1 Now it happened that, in those days, the Philistines gathered together their troops, so that they might be prepared for war against Israel. And Achish said to David, “I know now, certainly, that you will go out with me to war, you and your men.”
2 And David said to Achish, “You know now what your servant will do.” And Achish said to David, “And so, I will appoint you to guard my head for all days.”
3 Now Samuel was dead, and all of Israel mourned for him, and they buried him in Ramah, his city. And Saul took away the magi and soothsayers from the land.
4 And the Philistines gathered together, and they arrived and made camp at Shunem. Then Saul also gathered all of Israel, and he arrived at Gilboa.
5 And Saul saw the camp of the Philistines, and he was afraid, and his heart was exceedingly terrified.
6 And he consulted the Lord. But he did not respond to him, neither by dreams, nor by priests, nor by prophets.
7 And Saul said to his servants, “Seek for me a woman having a divining spirit, and I will go to her, and consult through her.” And his servants said to him, “There is a woman having a divining spirit at Endor.”
8 Therefore, he changed his usual appearance, and he put on other clothes. And he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night. And he said to her, “Divine for me, by your divining spirit, and raise up for me whomever I will tell you.”
9 And the woman said to him: “Behold, you know how much Saul has done, and how he has wiped away the magi and soothsayers from the land. Why then do you set a trap for my life, so that it will be put to death?”
10 And Saul swore to her by the Lord, saying, “As the Lord lives, nothing evil will befall you because of this matter.”
11 And the woman said to him, “Whom shall I raise up for you?” And he said, “Raise up for me Samuel.”
12 And when the woman had seen Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice, and she said to Saul: “Why have you afflicted me? For you are Saul!”
13 And the king said to her: “Do not be afraid. What have you seen?” And the woman said to Saul, “I saw gods ascending from the earth.”
14 And he said to her, “What appearance does he have?” And she said, “An old man ascends, and he is clothed in a cloak.” And Saul understood that it was Samuel. And he bowed himself upon his face on the ground, and he reverenced.
15 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disquieted me, so that I would be raised up?” And Saul said: “I am greatly distressed. For the Philistines fight against me, and God has withdrawn from me, and he is not willing to heed me, neither by the hand of prophets, nor by dreams. Therefore, I have summoned you, so that you would reveal to me what I should do.”
16 And Samuel said, “Why do you question me, though the Lord has withdrawn from you, and has crossed over to your rival?
17 For the Lord will do to you just as he spoke by my hand. And he will tear your kingdom from your hand. And he will give it to your neighbor David.
18 For you did not obey the voice of the Lord, and you did not carry out the wrath of his fury upon Amalek. For this reason, the Lord has done to you what you are enduring this day.
19 And the Lord also will give Israel into the hands of the Philistines, along with you. Then tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. But the Lord will also deliver the camp of Israel into the hands of the Philistines.”
20 And immediately, Saul fell stretched out on the ground. For he was terrified by the words of Samuel. And there was no strength in him. For he had not eaten bread all that day.
21 And so, the woman entered to Saul, (for he was very troubled) and she said to him: “Behold, your handmaid has obeyed your voice, and I have placed my life in my hand. And I have heeded the words which you spoke to me.
22 And so now, I ask you to heed the voice of your handmaid, and let me place before you a morsel of bread, so that, by eating, you may recover strength, and you may be able to undertake the journey.”
23 But he refused, and he said, “I will not eat.” But his servants and the woman urged him, and after some time, heeding their voice, he rose up from the ground, and he sat upon the bed.
24 Now the woman had a fatted calf in the house, and she hurried and killed it. And taking meal, she kneaded it, and she baked unleavened bread.
25 And she set it before Saul and before his servants. And when they had eaten, they rose up, and they walked all through that night.
1 Then all the troops of the Philistines were gathered together at Aphek. But Israel also made camp, above the spring which is in Jezreel.
2 And indeed, the princes of the Philistines advanced by hundreds and by thousands; but David and his men were in the rear with Achish.
3 And the leaders of the Philistines said to Achish, “What do these Hebrews intend to do?” And Achish said to the leaders of the Philistines: “Could you be ignorant about David, who was the servant of Saul, the king of Israel, and who has been with me for many days, even years, and I have not found within him anything, from the day that he fled to me, even to this day?”
4 Then the leaders of the Philistines became angry against him, and they said to him: “Let this man return, and let him settle in his place, which you appointed for him. But let him not descend with us to battle, lest he become an adversary to us when we begin to fight. For in what other way will he be able to please his lord, except with our heads?
5 Is not this the David, about whom they were singing, while dancing, saying: ‘Saul struck down his thousands, but David his ten thousands?’ “
6 Therefore, Achish called David, and he said to him: “As the Lord lives, you are good and righteous in my sight, even in your departure and your return with me in the military camp. And I have not found anything evil in you, from the day that you came to me, even to this day. But you are not pleasing to the princes.
7 Therefore, return, and go in peace, so that you do not offend the eyes of the princes of the Philistines.”
8 And David said to Achish, “But what have I done, or what have you found in me, your servant, from the day that I was in your sight to this day, so that I may not go out and fight against the enemies of my lord, the king?”
9 And in response, Achish said to David: “I know that you are good in my sight, like an angel of God. But the leaders of the Philistines have said: ‘He shall not go up with us to the battle.’
10 And so, rise up in the morning, you and the servants of your lord who came with you. And when you have risen up in the night, as it begins to be light, go forth.”
11 And so David rose up in the night, he and his men, so that they might set out in the morning. And they returned to the land of the Philistines. But the Philistines ascended to Jezreel.
1 And when David and his men had arrived at Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made an attack on the south side against Ziklag. And they had struck Ziklag, and burned it with fire.
2 And they had led the women in it away as captives, from the small to the great. And they had not killed anyone, but they led them away with them. And then they traveled on their journey.
3 Therefore, when David and his men had arrived at the city, and had found it burned with fire, and that their wives and their sons and daughters had been led away as captives,
4 David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices. And they mourned until the tears in them failed.
5 For indeed, the two wives of David also had been led away as captives: Ahinoam, the Jezreelite, and Abigail, the wife of Nabal of Carmel.
6 And David was greatly saddened. And the people were willing to stone him, because the soul of every man was bitter over his sons and daughters. But David was strengthened by the Lord his God.
7 And he said to the priest Abiathar, the son of Ahimelech, “Bring the ephod to me.” And Abiathar brought the ephod to David.
8 And David consulted the Lord, saying, “Shall I pursue these robbers, and will I overtake them, or not?” And the Lord said to him: “Pursue. For without doubt, you will overtake them and find the prey.”
9 Therefore, David went away, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and they arrived as far as the torrent Besor. And certain ones, being weary, stayed there.
10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men. For two hundred stayed, who, being weary, were not able to cross the torrent Besor.
11 And they found an Egyptian man in the field, and they led him to David. And they gave him bread, so that he might eat, and water, so that he might drink,
12 and also a section of a mass of dried figs, and two clusters of dried grapes. And when he had eaten, his spirit returned, and he was refreshed. For he had not eaten bread, nor drank water, for three days and three nights.
13 And so David said to him: “To whom do you belong? Or where are you from? And where are you going?” And he said: “I am a young man of Egypt, the servant of an Amalekite man. But my lord abandoned me, because I began to be sick the day before yesterday.
14 For indeed, we broke forth to the southern side of Cherethi, and against Judah, and to the south of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag with fire.”
15 And David said to him, “Are you able to lead me to this battle line?” And he said, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me, and that you will not deliver me into the hands of my lord, and I will lead you to this battle line.” And David swore to him.
16 And when he had led him, behold, they were stretched out on the face of the land everywhere, eating and drinking and celebrating, as if it were a feast day, because of all the prey and spoils that they had taken from the land of the Philistines, and from the land of Judah.
17 And David struck them down from evening until the evening of the next day. And no one among them escaped, except four hundred youths, who had climbed on camels and fled.
18 Therefore, David rescued all that the Amalekites had taken, and he rescued his two wives.
19 And nothing was missing, from small even to great, among the sons and daughters, and among the spoils, and among everything whatsoever that they had seized. David returned it all.
20 And he took all the flocks and the herds, and he drove them before his face. And they said, “This is the prey of David.”
21 Then David arrived at the two hundred men, who, being weary, had stayed, for they had not been able to follow David, and he had ordered them to remain at the torrent Besor. And they went out to meet David, and the people who were with him. Then David, drawing near to the people, greeted them peacefully.
22 And all the wicked and iniquitous men, out of the men who had gone with David, responding, said: “Since they did not go with us, we will not give to them anything from the prey that we have rescued. But let his wife and children be enough for each of them; when they have accepted this, they may go back.”
23 But David said: “You shall not do this, my brothers, with these things that the Lord has delivered to us, for he has preserved us, and he has given into our hands the robbers who broke out among us.
24 And so, let no one heed you over these words. But equal shall be the portion of him who descended to the battle, and of him who remained with the supplies, and they will divide it alike.”
25 And this has been done from that day and thereafter. And it was established as a statute, and as if a law, in Israel even to this day.
26 Then David went to Ziklag, and he sent gifts from the prey to the elders of Judah, his neighbors, saying, “Receive a blessing from the prey of the enemies of the Lord,”
27 to those who were in Bethel, and who were in Ramoth toward the south, and who were in Jattir,
28 and who were in Aroer, and who were in Siphmoth, and who were in Eshtemoa,
29 and who were in Racal, and who were in the cities of Jerahmeel, and who were in the cities of Keni,
30 and who were in Hormah, and who were at the lake of Ashan, and who were in Athach,
31 and who were in Hebron, and to the remainder who were in those places where David had stayed, he and his men.
&
1 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
2 Son of man, what can be made from the stalk of a vine, compared to all the plants of the woods that are among the trees of the forests?
3 Can any wood be taken from it, so that it may be made into a work, or formed into a peg so as to hang some kind of vessel upon it?
4 Behold, it is used in the fire as fuel. The fire consumes both its ends; and its middle is reduced to ashes. So how can it be useful for any work?
5 Even when it was whole, it was unsuitable for a work. How much more so, when fire has devoured it and burned it up, will nothing of it be useful?
6 Therefore, thus says the Lord God: Like the stalk of the vine among the trees of the forests, which I have given to be devoured by fire, so will I deliver the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
7 And I will set my face against them. They will go away from fire, and yet fire will consume them. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I will have set my face against them,
8 and when I will have made their land impassable and desolate. For they have stood forth as transgressors, says the Lord God.”
11 And they said: How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most High?
12 Behold these are sinners; and yet abounding in the world they have obtained riches.
13 And I said: Then have I in vain justified my heart, and washed my hands among the innocent.
14 And I have been scourged all the day; and my chastisement hath been in the mornings.
15 If I said: I will speak thus; behold I should condemn the generation of thy children.
16 I studied that I might know this thing, it is a labour in my sight:
17 Until I go into the sanctuary of God, and understand concerning their last ends.
1 These things I have spoken to you, so that you would not stumble.
2 They will put you out of the synagogues. But the hour is coming when everyone who puts you to death will consider that he is offering an excellent service to God.
3 And they will do these things to you because they have not known the Father, nor me.
4 But these things I have spoken to you, so that, when the hour for these things will have arrived, you may remember that I told you.
5 But I did not tell you these things from the beginning, because I was with you. And now I am going to him who sent me. And no one among you has asked me, ‘Where are you going?’
6 But because I have spoken these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.
7 But I tell you the truth: it is expedient for you that I am going. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you. But when I will have gone away, I will send him to you.
8 And when he has arrived, he will argue against the world, about sin and about justice and about judgment:
9 about sin, indeed, because they have not believed in me;
10 about justice, truly, because I am going to the Father, and you will not see me any longer;
11 about judgment, then, because the prince of this world has already been judged.
12 I still have many things to say to you, but you are not able to bear them now.
13 But when the Spirit of truth has arrived, he will teach the whole truth to you. For he will not be speaking from himself. Instead, whatever he will hear, he will speak. And he will announce to you the things that are to come.
14 He shall glorify me. For he will receive from what is mine, and he will announce it to you.
15 All things whatsoever that the Father has are mine. For this reason, I said that he will receive from what is mine and that he will announce it to you.
