cc[See ver. 25 above]
cq[See ver. 36 above]

1 Samuel 15

The Lord Rejects Saul

1And Samuel said to Saul, a“The Lord sent me to anoint you king over his people Israel; now therefore listen to the words of the Lord. 2Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘I have noted what Amalek did to Israel bin opposing them on the way when they came up out of Egypt. 3Now go and strike Amalek and cdevote to destruction
That is, set apart ( devote) as an offering to the Lord (for destruction); also verses 8, 9, 15, 18, 20, 21
all that they have. Do not spare them, ebut kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’”

4So Saul summoned the people and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand men on foot, and ten thousand men of Judah. 5And Saul came to the city of Amalek and lay in wait in the valley. 6Then Saul said to fthe Kenites, “Go, depart; go down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them. gFor you showed kindness to all the people of Israel when they came up out of Egypt.” So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. 7 hAnd Saul defeated the Amalekites from iHavilah as far as jShur, which is east of Egypt. 8And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive kand devoted to destruction all the people with the edge of the sword. 9 lBut Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves
The meaning of the Hebrew term is uncertain
and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. All that was despised and worthless they devoted to destruction.

10The word of the Lord came to Samuel: 11 n“I regret
See also verses 29, 35
that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and phas not performed my commandments.” And Samuel was angry, and he cried to the Lord all night.
12And Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning. And it was told Samuel, “Saul came to qCarmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself and turned and passed on and went down to Gilgal.” 13And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, rBlessed be you to the Lord. I have performed the commandment of the Lord.” 14And Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears and the lowing of the oxen that I hear?” 15Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, sfor the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to the Lord your God, and the rest we have devoted to destruction.” 16Then Samuel said to Saul, “Stop! I will tell you what the Lord said to me this night.” And he said to him, “Speak.”

17And Samuel said, tThough you are little in your own eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel. 18And the Lord sent you on a mission and said, ‘Go, devote to destruction the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’ 19Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? uWhy did you pounce on the spoil and do what was evil in the sight of the Lord?” 20And Saul said to Samuel, v“I have obeyed the voice of the Lord. I have gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me. I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have devoted the Amalekites to destruction. 21 wBut the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.” 22And Samuel said,

x“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, yto obey is better than sacrifice,
and to listen than the fat of rams.
23For rebellion is as the sin of divination,
and presumption is as iniquity and zidolatry.
Because aayou have rejected the word of the Lord,
abhe has also rejected you from being king.”
24Saul said to Samuel, ac“I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. 25Now therefore, please pardon my sin and adreturn with me that I may bow before the Lord.” 26And Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you. aeFor you have rejected the word of the Lord, afand the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.” 27 agAs Samuel turned to go away, Saul seized the skirt of his robe, and it tore. 28And Samuel said to him, ah“The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you. 29And also the Glory of Israel aiwill not lie or have regret, for he is not a man, that he should have regret.” 30Then he said, “I have sinned; yet ajhonor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel, akand return with me, that I may bow before the Lord your God.” 31So Samuel turned back after Saul, and Saul bowed before the Lord.

32Then Samuel said, “Bring here to me Agag the king of the Amalekites.” And Agag came to him cheerfully.
Or haltingly (compare Septuagint); the Hebrew is uncertain
Agag said, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.”
33And Samuel said, amAs your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women.” And Samuel hacked Agag to pieces before the Lord anin Gilgal.

34Then Samuel went aoto Ramah, and Saul went up to his house in apGibeah of Saul. 35 aqAnd Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, arbut Samuel grieved over Saul. asAnd the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.

1 Samuel 17

David and Goliath

1Now the Philistines atgathered their armies for battle. And they were gathered at auSocoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and avAzekah, in awEphes-dammim. 2And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered, and encamped in axthe Valley of Elah, and drew up in line of battle against the Philistines. 3And the Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with a valley between them. 4And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named ayGoliath of azGath, whose height was six
Hebrew; Septuagint, Dead Sea Scroll and Josephus four
cubits
A  cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters
and a span.
5He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels
A  shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams
of bronze.
6And he had bronze armor on his legs, and a bdjavelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. 7The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron. beAnd his shield-bearer went before him. 8He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and bfare you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. 9If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants bgand serve us.” 10And the Philistine said, bh“I defy the ranks of Israel this day. Give me a man, that we may fight together.” 11When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

12Now David was bithe son of an bjEphrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, bknamed Jesse, blwho had eight sons. In the days of Saul the man was already old and advanced in years.
Septuagint, Syriac; Hebrew  advanced among men
13The three oldest sons of Jesse had followed Saul to the battle. And bnthe names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. 14 boDavid was the youngest. The three eldest followed Saul, 15but David went back and forth from Saul bpto feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem. 16For forty days the Philistine came forward and took his stand, morning and evening.

17And Jesse said to David his son, “Take for your brothers an ephah
An  ephah was about 3/5 bushel or 22 liters
of this parched grain, and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to your brothers.
18 brAlso take these ten cheeses to the commander of their thousand. bsSee if your brothers are well, and bring some token from them.”

19Now Saul and they and all the men of Israel were in the Valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. 20And David rose early in the morning and left the sheep with a keeper and took the provisions and went, as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to btthe encampment as the host was going out to the battle line, shouting the war cry. 21And Israel and the Philistines drew up for battle, army against army. 22And David left the buthings in charge of the keeper of the bvbaggage and ran to the ranks and went and greeted his brothers. 23As he talked with them, behold, bwthe champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines and spoke bxthe same words as before. And David heard him.

24All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were much afraid. 25And the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to bydefy Israel. And the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches bzand will give him his daughter and make his father’s house free in Israel.” 26And David said to the men who stood by him, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away cathe reproach from Israel? For who is this cbuncircumcised Philistine, that he should ccdefy the armies of cdthe living God?” 27And the people answered him in the same way, ceSo shall it be done to the man who kills him.”

28Now Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spoke to the men. And Eliab’s anger was kindled against David, and he said, “Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your presumption and the evil of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.” 29And David said, “What have I done now? Was it not but a word?” 30And he turned away from him toward another, and spoke cfin the same way, and the people answered him again as before.

31When the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul, and he sent for him. 32And David said to Saul, cg“Let no man’s heart fail because of him. chYour servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” 33And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.” 34But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, 35I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. 36Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, cifor he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37And David said, cj“The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, ckand the Lord be with you!”

38Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail, 39and David strapped his sword over his armor. And he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.” So David put them off. 40Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd’s pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine.

41And the Philistine moved forward and came near to David, clwith his shield-bearer in front of him. 42And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth, cmruddy and handsome in appearance. 43And the Philistine said to David, “Am I cna dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh coto the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field.” 45Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with cpa javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, cqwhom you have defied. 46This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. crAnd I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day csto the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, ctthat all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47and that all this assembly may know that cuthe Lord saves not with sword and spear. cvFor the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hand.”

48When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. 49And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground.

50So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David. 51Then David ran and stood over the Philistine cwand took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, cxthey fled. 52And the men of Israel and Judah rose with a shout and pursued the Philistines as far as Gath
Septuagint; Hebrew Gai
and the gates of czEkron, so that the wounded Philistines fell on the way from daShaaraim as far as dbGath and Ekron.
53And the people of Israel came back from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their camp. 54And David took dcthe head of the Philistine ddand brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent.

55As soon as Saul saw David go out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, dethe commander of the army, “Abner, dfwhose son is this youth?” And Abner said, dg“As your soul lives, O king, I do not know.” 56And the king said, “Inquire whose son the boy is.” 57And as soon as David returned from the striking down of the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul dhwith the head of the Philistine in his hand. 58And Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” And David answered, di“I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”

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