Study Desk

Then Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned because I have transgressed the commandment of Yahweh and your words, for I feared the troops and I listened to their voice.

But Samuel said to Saul, "I will not return with you, for you have rejected the word of Yahweh, and he has rejected you from being king over Israel!"

Moreover, the Glory of Israel will not break faith and will not regret, for he is not a human that he should regret."

Then Samuel said, "Bring Agag the king of Amalek out to me!" Agag came to him confidently, for Agag thought, "Surely the bitterness of death is over."

Then Yahweh said to Samuel, "How long will you mourn about Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel! Fill up your horn with oil and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have chosen a king for myself among his sons."

You will invite Jesse to the sacrifice and I will make known to you what you must do. You will anoint for me the one whom I tell you."

But Yahweh said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For God does not see what man sees, for a man looks on the outward appearance, but Yahweh looks on the heart."

Then Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all the young men here?" And he said, "The youngest still remains, but look, he is shepherding the flock." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him, for we cannot sit down until he comes here."

So he sent and brought him. Now he was ruddy with beautiful eyes and of handsome appearance. And Yahweh said, "Arise, anoint him, for this is he."

So whenever the evil spirit from God came to Saul, David would take the stringed instrument and play it with his hand. Then it would bring relief for Saul; he would feel better and the evil spirit would depart from him.

The Philistines gathered their camps for battle and they were gathered at Socoh which belongs to Judah. They camped between Socoh and Azekah in Ephes Dammim.

Then Saul and the men of Israel were gathered and encamped in the valley of Elah, and they formed ranks for the battle to meet the Philistines.

He stood and called to the battle lines of Israel and said to them, "Why have you come out to form ranks for battle? Am I not the Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Commission for yourselves a man and let him come down to me.

Now the Philistine came forward early and late, and he took his stand for forty days.

Then Jesse said to his son David, "Please take for your brothers an ephah of this roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread, and bring them quickly to the camp for your brothers.

And the men of Israel said, "Did you see this man who has come up? For he is going up to defy Israel! It will be that the man who defeats him, the king will make him very rich with great wealth and will give him his daughter in marriage and will make his father's house free in Israel."

Now David had spoken to the men who were standing with him, saying, "What will be done for the man who defeats this Philistine and removes the disgrace from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he defies the battle lines of the living God?"

And the troops had spoken to him according to this word, saying, "So it will be done for the man who defeats him."

His oldest brother Eliab heard while he was speaking to the men, and Eliab became very angry against David and said, "Why have you come down today, and with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your presumptuousness and the evil of your heart! For you have come down in order to see the battle!"

And David said to Saul, "Your servant has been a shepherd of the flock for his father. If the lion or the bear would come and carry off a sheep from the group,