<p class="bodytext">Then Samuel talked to the people about how the kingship would work.<n id="1" /> He wrote it all down on a scroll and set it before the <sc>Lordsc>. Then Samuel sent all the people away to their homes.

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 all the people went to Gilgal, where<n id="1" /> they established Saul as king in the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s presence. They offered up peace offerings there in the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s presence. Saul and all the Israelites were very happy.p>

Saul selected for himself three thousand men from Israel. Two thousand of these were with Saul at Micmash and in the hill country of Bethel;<n id="1" /> the remaining thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin.<n id="2" /> He sent all the rest of the people back home.<n id="3" />p>

But now your kingdom will not continue! The <sc>Lordsc> has sought out<n id="1" /> for himself a man who is loyal to him<n id="2" /> and the <sc>Lordsc> has appointed<n id="3" /> him to be leader over his people, for you have not obeyed what the <sc>Lordsc> commanded you.&#8221;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>

Saul said, &#8220;Let&#8217;s go down after the Philistines at night; we will rout<n id="1" /> them until the break of day.<n id="2" /> We won&#8217;t leave any of them alive!&#8221;<n id="3" /> They replied, &#8220;Do whatever seems best to you.&#8221;<n id="4" /> But the priest said, &#8220;Let&#8217;s approach God here.&#8221;

So go now and strike down the Amalekites. Destroy everything that they have. Don&#8217;t spare<n id="1" /> them. Put them to death &#8211; man, woman, child, infant, ox, sheep, camel, and donkey alike.&#8217;&#8221;p>

Let our lord instruct his servants who are here before you to look for a man who knows how to play the lyre. Then whenever the evil spirit from God comes upon you, he can play the lyre<n id="1" /> and you will feel better.&#8221;<n id="2" />

<p class="bodytext">Goliath<n id="1" /> stood and called to Israel&#8217;s troops,<n id="2" /> &#8220;Why do you come out to prepare for battle? Am I not the Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose<n id="3" /> for yourselves a man so he may come down<n id="4" /> to me!

<p class="bodytext">David asked the men who were standing near him, &#8220;What will be done for the man who strikes down this Philistine and frees Israel from this humiliation?<n id="1" /> For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he defies the armies of the living God?&#8221;

But Saul replied to David, &#8220;You aren&#8217;t able to go against this Philistine and fight him! You&#8217;re just a boy! He has been a warrior from his youth!&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">Then the men of Israel and Judah charged forward, shouting a battle cry.<n id="1" /> They chased the Philistines to the valley<n id="2" /> and to the very gates of Ekron. The Philistine corpses lay fallen along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron.

<v id="(21:2)" /> David went to Ahimelech the priest in Nob. Ahimelech was shaking with fear when he met<n id="1" /> David, and said to him, &#8220;Why are you by yourself with no one accompanying you?&#8221;

David replied to Ahimelech the priest, &#8220;The king instructed me to do something, but he said to me, &#8216;Don&#8217;t let anyone know the reason I am sending you or the instructions I have given you.&#8217;<n id="1" /> I have told my soldiers<n id="2" /> to wait at a certain place.<n id="3" />

<p class="bodytext">Then the king said to Doeg, &#8220;You turn and strike down the priests!&#8221; So Doeg the Edomite turned and struck down the priests. He killed on that day eighty-five<n id="1" /> men who wore the linen ephod.

<p class="bodytext">So David and his men went to Keilah and fought the Philistines. He took away their cattle and thoroughly defeated them.<n id="1" /> David delivered the inhabitants of Keilah.p>

He came to the sheepfolds by the road, where there was a cave. Saul went into it to relieve himself.<n id="1" />p> <p class="bodytext">Now David and his men were sitting in the recesses of the cave.

My lord should not pay attention to this wicked man Nabal. He simply lives up to his name! His name means &#8216;fool,&#8217; and he is indeed foolish!<n id="1" /> But I, your servant, did not see the servants my lord sent.<n id="2" />p>

David said to Abner, &#8220;Aren&#8217;t you a man? After all, who is like you in Israel? Why then haven&#8217;t you protected your lord the king? One of the soldiers came to kill your lord the king.