taste a little honey with the end of the rod that was in mine hand; and, lo, I must die.1 And Saul said, God do so and more 145 also for thou shalt surely die, Jonathan. And the people said unto Saul, Shall Jonathan die, who hath wrought this great salvation in Israel? God forbid : as the LORD liveth, there shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground; for he hath wrought with God this day. So the people rescued Jonathan, 150 that he died not. Then Saul went up from following the Philistines and the Philistines went to their own place.

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52 And there was sore war against the Philistines all the days of Saul and when Saul saw any mighty man, or any valiant man, he took him unto him.

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16 14 Now the spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him. And Saul's servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee. Let our lord now command thy servants, which are before thee, to seek out a man who is a cunning player on the harp: 160 and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well. And Saul said unto his servants, Provide me now a man that can play well, and bring him to me. Then answered one of the young men, and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the 165 Beth-lehemite, that is cunning in playing, and prudent in speech, and a comely person, and the LORD is with him. Wherefore Saul sent messengers unto Jesse, and said, Send me David thy son, which is with the sheep. And Jesse took an ass laden with bread,2 and a bottle of wine, and a kid, and sent them by David his son unto Saul. And David came to Saul, and stood before him and he loved him greatly; and he became his armourbearer. And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David, I pray thee, stand before me; for he hath found favour in my sight. And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took the harp, and played with his hand so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him. Another account of Saul's downfall is given in 1 Sam. 13. 7-15;

15. 1-16. 13.

1 For I must die read I am ready to die.

2 For an ass

...

bread read ten loaves of bread.

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LESSON XXXVIII

THE RISE OF DAVID

David slays the Philistine champion, Goliath, and wins much popularity. Saul becomes jealous, and plots his death. Aided by Jonathan, David escapes, and flees into the wilderness, taking refuge in the cave of Adullam.

1 SAMUEL XVII. XXI.

17 1 Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle, and they were gathered together at Socoh, which belongeth to Judah, and pitched between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephesdammim. And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, 5 and pitched in the vale of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines. And the Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them. And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, 10 of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. And he had an helmet of brass 1 upon his head, and he was clad with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass.1 And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a javelin of brass between his shoulders. And the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam; and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron and his shield-bearer went before him. And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, 20 and let him come down to me. If he be able to fight with me, and kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together. And when Saul and

15

us.

1 For brass read bronze.

all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, 25 and greatly afraid.

32 And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine. And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war 30 from his youth. And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep; and when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth : and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. 35 Thy servant smote both the lion and the bear: and this unclean Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God. And David said, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said 40 unto David, Go, and the LORD shall be with thee. And Saul clad David with his apparel,1 and he put an helmet of brass upon his head, and he clad him with a coat of mail. And David girded his sword upon his apparel,1 and he assayed to go 2; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; 45 for I have not proved them. And David put them off him.

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40 And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in the shepherd's bag which he had, even in his scrip; and his sling was in his hand and he drew near to the Philistine. And when the Philistine looked 50 about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth. And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the 55 field. Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a javelin: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, which thou hast defied. This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head 60 from off thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel: and that all this assembly may know that the

1 For apparel read armour.

2 For he assayed to go read he tried in vain to go with them (S).

65 LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give you into our hand. And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hastened, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence 70 a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead; and the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell upon his face to the earth. Then David ran, and stood over the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw 75 that their champion was dead, they fled. And the men of Israel and of Judah arose, and shouted, and pursued the Philistines, until thou comest to Gai,1 and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim,2 even unto Gath, and unto Ekron. And the children of Israel 80 returned from chasing after the Philistines, and they spoiled their camp. And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armour in his tent.

18 6 And it came to pass that the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with 85 timbrels, with joy, and with instruments of music. And the women sang one to another in their play, and said,

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Saul hath slain his thousands,

And David his ten thousands.

And Saul was very wroth, and this saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands. And Saul eyed David from that day and forward: and Saul was afraid of David. Therefore Saul removed him from him, and made him his captain over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people. 95 And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the LORD was with him. And when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he stood in awe of him. But all Israel and Judah loved David; for he went out and came in before them. 20 And Michal Saul's daughter loved David: and they told 100 Saul, and the thing pleased him. And Saul said, I will give him her, that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him. And Saul commanded his servants, saying, Commune with David secretly, and say, Behold,

1 For Gai read Gath.

2 For Shaaraim read the two gates (R).

the king hath delight in thee, and all his servants love thee: now therefore be the king's son in law. And Saul's servants 105 spake those words in the ears of David. And David said, Seemeth it to you a light thing to be the king's son in law, seeing that I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed? And the servants of Saul told him, saying, On this manner spake David. And Saul said, Thus shall ye say to David, The king desireth not any 110 dowry, but an hundred trophies of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king's enemies. Now Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king's son in law. And the days were not expired; and David arose and 115 went, he and his men, and slew of the Philistines two hundred men;1 and David brought their trophies, and they gave them in full tale to the king, that he might be the king's son in law. And Saul gave him Michal his daughter to wife. And Saul saw and knew that the LORD was with David; and Michal Saul's daughter 120 loved him.2 And Saul was yet the more afraid of David.

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19 8 And there was war again and David went out, and fought with the Philistines, and slew them with a great slaughter; and they fled before him. And an evil spirit from the LORD was upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand; and 125 David played with his hand. And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the spear; but he slipped away out of Saul's presence, and he smote the spear into the wall and David fled, and escaped that night. And Saul sent messengers unto David's house, to watch him, and to slay him in the morning: 130 and Michal David's wife told him, saying, If thou save not thy life to-night, to-morrow thou shalt be slain. So Michal let David down through the window and he went, and fled, and escaped. And Michal took the teraphim, and laid it in the bed, and put a pillow of goats' hair at the head thereof, and covered it with the 135 clothes. And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, He is sick. And Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying, Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may slay him. And when the messengers came in, behold, the teraphim was in the bed, with the pillow of goats' hair at the head thereof. And Saul 140 said unto Michal, Why hast thou deceived me thus, and let mine enemy go, that he is escaped? And Michal answered Saul, He said unto me, Let me go; why should I kill thee?

1 For two hundred men read an hundred men (S).

2 For and. . . him read and that all Israel loved him (S).