Samuel & King Saul

How much more if the people had well eaten to-day of the spoil of its enemies which it hath found, for now, the smiting hath not been great among the Philistines.'

And they smite on that day among the Philistines from Michmash to Aijalon, and the people are very weary,

and the people make unto the spoil, and take sheep, and oxen, and sons of the herd, and slaughter on the earth, and the people eat with the blood.

And they declare to Saul, saying, `Lo, the people are sinning against Jehovah, to eat with the blood.' And he saith, `Ye have dealt treacherously, roll unto me to-day a great stone.'

And Saul saith, `Be ye scattered among the people, and ye have said to them, Bring ye nigh unto me each his ox, and each his sheep; and ye have slain them in this place, and eaten, and ye do not sin against Jehovah to eat with the blood.' And all the people bring nigh each his ox, in his hand, that night, and slaughter them there.

And Saul buildeth an alter to Jehovah; with it he hath begun to build altars to Jehovah.

And Saul saith, `Let us go down after the Philistines by night, and we prey upon them till the light of the morning, and leave not a man of them.' And they say, `All that is good in thine eyes do.' And the priest saith, `Let us draw near hither unto God.'

And Saul asketh of God, `Do I go down after the Philistines? dost Thou give them into the hand of Israel?' and He hath not answered him on that day.

And Saul saith, `Draw ye nigh hither all, the chiefs of the people, and know and see in what this sin hath been to-day;

for, Jehovah liveth, who is saving Israel: surely if it be in Jonathan my son, surely he doth certainly die;' and none is answering him out of all the people.

And he saith unto all Israel, `Ye--ye are on one side, and I and Jonathan my son are on another side;' and the people say unto Saul, `That which is good in thine eyes do.'

And Saul saith unto Jehovah, God of Israel, `Give perfection;' and Jonathan and Saul are captured, and the people went out.

And Saul saith, `Cast between me and Jonathan my son;' and Jonathan is captured.

And Saul saith unto Jonathan, `Declare to me, what hast thou done?' and Jonathan declareth to him, and saith, `I certainly tasted with the end of the rod that is in my hand a little honey; lo, I die!'

And Saul saith, `Thus doth God do, and thus doth He add, for thou dost certainly die, Jonathan.'

And the people say unto Saul, `Doth Jonathan die who wrought this great salvation in Israel? --a profanation! Jehovah liveth, if there falleth from the hair of his head to the earth, for with God he hath wrought this day;' and the people rescue Jonathan, and he hath not died.

And Saul goeth up from after the Philistines, and the Philistines have gone to their place;

and Saul captured the kingdom over Israel, and he fighteth round about against all his enemies, against Moab, and against the Bene-Ammon, and against Edom, and against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines, and whithersoever he turneth he doth vex them .

And he maketh a force, and smiteth Amalek, and delivereth Israel out of the hand of its spoiler.

And the sons of Saul are Jonathan, and Ishui, and Melchi-Shua; as to the name of his two daughters, the name of the first-born is Merab, and the name of the younger Michal;

and the name of the wife of Saul is Ahinoam, daughter of Ahimaaz; and the name of the head of his host is Abner son of Ner, uncle of Saul;

and Kish is father of Saul, and Ner father of Abner is son of Ahiel.

And the war is severe against the Philistines all the days of Saul; when Saul hath seen any mighty man, and any son of valour, then he doth gather him unto himself.

And Samuel saith unto Saul, `Me did Jehovah send to anoint thee for king over His people, over Israel; and now, hearken to the voice of the words of Jehovah:

`Thus said Jehovah of Hosts, I have looked after that which Amalek did to Israel, that which he laid for him in the way in his going up out of Egypt.