1 Samuel

1 Samuel 11: A Story Of Unity, Courage, And Divine Victory

1 Samuel 11:1 Then Nahash the Ammonite came up, and encamped against Jabesh-Gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said unto Nahash, Make a covenant with us, and we will serve thee.

1 Samuel 11:2 And Nahash the Ammonite answered them, On this condition will I make a covenant with you, that I may thrust out all your right eyes, and lay it for a reproach upon all Israel.

1 Samuel 11:3 And the elders of Jabesh said unto him, Give us seven days’ respite, that we may send messengers unto all the coasts of Israel: and then, if there be no man to save us, we will come out to thee.

1 Samuel 11:4 Then came the messengers to Gibeah of Saul, and told the tidings in the ears of the people: and all the people lifted up their voices, and wept.

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1 Samuel 11:5 And, behold, Saul came after the herd out of the field; and Saul said, What aileth the people that they weep? And they told him the tidings of the men of Jabesh.

1 Samuel 11:6 And the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard those tidings, and his anger was kindled greatly.

1 Samuel 11:7 And he took a yoke of oxen, and hewed them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the coasts of Israel by the hands of messengers, saying, Whosoever cometh not forth after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done unto his oxen. And the fear of the LORD fell on the people, and they came out with one consent.

1 Samuel 11:8 And when he numbered them in Bezek, the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.

1 Samuel 11:9 And they said unto the messengers that came, Thus shall ye say unto the men of Jabesh-Gilead, To morrow, by that time the sun be hot, ye shall have help. And the messengers came and showed it to the men of Jabesh, and they were glad.

1 Samuel 11:11 And it was so on the morrow, that Saul put the people in three companies, and they came into the midst of the host in the morning watch and slew the Ammonites until the heat of the day: and it came to pass, that they which remained were scattered so that two of them were not left together.

1 Samuel 11:12 And the people said unto Samuel, Who is he that said, Shall Saul reign over us? bring the men, that we may put them to death.

1 Samuel 11:13 And Saul said, There shall not a man be put to death this day: for today, the LORD hath wrought salvation in Is rael.

1 Samuel 11:14 Then said Samuel to the people, Come and let us go to Gilgal, and renew the kingdom there.

1 Samuel 11:15 And all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before the LORD in Gilgal, and there they sacrificed sacrifices of peace offerings before the LORD, and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.

1 Samuel 12: A Reminder To Trust God Above All Else

1 Samuel 12:1 And Samuel said unto all Israel, Behold, I have hearkened unto your voice in all that ye said unto me, and have made a king over you.

1 Samuel 12:2 And now, behold, the king walketh before you; and I am old and grayheaded; and, behold, my sons are with you: and 1 have walked before you from my childhood unto this day.

1 Samuel 12:3 Behold, here I am: witness against me before the LORD, and before his anointed: whose ox have 1 taken? or whose ass has 1 taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it soon.

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1 Samuel 12:4 And they said, Thou hast not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither hast thou taken ought of any man’s hand.

1 Samuel 12:5 And he said unto them, The LORD is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that ye have not found ought in my hand. And they answered, He is witness.

1 Samuel 12:6 And Samuel said unto the people, It is the LORD that advanced Moses and Aaron, and that brought your fathers up out ofthe land of Egypt.

1 Samuel 12:8 When Jacob came into Egypt, and your fathers cried unto the LORD, then the LORD sent Moses and Aaron, which brought forth your fathers out of Egypt, and made them dwell in this place.

1 Samuel 12:9 And when they forgat the LORD their God, he sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the host of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand ofthe king of Moab, and they fought against them.

1 Samuel 12:10 And they cried unto the LORD, and said, We have sinned, because we have forsaken the LORD, and have served Baalim and Ashtarothr but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve thee.

1 Samuel 12:11 And the LORD sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and ye dwelled safe.

1 Samuel 12:12 And when ye saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon came against you, ye said unto me, Nay; but a king shall reign over us: when the LORD your God was your king.

1 Samuel 12:13 Now therefore behold the king whom ye have chosen, and whom ye have desired! and, behold, the LORD hath set a king over you.

1 Samuel 12:14 If ye will fear the LORD, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the LORD your God:

1 Samuel 12:16 Now therefore stand and see this great thing, which the LORD will do before your eyes.

1 Samuel 12:17 Is it not wheat harvest today? I will call unto the LORD, and he shall send thunder and rain; that ye may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of the LORD, in asking you a king.

1 Samuel 12:18 So Samuel called unto the LORD, and the LORD sent thunder and rain that day: and all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel.

1 Samuel 12:19 And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto the LORD thy God, that we die not: for we have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask us a king.

1 Samuel 12:20 And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart;

1 Samuel 12:21 And turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain.

1 Samuel 12:23 Moreover as for me, God forbid that 1 should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way:

1 Samuel 12:24 Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you.

1 Samuel 12:25 But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king.

1 Samuel 13: The Price Of Forsaking God’s Command

1 Samuel 13:1 Saul reigned one year; and when he had reigned two years over Israel,

1 Samuel 13:2 Saul chose him three thousand men of Israel; whereof two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in mount Beth-el, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin; and the rest of the people he sent every man to his tent.

1 Samuel 13:3 And Jonathan smote the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, Let the Hebrews hear.

1 Samuel 13:4 And all Israel heard say that Saul had smitten a garrison of the Philistines and that Israel also was had in abomination with the Philistines. And the people were called together after Saul to Gilgal.

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1 Samuel 13:5 And the Philistines gathered themselves together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the sea shore in multitude: and they came up, and pitched in Michmash, eastward from Beth-aven.

1 Samuel 13:6 When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait, (for the people were distressed,) then the people did hide themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in high places, and in pits.

1 Samuel 13:7 And some of the Hebrews went over Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. As for Saul, he was yet in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.

1 Samuel 13:9 And Saul said, Bring hither a burnt offering to me, and peace offerings. And he offered the burnt offering

1 Samuel 13:10 And it came to pass, that as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might salute him.

1 Samuel 13:11 And Samuel said, What hast thou done? And Saul said, Because 1 saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou earnest not within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered themselves together at Michmash;

1 Samuel 13:12 Therefore said I, The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the LORD: I forced myself therefore and offered a burnt offering.

1 Samuel 13:13 And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment ofthe LORD thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel forever.

1 Samuel 13:14 But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee.

1 Samuel 13:15 And Samuel arose, and gat him up from Gilgal unto Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people that were present with him, about six hundred men.

1 Samuel 13:17 And the spoilers came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies: one company turned unto the way that leadeth to Ophrah, unto the land of Shuai:

1 Samuel 13:18 And another company turned the way to Bethhoron: and another company turned to the way ofthe border that looketh to the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.

1 Samuel 13:19 Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel: for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make them swords or spears:

1 Samuel 13:20 But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his share, and his colter, and his axe, and his mattock.

1 Samuel 13:21 Yet they had a file for the mattocks, and for the colters, and for the forks, and for the axes, and to sharpen the goads.

1 Samuel 13:22 So it came to pass in the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that were with Saul and Jonathan: but with Saul and with Jonathan his son was there found.

1 Samuel 13:23 And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the passage of Michmash.

1 Samuel 14: When Faith Triumphs And Leadership Stumbles

1 Samuel 14:1 Now it came to pass upon a day, that Jonathan the son of Saul said unto the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over to the Philistines’ garrison, that is on the other side. But he told not his father,

1 Samuel 14:2 And Saul tarried in the uttermost part of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree which is in Migron: and the people that were with him were about six hundred men;

1 Samuel 14:3 And Ahiah, the son of Ahitub, Ichabod’s brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eh, the LORD’S priest in Shiloh, wearing an ephod. And the people knew not that Jonathan was gone.

1 Samuel 14:4 And between the passages, by which Jonathan sought to go over unto the Philistines’ garrison, there was a sharp rock on the one side and a sharp rock on the other side: and the name ofthe one was Bozez, and the name ofthe other Seneh.

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1 Samuel 14:5 The forefront ofthe one was situated northward over against Michmash, and the other southward over against Gibeah.

1 Samuel 14:6 And Jonathan said to the young man that bares his armor, Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that the LORD will work for us: for there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few.

1 Samuel 14:7 And his armourbearer said unto him, Do all that is in thine heart: turn thee; behold, I am with thee according to thy heart.

1 Samuel 14:8 Then said Jonathan, Behold, we will pass over unto these men, and we will discover ourselves unto them.

1 Samuel 14:10 But if they say thus, Come up unto us; then we will go up: for the LORD hath delivered them into our hand: and this shall be a sign unto us.

1 Samuel 14:11 And both of them discovered themselves unto the garrison of the Philistines: and the Philistines said, Behold, the Hebrews come forth out of the holes where they had hid themselves.

1 Samuel 14:12 And the men of the garrison answered Jonathan and his armourbearer, and said, Come up to us, and we will shew you a thing. And Jonathan said unto his armourbearer, Come up after me: for the LORD hath delivered them into the hand of Israel.

1 Samuel 14:13 And Jonathan climbed up upon his hands and upon his feet, and his armourbearer after him: and they fell before Jonathan, and his armourbearer slew after him.

1 Samuel 14:14 And that first slaughter, which Jonathan and his armourbearer made, was about twenty men, within as it were an half acre of land, which a yoke of oxen might plow.

1 Samuel 14:15 And there was trembling in the host, in the field, and among all the people: the garrison, and the spoilers, they also trembled, and the earth quaked: so it was a very great trembling.

1 Samuel 14:16 And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked; and, behold, the multitude melted away, and they went on beating down one another.

1 Samuel 14:17 Then said Saul unto the people that were with him, Number now, and see who is gone from us. And when they had numbered, behold, Jonathan and his armourbearer were not there.

1 Samuel 14:19 And it came to pass, while Saul talked unto the priest, that the noise that was in the host of the Philistines went on and increased: and Saul said unto the priest, Withdraw thine hand.

1 Samuel 14:20 And Saul and all the people that were with him assembled themselves, and they came to the battle: and, behold, every man’s sword was against his fellow, and there was a very great discomfiture.

1 Samuel 14:21 Moreover the Hebrews that were with the Philistines before that time, which went up with them into the camp from the country roundabout, even they also turned to be with the Israelites that were with Saul and Jonathan.

1 Samuel 14:22 Likewise all the men of Israel which had hid themselves in Mount Ephraim, when they heard that the Philistines fled, even they also followed hard after them in the battle.

1 Samuel 14:23 So the LORD saved Israel that day: and the battle passed over unto Beth-aven.

1 Samuel 14:24 And the men of Israel were distressed that day: for Saul had adjured the people, saying, Cursed be the man that eateth any food until evening, that I may be avenged on mine enemies. So none of the people tasted any food.

1 Samuel 14:25 And all they of the land came to a wood, and there was honey upon the ground.

1 Samuel 14:26 And when the people came into the wood, behold, the honey dropped; but no man put his hand to his mouth: for the people feared the oath.

1 Samuel 14:27 But Jonathan heard not when his father charged the people with the oath: wherefore he put forth the end ofthe rod that was in his hand, and dipped it in a honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth; and his eyes were enlightened.

1 Samuel 14:28 Then answered one of the people, and said, Thy father straitly charged the people with an oath, saying, Cursed be the man that eateth any food this day. And the people were faint.

1 Samuel 14:29 Then said Jonathan, My father hath troubled the land: see, I pray you, how my eyes have been enlightened because I tasted a little of this honey

1 Samuel 14:30 How much more, if haply the people had eaten freely to day of the spoil of their enemies which they found? for had there not been now a much greater slaughter among the Philistines?

1 Samuel 14:31 And they smote the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon: and the people were very faint.

1 Samuel 14:33 Then they told Saul, saying, Behold, the people sin against the LORD, in that they eat with the blood And he said, Ye have transgressed: roll a great stone unto me this day.

1 Samuel 14:34 And Saul said, Disperse yourselves among the people, and say unto them, Bring me hither every man his ox, and every man his sheep, and slay them here, and eat; and sin not against the LORD in eating with the blood. And all the people brought every man his ox with him that night and slew them there.

1 Samuel 14:35 And Saul built an altar unto the LORD: the same was the first altar that he built unto the LORD.

1 Samuel 14:36 And Saul said, Let us go down after the Philistines by night, and spoil them until the morning light, and let us not leave a man of them. And they said, Do whatsoever seemeth good unto thee. Then said the priest, Let us draw near hither unto God.

1 Samuel 14:37 And Saul asked counsel of God, Shall I go down after the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into the hand of Israel? But he answered him not that day.

1 Samuel 14:38 And Saul said, Draw ye near hither, all the chief of the people: and know and see wherein this sin hath been this day.

1 Samuel 14:40 Then said he unto all Israel, Be ye on one side, and I and Jonathan my son will be on the other side. And the people said unto Saul, Do what seemeth good unto thee.

1 Samuel 14:41 Therefore Saul said unto the LORD God of Israel, Give a perfect lot. Saul and Jonathan were taken: but the people escaped.

1 Samuel 14:42 And Saul said, Cast lots between me and Jonathan my son. And Jonathan was taken.

1 Samuel 14:43 Then Saul said to Jonathan, Tell me what thou hast done. And Jonathan told him, and said, I did but taste a little honey with the end ofthe rod that was in mine hand, and, lo, I must die.

1 Samuel 14:44 And Saul answered, God do so and more also: for thou shalt surely die, Jonathan.

1 Samuel 14:45 And the people said unto Saul, Shall Jonathan die, who hath wrought this great salvation in Israel? God forbid: as the LORD liveth, there shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground; for he hath wrought with God this day. So the people rescued Jonathan, that he died not.

1 Samuel 14:46 Then Saul went up from following the Philistines: and the Philistines went to their own place.

1 Samuel 14:47 So Saul took the kingdom over Israel, and fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, and against the children of Ammon, and against Edom, and against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines: and whithersoever he turned himself, he vexed them.

1 Samuel 14:49 Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan, and Ishui, and Melchi-shua: and the names of his two daughters were these; the name of the firstborn Merab, and the name ofthe younger Michal:

1 Samuel 14:50 And the name of Saul’s wife was Ahinoam, the daughter of Ahimaaz: and the name of the captain of his host was Abner, the son of Ner, Saul’s uncle.

1 Samuel 14:51 And Kish was the father of Saul, and Ner the father of Abner was the son of Abiel.

1 Samuel 14:52 And there was sore war against the Philistines all the days of Saul: and when Saul saw any strong man or any valiant man, he took him unto him.

1 Samuel 15: When Leaders Fail To Follow God’s Instructions

1 Samuel 15:1 Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice ofthe words of the LORD.

1 Samuel 15:2 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did. to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way when he came up from Egypt.

1 Samuel 15:3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.

1 Samuel 15:4 And Saul gathered the people together, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah.

1 Samuel 15:5 And Saul came to a city of Amalek and laid wait in the valley.

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1 Samuel 15:6 And Saul said unto the Kenites, Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them: for ye showed kindness to all the children of Israel when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.

1 Samuel 15:7 And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt.

1 Samuel 15:8 And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.

1 Samuel 15:9 But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly. destroy them: but everything that was vile and refuses, that they destroyed utterly.

1 Samuel 15:10 Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying,

1 Samuel 15:11 It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel, and he cried unto the LORD all night.

1 Samuel 15:12 And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul cane to Carmel, and behold, he set him up a place and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal.

1 Samuel 15:14 And Samuel said, what meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?

1 Samuel 15:15 And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.

1 Samuel 15:16 Then Samuel said unto Saul, stay, and I will tell thee what the LORD hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on.

1 Samuel 15:17 And Samuel said, when thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel?

1 Samuel 15:18 And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.

1 Samuel 15:19 Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD?

1 Samuel 15:20 And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, 1 have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.

1 Samuel 15:21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief ofthe things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal.

1 Samuel 15:23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

1 Samuel 15:24 And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.

1 Samuel 15:25 Now, therefore, 1 pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD.

1 Samuel 15:26 And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD hath rejected thee from being king over Israel.

1 Samuel 15:27 And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent.

1 Samuel 15:28 And Samuel said unto him, The LORD hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day and hath given it to a neighbor of thine, that is better than thou.

1 Samuel 15:29 And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.

1 Samuel 15:31 So Samuel turned again after Saul, and Saul worshipped the LORD.

1 Samuel 15:32 Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him delicately. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past.

1 Samuel 15:33 And Samuel said, As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal.

1 Samuel 15:34 Then Samuel went to Ramah, and Saul went up to his house to Gibeah of Saul.

1 Samuel 15:35 And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death: nevertheless, Samuel mourned for Saul: and the LORD repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.

1 Samuel 16: When God Chooses The Humble For Greatness

1 Samuel 16:1 And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go,I will send thee to Jesse the Beth-lehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.

1 Samuel 16:2 And Samuel said, How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me. And the LORD said, Take a heifer with thee, and say, I come to sacrifice to the LORD.

1 Samuel 16:3 And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will shew thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee.

1 Samuel 16:4 And Samuel did that which the LORD spake, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, Comest thou peaceably?

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1 Samuel 16:5 And he said, Peaceably: I come to sacrifice unto the LORD: sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and called them to the sacrifice.

1 Samuel 16:6 And it came to pass, when they came, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the LORD’S anointed is before him.

1 Samuel 16:7 But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart

1 Samuel 16:9 Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said Neither hath the LORD chosen this.

1 Samuel 16:10 Again, Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, The LORD hath not chosen these.

1 Samuel 16:11 And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he comes hither.

1 Samuel 16:12 And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he.

1 Samuel 16:13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.

1 Samuel 16:14 But the Spirit ofthe LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.

1 Samuel 16:15 And Saul’s servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee.

1 Samuel 16:16 Let our lord now command thy servants, which are before thee, to seek out a man, who is a cunning player on a harp: and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well.

1 Samuel 16:18 Then answered one of the servants, and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Beth-lehemite, that is cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the LORD is with him.

1 Samuel 16:19 Wherefore Saul sent messengers unto Jesse, and said, Send me David thy son, which is with the sheep.

1 Samuel 16:20 And Jesse took an ass laden with bread, and a bottle of wine, and a kid, and sent them by David his son unto Saul.

1 Samuel 16:21 And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him greatly, and he became his armourbearer.

1 Samuel 16:22 And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David, I pray thee, stand before me; for he hath found favor in my sight.

1 Samuel 16:23 And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took a harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.

1 Samuel 17: Courage, Faith, And The Power Of God

1 Samuel 17:1 Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle and were gathered together at Shochoh, which belongeth to Judah and pitched between Shochoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim.

1 Samuel 17:2 And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and pitched by the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines,

1 Samuel 17:3 And the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them.

1 Samuel 17:4 And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height wots six cubits and a span.

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1 Samuel 17:5 And he had a helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass.

1 Samuel 17:6 And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders.

1 Samuel 17:7 And the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield went before him.

1 Samuel 17:8 And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants o Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me.

1 Samuel 17:10 And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.

1 Samuel 17:11 When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.

1 Samuel 17:12 Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem-Judah, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons: and the man went among men for an old man in the days of Saul.

1 Samuel 17:13 And the three eldest sons of Jesse went and followed Saul to the battle: and the names of his three sons that went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next unto him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.

1 Samuel 17:14 And David was the youngest: and the three eldest followed Saul.

1 Samuel 17:15 But David went and returned from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Beth-lehem.

1 Samuel 17:16 And the Philistine drew near morning and evening and presented himself forty days.

1 Samuel 17:17 AndJesse said unto David his son, Take now for thy brethren an ephah of this parched corn, and these ten loaves, and run to the camp to thy brethren;

1 Samuel 17:18 And carry these ten cheeses unto the captain of their thousand, and look how thy brethren fare, and take their pledge.

1 Samuel 17:20 And David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took, and went, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the trench, as the host was going forth to the fight, and shouted for the battle.

1 Samuel 17:21 For Israel and the Philistines had put the battle in array, army against army.

1 Samuel 17:22 And David left his carriage in the hand of the keeper of the carriage, and ran into the army, and came and saluted his brethren.

1 Samuel 17:23 And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard them.

1 Samuel 17:24 And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid.

1 Samuel 17:25 And the men of Israel said, Have ye seen this man that is come up? surely to defy Israel is he come up: and it shall be, that the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father’s house free in Israel.

1 Samuel 17:26 And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?

1 Samuel 17:27 And the people answered him after this manner, saying, So shall it be done to the man that killeth him.

1 Samuel 17:28 And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men, and Eliab’s anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why earnest thou down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle.

1 Samuel 17:29 And David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause?

1 Samuel 17:30 And he turned from him toward another, and spake after the same manner: and the people answered him again after the former manner.

1 Samuel 17:32 And David said to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.

1 Samuel 17:33 And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.

1 Samuel 17:34 And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock:

1 Samuel 17:35 And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, 1 caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.

1 Samuel 17:36 Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.

1 Samuel 17:37 David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee.

1 Samuel 17:38 And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put a helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail.

1 Samuel 17:39 And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him.

1 Samuel 17:40 And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.

1 Samuel 17:41 And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David, and the man that bare the shield went before him.

1 Samuel 17:42 And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance.

1 Samuel 17:43 And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

1 Samuel 17:44 And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field.

1 Samuel 17:45 Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.

1 Samuel 17:46 This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand, and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee, and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.

1 Samuel 17:48 And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.

1 Samuel 17:49 And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.

1 Samuel 17:50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him, but there was no sword in the hand of David.

1 Samuel 17:51 Therefore David ran and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.

1 Samuel 17:52 And the men of Israel and of Judah arose and shouted, and pursued the Philistines until thou come to the valley, and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim, even unto Gath, and unto Ekron.

1 Samuel 17:53 And the children of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines, and they spoiled their tents.

1 Samuel 17:54 And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armour in his tent.

1 Samuel 17:55 And when Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said unto Abner, the captain of the host, Abner, whose son is this youth? And Abner said, As thy soul liveth, O king, I cannot tell.

1 Samuel 17:56 And the king said, Inquire thou whose son the stripling is.

1 Samuel 17:58 And Saul said to him, Whose son art thou, thou young man? And David answered I am the son of thy servant Jesse the Beth-lehemite.

1 Samuel 18: The Power Of Friendship And The Poison Of Jealousy

1 Samuel 18:1 And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.

1 Samuel 18:2 And Saul took him that day and would let him go no more home to his father’s house.

1 Samuel 18:3 Then Jonathan and David made a covenant because he loved him as his own soul.

Read and Learn More 1 Samuel: A Journey of Faith, Leadership, and God’s Providence

1 Samuel 18:4 And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle.

1 Samuel 18:5 And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely: and Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.

1 Samuel 18:6 And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter ofthe Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of musick.

1 Samuel 18:8 And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousand, and to me, they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom?

1 Samuel 18:9 And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.

1 Samuel 18:10 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as at other times: and there was a javelin in Saul’s hand.

1 Samuel 18:11 And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall with it. And David avoided out of his presence twice.

1 Samuel 18:12 And Saul was afraid of David, because the Lqÿo was with him, and was departed from Saul.

1 Samuel 18:13 Therefore Saul removed him from him and made him his captain over a thousand, and he went out and came in before the people.

1 Samuel 18:14 And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways, and the LORD Was with him.

1 Samuel 18:15 Wherefore when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he was afraid of him.

1 Samuel 18:16 But all Israel and Judah loved David because he went out and came in before them.

1 Samuel 18:17 And Saul said to David, Behold my elder daughter Merab, her will1 give thee to wife: only be thou valiant for me, and fight the LORD’S battles. For Saul said, Let not mine hand be upon him, but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him.

1 Samuel 18:18 And David said unto Saul, Who am I? and what is my life, or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be son in law to the king?

1 Samuel 18:20 And Michal Saul’s daughter loved David: and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him.

1 Samuel 18:21 And Saul said, I will give him her, that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand ofthe Philistines may be against him. Wherefore Saul said to David, Thou shalt this day be my son-in-law in the one o/the twain.

1 Samuel 18:22 And Saul commanded his servants, saying, Commune with David secretly, and say, Behold, the king hath delight in thee, and all his servants love thee: now therefore be the king’s son in law.

1 Samuel 18:23 And Saul’s servants spake those words in the ears of David. And David said, Seemeth it to you a light thing to be a king’s son-in-law, seeing that I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed?

1 Samuel 18:24 And the servants of Saul told him, saying, On this manner spake David.

1 Samuel 18:25 And Saul said, Thus shall ye say to David, The king desireth not any dowry, but a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king’s enemies. But Saul thought to make David fall by the hand ofthe Philistines.

1 Samuel 18:26 And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king’s son-in-law: and the days were not expired.

1 Samuel 18:27 Wherefore David arose and went, he and his men, and slew of the Philistines two hundred men, and David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full tale to the king, that he might be the king’s son in law. And Saul gave him Michal his daughter to wife.

1 Samuel 18:29 And Saul was yet the more afraid of David, and Saul became David’s enemy continually.

1 Samuel 18:30 Then the princes of the Philistines went forth: and it came to pass, after they went forth, that David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul; so that his name was much set by.

1 Samuel 19: God’s Sovereignty In David’s Escape From Saul

1 Samuel 19:1 And Saul spake to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that they should kill David.

1 Samuel 19:2 But Jonathan Saul’s son delighted much in David: and Jonathan told David, saying, Saul, my father seeketh to kill thee: now therefore, 1 pray thee, take heed to thyself until the morning, and abide in a secret place, and hide thyself:

1 Samuel 19:3 And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where thou art, and I will commune with my father of the; and what I see, that I will tell thee.

Read and Learn More 1 Samuel: A Journey of Faith, Leadership, and God’s Providence

1 Samuel 19:4 And Jonathan spake good of David unto Saul his father, and said unto him, Let not the king sin against his servant, against David; because he hath not sinned against thee, and because his works have been to thee-ward very good:

1 Samuel 19:5 For he did put his life in his hand, and slew the Philistine, and the LORD wrought a great salvation for all Israel: thou sawest it, and didst rejoice: wherefore then wilt thou sin against innocent blood, to slay David without a cause?

1 Samuel 19:7 And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan showed him all those things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence, as in times past.

1 Samuel 19:8 And there was war again: and David went out, and fought with the Philistines, and slew them with a great slaughter, and they fled from him.

1 Samuel 19:9 And the evil spirit from the LORD was upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his javelin in his hand: and David played with his hand.

1 Samuel 19:10 And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the javelin, but he slipped away out of Saul’s presence, and he smote the javelin into the wall: and David fled, and escaped that night.

1 Samuel 19:11 Saul also sent messengers unto David’s house, to watch him, and to slay him in the morning: and Michal David’s wife told him, saying, If thou save not thy life to night, to morrow thou shalt be slain.

1 Samuel 19:12 So Michal let David down through a windowt&nd he went, and fled, and escaped.

1 Samuel 19:13 And Michal took an image, and laid it in the bed, and put a pillow of goats’ hair for his bolster, and covered it with a cloth.

1 Samuel 19:14 And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, He is sick.

1 Samuel 19:15 And Saul sent the messengers again to see David, saying, Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may slay him.

1 Samuel 19:16 And when the messengers came in, behold, there was an image in the bed, with a pillow of goats’ hair for his bolster.

1 Samuel 19:17 And Saul said unto Michal, Why hast thou deceived me so and sent away mine enemy, that he is escaped? And Michal answered Saul, He said unto me, Let me go; why should I kill thee?

1 Samuel 19:18 So David fled, and escaped, and came to Samuel to Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and dwelt in Naioth.

1 Samuel 19:19 And it was told Saul, saying, Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.

1 Samuel 19:20 And Saul sent messengers to take David: and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as appointed over them, the Spirit of God was upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied.

1 Samuel 19:22 Then went he also to Ramah, and came to a great well that is in Sechu: and he asked and said, Where are Samuel and David? And one said, Behold, they are at Naioth in Ramah.

1 Samuel 19:23 And he went thither to Naioth in Ramah: and the Spirit of God was upon him also, and he went on, and prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah.

1 Samuel 19:24 And he stripped off his clothes also, and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Wherefore they say, Is Saul also among the prophets?

1 Samuel 20: A Friendship Rooted In Trust And God’s Purpose

1 Samuel 20:1 And David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, What have I done? what is my iniquity? and what is my sin before thy father, that he seeketh my Life?

1 Samuel 20:2 And he said unto him, God forbid; thou shalt not die: behold, my father will do nothing either great or small, but that he will shew it me: and why should my father hide this thing from me? it is not so.

1 Samuel 20:3 And David sware moreover, and said, Thy fathy certainly knoweth that I have found grace in thine eyes; and he saith, Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved: but truly as the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, there is but a step between me and death.

1 Samuel 20:4 Then said Jonathan unto David, Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even do it for thee.

Read and Learn More 1 Samuel: A Journey of Faith, Leadership, and God’s Providence

1 Samuel 20:5 And David said unto Jonathan, Behold, to morrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king at meat: but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field unto the third day at even.

1 Samuel 20:6 If thy father at all miss me, then say, David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Beth-lehem his city: for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family.

1 Samuel 20:7 If he says thus, It is well; thy servant shall have peace: but if he is very wroth, then be sure that evil is determined by him.

1 Samuel 20:8 Therefore thou shall deal kindly with thy servant; for thou hast brought thy servant into a covenant of the LORD with thee: notwithstanding, if there be in me iniquity, slay me thyself; for why shouldest thou bring me to thy father?

1 Samuel 20:9 And Jonathan said, Far be it from thee: for if I knew certainly that evil was determined by my father to come upon thee, then would not I tell it thee?

1 Samuel 20:10 Then said David to Jonathan, Who shall tell me? or what if thy father answer thee roughly?

1 Samuel 20:12 And Jonathan said unto David, O LORD God of Israel when I have sounded my father about to morrow any time, or the third day, and, behold, if there be good toward David, and I then send not unto thee, and shew it thee;

1 Samuel 20:13 The LORD do so and much more to Jonathan: but if please my father to do thee evil, then I will shew it thee, and send thee away, that thou mayest go in peace: and the LORD be with thee, as he hath been with my father.

1 Samuel 20:14 And thou shalt not only while yet I live shew me the kindness ofthe LORD, that I die not:

1 Samuel 20:15 But also thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house forever: no, not when the LORD hath cut off the enemies of David everyone from the face of the earth.

1 Samuel 20:16 So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, Let the LORD even require it at the hand of David’s enemies.

1 Samuel 20:17 And Jonathan caused David to swear again because he loved him: for he loved him as he loved his own soul.

1 Samuel 20:18 Then Jonathan said to David, To morrow is the new moon: and thou shalt be missed because thy seat will be empty.

1 Samuel 20:19 And when thou hast stayed three days, then thou shalt go down quiddy, and come to the place where thou didst hide thyself when the business was in hand, and shalt remain by the stone Ezel.

1 Samuel 20:20 And I will shoot three arrows on the side thereof, as though I shot at a mark.

1 Samuel 20:22 But if I say thus unto the young man, Behold, the arrows are beyond thee; go thy way: for the LORD hath sent thee away.

1 Samuel 20:23 And as touching the matter which thou and I have spoken of, behold, the LORD be between thee and me forever.

1 Samuel 20:24 So David hid himself in the field: and when the new moon came, the king sat him down to eat meat

1 Samuel 20:25 And the king sat upon his seat, as at other times, even upon a seat by the wall: and Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul’s side, and David’s place was empty.

1 Samuel 20:26 Nevertheless Saul spake not anything that day: for he thought, Something hath befallen him, he is not clean; surely he is not clean.

1 Samuel 20:27 And it came to pass on the morrow, which was the second day of the month, that David’s place was empty: and Saul said unto Jonathan his son, Wherefore cometh not the son of Jesse to meat, neither yesterday nor to day?

1 Samuel 20:28 And Jonathan answered Saul, David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Beth-lehem:

1 Samuel 20:29 And he said, Let me go, I pray thee; for our family hath a sacrifice in the city; and my brother, he hath commanded me to be there: and now, if I have found favor in thine eyes, let me get away, I pray thee, and see my brethren. Therefore he cometh not unto the king’s table.

1 Samuel 20:30 Then Saul’s anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him, Thou son of the perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion, and unto the confusion of thy mother’s nakedness?

1 Samuel 20:32 And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said unto him, Wherefore shall he be slain? what hath he done?

1 Samuel 20:33 And Saul cast a javelin at him to smite him: whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to slay David.

1 Samuel 20:34 So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and did eat no meat the second day of the month: for he was grieved for David because his father had done him shame,

1 Samuel 20:35 And it came to pass in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad with him.

1 Samuel 20:36 And he said unto his lad, Run, find out now the arrows which I shoot. And as the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.

1 Samuel 20:37 And when the lad came to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the lad, and said, Is not the arrow beyond thee?

1 Samuel 20:38 And Jonathan cried after the lad, Make speed, haste, stay not. And Jonathan’s lad gathered up the arrows and came to his master.

1 Samuel 20:39 But the lad knew not anything: only Jonathan and David knew the matter.

1 Samuel 20:40 And Jonathan gave his artillery unto his lad, and said unto him, Go, carry them to the city.

1 Samuel 20:42 And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name ofthe LORD, saying, The LORD be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed forever. And he arose and departed: and Jona than went into the city.