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self. And taking one of the stones that he had out of the brook, and had put into his shepherd's bag, and fitting it to his sling; he slung it against the Philistine. This stone fell upon his forehead, and sank into his brain, insomuch that Goliath was stunned, and fell upon his face. So David ran, and stood upon his adversary as he lay down, and cut off his head with his own sword; for he had no sword himself. And upon the fall of Goliath, the Philistines were beaten, and fled: for when they saw their champion prostrate on the ground, they were afraid of the entire issue of their affairs, and resolved not to stay any longer, but committed themselves to an ignominious and indecent flight, and thereby endeavoured to save themselves from the dangers they were in. But Saul, and the entire army of the Hebrews, made a shout, and rushed upon them, and slew a great number of them, and pursued the rest to the borders of Gath, and to the gates of Ekron, so that there were slain of the Philistines thirty thousand, and twice as many wounded. But Saul returned to their camp, and pulled their fortification to pieces, and burnt it; but David carried the head of Goliath into his own tent, but dedicated his sword to God [at the tabernacle.]

CHAP. X.

Saul envies David for his glorious success, and takes an occasion of entrapping him, from the promise he made him of giving him his daughter in marriage, but this upon condition of his bringing him six hundred heads of the Philistines. $ 1. Now the women were an occasion of Saul's envy and

hatred to David, for they came to meet their victorious army with cymbals, and drums, and all demonstrations of joy, and sang thus: The wives said, That "Saul hath slain his "many thousands of the Philistines." The virgins replied, That" David hath slain his ten thousands." Now when the king heard them singing thus, and that he had himself the smallest share in their commendations, and that the greater number, the ten thousands, were ascribed to the young man ; and when he considered with himself, that there was nothing more wanting to David, after such a mighty applause, but the kingdom, he began to be afraid and suspicious of David. Accordingly he removed him from the station he was in before, for he was his armour-bearer, which out of fear seemed to him much too near a station for him, and so he made him captain over a thousand, and bestowed on him a post better indeed in itself, but, as he thought, more for his own securi

ty; for he had a mind to send him against the enemy, and into battles, as hoping he would be slain in such dangerous conflicts.

2. But David had God going along with him whithersoever he went, and accordingly he greatly prospered in his undertakings, and it was visible that he had mighty successes, insomuch that Saul's daughter, who was still a virgin, fell in love with him; and her affection so far prevailed over her that it could not be concealed, and her father became acquainted with it. Now Saul heard this gladly, as intending to make use of it for a snare against David, and he hoped that it would prove the cause of destruction and of hazard to him; so he told those that informed him of his daughter's affection, that he would willingly give David the virgin in marriage, and said, “ I, "engage myself to marry my daughter to him if he will "bring me six hundred heads of my enemies, supposing "that when a reward so ample was proposed to him, and "when he should aim to get him great glory, by undertaking a thing so dangerous and incredible, he would immediately set about it, and so pèrish by the Philistines, and my de"signs about him will succeed finely to my mind, for I shall "be freed from him, and get him slain, not by myself but by "another man." So he gave order to his servants to try how David would relish this proposal of marrying the damsel. Accordingly they began to speak thus to him, that king Saul loved him, as well as did all the people, and that he was desi rous of his affinity by the marriage of this damsel. To which he gave this answer, "Seemeth it to you a light thing to be "made the king's son-in-law? It does not seem so to me,

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especially when I am one of a family that is low, and "and without any glory or honour" Now when Saul was informed by his servants what answer David had made, he "said, Tell him, that I do not want any money, nor dowry "from him, which would be rather to set my daughter to "sale than to give her in marriage, but I desire only such a "son-in-law as hath in him fortitude, and all other kinds of "virtue, of which he saw David was possessed, and that his "desire was to receive of him, on account of his marrying "his daughter, neither gold, nor silver, nor that he should "bring such wealth out of his father's houses, but only some

Josephus says thrice in this chapter, and twice afterwards, chap. xi. § 2. and B. VII. ch. i. § 4. i. e. five times in all, that Saul required not a bare hundred of the foreskins of the Philistines, but six hundred of their heads. The Septuagint have 100.foreskins, but the Syriac and Arabic 200. Now that these were not foreskins with our other copies, but heads with Josephus's copy, seems somewhat probable, from 1 Sam. xxix. 4. where all copies say, that it was with the heads of such Philistines that David might reconcile himself to his master Saul.

"revenge on the Philistines, and indeed six hundred of their "heads, than which a more desirable, or a more glorious "present, could not be brought him, and that he had much ❝ rather obtain this than any of the accustomed dowries for "his daughter, viz. that she should be married to a man of "that character, and to one who had a testimony as having .6 conquered his enemies."

3. When these words of Saul were brought to David, he was pleased with them, and supposed that Saul was really desirous of this affinity with him; so that without bearing to deliberate any longer, or casting about in his mind whether what was proposed was possible, or was difficult or not, he and his companions immediately set upon the enemy, and went about doing what was proposed as the condition of the marriage. Accordingly, because it was God who made all things easy and possible to David, he slew many [of the Philistines,] and cut off the heads of six hundred of them, and came to the king, and by shewing him these heads of the Philistines, required that he might have his daughter in marriage. Accordingly Saul having no way of getting off his engagements, as thinking it a base thing either to seem a liar when he promised him this marriage, or to appear to have acted treacherously by him, in putting him upon what was in a manner impossible, in order to have him slain, he gave him his daughter in marriage; her name was Michal.

CHA P. XI.

How David, upon Saul's laying snares for him, did yet escape the dangers he was in by the affection and care of Jonathan, and the contrivances of his wife Michal? and how he came to Samuel the prophet.

§ 1. HOWEVER, Saul was not disposed to persevere long in the state wherein he was, for when he saw, that David was in great esteem both with God, and with the multitude, he was afraid; and being not able to conceal his fear as concerning great things, his kingdom, and his life, to be deprived of either of which was a very great calamity, he resolved to have David slain, and commanded his son Jonathan and his most faithful servants, to kill him: But Jonathan wondered at his father's change with relation to David, that it should be made to so great a degree, from shewing him no small good will, to contrive how to have him killed. Now because he. loved the young man, and reverenced him for his virtue, he informed him of the secret charge his father had given, and what his intentions were concerning him. However, he ad

vised him to take care and be absent the next day, for that he would salute his father, and, if he met with a favourable opportunity, he would discourse with him about him, and learn the cause of his disgust, and shew how little ground there was for it, and that for it he ought not to kill a man that had done so many good things to the multitude, and had been a benefactor to himself, on account of which he ought in reason to obtain pardon, had he been guilty of the greatest crimes; and I will then inform thee of my father's resolution. Accordingly David complied with such an advantageous advice, and kept himself then out of the king's sight.

2. On the next day Jonathan came to Saul as soon as he saw him in a cheerful and joyful disposition, and began to introduce a discourse about David: "What unjust action, O

father, either little or great, hast thou found so exception"able in David, as to induce thee to order us to slay a man "who hath been of great advantage to thy own preservation, "and of still greater to the punishment of the Philistines? “A man who hath delivered the people of the Hebrews from "reproach and derision, which they underwent for forty days "together, when he alone had courage enough to sustain the "challenge of the adversary, and after that brought as many "heads of our enemies as he was appointed to bring, and "had, as a reward for the same, my sister in marriage; in"somuch that his death would be very sorrowful to us, not "only on account of his virtue, but on account of the nearness of our relation, for thy daughter must be injured at "the same time that he is slain, and must be obliged to ex"perience widowhood, before she can come to enjoy any

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advantage from their mutual conversation. Consider these "things, and change your mind to a more merciful temper, "and do no mischief to a man, who, in the first place, hath "done us the great kindness of preserving thee; for when "an evil spirit and demons had seized upon thee, he cast "them out and procured rest to thy soul from their incur"sions: And, in the second place hath avenged us of our "enemies; for it is a base thing to forget such benefits." So Saul was pacified with these words; and sware to his son that he would do David no harm, for a righteous discourse proved too hard for the king's anger and fear. So Jonathan sent for David, and brought him good news from his father, that he was to be preserved. He also brought him to his father; and David continued with the king as formerly.

3. About this time it was, that, upon the Philistines making a new expedition against the Hebrews, Saul sent David with an army to fight with them; and joining battle with them he

slew many of them, and after his victory he returned to the king. But his reception by Saul was not as he expected upon such success, for he was grieved at his prosperity, because he thought he would be more dangerous to him by having acted so gloriously: But when the demoniacal spirit came upon him, and put him into disorder, and disturbed him, he called for David into his bed-chamber wherein he lay, and having a spear in his hand, he ordered him to charm him with playing on his harp, and with singing hymns; which, when David did at his command, he with great force threw the spear at him, but David was aware of it before it came, and avoided it, and fled to his own house, and abode there all that day.

4. But at night the king sent officers, and commanded that he should be watched till the morning, lest he should get quite away, that he might come into the judgment-hall, and so might be delivered up, and condemned, and slain. But when Michal, David's wife, the king's daughter, understood what her father designed, she came to her husband, as having small hopes of his deliverance, and as greatly concerned about her own life also, for she could not bear to live in case she were deprived of him; and she said, "Let not the sun find thee "here when it rises, for if it do, that will be the last time "it will see thee; fly away then while the night may afford "thee the opportunity, and may God lengthen it for thy sake, "for know this, that if my father find thee, thou art a dead "man." So she let him down by a cord out of the window, and saved him: And after she had so done, she fitted up a bed for him as if he were sick, and put under the bed-clothes a* goat's liver; and when her father, as soon as it was day, sent to seize David, she said to those that were there, that Ire had not been well that night, and showed them the bed covered, and made them believe, by the leaping of the liver, which caused the bed-clothes to move also, that David breathed like one that was asthmatic. So when those that were sent, told Saul that David had not been well in the night, he ordered him to be brought in that condition, for he intended to kill him. Now when they came, and uncovered the bed, and found out the woman's contrivance, they told it to the king: And when her father complained of her, that she had saved his enemy, and had put a trick upon himself, she invented this plausible defence for herself, and said, "That when he

* Since the modern Jews have lost the signification of the Hebrew word here used Ciber; and since the LXXII. as well as Josephus, render it the liver of the goat, and since this rendering, and Josephus's account, are here so much more clear and probable than those of others, it is almost unaccountable that our commentators should so much as hesitate about its true interpretation.

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