Study Desk

The Lord said to Samuel, "How long are you going to mourn for Saul,^(a) since I have rejected him as king over Israel?^(b) Fill your horn with oil^(c) and go. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem^(d) because I have selected a king from his sons."

Samuel asked, "How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me!" The Lord answered, "Take a young cow with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord .'^(e)

Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will let you know what you are to do.^(f) You are to anoint for Me the one I indicate to you."^(g)

Samuel did what the Lord directed and went to Bethlehem.^(h) When the elders of the town met him, they trembled^[a] and asked, "Do^[b] you come in peace?"⁽ⁱ⁾

"In peace," he replied. "I've come to sacrifice to the Lord . Consecrate yourselves^(j) and come with me to the sacrifice."^[c] Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab^(k) and said, "Certainly the Lord 's anointed one is here before Him."

But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or his stature, because I have rejected him. Man does not see what the Lord sees,^[d] for man sees what is visible,^[e] but the Lord sees the heart."^(l)

Jesse called Abinadab^(m) and presented him to Samuel. "The Lord hasn't chosen this one either," Samuel said.

Then Jesse presented Shammah,⁽ⁿ⁾ but Samuel said, "The Lord hasn't chosen this one either."

After Jesse presented seven of his sons to him, Samuel told Jesse, "The Lord hasn't chosen any of these."

Samuel asked him, "Are these all the sons you have?" "There is still the youngest,"^(o) he answered, "but right now he's tending the sheep." Samuel told Jesse, "Send for him. We won't sit down to eat until he gets here."

So Jesse sent for him. He had beautiful eyes and a healthy,^[f] handsome appearance.^(p) Then the Lord said, "Anoint him, for he is the one."^(q)

So Samuel took the horn of oil, anointed him^(r) in the presence of his brothers, and the Spirit of the Lord took control of David from that day forward.^(s) Then Samuel set out and went to Ramah.

Now the Spirit of the Lord had left Saul,^(t) and an evil spirit sent from the Lord began to torment him,

so Saul's servants said to him, "You see that an evil spirit from God is tormenting you.

Let our lord command your servants here in your presence to look for someone who knows how to play the lyre. Whenever the evil spirit from God troubles you, that person can play the lyre, and you will feel better."^(u)

Then Saul commanded his servants, "Find me someone who plays well and bring him to me."

One of the young men answered, "I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the lyre. He is also a valiant man,^(v) a warrior, eloquent, handsome, and the Lord is with him."^(w)

Then Saul dispatched messengers to Jesse and said, "Send me your son David, who is with the sheep."

So Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine, and one young goat and sent them by his son David to Saul.^(x)

When David came to Saul^(y) and entered his service, Saul admired him greatly, and David became his armor-bearer.

Then Saul sent word to Jesse: "Let David remain in my service, for I am pleased with him."

Whenever the spirit from God troubled Saul,^(z) David would pick up his lyre and play, and Saul would then be relieved, feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him.

The Philistines^(a) gathered their forces for war at Socoh in Judah and camped between Socoh^(b) and Azekah^(c) in Ephes-dammim.^(d)

Saul and the men of Israel gathered and camped in the Valley of Elah;^(e) then they lined up in battle formation to face the Philistines.

The Philistines were standing on one hill, and the Israelites were standing on another hill with a ravine between them.

Then a champion named Goliath, from Gath,^(f) came out from the Philistine camp. He was nine feet, nine inches tall^[a][b]

and wore a bronze helmet^[c] and bronze scale armor that weighed 125 pounds.^[d]

There was bronze armor on his shins, and a bronze sword^(g) was slung between his shoulders.

His spear shaft^(h) was like a weaver's beam, and the iron point of his spear weighed 15 pounds.^[e] In addition, a shield-bearer⁽ⁱ⁾ was walking in front of him.

He stood and shouted to the Israelite battle formations: "Why do you come out to line up in battle formation?" He asked them, "Am I not a Philistine and are you not servants of Saul?^(j) Choose one of your men and have him come down against me.

If he wins in a fight against me and kills me, we will be your servants. But if I win against him and kill him, then you will be our servants and serve us."^(k)

Then the Philistine said, "I defy the ranks of Israel today.^(l) Send me a man so we can fight each other!"

When Saul and all Israel heard these words from the Philistine, they lost their courage and were terrified.

Now David was the son of the Ephrathite^(m) from Bethlehem of Judah named Jesse. Jesse had eight sons⁽ⁿ⁾ and during Saul's reign was already an old man.

Jesse's three oldest sons had followed Saul to the war, and their names^(o) were Eliab, the firstborn, Abinadab, the next, and Shammah, the third,

and David was the youngest.^(p) The three oldest had followed Saul,

but David kept going back and forth from Saul^(q) to tend his father's flock in Bethlehem.

Every morning and evening for 40 days the Philistine came forward and took his stand.

One day Jesse had told his son David: "Take this half-bushel^[f] of roasted grain along with these 10 loaves of bread^(r) for your brothers and hurry to their camp.

Also take these 10 portions of cheese to the field commander.^[g] Check on the welfare of your brothers^(s) and bring a confirmation from them.

They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah fighting with the Philistines."

So David got up early in the morning, left the flock with someone to keep it, loaded up, and set out as Jesse had instructed him. He arrived at the perimeter of the camp^(t) as the army was marching out to its battle formation shouting their battle cry.

Israel and the Philistines lined up in battle formation facing each other.

David left his supplies in the care of the quartermaster^(u) and ran to the battle line. When he arrived, he asked his brothers how they were.

While he was speaking with them, suddenly the champion named Goliath, the Philistine from Gath, came forward from the Philistine battle line and shouted his usual words,^(v) which David heard.

When all the Israelite men saw Goliath, they retreated from him terrified.

Previously, an Israelite man had declared: "Do you see this man who keeps coming out? He comes to defy Israel. The king will make the man who kills him very rich and will give him his daughter.^(w) The king will also make the household of that man's father exempt from paying taxes in Israel."^(x)

David spoke to the men who were standing with him: "What will be done for the man who kills that Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel?^(y) Just who is this uncircumcised Philistine^(z) that he should defy the armies^(aa) of the living God?"^(ab)

The people told him about the offer, concluding, "That is what will be done for the man who kills him."^(ac)

David's oldest brother Eliab listened as he spoke to the men, and became angry with him.^(ad) "Why did you come down here?" he asked. "Who did you leave those few sheep with in the wilderness? I know your arrogance and your evil heart—you came down to see the battle!"

"What have I done now?" protested David. "It was just a question."

Then he turned from those beside him to others in front of him and asked about the offer. The people gave him the same answer as before.^(ae)

What David said was overheard and reported to Saul, so he had David brought to him.

David said to Saul, "Don't let anyone be discouraged by^[h] him;^(af) your servant will go^(ag) and fight this Philistine!"

But Saul replied, "You can't go fight this Philistine. You're just a youth, and he's been a warrior since he was young."

David answered Saul: "Your servant has been tending his father's sheep. Whenever a lion or a bear came and carried off a lamb from the flock,

I went after it, struck it down, and rescued the lamb from its mouth.^(ah) If it reared up against me, I would grab it by its fur,^[i] strike it down, and kill it.

Your servant has killed lions and bears; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God."

Then David said, "The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine."^(ai) Saul said to David, "Go, and may the Lord be with you."^(aj)

Then Saul had his own military clothes put on David. He put a bronze helmet on David's head and had him put on armor.

David strapped his sword on over the military clothes and tried to walk, but he was not used to them. "I can't walk in these," David said to Saul, "I'm not used to them." So David took them off.

Instead, he took his staff in his hand^(ak) and chose five smooth stones from the wadi and put them in the pouch, in his shepherd's bag. Then, with his sling in his hand, he approached the Philistine.

The Philistine came closer and closer to David, with the shield-bearer in front of him.

When the Philistine looked and saw David, he despised him^(al) because he was just a youth, healthy^[j](am) and handsome.

He said to David, "Am I a dog^(an) that you come against me with sticks?"^[k] Then he cursed David by his gods.^(ao)

"Come here," the Philistine called to David, "and I'll give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts!"^(ap)

David said to the Philistine: "You come against me with a dagger, spear, and sword, but I come against you in the name of Yahweh of Hosts, the God of Israel's armies—you have defied Him.^(aq)

Today, the Lord will hand you over to me. Today, I'll strike you down, cut your head off, and give the corpses^[l] of the Philistine camp to the birds of the sky and the creatures of the earth. Then all the world will know that Israel has a God,^(ar)

and this whole assembly will know that it is not by sword or by spear that the Lord saves,^(as) for the battle is the Lord 's.^(at) He will hand you over to us."

When the Philistine started forward to attack him, David ran quickly to the battle line to meet the Philistine.^(au)

David put his hand in the bag, took out a stone, slung it, and hit the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground.

David defeated the Philistine with a sling and a stone. Even though David had no sword, he struck down the Philistine and killed him.

David ran and stood over him. He grabbed the Philistine's sword,^(av) pulled it from its sheath, and used it to kill him. Then he cut off his head. When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they ran.^(aw)

The men of Israel and Judah rallied, shouting their battle cry, and chased the Philistines to the entrance of the valley and to the gates of Ekron.^[m](ax) Philistine bodies were strewn all along the Shaaraim road^(ay) to Gath and Ekron.

When the Israelites returned from the pursuit of the Philistines, they plundered their camps.

David took Goliath's^[n] head and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put Goliath's weapons in his own tent.

^[o] When Saul had seen David going out to confront the Philistine, he asked Abner the commander of the army, "Whose son is this youth, Abner?"^(az) "My king, as surely as you live, I don't know," Abner replied.

The king said, "Find out whose son this young man is!"

When David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul with the Philistine's head still in his hand.^(ba)

Saul said to him, "Whose son are you, young man?" "The son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem,"^(bb) David answered.

When David had finished speaking with Saul, Jonathan committed himself to David, and loved him as much as he loved himself.^(a)

Saul kept David with him from that day on and did not let him return to his father's house.

Jonathan made a covenant with David^(b) because he loved him as much as himself.

Then Jonathan removed the robe he was wearing and gave it to David,^(c) along with his military tunic, his sword, his bow, and his belt.

David marched out with the army and was successful in everything Saul sent him to do. Saul put him in command of the soldiers, which pleased all the people and Saul's servants as well.

As the troops were coming back, when David was returning from killing the Philistine, the women came out from all the cities of Israel to meet King Saul,^(d) singing and dancing with tambourines, with shouts of joy, and with three-stringed instruments.

As they celebrated, the women sang: Saul has killed his thousands, but David his tens of thousands.^(e)

Saul was furious and resented this song.^[a] "They credited tens of thousands to David," he complained, "but they only credited me with thousands. What more can he have but the kingdom?"^(f)

So Saul watched David jealously from that day forward.

The next day an evil spirit sent from God took control of Saul,^(g) and he began to rave^[b] inside the palace. David was playing the lyre as usual,^(h) but Saul was holding a spear,⁽ⁱ⁾

and he threw it, thinking, "I'll pin David to the wall."^(j) But David got away from him twice.

Saul was afraid of David,^(k) because the Lord was with David^(l) but had left Saul.^(m)

Therefore, Saul reassigned David and made him commander over 1,000 men. David led the troops⁽ⁿ⁾

and continued to be successful in all his activities because the Lord was with him.^(o)

When Saul observed that David was very successful, he dreaded him.

But all Israel and Judah loved David^(p) because he was leading their troops.

Saul told David, "Here is my oldest daughter Merab. I'll give her to you as a wife,^(q) if you will be a warrior for me and fight the Lord 's battles."^(r) But Saul was thinking, "My hand doesn't need to be against him; let the hand of the Philistines be against him."^(s)

Then David responded, "Who am I,^(t) and what is my family or my father's clan in Israel that I should become the king's son-in-law?"

When it was time to give Saul's daughter Merab to David, she was given to Adriel the Meholathite as a wife.^(u)

Now Saul's daughter Michal^(v) loved David, and when it was reported to Saul, it pleased him.^[c]

"I'll give her to him," Saul thought. "She'll be a trap for him, and the hand of the Philistines will be against him."^(w) So Saul said to David a second time, "You can now be my son-in-law."^(x)

Saul then ordered his servants, "Speak to David in private and tell him, ‘Look, the king is pleased with you, and all his servants love you. Therefore, you should become the king's son-in-law.'"

Saul's servants reported these words directly to David,^[d] but he replied, "Is it trivial in your sight to become the king's son-in-law? I am a poor man who is common."^(y)

The servants reported back to Saul, "These are the words David spoke."

Then Saul replied, "Say this to David: ‘The king desires no other bride-price^(z) except 100 Philistine foreskins, to take revenge on his enemies.'"^(aa) Actually, Saul intended to cause David's death at the hands of the Philistines.^(ab)

When the servants reported these terms to David, he was pleased^[e] to become the king's son-in-law. Before the wedding day arrived,^[f]

David and his men went out and killed 200^[g] Philistines. He brought their foreskins and presented them as full payment to the king to become his son-in-law. Then Saul gave his daughter Michal to David as his wife.^(ac)

Saul realized that the Lord was with David and that his daughter Michal loved him,

and he became even more afraid of David. As a result, Saul was David's enemy from then on.

Every time the Philistine commanders came out to fight,^(ad) David was more successful than all of Saul's officers.^(ae) So his name became well known.

Saul ordered his son Jonathan and all his servants to kill David.^(a) But Saul's son Jonathan liked David very much,^(b)

so he told him: "My father Saul intends to kill you. Be on your guard in the morning and hide in a secret place and stay there.

I'll go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are and talk to him about you. When I see what he says, I'll tell you."^(c)

Jonathan spoke well of David to his father Saul. He said to him: "The king should not sin against his servant David.^(d) He hasn't sinned against you; in fact, his actions have been a great advantage to you.

He took his life in his hands when he struck down the Philistine,^(e) and the Lord brought about a great victory for all Israel.^(f) You saw it and rejoiced, so why would you sin against innocent blood by killing David for no reason?"^(g)

Saul listened to Jonathan's advice and swore an oath: "As surely as the Lord lives, David will not be killed."

So Jonathan summoned David and told him all these words. Then Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he served him as he did before.^(h)

When war broke out again, David went out and fought against the Philistines. He defeated them with such a great force that they fled from him.

Now an evil spirit sent from the Lord ⁽ⁱ⁾ came on Saul as he was sitting in his palace holding a spear.^(j) David was playing the lyre,^(k)

and Saul tried to pin David to the wall with the spear.^(l) As the spear struck the wall, David eluded Saul, ran away, and escaped that night.

Saul sent agents to David's house to watch for him and kill him in the morning.^(m) But his wife Michal⁽ⁿ⁾ warned David, "If you don't escape tonight, you will be dead tomorrow!"

So she lowered David from the window, and he fled and escaped.^(o)

Then Michal took the household idol and put it on the bed, placed some goat hair on its head, and covered it with a garment.

When Saul sent agents to seize David, Michal said, "He's sick."^(p)

Saul sent the agents back to see David and said, "Bring him on his bed so I can kill him."

When the messengers arrived, to their surprise, the household idol was on the bed with some goat hair on its head.

Saul asked Michal, "Why did you deceive me like this? You sent my enemy away, and he has escaped!" She answered him, "He said to me, ‘Let me go! Why should I kill you?'"

So David fled and escaped and went to Samuel at Ramah^(q) and told him everything Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel left and stayed at Naioth.^(r)

When it was reported to Saul that David was at Naioth in Ramah,

he sent agents to seize David.^(s) However, when they saw the group of prophets prophesying^(t) with Samuel leading them, the Spirit of God came on Saul's agents, and they also started prophesying.

When they reported to Saul, he sent other agents, and they also began prophesying.^(u) So Saul tried again and sent a third group of agents, and even they began prophesying.

Then Saul himself went to Ramah. He came to the large cistern at Secu, looked around, and asked, "Where are Samuel and David?" "At Naioth in Ramah," someone said.

So he went to Naioth in Ramah. The Spirit of God also came on him,^(v) and as he walked along, he prophesied until he entered Naioth in Ramah.

Saul then removed his clothes and also prophesied before Samuel; he collapsed and lay naked^(w) all that day and all that night. That is why they say, "Is Saul also among the prophets?"^(x)

David fled from Naioth in Ramah and came to Jonathan and asked, "What have I done?^(a) What did I do wrong? How have I sinned against your father so that he wants to take my life?"

Jonathan said to him, "No, you won't die. Listen, my father doesn't do anything, great or small, without telling me.^[a] So why would he hide this matter from me? This can't be true."

But David said, "Your father certainly knows that you have come to look favorably on me. He has said, ‘Jonathan must not know of this, or else he will be grieved.'" David also swore, "As surely as the Lord lives and as you yourself live, there is but a step between me and death."^(b)

Jonathan said to David, "Whatever you say, I will do for you."

So David told him, "Look, tomorrow is the New Moon,^(c) and I'm supposed to sit down and eat with the king.^(d) Instead, let me go, and I'll hide in the field until the third night.^(e)

If your father misses me at all, say, ‘David urgently requested my permission to quickly go to his town Bethlehem^(f) for an annual sacrifice^(g) there involving the whole clan.'

If he says, ‘Good,' then your servant is safe, but if he becomes angry, you will know he has evil intentions.

Deal faithfully with your servant, for you have brought me into a covenant with you before the Lord .^(h) If I have done anything wrong,⁽ⁱ⁾ then kill me yourself; why take me to your father?"

"No!" Jonathan responded. "If I ever find out my father has evil intentions against you, wouldn't I tell you about it?"

So David asked Jonathan, "Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?"

He answered David, "Come on, let's go out to the field." So both of them went out to the field.

"By the Lord , the God of Israel, I will sound out my father by this time tomorrow or the next day. If I find out that he is favorable toward you, will I not send for you and tell you?^[b]

If my father intends to bring evil on you, may God punish Jonathan and do so severely^(j) if I do not tell you^[c] and send you away so you may go in peace. May the Lord be with you,^(k) just as He was with my father.

If I continue to live, treat me with the Lord 's faithful love, but if I die,

don't ever withdraw your faithful love from my household—not even when the Lord cuts off every one of David's enemies from the face of the earth."^(l)

Then Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David,^(m) saying, "May the Lord hold David's enemies accountable."^[d](n)

Jonathan once again swore to David^[e] in his love for him, because he loved him as he loved himself.^(o)

Then Jonathan said to him, "Tomorrow is the New Moon;^(p) you'll be missed because your seat will be empty.

The following day hurry down and go to the place where you hid on the day this incident began and stay beside the rock Ezel.

I will shoot three arrows beside it as if I'm aiming at a target.

Then I will send the young man and say, ‘Go and find the arrows!' Now, if I expressly say to the young man, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you—get them,' then come, because as the Lord lives, it is safe for you and there is no problem.

But if I say this to the youth: ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you!'^(q) then go, for the Lord is sending you away.

As for the matter you and I have spoken about,^(r) the Lord will be a witness^[f] between you and me forever."^(s)

So David hid in the field. At the New Moon, the king sat down to eat the meal.

He sat at his usual place on the seat by the wall. Jonathan sat facing him^[g] and Abner took his place beside Saul, but David's place was empty.^(t)

Saul did not say anything that day because he thought, "Something unexpected has happened; he must be ceremonially unclean—yes, that's it, he is unclean."^(u)

However, the day after the New Moon, the second day, David's place was still empty, and Saul asked his son Jonathan, "Why didn't Jesse's son come to the meal either yesterday or today?"

Jonathan answered, "David asked for my permission to go to Bethlehem.^(v)

He said, ‘Please let me go because our clan is holding a sacrifice in the town, and my brother has told me to be there. So now, if you are pleased with me, let me go so I can see my brothers.' That's why he didn't come to the king's table."

Then Saul became angry with Jonathan and shouted, "You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Don't I know that you are siding with Jesse's son to your own shame and to the disgrace of your mother?^[h]

Every day Jesse's son lives on earth you and your kingship are not secure. Now send for him and bring him to me—he deserves to die."^(w)

Jonathan answered his father back: "Why is he to be killed? What has he done?"^(x)

Then Saul threw his spear at Jonathan to kill him,^(y) so he knew that his father was determined to kill David.^(z)

He got up from the table in fierce anger and did not eat any food that second day of the New Moon, for he was grieved because of his father's shameful behavior toward David.

In the morning Jonathan went out to the field for the appointed meeting with David. A small young man was with him.

He said to the young man, "Run and find the arrows I'm shooting."^(aa) As the young man ran, Jonathan shot an arrow beyond him.

He came to the location of the arrow that Jonathan had shot, but Jonathan called to him and said, "The arrow is beyond you, isn't it?"^(ab)

Then Jonathan called to him, "Hurry up and don't stop!" Jonathan's young man picked up the arrow and returned to his master.

He did not know anything; only Jonathan and David knew the arrangement.

Then Jonathan gave his equipment to the young man who was with him and said, "Go, take it back to the city."

When the young man had gone, David got up from the south side of the stone Ezel, fell with his face to the ground, and bowed three times.^(ac) Then he and Jonathan kissed each other and wept with each other, though David wept more.^(ad)

Jonathan then said to David, "Go in the assurance the two of us pledged in the name of the Lord when we said: The Lord will be a witness between you and me and between my offspring and your offspring forever."^[i](ae) Then David left, and Jonathan went into the city.