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unto thy voice, and I have put my life in my hand, and have hearkened unto thy words which thou spakest unto me. Now therefore, I pray thee, hearken thou also unto the voice of thy handmaid, and let me set a morsel of bread before thee; and eat, that thou mayest have strength, when thou goest on thy way." But he refused, and said, "I will not eat.". But his servants, together with the woman, constrained him; and he hearkened unto their voice. So he arose from the earth, and sat upon the bed. And the woman had a fatted calf in the house; and she hasted, and killed it; and she took flour, and kneaded it, and did bake unleavened bread thereof: and she brought it before Saul, and before his servants; and they did eat. Then they rose up, and went away that night.

LXIV

THE DEATH OF SAUL AND OF HIS THREE

SONS

(I Samuel xxxi: 1-6)

Now the Philistines fought against Israel: and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa. And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul. And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers overtook him; and he was greatly distressed by reason of the archers. Then said Saul to his armorbearer, "Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me." But his armorbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took his sword, and fell upon it. And when his armorbearer saw

that Saul was dead, he likewise fell upon his sword, and died with him. So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armorbearer, and all his men, that same day together.

LXV

DAVID'S LAMENT FOR SAUL AND JONATHAN (II Samuel i: 17–27)

And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son (and he bade them teach the children of Judah the song of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jashar):

Thy glory, O Israel, is slain upon thy high places!
How are the mighty fallen!

Tell it not in Gath,

Publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon;

Lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice,

Lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.

Ye mountains of Gilboa,

Let there be no dew nor rain upon you, neither fields of offerings:

For there the shield of the mighty was vilely cast away, The shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.

From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, The bow of Jonathan turned not back,

And the sword of Saul returned not empty.

Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, And in their death they were not divided:

They were swifter than eagles,

They were stronger than lions.

Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,

Who clothed you in scarlet delicately,

Who put ornaments of gold upon your apparel.

How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle!
Jonathan is slain upon thy high places.

I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan:
Very pleasant hast thou been unto me:

Thy love to me was wonderful,
Passing the love of women.

How are the mighty fallen,

And the weapons of war perished!

LXVI

DAVID'S KINDNESS TO JONATHAN'S SON (II Samuel ix: 1-13)

1

And David said, "Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?" And there was of the house of Saul a servant whose name was Ziba, and they called him unto David; and the king said unto him, "Art thou Ziba?” And he said, "Thy servant is he." And the king said, "Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may Ishow the kindness of God unto him?" And Ziba said unto the king, “Jonathan hath yet a son, who is lame of his feet." And the king said unto him, "Where is he?" And Ziba said unto the king, "Behold, he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo-debar." Then king David sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar. And Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came unto David, and fell on his face, and did obeisance. And David said, "Mephibosheth." And he answered, "Behold, thy servant!" And David said unto him, "Fear not; for I will surely show thee kindness for

1. When the message came that Saul and his sons were dead the news so terrified the nurse in charge of this child that she let him fall.

Jonathan thy father's sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually." And he did obeisance, and said, "What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?'

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Then the king called to Ziba, Saul's servant, and said unto him, “ All that pertained to Saul and to all his house have I given unto thy master's son. And thou shalt till the land for him, thou, and thy sons, and thy servants; and thou shalt bring in the fruits, that thy master's son may have bread to eat: but Mephibosheth thy master's son shall eat bread alway at my table." Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. Then said Ziba unto the king, "According to all that my lord the king commandeth his servant, so shall thy servant do." As for Mephibosheth," said the king, "he shall eat at my table, as one of the king's sons." And Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Mica. And all that dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants unto Mephibosheth. So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem; for he did eat continually at the king's table. And he was lame in both his feet.

LXVII

66

DAVID AND URIAH THE HITTITE

(II Samuel xi: 1–27)

And it came to pass, at the return of the year, when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried at Jerusalem.

And it came to pass at eventide that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house; and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and

the woman was very beautiful to look upon. And David sent and inquired after the woman. And one said, "Is not this Bath-Sheba, the daughter of Eliam the wife of Uriah the Hittite?"

And David sent to Joab,1 saying, "Send me Uriah the Hittite." And Joab sent Uriah to David. And when Uriah was come unto him, David asked of him how Joab did, and how the people fared, and how the war prospered. And David said to Uriah, "Go down to thy house, and wash thy feet." And Uriah departed out of the king's house, and there followed him a mess of food from the king. But Uriah slept at the door of the king's house with all the servants of his lord, and went not down to his house. And when they had told David, saying, "Uriah went not down into his house," David said unto Uriah, “Art thou not come from a journey? wherefore didst thou not go down unto thy house?" And Uriah said unto David, "The ark, and Israel, and Judah, abide in booths; and my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord, are encamped in the open field; shall I then go into my house, to eat and to drink? as thou livest, and as thy soul liveth, I will not do this thing." And David said to Uriah, "Tarry here today also, and tomorrow I will let thee depart." So Uriah abode in Jerusalem that day, and the morrow. And when David had called him, he did eat and drink before him; and he made him drunk: and at even he went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but went not down to his house.

And it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah. And he wrote in the letter, saying, "Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die." And it came to pass, when

1. "Jehovah is father."

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