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1 Samuel 13-17
New English Translation

Saul Fails the Lord

13 Saul was [thirty][a] years old when he began to reign; he ruled over Israel for [forty][b] years. 2 Saul selected for himself 3,000 men from Israel. Of these 2,000 were with Saul at Micmash and in the hill country of Bethel; the remaining 1,000 were with Jonathan at Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin.[c] He sent all the rest of the people back home.[d]

3 Jonathan attacked the Philistine outpost[e] that was at Geba and the Philistines heard about it. Then Saul alerted[f] all the land saying, “Let the Hebrews pay attention!” 4 All Israel heard this message,[g] “Saul has attacked the Philistine outpost, and now Israel is repulsive[h] to the Philistines!” So the people were summoned to join[i] Saul at Gilgal.

5 Meanwhile the Philistines gathered to battle with Israel. Then they went up against Israel[j] with 3,000 chariots,[k] 6,000 horsemen, and an army as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Micmash, east of Beth Aven. 6 The men of Israel realized they had a problem because their army was hard pressed. So the army hid in caves, thickets, cliffs, strongholds,[l] and cisterns. 7 Some of the Hebrews crossed over the Jordan River[m] to the land of Gad and Gilead. But Saul stayed at Gilgal; the entire army that was with him was terrified. 8 He waited for seven days, the time period indicated by Samuel.[n] But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the army began to abandon Saul.[o]

9 So Saul said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings.” Then he offered a burnt offering. 10 Just when he had finished offering the burnt offering, Samuel appeared on the scene. Saul went out to meet him and to greet him.[p]

11 But Samuel said, “What have you done?” Saul replied, “When I saw that the army had started to abandon me,[q] and that you didn’t come at the appointed time, and that the Philistines had assembled at Micmash, 12 I thought,[r] ‘Now the Philistines will come down on me at Gilgal and I have not sought the Lord’s favor.’ So I felt obligated[s] to offer the burnt offering.”

13 Then Samuel said to Saul, “You have made a foolish choice! You have not obeyed[t] the commandment that the Lord your God gave[u] you. Had you done that, the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14 But now your kingdom will not continue. The Lord has sought out[v] for himself a man who is loyal to him,[w] and the Lord has appointed[x] him to be leader over his people, for you have not obeyed what the Lord commanded you.”

15 Then Samuel set out and went up from Gilgal[y] to Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin.[z] Saul mustered the army that remained with him; there were about 600 men. 16 Saul, his son Jonathan, and the army that remained with them stayed in Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin, while the Philistines camped in Micmash.[aa] 17 Raiding bands went out from the camp of the Philistines in three groups. One band turned toward the road leading to Ophrah by the land of Shual; 18 another band turned toward the road leading to Beth Horon; and yet another band turned toward the road leading to the border that overlooks the valley of Zeboyim in the direction of the desert.

19 A blacksmith could not be found in all the land of Israel, for the Philistines had said, “This will prevent the Hebrews from making swords and spears.” 20 So all Israel had to go down to the Philistines in order to get their plowshares, cutting instruments, axes, and sickles[ab] sharpened. 21 They charged[ac] two-thirds of a shekel[ad] to sharpen plowshares and cutting instruments, and one-third of a shekel[ae] to sharpen picks and axes, and to set ox goads. 22 So on the day of the battle no sword or spear was to be found in the hand of anyone in the army that was with Saul and Jonathan. No one but Saul and his son Jonathan had them.

Jonathan Ignites a Battle

23 A garrison of the Philistines had gone out to the pass at Micmash.

14 Then one day Jonathan son of Saul said to his armor-bearer,[af] “Come on, let’s go over to the Philistine garrison that is opposite us.” But he did not let his father know.

2 Now Saul was sitting under a pomegranate tree in Migron, on the outskirts of Gibeah. The army that was with him numbered about 600 men. 3 Now Ahijah was carrying[ag] an ephod. He was the son of Ahitub, who was the brother of Ichabod and a son of Phinehas, son of Eli, the priest of the Lord in Shiloh. The army was unaware that Jonathan had left.

4 Now there was a steep cliff on each side of the pass through which Jonathan intended to go to reach the Philistine garrison. One cliff was named Bozez, the other Seneh. 5 The cliff to the north was closer to Micmash, the one to the south closer to Geba.

6 Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, “Come on, let’s go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised men. Perhaps the Lord will intervene[ah] for us. Nothing can prevent the Lord from delivering, whether by many or by a few.” 7 His armor-bearer said to him, “Do everything that is on your mind.[ai] Do as you’re inclined. I’m with you all the way!”[aj]

8 Jonathan replied, “All right.[ak] We’ll go over to these men and fight them. 9 If they say to us, ‘Stay put until we approach you,’ we will stay[al] right there and not go up to them. 10 But if they say, ‘Come up against us,’ we will go up. For in that case the Lord has given them into our hand—it will be a sign to us.”

11 When they[am] made themselves known to the Philistine garrison, the Philistines said, “Look! The Hebrews are coming out of the holes in which they hid themselves.” 12 Then the men of the garrison said to Jonathan and his armor-bearer, “Come on up to us so we can teach you a thing or two!”[an] Then Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, “Come up behind me, for the Lord has given[ao] them into the hand of Israel!”

13 Jonathan crawled up on his hands and feet, with his armor-bearer following behind him. Jonathan struck down the Philistines,[ap] while his armor-bearer came along behind him and killed them.[aq] 14 In this initial skirmish Jonathan and his armor-bearer struck down about twenty men in an area that measured half an acre.

15 Then fear overwhelmed[ar] those who were in the camp, those who were in the field, all the army in the garrison, and the raiding bands. They trembled and the ground shook. This fear was caused by God.[as]

16 Saul’s watchmen at Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin[at] looked on[au] as the crowd of soldiers seemed to melt away first in one direction and then in another.[av] 17 So Saul said to the army that was with him, “Muster the troops and see who is no longer with us.” When they mustered the troops,[aw] Jonathan and his armor-bearer were not there. 18 So Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring near the ephod,”[ax] for he was at that time wearing the ephod in front of the Israelites.[ay] 19 While[az] Saul spoke to the priest, the panic in the Philistines’ camp was becoming greater and greater. So Saul said to the priest, “Withdraw your hand.”

20 Saul and all the army assembled and marched into battle, where they found[ba] the Philistines in total panic killing one another with their swords.[bb] 21 The Hebrews who had earlier gone over to the Philistine side[bc] joined the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. 22 When all the Israelites who had hidden themselves in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines had fled, they too pursued them in battle. 23 So the Lord delivered Israel that day, and the battle shifted over to Beth Aven.[bd]

Jonathan Violates Saul’s Oath

24 Now the men of Israel were hard pressed that day, for Saul had made the army agree to this oath: “Cursed be the man who eats food before evening. I will get my vengeance on my enemies!” So no one in the army ate anything.

25 Now the whole army[be] entered the forest, and there was honey on the ground.[bf] 26 When the army entered the forest, they saw[bg] the honey flowing, but no one ate any of it,[bh] for the army was afraid of the oath. 27 But Jonathan had not heard about the oath his father had made the army take. He extended the end of his staff that was in his hand and dipped it in the honeycomb. When he ate it,[bi] his eyes gleamed.[bj] 28 Then someone from the army informed him, “Your father put the army under a strict oath[bk] saying, ‘Cursed be the man who eats food today.’ That is why the army is tired.” 29 Then Jonathan said, “My father has caused trouble for the land. See how my eyes gleamed[bl] when I tasted just a little of this honey. 30 Certainly if the army had eaten some of the enemies’ provisions that they came across today, would not the slaughter of the Philistines have been even greater?”

31 On that day the army struck down the Philistines from Micmash to Aijalon, and they became very tired. 32 So the army rushed greedily on[bm] the[bn] plunder, confiscating sheep, cattle, and calves. They slaughtered them right on the ground, and the army ate them, blood and all.

33 Now it was reported to Saul, “Look, the army is sinning against the Lord by eating even the blood.” He said, “All of you have broken the covenant![bo] Roll a large stone over here[bp] to me.” 34 Then Saul said, “Scatter out among the army and say to them, ‘Each of you bring to me your ox and sheep and slaughter them in this spot and eat. But don’t sin against the Lord by eating the blood.” So that night each one brought his ox and slaughtered it there.[bq] 35 Then Saul built an altar for the Lord; it was the first time he had built an altar for the Lord.

36 Saul said, “Let’s go down after the Philistines at night; we will rout[br] them until the break of day.[bs] We won’t leave any of them alive!”[bt] They replied, “Do whatever seems best to you.”[bu] But the priest said, “Let’s approach God here.” 37 So Saul asked God, “Should I go down after the Philistines? Will you deliver them into the hand of Israel?” But he did not answer him that day.

38 Then Saul said, “All you leaders of the army come here. Find out[bv] how this sin occurred today. 39 For as surely as the Lord, the deliverer of Israel, lives, even if it turns out to be my own son Jonathan, he will certainly die!” But no one from the army said anything.[bw]

40 Then he said to all Israel, “You will be on one side, and I and my son Jonathan will be on the other side.” The army replied to Saul, “Do whatever you think is best.”

41 Then Saul said, “O Lord God of Israel! If this sin has been committed by me or by my son Jonathan, then, O Lord God of Israel, respond with Urim. But if this sin has been committed by your people Israel, respond with Thummim.”[bx] Then Jonathan and Saul were indicated by lot, while the army was exonerated.[by] 42 Then Saul said, “Cast the lot between me and my son Jonathan!”[bz] Jonathan was indicated by lot.

43 So Saul said to Jonathan, “Tell me what you have done.” Jonathan told him, “I used the end of the staff that was in my hand to taste a little honey. I must die!”[ca] 44 Saul said, “God will punish me severely if Jonathan doesn’t die!”[cb]

45 But the army said to Saul, “Should Jonathan, who won this great victory in Israel, die? May it never be! As surely as the Lord lives, not a single hair of his head will fall to the ground, for it is with the help of God that he has acted today.” So the army rescued Jonathan from death.[cc]

46 Then Saul stopped chasing the Philistines, and the Philistines went back home.[cd] 47 After Saul had secured his royal position over Israel, he fought against all their[ce] enemies on all sides—the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines. In every direction that he turned, he was victorious.[cf] 48 He fought bravely, striking down the Amalekites and delivering Israel from the hand of its enemies.[cg]

Members of Saul’s Family

49 The sons of Saul were Jonathan, Ishvi, and Malki-Shua.[ch] He had two daughters; the older one was named Merab and the younger Michal. 50 The name of Saul’s wife was Ahinoam, the daughter of Ahimaaz. The name of the general in command of his army was Abner son of Ner, Saul’s uncle.[ci] 51 Kish was the father of Saul, and Ner the father of Abner was the son[cj] of Abiel.

52 There was fierce war with the Philistines all the days of Saul. So whenever Saul saw anyone who was a warrior or a brave individual, he would conscript him.

Saul Is Rejected as King

15 Then Samuel said to Saul, “I was the one the Lord sent to anoint you as king over his people Israel. Now listen to what the Lord says.[ck] 2 Here is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has said: ‘I carefully observed how the Amalekites opposed[cl] Israel along the way when Israel[cm] came up from Egypt. 3 So go now and strike down the Amalekites. Destroy everything they have. Don’t spare[cn] them. Put them to death—man, woman, child, infant, ox, sheep, camel, and donkey alike.’”

4 So Saul assembled[co] the army[cp] and mustered them at Telaim. There were 200,000 foot soldiers and 10,000 men of Judah. 5 Saul proceeded to the city[cq] of Amalek, where he set an ambush[cr] in the wadi.[cs] 6 Saul said to the Kenites, “Go on and leave! Go down from among the Amalekites. Otherwise I will sweep you away[ct] with them. After all, you were kind to all the Israelites when they came up from Egypt.” So the Kenites withdrew from among the Amalekites.

7 Then Saul struck down the Amalekites all the way from Havilah to[cu] Shur, which is next to Egypt. 8 He captured King Agag of the Amalekites alive, but he executed all Agag’s people[cv] with the sword. 9 However, Saul and the army spared Agag, along with the best of the flock, the cattle, the fatlings,[cw] and the lambs, as well as everything else that was of value.[cx] They were not willing to slaughter them. But they did slaughter everything that was despised[cy] and worthless.

10 Then the Lord’s message came to Samuel: 11 “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned away from me and has not done what I told him to do.” Samuel became angry and he cried out to the Lord all that night.

12 Then Samuel got up early to meet Saul the next morning. But Samuel was informed, “Saul has gone to Carmel where[cz] he is setting up a monument for himself.” Then Samuel left[da] and went down to Gilgal.[db] 13 When Samuel came to Saul, Saul said to him, “May the Lord bless you! I have fulfilled the Lord’s orders.”[dc]

14 Samuel replied, “If that is the case,[dd] then what is this sound of sheep in my ears and the sound of cattle that I hear?” 15 Saul said, “They were brought[de] from the Amalekites; the army spared the best of the flocks and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord our God. But everything else we slaughtered.”

16 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Wait a minute![df] Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.” Saul[dg] said to him, “Tell me.” 17 Samuel said, “Is it not true that when you were insignificant in your own eyes, you became head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord chose[dh] you as king over Israel. 18 The Lord sent you on a campaign[di] saying, ‘Go and exterminate those sinful Amalekites! Fight against them until you[dj] have destroyed them.’ 19 Why haven’t you obeyed[dk] the Lord? Instead you have greedily rushed upon the plunder! You have done what is wrong in the Lord’s estimation.”[dl]

20 Then Saul said to Samuel, “But I have obeyed[dm] the Lord! I went on the campaign[dn] the Lord sent me on. I brought back King Agag of the Amalekites after exterminating the Amalekites. 21 But the army took from the plunder some of the sheep and cattle—the best of what was to be slaughtered—to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.”

22 Then Samuel said,

“Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as he does in obedience?[do]
Certainly,[dp] obedience[dq] is better than sacrifice;
paying attention is better than[dr] the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination,
and presumption is like the evil of idolatry.
Because you have rejected the Lord’s orders,[ds]
he has rejected you from being king.”

24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have disobeyed what the Lord commanded[dt] and your words as well. For I was afraid of the army,[du] and I obeyed their voice. 25 Now please forgive my sin. Go back with me so I can worship the Lord.”

26 Samuel said to Saul, “I will not go back with you, for you have rejected the Lord’s orders,[dv] and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel!”

27 When Samuel turned to leave, Saul[dw] grabbed the edge of his robe and it tore. 28 Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day and has given it to one of your colleagues who is better than you! 29 The Preeminent One[dx] of Israel does not go back on his word[dy] or change his mind, for he is not a human being who changes his mind.”[dz] 30 Saul[ea] again replied, “I have sinned. But please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel. Go back with me so I may worship the Lord your God.” 31 So Samuel followed Saul back, and Saul worshiped the Lord.

Samuel Puts Agag to Death

32 Then Samuel said, “Bring me King Agag of the Amalekites.” So Agag came to him trembling,[eb] thinking to himself,[ec] “Surely death is bitter!”[ed] 33 Samuel said, “Just as your sword left women childless, so your mother will be the most bereaved[ee] among women.” Then Samuel hacked Agag to pieces there in Gilgal before the Lord.

34 Then Samuel went to Ramah, while Saul went up to his home in Gibeah of Saul. 35 Until the day he[ef] died, Samuel did not see Saul again. Samuel did, however, mourn for Saul, but the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.

Samuel Anoints David as King

16 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long do you intend to mourn for Saul? I have rejected him as king over Israel.[eg] Fill your horn with olive oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse in Bethlehem, for I have selected a king for myself from among his sons.”[eh]

2 Samuel replied, “How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me!” But the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you[ei] and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ 3 Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you should do. You will anoint for me the one I point out[ej] to you.”

4 Samuel did what the Lord told him.[ek] When he arrived in Bethlehem, the elders of the city were afraid to meet him. They[el] said, “Do you come in peace?” 5 He replied, “Yes, in peace. I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” So he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

6 When they arrived, Samuel[em] noticed[en] Eliab and said to himself,[eo] “Surely, here before the Lord stands his chosen king.”[ep] 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t be impressed by[eq] his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. God does not view things the way people do.[er] People look on the outward appearance,[es] but the Lord looks at the heart.”

8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and presented him to Samuel.[et] But Samuel[eu] said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.” 9 Then Jesse presented[ev] Shammah. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.” 10 Jesse presented seven of his sons to Samuel.[ew] But Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen any of these.” 11 Then Samuel asked Jesse, “Is that all the young men?” Jesse[ex] replied, “There is still the youngest one, but he’s taking care of the flock.” Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we cannot turn our attention to other things until he comes here.”

12 So Jesse had him brought in.[ey] Now he was ruddy, with attractive eyes and a handsome appearance. The Lord said, “Go and anoint him. This is the one.” 13 So Samuel took the horn full of olive oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers. The Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day onward. Then Samuel got up and went to Ramah.

David Appears before Saul

14 Now the Spirit of the Lord had turned away from Saul, and an evil spirit[ez] from the Lord tormented him. 15 Then Saul’s servants said to him, “Look, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you. 16 Let our lord instruct his servants who are here before you to look for a man who knows how to play the lyre. Then whenever the evil spirit from God comes upon you, he can play the lyre[fa] and you will feel better.”[fb] 17 So Saul said to his servants, “Find[fc] me a man who plays well and bring him to me.” 18 One of his attendants replied,[fd] “I have seen a son of Jesse in Bethlehem who knows how to play the lyre. He is a brave warrior[fe] and is articulate[ff] and handsome,[fg] for the Lord is with him.”

19 So Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me your son David, who is out with the sheep.” 20 So Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a container of wine, and a young goat[fh] and sent them to Saul with[fi] his son David. 21 David came to Saul and stood before him. Saul liked him a great deal,[fj] and he became his armor-bearer. 22 Then Saul sent word to Jesse saying, “Let David be my servant, for I am very pleased with him.”[fk]

23 So whenever the spirit from God would come upon Saul, David would take his lyre and play it. This would bring relief to Saul and make him feel better. Then the evil spirit would leave him alone.[fl]

David Kills Goliath

17 [fm] The Philistines gathered their troops[fn] for battle. They assembled at Socoh in Judah. They camped in Ephes Dammim, between Socoh and Azekah. 2 Saul and the Israelite army[fo] assembled and camped in the valley of Elah, where they arranged their battle lines to fight against[fp] the Philistines. 3 The Philistines were standing on one hill, and the Israelites[fq] on another hill, with the valley between them.

4 Then a champion[fr] came out from the camp of the Philistines. His name was Goliath; he was from Gath. He was close to seven feet tall.[fs] 5 He had a bronze helmet on his head and was wearing scale body armor. The weight of his bronze body armor was 5,000 shekels.[ft] 6 He had bronze shin guards[fu] on his legs, and a bronze javelin was slung over his shoulders. 7 The shaft[fv] of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and the iron point of his spear weighed 600 shekels.[fw] His shield bearer was walking before him.

8 Goliath[fx] stood and called to Israel’s troops,[fy] “Why do you come out to prepare for battle? Am I not the Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose[fz] for yourselves a man so he may come down[ga] to me! 9 If he is able to fight with me and strike me down, we will become your servants. But if I prevail against him and strike him down, you will become our servants and will serve us.” 10 Then the Philistine said, “I defy Israel’s troops this day! Give me a man so we can fight[gb] each other!” 11 When Saul and all the Israelites[gc] heard these words of the Philistine, they were upset and very afraid.

12 [gd] Now David was the son of an Ephrathite named Jesse from Bethlehem in Judah. He had eight sons, and in Saul’s days he was old and well advanced in years.[ge] 13 Jesse’s three oldest sons had followed Saul to war. The names of the[gf] three sons who went to war were Eliab, his firstborn, Abinadab, the second oldest; and Shammah, the third oldest. 14 Now David was the youngest. While the three oldest sons followed Saul, 15 David was going back and forth[gg] from Saul in order to care for his father’s sheep in Bethlehem.

16 Meanwhile for forty days the Philistine approached every morning and evening and took his position. 17 Jesse said to his son David, “Take your brothers this ephah of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread; go quickly[gh] to the camp to your brothers. 18 Also take these ten portions of cheese to their commanding officer.[gi] Find out how your brothers are doing[gj] and bring back their pledge that they received the goods.[gk] 19 They are with Saul and the whole Israelite army[gl] in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.”

20 So David got up early in the morning and entrusted the flock to someone else who would watch over it.[gm] After loading up, he went just as Jesse had instructed him. He arrived at the camp[gn] as the army was going out to the battle lines shouting its battle cry. 21 Israel and the Philistines drew up their battle lines opposite one another. 22 After David had entrusted his cargo to the care of the supply officer,[go] he ran to the battlefront. When he arrived, he asked his brothers how they were doing. 23 As he was speaking with them, the champion named Goliath, the Philistine from Gath, was coming up from the battle lines of the Philistines. He spoke the way he usually did,[gp] and David heard it. 24 When all the men of Israel saw this man, they retreated[gq] from his presence and were very afraid.

25 The men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who is coming up? He does so[gr] to defy Israel. But the king will make the man who can strike him down very wealthy! He will give him his daughter in marriage, and he will make his father’s house exempt from tax obligations in Israel.”

26 David asked the men who were standing near him, “What will be done for the man who strikes down this Philistine and frees Israel from this humiliation?[gs] For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he defies the armies of the living God?” 27 The soldiers[gt] told him what had been promised, saying,[gu] “This is what will be done for the man who can strike him down.”

28 When David’s[gv] oldest brother Eliab heard him speaking to the men, he became angry[gw] with David and said, “Why have you come down here? To whom did you entrust those few sheep in the wilderness? I am familiar with your pride and deceit![gx] You have come down here to watch the battle.”

29 David replied, “What have I done now? Can’t I say anything?”[gy] 30 Then he turned from those who were nearby to someone else and asked the same question,[gz] but they[ha] gave him the same answer as before. 31 When David’s words were overheard and reported to Saul, he called for him.[hb]

32 David said to Saul, “Don’t let anyone be discouraged.[hc] Your servant will go and fight this Philistine!” 33 But Saul replied to David, “You aren’t able to go against this Philistine and fight him. You’re just a boy! He has been a warrior from his youth.”

34 David replied to Saul, “Your servant has been a shepherd for his father’s flock. Whenever a lion or bear would come and carry off a sheep from the flock, 35 I would go out after it, strike it down, and rescue the sheep from its mouth. If it rose up against me, I would grab it by its jaw, strike it, and kill it. 36 Your servant has struck down both the lion and the bear. This uncircumcised Philistine will be just like one of them,[hd] for he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37 David went on to say, “The Lord who delivered me from the lion and the bear will also deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” Then Saul said to David, “Go! The Lord will be with you.”[he]

38 Then Saul clothed David with his own fighting attire and put a bronze helmet on his head. He also put body armor on him. 39 David strapped on his sword over his fighting attire and tried to walk around, but he was not used to them.[hf] David said to Saul, “I can’t walk in these things, for I’m not used to them.” So David removed them. 40 He took his staff in his hand, picked out five smooth stones from the stream, placed them in the pouch[hg] of his shepherd’s bag, took his sling in hand, and approached the Philistine.

41 [hh] The Philistine, with his shield bearer walking in front of him, kept coming closer to David. 42 When the Philistine looked carefully at David, he despised him, for he was only a ruddy and handsome boy. 43 The Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you are coming after me with sticks?”[hi] Then the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 The Philistine said to David, “Come here to me, so I can give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the wild animals of the field!”[hj]

45 But David replied to the Philistine, “You are coming against me with sword and spear and javelin. But I am coming against you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel’s armies, whom you have defied! 46 This very day the Lord will deliver you into my hand. I will strike you down and cut off your head. This day I will give the corpses of the Philistine army to the birds of the sky and the wild animals of the land. Then all the land will realize that Israel has a God, 47 and all this assembly will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves! For the battle is the Lord’s, and he will deliver you into our hand.”

48 The Philistine drew steadily closer to David to attack him, while David quickly ran toward the battle line to attack the Philistine.[hk] 49 David reached his hand into the bag and took out a stone. He slung it, striking the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank deeply into his forehead, and he fell down with his face to the ground.

50 [hl] David prevailed over the Philistine with just the sling and the stone. He struck down the Philistine and killed him. David did not even have a sword in his hand.[hm] 51 David ran and stood over the Philistine. He grabbed Goliath’s[hn] sword, drew it from its sheath,[ho] and after killing him, he cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they ran away.

52 Then the men of Israel and Judah charged forward, shouting a battle cry.[hp] They chased the Philistines to the valley[hq] and to the very gates of Ekron. The Philistine corpses lay fallen along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron. 53 When the Israelites returned from their hot pursuit of the Philistines, they looted their camp. 54 David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, and he put Goliath’s[hr] weapons in his tent.

55 [hs] Now as Saul watched David going out to fight the Philistine, he asked Abner, the general in command of the army, “Whose son is that young man, Abner?” Abner replied, “As surely as you live, O king, I don’t know.” 56 The king said, “Find out whose son this boy is.”

57 So when David returned from striking down the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul. He still had the head of the Philistine in his hand. 58 Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” David replied, “I am the son of your servant Jesse in Bethlehem.”

Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 13:1 tc The MT does not have “thirty.” A number appears to have dropped out of the Hebrew text here, since as it stands the MT (literally, “a son of a year”) must mean that Saul was only one year old when he began to reign! The KJV, attempting to resolve this, reads “Saul reigned one year,” but that is not the normal meaning of the Hebrew text represented by the MT. Although most LXX mss lack the entire verse, some Greek mss have “thirty years” here (while others have “one year” like the MT). The Syriac Peshitta has Saul’s age as twenty-one. But this seems impossible to harmonize with the implied age of Saul’s son Jonathan in the following verse. Taking into account the fact that in v. 2 Jonathan was old enough to be a military leader, some scholars prefer to supply in v. 1 the number forty (cf. ASV, NASB). The present translation (“thirty”) is a possible but admittedly uncertain proposal based on a few Greek mss and followed by a number of English versions (e.g., NIV, NCV, NLT). Other English versions simply supply ellipsis marks for the missing number (e.g., NAB, NRSV).
  2. 1 Samuel 13:1 tc The MT has “two years” here. If this number is to be accepted as correct, the meaning apparently would be that after a lapse of two years at the beginning of Saul’s reign, he then went about the task of consolidating an army as described in what follows (cf. KJV, ASV, CEV). But if the statement in v. 1 is intended to be a comprehensive report on the length of Saul’s reign, the number is too small. According to Acts 13:21 Saul reigned for forty years. Some English versions (e.g., NIV, NCV, NLT), taking this forty to be a round number, add it to the “two years” of the MT and translate the number here as “forty-two years.” While this is an acceptable option, the present translation instead replaces the MT’s “two” with the figure “forty.” Admittedly the textual evidence for this decision is weak, but the same can be said of any attempt to restore sense to this difficult text (note the ellipsis marks at this point in NAB, NRSV). The Syriac Peshitta lacks this part of v. 1.
  3. 1 Samuel 13:2 tn Heb “at Gibeah of Benjamin.” The words “in the territory” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
  4. 1 Samuel 13:2 tn Heb “each one to his tents.”
  5. 1 Samuel 13:3 tn Or perhaps “struck down the Philistine official.” See the note at 1 Sam 10:5. Cf. TEV “killed the Philistine commander.”
  6. 1 Samuel 13:3 tn Heb “blew the ram’s horn in.”
  7. 1 Samuel 13:4 tn The words “this message” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  8. 1 Samuel 13:4 tn Heb “stinks.” The figurative language indicates that Israel had become repulsive to the Philistines.
  9. 1 Samuel 13:4 tn Heb “were summoned after.”
  10. 1 Samuel 13:5 tc The MT omits “they went up against Israel” in a case of homoioteleuton, but these words are preserved in LXX.
  11. 1 Samuel 13:5 tc The translation follows the Lucianic Greek rescension and the Syriac. Many English versions follow the MT (e.g., KJV, NASB, NRSV, TEV) reading “30,000” here. One expects there to be more horsemen than chariots, cf. 2 Kgs 13:7; 2 Chr 12:3.
  12. 1 Samuel 13:6 tn Or perhaps “vaults.” This rare term also occurs in Judg 9:46, 49. Cf. KJV “high places”; ASV “coverts”; NAB “caverns”; NASB “cellars”; NIV, NCV, TEV “pits”; NRSV, NLT “tombs.”
  13. 1 Samuel 13:7 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
  14. 1 Samuel 13:8 tn This apparently refers to the instructions given by Samuel in 1 Sam 10:8. If so, several years had passed. On the relationship between chs. 10 and 13, see V. P. Long, The Art of Biblical History (FCI), 201-23.
  15. 1 Samuel 13:8 tn Heb “dispersed from upon him”; NAB, NRSV “began to slip away.”
  16. 1 Samuel 13:10 tn Heb “to bless him.”
  17. 1 Samuel 13:11 tn Heb “dispersed from upon me.”
  18. 1 Samuel 13:12 tn Heb “said.”
  19. 1 Samuel 13:12 tn Or “I forced myself” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV, CEV); NAB “So in my anxiety I offered”; NIV “I felt compelled.”
  20. 1 Samuel 13:13 tn Or “kept.”
  21. 1 Samuel 13:13 tn Heb “commanded.”
  22. 1 Samuel 13:14 tn This verb form, as well as the one that follows (“appointed”), indicates completed action from the standpoint of the speaker. This does not necessarily mean that the Lord had already conducted his search and made his choice, however. The forms may be used for rhetorical effect to emphasize the certainty of the action. The divine search for a new king is as good as done, emphasizing that the days of Saul’s dynasty are numbered.
  23. 1 Samuel 13:14 tn Heb “according to his heart.” The idiomatic expression means to be like-minded with another, as its use in 1 Sam 14:7 indicates.
  24. 1 Samuel 13:14 tn Heb “commanded.”
  25. 1 Samuel 13:15 tc The LXX and two Old Latin mss include the following words here: “on his way. And the rest of the people went up after Saul to meet the warring army. When they arrived from Gilgal….”
  26. 1 Samuel 13:15 tn Heb “at Gibeah of Benjamin.” The words “in the territory” are supplied in the translation for clarity (likewise in the following verse).
  27. 1 Samuel 13:16 tn The juxtaposition of disjunctive clauses in v. 16 indicates synchronic action.
  28. 1 Samuel 13:20 tc The translation follows the LXX (“their sickle”) here, rather than the MT “plowshares,” which is due to dittography from the word earlier in the verse.
  29. 1 Samuel 13:21 tn Heb “the price was.” The meaning of the Hebrew word פְּצִירָה (petsirah) is uncertain. This is the only place it occurs in the OT. Some propose the meaning “sharpening,” but “price” is a more likely meaning if the following term refers to a weight (see the following note on the word “shekel”). See P. K. McCarter, I Samuel (AB), 238.
  30. 1 Samuel 13:21 tn This word, which appears only here in the OT, probably refers to a stone weight. Stones marked פִּים (pim) have been found in excavations of Palestinian sites. The average weight of such stones is 0.268 ounces, which is equivalent to about two-thirds of a shekel. This probably refers to the price charged by the Philistines for the services listed. See P. K. McCarter, I Samuel (AB), 238; DNWSI 2:910; and G. I. Davies, Ancient Hebrew Inscriptions, 259.
  31. 1 Samuel 13:21 tc Heb “and for a third, a pick.” The Hebrew text suffers from haplography at this point. The translation follows the textual reconstruction offered by P. K. McCarter, I Samuel (AB), 235.
  32. 1 Samuel 14:1 tn Or “the servant who was carrying his military equipment” (likewise in vv. 6, 7, 12, 13, 14).
  33. 1 Samuel 14:3 tn Heb “bearing.” Many English versions understand this verb to mean “wearing” (cf. KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NLT). The ephod could be used for consulting the Lord’s will (1 Sam 23:9-10; 30:7-8) and is not always worn (1 Sam 23:6). The significance in this context is probably not that Ahijah was dressed for sacrificial duties or to appear before God at the tabernacle, but rather that the ephod was available for consulting God, given the people’s ignorance about Jonathan’s activities. (Cf. the note at 1 Sam 2:28.)
  34. 1 Samuel 14:6 tn Heb “act.”
  35. 1 Samuel 14:7 tn Heb “in your heart.”
  36. 1 Samuel 14:7 tn Heb “Look, I am with you, according to your heart.” See the note at 13:14.
  37. 1 Samuel 14:8 tn Heb “Look!”
  38. 1 Samuel 14:9 tn Heb “stand.”
  39. 1 Samuel 14:11 tn Heb “the two of them.”
  40. 1 Samuel 14:12 tn Heb “a thing.”
  41. 1 Samuel 14:12 tn The perfect verbal form is used rhetorically here to express Jonathan’s certitude. As far as he is concerned, the victory is as good as won and can be described as such.
  42. 1 Samuel 14:13 tn Heb “and they fell before Jonathan.”
  43. 1 Samuel 14:13 tn Heb “and the one carrying his equipment was killing after him.”
  44. 1 Samuel 14:15 tn Heb “fell upon.”
  45. 1 Samuel 14:15 tn Heb “and it was by the fear of God.” The translation understands this to mean that God was the source or cause of the fear experienced by the Philistines. This seems to be the most straightforward reading of the sentence. It is possible, however, that the word “God” functions here simply to intensify the accompanying word “fear,” in which one might translate “a very great fear” (cf. NAB, NRSV). It is clear that on some occasions that the divine name carries such a superlative nuance. For examples see Joüon 2:525 §141.n.
  46. 1 Samuel 14:16 tn Heb “at Gibeah of Benjamin.” The words “in the territory” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
  47. 1 Samuel 14:16 tn Heb “saw, and look!”
  48. 1 Samuel 14:16 tn Heb “the crowd melted and went, even here.”
  49. 1 Samuel 14:17 tn Heb “and they mustered the troops, and look!”
  50. 1 Samuel 14:18 tc Heb “the ark of God.” It seems unlikely that Saul would call for the ark, which was several miles away in Kiriath Jearim (see 1 Sam 7:2). The LXX and an Old Latin ms have “ephod” here, a reading which harmonizes better with v. 3 and fits better with the verb “bring near” (see 1 Sam 23:9; 30:7) and with the expression “withdraw your hand” in v. 19. There are also quotations of this reading in rabbinic literature and medieval Jewish literature according to V. Aptowitzer, The Scripture in the Rabbinic Literature and Medieval Jewish Literature, Prolegomena (3 parts, Vindobonae, 1906, 1908, 1911). It is followed in the present translation (cf. NAB, NJB, GWN, TEV, NLT, CEB, BBE).
  51. 1 Samuel 14:18 tc Heb “for the ark of God was in that day, and the sons of Israel.” The translation follows the text of some Greek manuscripts. See the previous note.
  52. 1 Samuel 14:19 tn Or perhaps “until.”
  53. 1 Samuel 14:20 tn Heb “and look, there was.”
  54. 1 Samuel 14:20 tn Heb “the sword of a man against his companion, a very great panic.”
  55. 1 Samuel 14:21 tn Heb “and the Hebrews were to the Philistines formerly, who went up with them in the camp all around.”
  56. 1 Samuel 14:23 tc The LXX includes the following words: “And all the people were with Saul, about ten thousand men. And the battle extended to the entire city on mount Ephraim.”
  57. 1 Samuel 14:25 tn Heb “all the land.”
  58. 1 Samuel 14:25 tn Heb “the surface of the field.”
  59. 1 Samuel 14:26 tn Heb “and the army entered the forest, and look!”
  60. 1 Samuel 14:26 tn Heb “and there was no one putting his hand to his mouth.”
  61. 1 Samuel 14:27 tn Heb “and he returned his hand to his mouth.”
  62. 1 Samuel 14:27 tc The translation follows the Qere and several medieval Hebrew mss in reading “gleamed,” rather than the Kethib, “saw.”
  63. 1 Samuel 14:28 tn Heb “your father surely put the army under an oath.” The infinitive absolute is used before the finite verb to emphasize the solemn nature of the oath.
  64. 1 Samuel 14:29 tc The LXX reads “saw.” See v. 27.
  65. 1 Samuel 14:32 tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading “and they rushed greedily upon,” rather than the Kethib, “and they did.”
  66. 1 Samuel 14:32 tc The translation reads with the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss הַשָּׁלָל (hashalal, “the spoil”) rather than following the Kethib reading, שָׁלָל (shalal, “spoil”).
  67. 1 Samuel 14:33 tn Heb “You have acted deceptively.” In this context the verb refers to violating an agreement, in this case the dietary and sacrificial regulations of the Mosaic law. The verb form is second masculine plural; apparently Saul here addresses those who are eating the animals.
  68. 1 Samuel 14:33 tc The translation follows the LXX reading ἐνταῦθα (entautha, “here”) for הֲלֹם (halom, “here”) rather than the MT’s הַיּוֹם (hayyom, “today”).
  69. 1 Samuel 14:34 tn Heb “and all the army brought near, each his ox by his hand, and they slaughtered there.”
  70. 1 Samuel 14:36 tn Heb “plunder.”
  71. 1 Samuel 14:36 tn Heb “until the light of the morning.”
  72. 1 Samuel 14:36 tn Heb “and there will not be left among them a man.”
  73. 1 Samuel 14:36 tn Heb “all that is good in your eyes.” So also in v. 40.
  74. 1 Samuel 14:38 tn Heb “know and see.”
  75. 1 Samuel 14:39 tn Heb “and there was no one answering from all the army.”
  76. 1 Samuel 14:41 tc Heb “to the Lord God of Israel: ‘Give what is perfect.’” The Hebrew textual tradition has accidentally omitted several words here. The present translation follows the LXX (as do several English versions, cf. NAB, NRSV, TEV). See P. K. McCarter, I Samuel (AB), 247-48, and R. W. Klein, 1 Samuel (WBC), 132.sn The Urim and Thummim were used for lot casting in ancient Israel. Their exact identity is uncertain; they may have been specially marked stones drawn from a bag. See Exod 28:30; Lev 8:8, and Deut 33:8, as well as the discussion in R. W. Klein, 1 Samuel (WBC), 140.
  77. 1 Samuel 14:41 tn Heb “went out.”
  78. 1 Samuel 14:42 tc The LXX includes the following words: “Whomever the Lord will indicate by the lot, let him die! And the people said to Saul, ‘It is not this word.’ But Saul prevailed over the people, and they cast lots between him and between Jonathan his son.”
  79. 1 Samuel 14:43 tn Heb “Look, I, I will die.” Apparently Jonathan is acquiescing to his anticipated fate of death. However, the words may be taken as sarcastic (“Here I am about to die!”) or as a question, “Must I now die?” (cf. NAB, NIV, NCV, NLT).
  80. 1 Samuel 14:44 tn Heb “So God will do and so he will add, surely you will certainly die, Jonathan.”
  81. 1 Samuel 14:45 tn Heb “and he did not die.”
  82. 1 Samuel 14:46 tn Heb “to their place.”
  83. 1 Samuel 14:47 tn Heb “his,” which could refer to Israel or to Saul.
  84. 1 Samuel 14:47 tc The translation follows the LXX (“he was delivered”), rather than the MT, which reads, “he acted wickedly.”
  85. 1 Samuel 14:48 tn Heb “plunderers.”
  86. 1 Samuel 14:49 sn The list differs from others. In 1 Sam 31:2 (= 1 Chr 10:2), Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malki-Shua are listed as Saul’s sons, while 1 Chr 8:33 and 9:39 list Jonathan, Malki-Shua, Abinadab, and Eshbaal.
  87. 1 Samuel 14:50 sn The word “uncle” can modify either Abner or Ner. See the note on the word “son” in v. 51 for further discussion.
  88. 1 Samuel 14:51 tn 1 Chr 9:35-36 indicates that Jeiel (= Abiel?) had two sons (among others) named Ner and Kish (see also 1 Sam 9:1 and 1 Chr 8:30, where some Greek manuscripts include the name Ner, though it is absent in the Hebrew text). If this Kish was the father of Saul and Ner was the father of Abner, then Saul and Abner were cousins. However, according to 1 Chr 8:33 and 9:39, Ner, not Abiel, was the father of Kish. In this case, Kish and Abner were brothers and Abner was Saul’s uncle. The simplest solution to the problem is to see two men named Kish in the genealogy: Abiel (Jeiel) was the father of Ner and Kish I. Ner was the father of Abner and Kish II. Kish II was the father of Saul. The Kish mentioned in 1 Sam 9:1 was the father of Saul (v. 2) and must be identified as Kish II. In this case the genealogy is “gapped,” with Ner being omitted. Abiel was the grandfather of Kish II.
  89. 1 Samuel 15:1 tn Heb “to the voice of the words of the Lord” (so KJV).
  90. 1 Samuel 15:2 tn Heb “what Amalek did to Israel, how he placed against him.”
  91. 1 Samuel 15:2 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Israel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  92. 1 Samuel 15:3 tn Or perhaps “don’t take pity on” (cf. CEV).
  93. 1 Samuel 15:4 tn Heb “caused the people to hear.”
  94. 1 Samuel 15:4 tn Heb “people.”
  95. 1 Samuel 15:5 tc The LXX has the plural here, “cities.”
  96. 1 Samuel 15:5 tc The translation follows the LXX and Vulgate which assume a reading וַיָּאָרֶב (vayyaʾarev, “and he set an ambush,” from the root אָרַב [ʾarav] with quiescence of alef) rather than the MT, which has וַיָּרֶב (vayyareb, “and he contended,” from the root רִיב [riv]).
  97. 1 Samuel 15:5 tn That is, “the dry stream bed.”
  98. 1 Samuel 15:6 tc The translation follows the Syriac Peshitta and Vulgate which assume a reading אֶסְפָךְ (ʾesfak, “I sweep you away,” from the root סָפָה [safah]) rather than the MT אֹסִפְךָ (ʾosifeka, “I am gathering you,” from the root אָסַף [ʾasaf]).
  99. 1 Samuel 15:7 tn Heb “[as] you enter.”
  100. 1 Samuel 15:8 tn Heb “all the people.” For clarity “Agag’s” has been supplied in the translation.
  101. 1 Samuel 15:9 tn The Hebrew text is difficult here. We should probably read וְהַמַּשְׂמַנִּים (vehammasmannim, “the fat ones”) rather than the MT וְהַמִּשְׂנִים (vehammisnim, “the second ones”). However, if the MT is retained, the sense may be as the Jewish commentator Kimchi supposed: the second-born young, thought to be better than the firstlings. (For discussion see S. R. Driver, Notes on the Hebrew Text and the Topography of the Books of Samuel, 123-24.)
  102. 1 Samuel 15:9 tn Heb “good.”
  103. 1 Samuel 15:9 tc The MT has here the very odd form נְמִבְזָה (nemivzah), but this is apparently due to a scribal error. The translation follows instead the Niphal participle נִבְזָה (nivzah).
  104. 1 Samuel 15:12 tn Heb “and look.”
  105. 1 Samuel 15:12 tn Heb “and he turned and crossed over.” Some translations assume that the quotation continues and that “he” is Saul. The wording of the LXX, “he went down to Gilgal to Saul” assumes that Samuel is the subject and that the quotation has ended.tc The LXX also has “he returned the chariot” or “the chariot returned” before “he went down.” Again this may or may not be part of the quotation.
  106. 1 Samuel 15:12 tc At the end of v. 12 the LXX and one Old Latin ms include the following words not found in the MT: “to Saul. And behold, he was offering as a burnt offering to the Lord the best of the spoils that he had brought from the Amalekites.” The Lucianic Greek translation does not include this text.
  107. 1 Samuel 15:13 tn Or “message, word.”
  108. 1 Samuel 15:14 tn The words “if that is the case” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  109. 1 Samuel 15:15 tn Heb “they brought them.”
  110. 1 Samuel 15:16 tn Or perhaps “be quiet.”
  111. 1 Samuel 15:16 tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading the singular (“he said”) rather than the plural (“they said”) of the Kethib.tn Heb “he”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  112. 1 Samuel 15:17 tn Heb “anointed.”
  113. 1 Samuel 15:18 tn Heb “journey.”
  114. 1 Samuel 15:18 tc The translation follows the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and the Targum in reading the second person singular suffix (“you”) rather than the third person plural suffix of the MT (“they”).
  115. 1 Samuel 15:19 tn Heb “listened to the voice of the Lord.”
  116. 1 Samuel 15:19 tn Heb “you have done what is evil in the eyes of the Lord.”
  117. 1 Samuel 15:20 tn Heb “listened to the voice of the Lord.”
  118. 1 Samuel 15:20 tn Heb “journey.”
  119. 1 Samuel 15:22 tn Heb “as [in] listening to the voice of the Lord.”
  120. 1 Samuel 15:22 tn Heb “look.”
  121. 1 Samuel 15:22 tn Heb “listening.”
  122. 1 Samuel 15:22 tn The expression “is better” is understood here by ellipsis (see the immediately preceding statement).
  123. 1 Samuel 15:23 tn Or “message, word.”
  124. 1 Samuel 15:24 tn Heb “the mouth of the Lord.”
  125. 1 Samuel 15:24 tn Heb “people.”
  126. 1 Samuel 15:26 tn Or “message, word.”
  127. 1 Samuel 15:27 tn Heb “he,” but Saul is clearly the referent. A Qumran ms and the LXX include the name “Saul” here.
  128. 1 Samuel 15:29 tn Heb “splendor,” used here by metonymy as a title for the Lord.
  129. 1 Samuel 15:29 tn Or perhaps “does not lie.”
  130. 1 Samuel 15:29 sn This observation marks the preceding statement (v. 28) as an unconditional, unalterable decree. When God makes such a decree he will not alter it or change his mind. This does not mean that God never deviates from his stated intentions or changes his mind. On the contrary, several passages describe him as changing his mind. In fact, his willingness to do so is one of his fundamental divine attributes (see Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2). For a fuller discussion see R. B. Chisholm, Jr., “Does God Change His Mind?” BSac 152 (1995): 387-99.
  131. 1 Samuel 15:30 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  132. 1 Samuel 15:32 tn The MT reading מַעֲדַנֹּת (maʿadannot, literally, “bonds,” used here adverbially, “in bonds”) is difficult. The word is found only here and in Job 38:31. Part of the problem lies in determining the root of the word. Some scholars have taken it to be from the root עָנַד (ʿanad, “to bind around”), but this assumes a metathesis of two of the letters of the root. Others take it from the root עָדַן (ʿadan) with the meaning “voluptuously,” but this does not seem to fit the context. It seems better to understand the word to be from the root מעד (maʿad, “to totter” or “shake”). In that case it describes the fear that Agag experienced in realizing the mortal danger that he faced as he approached Samuel. This is the way that the LXX translators understood the word, rendering it by the Greek participle τρέμον (tremon, “trembling”).
  133. 1 Samuel 15:32 tn Heb “and Agag said.”
  134. 1 Samuel 15:32 tc The text is difficult here. With the LXX, two Old Latin mss, and the Syriac Peshitta it is probably preferable to delete סָר (sar, “is past”) of the MT; it looks suspiciously like a dittograph of the following word מַר (mar, “bitter”). This further affects the interpretation of Agag’s comment. In the MT he comes to Samuel confidently assured that the danger is over (cf. KJV, NASB, NIV “Surely the bitterness of death is past,” along with NLT, CEV). However, it seems more likely that Agag realized that his fortunes had suddenly taken a turn for the worse and that the clemency he had enjoyed from Saul would not be his lot from Samuel. The present translation thus understands Agag to approach not confidently but in the stark realization that his death is imminent (“Surely death is bitter!”). Cf. NAB “So it is bitter death!”; NRSV “Surely this is the bitterness of death”; TEV “What a bitter thing it is to die!”
  135. 1 Samuel 15:33 tn Heb “bereaved more than [other] women.” The verb שָׁכָל (shakal) is a stative verb in the Qal stem meaning “to be bereaved” (HALOT 1492), that is, to be deprived of a loved one (a child) by death. Stative verbs are typically modified by מִן (min) with its comparative sense. A passive verb can also behave this way; compare Judges 5:24 where Jael is “most blessed of women.” While any woman’s loss of a child is tragic, perhaps from a social perspective because of his high position as king, his mother’s loss is construed as greater.
  136. 1 Samuel 15:35 tn That is, Samuel.
  137. 1 Samuel 16:1 tc The Lucianic recension of the Old Greek translation includes the following words: “And the Lord said to Samuel.”
  138. 1 Samuel 16:1 tn Heb “for I have seen among his sons for me a king.”
  139. 1 Samuel 16:2 tn Heb “in your hand.”
  140. 1 Samuel 16:3 tn Heb “say”; KJV, NRSV “name”; NIV “indicate.”
  141. 1 Samuel 16:4 tn Heb “said.”
  142. 1 Samuel 16:4 tc In the MT the verb is singular (“he said”), but the translation follows many medieval Hebrew mss and ancient versions in reading the plural (“they said”).
  143. 1 Samuel 16:6 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Samuel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  144. 1 Samuel 16:6 tn Heb “saw.”
  145. 1 Samuel 16:6 tn Heb “said”; the words “to himself” are implied, given the secrecy surrounding Samuel’s mission to Bethlehem (v. 2).
  146. 1 Samuel 16:6 tn Heb “his anointed one.”
  147. 1 Samuel 16:7 tn Heb “don’t look toward.”
  148. 1 Samuel 16:7 tn Heb “for not that which the man sees.” The translation follows the LXX, which reads, “for not as man sees does God see.” The MT has suffered from homoioteleuton or homoioarcton. See P. K. McCarter, I Samuel (AB), 274.
  149. 1 Samuel 16:7 tn Heb “to the eyes.”
  150. 1 Samuel 16:8 tn Heb “and caused him to pass before.”
  151. 1 Samuel 16:8 tn Heb “he” (also in v. 9); the referent (Samuel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  152. 1 Samuel 16:9 tn Heb “caused to pass by.”
  153. 1 Samuel 16:10 tn Heb “caused seven of his sons to pass before Samuel.” This could be taken as referring to seven sons in addition to the three mentioned before this, but 1 Sam 17:12 says Jesse had eight sons, not eleven. 1 Chr 2:13-15 lists only seven sons, including David. However, 1 Chr 27:18 mentions an additional son, named Elihu.
  154. 1 Samuel 16:11 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jesse) has been specified in the translation both here and in v. 12 for clarity.
  155. 1 Samuel 16:12 tn Heb “and he sent and brought him.”
  156. 1 Samuel 16:14 tn Or “an injurious spirit”; cf. NLT “a tormenting spirit.” The phrase need not refer to an evil, demonic spirit. The Hebrew word translated “evil” may refer to the character of the spirit or to its effect upon Saul. If the latter, another translation option might be “a mischief-making spirit.”
  157. 1 Samuel 16:16 tn Heb “and he will play with his hand.”
  158. 1 Samuel 16:16 tn Heb “and it will be better for you.”
  159. 1 Samuel 16:17 tn Heb “see.”
  160. 1 Samuel 16:18 tn Heb “answered and said.”
  161. 1 Samuel 16:18 tn Heb “mighty man of valor and a man of war.”
  162. 1 Samuel 16:18 tn Heb “discerning of word.”
  163. 1 Samuel 16:18 tn Heb “a man of form.”
  164. 1 Samuel 16:20 tn Heb “a kid of the goats.”
  165. 1 Samuel 16:20 tn Heb “by the hand of.”
  166. 1 Samuel 16:21 tn Heb “he loved him.”
  167. 1 Samuel 16:22 tn Heb “Let David stand before me, for he has found favor in my eyes.”
  168. 1 Samuel 16:23 tn Heb “would turn aside from upon him.”
  169. 1 Samuel 17:1 tc The content of 1 Sam 17-18, which includes the David and Goliath story, differs considerably in the LXX as compared to the MT, suggesting that this story circulated in ancient times in more than one form. The LXX for chs. 17-18 is much shorter than the MT, lacking almost half of the material (39 of a total of 88 verses). Many scholars (e.g., McCarter, Klein) think that the shorter text of the LXX is preferable to the MT, which in their view has been expanded by incorporation of later material. Other scholars (e.g., Wellhausen, Driver) conclude that the shorter Greek text (or the Hebrew text that underlies it) reflects an attempt to harmonize certain alleged inconsistencies that appear in the longer version of the story. Given the translation characteristics of the LXX elsewhere in this section, it does not seem likely that these differences are due to deliberate omission of these verses on the part of the translator. It seems more likely that the Greek translator has faithfully rendered here a Hebrew text that itself was much shorter than the MT in these chapters. Whether or not the shorter text represented by the LXX is to be preferred over the MT in 1 Sam 17-18 is a matter over which textual scholars are divided. For a helpful discussion of the major textual issues in this unit see D. Barthélemy, D. W. Gooding, J. Lust, and E. Tov, The Story of David and Goliath (OBO). Overall it seems preferable to stay with the MT, at least for the most part. However, the major textual differences between the LXX and the MT will be mentioned in the notes that accompany the translation so that the reader may be alert to the major problem passages.
  170. 1 Samuel 17:1 tn Heb “camps.”
  171. 1 Samuel 17:2 tn Heb “the men of Israel” (so KJV, NASB); NAB, NIV, NRSV “the Israelites.”
  172. 1 Samuel 17:2 tn Heb “to meet.”
  173. 1 Samuel 17:3 tn Heb “Israel.”
  174. 1 Samuel 17:4 tn Heb “the man of the space between the two [armies].” See v. 23.
  175. 1 Samuel 17:4 tc Heb “his height was six cubits and a span.” The LXX, a Qumran manuscript of 1 Samuel, and Josephus read “four cubits and a span.” A cubit was approximately 17.5 inches, a span half that. So the Masoretic text places Goliath at about 9½ feet tall (cf. NIV, CEV, NLT “over nine feet”; NCV “nine feet, four inches”; TEV “nearly 3 metres” while the other textual witnesses place him at about 6 feet, 7 inches (cf. NAB “six and a half feet”). Note, too, that the cubit was adjusted through history, also attested in Babylon (NIDOTTE 421-424 s.v. אַמָּה). If the cubits measuring Goliath were reckoned as the cubit of Moses, his height at 6 cubits and a span would be approximately 7 feet 9 inches tall. This is one of many places in Samuel where the LXX and Qumran evidence seems superior to the Masoretic text. It is possible that the scribe’s eye skipped briefly to the number 6 a few lines below in a similar environment of letters. The average Israelite male of the time was about 5 feet 3 inches, so a man 6 feet 7 inches would be a very impressive height. Saul, being head and shoulder above most Israelites, would have been nearly 6 feet tall. That is still shorter than Goliath, even at “four cubits and a span,” and makes a sharper contrast between David and Saul. There would have been a greater expectation that a 6 foot tall Saul would confront a 6 feet 7 inches Goliath, placing Saul in a bad light while still positioning David as a hero of faith, which is fitting to the context.
  176. 1 Samuel 17:5 sn Although the exact weight of Goliath’s defensive body armor is difficult to estimate in terms of modern equivalency, it was obviously quite heavy. Driver, following Kennedy, suggests a modern equivalent of about 220 pounds (100 kg); see S. R. Driver, Notes on the Hebrew Text and the Topography of the Books of Samuel, 139. Klein, taking the shekel to be equal to .403 ounces, arrives at a somewhat smaller weight of about 126 pounds (57 kg); see R. W. Klein, 1 Samuel (WBC), 175. But by any estimate it is clear that Goliath presented himself as a formidable foe indeed.
  177. 1 Samuel 17:6 sn Or “greaves.” These were coverings (probably lined for comfort) that extended from about the knee to the ankle, affording protection for the shins of a warrior.
  178. 1 Samuel 17:7 tn The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading “wood,” rather than the “arrow” (the reading of the Kethib).
  179. 1 Samuel 17:7 sn That is, about fifteen or sixteen pounds.
  180. 1 Samuel 17:8 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Goliath) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  181. 1 Samuel 17:8 tn The Hebrew text adds “and said to them.”
  182. 1 Samuel 17:8 tc The translation follows the ancient versions in reading “choose,” (from the root בָּחַר, bakhar), rather than the MT. The verb in MT (בָּרָה, barah) elsewhere means “to eat food”; the sense of “to choose,” required here by the context, is not attested for this root. The MT apparently reflects an early scribal error.
  183. 1 Samuel 17:8 tn Following the imperative, the prefixed verbal form (either an imperfect or jussive) with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose/result here.
  184. 1 Samuel 17:10 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative verbal form indicates purpose/result here.
  185. 1 Samuel 17:11 tn Heb “all Israel.”
  186. 1 Samuel 17:12 tc Some mss of the LXX lack vv. 12-31.
  187. 1 Samuel 17:12 tc The translation follows the Lucianic recension of the LXX and the Syriac Peshitta in reading “in years,” rather than MT “among men.”
  188. 1 Samuel 17:13 tn Heb “his.”
  189. 1 Samuel 17:15 tn Heb “was going and returning.”
  190. 1 Samuel 17:17 tn Heb “run.”
  191. 1 Samuel 17:18 tn Heb “officer of the thousand.”
  192. 1 Samuel 17:18 tn Heb “and your brothers, observe with respect to welfare.”
  193. 1 Samuel 17:18 tn Heb “and their pledge take.” This probably refers to some type of confirmation that the goods arrived safely. See R. W. Klein, 1 Samuel (WBC), 177. Cf. NIV “bring back some assurance”; NCV “some proof to show me they are all right”; NLT “bring me back a letter from them.”
  194. 1 Samuel 17:19 tn Heb “all the men of Israel.”
  195. 1 Samuel 17:20 tn Heb “to a guard”; KJV, NASB, NRSV “with a keeper”; NIV “with a shepherd.” Since in contemporary English “guard” sounds like someone at a military installation or a prison, the present translation uses “to someone else who would watch over it.”
  196. 1 Samuel 17:20 tn Or “entrenchment.”
  197. 1 Samuel 17:22 tn Heb “the guard of the equipment.”
  198. 1 Samuel 17:23 tn Heb “according to these words.”
  199. 1 Samuel 17:24 tn Or “fled.”
  200. 1 Samuel 17:25 tn Heb “he is coming up.”
  201. 1 Samuel 17:26 tn Heb “and turns aside humiliation from upon Israel.”
  202. 1 Samuel 17:27 tn Heb “people.”
  203. 1 Samuel 17:27 tn Heb “according to this word, saying.”
  204. 1 Samuel 17:28 tn Heb “his”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  205. 1 Samuel 17:28 tn Heb “the anger of Eliab became hot.”
  206. 1 Samuel 17:28 tn Heb “the wickedness of your heart.”
  207. 1 Samuel 17:29 tn Heb “Is it not [just] a word?”
  208. 1 Samuel 17:30 tn Heb “and spoke according to this word.”
  209. 1 Samuel 17:30 tn Heb “the people.”
  210. 1 Samuel 17:31 tn Heb “he took him.”
  211. 1 Samuel 17:32 tn Heb “Let not the heart of a man fall upon him.” The LXX reads “my lord,” instead of “a man.”
  212. 1 Samuel 17:36 tc The LXX includes here the following words not found in the MT: “Should I not go and smite him, and remove today reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised one?”
  213. 1 Samuel 17:37 tn Or “Go, and may the Lord be with you” (so NASB, NCV, NRSV).
  214. 1 Samuel 17:39 tn Heb “he had not tested.”
  215. 1 Samuel 17:40 tn This Hebrew word occurs only here and its exact meaning is not entirely clear. It refers to a receptacle of some sort and apparently was a common part of a shepherd’s equipment. Here it serves as a depository for the stones that David will use in his sling.
  216. 1 Samuel 17:41 tc Most LXX mss lack v. 41.
  217. 1 Samuel 17:43 sn Sticks is a pejorative reference to David’s staff (v. 40); the same Hebrew word (מַקֵּל, maqqel) is used for both.
  218. 1 Samuel 17:44 tc Many medieval Hebrew mss have “the earth” here, instead of the MT’s “the field.”
  219. 1 Samuel 17:48 tc Most LXX mss lack the second half of v. 48.
  220. 1 Samuel 17:50 tc Most LXX mss lack v. 50.
  221. 1 Samuel 17:50 tn Verse 50 is a summary statement; v. 51 gives a more detailed account of how David killed the Philistine.
  222. 1 Samuel 17:51 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Goliath) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  223. 1 Samuel 17:51 tc Most LXX mss lack the words “drew it from its sheath.”
  224. 1 Samuel 17:52 tn Heb “arose and cried out.”
  225. 1 Samuel 17:52 tc Most of the LXX ms tradition has here “Gath.”
  226. 1 Samuel 17:54 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Goliath) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  227. 1 Samuel 17:55 tc Most LXX mss lack 17:55-18:5.
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