Beginning
15 Samuel (to Saul): 1-2 Because the Eternal One sent me to anoint you as ruler over His people Israel, listen to what the Eternal One, the Commander of heavenly armies, has to say: “I will punish Amalek because they waylaid Israel in her path out of Egypt. 3 I want you to go down against Amalek and destroy them, everything they have. Do not allow anything to survive; destroy them all—man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.”
Although Saul is given great victories, God rejects him, regretting that Saul was ever chosen as king. Several reasons are given for why Saul was judged for listening to his own counsel rather than trusting in God’s. First he takes the priest’s role as his own and carries out a ritual sacrifice. Later his hungry soldiers break the dietary regulations from the law of Moses by devouring meat and blood together. Finally Saul does not destroy every aspect of the Amalekite kingdom as God commanded.
4 So Saul gathered his forces, and at Telaim he counted them: 200,000 foot soldiers with 10,000 men from Judah. 5 He approached the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the valley there. 6 From there he sent a message to the Kenite people.
Message from Saul: Get out! Be gone! You showed kindness to the people of Israel when they came out of Egypt. Get away from among the Amalekites, or I will be forced to destroy you with them.
So the Kenites left their homes among the Amalekites. 7 Then Saul attacked the Amalekites from Havilah all the way to Shur, east of Egypt. 8 He cut down the entire population with the sword, as God had told him to do, except he captured King Agag of the Amalekites and kept him alive. 9 Saul and the army spared Agag, and they saved the best of the livestock: the sheep, the oxen, the lambs, and the best of all the stock. They kept what was valuable instead of destroying it, and they only destroyed those things they considered worthless.
10 Then Samuel heard the voice of the Eternal.
Eternal One: 11 I regret that I made Saul king over Israel because he has turned away from Me and from executing My commands.
What do we make of this idea that God has changed His mind? Classical theologians (Augustine and Aquinas, particularly) believed that God is unchangeable, above all such petty things as regret, anger, and sorrow, although His actions sometimes seem as though God feels such things. More contemporary theologians suggest that God can change His mind as His purpose is being worked out through the actions of human beings. In either case, what we see here is God seeking someone who will act as His regent and do exactly as He says—and clearly, Saul is no longer capable of being that person.
Samuel was distressed when he heard this, and he cried out to the Eternal One all night long.
Samuel feels terrible about what is going to happen, and he spends the night weeping. This reaction makes Samuel’s conversation with Saul that much more powerful—what sorrow and anger Samuel must be feeling as he is laying down the law to this young king he anointed with his own hands. This tragic twist in the story of Saul develops because he has failed to live up to God’s requirements, so God decides that His chosen king will not remain on the throne.
12 Then he rose early in the morning to go and find Saul, only to hear that Saul had gone on to Carmel, where he had erected a monument to himself, and returned to Gilgal. 13 At last Samuel caught up with Saul. When Saul saw him, he greeted him as if nothing was wrong.
Saul (to Samuel): May you be blessed by the Eternal One. I have carried out His commands.
Samuel: 14 Then why do I hear the sounds of sheep and cattle?
Saul: 15 They brought the best of the Amalekites’ sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Eternal One your God. But we destroyed all the rest as we were told.
Samuel: 16 That’s enough. Stop talking, and let me tell you what the Eternal told me last night.
Saul: Go ahead, I’m listening.
Samuel: 17 Don’t you remember when you didn’t amount to much in your own sight, but you were made the leader of the tribes of Israel? Wasn’t it the Eternal One who anointed you king over them? 18 The Eternal One sent you on a mission, commanding you, “Go and destroy the Amalekites, who are sinners. Fight them until they are completely destroyed.”
19 Why didn’t you obey the voice of the Eternal One? Why did you grab the spoils of battle, doing what the Eternal considers evil?
Saul (defending himself): 20 I did what the Eternal One instructed. As He commanded, I went on the mission and decimated all the Amalekites, and I have brought back Agag, their king. 21 It was the people who took the sheep and cattle from the spoil that would have been devoted to destruction and brought them back to sacrifice to the Eternal One, your True God, in Gilgal.
22 Samuel: Does the Eternal One delight in sacrifices and burnt offerings
as much as in perfect obedience to His voice?
Be certain of this: that obedience is better than sacrifice;
to heed His voice is better than offering the fat of rams.
23 Rebellion is as much a sin as fortune-telling,
and willfulness is as wicked as worshiping strange gods.
Because you have rejected His commands,
He has rejected you as king.
Saul: 24 I have sinned. I disobeyed the voice of the Eternal One and your instructions because I was afraid of the people. I listened to their counsel instead of yours. 25 So now, please pardon my sin, and return with me so that I can worship the Eternal.
Samuel: 26 I will not return with you. Because you have rejected the voice of the Eternal One, He has rejected your claims to rule Israel. He is through with you.
27 As Samuel turned to go, Saul knelt to the ground, caught the prophet’s robe, and held on so tight that it tore.
Samuel: 28 Today the Eternal One has torn the kingdom of Israel from you to give to your neighbor, who is a better man than you. 29 The One who is the Glory of Israel will not recant or change His mind, for He is not like some mortal being who changes his mind.
Saul: 30 I have sinned. But please, do me this honor in front of the elders of Israel and all the people. Come back with me so that I may worship the Eternal One, your True God.
31 So Samuel returned with Saul, and Saul worshiped the Eternal One. Samuel then completed what Saul had begun.
Samuel: 32 Bring me Agag, king of the Amalekites.
Agag was led to him, being cautiously optimistic that the worst was surely past.
Samuel: 33 Just as your sword has taken children from women, so will this sword make your mother a childless woman.
So Samuel chopped Agag into pieces before the Eternal One at Gilgal. 34 Then Samuel went back to Ramah, and Saul returned to his house in Gibeah of Saul.
35 Samuel never saw Saul again until the day he died. The prophet grieved over the hapless king. And the Eternal grieved, too, regretting that He had ever anointed Saul king over Israel.
16 Eternal One (to Samuel): How long will you mourn over Saul? I have rejected him as king over My people Israel. Now take your horn, fill it with oil, and depart. I have selected a new king for Me from among the sons of Jesse of Bethlehem.
The Lord has yet another mission for Samuel.
Samuel: 2 How can I do that? If Saul hears I am anointing a new king, he will kill me!
Eternal One: Take a heifer with you, and say, “I have come to sacrifice to the Eternal One.” 3 Invite Jesse to that sacrifice, and when he arrives, I will show you what to do. You will anoint for Me the one I show to you.
4 Samuel did as the Eternal One had told him, and he went to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came out to him, unsure of what business he had there.
Elders (trembling): Do you come in peace?
Samuel: 5 Yes, in peace. I have come to sacrifice to the Eternal One. Sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.
And Samuel consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice as well. 6 When they came, he noticed the eldest son, Eliab.
Samuel (to himself): Surely this is the one the Eternal One will anoint.
Eternal One (to Samuel): 7 Take no notice of his looks or his height. He is not the one, for the Eternal One does not pay attention to what humans value. Humans only care about the external appearance, but the Eternal considers the inner character.
8 Jesse called his son Abinadab and brought him to Samuel. Samuel looked at him.
Samuel: The Eternal has not chosen him either.
9 Then Jesse brought his son Shammah in front of Samuel.
Samuel: The Eternal has not chosen him either.
10 Jesse walked seven of his sons in front of Samuel, and each time, Samuel refused them because the Eternal One had chosen none of them.
Samuel (to Jesse): 11 Are all your sons here?
Jesse: All but the youngest. He is off keeping the sheep.
Samuel: Send for him, and bring him here. We will not sit down until he arrives.
12 Jesse sent for the youngest son, David, and he came in front of Samuel. He was a handsome boy, with a healthy complexion and bright eyes.
Eternal One: Rise and anoint him, because this is the one.
13 Then Samuel took the horn filled with olive oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and the Spirit of the Eternal fell strongly on David and remained from that day on. Samuel then left for Ramah.
14 The Spirit of the Eternal left Saul, and an evil spirit sent from the Eternal One tormented him. 15 Saul’s servants saw this.
Servants (to Saul): Look, an evil spirit from God is terrorizing you. 16 Let our lord command that his servants find someone skillful on the harp, so that when this evil spirit from God is bothering you, he will play and ease your mind.
Saul (to his servants): 17 I agree. Find someone who can play well, and bring him here to me.
One of the younger men there spoke up.
A Young Servant: 18 I know someone, one of the sons of Jesse of Bethlehem, who plays skillfully and who is a man of courage, a warrior, sensible in what he says, and handsome; and the Eternal One is surely with him.
19 So Saul dispatched messengers to Jesse.
Saul’s Message: Send your son David, who is watching your flocks, to me. Your king needs his service.
20 So Jesse did as his king commanded. He sent Saul a young goat and a donkey loaded down with bread and a skin of wine by his son David. 21 David came to Saul and served him. The king loved him greatly and made David his armor-bearer. 22 Then he sent a message to Jesse.
Saul’s Message: David has impressed me. Please allow him to remain here in my service.
23 Whenever God allowed the evil spirit to afflict Saul, David would play the harp, Saul would be relieved of his torment, and the evil spirit would depart.
17 Now the Philistines had gathered an army for battle at Socoh, which is in the land of Judah, and they pitched their tents in Ephes-dammim between Socoh and Azekah. 2 Unwilling to allow another Philistine invasion of their nation, Saul and the forces of Israel went out against them. They camped in the valley of Elah and formed ranks against the Philistines. 3 The Philistines stood on one mountain and the Israelites on another, with the valley between them.
4 Then a champion emerged from the Philistine camp, Goliath of Gath (one of the five capital cities in the Philistine confederation), who was over nine feet tall.[a] 5 He wore a bronze helmet and a chain-mail coat that weighed more than 100 pounds of bronze. 6 His legs were protected by bronze shin guards, and he had a bronze javelin slung between his shoulders, ready to throw. 7 The shaft of his spear was as thick as a weaver’s beam, the iron head of his spear weighed 20 pounds, and his shield-bearer went ahead of him. He was a fearsome sight.
8 Goliath stood and shouted to the watching Israelites.
Goliath: Why have you come to fight us? Am I not a Philistine, a warrior for a powerful empire? And don’t you serve Saul, your so-called king? Choose yourselves a champion, and send him out to me. 9 If he kills me when we fight, then we will serve you; but if I defeat him and kill him, then you will serve us. 10 Today I challenge the entire army of Israel: send me someone to fight!
11 When Saul and his army heard the Philistine’s words, they were shocked and frightened.
No one compares physically to Goliath. A hand-to-hand battle would be a slaughter, and the Philistines would conquer Israel anyway. Who can save them?
12 David was the son of Jesse, an Ephrathite from Bethlehem in Judah who had eight sons. At this time, Jesse was already an old man. 13 Jesse’s three oldest sons, Eliab (the firstborn), Abinadab (the second), and Shammah (the third) had gone with Saul to the battlefield. 14 David was the youngest son; and while the three oldest went with Saul, 15 he went back and forth between Saul’s battle and his father’s sheep in Bethlehem taking provisions to the troops and bringing word from the front line.
16 For 40 days this Philistine giant, Goliath of Gath, stepped forward, challenging the men of Israel every morning and evening. But no one was brave enough to accept the challenge.
Jesse (to his son David): 17 Take ⅗ of a bushel of roasted grain and these 10 loaves of bread to your brothers in the camp. 18 Also take these 10 blocks of cheese to the commander of their company. See how your brothers are doing, and bring me some word from them. 19 Saul, your brothers, and all the men of Israel are arrayed in the valley of Elah fighting against the Philistines.
The story of David and Goliath is one that has grown in popular attention, and many people who have never read the Bible know it as a simple story of the underdog defeating the favored warrior. Although there is another story of how David is noticed by the king (when he was brought to Saul’s court to play his music), in this story, David comes to the king’s attention as God’s warrior, contrasting Saul in almost every way. A mere boy, David doesn’t trust in his own strength or in armor or in fancy weapons. David places his trust in God, and his courage comes from belief that God can use him, as small as he is compared to his opponent, because God is all-powerful.
20 David rose early the next morning, left the sheep in the care of another, took the provisions, and obeyed Jesse’s instructions. David reached the camp just as the army was lining up and shouting its war cries. 21 Both Israel and the Philistines prepared to fight against each other. 22 David left the provisions with the person in charge of baggage; he ran to the front lines and shoved his way through the soldiers to greet his brothers. 23 As David talked with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, emerged again and shouted his challenge to the men of Israel. This time young David heard his words.
24 When they saw Goliath, all the Israelites were frightened and retreated from him.
Soldiers: 25 Have you seen this man who steps forward? He’s trying to taunt Israel. Our king will reward the man who kills him with wealth, a royal marriage, and freedom for his entire family from taxation and obligations in Israel.
David (asking those around him): 26 What is the reward for removing this insult from Israel by killing this man? No uncircumcised Philistine can get away with taunting the armies of the living God!
Soldiers: 27 You’ve heard what will be given to the man who kills him. We were just talking about it.
28 David’s oldest brother, Eliab, overheard this conversation and became angry with David.
Eliab: Why have you come down here? Who is watching your tiny flock in the wilderness? I’m your brother, and I know you—you’re arrogant, and your heart is evil. You’ve come to watch the battle as if it were just entertainment.
David: 29 What have I done now? I was just asking a question.
30 David ignored him and asked another soldier the same question, and the people gave him the same answer. 31 When news of David’s valiant words reached the king, Saul sent for David.
David (to Saul): 32 Don’t let anyone be frightened because of that man. I am your servant, and I will go and fight with him.
Saul: 33 Don’t be ridiculous—you can’t fight the Philistine. You’re only a youth, and he has been a warrior since his childhood. You lack age and experience.
David: 34 I work as a shepherd for my father. Whenever a lion or a bear has come and attacked one of my lambs, 35 I have gone after it and struck it down to rescue the lamb from the predator’s mouth; if it turned to attack me, I would take it by the chin, beat it, and kill it. 36 I have killed both a lion and a bear; and as your servant I will kill this uncircumcised Philistine, too, since he has dared to taunt the armies of the living God.
37 The Eternal One, who saved me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear, will save me from the hand of this Philistine.
Saul: Go then, and may the Eternal One be with you!
38 So Saul outfitted David in the king’s own armor: a bronze helmet to protect his head and a coat of mail to protect his chest. 39 David strapped on Saul’s sword outside the armor and then discovered he could not move because he was not used to the restrictions of the weighty armor.
David: I’m not used to these things. How can I attack an enemy when I can’t even walk? So he removed every bit of Saul’s armor. He would fight the Philistine as he had fought those lions and bears.
40 He took his staff in his hand and went to the stream to choose five smooth stones, which he kept in a pouch in his shepherd’s bag. He had his sling ready as he approached the Philistine.
41 The Philistine, with his shield-bearer in front of him, came closer to David. 42 When he saw that David was only a healthy and handsome boy, Goliath’s eyes filled with contempt.
Goliath: 43 Am I a dog that you come to beat me with a stick?
And he cursed David, invoking the names of his Philistine gods.
Goliath: 44 Come here, and I will feed your flesh to the birds of the air and the wild animals of the fields.
David: 45 You come to me carrying a sword and spear and javelin as your weapons, but I come armed with the name of the Eternal One, the Commander of heavenly armies, the True God of the armies of Israel, the One you have insulted. 46 This very day, the Eternal One will give you into my hands. I will strike you down and cut off your head, and I will feed the birds of the air and the wild animals of the fields with the flesh of your Philistine warriors. Then all the land will know the True God is with Israel, 47 and all of those gathered here will know that the Eternal One does not save by sword and spear. The battle is the Eternal One’s, and He will give you into our hands.
48 When the Philistine stood up and approached, David ran toward the line of battle to meet him. 49 As quick as a flash, he reached into his bag, put a stone in his sling, and launched it at the Philistine, hitting him in the head. The stone sank deeply into his forehead, and the Philistine fell face-first onto the ground.
50 That was how David defeated the Philistine with only a sling and a single stone, striking him down, ending his life without a sword in his hand.
David’s victory over Goliath sets in motion the rest of the story. The army of Israel wins a great victory over the panicked Philistines after David strikes down their champion, and David is elevated in the eyes of all (and soon will become Saul’s leading general). But the seeds of the ongoing struggle between Saul and David are also sown on this day, as the people celebrate the good-looking boy’s valor and heroism, filling Saul with jealousy. Soon Saul is thinking that David has everything but the kingdom’s throne, and he turns on the boy who has saved his people. Their war destroys Saul and complicates David’s life and eventual rule.
51 Then David ran to the Philistine and stood over his lifeless body. He pulled the man’s sword from its scabbard and finished him by cutting off his head.
When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they knew they would be next, so they ran away. 52 The people of Israel and Judah gave a great shout and chased the Philistines the length of the valley[b] and back to the gates of Ekron; and Philistines wounded in the battle fell all along the five miles of the Shaaraim Way, which ran between the Philistine capital cities of Gath and Ekron. 53 Then the Israelites turned back from chasing the Philistines and plundered the Philistine camps.
54 As the sons of Israel were distributing the spoils from the battle, David took the Philistine’s head and went to Jerusalem, but he kept the man’s armor and other possessions back in his own tent.
55 Earlier in the day, as David was choosing his stones and bravely approaching the Philistine, Saul asked his cousin Abner, who was general of the army, where David came from.
Saul: Abner, who is that young man’s father?
Abner: I swear to you, my king, I don’t know.
Saul: 56 Well, find out who his father is.
57 When David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner brought him in front of Saul holding the head of the Philistine.
Saul: 58 Who is your father, young man?
David: I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.