The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV

  11When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

  12Now David was gthe son of that hEphrathite of Bethlehem Judah, whose name was Jesse, and who had ieight sons. And the man was old, advanced in years, in the days of Saul.

  13The three oldest sons of Jesse had gone to follow Saul to the battle. The jnames of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.

  14David was the youngest. And the three oldest followed Saul.

  15But David occasionally went and returned from Saul kto feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.

  16And the Philistine drew near and presented himself forty days, morning and evening.

  17Then Jesse said to his son David, “Take now for your brothers an ephah of this dried grain and these ten loaves, and run to your brothers at the camp.

  18“And carry these ten cheeses to the captain of their thousand, and lsee how your brothers fare, and bring back news of them.”

  19Now Saul and they and all the men of Israel were in the Valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.

  20So David rose early in the morning, left the sheep with a keeper, and took the things and went as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the camp as the army was going out to the fight and shouting for the battle.

  21For Israel and the Philistines had drawn up in battle array, army against army.

  22And David left his supplies in the hand of the supply keeper, ran to the army, and came and greeted his brothers.

  23Then as he talked with them, there was the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, coming up from the armies of the Philistines; and he spoke maccording to the same words. So David heard them.

  24And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were dreadfully afraid.

  25So the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel; and it shall be that the man who kills him the king will enrich with great riches, nwill give him his daughter, and give his father’s house exemption from taxes in Israel.”

  26Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away othe reproach from Israel? For who is this puncircumcised Philistine, that he should qdefy the armies of rthe living God?”

  27And the people answered him in this manner, saying, s“So shall it be done for the man who kills him.”

  28Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab’s tanger was aroused against David, and he said, “Why did you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the insolence of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.”

  29And David said, “What have I done now? uIs2 there not a cause?”

  30Then he turned from him toward another and vsaid the same thing; and these people answered him as the first ones did.

  31Now when the words which David spoke were heard, they reported them to Saul; and he sent for him.

  32Then David said to Saul, w“Let no man’s heart fail because of him; xyour servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”

  33And Saul said to David, y“You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.”

  34But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a zlion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock,

  35“I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it.

  36“Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.”

  37Moreover David said, a“The LORD, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, b“Go, and the LORD be with you!”

  38So Saul clothed David with his 3armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head; he also clothed him with a coat of mail.

  39David fastened his sword to his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them.” So David took them off.

  40Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine.

  41So the Philistine came, and began drawing near to David, and the man who bore the shield went before him.

  42And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he cdisdained4 him; for he was only a youth, druddy and good-looking.

  43So the Philistine esaid to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

  44And the Philistine fsaid to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!”

  45Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. gBut I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have hdefied.

  46“This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give ithe carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, jthat all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.

  47“Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD kdoes not save with sword and spear; for lthe battle is the LORD’s, and He will give you into our hands.”

  48So it was, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hurried and mran toward the army to meet the Philistine.

  49Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth.

  50So David prevailed over the Philistine with a nsling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in the hand of David.

  51Therefore David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his osword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it. And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, pthey fled.

  52Now the men of Israel and Judah arose and shouted, and pursued the Philistines as far as the entrance of 5the valley and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell along the road to qShaaraim, even as far as Gath and Ekron.

  53Then the children of Israel returned from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their tents.

  54And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent.

  55When Saul saw David going out against the Philistine, he said to rAbner, the commander of the army, “Abner, swhose son is this youth?” And Abner said, “As your soul lives, O king, I do not know.”

  56So the king said, “Inquire whose son this young man is.”

  57Then, as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul twith the head of the Philistine in his hand.

  58And Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” So David answered, u“I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”

  1 Samuel 18

  Saul Resents David

  1Now when he had finished speaking to Saul, athe 1soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, band Jonathan loved him as his own soul.

  2Saul took him that day, cand would not let him go home to his father’s house anymore.

  3Then Jonathan and David made a dcovenant, because he loved him as his own soul.

  4And Jonathan took off the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, even to his sword and his bow and his belt.
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br />   5So David went out wherever Saul sent him, and 2behaved wisely. And Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.

  6Now it had happened as they were coming home, when David was returning from the slaughter of the 3Philistine, that ethe women had come out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with joy, and with musical instruments.

  7So the women fsang as they danced, and said:

  g“Saul has slain his thousands,

  And David his ten thousands.”

  8Then Saul was very angry, and the saying hdispleased him; and he said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed only thousands. Now what more can he have but ithe kingdom?”

  9So Saul 4eyed David from that day forward.

  10And it happened on the next day that jthe distressing spirit from God came upon Saul, kand he prophesied inside the house. So David lplayed music with his hand, as at other times; mbut there was a spear in Saul’s hand.

  11And Saul ncast the spear, for he said, “I will pin David to the wall!” But David escaped his presence twice.

  12Now Saul was oafraid of David, because pthe LORD was with him, but had qdeparted from Saul.

  13Therefore Saul removed him from 5his presence, and made him his captain over a thousand; and rhe went out and came in before the people.

  14And David behaved wisely in all his ways, and sthe LORD was with him.

  15Therefore, when Saul saw that he behaved very wisely, he was afraid of him.

  16But tall Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them.

  David Marries Michal

  17Then Saul said to David, “Here is my older daughter Merab; uI will give her to you as a wife. Only be valiant for me, and fight vthe LORD’s battles.” For Saul thought, w“Let my hand not be against him, but let the hand of the Philistines be against him.”

  18So David said to Saul, x“Who am I, and what is my life or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?”

  19But it happened at the time when Merab, Saul’s daughter, should have been given to David, that she was given to yAdriel the zMeholathite as a wife.

  20aNow Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved David. And they told Saul, and the thing pleased him.

  21So Saul said, “I will give her to him, that she may 6be a snare to him, and that bthe hand of the Philistines may be against him.” Therefore Saul said to David a second time, c“You shall be my son-in-law today.”

  22And Saul commanded his servants, “Communicate with David secretly, and say, ‘Look, the king has delight in you, and all his servants love you. Now therefore, become the king’s son-in-law.’ ”

  23So Saul’s servants spoke those words in the hearing of David. And David said, “Does it seem to you a light thing to be a king’s son-in-law, seeing I am a poor and lightly esteemed man?”

  24And the servants of Saul told him, saying, 7“In this manner David spoke.”

  25Then Saul said, “Thus you shall say to David: ‘The king does not desire any ddowry but one hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to take evengeance on the king’s enemies.’ ” But Saul fthought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines.

  26So when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to become the king’s son-in-law. Now gthe days had not expired;

  27therefore David arose and went, he and hhis men, and killed two hundred men of the Philistines. And iDavid brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full count to the king, that he might become the king’s son-in-law. Then Saul gave him Michal his daughter as a wife.

  28Thus Saul saw and knew that the LORD was with David, and that Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved him;

  29and Saul was still more afraid of David. So Saul became David’s enemy 8continually.

  30Then the princes of the Philistines jwent out to war. And so it was, whenever they went out, that David kbehaved more wisely than all the servants of Saul, so that his name became highly esteemed.

  1 Samuel 19

  Saul Persecutes David

  1Now Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill aDavid; but Jonathan, Saul’s son, bdelighted greatly in David.

  2So Jonathan told David, saying, “My father Saul seeks to kill you. Therefore please be on your guard until morning, and stay in a secret place and hide.

  3“And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak with my father about you. Then what I observe, I will tell cyou.”

  4Thus Jonathan dspoke well of David to Saul his father, and said to him, “Let not the king esin against his servant, against David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his works have been very good toward you.

  5“For he took his flife in his hands and gkilled the Philistine, and hthe LORD brought about a great deliverance for all Israel. You saw it and rejoiced. iWhy then will you jsin against innocent blood, to kill David without a cause?”

  6So Saul heeded the voice of Jonathan, and Saul swore, “As the LORD lives, he shall not be killed.”

  7Then Jonathan called David, and Jonathan told him all these things. So Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence kas in times past.

  8And there was war again; and David went out and fought with the Philistines, land struck them with a mighty blow, and they fled from him.

  9Now mthe distressing spirit from the LORD came upon Saul as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. And David was playing music with his hand.

  10Then Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he slipped away from Saul’s presence; and he drove the spear into the wall. So David fled and escaped that night.

  11nSaul also sent messengers to David’s house to watch him and to kill him in the morning. And Michal, David’s wife, told him, saying, “If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.”

  12So Michal olet David down through a window. And he went and fled and escaped.

  13And Michal took 1an image and laid it in the bed, put a cover of goats’ hair for his head, and covered it with clothes.

  14So when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, “He is sick.”

  15Then Saul sent the messengers back to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him.”

  16And when the messengers had come in, there was the image in the bed, with a cover of goats’ hair for his head.

  17Then Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me like this, and sent my enemy away, so that he has escaped?” And Michal answered Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go! pWhy should I kill you?’ ”

  18So David fled and escaped, and went to qSamuel at rRamah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and stayed in Naioth.

  19Now it was told Saul, saying, “Take note, David is at Naioth in Ramah!”

  20Then sSaul sent messengers to take David. tAnd when they saw the group of prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as leader over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also uprophesied.

  21And when Saul was told, he sent other messengers, and they prophesied likewise. Then Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they prophesied also.

  22Then he also went to Ramah, and came to the great well that is at Sechu. So he asked, and said, “Where are Samuel and David?” And someone said, “Indeed they are at Naioth in Ramah.”

  23So he went there to Naioth in Ramah. Then vthe Spirit of God was upon him also, and he went on and prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah.

  24wAnd he also stripped off his clothes and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, and lay down xnaked all that day and all that night. Therefore they say, y“Is Saul also among the prophets?”

  1 Samuel 20

  Jonathan’s Loyalty to David

  1Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah, an
d went and said to Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my iniquity, and what is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?”

  2So Jonathan said to him, “By no means! You shall not die! Indeed, my father will do nothing either great or small without first telling me. And why should my father hide this thing from me? It is not so!”

  3Then David took an oath again, and said, “Your father certainly knows that I have found favor in your eyes, and he has said, ‘Do not let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved.’ But atruly, as the LORD lives and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death.”

  4So Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you yourself desire, I will do it for you.”

  5And David said to Jonathan, “Indeed tomorrow is the bNew Moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king to eat. But let me go, that I may chide in the field until the third day at evening.

  6“If your father misses me at all, then say, ‘David earnestly asked permission of me that he might run over dto Bethlehem, his city, for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family.’

  7e“If he says thus: ‘It is well,’ your servant will be safe. But if he is very angry, be sure that fevil is determined by him.

  8“Therefore you shall gdeal kindly with your servant, for hyou have brought your servant into a covenant of the LORD with you. Nevertheless, iif there is iniquity in me, kill me yourself, for why should you bring me to your father?”

  9But Jonathan said, “Far be it from you! For if I knew certainly that evil was determined by my father to come upon you, then would I not tell you?”

  10Then David said to Jonathan, “Who will tell me, or what if your father answers you roughly?”

  11And Jonathan said to David, “Come, let us go out into the field.” So both of them went out into the field.

  12Then Jonathan said to David: “The LORD God of Israel is witness! When I have 1sounded out my father sometime tomorrow, or the third day, and indeed there is good toward David, and I do not send to you and tell you,

  13“may jthe LORD do so and much more to Jonathan. But if it pleases my father to do you evil, then I will report it to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. And kthe LORD be with you as He has lbeen with my father.