Study Desk

But the people said to Sha'ul, "Must Y'honatan die, who has accomplished this great deliverance in Isra'el? Heaven forbid! As Adonai lives, not one hair of his head will fall to the ground; because he worked with God today!" In this way the people rescued Y'honatan, so that he didn't die.

"I regret setting up Sha'ul as king, because he has turned back from following me and hasn't obeyed my orders." This made Sh'mu'el very sad, so that he cried to Adonai all night.

Sha'ul said, "They brought them from the ‘Amaleki, because the people spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to Adonai your God. But we completely destroyed the rest."

"For rebellion is like the sin of sorcery, stubbornness like the crime of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of Adonai , he too has rejected you as king."

Sha'ul said to Sh'mu'el, "I have sinned. I violated the order of Adonai and your words too, because I was afraid of the people and listened to what they said.

But Sh'mu'el said to Sha'ul, "I will not go back with you, because you have rejected the word of Adonai , and Adonai has rejected you as king over Isra'el."

Moreover, the Eternal One of Isra'el will not lie or change his mind, because he isn't a mere human being subject to changing his mind."

Adonai said to Sh'mu'el, "How much longer are you going to go on grieving for Sha'ul, now that I have rejected him as king over Isra'el? Fill your horn with oil, and set out; I will send you to Yishai the Beit-Lachmi, because I have chosen myself a king from among his sons."

But Adonai said to Sh'mu'el, "Don't pay attention to how he looks or how tall he is, because I have rejected him. Adonai doesn't see the way humans see — humans look at the outward appearance, but Adonai looks at the heart."

Are all your sons here?" Sh'mu'el asked Yishai. He replied, "There is still the youngest; he's out there tending the sheep." Sh'mu'el said to Yishai, "Send and bring him back, because we won't sit down to eat until he gets here."

Sha'ul sent a message to Yishai: "Please let David stay in my service, because I'm pleased with him."

David said to Sha'ul, "No one should lose heart because of him; your servant will go and fight this P'lishti."

Your servant has defeated both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised P'lishti will be like one of them, because he has challenged the armies of the living God."

David buckled his sword on his armor and tried to walk, but he wasn't used to such equipment. David said to Sha'ul, "I can't move wearing these things, because I'm not used to them." So David took them off.

Y'honatan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as he did himself.

Sha'ul became very angry, because this song displeased him. He said, "They give David credit for tens of thousands, but me they give credit for only thousands. Now all he lacks is the kingdom!"

Sha'ul became afraid of David, because Adonai was with him and had left Sha'ul.

But all Isra'el and Y'hudah loved David, because they knew about all his campaigns.

Sha'ul told Y'honatan his son and all his servants that they should have David killed. But because Y'honatan was very fond of David,

Y'honatan spoke well of David to Sha'ul his father and said to him, "The king shouldn't sin against his servant David, because he hasn't sinned against you. On the contrary, his work for you has been very good indeed.