Beginning

28 Forsooth it was done in those days, the Philistines gathered together their companies, that they should be made ready against Israel to battle. And Achish said to David, Thou witting know now, for thou shalt go out with me in tents, thou and thy men. (And it was done in those days, the Philistines gathered together the companies of their troops, to prepare for battle against Israel. And Achish said to David, Thou must know, that thou shalt go out with me to the battle, thou and thy men.)

² And David said to Achish, (And) Now thou shalt know what things thy servant shall do. And Achish said to David, And I shall set thee (the) keeper of mine head in all days.

³ Forsooth Samuel was dead, and all Israel bewailed him, and they buried him in Ramah, his city. And Saul did away from the land witches and false diviners.

⁴ And (the) Philistines were gathered, and came, and setted tents in Shunem; soothly and Saul gathered all Israel, and came into Gilboa.

⁵ And Saul saw the castles of Philistines [And Saul saw the tents of (the) Philistines], and he dreaded, and his heart dreaded greatly. (And Saul saw the army of the Philistines, and he was afraid, and his heart greatly dreaded/and his heart greatly feared.)

⁶ And he counselled (with) the Lord; and the Lord answered not to him (but the Lord did not answer him), neither by priests, nor by dreams, nor by prophets.

⁷ And Saul said to his servants, Seek ye to me a woman having a fiend speaking in the womb; and I shall go to her, and I shall inquire by her. And his servants said to him, A woman having a fiend speaking in the womb is in Endor. (And Saul said to his servants, Seek ye out for me a woman who hath a familiar spirit; and I shall go to her, and I shall inquire through her. And his servants said to him, There is a woman who hath a familiar spirit in Endor.)

⁸ Therefore Saul changed his clothing, and he was clothed with other clothes; and he went, and two men with him; and they came to the woman in the night. And he said, Divine thou to me in a fiend speaking in the womb, and raise thou up to me whom I shall say to thee (And he said, Call thou for me thy familiar spirit, and raise thou up for me whom I shall name to thee).

⁹ And the woman said to him, Lo! thou knowest how great things Saul hath done, and how he hath done away from the land witches, and false diviners (and how he hath done away with witches, and false diviners, from the land); why therefore settest thou treason to my life, that I be slain?

¹⁰ And Saul swore to her in the Lord, and said, The Lord liveth; for nothing of evil shall come to thee for this thing. (And Saul swore to her by the Lord, and said, As the Lord liveth; nothing of evil shall come to thee for this thing.)

¹¹ And the woman said to him, Whom shall I raise up to thee? And he said, Raise thou Samuel up to me. (And the woman said to him, Whom shall I raise up for thee? And he said, Raise thou up Samuel for me.)

¹² Soothly when the woman had seen Samuel, she cried with [a] great voice, and said to Saul, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul.

¹³ And the king said to her, Do not thou dread (Fear not); what hast thou seen? And the woman said to Saul, I saw gods ascending from [the] earth.

¹⁴ And Saul said to her, What manner form is of him? [What manner is the form of him?] And she said, An eld man goeth up, and he is clothed with a mantle. And Saul understood that it was Samuel; and Saul bowed himself on his face to the earth, and worshipped. (And Saul said to her, What is his form? And she said, An old man goeth up, and he is clothed with a mantle. And Saul understood that it was Samuel; and Saul bowed himself low to the ground, and honoured him.)

¹⁵ And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou dis-eased me, that I should be raised? And Saul said, I am constrained greatly; for the Philistines fight against me, and God hath gone away from me, and he would not hear me, neither by the hand of prophets, nor by dreams; therefore I called thee, that thou shouldest show to me what I shall do. (And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disturbed me, so that I am raised up? And Saul said, I am in great trouble; for the Philistines fight against me, and God hath gone away from me, and he will not answer me, not by prophets, nor by dreams; and so I called thee, so that thou couldest tell me what I should do.)

¹⁶ And Samuel said, What askest thou me, when God hath gone away from thee, and hath passed to thine enemy? (And Samuel said, Why askest thou me, when God hath gone away from thee, and hath become thy enemy?)

¹⁷ For the Lord shall do to thee as he spake in mine hand (For the Lord shall do to thee as he spoke through me), and he shall cut away thy realm from thine hand, and he shall give it to David, thy neighbour;

¹⁸ for thou obeyedest not the voice of the Lord, neither thou didest the fierce wrath of the Lord in Amalek. Therefore the Lord hath done to thee today that that thou sufferest (And so the Lord hath done to thee what thou sufferest today);

¹⁹ and the Lord shall give also Israel with thee in the hand of Philistines. Forsooth tomorrow thou and thy sons shall be with me; but also the Lord shall betake the castles of Israel in the hand of the Philistines [but and the Lord shall take the tents of Israel in the hand of the Philistines]. (and the Lord shall also give Israel along with thee into the hands of the Philistines. Yea, tomorrow thou and thy sons shall be with me; and the Lord shall deliver the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines.)

²⁰ And anon Saul fell down and was stretched forth upon the earth; for he dreaded the words of Samuel, and strength was not in him, for he had not eaten bread in all that day and all that night. (And at once Saul fell down and was stretched out on the ground; for he feared Samuel’s words, and there was no strength in him, for he had not eaten any food all that day and all that night.)

²¹ Therefore that woman entered to Saul, and said; for he was troubled greatly (for he was greatly troubled); and she said to him, Lo! thine handmaid hath obeyed to thy voice, and I have put my life in mine hand, and I heard thy words, which thou spakest to me.

²² And now therefore thou hear the voice of thine handmaid, and I shall set a morsel of bread before thee, and that thou eating wax strong, and mayest do thy journey. (And so now listen thou to the voice of thy servantess, for I shall set a morsel of food before thee, and once that thou hast eaten it, thou shalt grow strong, and then thou shalt go forth on thy journey.)

²³ And he forsook it, and said, I shall not eat. But his servants and the woman compelled him; and at the last, when the voice of them was heard, he rose up from the earth, and sat on the bed.

²⁴ Soothly that woman had a fat calf in the house, and she hasted, and killed it; and she took meal, and meddled it together, and made therf bread (and she took meal, and mixed it together, and made unleavened bread);

²⁵ and she set (it) forth before Saul, and before his servants, and when they had eaten, they rose up, and walked in all the night (and walked through all that night).

29 Therefore all the companies of the Philistines were gathered in Aphek, but also Israel setted tents above the well that was in Jezreel. (And so all the companies of the Philistines were gathered together at Aphek, and Israel pitched their tents by the well that was in Jezreel.)

² And soothly the princes of the Philistines went in companies of an hundred, and in thousands; but David and his men were in the last company with Achish. (And the princes of the Philistines led out their companies in units of a hundred, and of a thousand; and David and his men were in the last group with Achish.)

³ And the princes of Philistines said to Achish, What will these Hebrews to themselves? And Achish said to the princes of Philistines, Whether ye know not David, that was the servant of Saul, king of Israel? and he was with me many days, either years, and I found not in him anything of imagining to evil, from the day in which he fled to me unto this day. (And the princes of the Philistines said to Achish, What be these Hebrews doing here? And Achish said to the Philistine princes, Do ye not know David, who was the servant of Saul, the king of Israel? he hath been with me for many years, and I have found nothing of evil in him, from the day in which he fled to me until this day.)

⁴ Certainly the princes of (the) Philistines were wroth against Achish, and they said to him, (Have) The man turn again, and abide he in his place, in which thou hast ordained him, and come he not down with us into battle, lest he be made (an) adversary to us, when we have begun to fight; for how may he please his lord in other manner, but in our heads? (for how can he please his lord in any other manner, but than with our heads?)

⁵ Whether this is not David, to whom they sang in dances, and said, Saul smote in [his] thousands, and David smote in his ten thousands? (Is this not David, whom they sang about as they danced, and said, Saul struck down thousands, but David struck down tens of thousands?)

⁶ Therefore Achish called David, and said to him, (As) The Lord liveth; for thou art rightful (for thou art upright), and good in my sight, and thy going out and thy coming in is with me in [the] tents, and I have not found in thee anything of evil, from the day in which thou camest to me till to this day; but thou pleasest not the princes, or satraps.

⁷ Therefore turn thou again, and go in peace (And so return thou, and go home in peace), and offend thou not the eyes of the princes, or satraps, of the Philistines.

⁸ And David said to Achish, And what have I done, and what hast thou found in me thy servant, from the day in which I was (first) in thy sight till into this day, that I come not, and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?

⁹ And Achish answered, and spake to David, (and said,) I know that thou art good, and (be) as the angel of God in my eyes; but the princes of Philistines said, He shall not go up with us into battle.

¹⁰ Therefore rise thou up early, thou, and thy servants that came with thee; and when ye have risen by night, and it beginneth to be clear day, go ye forth. (And so rise thou up early, thou, and thy servants who came with thee; and when ye have risen in the night, and it beginneth to be clear daylight, then go ye forth.)

¹¹ Therefore David rose up by night, he and his men, that they should go forth early, and turn again to the land of Philistines; but the Philistines went up into Jezreel. (And so David and his men rose up in the night, so that they could go forth early, and return to the land of the Philistines; and the Philistines went on to Jezreel.)

30 And when David and his men had come into Ziklag in the third day, (they learned that) men of Amalek had made assault on the south part (of Judah,) (and) in Ziklag; and (had) smitten Ziklag, and burnt it by fire. (And when David and his men had come into Ziklag on the third day, they learned that the Amalekites had made an assault on the southern part of Judah, and in Ziklag; and they had struck Ziklag, and had burned it down.)

² And they led (away) the women (as) prisoners from thence, from the least unto the most; and they had not slain any, but they led them forth with them, and went in their way. (And they took away the women as prisoners from there, from the least unto the most; and they did not kill any, but they took them away with them, and went on their way.)

³ Therefore when David and his men had come to the city, and had found it burnt with fire, and that their wives, and their sons, and daughters were led away (as) prisoners,

⁴ then David and the people that was with him raised [up] their voices, and wailed, till the tears failed in them.

⁵ And also [the] two wives of David were led away (as) prisoners, Ahinoam of Jezreel, and Abigail, the wife of Nabal of Carmel.

⁶ And David was full sorry; certainly all the people would have stoned David, for the soul of each man was bitter on their sons and daughters. Forsooth David was comforted in his Lord God. (And David was in great trouble; yea, all the men would have stoned David, for all of them were bitter over losing their sons and daughters. But David was strengthened by the Lord his God.)

⁷ And he said to Abiathar, the priest, the son of Ahimelech, Bring thou [the] ephod to me. And Abiathar brought the ephod to David;

⁸ and David counselled with the Lord, and said, Shall I pursue these thieves, either no? and shall I take them? And the Lord said to him, Pursue thou; for without doubt thou shalt take them, and thou shalt take away from them their prey. (and David counselled with the Lord, and said, Shall I pursue these thieves, or not? and shall I be able to overtake them? And the Lord said to him, Pursue thou them; for without a doubt thou shalt overtake them, and thou shalt take their prey away from them.)

⁹ Therefore David went forth, he and six hundred men that were with him, and they came unto the strand of Besor; and there the weary men of the host of David abode behind. (And so David went forth, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and they came to the Besor Stream; and the weary men in David’s army stayed behind there.)

¹⁰ Forsooth David pursued, he and four hundred men; for two hundred abided (behind), that were weary, and might not pass [over] the strand of Besor.

¹¹ And they found a (young) man of Egypt in the field, and they brought him to David; and they gave him bread, that he should eat, and water to drink (and they gave him some bread to eat, and some water to drink);

¹² but also they gave to him a gobbet of a bundle of dried figs, and two clusters of dried grapes. And when he had eaten those, his spirit turned again to him, and he was comforted; for he had not eaten bread, neither had drunk water in three days and three nights. (and they also gave him a piece of a bundle of dried figs, and two clusters of dried grapes. And when he had eaten them, his spirit returned to him, and he was strengthened; for he had not eaten any bread, or drunk any water, for three days and three nights.)

¹³ Then David said to him, Whose man art thou, either from whence and whither goest thou? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, the servant of a man of Amalek; but my lord forsook me, for I began to be sick the third day ago.

¹⁴ For we brake out at the south coast of (the) Cherethites, and against Judah (near Judah), and at the south of Caleb, and we burnt Ziklag with fire.

¹⁵ And David said to him, Mayest thou lead me to this company? Which said (And the young man said), Swear thou to me by God, that thou shalt not slay me, and that thou shalt not betake me into the hands of my lord; and I shall lead thee to this company. And David swore to him.

¹⁶ And when the young man had led him thither, lo! they sat at the meat, upon the face of all the earth, eating and drinking, and as hallowing a feast day, for all the prey and spoils which they had taken of the land of Philistines, and of the land of Judah. (And when the young man had led him there, lo! they sat spread out over all the ground, eating and drinking, as if celebrating a feast day, because of all the prey and the spoils which they had taken from the land of the Philistines, and the land of Judah.)

¹⁷ And David smote them from the eventide unto the eventide of the tother day, and not any of them escaped, no but four hundred young men, that went upon camels, and fled (who went upon camels, and fled).

¹⁸ Forsooth David delivered all things which the men of Amalek took, and he delivered his two wives; (And so David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and he rescued his two wives;)

¹⁹ neither any of them failed, from little till to great, as well of sons as of daughters, and of spoils; and whatever things they had ravished, David led again all things; (no one was lost, from the least unto the greatest, sons as well as daughters; and all the spoils, yea, whatever they had taken, David brought home again.)

²⁰ and he took all the flocks and great beasts, and drove them before his face. And they said, This is the prey of David (And the men said, This should all be David’s prey).

²¹ Forsooth David came to the two hundred men, that were weary, and abided behind, and might not follow David; and he [had] commanded them to sit at the strand of Besor; which went out against David, and the people that was with him. Forsooth David nighed to the people, and he greeted it peaceably. (And David came back to the two hundred men who were weary, and had stayed behind, and did not follow David; and he had commanded them to remain there at the Besor Stream; and they went out to meet David, and the people who were with him. And David came to these men, and he greeted them warmly.)

²² And one man, the worst man and wicked of the men that were with David, answered, and said, For they came not with us, we shall not give to them anything of the prey, that we have ravished, but suffice it to each man his wife and his children; and when they have taken them, go they away. (But some men, the worst and the most wicked of those who went with David, said, For they did not come with us, we shall not give them any of the prey, that we have recovered, but let each man take only his wife and his children; and when they have taken them, go they away.)

²³ And David said, My brethren, ye shall not do so, as ye speak, of these things, which the Lord hath given to us, and he hath kept us, and gave the thieves, that brake out against us, into our hands; (But David said, My brothers/My kinsmen, ye shall not do, as ye speak, with these things, which the Lord hath given us, for he hath kept us safe, and delivered the thieves, who broke out against us, into our hands;)

²⁴ neither any shall hear us strive on this word. For even part shall be of him that goeth down to battle, and of him that dwelleth at the fardels; and in like manner they shall part the prey. (nor shall anyone hear us arguing over this matter. For even portion shall be for him who went down to the battle, as well as for him who stayed with the bundles, or the supplies; yea, in like manner they shall divide up the prey.)

²⁵ And this was made a constitution and a doom from that day and afterward, and as a law in Israel till into this day. (And from that day forward, this was made a custom, and a judgement, and a law in Israel, until this day.)

²⁶ Then David came into Ziklag, and he sent gifts of the prey to the elder men of Judah, his neighbours, and said, Take ye blessing of the prey of [the] enemies of the Lord (Have ye a gift out of the prey from the Lord’s enemies);

²⁷ to them that were in Bethel, and that were in Ramoth, at the south, and that were in Jattir,

²⁸ and that were in Aroer, and that were in Siphmoth, and that were in Eshtemoa,

²⁹ and that were in Rachal, and that were in the cities of Jerahmeel, and that were in the cities of Kenites,

³⁰ and that were in Hormah, and that were in Chorashan, and that were in Athach,

³¹ and that were in Hebron, and to other men, that were in these places, in which David dwelled and his men. (and those in Hebron, and to the other men who were in those places, where David and his men had lived.)

31 Forsooth the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the face of Philistines, and they fell down slain in the hill of Gilboa. (Then the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled from the Philistines, and they fell down dead on Mount Gilboa.)

² And the Philistines hurled fiercely into Saul, and into his sons, and they killed Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Melchishua, [the] sons of Saul.

³ And (then) all the weight, or charge, of the battle was turned against Saul; and (the) men archers pursued him, and he was wounded greatly of the archers (and he was seriously wounded by the archers).

⁴ And Saul said to his squire, Draw out thy sword, and slay me, lest peradventure these uncircumcised men come, and slay me, and scorn me. And his squire would not, for he was afeared by full great dread; therefore Saul took his sword, and felled thereon (But his squire would not do it, for he was afraid with a very great fear; and so Saul took his own sword, and fell on it).

⁵ And when his squire had seen this, that Saul was dead, also he felled upon his sword (he also fell on his sword), and was dead with him.

⁶ And so Saul was dead, and his three sons, and his squire, and all his men in that day together. (And so Saul, and his three sons, and his squire, and all his men, died together on the same day.)

⁷ And the sons of Israel, that were beyond the valley, and beyond Jordan, saw that the men of Israel had fled, and that Saul was dead, and his sons, and they left their cities, and fled; and the Philistines came, and dwelled there. (And when the Israelites, who were beyond the valley, and east of the Jordan River, saw that the other Israelites had fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they left their cities, and fled; and the Philistines came, and lived there.)

⁸ Forsooth in the tother day made, Philistines came, that they should despoil the slain men, and they found Saul, and his three sons, lying in the hill of Gilboa; (And the next day, the Philistines came to rob the dead men, and they found Saul, and his three sons, lying there dead on Mount Gilboa;)

⁹ and they cutted away the head of Saul, and despoiled him of his armours; and sent into the land of Philistines by compass, that it should be told in the temple of idols, and in the peoples. (and they cut off Saul’s head, and stripped him of his armour/and robbed him of his arms, or of his weapons; and then they sent messengers into all the land of the Philistines, so that it could be told to their idols, and to their people alike.)

¹⁰ And they putted his armours in the temple of Ashtaroth; but they hanged his body in the wall of Bethshan. (And they put his armour in the temple of Ashtoreth/And they put his arms, or his weapons, in the temple of Astarte, but they hung up his body on the wall of Bethshan.)

¹¹ And when the dwellers of Jabesh of Gilead had heard this, and whatever things the Philistines had done to Saul, (And when the inhabitants of Jabesh of Gilead had heard this, and all the things that the Philistines had done to Saul,)

¹² and all the strongest men rose (up), and went forth all that night, and they took (down) the dead body of Saul, and the dead bodies of his sons, from the wall of Bethshan; and the men of Jabesh of Gilead came, and burnt those dead bodies with fire.

¹³ And they took the bones of them, and buried them in the wood of Jabesh, and fasted by seven days. (And they took their bones, and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and then fasted for seven days.)