1 Samuel 26:23

26:23 The Lord rewards each man for his integrity and loyalty. ¹  Even though today the Lord delivered you into my hand, I was not willing to extend my hand against the Lord’s chosen one.

1 Samuel 15:9

15:9 However, Saul and the army spared Agag, along with the best of the flock, the cattle, the fatlings, ²  and the lambs, as well as everything else that was of value. ³  They were not willing to slaughter them. But they did slaughter everything that was despised ⁴  and worthless.

1 Samuel 31:4

31:4 Saul said to his armor bearer, “Draw your sword and stab me with it! Otherwise these uncircumcised people will come, stab me, and torture me.” But his armor bearer refused to do it, because he was very afraid. So Saul took his sword and fell on it.

1 Samuel 22:17

22:17 Then the king said to the messengers ⁵  who were stationed beside him, “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, for they too have sided ⁶  with David! They knew he was fleeing, but they did not inform me.” But the king’s servants refused to harm ⁷  the priests of the Lord.

[26:23]  ¹ tn Heb “and the Lord returns to the man his righteousness and his faithfulness.”

[15:9]  ² tn The Hebrew text is difficult here. We should probably read וְהַמַּשְׂמַנִּים (vÿhammasmannim, “the fat ones”) rather than the MT וְהַמִּשְׂנִים (vÿhammisnim, “the second ones”). However, if the MT is retained, the sense may be as the Jewish commentator Kimchi supposed: the second-born young, thought to be better than the firstlings. (For discussion see S. R. Driver, Notes on the Hebrew Text and the Topography of the Books of Samuel, 123-24.)

[15:9]  ³ tn Heb “good.”

[15:9]  ⁴ tc The MT has here the very odd form נְמִבְזָה (nÿmivzah), but this is apparently due to a scribal error. The translation follows instead the Niphal participle נִבְזָה (nivzah).

[22:17]  ³ tn Heb “runners.”

[22:17]  ⁴ tn Heb “their hand is.”

[22:17]  ⁵ tn Heb “to extend their hand to harm.”