Chronological

15 Sh’mu’el said to Sha’ul, “Adonai sent me to anoint you king over his people, over Isra’el. Now listen to what Adonai has to say. ² Here is what Adonai-Tzva’ot says: ‘I remember what ‘Amalek did to Isra’el, how they fought against Isra’el when they were coming up from Egypt. ³ Now go and attack ‘Amalek, and completely destroy everything they have. Don’t spare them, but kill men and women, children and babies, cows and sheep, camels and donkeys.’”

⁴ Sha’ul summoned the people and reviewed them in T’la’im — 200,000 foot soldiers, with another 10,000 men from Y’hudah. ⁵ Sha’ul arrived at the city of ‘Amalek and lay in wait in the valley. ⁶ Sha’ul said to the Keni, “Go away, withdraw, leave your homes there with the ‘Amaleki. Otherwise, I might destroy you along with them, even though you were kind to all the people of Isra’el when they came out of Egypt. So the Keni went away from among the ‘Amaleki. ⁷ Then Sha’ul attacked ‘Amalek, starting at Havilah and continuing toward Shur, at the border of Egypt. ⁸ He took Agag the king of ‘Amalek alive; but he completely destroyed the people, putting them to the sword. ⁹ However, Sha’ul and the people spared Agag, along with the best of the sheep and cattle, and even the second best, also the lambs, and everything that was good — they weren’t inclined to destroy these things. But everything that was worthless or weak they completely destroyed.

¹⁰ Then the word of Adonai came to Sh’mu’el: ¹¹ “I regret setting up Sha’ul as king, because he has turned back from following me and hasn’t obeyed my orders.” This made Sh’mu’el very sad, so that he cried to Adonai all night. ¹² Sh’mu’el got up early in the morning to meet Sha’ul; however, Sh’mu’el was told, “Sha’ul came to Karmel to set up a monument for himself there, but now he has left and is on his way down to Gilgal.” ¹³ Sh’mu’el went to Sha’ul; Sha’ul said to him, “May Adonai bless you! I have done what Adonai ordered.” ¹⁴ But Sh’mu’el answered, “If so, why do I hear sheep bleating and cows mooing?” ¹⁵ Sha’ul said, “They brought them from the ‘Amaleki, because the people spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to Adonai your God. But we completely destroyed the rest.” ¹⁶ Then Sh’mu’el said to Sha’ul, “Stop! I’m going to tell you what Adonai said to me last night.” He said, “Speak.” ¹⁷ Sh’mu’el then said, “You may be small in your own sight, but you are head of the tribes of Isra’el — Adonai anointed you king over Isra’el! ¹⁸ Now Adonai sent you on a mission and told you, ‘Go and completely destroy ‘Amalek, those sinners; keep making war on them until they have been exterminated. ¹⁹ Why did you seize the spoil instead of paying attention to what Adonai said? From Adonai’s viewpoint, you have done an evil thing.” ²⁰ Sha’ul said to Sh’mu’el, “I did too pay attention to what Adonai said, and I carried out the mission on which Adonai sent me. I brought back Agag the king of ‘Amalek, and I completely destroyed ‘Amalek. ²¹ But the people took some of the spoil, the best of the sheep and cattle set aside for destruction, to sacrifice to Adonai your God in Gilgal.” ²² Sh’mu’el said,

²⁴ Sha’ul said to Sh’mu’el, “I have sinned. I violated the order of Adonai and your words too, because I was afraid of the people and listened to what they said. ²⁵ Now, please, pardon my sin; and come back with me, so that I can worship Adonai.” ²⁶ But Sh’mu’el said to Sha’ul, “I will not go back with you, because you have rejected the word of Adonai, and Adonai has rejected you as king over Isra’el.” ²⁷ As Sh’mu’el was turning around to leave, he took hold of the hem of his cloak, and it tore. ²⁸ Sh’mu’el said to him, “Adonai has torn the kingdom of Isra’el away from you today and given it to a fellow countryman of yours who is better than you. ²⁹ Moreover, the Eternal One of Isra’el will not lie or change his mind, because he isn’t a mere human being subject to changing his mind.” ³⁰ Then Sha’ul said, “I have sinned; but in spite of that, please show me respect now before the leaders of my people and before Isra’el by coming back with me, so that I can worship Adonai your God.” ³¹ So Sh’mu’el followed Sha’ul back, and Sha’ul worshipped Adonai.

³² Then Sh’mu’el said, “Bring Agag the king of ‘Amalek here to me. Agag came to him in chains and said, “Without doubt, mine will be a bitter death.” ³³ Sh’mu’el said,

Then Sh’mu’el cut Agag in pieces before Adonai in Gilgal.

³⁴ Sh’mu’el returned to Ramah, and Sha’ul went up to his house in Giv‘at-Sha’ul. ³⁵ Never again did Sh’mu’el see Sha’ul, until the day he died. But Sh’mu’el grieved over Sha’ul, and Adonai regretted that he had made Sha’ul king over Isra’el.

16 Adonai said to Sh’mu’el, “How much longer are you going to go on grieving for Sha’ul, now that I have rejected him as king over Isra’el? Fill your horn with oil, and set out; I will send you to Yishai the Beit-Lachmi, because I have chosen myself a king from among his sons.” ² Sh’mu’el said, “How can I go? If Sha’ul hears of it, he will have me killed.” Adonai said, “Take a female cow with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to Adonai.’ ³ Summon Yishai to the sacrifice. I will tell you what to do, and you are to anoint for me the person I point out to you.”

⁴ Sh’mu’el did what Adonai said and arrived at Beit-Lechem. The leaders of the city came trembling to meet him and asked, “Are you coming in peace?” ⁵ He answered, “In peace. I have come to sacrifice to Adonai. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” He consecrated Yishai and his sons and summoned them to the sacrifice. ⁶ When they had come, he looked at Eli’av and said, “This has to be Adonai’s anointed one, here before him.” ⁷ But Adonai said to Sh’mu’el, “Don’t pay attention to how he looks or how tall he is, because I have rejected him. Adonai doesn’t see the way humans see — humans look at the outward appearance, but Adonai looks at the heart.” ⁸ Then Yishai called Avinadav and presented him to Sh’mu’el; but he said, “Adonai hasn’t chosen this one either.” ⁹ Yishai presented Shammah; again Sh’mu’el said, “Adonai hasn’t chosen this one either.” ¹⁰ Yishai presented seven of his sons to Sh’mu’el; but Sh’mu’el told Yishai, “Adonai has not chosen these. ¹¹ Are all your sons here?” Sh’mu’el asked Yishai. He replied, “There is still the youngest; he’s out there tending the sheep.” Sh’mu’el said to Yishai, “Send and bring him back, because we won’t sit down to eat until he gets here.” ¹² He sent and brought him in. With ruddy cheeks, red hair and bright eyes, he was a good-looking fellow. Adonai said, “Stand up and anoint him; he’s the one.” ¹³ Sh’mu’el took the horn of oil and anointed him there in his brothers’ presence. From that day on, the Spirit of Adonai would fall upon David with power. So Sh’mu’el set out and went to Ramah.

¹⁴ Now the Spirit of Adonai had left Sha’ul; instead, an evil spirit from Adonai would suddenly come over him. ¹⁵ Sha’ul’s servants said to him, “Do you notice that there’s an evil spirit from God that suddenly comes over you? ¹⁶ Let our lord now command your servants who are here with you to look for a man who knows how to play the lyre. Then, if the evil spirit from God comes over you, he will play; and it will do you good.” ¹⁷ Sha’ul said to his servants, “Find me a man who can play well, and bring him to me.” ¹⁸ One of the young men answered, “Here, I’ve seen one of the sons of Yishai the Beit-Lachmi who knows how to play. He’s a brave soldier, he can fight, he chooses his words carefully and he’s pleasant-looking. Besides, Adonai is with him.” ¹⁹ So Sha’ul sent messengers to Yishai saying, “Send me David your son, who is out with the sheep.” ²⁰ Yishai took a donkey, loaded it with bread, a bottle of wine and a kid, and sent them with David his son to Sha’ul. ²¹ David came to Sha’ul and presented himself to him. Sha’ul took a great liking to him and made him his armor-bearer. ²² Sha’ul sent a message to Yishai: “Please let David stay in my service, because I’m pleased with him.” ²³ So it was that whenever the [evil] spirit from God came over Sha’ul, David would take the lyre and play it, with the result that Sha’ul would find relief and feel better, as the evil spirit left him.

17 The P’lishtim rallied their troops for war, assembling at Sokhoh in Y’hudah and setting up camp between Sokhoh and ‘Azekah in Efes-Damim. ² Sha’ul and the men of Isra’el assembled, set up camp in the Elah Valley and drew up their battle line opposite the P’lishtim. ³ The P’lishtim occupied a position on one hill and Isra’el a position on another hill, with a valley between them.

⁴ There came out a champion from the camp of the P’lishtim named Golyat, from Gat, who was nine feet nine inches tall. ⁵ He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he wore a bronze armor plate weighing 120 pounds. ⁶ He had bronze armor protecting his legs and a bronze javelin between his shoulders. ⁷ The shaft of his spear was as big as a weaver’s beam, and the iron spearhead weighed fifteen pounds. His shield-bearer went ahead of him. ⁸ He stood and yelled at the armies of Isra’el, “Why come out and draw up a battle line? I’m a P’lishti, and you are servants of Sha’ul, so choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. ⁹ If he can fight me and kill me, we’ll be your slaves; but if I beat him and kill him, you will become slaves and serve us.” ¹⁰ The P’lishti added, “I challenge Isra’el’s armies today — give me a man, and we’ll fight it out!” ¹¹ When Sha’ul and all Isra’el heard those words of the P’lishti, they were shaken and terrified.

¹² Now David was the son of that Efrati from Beit-Lechem in Y’hudah named Yishai. He had eight sons; and in the time of Sha’ul he was old — the years had taken their toll. ¹³ Yishai’s three oldest sons had followed Sha’ul to battle; the names of his three sons who went to battle were Eli’av the firstborn, next to him Avinadav, and the third Shammah. ¹⁴ David was the youngest; the three oldest followed Sha’ul. ¹⁵ David went back and forth from Sha’ul to pasture his father’s sheep at Beit-Lechem. ¹⁶ Meanwhile, the P’lishti approached with his challenge every morning and evening for forty days.

¹⁷ Yishai said to David his son, “Please take your brothers five bushels of this roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread; hurry, and carry them to your brothers at the camp. ¹⁸ Also bring these ten cheeses to their field officer. Find out if your brothers are well, and bring back some token from them. ¹⁹ Sha’ul and your brothers, with all the army of Isra’el, are in the Elah Valley, fighting the P’lishtim.”

²⁰ David got up early in the morning, left the sheep with a helper, took his load and set out, as Yishai had ordered him. He arrived at the barricade of the camp just as the troops were going out to their battle stations and shouting the war cry. ²¹ Isra’el and the P’lishtim had set up their battle lines facing each other. ²² David left his equipment in charge of the equipment guard, ran to the troops, went to his brothers and asked if they were well. ²³ As he was talking with them, there came the champion, the P’lishti from Gat named Golyat, from the ranks of the P’lishtim, saying the same words as before; and David heard them. ²⁴ When the soldiers from Isra’el saw the man, they all ran away from him, terrified. ²⁵ The soldiers from Isra’el said [to each other], “You saw that man who just came up? He has come to challenge Isra’el. To whoever kills him, the king will give a rich reward; he’ll also give him his daughter and exempt his father’s family from all service and taxes in Isra’el.” ²⁶ David said to the men standing with him, “What reward will be given to the man who kills this P’lishti and removes this disgrace from Isra’el? Who is this uncircumcised P’lishti anyway, that he challenges the armies of the living God?” ²⁷ The people answered with what they had been saying, adding, “That’s what will be done for the man who kills him.” ²⁸ Eli’av his oldest brother heard when David spoke to the men, and it made Eli’av angry at him. He asked, “Why did you come down here? With whom did you leave those few sheep in the desert? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is! You just came down to watch the fighting.” ²⁹ David said, “What have I done now? I only asked a question.” ³⁰ He turned away from him to someone else and asked the same question, and the people gave him the same answer.

³¹ David’s words were overheard and told to Sha’ul, who summoned him. ³² David said to Sha’ul, “No one should lose heart because of him; your servant will go and fight this P’lishti.” ³³ Sha’ul said to David, “You can’t go to fight this P’lishti — you’re just a boy, and he has been a warrior from his youth!” ³⁴ David answered Sha’ul, “Your servant used to guard his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear would come and grab a lamb from the flock, ³⁵ I would go after it, hit it, and snatch the lamb from its mouth; and if it turned on me, I would catch it by the jaw, smack it and kill it. ³⁶ Your servant has defeated both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised P’lishti will be like one of them, because he has challenged the armies of the living God.” ³⁷ Then David said, “Adonai, who rescued me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will rescue me from the paw of this P’lishti!” Sha’ul said to David, “Go; may Adonai be with you.”

³⁸ Sha’ul dressed David in his own armor — he put a bronze helmet on his head and gave him armor plate to wear. ³⁹ David buckled his sword on his armor and tried to walk, but he wasn’t used to such equipment. David said to Sha’ul, “I can’t move wearing these things, because I’m not used to them.” So David took them off. ⁴⁰ Then he took his stick in his hand and picked five smooth stones from the riverbed, putting them in his shepherd’s bag, in his pouch. Then, with his sling in his hand, he approached the P’lishti. ⁴¹ The P’lishti, with his shield-bearer ahead of him, came nearer and nearer to David. ⁴² The P’lishti looked David up and down and had nothing but scorn for what he saw — a boy with ruddy cheeks, red hair and good looks. ⁴³ The P’lishti said to David, “Am I a dog? Is that why you’re coming at me with sticks?” — and the P’lishti cursed David by his god. ⁴⁴ Then the P’lishti said to David, “Come here to me, so I can give your flesh to the birds in the air and the wild animals.” ⁴⁵ David answered the P’lishti, “You’re coming at me with a sword, a spear and a javelin. But I’m coming at you in the name of Adonai-Tzva’ot, the God of the armies of Isra’el, whom you have challenged. ⁴⁶ Today Adonai will hand you over to me. I will attack you, lop your head off, and give the carcasses of the army of the P’lishtim to the birds in the air and the animals in the land. Then all the land will know that there is a God in Isra’el, ⁴⁷ and everyone assembled here will know that Adonai does not save by sword or spear. For this is Adonai’s battle, and he will hand you over to us.” ⁴⁸ When the P’lishti got up, approached and came close to meet David, David hurried and ran toward the army to meet the P’lishti. ⁴⁹ David put his hand in his bag, took out a stone, and hurled it with his sling. It struck the P’lishti in his forehead and buried itself in his forehead, so that he fell face down on the ground. ⁵⁰ Thus David defeated the P’lishti with a sling and a stone, striking the P’lishti and killing him; but David had no sword in his hand. ⁵¹ Then David ran and stood over the P’lishti, took his sword, drew it out of its sheath, and finished killing him, cutting off his head with it.

When the P’lishtim saw that their hero was dead, they fled. ⁵² The men of Isra’el and Y’hudah got up, shouting, and pursued the P’lishtim all the way to Gat and the gates of ‘Ekron. The wounded P’lishtim fell down all along the road from Sha‘arayim to Gat and ‘Ekron. ⁵³ After chasing the P’lishtim, the army of Isra’el returned and plundered their camp.

⁵⁴ David took the head of the P’lishti and brought it to Yerushalayim, but he put the armor of the P’lishti in his tent.

⁵⁵ When Sha’ul saw David go out to fight the P’lishti, he said to Avner, the army’s commander, “Avner, whose son is this boy?” “By your life, O king,” Avner replied, “I don’t know.” ⁵⁶ The king said, “Find out whose son this boy is.” ⁵⁷ As David returned from killing the P’lishti, Avner took him and brought him to Sha’ul with the head of the P’lishti in his hand. ⁵⁸ Sha’ul asked him, “Young man, whose son are you?” David answered, “I am the son of your servant Yishai the Beit-Lachmi.”