Now at your own discretion,<n id="1" /> O king, come down. Delivering him into the king&#8217;s hand will be our responsibility.&#8221;p>

The <sc>Lordsc> will hand you and Israel over to the Philistines!<n id="1" /> Tomorrow both you and your sons will be with me.<n id="2" /> The <sc>Lordsc> will also hand the army<n id="3" /> of Israel over to the Philistines!&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;But they forgot the <sc>Lordsc> their God, so he gave<n id="1" /> them into the hand of Sisera, the general in command of Hazor&#8217;s<n id="2" /> army,<n id="3" /> and into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them.

So Saul asked God, &#8220;Should I go down after the Philistines? Will you deliver them into the hand of Israel?&#8221; But he did not answer him that day.p>

So Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a container of wine, and a young goat<n id="1" /> and sent them to Saul with<n id="2" /> his son David.

<n id="1" /><p class="bodytext">David prevailed over the Philistine with just the sling and the stone. He struck down the Philistine and killed him. David did not even have a sword in his hand.<n id="2" />

Then an evil spirit from the <sc>Lordsc> came upon<n id="1" /> Saul. He was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand, while David was playing the lyre.<n id="2" />

David asked, &#8220;Will the leaders of Keilah deliver me and my men into Saul&#8217;s hand?&#8221; The <sc>Lordsc> said, &#8220;They will deliver you over.&#8221;p>

The <sc>Lordsc> rewards each man for his integrity and loyalty.<n id="1" /> Even though today the <sc>Lordsc> delivered you into my hand, I was not willing to extend my hand against the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s chosen one.

He took a pair<n id="1" /> of oxen and cut them up. Then he sent the pieces throughout the territory of Israel by the hand of messengers, who said, &#8220;Whoever does not go out after Saul and after Samuel should expect this to be done to his oxen!&#8221; Then the terror of the <sc>Lordsc> fell on the people, and they went out as one army.<n id="2" />

So on the day of the battle no sword or spear was to be found in the hand of anyone in the army that was with Saul and Jonathan. No one but Saul and his son Jonathan had them.p>

Then the men of the garrison said to Jonathan and his armor bearer, &#8220;Come on up to us so we can teach you a thing or two!&#8221;<n id="1" /> Then Jonathan said to his armor bearer, &#8220;Come up behind me, for the <sc>Lordsc> has given<n id="2" /> them into the hand of Israel!&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">The next day an evil spirit from God rushed upon Saul and he prophesied within his house. Now David was playing the lyre<n id="1" /> that day. There was a spear in Saul&#8217;s hand,

Saul replied, &#8220;Here is what you should say to David: &#8216;There is nothing that the king wants as a price for the bride except a hundred Philistine foreskins, so that he can be avenged of his<n id="1" /> enemies.&#8217;&#8221; (Now Saul was thinking that he could kill David by the hand of the Philistines.)p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">David thought to himself,<n id="1" /> &#8220;One of these days I&#8217;m going to be swept away by the hand of Saul! There is nothing better for me than to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will despair of searching for me through all the territory of Israel and I will escape from his hand.&#8221;p>

David said to him, &#8220;Can you take us down to this raiding party?&#8221; He said, &#8220;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.&#8221;p>

Samuel said to Saul, &#8220;Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?&#8221; Saul replied, &#8220;I am terribly troubled! The Philistines are fighting against me and God has turned away from me. He does not answer me &#8211; not by the prophets nor by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what I should do.&#8221;p>