SamsonSAM-SON SLAY-ING THE PHIL-IS-TINES.
Then a great thirst came on him, and there was no well near from which he could drink. And he grew so weak that he cried out to the Lord not to let him die of thirst or fall in-to the hands of his foes.
And the Lord made a spring at that place and wa-ter ran out, and when Sam-son had drunk, his strength came back to him.
Sam-son came to the town of Ga-za, and went in a house there. Now the Phil-is-tines dwelt in Ga-za, and when they heard that Sam-son was there they shut the gates of the town, and kept watch near them all night. They said when the day dawns we will kill him.
But in the dead of the night Sam-son rose up and came to the gates of the town, and when he found them shut he took them up—posts, bar and all—and bore them a long way off to the top of a hill.
Sam-son's hair had not been cut, and it had grown thick and long. And there was a wo-man named De-li-lah whom Sam-son used to go and see. And when the Phil-is-tines heard of it they came to her and told her if she would find out how they might bind Sam-son and bear him off, they would give her a large sum of gold.
So when Sam-son came to De-li-lah's house she said to him, Tell me, I pray thee what makes thee so strong, and with what thou couldst be bound and not break loose?
Sam-son said if they bound him with sev-en green withes—that is, cords made out of soft twigs—he would be so weak that he could not break them.
When De-li-lah told this to the Phil-is-tines they brought her sev-en green withes, and Sam-son let her bind him with them. Now she had men hid in her house who were to take Sam-son if he could not break the twigs. And when she had bound him she cried out, The Phil-is-tines seize thee, Sam-son! And as soon as she had said these words he broke the green withes as if they were burnt threads.
Then De-li-lah knew that Sam-son made fun ofher and told her lies, and she said once more, Tell me, I pray thee, with what thou canst be bound and not break loose.
Samson carryingSAM-SON CAR-RY-ING THE GATES OF GA-ZA.
Sam-son told her if he were bound with new ropes, which had not been used, that his strength would leave him, and he would be too weak to break them.
So she took new ropes and bound him. But ere the men who were hid in the room could spring outand take him, Sam-son broke the ropes from his arms as if they had been threads.
Then De-li-lah told Sam-son that he did but mock her and tell her lies, and she begged him to let her know how he might be bound.
And he said if she would weave his hair with the web in the loom his strength would go from him. And she wove his long hair in with the web, and made it fast with a large peg that was part of the loom.
Then she cried out, and Sam-son rose up and went off with the great peg, and the whole of the web that was in the loom.
Then she said he did not love her or he would not make sport of her in this way. And she teased him each day, and gave him no peace, so that at last he had to tell her the truth.
He said his hair had not been cut since he was born, and if it were shaved off he would lose all his strength.
It was wrong for Sam-son to tell her this, for she was bad at heart and not a true friend. But he did not know then how great was his sin.
De-li-lah knew that this time Sam-son had told her the truth; so she sent for the Phil-is-tines to come up to her house.
Then while Sam-son slept, she had a man comein and shave all the hair from his head. And when this was done she cried out, The Phil-is-tines seize thee, Sam-son.
SAM-SON AND DE-LI-LAH.
And he woke from his sleep, and knew not his strength had gone from him.
Then the Phil-is-tines took him and put out his eyes, brought him down to Ga-za, and bound him with chains of brass. And they made him fast to a mill-stone, and he had to work hard to grind their corn.
While he was shut up in jail Sam-son had time to think of his sins, and he no doubt cried out to theLord to keep him. For his hair grew out and his strength came back. But the Phil-is-tines did not know this.
They had made their own god, and its name was Da-gon. And they thought that Da-gon gave Sam-son in-to their hands, and loud was their praise of him. And all the Phil-is-tines met in the large house that had been built for Da-gon that they might bow down to their god and give him thanks.
The crowd was great, and their hearts were full of joy. And they said, Send for Sam-son that he may make sport for us. And poor blind Sam-son was brought in, and sat down in their midst. And those in the house and those on the roof made sport of him in all sorts of ways.
And Sam-son put his arms round two of the great posts that held up the house. And he bent down, and the house fell, and most of the Phil-is-tines were killed. Sam-son died with them, and by his death slew more of the foes of Is-ra-el than he had slain in all his life.
columns fallingSAM-SON DE-STROYS THE TEM-PLE.
RUTH.
WhileIs-ra-el was ruled by a judge whose name has not come down to us, a dearth came on the land of Ca-naan. And one of the Jews who dwelt in Beth-le-hem, took his wife and his two sons and went to stay for a while in the land of Mo-ab. His wife's name was Na-o-mi. The man died while they were in Mo-ab, and in a few years each of the sons took him a wife. And their names were Or-pah and Ruth. At the end of ten years the sons died, and Na-o-mi and their wives dwelt in the land of Mo-ab.
When Na-o-mi heard there was no lack of food in Is-ra-el, she made up her mind to go back to Beth-le-hem to live.
She told Or-pah and Ruth of her plan, and said if they choose to stay in the land of Mo-ab, where they were born, they might do so.
And they kissed her and wept and said they would go with her. But she bade them stay where they were, and at last Or-pah, with tears in her eyes,kissed Na-o-mi good-bye and went back to her own home. But Ruth would not leave her. She told Na-o-mi not to urge her to go, for nought but death should part them.
two womenRUTH AND NA-O-MI.
So they went to the town of Beth-le-hem where Na-o-mi used to live.
It was the days when the grain was ripe in the fields, and the men had gone out to cut it down.
And Na-o-mi had a kins-man in Beth-le-hem, whose name was Bo-az, and he was a rich and great man. And Ruth said to Na-o-mi, Let me now go to the fields and glean the ears of corn.
To glean is to pick up. And poor folks, who had no fields of their own, went to pick up that which was left on the ground for them.
womanRUTH.
And Na-o-mi told Ruth to go. And she went out and came to the field that was owned by the rich man, Bo-az.
When Bo-az saw Ruth he asked the men who she was, and where she came from. And one of them said, She came with Na-o-mi from the land of Mo-ab. And she said to us, I pray you let me glean where the field has been reaped. And we told her she might, and she has been there for some hours. Then Bo-az went to Ruth.
So she went out each day to his field, and gleaned there till the grain was all cut and in the barns.
Na-o-mi said to Ruth, Bo-az will win-now thebar-ley to-night. To win-now is to fan, or to drive off by means of a wind. The grain was first threshed, then thrown from the hands up in the air. The wind would blow off the chaff and the good grain would fall to the ground.
collecting grainBO-AZ AND RUTH.
Na-o-mi told Ruth to go in and speak to Bo-az the things she told her. So Ruth did as Na-o-mi said, and went down to the fields where Bo-az and his men were.
When she came back to Na-o-mi she told her all that she had said and done.
The next day Bo-az went down to the gate ofBeth-le-hem, and told all the chief men whom he met there that he meant to make Ruth his wife. And the men said they would make it known, and prayed the Lord would bless Ruth and add to the fame and wealth of the rich and great Bo-az.
So Bo-az took Ruth for his wife. And they had a son O-bed. And Na-o-mi was its nurse.
JOB.
Therewas a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. He was a good man and tried to do all that was right in the sight of the Lord. And God gave him ten chil-dren: sev-en boys and three girls. He gave Job great wealth, too, so that there was no man in all that part of the world as rich as he was.
When Job's sons were grown up and had homes of their own, they used to make feasts in turn, and send for their three sis-ters to come and eat and drink with them. And Job kept them in mind of all they owed to God, and urged them to lead good and true lives, and to do no wrong.
When Job had lived at his ease and been a rich man for a long term of years, a great change tookplace. He lost all his wealth, and all his chil-dren; for it was God's will to try him and see how he would bear these ills.
One day one of his men came to him in great haste, and said, While we were in the field with the ploughs, a band of thieves came and drove off the ox-en and ass-es and slew thy men who were with them, and I a-lone am left to tell thee.
While this man spoke, there came up one who said, A great fire has come down from the sky and burnt up thy sheep, and all those who took care of them, and I a-lone am left to tell thee.
While he yet spoke, a third man came and said, Thy foes came and took all thy cam-els, and slew the men who had charge of them, and I a-lone am left to tell thee.
Then a fourth came, and said, Thy chil-dren were at a feast in the house of thy first-born son, when there came a great wind that broke down the house, and it fell on the young men and they are all dead, and I a-lone am left to tell thee.
When Job heard these things he tore his clothes, and bowed down to the earth, as if at the feet of God. And he said, I had nought when I came in-to the world, and I shall have nought when I die and go out of it. God gave me all that I had, and God took it from me. He knows what is best for me,and I thank him for all that he has done. So Job did not sin, nor speak ill of God, though his grief was so great and had come up-on him in such a strange, swift way.
To try Job still more, God let him get sick and he was in great pain. Boils came on him and from head to foot he was a mass of sores.
Then his wife came to Job and said, Dost thou still trust God? Do so no more, but curse him, though he kill thee for it.
Job said, Thou dost not speak wise words. When we have so much good from God, shall we not be con-tent to take our share of the ills he may send? In all this Job said not a word that was wrong.
Now Job had three friends, who, when they heard of his hard lot, came to talk with him and cheer him. But when they saw him, the change was so great they did not know him.
Then they rent their clothes and wept, and sat down on the ground near him, but did not speak for some time, for they could see that his grief was great. These friends thought that Job must have done some great sin, else these ills would not have been sent up-on him. When they spoke to him they said, If thou hast done wrong, do so no more, and God will free thee from thy pains.
Job and comfortersJOB, AND HIS FRIENDS.
Now Job knew that he had done no wrong, and he said to them, You came to soothe me, but what you say does not soothe me at all. Did I send for you, or ask you to help me? If you were in such grief as I am, I might say hard things of you and call you bad men. But I would not do so; but would speak kind words to you, and try to help you bear your ills, and to make your grief less.
Then Job spoke of his own griefs, and said: O, that the Lord would put me to death that I might suf-fer no more. When I lie down at night I can-not sleep, but toss on my bed in pain and wish the day would dawn. Or, if I fall a-sleep for a while, I have the worst kind of dreams, so that I would be glad to die and wake no more in this world. O, that I had some one to speak to God for me, for he does not hear when I pray. Yet I know that he lives who will save my soul, and that he will come on the earth, and I shall rise up from my grave and see God for my-self.
But when Job found that he could not die, nor be made well, but must still bear his pains, he grew cross, and was not at all like the Job of old. He found fault, and said that his griefs were too great, and that God was not kind to put him in such pain.
His three friends did not try to calm him, or to cheer him with the hope that his woes would soon be at an end, nor did they bid him trust in God andseek help and strength from him. But they told him that he must have done some great wrong, else God would not have sent all these ills up-on him.
This did not please Job, and he spoke to them in great wrath, and they spoke back in the same style.
When they had talked in this way for some time, and had each of them said things they ought not to have said, they heard a voice speak to them out of a whirl-wind that swept by the place. It was the voice of God.
And the voice spoke to Job and told him of the great works that God had done; that it was he who made the earth, the sea, and the sky. He sends the rain on the field to make the grass grow and the flow-ers to spring up. He sends the cold and the heat, the frost and the snow, and the ice that stops the flow of the streams. He sends the clouds, and the roar and the flash that come from them when the storms rage. He made the horse that is so swift and strong, and has no fear in time of war, but will rush in-to the fight at the sound of the trump.
All this and more the voice spoke from the whirl-wind. And when God had told Job of all these great works, he asked him if he could do these things, or if he thought he was so wise that he could teach God what it was best to do.
Then Job saw what a sin it was to find fault withGod. And he was full of shame, and said: My guilt is great; I spoke of that of which I knew naught, and I bow down in the dust be-fore thee.
God said to Job's three friends, I am wroth with you, for you did not speak in the right way to Job. Now, lest I pun-ish you, take sev-en young bulls and sev-en rams and burn them on the al-tar, and ask Job to pray for you, for him will I hear. So they did as the Lord told them, and Job prayed for them, and God for-gave them their sins.
In a short time Job was well once more. His pains all left him; and then his friends and all his folks came to see him and they had a good feast. And each man brought him a rich gift, and the Lord blest him more than he had done be-fore, and gave him twice as much wealth. He had great herds of sheep, and cam-els, and ox-en and ass-es, and large fields for them to roam in, and a host of men to care for them. So that he was a great man once more.
And God gave him ten chil-dren: sev-en boys and three girls. And when these girls grew up, there were no maids in all the land so fair as they in face and form. And Job had great peace of mind, and dwelt at his ease for long, long years; and when he died he was an old, old man.
SAMUEL, THE CHILD OF GOD.
Therewas a man of Is-ra-el who went up each year from the town of Ra-mah to a place called Shi-loh to pay his vows to the Lord of hosts. And his wife, whose name was Han-nah, went with him. The man's name was El-ka-nah.
boySAM-U-EL.
E-li was the high-priest at that time, and as he sat in the Lord's house he saw Han-nah on her knees with her eyes full of tears.
And he spoke to her in a kind voice, and said: May God grant thee what thou dost ask of him. And Han-nah was glad at the high-priest's words, for she had asked God to give her a son.
And the Lord gave Han-nah a son, and she called his name Sam-u-el, which means "Asked of the Lord."
Sam-u-el was quite young when Han-nah took him up to the house of the Lord at Shi-loh. And when they brought the child to E-li, Han-nah said, I am the wo-man that stood by thee here and prayed to the Lord. For this child did I pray, and the Lord heard me and gave me what I asked for. So I have brought him to the Lord; so long as he lives shall he be the child of God. For this was the vow she made if God would give her a son.
And Sam-u-el was left to stay with E-li in the Lord's house.
Now E-li had two sons, and they were priests in the Lord's house. But they were not fit for the place, for they were bad men, and broke God's laws. And by their sins they kept men from the house of the Lord.
But Sam-u-el, though a young child, did what was right and pleased the Lord. And his moth-er made him a coat, and brought it to him each year when she and her hus-band went up to Shi-loh. And E-li spoke kind words to them, and asked the Lord to bless them for the sake of the child whom they gave to him.
Now E-li was an old man, and when he heardof all the things his sons had done, he did not drive them out of the Lord's house as he should have done, but let them go on in their sins. He cared more to please his sons than he did to please the Lord.
brought to the templeHAN-NAH PRE-SENTS SAM-U-EL TO E-LI.
One night when E-li and Sam-u-el lay down to sleep, the child heard a voice speak his name. And he said, Here am I. And he got up and ran to E-li, for he thought it was his voice, and he said, Here am I, for thou did'st call me.
E-li said, I did not call thee, my son. Go back, and lie down. And the lad did so.
In a short time he heard the same voice say, Sam-u-el—Sam-u-el.
And he rose at once and went to E-li, and said to him, Here am I, for thou did'st call me. But E-li said, I did not call thee, and sent the lad back to his bed once more.
Then Sam-u-el heard the voice a third time, and went to E-li and said, Here am I, for thou did'st call me.
And E-li knew it was the Lord who spoke to Sam-u-el. And he said to the lad, Go, lie down, and if he call thee, say, Speak, Lord, for I hear thee.
And Sam-u-el went and lay down. And the Lord came for the fourth time, and called, Sam-u-el—Sam-u-el!
And Sam-u-el said, Speak, Lord, for I hear thee.
And the Lord told Sam-u-el all that he meant to do to the house of E-li. He had let his sons go on in their sins, and they were to be put to death in a way that would make men fear God.
Sam-u-el lay still till day-light. Then he rose, but did not dare to tell E-li what God had told him.
But E-li called him and said, What did the Lord say to thee? I pray thee hide it not from me.
So Sam-u-el told E-li all that the Lord had said. When E-li heard it, he said, It is the Lord, let him do what he thinks is best.
And Sam-u-el grew, and the Lord was with him and blest him, and it was known to all that he was one of God's saints, who could fore-tell things that were to take place. Such wise men were some-times called seers.
The words which God spoke to Sam-u-el cametrue; for the chil-dren of Is-ra-el went out to fight the Phil-is-tines, and a host of them were slain.
Those who came back said, Let us take the ark out with us to save us from our foes.
stealing the arkCAP-TURE OF THE ARK.
Now God had not told them to take the ark, and it was a sin for them to touch it. They should have put their trust in the Lord, and looked to him for help.
But they sent to Shi-loh for the ark, and E-li's two sons came with it. When it was brought to the camp the Jews gave such a shout that the earth shook with the noise.
And when the Phil-is-tines heard it, they said, What does it mean? And they were told that the ark of the Lord had been brought to the camp of Is-ra-el.
And they were in great fear; for they said, God is come to the camp! Woe un-to us, for this is the first time such a thing has been done!
And they said, Let us be strong and fight like men, that we may not be slaves to these Jews!
So they fought once more with the Jews, and slew a host of them, and the rest fled to their tents. And the ark of the Lord fell in-to the hands of the foe, and E-li's two sons were slain.
And the same day a man ran down to Shi-loh, with his clothes rent, and bits of earth on his head to show his grief.
E-li sat on a seat by the way-side, where he kept watch, for he was in great fear lest harm should come to the ark of God. And when the man came through the crowd and told that the ark was lost, all cried out with great fear. And when E-li heard the noise, he said, What is it? What do those sounds mean? For his eyes were dim with age, and he could not see.
And the man ran up to E-li and said, I am hethat came out of the fight, and I fled from there to-day.
And E-li said, What word hast thou, my son?
Ark returnsTHE RE-TURN OF THE ARK.
And he said that Is-ra-el had been put to flight with great loss, his two sons were dead, and the ark of God in the hands of the Phil-is-tines.
When the man spoke of the ark of God, E-li fell offthe seat by the side of the gate, and broke his neck, and died there. And he had been a high priest and a judge in Is-ra-el for two-score years.
And the ark of God was with the Phil-is-tines for more than half the year, and to each place where it was sent it brought great grief.
So at last they sent for their wise men, and said to them, What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? To what place shall we send it?
And the wise men told them to make a new cart, and tie two cows to it, but to bring the calves home with them. Then they should put the ark on the cart, and let the cows draw it where they would.
If the cows should leave their calves and go down to the land of Is-ra-el, it would be a sign that the Lord was their guide, and that he had sent these ills on the Phil-is-tines for their great sins.
But if the cows did not take the ark, it would show that the Lord did not want it back, and that all these ills they had to bear had come by chance, and were not sent from the Lord.
So the Phil-is-tines did as their wise men said. They took the two cows and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home. And they laid the ark on the cart, and let the cows go where they chose.
And the cows took the straight road to the landof Is-ra-el till they came to a place called Beth-she-mesh.
The Jews who dwelt there were out in the wheat fields. And the cows brought the cart to the fields of a man named Josh-u-a, and stood there by a great stone.
Then some of the men of Le-vi came and took the ark and set it on the stone. And they broke up the cart, and burnt the cows as a gift of praise to the Lord.
SAMUEL THE MAN OF GOD.
WhenE-li died, Sam-u-el was made a judge in Is-ra-el. And he went from place to place to teach men the law. And as the ark had not been brought back to Shi-loh, Sam-u-el built an al-tar in his own house and served God there.
The chil-dren of Is-ra-el set up strange gods, and the Phil-is-tines went to war with them. And Sam-u-el told them to give up their false gods and serve the Lord, and he would save them from their foes. And they did so. And he said, Come up to Miz-peh, and I will pray to the Lord for you.
And they came to Miz-peh, and gave their hearts to the Lord, and were in grief for their sins.
And when the Phil-is-tines heard they were at Miz-peh, they went up to fight them. And the chil-dren of Is-ra-el were in great fear, and Sam-u-el plead for them, and when the fight came on the Lord sent a fierce storm that put the Phil-is-tines to flight, and they fled from the field with great loss.
And Sam-u-el set up a stone at Miz-peh, and gave it the name of Eb-en-e-zer—"The Stone of Help."
When Sam-u-el was an old man he set his two sons to judge Is-ra-el. But his sons were not just men, and did not rule as their fath-er had done. If a man did wrong, they would say it was right if he paid them for it. And the wise men came to Sam-u-el, and said to him, As thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways, make us a king to judge us.
Sam-u-el felt hurt when they asked him to choose a king, and asked the Lord to tell him what to do.
And the Lord told Sam-u-el to choose a king for them.
Now there was a man whose name was Kish, and he had a son whose name was Saul, a tall young man of fine form and good looks.
And the ass-es of Kish were lost. And he said to Saul, his son, Take one of the men with you, and go find the ass-es.
And they went a long way and could not find them. And Saul said to the man with him, Come, let us go back, lest my fath-er think we are lost.
setting up the stoneTHE STONE OF HELP.
And the man said to Saul, There is a man of God here, and what he says is sure to come to pass. It may be that he can tell us what we ought to doSaul said, Thy word is good; come, let us go. And they went to the town where Sam-u-el, the man of God, was. And they met him on their way.
And the Lord made it known to Sam-u-el that this was the man he should choose to reign in Is-ra-el.
And Saul drew near to Sam-u-el, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, where the seer's house is.
And Sam-u-el said, I am the seer; and the ass-es that were lost are found. And he took Saul and his man to his own house, and made them spend the night there.
The next day Sam-u-el took Saul to the roof of his house, and had a talk with him.
Then they went out on the street, and as they drew near the gate of the town, Sam-u-el said to Saul, Bid thy man pass on, but do thou stand still for a while, that I may show thee the word of God.
Then Sam-u-el took a horn of oil and poured it on Saul's head.
This was done when a man was made a high-priest; and the same thing was done when he was made a king. And God was pleased with Saul, and gave him a new heart; but as yet none but these two knew that Saul was to be King of the Jews.
Sam-u-el spoke to the chil-dren of Is-ra-el and told them once more all that the Lord had done for them, how he had brought them out of the land ofE-gypt, and set them free from their foes, and yet they would not serve the Lord, but cried out for a king. So he bade them all go up to Miz-peh that the Lord might choose them a king.
HidingSAUL IN HIS HID-ING PLACE.
And the Lord chose Saul. But when the men went to seek for him, they could not find him. And the Lord said, He hath hid in the midst of the stuff. And they ran and brought him out, and he was so tall that all the rest had to look up to him.
And Sam-u-el said, This is he whom the Lord hath sent to rule thee. There is none like him, as thou canst see.
And they all cried out, God save the king! Then Sam-u-el told them what they were to do,and how the king was to rule, and wrote it down in a book.
When Saul had been king for two years, he set out with his son, Jon-a-than, to fight the Phil-is-tines. And a great host went with them. And the Phil-is-tines had more men than they could count. And when the Jews saw the strength of their foes, they were in great fear, and ran and hid in caves and pits, or fled to the high hills where the rocks would screen them. So there were but few left to go out with Saul, and they shook with dread.
And Saul came to Gil-gal, where he was to meet Sam-u-el, but he was not there. Sam-u-el had told him to wait for him, and he would tell him what he was to do.
But at the end of a week Saul had the flesh brought to him and laid on the stone, and he set fire to it, that the flame might rise to God and bring peace to the land. And as soon as Saul had done this thing, Sam-u-el came. And Saul went out to meet him, that he might bless him.
And Sam-u-el said, What hast thou done?
And Saul told of the strait he was in, and that the Phil-is-tines were near in great force, and said that when Sam-u-el did not come he felt that he must send up a plea to God for aid in this hour.
Sam-u-el told him that he had done wrong.When the Lord told him to wait, he should wait. And now his reign would be a short one, and God would choose a new king to take his place.
In those days men fought with bows and ar-rows. And while the Jews were held as slaves by the Phil-is-tines they would not let them have swords or spears, lest they should rise up and kill them.
And they sent all the smiths out of the land, lest they should make these things for the chil-dren of Is-ra-el.
So when they went out to fight none of them had a sword or a spear but Saul and his son.
In those days men wore coats of mail, and bore a shield with them so as to ward off the darts. These shields were made of a thick piece of wood, on which the skin of an ox was stretched when dried.
Jon-a-than, Saul's son, wore a coat of mail, and had a man to bear his spear and his shield when he did not care to use them. And he said to his man, Come, let us go to the camp of the Phil-is-tines. For it may be that the Lord will help us.
And the man said he would go.
Jon-a-than said this should be their sign: They would go where the foe could see them, and if they said, Wait there till I come to you, they would know the Lord did not mean to help them. But if the Phil-is-tines said, Come up to us and we will showyou some-thing, they would go up, for the Lord would be with them.
So Jon-a-than and his man stood out where the foe could see them. And the Phil-is-tines made sport of them, and cried out, Come up to us, and we will shew you some-thing.
And the two went up the rocks on their hands and feet, and fought with the Phil-is-tines, and slew a score of them. And the Lord shook the earth, so that the Phil-is-tines were in great fear.
Now Saul and the men who were with him did not know what his son had done. But his watch-man, who was on the look-out, saw that there was a fight in the camp of the Phil-is-tines, and told Saul of it.
And Saul and his men went to join in the fight. And all those who had hid in caves and holes, or up on the mount, when they heard that the Phil-is-tines had fled, went with Saul, and Is-ra-el won the day.
But Saul did not de-sire to please the Lord in all things. For when the Lord sent him out to fight King A-gag, he told Saul to wipe him and all he had from the face of the earth. But Saul kept back some of the spoils, the best of the sheep and lambs, and did not put the king to death as he should have done.
And the Lord told Sam-u-el that Saul was not a good king, and his reign should be short.
And it made Sam-u-el sad to hear this, and he prayed to God all night. Then he had a talk with Saul, who did not look at his sins in the right light. And Sam-u-el told him that his reign as king would soon be at an end.
AnnointedDA-VID A-NOINT-ED BY SAM-U-EL.
God told Sam-u-el not to mourn for Saul, but to go down to Beth-le-hem, to the house of a man named Jes-se, one of whose sons was to be made king. And the Lord said he was not to look for one with a fine face or form. For the Lord sees not as man sees, and he looks on the heart.
So he went down to Beth-le-hem, and did as the Lord told him. And Jes-se had his sev-en sons pass one by one be-fore Sam-u-el. And Sam-u-elthought that the first-born must be the one whom God chose to be king. But the Lord told him he was not the one. And they all went by, and not one of them was the one on whom God had set his seal.
And Sam-u-el said to Jes-se, Are these all thy sons?
And Jes-se said, No there is yet one left; but he is quite a lad, and is now in the field where he cares for the sheep.
And Sam-u-el told Jes-se to send for him at once. And Jes-se sent for him, and he was brought in, and his cheeks were red, and his eyes bright. And the Lord said to Sam-u-el, Rise—for this is he.
And Sam-u-el rose, and took the horn of oil and poured it on the young man's head. So the Lord chose Da-vid to be king when Saul should be put out of the way.
And Da-vid felt a great change in his heart, for the Lord was there to make him strong and wise, and fit for the high place he was to fill.
But there was no peace in Saul's heart, and his mind was ill at ease.
And his men said it might soothe him to have some one play on the harp. For sweet sounds will some-times calm the mind.
So Saul said, Find a man who can play well on the harp, and bring him to me.
And one of them said that he knew such a man. He was the son of Jes-se, who dwelt at Beth-le-hem, and his name was Da-vid.
And Saul sent men to Jes-se and told him to send Da-vid, his son, who kept the sheep.
And Da-vid came to Saul, and stayed with him to wait on him. And when Saul was sad and ill at ease, Da-vid would take his harp and play for him, and he would soon be well.
DAVID AND SAUL.
WhileSaul was yet king, the Phil-is-tines came forth once more to fight the chil-dren of Is-ra-el. And Saul and his men went out to meet them. There were two high hills on each side of a deep vale, and from these two hills the foe-men fought.
The Phil-is-tines had on their side a man who was more than ten feet high. He wore a coat of mail, and was bound with brass from head to foot, so that no sword or spear could wound him.
And he cried out to Saul's men, Choose a manfrom your midst and let him come down to me. If he can fight with me and kill me, then we will be your slaves. But if I kill him then you must serve us. I dare you to send a man to fight with me.
When Saul and his men heard these words they were in great fear, for there was no one in their ranks who would dare fight with such a gi-ant.
And each morn and eve, for more than a month, this great man, whose name was Go-li-ath, drew near Saul and his troops and dared them to send a man out to fight him.
Now when the war broke out three of Jes-se's sons went with Saul, but Da-vid went back to Beth-le-hem to feed sheep.
And Jes-se said to Da-vid, Take this parched corn and these ten loaves of bread, and run down to camp and bring me back word how thy broth-ers are.
And Da-vid rose up the next morn, and found some one to take care of his sheep, and went as his fath-er told him.
And he came to the camp just as the men were on their way to the fight, and the air was filled with their shouts.
And he left the goods he had brought in the care of a man, and ran in the midst of the troops, and spoke to his three broth-ers.
And while he stood there, Go-li-ath came out from the ranks of the Phil-is-tines, and dared some one to fight with him.
And Da-vid heard his words. And the men of Is-ra-el fled from his face. And Da-vid heard them speak of what would be done to the man who should kill him; for the king would give him great wealth, and set him in a high place.
And Da-vid spoke to the men near him, and made use of strong words.
And his broth-ers told him to go home and take care of his sheep, for it was just a trick of his to come up to camp that he might see the fight.
David meets SaulDA-VID BE-FORE SAUL.
Da-vid said, I have done no wrong! and the men to whom he spoke went and told Saul what he had said. And Saul sent for him, but did not knowthat he was the same one who used to play on the harp for him.
And Da-vid told Saul he would go out and fight the great man from Gath. And Saul said, Thou art but a youth, and he has been a man of war all his days.
Then Da-vid told Saul how he had fought with and slain the wild beasts that came out of the woods to eat up the lambs of his flock. And, said he, this man is no more than a wild beast, and the Lord will save me from him as he did from the paw of the li-on and the bear.
And Saul said, Go, and the Lord go with thee. And Saul put on him a coat of mail, and clothed him in brass from head to foot, and hung a sword at his side. But Da-vid took them all off, and said, I have not tried them, and can-not use them.
And he took his staff in his hand, and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in a bag that he wore. And his sling was in his hand when he drew near to Go-li-ath.
Go-li-ath came near to Da-vid, and when he saw what a youth he was, he drew up his head with great scorn.
Da-vid ran to meet him, and put his hand in his bag and drew forth a stone, and slung it, and struck Go-li-ath on the fore-head with such force that the stone sank in through the bone and he fell on his face to the earth.