ARKCODEX
1 Samuel
Ch. 29–31
David Is Rejected by the Philistines
1The Philistines brought all their troops together at Aphek, while the Israelites camped at the spring in Jezreel Valley.
2The five Philistine kings marched out with their units of a hundred and of a thousand men; David and his men marched in the rear with King Achish.
3The Philistine commanders saw them and asked, “What are these Hebrews doing here?” Achish answered, “This is David, an official of King Saul of Israel. He has been with me for quite some time now. He has done nothing I can find fault with since the day he came over to me.”
4But the Philistine commanders were angry with Achish and said to him, “Send that fellow back to the town you gave him. Don't let him go into battle with us; he might turn against us during the fighting. What better way is there for him to win back his master's favor than by the death of our men?
5After all, this is David, the one about whom the women sang, as they danced, ‘Saul has killed thousands, but David has killed tens of thousands.’”
6Achish called David and said to him, “I swear by the living God of Israel that you have been loyal to me; and I would be pleased to have you go with me and fight in this battle. I have not found any fault in you from the day you came over to me. But the other kings don't approve of you.
7So go back home in peace, and don't do anything that would displease them.”
8David answered, “What have I done wrong, sir? If, as you say, you haven't found any fault in me since the day I started serving you, why shouldn't I go with you, my master and king, and fight your enemies?”
9“I agree,” Achish replied. “I consider you as loyal as an angel of God. But the other kings have said that you can't go with us into battle.
10So then, David, tomorrow morning all of you who left Saul and came over to me will have to get up early and leave as soon as it's light.”
11So David and his men started out early the following morning to go back to Philistia, and the Philistines went on to Jezreel.
1 Samuel 30
The War against the Amalekites
1Two days later David and his men arrived back at Ziklag. The Amalekites had raided southern Judah and attacked Ziklag. They had burned down the town
2and captured all the women; they had not killed anyone, but had taken everyone with them when they left.
3When David and his men arrived, they found that the town had been burned down and that their wives, sons, and daughters had been carried away.
4David and his men started crying and did not stop until they were completely exhausted.
5Even David's two wives, Ahinoam and Abigail, had been taken away.
6David was now in great trouble, because his men were all very bitter about losing their children, and they were threatening to stone him; but the Lord his God gave him courage.
7David said to the priest Abiathar son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod,” and Abiathar brought it to him.
8David asked the Lord, “Shall I go after those raiders? And will I catch them?” He answered, “Go after them; you will catch them and rescue the captives.”
9So David and his six hundred men started out, and when they arrived at Besor Brook, some of them stayed there.
10David continued on his way with four hundred men; the other two hundred men were too tired to cross the brook and so stayed behind.
11The men with David found a young Egyptian out in the country and brought him to David. They gave him some food and water,
12some dried figs, and two bunches of raisins. After he had eaten, his strength returned; he had not had anything to eat or drink for three full days.
13David asked him, “Who is your master, and where are you from?” “I am an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite,” he answered. “My master left me behind three days ago because I got sick.
14We had raided the territory of the Cherethites in the southern part of Judah and the territory of the clan of Caleb, and we burned down Ziklag.”
15“Will you lead me to those raiders?” David asked him. He answered, “I will if you promise me in God's name that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master.”
16And he led David to them. The raiders were scattered all over the place, eating, drinking, and celebrating because of the enormous amount of loot they had captured from Philistia and Judah.
17At dawn the next day David attacked them and fought until evening. Except for four hundred young men who mounted camels and got away, none of them escaped.
18David rescued everyone and everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives;
19nothing at all was missing. David got back all his men's sons and daughters, and all the loot the Amalekites had taken.
20He also recovered all the flocks and herds; his men drove all the livestock in front of them and said, “This belongs to David!”
21Then David went back to the two hundred men who had been too weak to go with him and had stayed behind at Besor Brook. They came forward to meet David and his men, and David went up to them and greeted them warmly.
22But some mean and worthless men who had gone with David said, “They didn't go with us, and so we won't give them any of the loot. They can take their wives and children and go away.”
23But David answered, “My brothers, you can't do this with what the Lord has given us! He kept us safe and gave us victory over the raiders.
24No one can agree with what you say! All must share alike: whoever stays behind with the supplies gets the same share as the one who goes into battle.”
25David made this a rule, and it has been followed in Israel ever since.
26When David returned to Ziklag, he sent part of the loot to his friends, the leaders of Judah, with the message, “Here is a present for you from the loot we took from the Lord's enemies.”
27He sent it to the people in Bethel, to the people in Ramah in the southern part of Judah, and to the people in the towns of Jattir,
28Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa,
29and Racal; to the clan of Jerahmeel, to the Kenites,
30and to the people in the towns of Hormah, Borashan, Athach,
31and Hebron. He sent it to all the places where he and his men had roamed.
1 Samuel 31
The Death of Saul and His Sons
1The Philistines fought a battle against the Israelites on Mount Gilboa. Many Israelites were killed there, and the rest of them, including King Saul and his sons, fled.
2But the Philistines caught up with them and killed three of Saul's sons, Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua.
3The fighting was heavy around Saul, and he himself was hit by enemy arrows and badly wounded.
4He said to the young man carrying his weapons, “Draw your sword and kill me, so that these godless Philistines won't gloat over me and kill me.” But the young man was too terrified to do it. So Saul took his own sword and threw himself on it.
5The young man saw that Saul was dead, so he too threw himself on his own sword and died with Saul.
6And that is how Saul, his three sons, and the young man died; all of Saul's men died that day.
7When the Israelites on the other side of Jezreel Valley and east of the Jordan River heard that the Israelite army had fled and that Saul and his sons had been killed, they abandoned their towns and fled. Then the Philistines came and occupied the towns.
8The day after the battle the Philistines went to plunder the corpses, and they found the bodies of Saul and his three sons lying on Mount Gilboa.
9They cut off Saul's head, stripped off his armor, and sent messengers with them throughout Philistia to tell the good news to their idols and to their people.
10Then they put his weapons in the temple of the goddess Astarte, and they nailed his body to the wall of the city of Beth Shan.
11When the people of Jabesh in Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,
12the bravest men started out and marched all night to Beth Shan. They took down the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall, brought them back to Jabesh, and burned them there.
13Then they took the bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in town, and fasted for seven days.
Psalms
Ch. 18
David's Song of Victory
1How I love you, Lord! You are my defender.
2The Lord is my protector; he is my strong fortress. My God is my protection, and with him I am safe. He protects me like a shield; he defends me and keeps me safe.
3I call to the Lord, and he saves me from my enemies. Praise the Lord!
4The danger of death was all around me; the waves of destruction rolled over me.
5The danger of death was around me, and the grave set its trap for me.
6In my trouble I called to the Lord; I called to my God for help. In his temple he heard my voice; he listened to my cry for help.
7Then the earth trembled and shook; the foundations of the mountains rocked and quivered, because God was angry.
8Smoke poured out of his nostrils, a consuming flame and burning coals from his mouth.
9He tore the sky open and came down with a dark cloud under his feet.
10He flew swiftly on his winged creature; he traveled on the wings of the wind.
11He covered himself with darkness; thick clouds, full of water, surrounded him.
12Hailstones and flashes of fire came from the lightning before him and broke through the dark clouds.
13Then the Lord thundered from the sky; and the voice of the Most High was heard.
14He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies; with flashes of lightning he sent them running.
15The floor of the ocean was laid bare, and the foundations of the earth were uncovered, when you rebuked your enemies, Lord, and roared at them in anger.
16The Lord reached down from above and took hold of me; he pulled me out of the deep waters.
17He rescued me from my powerful enemies and from all those who hate me— they were too strong for me.
18When I was in trouble, they attacked me, but the Lord protected me.
19He helped me out of danger; he saved me because he was pleased with me.
20The Lord rewards me because I do what is right; he blesses me because I am innocent.
21I have obeyed the law of the Lord; I have not turned away from my God.
22I have observed all his laws; I have not disobeyed his commands.
23He knows that I am faultless, that I have kept myself from doing wrong.
24And so he rewards me because I do what is right, because he knows that I am innocent.
25O Lord, you are faithful to those who are faithful to you; completely good to those who are perfect.
26You are pure to those who are pure, but hostile to those who are wicked.
27You save those who are humble, but you humble those who are proud.
28O Lord, you give me light; you dispel my darkness.
29You give me strength to attack my enemies and power to overcome their defenses.
30This God—how perfect are his deeds! How dependable his words! He is like a shield for all who seek his protection.
31The Lord alone is God; God alone is our defense.
32He is the God who makes me strong, who makes my pathway safe.
33He makes me sure-footed as a deer; he keeps me safe on the mountains.
34He trains me for battle, so that I can use the strongest bow.
35O Lord, you protect me and save me; your care has made me great, and your power has kept me safe.
36You have kept me from being captured, and I have never fallen.
37I pursue my enemies and catch them; I do not stop until I destroy them.
38I strike them down, and they cannot rise; they lie defeated before me.
39You give me strength for the battle and victory over my enemies.
40You make my enemies run from me; I destroy those who hate me.
41They cry for help, but no one saves them; they call to the Lord, but he does not answer.
42I crush them, so that they become like dust which the wind blows away. I trample on them like mud in the streets.
43You saved me from a rebellious people and made me ruler over the nations; people I did not know have now become my subjects.
44Foreigners bow before me; when they hear me, they obey.
45They lose their courage and come trembling from their fortresses.
46The Lord lives! Praise my defender! Proclaim the greatness of the God who saves me.
47He gives me victory over my enemies; he subdues the nations under me
48and saves me from my foes. O Lord, you give me victory over my enemies and protect me from violent people.
49And so I praise you among the nations; I sing praises to you.
50God gives great victories to his king; he shows constant love to the one he has chosen, to David and his descendants forever.