Beginning
15 3 Saul is commanded to slay Amalek. 9 He spareth Agag, and the best things. 19 Samuel reproveth him. 28 Saul is rejected of the Lord, and his Kingdom given to another. 33 Samuel heweth Agag in pieces.
1 Afterward Samuel said unto Saul, (A)The Lord sent me to anoint thee King over his people, over Israel: now therefore [a]obey the voice of the words of the Lord.
2 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I remember what Amalek did to Israel, (B)how they laid wait for them in the way, as they came up from Egypt.
3 Now therefore go, and smite Amalek, and destroy ye all that pertaineth unto them, and have no compassion on them, but [b]slay both man and woman, both infant and suckling, both ox, and sheep, both camel, and ass.
4 ¶ And Saul assembled the people, and [c]numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah.
5 And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and [d]set watch at the river.
6 And Saul said unto the [e]Kenites, Go, depart, and get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them: for ye showed [f]mercy to all the children of Israel, when they came up from Egypt: and the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.
7 So Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah, as thou comest to Shur, that is before Egypt,
8 And took Agag the King of the Amalekites alive, and destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
9 But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the better sheep, and the oxen, and the fat beasts, and the lambs, and all that was good, and they would not destroy them; but everything that was vile and nought worth, that they destroyed.
10 ¶ Then came the word of the Lord unto Samuel, saying,
11 It [g]repenteth me that I have made Saul King; for he is turned from me, and hath not performed my commandments. And Samuel was moved, and cried unto the Lord all night.
12 And when Samuel arose early to meet Saul in the morning, one told Samuel, saying, Saul is gone to Carmel; and behold, he hath made him there a place, from whence he returned, and departed, and is gone down to Gilgal.
13 ¶ Then Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said unto him. Blessed be thou of the Lord, I have fulfilled the [h]commandment of the Lord.
14 But Samuel said, What meaneth then the bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?
15 And Saul answered, They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, to sacrifice them unto the Lord thy God, and the remnant have we destroyed.
16 Again Samuel said to Saul, Let me tell thee what the Lord hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on.
17 Then Samuel said, When thou wast [i]little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel? for the Lord anointed thee King over Israel.
18 And the Lord sent thee on a journey, and said, Go, and destroy those sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them, until thou destroy them.
19 Now wherefore hast thou not obeyed the voice of the Lord, but hast turned to the prey, and hast done wickedly in the sight of the Lord?
20 And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, [j]I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have destroyed the Amalekites.
21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep, and oxen, and the chiefest of the things which should have been destroyed, to offer unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal.
22 And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as when the voice of the Lord is obeyed? behold, (C)to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken is better than the fat of rams.
23 For [k]rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and transgression is wickedness and idolatry. Because thou hast cast away the word of the Lord, therefore he hath cast away thee from being king.
24 Then Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the Commandment of the Lord, and thy words, because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.
25 Now therefore I pray thee, take away my [l]sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the Lord.
26 But Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast cast away the word of the Lord, and the Lord hath cast away thee, that thou shalt not be King over Israel.
27 And as Samuel turned himself to go away, he caught the lap of his coat, and it rent.
28 Then Samuel said unto him, The Lord hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to thy [m]neighbor, that is better than thou.
29 For indeed the [n]strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man that he should repent.
30 Then he said, I have sinned: but honor me, I pray thee, before the Elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the Lord thy God.
31 ¶ So Samuel turned again, and followed Saul: and Saul worshipped the Lord.
32 Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites: and Agag came unto him [o]pleasantly, and Agag said, Truly the [p]bitterness of death is passed.
33 And Samuel said, (D)As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among other women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal.
34 ¶ So Samuel departed to [q]Ramah, and Saul went up to his house to Gibeah of Saul.
35 And Samuel came no more to [r]see Saul until the day of his death: but Samuel mourned for Saul, and the Lord [s]repented that he made Saul King over Israel.
16 1 Samuel is reproved of God, and is sent to anoint David. 7 God regardeth the heart. 13 The Spirit of the Lord cometh upon David. 14 The wicked Spirit is sent upon Saul. 19 Saul sendeth for David.
1 The Lord then said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, [t]seeing I have cast him away from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil and come, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a King among his sons.
2 And Samuel said, How can I go? for if Saul shall hear it, he will kill me. Then the Lord answered, Take an heifer [u]with thee, and say, I am come [v]to do sacrifice to the Lord.
3 And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show thee what thou shalt do, and thou shalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee.
4 So Samuel did that the Lord bade him, and came to Bethlehem, and the elders of the town were [w]astonished at his coming, and said, Comest thou peaceably?
5 And he answered, Yea: I am come to do sacrifice unto the Lord: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice.
6 And when they were come, he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the Lord’s [x]Anointed is before him.
7 But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, nor on the height of his stature, because I have refused him: for God seeth not as man seeth: for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord beholdeth the (E)heart.
8 Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him come before Samuel. And he said, Neither hath the Lord chosen this.
9 Then Jesse made Shammah come. And he said, Neither yet hath the Lord chosen him.
10 Again Jesse made his seven sons to come before Samuel, and Samuel said unto Jesse, The Lord hath chosen none of these.
11 Finally, Samuel said unto Jesse, [y]Are there no more children but these? And he said, There remaineth yet a little one behind, that keepeth the sheep. Then Samuel said unto Jesse, (F)Send and fet him: for we will not sit down, till he be come hither.
12 And he sent, and brought him in: and he was ruddy, and of a good countenance, and comely visage. And the Lord said, Arise, and anoint him: for this is he.
13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren. And the (G)Spirit of the Lord [z]came upon David, from that day forward: then Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.
14 ¶ But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an [aa]evil spirit sent of the Lord, vexed him.
15 And Saul’s servants said unto him, Behold now, the evil spirit of God vexeth thee.
16 Let our Lord therefore command thy servants that are before thee, to seek a man that is a cunning player upon the harp: that when the evil spirit of God cometh upon thee, he may play with his hand, and thou mayest be eased.
17 Saul then said unto his servants, Provide me a man, I pray you, that can play well, and bring him to me.
18 Then answered one of his servants, and said, Behold, I have seen a [ab]son of Jesse, a Bethlehemite, that can play, and is strong, valiant, and a man of war, and wise in matters, and a comely person, and the Lord is with him.
19 ¶ Wherefore Saul sent messengers unto Jesse, and said, Send me David thy son, which is with the sheep.
20 And Jesse took an ass laden with bread and a flagon of wine and a kid, and sent them by the hand of David his son unto Saul.
21 And David came to Saul, and [ac]stood before him: and he loved him very well, and he was his armor bearer.
22 And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David now remain with me: for he hath found favor in my sight.
23 And so when the evil spirit of God came upon Saul, David took an harp and played with his hand, and Saul was [ad]refreshed and was eased: for the evil spirit departed from him.
17 1 The Philistines make war against Israel. 10 Goliath defieth Israel. 17 David is sent to his brethren. 34 The strength and boldness of David. 47 The Lord saveth not by sword nor spear. 50 David killeth Goliath, and the Philistines flee.
1 Now the Philistines gathered their armies to battle, and came together to Sochoh which is in Judah, and pitched between Sochoh and Azekah, [ae]in the coast of Dammim.
2 And Saul, and the men of Israel assembled and pitched in the valley [af]of Elah, and put themselves in battle array to meet the Philistines.
3 And the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side: so a valley was between them.
4 ¶ Then came a man between them [ag]both out of the tents of the Philistines, named Goliath of Gath: his height was six cubits and an hand breadth,
5 And had an helmet of brass upon his head, and a [ah]brigandine upon him: and the weight of his brigandine was five thousand [ai]shekels of brass.
6 And he had [aj]boots of brass upon his legs, and a shield of brass upon his shoulders.
7 And the shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam: and his spear head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield went before him.
8 And he stood, and cried against the host of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and you servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me.
9 If he be able to fight with me, and [ak]kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I overcome him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us.
10 Also the Philistine said, I defy the host of Israel this day: give me a man, that we may fight [al]together.
11 When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were discouraged, and greatly afraid.
12 ¶ Now this David was the (H)son of an Ephrathite of Bethlehem Judah, named Jesse, which had eight sons: and [am]this man was taken for an old man in the days of Saul.
13 And the three eldest sons of Jesse went and followed Saul to the battle: and the names of his three sons that went to battle were Eliab the eldest, and the next Abinadab, and the third Shammah.
14 So David was the least: and the three eldest went after Saul.
15 David also [an]went, but he returned from Saul to feed his father’s sheep in Bethlehem.
16 And the Philistine drew near in the morning, and evening, and continued forty days.
17 And Jesse said unto David his son, [ao]Take now for thy brethren an Ephah of this parched corn, and these ten cakes, and run to the host to thy brethren.
18 Also carry these ten fresh cheeses unto the captain, and look how thy brethren fare, and receive their [ap]pledge.
19 (Then Saul and they, and all the men of Israel were in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.)
20 ¶ So David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took and went as Jesse had commanded him, and came within the compass of the host: and the host went out in array, and shouted in the battle.
21 For Israel and the Philistines had put themselves in array, army against army.
22 And David left the things which he bare, under the hands of the keeper of the [aq]carriage, and ran into the host, and came, and asked his brethren [ar]how they did.
23 And as he talked with them, behold, the man that was between the two armies, came up, (whose name was Goliath the Philistine of Gath) out of the [as]army of the Philistines, and spake [at]such words, and David heard them.
24 And all the men of Israel when they saw the man, ran away from him, and were sore afraid.
25 For every man of Israel said, Saw ye not this man that cometh up? even to revile Israel is he come up: and to him that killeth him, will the King give great riches, and will give him his (I)daughter, yea, and make his father’s house [au]free in Israel.
26 ¶ Then David spake to the men that stood with him, and said, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the [av]shame from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should revile the host of the living God?
27 And the people answered him after this manner, saying, Thus shall it be done to the man that killeth him.
28 And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men, and Eliab was very angry with David, and said, Why camest thou down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride and the malice of thine heart, that thou art come down to see the battle.
29 Then David said, What have I now done? Is there not a [aw]cause?
30 And he departed from him into the presence of another, and spake of the same manner, and the people answered him according to the former words.
31 ¶ And they that heard the words which David spake, rehearsed them before Saul, which caused him to be brought.
32 So David said to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail him, because of him: thy servant will go, and fight with this Philistine.
33 And Saul said to David, Thou art not [ax]able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art a boy, and he is a man of war from his youth.
34 And David answered unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a [ay]lion, and likewise a bear, and took a sheep out of the flock,
35 And I went out after him and smote him, and took it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by the beard, and smote him, and slew him.
36 So thy servant slew both the lion, and the bear: therefore this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath railed on the host of the living God.
37 ¶ Moreover David said, The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. Then Saul said unto David, [az]Go, and the Lord be with thee.
38 And Saul put his raiment upon David, and put an helmet of brass upon his head, and put a brigandine upon him.
39 Then girded David his sword upon his raiment, and [ba]began to go: for he never proved it: and David said unto Saul, I can not go with these: for I am not accustomed. Wherefore David put them off him.
40 Then took he his [bb]staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of a brook, and put them in his shepherd’s bag or scrip, and his sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine.
41 ¶ And the Philistine came and drew near unto David, and the man that bare the shield went before him.
42 Now when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but young, ruddy, and of a comely face.
43 And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine [bc]cursed David by his gods.
44 And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the heaven, and to the beasts of the field.
45 ¶ Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield, but I come to thee in the Name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the host of Israel, whom thou hast railed upon.
46 This [bd]day shall the Lord close thee in mine hand, and I shall smite thee, and take thine head from thee, and I will give the carcasses of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the heaven, and to the beasts of the earth, that all the world may know that Israel hath a God,
47 And that all this assembly may know, that the Lord saveth not with sword nor with spear, (for the battle is the Lord’s) and he will give you into our hands.
48 And when the Philistine arose to come and draw near unto David, David [be]hasted and ran to fight against the Philistine.
49 And David put his hand in his bag, and took out a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sticked in his forehead, and he fell groveling to the earth.
50 So David overcame the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him, when David had no sword in his hand.
51 Then David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword and drew it out of his sheath, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. So when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.
52 And the men of Israel and Judah arose, and shouted, and followed after the Philistines, until they came to the [bf]valley, and unto the gates of Ekron: and the Philistines fell down wounded by the way of Shaaraim, even to Gath and to Ekron.
53 And the children of Israel returned from pursuing the Philistines, and spoiled their tents.
54 And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem, and put his armor in his [bg]tent.
55 ¶ When Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said unto Abner the captain of his host, Abner, [bh]whose son is this young man? and Abner answered, As thy soul liveth, O king, I cannot tell.
56 Then the King said, Inquire thou whose son this young man is.
57 And when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, then Abner took him and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand.
58 And Saul said to him, Whose son art thou, thou young man? And David answered, I am the son of thy servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.