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And they smote of the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon: and the people were very faint. And the people flew upon the spoil, and took sheep, and oxen, and calves, and slew them on the ground: and the people did eat them with the blood. Then they told Saul, saying, "Behold, the people sin against the Lord, in that they eat with the blood." And he said, "Ye have dealt treacherously: roll a great stone to me this day."
And Saul said, "Disperse yourselves among the people, and say to them, 'Bring me hither every man his ox, and every man his sheep, and slay them here, and eat; and sin not against the Lord in eating with the blood.'"
And all the people brought every man his ox with him that night, and slew them there. And Saul built an altar unto the Lord: the same was the first altar that he built to the Lord.
And Saul said, "Let us go down after the Philistines by night, and fight them until the morning light, and let us not leave a man of them."
And they said, "Do whatsoever seemeth good unto thee." Then said the priest, "Let us draw near hither to God."
And Saul asked counsel of God, "Shall I go down after the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into the hand of Israel?"
But he answered him not that day. And Saul said, "Draw nigh hither, all ye chiefs of the people: and know and see wherein this sin hath been this day. For as the Lord liveth, who saveth Israel, though it be in Jonathan{369}my son, he shall surely die." But there was not a man among all the people that answered him.
Then said he unto all Israel, "Be ye on one side, and I and Jonathan my son will be on the other side."
And the people said to Saul, "Do what seemeth good to thee."
Therefore Saul said to the Lord, the God of Israel, "Show the right."
And Jonathan and Saul were chosen by lot: but the people escaped.
And Saul said, "Cast lots between me and Jonathan my son." And Jonathan was chosen.
Then Saul said to Jonathan, "Tell me what thou hast done."
And Jonathan told him, and said, "I did certainly taste a little honey with the end of the rod that was in mine hand; and, lo, I must die."
And Saul said, "God do so and more also: for thou shalt surely die, Jonathan."
And the people said to 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, that he died not.
Then Saul went up from following the Philistines: and the Philistines went to their own place.
Now when Saul had taken the kingdom over Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, and against the children of Ammon, and against Edom,{370}and against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines: and whithersoever he went he defeated them.
THE DISOBEDIENCE OF SAUL."To Obey Is Better than Sacrifice."
And Samuel said to Saul, "The Lord sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou to the voice of the words of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, 'I have marked that which Amalek did to Israel, how he set himself against him in the way, when he came up out of Egypt. Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.'"
And Saul summoned the people, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah. And Saul came to the city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley. And Saul said unto the Kenites, "Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them: for ye showed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt."
So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites, and Saul smote the Amalekites and defeated them. And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but everything that was useless and refuse, that they destroyed utterly. .
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RUINS OF A ROMAN BRIDGE AT BETH-SHAN, OVER WHICH THE ROAD TO GADARA PASSEDUsed by special permission of the Palestine Exploration Fund.
After the battle of Gilboa the bodies of Saul and his sons were found on the field by the Philistines and carried to the town of Beth-shan and fastened to the wall. But the men of Jabesh-Gilead heard of this indignity to the dead, and making a night march removed the bodies.
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Then came the word of the Lord unto Samuel, saying, "It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments."
And Samuel was wroth; and he cried to the Lord all night. And Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning; and it was told Samuel, saying, "Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a monument, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal." And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said to him, "Blessed be thou of the Lord: I have performed the commandment of the Lord."
And Samuel said, "What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?"
And Saul said, "They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice to the Lord thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed."
Then Samuel said to Saul, "Stay, and I will tell thee what the Lord hath said to me this night."
And he said unto him, "Say on."
And Samuel said, "Though thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel? And the Lord anointed thee king over Israel; and the Lord sent thee on a journey, and said, 'Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed.' Wherefore then didst thou not obey{374}the voice of the Lord, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst that which was evil in the sight of the Lord?"
And Saul said unto Samuel, "Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the devoted things, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal."
And Samuel said, "Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold,--
"To obey is better than sacrifice,and to harken than the fat of rams."
"For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as idolatry and image worship. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king."
And Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice. Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the Lord."
And Samuel said to Saul, "I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord hath rejected thee from being king over Israel."
And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of his robe, and it rent. And Samuel said to him, "The Lord hath rent the kingdom of Israel from{375}thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbor of thine, that is better than thou. And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent."
Then he said, "I have sinned: yet honor me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel; and turn again with me, that I may worship the Lord thy God."
So Samuel turned again after Saul; and Saul worshiped the Lord.
Then said Samuel, "Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites." And Agag came unto him cheerfully. And Agag said, "Surely the bitterness of death is past."
And Samuel said, "As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women."
And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal.
Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house to Gibeah of Saul. And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death; for Samuel mourned for Saul: and the Lord repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.
THE DOWNFALL OF THE KING."God is Departed from Me."
(For some time after this Saul continued to be king over Israel, but he had many troubles. These troubles made him sad{376}and despondent, so that often the people thought him insane. At last war broke out again with the fierce and powerful Philistines, who lived on the plains to the west of the hill-country which was the home of the Israelites. Saul was very much discouraged at the beginning of this war. The story of what he did, and how he died at last like a hero on the battle-field, is as follows.)
Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land. And the Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and camped in Shunem: and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they camped in Gilboa. And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not.
Then said Saul to his servants, "Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and inquire of her."
And his servants said to him, "Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at En-dor."
And Saul disguised himself and put on other raiment, and went, he and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, "Divine unto me, I pray thee, by the familiar spirit, and bring me up whomsoever I shall name unto thee."
And the woman said unto him, "Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die?"
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EN-DOR
This was where the great king came at night, in despair, to consult the woman "with the familiar spirit."
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And Saul swore to her by the Lord, saying, "As the Lord liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing."
Then said the woman, "Whom shall I bring up unto thee?"
And he said, "Bring me up Samuel."
And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spoke to Saul, saying, "Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul."
And the king said to her, "Be not afraid: for what seest thou?"
And the woman said to Saul, "I see one like a god coming up out of the earth."
And he said unto her, "What form is he of?"
And she said, "An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a robe."
And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground, and did obeisance. And Samuel said to Saul, "Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up?"
And Saul answered, "I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known to me what I shall do."
And Samuel said, "Wherefore dost thou ask of me, seeing the Lord is departed from thee, and is become thine{380}adversary? And the Lord hath done unto thee as he spoke by me: and the Lord hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbor, even to David. Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the Lord, and didst not execute his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the Lord done this thing unto thee this day. Moreover the Lord will deliver Israel also with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and to-morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me: the Lord shall deliver the host of Israel also into the hand of the Philistines."
Then Saul fell straightway his full length upon the earth, and was sore afraid, because of the words of Samuel; and there was no strength in him; for he had eaten no food all the day, nor all the night.
THE FATAL FIELD OF GILBOA.The Tide of Battle Rolls Over King Saul and His Sons.
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 the Philistines come and thrust me through, and maltreat me."
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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. And when the men of Israel that were on the other side of the valley, and they that were beyond Jordan, saw that the men of Israel fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities, and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.
And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen in Mount Gilboa. And they cut off his head, and stripped off his armor, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to carry the tidings unto the house of their idols, and to the people. And they put his armor in the house of the god Ashtaroth: and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan. And when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, all the valiant men arose, and went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan; and they came to Jabesh, and burnt them there. And they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.
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The Story of the Shepherd Boy Who Became King.THE SHEPHERD LAD OF BETHLEHEM.Samuel Secretly Anoints David as the Future King of Israel.
(After Samuel had said to Saul that God wanted no king who would not do exactly as he said, he himself became very sad, because he loved Saul.)
But the Lord said to Samuel, "How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from being king over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Beth-lehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons."
And Samuel said, "How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me."
And the Lord said, "Take an heifer with thee, and say, 'I am come to sacrifice to the Lord.' And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint to me him whom I name to thee."
And Samuel did that which the Lord spoke, and came to Beth-lehem. And the elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, "earnest thou peaceably?"
And he said, "Peaceably: I am come to sacrifice to the Lord: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice." And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice.
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DAVID
This is the head of the great statue of David in Florence, carved by the most famous of all sculptors, Michael Angelo. The story is that the great sculptor took a piece of marble partly spoiled by another man, and carved this wonderful statue out of it. The statue shows the young shepherd with his sling, ready for the conflict with the giant.
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And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, "Surely the Lord's anointed is before him."
But the Lord said unto Samuel, "Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have rejected him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart."
Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, "Neither hath the Lord chosen this."
Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said, "Neither hath the Lord chosen this."
And Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, "The Lord hath not chosen these."
And Samuel said unto Jesse, "Are here all thy children?"
And he said, "There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep."
And Samuel said unto Jesse, "Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither."
And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look upon. And the Lord said, "Arise, anoint him; for this is he."
Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him{386}in the midst of his brethren: and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.
DAVID AND GOLIATH.How a Giant Was Killed by a Stone from a Shepherd's Sling.
Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle. And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and camped 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 of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was clad with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass. 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 shieldbearer went before him. And he stood and cried to the armies of Israel, and said to 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, 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 us."
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SCENE OF THE FIGHT BETWEEN DAVID AND GOLIATH IN THE VALLEY OF ELAHCopyright by Underwood & Underwood and used by special permission.
"It is the very battlefield for those ancient foes. Israel in one of the gateways to her mountain land; the Philistines on the low hills they so often overran; and between them the great valley. The Philistines were probably on the hill of Sochoh.
"Sochoh is a strong position isolated from the rest of the ridge, and it keeps open the line of retreat down the valley. Saul's army was probably not immediately opposite, but a little way up on the slopes of the incoming Wady el Jindy, and so placed that the Philistines, in attacking it, must cross not only the level land and the main stream, but one of the two other streams as well, and must also climb the slopes for some distance. Both positions were thus very strong, and this fact perhaps explains the long hesitation of the armies in face of each other, even though the Philistines had the advantage of Goliath. The Israelite position certainly looks the stronger. It is interesting, too, that from its rear the narrow pass goes right up to the interior of the land near Bethlehem; so that the shepherd boy, whom the story represents as being sent by his father for news of the battle, would have almost twelve miles to cover between his father's house and the camp"
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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 all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.
Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem-judah, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons: and the man was an old man in the days of Saul. And the three eldest sons of Jesse had gone after Saul to the battle: and the names of his three sons that went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next unto him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. And David was the youngest: and the three eldest followed Saul.
And Jesse said to David his son, "Take now for thy brethren an ephah of this parched corn, and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to thy brethren; and bring these ten cheeses unto the captain of their thousand; and look how thy brethren fare, and bring back some token of their welfare."
Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the vale of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. And David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took the presents and went, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the barricade of wagons, as the host which was going forth to the fight shouted for the battle. And Israel and the Philistines put the battle in array, army against army. And David left the presents he had brought in the hand of the keeper of the baggage, and ran to the army, and came and saluted his brethren. And as he talked with them, behold, there{390}came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the ranks of the Philistines, and spoke as before: and David heard him. And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid. And the men of Israel said, "Have ye seen this man that is come up? surely to defy Israel is he come up, and it shall be that the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter in marriage, and make his father's house free in Israel."
And David spoke to the men that stood by him, saying, "What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?"
And the people answered him after this manner, saying, "So shall it be done to the man that killeth him."
And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spoke unto the men; and Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, "Why art thou come down? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle."
And David said, "What have I done now? I have only asked a question."
And he turned away from him toward another, and spoke after the same manner: and the people answered him again in the same way. And when the words were heard which David spoke, they rehearsed them before Saul; and he sent for him. And David said to Saul, "Let no{391}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 from his youth."
And David said to 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. Thy servant smote both the lion and the bear: and this 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 to David, "Go, and the Lord shall be with thee."
And Saul clad David with his own garments, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head, and he clad him with a coat of mail. And David girded on his sword. But David said to Saul, "I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them."
And David put them off him. 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, and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine. And the Philistine came on and drew near to David; and the man that bore the shield went before him. And when{392}the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he despised him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance. And the Philistine said to 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 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, whom thou hast defied. This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from off thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day to 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 host may know that the 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 a stone, and slung it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead; and the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell upon his face to the earth. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David. Then{393}David ran, and stood over the Philistine, and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. And the men of Israel and of Judah arose, and shouted, and pursued the Philistines, to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way. And the children of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines, and they plundered their camp. And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armor in his tent.
And when Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said unto Abner, the captain of the host, "Abner, whose son is this youth?"
And Abner said, "As thy soul liveth, O king, I cannot tell."
And the king said, "Inquire thou whose son the stripling is."
And as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. And Saul said to him, "Whose son art thou, young man?"
And David answered, "I am the son of thy servant Jesse the Beth-lehemite."
And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.
And Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father's house. Then Jonathan and{394}David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his apparel, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle. And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely: and Saul set him over the men of war, and it was good in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul's servants.
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Deep was the furrow in the royal brow,When David's hand, lightly as vernal galesRippling the brook of Kedron, skimm'd the lyre:He sung of Jacob's youngest born,--the childOf his old age,--sold to the Ishmaelite;His exaltation to the second powerIn Pharaoh's realm; his brethren thither sent;Suppliant they stood before his face, well known,Unknowing,--till Joseph fell upon the neckOf Benjamin, his mother's son, and wept.Unconsciously the warlike shepherd paused;But when he saw, down the yet quivering string,The tear-drop trembling glide, abash'd, he check'd,Indignant at himself, the bursting flood,And, with a sweep impetuous, struck the chords:From side to side his hands transversely glance,Like lightning 'thwart a stormy sea; his voiceArises 'mid the clang, and straightway calmsTh' harmonious tempest, to a solemn swellMajestical, triumphant; for he singsOf Arad's mighty host by Israel's armSubdued; of Israel through the desert ledHe sings; of him who was their leader, call'dBy God himself, from keeping Jethro's flock,To be a ruler o'er the chosen race.Kindles the eye of Saul; his arm is poised,Harmless the javelin quivers in the wall.
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THE JEALOUSY OF SAUL.How Saul Was Jealous of David and Hated Him, and How Jonathan Loved Him.
And it came to pass as they came, when David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with timbrels, with joy, and with instruments of music. And the women sang one to another in their play, and said,--
"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 what can he have more but the kingdom?"
And Saul eyed David jealously from that day and forward.
And it came to pass on the morrow, that an evil spirit from God came mightily upon Saul, and he raved in the midst of the house: and David played upon his harp, as he did day by day: and Saul had his spear in his hand. And Saul cast the spear; for he said, "I will smite David even to the wall."
And David escaped from his presence twice. And Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with him, and was departed from Saul. Therefore Saul removed him from him, and made him his captain over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people. And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the Lord was with him.
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THE VALLEY OF THE KIDRON, IN THE WILDERNESS OF JUDEA.The building on the left is the convent of Mar Saba.Used by special permission of the Palestine Exploration Fund.
The "Wilderness of Judaea" is a wonderful place. Much of it is not a wilderness at all in our understanding of the term. It is, on its western edge at least, just a wild pasture land. But it was a very wild, desolate, and solitary place. The shepherd who kept his flocks there was in danger from the wild beasts and from raids of fierce robbers. Below the pasture land it is wilderness indeed. The land breaks off abruptly and falls in crag and precipice down to the very shores of the Dead Sea. "You cannot live in Judaea without being daily aware of the presence of the awful deep which bounds it on the east. From Beth-lehem and other points you look down into that deep, and you feel Judaea rising from it about you almost as a sailor feels his narrow deck."
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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.
And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that they should slay David. But Jonathan Saul's son delighted much in David. And Jonathan told David, saying, "Saul my father seeketh to slay thee: now therefore, I pray thee, take heed to thyself in the morning, and abide in a secret place, and hide thyself: and I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where thou art, and I will talk with my father of thee; and if I see aught, I will tell thee."
And Jonathan spoke good of David unto Saul his father, and said unto him, "Let not the king sin against his servant, against David; because he hath not sinned against thee, and because his works have been very good toward thee; for he put his life in his hand, and smote the Philistine, and the Lord wrought a great victory for all Israel: thou sawest it, and didst rejoice: wherefore then wilt thou sin against innocent blood, to slay David without a cause?"
And Saul hearkened unto the voice of Jonathan: and Saul swore, "As the Lord liveth, he shall not be put to death."
And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan showed him all those things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence, as before.
And there was war again: and David went out, and fought with the Philistines, and slew them with a great{400}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 David played upon his harp. And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the spear; but he slipped away out of Saul's presence, and he struck the spear into the wall: and David fled, and escaped that night.
And David came and said to Jonathan, "What have I done? what is mine iniquity? and what is my sin before thy father, that he seeketh my life?"
And he said, "God forbid; thou shalt not die: behold, my father doeth nothing either great or small, but that he discloseth it unto me: and why should my father hide this thing from me? it is not so."
And David swore moreover, and said, "Thy father knoweth well that I have found grace in thine eyes; and he saith, 'Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved': but truly as the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, there is but a step between me and death."
Then said Jonathan to David, "Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even do it for thee."
And David said to Jonathan, "Behold, to-morrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king at meat: but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field until the third day at even. If thy father miss me at all, then say, 'David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Beth-lehem his city: for it is the yearly sacrifice there for all the family.' If he say thus, 'It is well'; thy servant shall have peace: but if he be wroth, then know{401}that evil is determined by him. Therefore deal kindly with thy servant; for thou hast brought thy servant into a covenant of the Lord with thee: but if there be in me iniquity, slay me thyself; for why shouldest thou bring me to thy father?"
And Jonathan said, "Far be it from thee: for if I should at all know that evil were determined by my father to come upon thee, then would not I tell it thee?"
Then said David to Jonathan, "Who shall tell me if perchance thy father answer thee roughly?"
And Jonathan said to David, "Come and let us go out into the field." And they went out both of them into the field.
And Jonathan said to David, "The Lord, the God of Israel, be witness; when I have sounded my father about this time to-morrow, or the third day, behold, if there be good toward David, shall I not then send unto thee, and disclose it unto thee? The Lord do so to Jonathan, and more also, should it please my father to do thee evil, if I disclose it not unto thee, and send thee away, that thou mayest go in peace: and the Lord be with thee, as he hath been with my father. And thou shalt not only while yet I live show me the kindness of the Lord, that I die not: but also thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house for ever: no, not when the Lord hath cut off the enemies of David everyone from the face of the earth."
So Jonathan made a covenant with David.
And Jonathan caused David to swear again, for the love that he had to him: for he loved him as he loved his{402}own soul. Then Jonathan said to him, "To-morrow is the feast of the new moon: and thou shalt be missed, because thy seat will be empty. And when thou hast stayed three days, thou shalt go down quickly, and come to the place where thou didst hide thyself before. And I will shoot three arrows, as though I shot at a mark. And, behold, I will send the lad, saying, 'Go, find the arrows.' If I say to the lad, 'Behold, the arrows are on this side of thee: take them,' then come; for there is peace to thee and no hurt, as the Lord liveth. But if I say thus to the boy, 'Behold, the arrows are beyond thee': go thy way; for the Lord hath sent thee away. And as touching the matter which thou and I have spoken of, behold, the Lord is between thee and me for ever."
So David hid himself in the field: and when the feast of the new moon was come, the king sat down to eat. And the king sat upon his seat, as at other times, even upon the seat by the wall; and Jonathan stood up, and Abner sat by Saul's side: but David's place was empty. Nevertheless Saul spoke not anything that day: for he thought, "Something hath befallen him." And it came to pass on the morrow after the new moon, which was the second day, that David's place was empty: and Saul said to Jonathan his son, "Wherefore cometh not the son of Jesse to meat, neither yesterday, nor to-day?"
And Jonathan answered Saul, "David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Beth-lehem: and he said, 'Let me go, I pray thee; for our family hath a sacrifice in the city; and my brother, he hath commanded me to be there: and now, if I have found favor in thine eyes, let me get away, I pray thee, and see my brethren.' Therefore he is not come unto the king's table."
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RUINS OF THE FORTRESS OF MASSADA, WILDERNESS OF JUDAEA
This is another picture of a portion of the "Wilderness of Judaea." It is easy to see how David, who was thoroughly familiar with the country, could hide himself and his men safely from pursuit during the time in which he was an outlaw and a fugitive from the king.
This fortress was the scene of a terrible siege and massacre in 70 A. D., after the fall of Jerusalem. About a thousand men, women, and children fled to this place. The Romans followed and in spite of almost insurmountable difficulties besieged the place. Driven to the last extremity, the defenders killed the women and children and then themselves. Only two women and five children survived
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Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said, "Do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own shame? For as long as the son of Jesse liveth upon the ground, thou shalt not be stablished, nor thy kingdom. Wherefore now send and fetch him unto me, for he shall surely die."
And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said to him, "Wherefore should he be put to death? what hath he done?"
And Saul cast his spear at him to smite him: whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to put David to death. So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and did eat no meat the second day of the month: for he was grieved for David, because his father had done him shame.
And it came to pass in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad with him. And he said to his lad, "Run, find now the arrows which I shoot."
And as the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.
And when the lad was come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the lad, and said, "Is not the arrow beyond thee?"
And Jonathan cried after the lad, "Make speed, haste, stay not."
And Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows, and came{406}to his master. But the lad knew not anything: only Jonathan and David knew the matter. And Jonathan gave his weapons to his lad, and said unto him, "Go, carry them to the city."
And as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of his hiding place, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times: and they kissed one another, and wept one with another. And Jonathan said to David, "Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of the Lord, saying, 'The Lord shall be between me and thee, and between my family and thy family, for ever.'"
And he arose and departed: and Jonathan went into the city.