If he is able to fight with me and strike me down, we will become your servants. But if I prevail against him and strike him down, you will become our servants and will serve us.”

If he should then say, ‘That’s fine,’ then your servant is safe. But if he becomes very angry, be assured that he has decided to harm me.

So now swear to me in the Lord’s name that you will not kill my descendants after me or destroy my name from the house of my father.”

But if you continue to do evil, both you and your king will be swept away.”

But the people refused to heed Samuel’s warning. Instead they said, “No! There will be a king over us!

Saul accepted Jonathan’s advice and took an oath, “As surely as the Lord lives, he will not be put to death.”

While I am still alive, extend to me the loyalty of the Lord, or else I will die!

But if I say to the boy, “Look, the arrows are on the other side of you,’ get away. For in that case the Lord has sent you away.

But Saul swore an oath to her by the Lord, “As surely as the Lord lives, you will not incur guilt in this matter!”

If a man sins against a man, one may appeal to God on his behalf. But if a man sins against the Lord, who then will intercede for him?” But Eli’s sons would not listen to their father, for the Lord had decided to kill them.

But keep an eye on it. If it should go up by the way of its own border to Beth Shemesh, then he has brought this great calamity on us. But if that is not the case, then we will know that it was not his hand that struck us; rather, it just happened to us by accident.”

The priest replied to David, “I don’t have any ordinary bread at my disposal. Only holy bread is available, and then only if your soldiers have abstained from sexual relations with women.”

David said to him, “Can you take us down to this raiding party?” He said, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will take you down to this raiding party.”

Therefore I swore an oath to the house of Eli, ‘The sin of the house of Eli can never be forgiven by sacrifice or by grain offering.’”

But if you don’t obey the Lord and rebel against what the Lord says, the hand of the Lord will be against both you and your king.

If they say to us, ‘Stay put until we approach you,’ we will stay right there and not go up to them.

But if they say, ‘Come up against us,’ we will go up. For in that case the Lord has given them into our hand – it will be a sign to us.”

For as surely as the Lord, the deliverer of Israel, lives, even if it turns out to be my own son Jonathan, he will certainly die!” But no one from the army said anything.

Samuel said, “Is it not true that when you were insignificant in your own eyes, you became head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord chose you as king over Israel.

God will severely punish David, if I leave alive until morning even one male from all those who belong to him!”