but had not experience of it. Then he said to Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have no experience of them. So David put them off. 40. And took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag; thus with his bag and his sling in his hand, he approached the Philistine. 41. Then the Philistine drew near to David; and the man that bare his shield went before him.

42. When the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him; for he was but a ruddy youth, and had a fair complexion. 43. Then he said to David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves and stones? And he cursed David by his god Dagon. 44. And said to David, Come to me, I will give thy flesh to the fowls of the air, and the beasts of the field. 45. Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest against me with a sword, and a spear, and a shield; but I come to thee in the name of the Eternal God of hosts; the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. 46. This day will the Eternal deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take off thine head; and give the carcases of the Philistines' host this day to the fowls of the air, and the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 47. And all this assembly shall know that the Eternal can save without sword or spear: for this battle is the Eternal's, and he will give you into our hands.

48. Now, the Philistine arose, and drew near to meet David, and David hastily ran toward the army to meet him. 49. Then David putting his hand in his bag, took a stone, and slang it at the Philistine; the stone sunk into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth. 50. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and slew him; but there was no sword in his hand. 51. Then David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and seizing his sword, he drew it from the sheath, and cut off

his head. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead they fled. 52. Then the men of Is rael and of Judah, arose, and shouted, and pursued the Philistines to the entry of Gath, and the gates of Ekron; and the slain Philistines fell all the way to the gates both of Gath, and Ekron. 53. Then the Israelites returned from chasing the Philistines, and plundered their tents. 54. And David took the Philistine's head, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armour in his own tent.

55. Now Saul seeing David go forth against the Philistine, said to Abner the captain of the host, whose son is this youth? But Abner said, As thy soul liveth, O king, I cannot tell. 56. Then the king said, Enquire whose son the stripling is.

57. So when David returned from slaying the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul, with the Philistines' head in his hand. 58. Then Saul said to him, Whose son art thou, young inan? David answered, I am the son of thy seryant Jesse the Bethlehemite.

CHAP. XVIII.

JONATHAN LOVETH DAVID. SAUL'S JEALOUSY OF HIM.

AND having finished speaking to Saul, Jonathan's soul clave to the soul of David, and he loved him. as himself. 2. And Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father's house.

3. Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as himself. 4. And Jonathan stripped himself of his mantle and other garments, even to his sword, and his bow, and his girdle, and gave them to David. 5. And David conducted himself so prudently in every expedition on which Saul sent him, that Saul put him at the head of his army, which was agreeable to all the people, as well as Saul's servants.

6. Now as they came back, when David returned

came

from slaying the Philistine, the women out of all the cities joyfully, singing and dancing, and to meet king Saul, with tabrets, flutes, and instruments of musick. 7. They sung by turns, answering one another as they played, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands. 8. Then Saul was very angry, for the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me but thousands; and what can he have more but the kingdom. 9. And Saul envied David from that day forward.

10. And on the morrow, the evil spirit permited by God came on Saul, and he was in a phrenzy in his own house; then while David played with his hand, as at other times, on a harp, there was a javelin in Saul's hand. 11. And Saul cast the javelin at David: for he said, I will smite David to the wall with it. But David slipped out of his presence twice.

12. Now Saul feared David, because the Eternal was with him, and was departed from himself. 13. Saul therefore removed him from himself, and made him captain over a thousand; and he led them out and in during the war. 14. But David prospered in all his ways; for the Eternal was with him. 15. So when Saul saw that he behaved very wisely, he was the more afraid of him. 16. But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he led and conducted them out and in.

17. Then Saul said to David, Behold I will give thee for a wife, my elder daughter Merab, only be thou valiant for me, and fight the Eternal's battles: for Saul said, Let not mine hand be upon him, but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him. 18. Then David said to Saul, Whom am I? and what is my rank, or my father's family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king? 19. But when Merab, Saul's daughter, should have been given to David, she was given to Adriel the Meholathite for a wife.

20. But Michal, Saul's daughter, loved David; and they told Saul, and it pleased him. 21. Then Saul said, I will give him her, that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him. Therefore Saul said to David, Thou shalt this day be a second time my sonin-law.

22. Then Saul commanded his servants, saying, Commune with David secretly, and say, Behold, the king hath delight in thee, and all his servants love thee: now, therefore, be the king's son-in-law.

23. Then Saul's servants spake those words in the hearing of David. But David said, Seemeth it to you so easy a matter for one so poor and mean, to be a king's son-in-law? 24. Then Saul's servants told him, saying, on this manner spake David. 25. But Saul said, Thus shall ye say to David, The king desireth not dowry, but an hundred of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king's enemies. For Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines.

26. When his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king's son-in-law: and without delay, 27. David went with his men, and slew two hundred Philistines; and brought their foreskins to the king. So Saul gave him Michal his daughter for a wife.

28. But when Saul saw and knew that the Eternal was with David, and that Michal, Saul's daughter, and all Israel, loved him, 29. He was yet the more afraid of David; and became his enemy continually.

30. But when the princes of the Philistines went forth to war, David behaved himself more wisely than all the other servants of Saul, so that his name was much renowned.

CHAP. XIX.

SAUL'S PERSecution of david.

Now Saul spake to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, to kill David. 2. But Jonathan delighted much in David: so he told David, saying, Saul, my father, seeketh to kill thee; now, therefore, I pray thee, take care of thyself until the morning, and hide thyself in a secret place: 3. Then I will go out and attend my father in the field where thou art, and talk to my father of thee, and I will tell thee what I see.

4. Now Jonathan spake good of David to Saul his father, and said to him, Let not the king sin against his servant David, who hath not sinned against thee, but done thee very much good: 5. For he hazarded his life to slay the Philistine; and the Eternal by him wrought a great salvation for all Israel: thou sawest it, and didst rejoice; why then wilt thou sin against innocent blood, to slay David without a cause?

6. Then Saul hearkened to Jonathan; and sware, As the Eternal liveth, he shall not be slain.

7. Then Jonathan called David, and told him all this; and brought him to Saul, whom he attended as formerly.

8. But there was war again: so David went out, and fought with the Philistines, and made a great slaughter of them, till they fled from him.

9. But the evil spirit permitted by the Eternal affected Saul, as he sat in his house with his javelin in his hand, while David played with his hand on a harp. 10. But Saul sought to fix David to the wall with the javelin; but he slipped away out of Saul's presence, who smote the javelin into the wall; and while David fled, and escaped that night, 11. Saul sent messengers to David's house to watch him, and to slay him in the morning: but Michal,