Lord of Sabbaoth, Now will I take vengeance on Amelek, for the things which he did to Israel when he opposed them in the 3 way, as they were coming up out of Egypt. Now therefore go, and smite Amelek, and Jerim, and all that belong to him. Thou shalt not spare one of him but utterly destroy him. Having devoted him and all belonging to him to destruction, thou shalt spare none, but shalt slay man and woman, infant and 4 suckling, herds and flocks, camels and asses. Thereupon Saul assembled the people, and reviewed them at Galgal, four hundred thousand men of array, particularly of Juda thirty thou5 sand men of array. And when Saul came to the cities of Ame. 6 lek, he laid an ambush in the valley. And Saul said to the Kinites, Away, remove from among the Amelekites. I must not join you with them, for you dealt kindly with the Israelites when they were coming up out of Egypt. And when the Kinites had removed from among the Amelekites, Saul smote 7 Amelek from Evilat to Sur in front of Egypt; and took Agag 8 the king of Amelek alive. When he had slain all the people and Jerim with the edge of the sword, Saul and all the people saved Agag alive, and spared the best of the flocks, and the 9 herds, and provisions, and vineyards, and all that was good;

and would not destroy them, but destroyed only what was of 10 no estimation or of little value. Wherefore a word of the Lord 11 came to Samuel saying, Have I had comfort for making Saul

king? For he hath turned away from following me, and hath not observed my orders. Thereupon Samuel was grieved, and 12 cried to the Lord that whole night. And Samuel arose early, and went to meet Israel in the morning. Now it had been told Saul, that Samuel had gone to Karmel and erected a hand for himself. But he turned his chariot, and went down to Galgal to Saul, and behold he was offering up as a whole burnt offering to the Lord the prime of the spoils which he had brought 13 out of Amelek. And when Samuel came to Saul, Saul said to

him, Blessed art thou of the Lord. I have performed all that 14 the Lord hath spoken. Whereupon Samuel said, But what

bleating of flocks is this in my ears? and what is this lowing of 15 cattle which I hear? And Saul said, I have brought out of Ame

lek such as the people spared, the best of the flocks, and the herds, that they may be sacrificed to the Lord thy God; but

16 the rest I have utterly destroyed. And Samuel said, Permit

me to tell thee what the Lord said to me last night. And he 17 said to him, Speak. Then Samuel said to Saul, Wast thou not in his sight a little leader of a family of a tribe of Israel? yet 18 the Lord anointed thee to be king over Israel; and the Lord sent thee on a journey, and said to thee, Go and destroy utterly. Thou shalt slay those who have sinned against me; namely Amelek; and thou shalt fight against them until thou hast to19 tally destroyed them. Why then didst thou not hearken to the voice of the Lord, but rush upon the spoil, and do evil in the 20 sight of the Lord? And Saul said to Samuel, Because I hearkened to the voice of the people. But I have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have brought Agag king of Amelek, and utterly destroyed Amelek, and the people have taken of 21 the spoils, flocks and herds, as first fruits of the destruction, 22 to sacrifice them before the Lord our God, at Galgal. And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in whole burnt offerings, and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold obedience is better than good sacrifice; and to heark23 en, is better than the fat of rams. Because divination is a sin, the consulting Theraphin bringeth sorrow and distress: because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, therefore the Lord 24 hath rejected thee from being king over Israel. Then Saul said to Samuel, I have sinned; for I have transgressed the word of the Lord, and thy orders, because I feared the people 25 and hearkened to their voice. Now therefore bear away my

sin, I beseech thee, and return with me that I may worship 26 the Lord thy God. And Samuel said to Saul, I cannot return

with thee. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, therefore the Lord will reject thee from being king over Israel. 27 And when Samuel turned his face to go away, Saul took hold 28 of the skirt of his mantle, and rent it. Thereupon Samuel said

to him, The Lord hath rent thy regal government from Israel, this day, out of thy hand, and will give it to a neighbour of thine, 29 who is better than thou, and Israel shall be rent in twain. He

will not change, nor alter his mind, for he is not a man, that he 30 should change his mind. Then Saul said, I have sinned; but honour me, I beseech thee, in the presence of the elders of Isracl, and before my people, and return up with me, that I may

31 worship the Lord thy God. So Samuel returned up after Saul,

and when he had worshipped the Lord, Samuel said, Bring be 32 fore me Agag the king of Amelek. And when Agag came before him, trembling, Agag said, Ah! how bitter is death! 33 Whereupon Samuel said to Agag, As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be made childless among women. So Samuel slew Agag before the Lord at Galgal. 34 Then Samuel went to Armathaim, and Saul went up to his 35 house to Gabaa, and Samuel came no more to see Saul to the day of his death.

XVI.

Because Samuel mourned for Saul, and the Lord repented that he had made Saul king over Israel, therefore the Lord said to Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul? As for me, I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill thy horn with oil, and come, let me send thee to Jessai to 2 Bethlehem; for I have seen among his sons a king for me. And Samuel said, How can I go? Saul will hear and will kill me. And the Lord said, Take with thee a heifer from the kine, 3 and thou shalt say, I come to sacrifice to the Lord; and thou

shalt invite Jessai to the sacrifice, and I will let thee know what thou shalt do, and thou shalt anoint him whom I point out 4 to thee. So Samuel did all that the Lord spoke to him. Now when he came to Bethlehem, the elders of the city were sur5 prised at meeting him, and said, Seer! Is thy coming peaceable? And he said, It is peaceable. I come to sacrifice to the 6 Lord. Sanctify yourselves, and rejoice with me to-day. And when he was hallowing Jessai and his sons and inviting them to the sacrifice, he beheld Eliab as they were coming in and 7 said, Is not the Lord's anointed before him? But the Lord said to Samuel, Look not on his countenance, nor the height of his stature, for I have rejected him: for God looketh not superficially as man looketh; for man looketh at the outward 8 appearance, but God will look to the heart. Then Jessai called

Aminadab, and he passed by before Samuel. And when he 9 said God hath not chosen him, Jessai brought forward Sama; 10 but he said, Neither hath the Lord made choice of him. And

when Jessai had brought his seven sons before Samuel, Samuel 11 said, The Lord hath not made a choice among these. Then Samuel said to Jessai, Are these all thy children? And he said, 3 P

VOL. I.

There is still one more, the youngest. Behold he is tend12 ing the flock. And Samuel said to Jessai, Send for him; for we cannot sit down till he come. So he sent for him. Now he was of a ruddy complexion, with beautiful eyes, and comely in appearance to the Lord, and the Lord said to Samuel, Arise 13 and anoint David, for he is good. So Samuel took the hom

of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And a Spirit of the Lord came upon David, from that day forward. 14 Then Samuel arose and went to Armathaim. And the Spirit

of the Lord departed from Saul; and an evil spirit from the 15 Lord tormented him. Whereupon the servants of Saul said to

him, Behold now an evil spirit from the Lord tormenteth thee. 16 Pray let thy servants before thee give orders, and seek for our lord a man who is skilled in playing on a kynara. And when the evil spirit is upon thee, let him play on his kynara, and it 17 will be good for thee and give thee case. And Saul said to his

servants, Look out, I pray you, for a man who playeth well, 18 and bring him to me. Then one of his servants answered and said, Behold I have seen a son of Jessai the Bethlemite. He is skilled in music, and is a man of understanding and a warrior, graceful in speech, and of a comely appearance, and the Lord is 19 with him. Thereupon Saul sent messengers to Jessai saying, 20 Send to me thy son David who is with the flock. So Jessai

took a gomer of bread, and a skin of wine, and a kid of the goats, and sent them to Saul by the hand of his son David. 21 And when David came to Saul, and stood before him, he loved 22 him greatly, and made him his armour bearer. And Saul sent

to Jessai, saying, Let David, I pray thee, stand before me; for 23 he hath found favour in my sight. And whenever the evil spirit came upon Saul, David took his kynara, and played with his hand, and it composed Saul and gave him relief; and the evil spirit departed from him.

XVII.

Now the Philistines had assembled their armies for battle, and having formed a junction at Sokchoth of Judea, they 2 encamped between Sokchoth and Azeka-ephermen. Whereupon Saul and the men of Israel assembled and encamped in the valley, and drew up in array for battle, over against the 3 Philistines. And while the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side,

I

with a vale between them, there came forth a mighty man 4 from the line of the Philistines. His name was Goliath, of Geth. 5 His height was four cubits and a span. And he had a helmet

on his head, and was clad with a breast plate of chain work; and the weight of his breast plate was five thousand shekels. 6 It was of brass and steel: and the greaves on his legs were of 7 brass; and he had a target of brass between his shoulders. And

the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam: and his javelin 8 was six hundred shekels of iron. And his armour bearer walked before him. And he stood, and cried with a loud voice, to the line of Israel, and said to them, Why come ye out to array yourselves for battle against us? Am not I a Philistine; and you Hebrews the servants of Saul? Chuse out for yourselves 9 a man, and let him come down to me. And if he be able to fight

with me, and kill me, we will be your slaves; but if I prevail, 10 and kill him, you shall be our slaves, and serve us. Then the

Philistine said, Behold I have now this day defied the army of Israel. Give me a man that we may fight at single combat. 11 When Saul, and all Israel, heard these words of the Philistine, 32 they were dismayed, and greatly terrified. Whereupon David

said to Saul, Let not, I pray thee, the heart of my lord be dis33 couraged, thy servant will go and fight this Philistine. And

Saul said to David, Thou canst not go against the Philistine 1 to fight with him; for thou art but a youth, and he is a warrior 34 from his youth. And David said to Saul, Thy servant tended

his father's flock. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and 35 took a sheep from the flock, I went out after him, and smote

him, and rescued it out of his mouth. And if he rose up against me, I seized him by the throat, and smote, and killed him. 36 Thy servant hath slain a lion and a bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them. Shall I not go and smite him, and remove, this day, a reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised, that he should defy the army of 37 the living God? The Lord who delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear-he will deliver me out of the hand of this uncircumcised Philistine. Then Saul 38 said to David, Go; and the Lord be with thee. And when Saul had clad David with a coat of mail, and put a helmet of brass on his head, and girded his sword on David over the