of the mountain, and David and his men were on the other side. They were hurrying to get away from Saul, because Saul and his men were closing in on them.²⁷ But a messenger came to Saul, saying, "Come quickly! The Philistines are attacking our land!"²⁸ So Saul stopped chasing David and went to challenge the Philistines. That is why people call this place Rock of Parting.²⁹ David also left the Desert of Maon and stayed in the hideouts of En Gedi.

1 Samuel 24 - New Century

 ¹ After Saul returned from chasing the Philistines, he was told, "David is in the Desert of En Gedi."² So he took three thousand chosen men from all Israel and began looking for David and his men near the Rocks of the Wild Goats. ³ Saul came to the sheep pens beside the road. A cave was there, and he went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were hiding far back in the cave.⁴ The men said to David, "Today is the day the Lord spoke of when he said, 'I will give your enemy over to you. Do anything you want with him.' "    Then David crept up to Saul and quietly cut off a corner of Saul's robe.⁵ Later David felt guilty because he had cut off a corner of Saul's robe.⁶ He said to his men, "May the Lord keep me from doing such a thing to my master! Saul is the Lord's appointed king. I should not do anything against him, because he is the Lord's appointed king!"⁷ David used these words to stop his men; he did not let them attack Saul. Then Saul left the cave and went his way. ⁸ When David came out of the cave, he shouted to Saul, "My master and king!" Saul looked back, and David bowed facedown on the ground.⁹ He said to Saul, "Why do you listen when people say, 'David wants to harm you'?¹⁰ You have seen something with your own eyes today. The Lord put you in my power in the cave. They said I should kill you, but I was merciful. I said, 'I won't harm my master, because he is the Lord's appointed king.'¹¹ My father, look at this piece of your robe in my hand! I cut off the corner of your robe, but I didn't kill you. Now understand and know I am not planning any evil against you. I did nothing wrong to you, but you are hunting me to kill me.¹² May the Lord judge between us, and may he punish you for the wrong you have done to me! But I am not against you.¹³ There is an old saying: 'Evil things come from evil people.' But I am not against you.¹⁴ Whom is the king of Israel coming out against? Whom are you chasing? It's as if you are chasing a dead dog or a flea.¹⁵ May the Lord be our judge and decide between you and me. May he support me and show that I am right. May he save me from you!" ¹⁶ When David finished saying these words, Saul asked, "Is that your voice, David my son?" And he cried loudly.¹⁷ He said, "You are a better man than I am. You have been good to me, but I have done wrong to you.¹⁸ You told me what good things you did. The Lord handed me over to you, but you did not kill me.¹⁹ People don't normally let an enemy get away like this, do they? May the Lord reward you because you were good to me today.²⁰ I know you will surely be king, and you will rule the kingdom of Israel.²¹ Now swear to me by the Lord that you will not kill my descendants and that you won't wipe out my name from my father's family." ²² So David made the promise to Saul. Then Saul went back home, and David and his men went up to their hideout.

1 Samuel 25 - New Century

 ¹ Now Samuel died, and all the Israelites met and had a time of sadness for him. Then they buried him at his home in Ramah.    David moved to the Desert of Maon.² A man in Maon who had land at Carmel was very rich. He had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. He was cutting the wool off his sheep at Carmel.³ His name was Nabal, and he was a descendant of Caleb. His wife was named Abigail. She was wise and beautiful, but Nabal was cruel and mean. ⁴ While David was in the desert, he heard that Nabal was cutting the wool from his sheep.⁵ So he sent ten young men and told them, "Go to Nabal at Carmel, and greet him for me.⁶ Say to Nabal, 'May you and your family and all who belong to you have good health!⁷ I have heard that you are cutting the wool from your sheep. When your shepherds were with us, we did not harm them. All the time your shepherds were at Carmel, we stole nothing from them.⁸ Ask your servants, and they will tell you. We come at a happy time, so be kind to my young men. Please give anything you can find for them and for your son David.' " ⁹ When David's men arrived, they gave the message to Nabal, but Nabal insulted them.¹⁰ He answered them, "Who is David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many slaves are running away from their masters today!¹¹ I have bread and water, and I have meat that I killed for my servants who cut the wool. But I won't give it to men I don't know." ¹² David's men went back and told him all Nabal had said.¹³ Then David said to them, "Put on your swords!" So they put on their swords, and David put on his also. About four hundred men went with David, but two hundred men stayed with the supplies. ¹⁴ One of Nabal's servants said to Abigail, Nabal's wife, "David sent messengers from the desert to greet our master, but Nabal insulted them.¹⁵ These men were very good to us. They did not harm us. They stole nothing from us during all the time we were out in the field with them.¹⁶ Night and day they protected us. They were like a wall around us while we were with them caring for the sheep.¹⁷ Now think about it, and decide what you can do. Terrible trouble is coming to our master and all his family. Nabal is such a wicked man that no one can even talk to him." ¹⁸ Abigail hurried. She took two hundred loaves of bread, two leather bags full of wine, five cooked sheep, a bushel of cooked grain, a hundred cakes of raisins, and two hundred cakes of pressed figs and put all these on donkeys.¹⁹ Then she told her servants, "Go on. I'll follow you." But she did not tell her husband. ²⁰ Abigail rode her donkey and came down toward the mountain hideout. There she met David and his men coming down toward her. ²¹ David had just said, "It's been useless! I watched over Nabal's property in the desert. I made sure none of his sheep was missing. I did good to him, but he has paid me back with evil.²² May God punish my enemies even more. I will not leave one of Nabal's men alive until morning." ²³ When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed facedown on the ground before him.²⁴ She fell at David's feet and said, "My master, let the blame be on me! Please let me talk to you. Listen to what I say.²⁵ My master, don't pay attention to this worthless man Nabal. He is like his name. His name means 'fool,' and he is truly a fool. But I, your servant, didn't see the men you sent.²⁶ The Lord has kept you from killing and punishing anyone. As surely as the Lord lives and as surely as you live, may your enemies become like Nabal!²⁷ I have brought a gift to you for the men who follow you.²⁸ Please forgive my wrong. The Lord will certainly let your family have many kings, because you fight his battles. As long as you live, may you do nothing bad.²⁹ Someone might chase you to kill you, but the Lord your God will keep you alive. He will throw away your enemies' lives as he would throw a stone from a sling.³⁰ The Lord will keep all his promises of good things for you. He will make you leader over Israel.

1 Samuel 26 - New Century

 ¹ The people of Ziph went to Saul at Gibeah and said to him, "David is hiding on the hill of Hakilah opposite Jeshimon." ² So Saul went down to the Desert of Ziph with three thousand chosen men of Israel to look for David there.³ Saul made his camp beside the road on the hill of Hakilah opposite Jeshimon, but David stayed in the desert. When he heard Saul had followed him,⁴ he sent out spies and learned for certain that Saul had come to Hakilah. ⁵ Then David went to the place where Saul had camped. He saw where Saul and Abner son of Ner, the commander of Saul's army, were sleeping. Saul was sleeping in the middle of the camp with all the army around him. ⁶ David asked Ahimelech the Hittite and Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, "Who will go down into Saul's camp with me?"    Abishai answered, "I'll go with you." ⁷ So that night David and Abishai went into Saul's camp. Saul was asleep in the middle of the camp with his spear stuck in the ground near his head. Abner and the army were sleeping around Saul.⁸ Abishai said to David, "Today God has handed your enemy over to you. Let me pin Saul to the ground with my spear. I'll only have to do it once. I won't need to hit him twice." ⁹ But David said to Abishai, "Don't kill Saul! No one can harm the Lord's appointed king and still be innocent!¹⁰ As surely as the Lord lives, the Lord himself will punish Saul. Maybe Saul will die naturally, or maybe he will go into battle and be killed.¹¹ But may the Lord keep me from harming his appointed king! Take the spear and water jug that are near Saul's head. Then let's go." ¹² So David took the spear and water jug that were near Saul's head, and they left. No one saw them or knew about it or woke up, because the Lord had put them sound asleep. ¹³ David crossed over to the other side of the hill and stood on top of the mountain far from Saul's camp. They were a long way away from each other.¹⁴ David shouted to the army and to Abner son of Ner, "Won't you answer me, Abner?"    Abner answered, "Who is calling for the king? Who are you?" ¹⁵ David said, "You're the greatest man in Israel. Isn't that true? Why didn't you guard your master the king? Someone came into your camp to kill your master the king!¹⁶ You have not done well. As surely as the Lord lives, you and your men should die. You haven't guarded your master, the Lord's appointed king. Look! Where are the king's spear and water jug that were near his head?" ¹⁷ Saul knew David's voice. He said, "Is that your voice, David my son?"    David answered, "Yes, it is, my master and king."¹⁸ David also said, "Why are you chasing me, my master? What wrong have I done? What evil am I guilty of?¹⁹ My master and king, listen to me. If the Lord made you angry with me, let him accept an offering. But if people did it, may the Lord curse them! They have made me leave the land the Lord gave me. They have told me, 'Go and serve other gods.'²⁰ Now don't let me die far away from the Lord's presence. The king of Israel has come out looking for a flea! You're just hunting a bird in the mountains!" ²¹ Then Saul said, "I have sinned. Come back, David my son. Today you respected my life, so I will not try to hurt you. I have been very stupid and foolish." ²² David answered, "Here is your spear. Let one of your young men come here and get it.²³ The Lord rewards us for the things we do right and for our loyalty to him. The Lord handed you over to me today, but I wouldn't harm the Lord's appointed king.²⁴ As I respected your life today, may the Lord also respect my life and save me from all trouble." ²⁵ Then Saul said to David, "You are blessed, my son David. You will do great things and succeed."    So David went on his way, and Saul went back home.

1 Samuel 27 - New Century

 ¹ But David thought to himself, "Saul will catch me someday. The best thing I can do is escape to the land of the Philistines. Then he will give up looking for me in Israel, and I can get away from him." ² So David and his six hundred men left Israel and went to Achish son of Maoch, king of Gath.³ David, his men, and their families made their home in Gath with Achish. David had his two wives with him—Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, the widow of Nabal.⁴ When Saul heard that David had run away to Gath, he stopped looking for him. ⁵ Then David said to Achish, "If you are pleased with me, give me a place in one of the country towns where I can live. I don't need to live in the royal city with you." ⁶ That day Achish gave David the town of Ziklag, and Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah ever since.⁷ David lived in the Philistine land a year and four months. ⁸ David and his men raided the people of Geshur, Girzi, and Amalek. (These people had lived for a long time in the land that reached to Shur and Egypt.)⁹ When David fought them, he killed all the men and women and took their sheep, cattle, donkeys, camels, and clothes. Then he returned to Achish. ¹⁰ Achish would ask David, "Where did you go raiding today?" And David would tell him that he had gone to the southern part of Judah, or Jerahmeel, or to the land of the Kenites.¹¹ David never brought a man or woman alive to Gath. He thought, "If we bring people alive, they may tell Achish, 'This is what David really did.' " David did this all the time he lived in the Philistine land.¹² So Achish trusted David and said to himself, "David's own people, the Israelites, now hate him very much. He will serve me forever."

1 Samuel 28 - New Century

 ¹ Later, the Philistines gathered their armies to fight against Israel. Achish said to David, "You understand that you and your men must join my army."  ² David answered, "You will see for yourself what I, your servant, can do!"    Achish said, "Fine, I'll make you my permanent bodyguard." ³ Now Samuel was dead, and all the Israelites had shown their sadness for him. They had buried Samuel in his hometown of Ramah.    And Saul had forced out the mediums and fortune-tellers from the land. ⁴ The Philistines came together and made camp at Shunem. Saul gathered all the Israelites and made camp at Gilboa.⁵ When he saw the Philistine army, he was afraid, and his heart pounded with fear.⁶ He prayed to the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him through dreams, Urim, or prophets.⁷ Then Saul said to his servants, "Find me a woman who is a medium so I may go and ask her what will happen."    His servants answered, "There is a medium in Endor." ⁸ Then Saul put on other clothes to disguise himself, and at night he and two of his men went to see the woman. Saul said to her, "Talk to a spirit for me. Bring up the person I name." ⁹ But the woman said to him, "Surely you know what Saul has done. He has forced the mediums and fortune-tellers from the land. You are trying to trap me and get me killed." ¹⁰ Saul made a promise to the woman in the name of the Lord. He said, "As surely as the Lord lives, you won't be punished for this." ¹¹ The woman asked, "Whom do you want me to bring up?"    He answered, "Bring up Samuel." ¹² When the woman saw Samuel, she screamed. She said, "Why have you tricked me? You are Saul!" ¹³ The king said to the woman, "Don't be afraid! What do you see?"    The woman said, "I see a spirit coming up out of the ground." ¹⁴ Saul asked, "What does he look like?"    The woman answered, "An old man wearing a coat is coming up."    Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed facedown on the ground. ¹⁵ Samuel asked Saul, "Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?"    Saul said, "I am greatly troubled. The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has left me. He won't answer me anymore, either by prophets or in dreams. That's why I called for you. Tell me what to do." ¹⁶ Samuel said, "The Lord has left you and has become your enemy. So why do you call on me?¹⁷ He has done what he said he would do—the things he said through me. He has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors, David.¹⁸ You did not obey the Lord; you did not show the Amalekites how angry he was with them. That's why he has done this to you today.¹⁹ The Lord will hand over both Israel and you to the Philistines. Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will hand over the army of Israel to the Philistines." ²⁰ Saul quickly fell flat on the ground and was afraid of what Samuel had said. He was also very weak because he had eaten nothing all that day and night. ²¹ Then the woman came to Saul and saw that he was really frightened. She said, "Look, I, your servant, have obeyed you. I have risked my life and done what you told me to do.²² Now please listen to me. Let me give you some food so you may eat and have enough strength to go on your way." ²³ But Saul refused, saying, "I won't eat."    His servants joined the woman in asking him to eat, and he listened to them. So he got up from the ground and sat on the bed. ²⁴ At the house the woman had a fat calf, which she quickly killed. She took some flour and mixed dough with her hands. Then she baked some bread without yeast.²⁵ She put the food before them, and they ate. That same night they got up and left.

1 Samuel 29 - New Century

 ¹ The Philistines gathered all their soldiers at Aphek. Israel camped by the spring at Jezreel.² The Philistine kings were marching with their groups of a hundred and a thousand men. David and his men were marching behind Achish.³ The Philistine commanders asked, "What are these Hebrews doing here?"    Achish told them, "This is David. He served Saul king of Israel, but he has been with me for over a year now. I have found nothing wrong in David since the time he left Saul." ⁴ But the Philistine commanders were angry with Achish and said, "Send David back to the city you gave him. He cannot go with us into battle. If he does, we'll have an enemy in our own camp. He could please his king by killing our own men.⁵ David is the one the Israelites dance and sing about, saying:
    'Saul has killed thousands of his enemies,
       but David has killed tens of thousands.' " ⁶ So Achish called David and said to him, "As surely as the Lord lives, you are loyal. I would be pleased to have you serve in my army. Since the day you came to me, I have found no wrong in you. But the other kings don't trust you.⁷ Go back in peace. Don't do anything to displease the Philistine kings." ⁸ David asked, "What wrong have I done? What evil have you found in me from the day I came to you until now? Why can't I go fight your enemies, my lord and king?" ⁹ Achish answered, "I know you are as good as an angel from God. But the Philistine commanders have said, 'David must not go with us into battle.'¹⁰ Early in the morning you and your master's servants should leave. Get up as soon as it is light and go." ¹¹ So David and his men got up early in the morning and went back to the country of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

1 Samuel 30 - New Century

 ¹ On the third day, when David and his men arrived at Ziklag, he found that the Amalekites had raided southern Judah and Ziklag, attacking Ziklag and burning it.² They captured the women and everyone, young and old, but they had not killed anyone. They had only taken them away. ³ When David and his men came to Ziklag, they found the town had been burned and their wives, sons, and daughters had been taken as prisoners.⁴ Then David and his army cried loudly until they were too weak to cry anymore.⁵ David's two wives had also been taken—Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal from Carmel.⁶ The men in the army were threatening to kill David with stones, which greatly upset David. Each man was sad and angry because his sons and daughters had been captured, but David found strength in the Lord his God.⁷ David said to Abiathar the priest, "Bring me the holy vest." ⁸ Then David asked the Lord, "Should I chase the people who took our families? Will I catch them?"    The Lord answered, "Chase them. You will catch them, and you will succeed in saving your families." ⁹ David and the six hundred men with him came to the Besor Ravine, where some of the men stayed.¹⁰ David and four hundred men kept up the chase. The other two hundred men stayed behind because they were too tired to cross the ravine. ¹¹ They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David. They gave the Egyptian some water to drink and some food to eat.¹² And they gave him a piece of a fig cake and two clusters of raisins. Then he felt better, because he had not eaten any food or drunk any water for three days and nights. ¹³ David asked him, "Who is your master? Where do you come from?"    He answered, "I'm an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite. Three days ago my master left me, because I was sick.¹⁴ We had raided the southern area of the Kerethites, the land of Judah, and the southern area of Caleb. We burned Ziklag, as well." ¹⁵ David asked him, "Can you lead me to the people who took our families?"    He answered, "Yes, if you promise me before God that you won't kill me or give me back to my master. Then I will take you to them." ¹⁶ So the Egyptian led David to the Amalekites. They were lying around on the ground, eating and drinking and celebrating with the things they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from Judah.¹⁷ David fought them from sunset until the evening of the next day. None of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode off on their camels.¹⁸ David got his two wives back and everything the Amalekites had taken.¹⁹ Nothing was missing. David brought back everyone, young and old, sons and daughters. He recovered the valuable things and everything the Amalekites had taken.²⁰ David took all the sheep and cattle, and his men made these animals go in front, saying, "They are David's prize." ²¹ Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too tired to follow him, who had stayed at the Besor Ravine. They came out to meet David and the people with him. When he came near, David greeted the men at the ravine. ²² But the evil men and troublemakers among those who followed David said, "Since these two hundred men didn't go with us, we shouldn't give them any of the things we recovered. Just let each man take his wife and children and go." ²³ David answered, "No, my brothers. Don't do that after what the Lord has given us. He has protected us and given us the enemy who attacked us.²⁴ Who will listen to what you say? The share will be the same for the one who stayed with the supplies as for the one who went into battle. All will share alike."²⁵ David made this an order and rule for Israel, which continues even today. ²⁶ When David arrived in Ziklag, he sent some of the things he had taken from the Amalekites to his friends, the leaders of Judah. He said, "Here is a present for you from the things we took from the Lord's enemies." ²⁷ David also sent some things to the leaders in Bethel, Ramoth in the southern part of Judah, Jattir,²⁸ Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa,²⁹ Racal, the cities of the Jerahmeelites and the Kenites,³⁰ Hormah, Bor Ashan, Athach.

1 Samuel 31 - New Century

 ¹ The Philistines fought against Israel, and the Israelites ran away from them. Many Israelites were killed on Mount Gilboa.² The Philistines fought hard against Saul and his sons, killing his sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malki-Shua.³ The fighting was heavy around Saul. The archers shot him, and he was badly wounded.⁴ He said to the officer who carried his armor, "Pull out your sword and kill me. Then those uncircumcised men won't make fun of me and kill me." But Saul's officer refused, because he was afraid. So Saul took his own sword and threw himself on it.⁵ When the officer saw that Saul was dead, he threw himself on his own sword, and he died with Saul.⁶ So Saul, his three sons, and the officer who carried his armor died together that day. ⁷ When the Israelites who lived across the Jezreel Valley and those who lived across the Jordan River saw how the Israelite army had run away, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they left their cities and ran away. Then the Philistines came and lived there. ⁸ The next day when the Philistines came to take all the valuable things from the dead soldiers, they found Saul and his three sons dead on Mount Gilboa.⁹ They cut off Saul's head and took off his armor. Then they sent messengers through all the land of the Philistines to tell the news in the temple of their idols and to their people.¹⁰ They put Saul's armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths and hung his body on the wall of Beth Shan. ¹¹ When the people living in Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,¹² the brave men of Jabesh marched all night and came to Beth Shan. They removed the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth Shan and brought them to Jabesh. There they burned the bodies. ¹³ They took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh. Then the people of Jabesh fasted for seven days.