The Holy Orthodox Bible I Kingdoms (LXX)

[Panayioti]

I Kingdoms (LXX)

Chapter 16

And the Lord said to Samuel, How long will thou mourn over Saul, whereas I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill thy horn with oil, and come, I will send thee to Jessai, to Bethlehem; for I have seen among his sons a king for Me. 2 And Samuel said, How can I go? Whereas Saul will hear of it, and kill me: and the Lord said, Take in thine hand a heifer of the oxen and thou shall say, I am come to the Lord to sacrifice. 3 And thou shall call Jessai to the sacrifice, and I will make known to thee what thou shall do; and thou shall anoint whomever I say to thee. 4 And Samuel did all that the Lord said to him; and he came to Bethlehem: and the elders of the city were surprised at meeting him, and said, Is thy coming in peace, thou Seer? 5 And he said, Peace: I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Sanctify yourselves, and rejoice with me this day. And he sanctified Jessai and his sons, and he called them to the sacrifice. 6 And it came to pass when they came in, that he saw Eliav, and said, Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him. 7 And the Lord said to Samuel, Look not on his appearance, nor unto the manner of his greatness, for I have rejected him; for God will not see as man looks; for man looks at the face, but God looks at the heart. 8 And Jessai called Aminadav, and he passed before Samuel: and he said, Neither has * the Lord chosen this one. 9 And Jessai caused Sama to pass by: and he said, Neither has God chosen in this one. 10 And Jessai caused his seven sons to pass by before Samuel: and Samuel said, the Lord has not chosen among these. 11 And Samuel said to Jessai, Have the boys come to an end? And Jessai said, There is yet a little one; behold, he tends among the flock. And Samuel said to Jessai, Send and fetch him for in no way will we sit down until he comes. 12 And he sent and fetched him: and he was ruddy, with beauty of eyes, and was good in the sight of the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, Arise, and anoint David, for this one is good. 13 And Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brothers: and the Spirit of the Lord sprang upon David from that day forward: and Samuel arose, and departed to Armathaim. 14 And the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord choked him. 15 And Saul’s servants said to him, Behold now, an evil spirit from the Lord chokes thee. 16 Let now thy servants speak before thee, and let them seek for our lord a man skilled to play on the harp; and it shall come to pass when an evil spirit is upon thee and he shall play on his harp, and it will be good for thee, and cause thee to rest. 17 And Saul said to his servants, Look, indeed, out now for me for a man who plays very well, and bring him to me. 18 And one of his servants answered and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jessai the Bethlehemite, and he understands playing on the harp, and the man is discerning, and a warrior, and wise in speech, and the man is good to look upon, and the Lord is with him. 19 And Saul sent messengers to Jessai, saying, Send out to me thy son David who is with thy flock. 20 And Jessai took a homer of bread, and a skin of wine, and one kid of the goats, and sent them by the hand of his son David to Saul. 21 And David went in to Saul, and stood before him; and he loved him exceedingly; and he became to him on that would bearer his armor. 22 And Saul sent to Jessai, saying, Do let David stand before me, for he has found grace in my eyes. 23 And it came to pass when the evil spirit was upon Saul, that David took his harp, and played with his hand: and Saul was refreshed, and it was well with him, and the evil spirit departed from him.

* Codex Vaticanus and Origen’s LXX recension read: “God”.

[Panayioti]

I Kingdoms (LXX)

Chapter 17

And the * Philistines gathered their armies for battle, and gathered themselves to Sokkhoth of Judea, and encamp between Sokkhoth and Azeka * Ephermem. 2 And Saul and the men of Israel gather together, and they encamped in the valley, and they deployed for battle opposite the * Philistines. 3 And the * Philistines stood upon the mountain here on one side, and Israel stood upon the mountain here on the other side, and the valley was between them. 4 And there came forth a mighty man out of the ranks of the * Philistines, Goliath, was the name given to him, out of Geth, his height was four cubits and a span. 5 And he had a helmet upon his head, and he wore a breastplate of chain mail; and the weight of his breastplate was five thousand shekels of brass and iron. 6 And greaves of brass were upon his legs, and a bronze shield between his shoulders. 7 And the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and the spear was made of six hundred shekels of iron; and he who bore his armor went before him. 8 And he stood and shouted aloud to the battle array of Israel, and said to them, Why are ye come forth to set yourselves in battle array against us? Am I not a * Philistine, and ye Hebrews of Saul? Choose for yourselves a man, and let him come down to me. 9 And if he shall be able to fight against me, and shall strike me down, then will we be your slaves: but if I should prevail and strike him down, ye shall be our slaves, and serve us. 10 And the * Philistine said, Behold, I have defied the battle array of Israel this very day: give me a man, and we will both of us fight in single combat. 11 And Saul and all Israel heard these words of the * Philistine, and they were dismayed, and greatly afraid. * 32 And David said to Saul, Let not indeed, the heart of my lord be downcast over him! Thy servant will go, and do battle with this * Philistine. 33 And Saul said to David, In no way shall you be able to go against this * Philistine to do battle with him, for thou art a boy, and he is a man of war from his youth. 34 And David said to Saul, Thy servant was tending the flock for his father; and whenever a lion came and a female bear, and took a sheep out of the flock, 35 then I went forth after him, and struck him, and drew the sheep out of his mouth: and as he rose up against me, then I caught his throat, and struck him, and killed him. 36 And the lion and the female bear thy servant has beaten, and the uncircumcised * Philistine shall be as one of them: shall I not go and strike him down, and remove this day a reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised one, who has defied the battle array of the living God? 37 The Lord who delivered me out of the hand of the lion and out the hand of the female bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this uncircumcised * Philistine. And Saul said to David, Go, and the Lord shall be with thee. 38 And Saul clothed David with a woolen cloak, and put a helmet of brass around his head. 39 And he tied around David * his broadsword upon his woolen cloak: and he grew tired walking with them once and twice: and David said to Saul, I shall not be able to go with these, for I am not experienced in them: so they remove them from him. 40 And he took his staff in his hand, and he chose for himself five smooth stones out of the winter stream, and put them in the shepherd’s bag, which he had with him for collecting, and his sling was in his hand; and he approached the * Philistine. * 42 And Goliath saw David, and despised him; for he was a boy, and he was ruddy, with beautiful eyes. 43 And the * Philistine said to David, Am I as a dog, that thou comes against me with a staff and stones? * And David said, No! But thou art worse than a dog. And the * Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 And the * Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh to the birds of the sky, and to the beasts of the earth. 45 And David said to the * Philistine, Thou comes to me with broadsword, and with spear, and with shield; but I come to thee in the name of the Lord God of Sabaoth of the battle array of Israel, which thou have reproached this day. 47 And the Lord shall shut thee up this day by my hand; and I will kill thee, and remove thy head from thee, and will give thy limbs and the limbs of the encampment of the * Philistines this day to the birds of the sky, and to the beasts of the earth; and all the earth shall know that there is a God in Israel. 47 And all this assembly shall know that the Lord delivers not by broadsword, and spear, for the battle is the Lord’s, and the Lord will deliver you into our hands. 48 And the * Philistine arose and went * to meet David. 49 And David stretched out his hand to his bag, and took thence a stone, and slung it, and struck the * Philistine on his forehead, and the stone penetrated through the helmet into his forehead, and he fell upon his face to the ground. * 51 And David ran, and stood upon him, and took his broadsword, and killed him, and cut off his head: and the * Philistines saw that their mighty one was dead, and they fled. 52 And the men of Israel and Judah arose, and shouted and pursued after them as far as the entrance to * Geth, and as far as the gate of Askalon: and the killed men of the * Philistines fell in the way of the gates, unto Geth, and unto Akkaron. 53 And the men of Israel returned from pursuing after the * Philistines, and they trampled upon their camp. 54 And David took the head of the * Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his weapons in his tent. *

* This word is used in the Septuagint as a distinct reference to “Philistines”, but is literally translated as “foreigners”, or “those of another people or tribe”.

* Codex Vaticanus reads: “Ephermen”. Codex Alexandrinus reads: “Aphesdommin”. Alfred Rahlfs’ Septuaginta reads: “in Ephermem”.

* Codex Alexandrinus includes the following verses: “12 And David, son of an Ephrathaiou man, said, he was of Bethlehem Judah, and his name was Jessai, and he had eight sons. And the man passed for an old man among man in the days of Saul. 13 And the three older sons of Jessai went and followed Saul to war, and the name of each of his sons that went to war were, Eliav his firstborn, and his second Aminadav, and his third son Samma. 14 And David himself is the younger son, and the three older sons followed Saul. 15 And David departed and returned from Saul, for the feeding of his father’s sheep in Bethlehem. 16 And the * Philistine advanced all morning and evening, and stood up forty days. 17 And Jessai said to David, Take now to your brothers an ephah of this food, and these ten bread loaves, and run to the encampment and give them to thy brothers. 18 And thou shall carry to the captain of the thousand the ten cheeses of milk, and thou shall see how thy brothers’ peace fares, and learn what they want. 19 And Saul himself and all the men of Israel were in the Valley of the Oak Tree, at war with the * Philistines. 20 And David rose early in the morning, and left the sheep under watch, and took and went as Jessai commanded him, and he came to the round barricade and to the army as it was going out to fight, and they shouted out for the battle. 21 And Israel and the * Philistines formed their battle lines one opposite the other. 22 And David left his items in the hands of a guardian, and ran to the battle line, and went and asked his brothers how their peace fares. 23 And while he was speaking with them, behold, a man from the middle of the battle lines advanced, Goliath the Philistine, by name, from Geth, from the armies of the * Philistines, and he spoke, according to these words, and David heard. 24 And all the men of Israel, when they saw tis man, fled from before his face, they were exceedingly afraid. 25 And the men of Israel said, Have ye seen this man that comes up? For he has reproached Israel this man that has come up; and it shall be that the man who shall strike him down, the king shall enrich him with great wealth, and shall give him his daughter, and shall make his father’s house free in Israel. 26 And David spoke to the men who stood with him, saying, It shall be done so to the man who shall strike down the * Philistine, and take away reproach from Israel; for who is this uncircumcised * Philistine that he has defied the battle array of the living God? 27 And the people said to him according to this word, saying, Thus shall it be done to the man who shall strike him down. 28 And Eliav his older brother heard as he spoke to the men, and Eliav was very angry with David and said, Why have thou thus come down, and with whom have thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride and the evil of thine heart, for thou art come down to see the battle. 29 And David said, What have I done now? Was it not but a word? 30 And he turned away from him towards another, and he spoke according to this word, and the people answered him according to the word like the first. 31 And the words which David spoke were heard, and were reported before Saul, and he received him.”

* This word is used in the Septuagint as a distinct reference to “Philistines”, but is literally translated as “foreigners”, or “those of another people or tribe”.

* Codex Alexandrinus and Lucian’s LXX recension read: “his uniform” i.e. with Saul’s uniform.

* Origen’s LXX recension reads: “his breastplate”.

* Codex Alexandrinus includes the following verse: “41 And the * Philistine advanced and drew near to David, and a man bearing his shield was before him, and the * Philistine looked on”.

* This word is used in the Septuagint as a distinct reference to “Philistines”, but is literally translated as “foreigners”, or “those of another people or tribe”.

* The phrase: “And David said, No! But thou art worse than a dog” in verse forty-three is omitted from Codex Alexandrinus.

* In verse forty-eight after the phrase “and went” Origen’s LXX recension and Lucian’s LXX recension add the phrase: “and approached”.

* Codex Alexandrinus includes the following verse: “50 And David prevailed over the * Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck down the * Philistine and killed him, and there was no broadsword in the hand of David”.

* This word is used in the Septuagint as a distinct reference to “Philistines”, but is literally translated as “foreigners”, or “those of another people or tribe”.

* Codex Alexandrinus reads: “Gai”.

* Codex Alexandrinus includes the following verses: “55 And when Saul saw David going out to meet the * Philistine, he said to Avenner the Captain of the host, Whose son is this youth? And Avenner said, As thy soul lives, O King, I do not know. 56 And the King said, Do thou ask whose son this youth is. 57 And as David returned from slaughter of the * Philistine, Avenner took him and brought him before Saul, and the head of the * Philistine was in his hand. 58 And Saul said to him, Whose son art thou, young man? And David said, The son of they servant Jessai the Bethleemitou”.

* This word is used in the Septuagint as a distinct reference to “Philistines”, but is literally translated as “foreigners”, or “those of another people or tribe”.

[Panayioti]

I Kingdoms (LXX)

Chapter 18

* And there came out women in dances to meet David out of all the cities of Israel, with tambourines, and with rejoicing, and with cymbals. 7 And the women began and were saying, Saul struck down in his thousands, and David in his ten thousands. 8 And this thing seemed evil in the eyes of Saul on account of this word, and he said, To David they give the ten thousands, and to me they give the thousands. * 12 And Saul was afraid from before the face of David. 13 And he removed him from him, and placed him as a commander of a thousand for himself; and he went forth and entered before the people. 14 And David was prudent in all his ways, and the Lord was with him. 15 And Saul saw how he acted very prudently, and he was cautious from before his face. 16 And all Israel and Judah loved David, because he entered and went forth from before the face of the people. * 20 And Melhol the daughter of Saul loved David; and it was told to Saul, and the thing was right in his eyes. 21 And Saul said, I will give her to him, and she shall be an obstacle to him. Now the hand of the * Philistines was upon Saul. 22 And Saul charged his servants, saying, Speak ye privately to David, saying, Behold, the king wants thee, and all his servants love thee, and do thou become the king’s son-in-law. 23 And the servants of Saul spoke these words in the ears of David; and David said, Does it seem light in your eyes to become the son-in-law to the king? Whereas I am a humble man, and of no repute. 24 And the servants of Saul reported to him according to these words, which David spoke. 25 And Saul said, Thus shall ye speak to David, The King wants no gifts but a hundred foreskins of the * Philistines, to avenge himself on the Kings enemies. Now Saul thought to cast him into the hands of the * Philistines. 26 And the servants of Saul report these words to David, and David was well pleased to become the son-in-law to the king. 27 And David arose, and went, himself and his men, and struck down among the * Philistines a hundred men: and he brought their foreskins, and he became the King’s son-in-law, and * gave him Melhol his daughter to wife. 28 And Saul saw * that the Lord was with David, and all Israel loved him. * 29 And he was yet more cautious of David. *

* Codex Alexandrinus includes the following verses: “1 And it came to pass, when he had ended speaking to Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him according to his own soul. 2 And Saul took him that day, and would not let him return to his father's house. 3 And Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him according to his own soul. 4 And Jonathan stripped himself of his robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his uniform, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle. 5 And David went out wherever Saul sent him, and was wise, and Saul set him over the men of war, and he was pleasing in the eyes of all the people, and also in the eyes of the slaves of Saul.”

* Codex Alexandrinus includes the following verses: “9 And Saul eyed David from that day and forward. 10 And it came to pass on the morrow, that an evil spirit from God fell upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David was playing on the harp with his hand, as to his daily routine: and Saul's javelin was in his hand. 11 And Saul took his javelin; and said, I will strike down David even to the wall. And David escaped twice from before his face.”

* Codex Alexandrinus includes the following verses: “17 And Saul said to David, Behold my elder daughter Merov, I will give her to thee to wife, only be thou to me a mighty son and fight the wars of the Lord. And Saul said, Let not my hand be upon him, but the hand of the * Philistines shall be upon him. 18 And David said to Saul, Who am I, and what is the life of my father’s family in Israel, that I should be the King’s son-in-law? 19 And it came to pass at the time when Merov, Saul’s daughter, should have been given to David, that she was given to Israel, the Mothulathiti, to wife”.

* This word is used in the Septuagint as a distinct reference to “Philistines”, but is literally translated as “foreigners”, or “those of another people or tribe”.

* Origen’s LXX recension and Lucian’s LXX recension, according to Alfred Rahlfs’ Septuaginta, include the word: “Saul”.

* Origen’s LXX recension, according to Alfred Rahlfs’ Septuaginta, includes the phrase: “and knew”.

* At the end of verse twenty-nine, Origen’s LXX recension and Lucian’s LXX recension, according to Alfred Rahlfs’ Septuaginta, add the following phrase: “and Saul became David's enemy from that day forward”.

* Codex Alexandrinus, Origen’s LXX recension and Lucian’s LXX recension, according to Alfred Rahlfs’ Septuaginta, include the following verse: “ 30 And the rulers of the * Philistines went forth; and it came to pass that from their sufficient expedition David acted prudently above all the servants of Saul; and his name was honored exceedingly”.

* This word is used in the Septuagint as a distinct reference to “Philistines”, but is literally translated as “foreigners”, or “those of another people or tribe”.

[Panayioti]

I Kingdoms (LXX)

Chapter 19

And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, to put David to death. 2 And Jonathan, Saul’s son, was much taken with David; and Jonathan told David, saying, Saul * seeks to put thee to death; take heed to thyself therefore tomorrow morning, and hide, and stay in secret. 3 And I will go forth, and stand beside my father in the field where thou shall be, and I will speak concerning thee to my father; and I will see what it may be, and I will tell it to thee. 4 And Jonathan spoke well concerning David to Saul his father, and said to him, Let not the king sin against thy slave David, for he has not sinned against thee, and his deeds are very good. 5 And he put his life in his hand, and struck down the * Philistine, and the Lord brought about a great deliverance; and all Israel saw, and rejoiced: why then do thou sin against innocent blood, to put David to death without cause? 6 And Saul hearkened to the voice of Jonathan; and Saul swore, saying, As the Lord lives, if he shall die. 7 And Jonathan called David, and told him all these words; and Jonathan brought David in to Saul, and he was before him as yesterday and the third day. 8 And the war proceeded against Saul; and David grew strong, and waged war against the * Philistines, and struck them down with an exceedingly great blow, and they fled from before his face. 9 And there came an evil spirit of * God upon Saul, and he was resting in his house, and a spear was in his hand, and David was strumming his harp with his hands. 10 And Saul sought to strike the spear into David; and David withdrew from before the face of Saul; and he drove the spear into the wall; and David withdrew and escaped. 11 And it came to pass in that night, that Saul sent messengers to the house of David to keep watch over him, in order to put him to death in the morning; and Melchol, David’s wife, told him, saying, Unless thou save thy life this night, tomorrow thou shall be put to death. 12 And Melhol did let David down by the window, and he went forth, and fled, and escaped. 13 And Melhol took the statues, and laid them on the bed, and she put the liver of a goat by his head, and covered them with clothes. 14 And Saul sent messengers to take David; and they did say that he was unwell. 15 And he sent for David, saying, Bring him to me on the bed, that I may put him to death. 16 And the messengers did come, and, behold, the statues were on the bed, and the goat’s liver was at his head. 17 And Saul said to Melhol, Why have thou thus deceived me, and sent out my enemy to depart and he has escaped? And Melhol said to Saul, He said, let me go, and if not, I will put thee to death. 18 So David fled, and escaped, and now it comes to Samuel to Armathaim, and tells him all that Saul had done to him: and Samuel and David went, and lived in Navath in Rama. 19 And it was told to Saul, saying, Behold, David is in Navath in Rama. 20 And Saul sent messengers to take David, and they saw the assembly of the prophets, and Samuel stood as appointed over them; and the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they prophesy. 21 And it was told to Saul, and he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied: and Saul sent again a third set of messengers, and they also prophesied. 22 And Saul was very angry, and went himself also to Armathaim, and he comes as far as the Well of the Threshing-floor that is in Sephi; and he asked and said, Where are Samuel and David? And they said, Behold, in Navath in Rama. 23 And he went thence to Navath in Rama: and there came the Spirit of God upon him, and he went on prophesying till he came to Navath in Rama. 24 And he took off his clothes, and prophesied before them; and fell naked that entire day and the entire night: therefore they said, Is Saul also among the prophets?

* Origen’s LXX recesion, according to Alfred Rahlfs’ Septuaginta, adds the phrase: “my father”.

* This word is used in the Septuagint as a distinct reference to “Philistines”, but is literally translated as “foreigners”, or “those of another people or tribe”.

* Origen’s LXX recesion, according to Alfred Rahlfs’ Septuaginta, says: “the Lord”.

[Panayioti]

I Kingdoms (LXX)

Chapter 20

And David fled from Navath in Rama, and came before Jonathan; and he said, What have I done, and what is my wrong, and wherein have I sinned before thy father, that he seeks my life? 2 And Jonathan said to him, Far be it from thee: thou shall not die: behold, my father will not do any thing great or small, and not uncover my ear; and why should my father hide this thing from me? This is not so. 3 And David answered Jonathan, and said, In perceiving thy father knows that I have found favor in thy sight, and he said, Let not Jonathan know this, lest he refuse his consent: but as the Lord lives and thy soul lives, that, as I said, between me and death has been filled up. 4 And Jonathan said to David, What does thy soul desire, and what shall I do for thee. 5 And David said to Jonathan, Behold, now, tomorrow is the new moon, and I in sitting shall not sit down * to eat, but thou shall send me off, and I will hide in the plain until the evening. 6 And if observing, thy father observes me, then shall thou say, In asking for pardon, David asks leave of me to run as far as to Bethlehem his city, for there is a sacrifice of days there for all the tribe. 7 If he shall say thus, Well, peace to thy slave: but if he shall answer harshly to thee, know that evil is determined by him. 8 And thou shall deal mercifully with thy slave; for thou have brought thy slave into a covenant of the Lord with thyself: and if there is iniquity in thy slave, put me to death thyself; but why do thou thus bring me to thy father? 9 And Jonathan said, That be far from thee: for if by knowing I know that the evil is determined by my father to come against thee, and if not against thy cities, I will tell to thee. 10 And David said to Jonathan, Who shall tell me if thy father should answer harshly? 11 And Jonathan said to David, Go, and abide in the field. And they went out both into the field. 12 And Jonathan said to David, The Lord God of Israel knows that I will sound out my father as I have an opportunity, even three times, and, behold, if there is good concerning David, then I will not send to thee in the field, 13 Thus God do to Jonathan and add to it: for I shall report the evils to thee, and uncover your ear, and I will send thee off; and thou shall depart in peace, and the Lord shall be with thee, as he was with my father. 14 And if I am still alive, tthat you shall have mercy with me; and if in death I should die, 15 thou shall not withdraw thy mercy from my house for unto the ages of ages: and if not, when the Lord removes the enemies of David, each from the face of the earth, 16 that the name of Jonathan be discovered by the house of David, and may the Lord seek out the enemies of David. 17 And Jonathan swore yet again to David, because he loved the soul of him that loved him. 18 And Jonathan said, Tomorrow is the new moon, and thou will be observed, because thy seat will be observed. 19 And thou shall do it three times, and observe, and shall come to thy place, where thou may hide thyself in the day of thy business, and thou shall sit by that * ergav. 20 And I will shoot with three arrows, sending them into the * amattari. 21 And behold, I will send a servant boy, saying, Go find me the arrow. 22 If I should say to the servant boy, The arrow is here, away from thee, and, here, take it; then come, for it is peace with thee, and there is no word, the Lord lives: but if I should say thus to the servant boy, The arrow is here, away from thee, and beyond; go then, for the Lord has sent thee away. 23 And as for the word which thou and I have spoken, behold, the Lord is a witness between me and thee forever. 24 So David hid in the field, and the new month came, and the king came to the table to eat. 25 And he sat upon his seat as once and once before, upon the seat by the wall, and he preceded Jonathan; and Avenner sat beside of Saul, and the place of David was observed. 26 And Saul said nothing on that day, for he said, A coincidence, for it appears that he is not clean, because he has not purified himself. 27 And it came to pass on the morrow, on the second day of the month, and the place of David was observed; and Saul said to Jonathan his son, Why is it that the son of Jessai has not come to the table, both yesterday and today? 28 And Jonathan answered Saul, and said to him, David asked leave of me to go as far as to Bethlehem his city; 29 and he said, Send me indeed, for we have a sacrifice of the tribe in the city, and my brothers have given a charge for me; and now, if I have found favor in thine eyes, I will indeed go over and see my brothers. For this reason he has not come to the table of the King. 30 And Saul was exceedingly enraged with angry with Jonathan, and said to him, Thou son of traitorous women! For do I not know that thou art an accomplice of the son of Jessai to thy shame, and to the shame of thy mother’s uncovering? 31 For so long as the son of Jessai lives upon the earth, thy kingdom shall not be established: now then send, and take the young man, for he is a son of death. 32 And Jonathan answered Saul, Why does he die? What has he done? 33 And Saul lifted up his spear against Jonathan to put him to death: so Jonathan knew that this evil was fully determined by his father to put David to death. 34 And Jonathan sprang up from the table in anger of rage, and did not eat bread on the second day of the month, for he was grieved for David, because his father was determined on doing evil against him. 35 And morning came, and Jonathan went out to the field, as he appointed for a witness to David, and the small servant boy was with him. 36 And he said to the servant boy, Run, find me the arrows which I will shoot! And the servant boy ran, and he shot an arrow, and sent it beyond. 37 And the servant boy came to the place where the arrow was which Jonathan shot; and Jonathan cried out after the young boy, and said, The arrow is away from thee and beyond. 38 And Jonathan cried out after his servant boy, saying, Make all speed, and be quick, and do not stay. And the servant boy of Jonathan gathered up the arrows, and brought the arrows to his master. 39 And the servant boy knew nothing, only Jonathan and David knew of the matter. 40 And Jonathan gave his weapon items to his servant boy, and said to his servant boy, Go, and enter into the city. 41 And as the servant boy went in, then David arose from the * ergav, and fell upon his face, and did obeisance to him three times, and they kissed each his fellow, and each wept with his fellow, until a great completion. 42 And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, and as we have both sworn in the name of the Lord, saying, The Lord shall be witness between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed forever.

* Alfred Rahlfs’ Septuaginta adds the phrase: “with the King”.

* The Septuagint word “ergav” seems to be a corruption of the underlying Hebrew word “argaz” which some authorities have translated as “mound”.

* The Septuagint seems to render the word “amattari” as a proper name. However, the corresponding Hebrew word means “target” or “mark”.

* The Septuagint word “ergav”, or “argav” in Codex Vaticanus, seems to be a corruption of the underlying Hebrew word “argaz” which some authorities have translated as “mound”.

[Panayioti]

I Kingdoms (LXX)

Chapter 21

And David arose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city. 2 And David came to Nomva to Abimelek the priest: and Abimelek was amazed at meeting him, and said to him, Why art thou alone, and nobody with thee? 3 And David said to the priest, The King gave me a command today, and said to me, Let no one know the matter on which I send thee, and concerning which I have charged thee: and I have testified to my servant boys in this place that is called, The Faith of God, Phellani Alemoni. 4 And now if there are in thy hand five loaves, give into my hand that being found. 5 And the priest answered David, and said, There are no profane loaves in my hand, for there are only the holy loaves: if the servant boys have been kept from women, then they shall eat. 5 And David answered the priest, and said to him, Yea, we have been kept from women since yesterday and the third day before; when I came forth for the journey all the servants boys were purified; but this journey is profane, wherefore it shall be sanctified this day through of my weapon items. 6 So Abimelek the priest gave him the loaves of the presentation; for there were no loaves there, except for the loaves of the presence, which had been removed from before the face of the Lord, to be replaced by hot bread on the day that he took them. 7 And there was one of Saul’s servant boys, in that day, detained Neessaran, before the Lord, and his name was Doek the Syrian, tending the mules of Saul. 8 And David said to Abimelek, See if there is here, by thy hand, a spear or sword, for I have not taken in my hand my broadsword or my weapon items, for the matter of the King was in haste. 9 And the priest said, Behold the broadsword of Goliath the * Philistine, whom thou struck down in the valley of Ela; and it is wrapped in a cloth *: if thou will take it for thyself, take it, for there is none here except it. And David said, Behold, there is none like it; give it me. 10 And he gave it him; and David arose, and fled in that day from before the face of Saul: and David came to Anhous King of Geth. 11 And the servants of Anhous said to him, Is this not David the King of the land? Did not the dancing women take the lead for this one, saying, Saul has struck down his thousand, and David his ten thousands? 12 And David put the words in his heart, and was greatly afraid before the face of Anhous King of Geth. 13 And he changed his face from before him, and he pretended in that day; and he pounded upon the doors of the city, and gestured with his hands, and fell against the doors of the gate, and his spittle ran down upon his beard. 14 And Anhous said to his servants, Behold! Ye see an epileptic man: why have ye brought him in to me? 15 Do I lack of epileptics that ye have brought him in to me to have an epileptic episode? He shall not come into the house.

* This word is used in the Septuagint as a distinct reference to “Philistines”, but is literally translated as “foreigners”, or “those of another people or tribe”.

* Codex Alexanrinus, Origen’s LXX recension and Lucian’s LXX recension add the following phrase: “behind the ephod”.

[Panayioti]

I Kingdoms (LXX)

Chapter 22

And David departed thence, and escaped; and he came to the cave of Odollam, and his brothers and the house of his father heard, and went down there to him. 2 And there gathered to him every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was troubled in soul; and he was a leader over them, and there were with him about four hundred men. 3 And David departed thence to * Massephath of Moab, and said to the King of Moab, Let now my father and my mother be with thee, until I know what God will do to me. 4 And he appealed to the person of the King of Moab, and they lived with him all the days while David was in the stronghold. 5 And Gad the prophet said to David, Stay not in the stronghold: go, and thou shall enter the land of Judah. So David went, and came and stayed in the city of Sarik. 6 And Saul heard that David was recognized, and his men with him: now Saul stayed in the hill below the plowed field that is in Rama, and his spear was in his hand, and all his servants stood beside him. 7 And Saul said to his servants, the ones that stood beside him, Hear now, ye sons of Benjamin, will the son of Jessai truly give all of you fields and vineyards, and will he make you all commanders of hundreds and commanders of thousands? 8 That ye are conspiring against me, and there is no one that uncovers my ear, whereas my son has made a covenant with the son of Jessai, and there is no one of you that labors for me, or uncovers my ear, that my son has stirred up my slave against me for an enemy, as it is this day? 9 And Doek the Syrian, the one placed over the mules of Saul, answered and said, I saw the son of Jessai as he came into Nomva to Abimelek son of Ahitov the priest. 10 And the priest asked him concerning God, and gave to him provision, and gave to him the broadsword of Goliath the * Philistine. 11 And the King sent to call Abimelek son of Ahitov and all his father’s sons, the priests the ones in Nomva; and they all came to the King. 12 And Saul said, Hear now, thou son of Ahitov. And he said, Behold! I am here, speak, lord. 13 And Saul said to him, Why have thou and the son of Jessai conspired against me, that thou should give him bread and a broadsword, and should ask on his account of God for him, to put him against me as an enemy, as he is this day? 14 And * he answered the King, and said, And who is there among all thy slaves faithful as David, and he is a son-in-law of the King, and executor of all thy commands, and is honorable in thy house? 15 Have I begun this day to ask by God for him? By no means! Let not the King impute anything to his slave, and against the whole of my father’s house; for thy slave did not know in all these matters, anything small or great. 16 And King Saul said, Thou shall die by death Abimelek, thou, and thy entire father’s house. 17 And the King said to the foot soldiers the ones that stood by him, Draw near and put to death the priests of the Lord, because their hand is with David, and because they knew that he was fleeing, and they did not uncover my ear. And the servants of the King were not willing to extend their hands to attack the priest of the Lord. 18 And the King said to Doek, Turn thou, and attack the priests: and Doek the Syrian turned, and put to death the priests of the Lord in that day, three hundred and five men, all wearing * an ephod. 19 And he struck down Nomva, the city of the priests, with the mouth of the broadsword, both man, and woman, infant and suckling, and calf, and mule, and sheep. 20 And one son of Abimelek, son of Ahitov, came through safe, and his name was Aviathar, and he fled after David. 21 And Aviathar told David that Saul had put to death all the priests of the Lord. 22 And David said to Aviathar, I knew it in that day, that Doek the Syrian, in telling he would tell Saul: I am guilty for the lives of the house of thy father. 23 Stay with me; fear not, for wherever I shall seek a place for my life, I will also seek a place for thy life, for thou art safe with me.

* Some copies of Codex Alexandrinus read “Massepha” while others read “masepha”.

* This word is used in the Septuagint as a distinct reference to “Philistines”, but is literally translated as “foreigners”, or “those of another people or tribe”.

* Origen’s LXX recension and Lucian’s LXX recension, according to Alfred Rahlfs’ Septuagint, state: “Abimelek”.

* Codex Alexandrinus reads: “a linen ephod”.

[Panayioti]

I Kingdoms (LXX)

Chapter 23

And it was told David, saying, behold, the * Philistines wage war in Keila, and they pillage, and they trample the threshing floors. 2 And David asked of the Lord, saying, Shall I go and strike down these * Philistines? And the Lord said, Go, and thou shall strike down these * Philistines, and save Keila. 3 And the men of David said to him, Behold, we are afraid here in Judea; and how shall it be if we go into Keila? Shall we enter into the spoils of the * Philistines? 4 And David asked yet again of the Lord; and the Lord answered him, and said to him, Arise and go down into Keila, for I will deliver the * Philistines into thy hands. 5 And David went, and the men with him, into Keila, and he waged war with the * Philistines; and they fled from before his face, and he carried off their cattle, and struck them down with a great blow, and David delivered the inhabitants of Keila. 6 And it came to pass when Aviathar the son of Ahimelek fled to David that he went down with David to Keila, having an ephod in his hand. 7 And it was told to Saul that David had come to Keila: and Saul said, God has sold him into my hands, for he is locked up, having entered into a city of gates and bars. 8 And Saul charged all the people to go down to war to Keila, to besiege David and his men. 9 And David knew that Saul did not remain silent concerning the evil against him: and David said to Aviathar the priest, Bring the ephod of the Lord. 10 And David said, Lord the God of Israel, in hearing harken to thy slave for Saul seeks to come to Keila to destroy the city on my account. 11 Will the place be shut up? And now will Saul come down, as thy slave has heard? Lord the God of Israel, tell thy slave. And the Lord said, It will be shut up. * 13 And David arose, and the men with him were about four hundred, and they went forth from Keila, and went where ever they could go: and it was told to Saul that David had escaped from Keila, and he forbore to come. 14 And * David stayed in the wilderness of Maserem, in the narrows; and stayed in the wilderness in Mount Ziph, in the dry country. And Saul sought him all of the days, and the Lord did not delivered him into his hands. 15 And David saw that Saul went forth to seek David; and David was in the dry mountain in New Ziph. 16 And Jonathan, the son of Saul, arose, and went to David to Kaine, and strengthened his hands in the Lord. 17 And he said to him, Fear not, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee; and thou shall be king over Israel, and I shall be second to thee; and Saul my father knows that this is so. 18 So they both made a covenant before the Lord; and David stayed in Kaine, and Jonathan departed to his house. 19 And the Ziphaioi ascended up from out of the dry country to Saul unto the hill, saying, Behold, is not David hidden by us in Messara, in the narrows in Kaine in the hill of Ehela, which is on the right of Jessaimoun? 20 And now, as for everything that is on the soul of the King that is pondering to come down, let him come down to us; they have shut him up into the hands of the King. 21 And Saul said to them, Blessed be ye of the Lord, for ye have been grieved on my account. 22 Do go, and make preparations yet, and know his place where his foot shall be, quickly, in that place which ye spoke of, lest he be cunning. 23 And behold and know, and I will go with you; and it shall come to pass that if he is in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah. 24 And the Ziphaioi arose, and went before Saul: and David and his men were in the wilderness of * Maan in the evening, to the right of Jessaimoun. 25 And Saul and his men went to search for him: and they brought word to David, and he went down to the rock that was in the wilderness of * Maan: and Saul heard, and followed after David into the wilderness of * Maan. 26 And Saul and his men went on one side of this mountain, and David and his men were on the other side of this mountain: and David was hiding himself to escape from before the face of Saul: and Saul and his men encamped against David and his men, in order to capture them. 27 And there came a messenger to Saul, saying, Hasten, and come hither, for the * Philistines have made a raid on the land. 28 So Saul returned from pursuing after David, and went to meet the * Philistines: therefore that place was called The Divided Rock.

* This word is used in the Septuagint as a distinct reference to “Philistines”, but is literally translated as “foreigners”, or “those of another people or tribe”.

* Alfred Rahlfs’ Septuaginta adds verse twelve from Codex Alexandrinus, Origen’s LXX recension and Lucian’s LXX recension and reads as follows:

12 And David said, Will they of Keila deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul? And the Lord said, They will deliver.

* Codex Vaticanus and, according to Alfred Rahlfs’ Septuaginta, Origen’s LXX recension read: “Maon”.

[Panayioti]

I Kingdoms (LXX)

Chapter 24

And David arose from thence, and stayed in the narrows of Engaddi. 2 And it came to pass when Saul returned from pursuing after the * Philistines, that it was told to him, saying, David is in the wilderness of Engaddi. 3 And he took with him three thousand men, chosen out of all Israel, and went to look for David and his men by the face of Sadaiem. 4 And he came unto the flocks of a herd that were upon the road, and there was a cave there; and Saul went in to prepare himself; and David and his men were sitting inside the cave. 5 And the men of David said to him, Behold, this is the day of which the Lord spoke to thee, that he would deliver thine enemy into thy hands; and thou shall do to him as is good in thy eyes. So David arose and secretly removed the border of Saul’s garment. 6 And it came to pass after this that David’s heart struck him, because he had removed the border of his garment. 7 And David said to his men, Not at all is it to me from the Lord, that I should do this thing to my lord * the anointed of the Lord, to bring my hand against him; for he is * the anointed of the Lord. 8 And David persuaded his men by his words, and did not suffer them to arise and put Saul to death: and Saul arose and went down to the road. 9 And David arose and went after him out of the cave: and David cried after Saul, saying, O lord, O King! And Saul looked up behind him, and David bowed with his face unto the ground, and did obeisance to him. 10 And David said to Saul, Why does thou hearken to the words of the people, saying, Behold, David seeks thy life? 11 Behold, thine eyes have seen this day how the Lord has delivered thee today into my hands in the cave; and I would not kill thee, but spared thee, and said, I will not lift up my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord’s * anointed. 12 And behold, the border of thy garment is in my hand, I removed the border, and did not kill thee: and know and behold this day, there is no evil in my hand, or impiety and rebellion; and I have not sinned against thee, and thou snares my soul to take it. 13 May the Lord judge between me and thee, and may the Lord avenge me on thee: and my hand shall not be against thee. 14 As the old parable says, Transgression will proceed from the lawless ones: and my hand shall not be against thee. 15 And now after whom do thou come out, O King of Israel? After whom do thou pursue? After a dead dog, and after one flea? 16 The Lord be judge and jury between me and between thee, may the Lord see and judge my cause, and acquit me out of thy hand. 17 And it came to pass when David had finished speaking these words to Saul, that Saul said, Is this thy voice, my child David? And Saul lifted up his voice, and wept. 18 And Saul said to David, Thou art more righteous that I, for thou have repaid me with good, but I have repaid thee with evil. 19 And thou have told me this day what good thou have done me, how the Lord locked me up into thy hands this day, and thou did not kill me. 20 And if any one should find his enemy in distress, and should send him forth in a good way, then the Lord will reward him good, as thou have done this day. 21 And now, behold, I know that in reigning thou shall reign, and the kingdom of Israel shall be established in thy hand. 22 Now then swear to me by the Lord, that thou will not utterly destroy my seed after me, that thou will not blot out my name from the house of my father. 23 And David swore to Saul: and Saul went forth unto his place, and David and his men went up to the * Messara narrow.

* This word is used in the Septuagint as a distinct reference to “Philistines”, but is literally translated as “foreigners”, or “those of another people or tribe”.

* Or: “The Christ”.

* Codex Vaticanus reads: “Messera”. Origen’s LXX recension reads: “Mesara”.

[Panayioti]

I Kingdoms (LXX)

Chapter 25

And Samuel died, and all Israel assembled and mourned him, and they buried him at his home in * Armathaim: and David arose, and went down to the wilderness of * Maan. 2 And there was a man in * Maan, and his flocks were in Carmel, and the man was very great; and he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats: and it happened when he was shearing his flock in Carmel. 3 And the man’s name was Naval, and his wife’s name was Avigaia: and his wife was good at understanding and very beautiful to behold: but the man was harsh, and evil in his doings, and the man was uncivilized. 4 And David heard in the wilderness, that Naval the Carmelios was shearing his flock. 5 And David sent ten young servant boys, and he said to the young servant boys, Go up to Carmel, and go to Naval, and ask him in my name the things for peace. 6 And thus shall ye say, For a long time, may thou and thy house be in good health, and all that is thine be in good health. 7 And now, behold, I have heard that thy shepherds shear for you now, the ones who were with us in the wilderness, and we hindered them not, neither did we demand anything from them all the days they were in Carmel. 8 Ask thy young servant boys, and they will tell thee. Let then thy young servant boys find grace in thine eyes, for we have come on a good day. Do give whatever thy hand may find, to thy son David. 9 And the young servant boys came and spoke these words to Naval, according to all these words in the name of David. And he leaped up 10 and Naval answered the servants of David, and said, Who is David and who is the son of Jessai? Today slaves have been multiplying, each departing from before the face of his lord. 11 And shall I take my bread, and my wine, and my sacrifices that I have sacrificed to them that shear my sheep, and I shall give them to men of whom I know not whence they are? 12 And the young servant boys of David turned back, and returned, and came and told David according to these words. 13 And David said to his men, Strap on every man his broadsword. * And they went up after David, about four hundred men: and the two hundred stayed with the baggage. 14 And one of the young servant boys told Avigaia the wife of Naval, saying, Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to bless our lord, and he turned away from them. 15 And the men were very good to us; they did not hinder us, neither did they demand from us anything all the days that we were with them. 16 And when we were in the field, they were as a wall for us, and by night and by day, all the days that we were with them tending the flock. 17 And now know, and behold what thou will do; for wickedness is determined against our lord and against his house; and he is a son of pestilence, and it is not possible to speak to him. 18 And Avigaia hurried, and took two hundred loaves, and two vessels of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five oiphi of toasted grain, and one homer of dried grapes, and two hundred cakes of dried fruit, and put them upon the mules. 19 And she said to her young servant boys, Go on ahead of me, and behold I am coming after you: and to her husband she did not tell. 20 And it came to pass when she had mounted her mule and was going down by the cover of the mountain, behold, David and his men came down to meet her, and she met them. 21 And David said, Perhaps it was unjust that I safeguarded all of his possessions in the wilderness, and we did not order the taking of anything of all his goods; yet he has rewarded me evil for good. 22 Thus God do to David and thus may He add also unto him, if I leave until morning of all belonging to Naval, of the one urinating against the wall. 23 And Avigaia saw David, and she hurried and dismounted from her mule; and fell before David on her face, and did obeisance to him, to the ground 24 * to his feet, and said, On me, my lord, let the injustice be: let thy female slave speak in thine ears, and hear thou the words of thy female slave. 25 Let not now, my lord, take to heart this man of pestilence, * for according to his name, so is he; Naval is his name, and folly is with him: and I, thy female slave, beheld not the young servant boys of my lord whom thou did send. 26 And now, my lord, as the Lord lives, and thy soul lives, as the Lord has restrained thee to not come against innocent blood, and to save your hand for thyself, now therefore let thine enemies, and those that seek evil against my lord, become as Naval. 27 And now accept this blessing, which thy female slave has brought to my lord, and thou shall give it to the young servant boys that stand beside my lord. 28 Do remove the trespass of thy female slave; for in doing, the Lord will make for my lord a faithful house, for the Lord shall wage the battles of my lord, and evil shall not ever be found in thee. 29 And if a man shall rise up pursuing thee and seeking thy life, and the life of my lord will be bound in a bond of life with the Lord God, and thou shall sling the life of thine enemies as in the midst of a sling. 30 And it shall be when the Lord shall have wrought for my lord all the good things he has spoken concerning thee, and shall appoint thee to be a leader over Israel. 31 and this shall not be for you an abomination and offence to my lord, to have shed innocent blood without cause, and to save the hand of my lord for himself: and so may the Lord deal well with my lord, and thou shall remember thine female slave to do good to her. 32 And David said to Avigaia, Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel, who sent thee this day to meet me. 33 And blessed be thy conduct, and blessed be thou to hinder me today in this, to not come for blood, and to deliver my hand from myself. 34 But surely as the Lord the God of Israel lives, who hindered me this day from doing evil towards thee, if thou had not hurried and come to meet me, then I had said, Shall there be left behind to Naval, unto the light of the morning, one urinating against the wall. 35 And David took from her hand all that she brought to him, and he said to her, Go up in peace to thy house: see, I have hearkened to thy voice, and I have chosen thy face. 36 And Avigaia came to Naval: and, behold, he had a feast in this house, as the feast of a king, and the heart of Naval was merry within him, and he was exceedingly drunk: and she told him nothing small or great until the light of morning. 37 And it came to pass in the morning, when Naval has sobered from his wine, his wife told him these words; and his heart died within him, and he became like a stone. 38 And it came to pass after about ten days that the Lord struck down Naval, and he died. 39 And David heard * and said, Blessed be the Lord, who has judged the cause of my reproach at the hand of Naval, and has protected his slave from the hand of wickedness; and the Lord has returned the wickedness of Naval upon his head. And David sent and spoke concerning Avigaia, to take her to himself for a wife. 40 And the servants of David came to Avigaia to Carmel, and spoke to her, saying, David has sent us to thee, to take thee to him for a wife. 41 And she arose, and did obeisance upon the ground, upon her face, and said, Behold, thy slave is for a servant girl to wash the feet of thy servants. 42 And Avigaia arose, and mounted her mule, and five young women followed her: and she went after the servants of David, and became his wife. 43 And David took Ahinaam out of Jezrael, and they were both his wives. 44 And Saul gave Melhol his daughter, David’s wife, to Phalti the son of * Amis who was of * Romma.

* Codex Vaticanus reads: “Rama”.

* Codex Vaticanus and, according to Alfred Rahlfs’ Septuaginta, Origen’s LXX recension read: “Maon”. Other versions of Codex Vaticanus and Origen’s LXX recension read: “Pharan”.

* Codex Alexandrinus, Origen’s LXX recension and Lucian’s LXX recension add: “and each man strapped on his sword, and David also strapped on his sword”.

* Codex Alexandrinus, Origen’s LXX recension and Lucian’s LXX recension add: “and she fell”.

* Codex Alexandrinus, Origen’s LXX recension and Lucian’s LXX recension add: “even, Naval”.

* Codex Alexandrinus, Origen’s LXX recension and Lucian’s LXX recension, add: “that naval was dead”.

* Codex Alexandrinus, and Origen’s LXX recension read: “Lais”. Lucian’s LXX recension reads: “Ioas”.

* Codex Alexandrinus, and Origen’s LXX recension read: “Gallim”. Lucian’s LXX recension reads: “Goliath”.

[Panayioti]

I Kingdoms (LXX)

Chapter 26

And the Ziphaioi came out from the dry country to Saul unto the hill, saying, Behold, David hides himself with us on the hill Ehela, against the face of Jessemon. 2 And Saul arose, and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, and with him went three thousand men chosen out of Israel, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph. 3 And Saul encamped on the hill of Ehela that is against the face of Jessemon, by the way, and David stayed in the wilderness: and David saw that Saul had come after him into the wilderness. 4 And David sent out spies, and learned that Saul had come prepared from out of Keila. 5 And David arose secretly, and went into the place, there where Saul was sleeping, and there was Avenner the son of Ner, the captain of his army: and Saul was sleeping in a chariot, and the people had encamped around him. 6 And David answered and spoke to * Avimelech the Hettaion, and to Avessa the son Sarouias the brother of Joab, saying, Who will go in with me to Saul into the encampment? And Avessa said, I will go in with thee. 7 And David and Avessa went in among the people by night: and behold, Saul was lying asleep in the chariot, and his spear was stuck in the ground by his head, and Avenner and his people slept around him. 8 And Avessa said to David, The Lord has this day shut up thine enemy into thine hands, and now I will strike him down to the earth with the spear to the ground once, and will not strike him a second time. 9 And David said to Avessa, * Do not humiliate him so, for who shall bring his hand against * the anointed of the Lord, and be acquitted? 10 And David said, The Lord lives, if the Lord does not strike him down, or his day come and he die, or he go down into battle and be added; 11 The Lord forbid it me that I should bring my hand against * the anointed of the Lord: and now do take the spear from by his head, and the jar of water, and we shall depart by ourselves. 12 And David took the spear, and the jar of water from by his head, and they departed by themselves: and there was no one that saw, and no one that knew, and there was no one that awoke, all being asleep, for a stupor from the Lord had fallen upon them. 13 And David went over to the other side, and stood upon the top of a mountain afar off, and there was much of a distance between them. 14 And David called to the people, and spoke to Avenner, saying, Will thou not answer, Avenner? And Avenner answered and said, Who art thou that calls me? * 15 And David said to Abenner, Art thou not a man? And who is like thee in Israel? Why then do thou not guard thy lord the King? For one out of the people went in to utterly destroy thy lord the King. 16 And this is thing not a good which thou have done. As the Lord lives, for ye are sons of execution, ye who guard your lord the King, * the anointed of the Lord: and now behold indeed the spear of the King, and the jar of water that are by his head? 17 And Saul recognized the voice of David, and said, Is this thy voice, my child David? And David said, It is I thy slave, lord King. 18 And he said, Why does my lord thus pursue after his slave? For in what have I sinned? And what unrighteousness has been found in me? 19 And now let my lord the King hear * the word of his slave. If God stirs thee against me, may He receive a scent of thine sacrifice, and if the sons of men, may they be cursed before the Lord, for they have cast me out this day so that I should not be established in the inheritance of the Lord, saying, Go, serve other Gods. 20 And now, may my blood not fall to the ground opposite the face of the Lord, for the King of Israel has come forth to seek my life, as the night owl hunts on the mountains. 21 And Saul said, I have sinned: Return, my child David, for I will not do evil to thee, because my life was precious in thine eyes; and today I have been foolish and have acted in very great ignorance. 22 And David answered and said, Behold, the spear of the king: let one of the young servant boys come over and take it. 23 And the Lord shall recompense each according to his deeds of righteousness and his faith, as the Lord delivered thee this day into my hands, and I would not bring my hand against the Lord’s * anointed. 24 And, behold, as thy life has been magnified this very day in my eyes, so may my life be magnified before the Lord, and may He shelter me, and may He deliver me out of all affliction. 25 And Saul said to David, Blessed be thou, my child; and by doing you shall do, and by succeeding you shall succeed. And David went on his way, and Saul returned to his place.

* Alfred Rahlfs’ Septuaginta reads: “Ahimelech”.

* Origen’s LXX recension and Lucian’s LXX recension, according to Alfred Rahlfs’ Septuaginta, read: “Do not utterly destroy him”.

* Or: “the Christ”.

* Codex Alexandrinus, and Origen’s LXX recesion read: “Who art thou that calls me to the King”? Lucian’s LXX recesion reads: “Who art thou that calls me to the King, who art thou”?

* Alfred Rahlfs’ Septuaginta adds: “indeed”.

[Panayioti]

I Kingdoms (LXX)

Chapter 27

And David said in his heart, saying, Now shall I be added in one day into the hands of Saul; and there is no good for me unless I should escape into the land of the * Philistines, and Saul should cease from seeking me within every border of Israel, and I shall escape from out of his hand. 2 And David arose, and the six hundred men that were with him, and he went to Anhous, son of Ammach, King of Geth. 3 And David stayed with Anhous, he and his men, each one and his family; and David and both his wives, Ahinaam, the Jezraelitis, and Avigaia the wife of Naval the Carmeliou. 4 And it was told to Saul that David had fled to Geth; and he did not proceed any more to seek him. 5 And David said to Anhous, If indeed thy slave has found grace in thine eyes, let them give me indeed a place in one of the cities in the country, and I will stay there: and why should thy slave settle with thee in a royal city? 6 And he gave him Sekelak in that day: therefore Sekelak came into possession of the King of Judea to this day. 7 And the number of the days that David stayed in the country of the * Philistines was four months. 8 And David and his men went up, and they made an attack on all the Gesiri and on the Amalekitin: and behold, the land was inhabited, from those who had settlements from Gelampsour, who came from walled settlements, even as far as the land of Egypt. 9 And he struck the land, and did not leave any man or woman alive; and they took flocks, and herds, and mules, and camels, and clothing; and they returned and came to Anhous. 10 And Anhous said to David, Upon whom have ye made an attack today? And David said to Anhous, On the south of Judea, and on the south of Jesmega, and on the south of the Kenezi. 11 And man and woman * he did not saved alive to bring them to Geth, saying, Lest they carry a report to Geth against us, saying, This is what David does. And this was his custom all the days that David stayed in the country of the * Philistines. 12 And David was fully trusted by Anhus, saying, With shame he has made himself disgraced among his people in Israel and he shall be a slave to me forever.

* This word is used in the Septuagint as a distinct reference to “Philistines”, but is literally translated as “foreigners”, or “those of another people or tribe”.

* Lucian’s LXX recesion, according to Alfred Rahlfs’ Septuaginta, reads: “David”.

[Panayioti]

I Kingdoms (LXX)

Chapter 28

And it came to pass in those days that the * Philistines gathered themselves together in their encampments to go forth to war with Israel; and Anhous said to David, In knowing ye shall know that thou shall go forth to war with me, thou and thy men. 2 And David said to Anhous, Thus now thou shall know what thy slave will do. And Anhous said to David, Thus, I will make thee captain of the bodyguard for all the days. 3 And Samuel died, and all Israel lamented him, and they buried him in his city, in Armathaim. And Saul had removed those who delivered oracles, and the diviners from the land. 4 And the * Philistines assembled, and came and encamped in * Soman: and Saul gathered all the men of Israel, and they encamped in Gelvoue. 5 And Saul saw the camp of the * Philistines, and he was fearful, and his heart was greatly dismayed. 6 And Saul enquired of the Lord; and the Lord did not answer him by dreams, and by manifestations, and by prophets. 7 Then Saul said to his servants, Seek for me a woman who delivers oracles, and I will go to her, and enquire of her: and his servants said to him, Behold, a woman who delivers oracles is in Aendor. 8 And Saul disguised himself, and put on other garments, and he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night; and he said to her, Divine, indeed, for me by the delivering of oracles, and bring up to me whomever I shall say to thee. 9 And the woman said to him, Behold, indeed, thou knows what Saul has done, how he has utterly destroyed those who deliver oracles, and the diviners from the land, and why do thou ensnare my life to put it to death? 10 And Saul swore to her, saying, As the Lord lives, if injustice shall come upon thee in this matter. 11 And the woman said, Whom shall I bring up to thee? And he said, Bring up to me Samuel. 12 And the woman saw Samuel, and cried out with a loud voice: and the woman said to Saul, Why have thou deceived me? For thou art Saul. 13 And the king said to her, Fear not; tell me whom thou have seen. And the woman said to him, I saw gods ascending out of the earth. 14 And he said to her, What did thou perceive? And she said to him, An upright man ascending out of the earth, and he was cloaked with a double cloak. And Saul knew that this was Samuel, and he bowed with his face upon the earth, and did obeisance to him. 15 And Samuel said, Why have thou troubled me, that I should come up? And Saul said, I am greatly distressed, and the * Philistines wage war against me, and God has departed from me, and no longer hearkens to me, and not by the hand of the prophets, and by dreams: and now I call thee to make known me what I shall do. 16 And Samuel said, Why asks thou me, whereas the Lord has departed from thee, and taken part with thy neighbor? 17 And the Lord has done to thee, as the Lord spoke by my hand; and the Lord will tear thy kingdom out of thy hand, and will give it to thy neighbor David. 18 because thou did not hearken to the voice of the Lord, and did not carry out His fierce anger upon Amalek, therefore the Lord did this thing to thee this day. 19 And the Lord shall deliver Israel with thee into the hands of the * Philistines, and tomorrow thou and thy sons with thee shall fall, and the Lord shall give the camp of Israel into the hands of the * Philistines. 20 And Saul hastened and as he stood he fell upon the earth, and was greatly afraid because of the words of Samuel; and there was no longer any strength in him, for he had eaten no bread all that day, and all that night. 21 And the woman went in to Saul, and saw that he hastened greatly, and said to him, Behold, indeed, thine female slave has hearkened to thy voice, and I have put my life in my hand, and have heard thy words which thou have spoken to me. 22 And now hearken, indeed, to the voice of thine female slave, and I will place before thee a morsel of bread, and eat, and thou shall be strengthened, for thou will be going on the way. 23 And he did not want to eat; and his servants and the woman were urging him, and he hearkened to their voice, and rose up from the ground, and sat upon a chair. 24 And to the woman there was a heifer grazing by the house; and she hastened and sacrificed it; and took flour and kneaded it, and baked unleavened cakes. 25 And she brought them before Saul, and before his servants; and they ate, and they rose up, and departed that night.

* This word is used in the Septuagint as a distinct reference to “Philistines”, but is literally translated as “foreigners”, or “those of another people or tribe”.

* Codex Vaticanus and Origen’s LXX recension read: “Sonam”.

[Panayioti]

I Kingdoms (LXX)

Chapter 29

And the * Philistines gather all their camps to Aphek, and Israel encamped in * Aendor, which is in * Jezrael. 2 And the * lords of the * Philistines went on to hundreds and thousands, and David and his men went on in the rear with Anhous. 3 And the * lords of the * Philistines said, Who are these that pass by? And Anhous said to the * lords of the * Philistines, Is not this David the slave of Saul King of Israel? He has been with us for days, even this second year, and I have not found any fault in him from the day that he fell in with me even until this day. 4 And the * lords of the * Philistines were distressed by him, and they say to him, Return the man to his place, there where thou did set him; and let him not go to the war with us, and let him not be a plotter in the camp: and by what means will he be reconciled to his lord? Will it not be with the heads of those men? 5 Is this not David whom they began celebrating in dances, saying, Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands? 6 And Anhous called David, and said to him, As the Lord lives, thou art upright and good in my eyes, and thy going out and thy coming in with me in the camp, and I have not found evil against thee from the day that thou came to me until this day: but in the eyes of the * lords, thou are not found good. 7 And now, return and go in peace, thus thou shall not do evil in the eyes of the * lords of the * Philistines. 8 And David said to Anhous, What have I done to thee? And what have thou found in thy slave from the first day that I was before thee even until this day, that I should not come and wage war against the enemies of the lord my King? 9 And Anhous answered David, I know that thou art good in my eyes, but the * lords of the * Philistines say, He shall not go up with us to war. 10 And now, rise up early in the morning, thou and the servants of thy lord that are come with thee, and go to the place there, where I will place you, and do not entertain an mischievous thought in thy heart, for thou art good before me; and rise early on the way and let there be light upon you, and depart.
11 And David arose early, he and his men, to depart * and to guard the land of the * Philistines: and the * Philistines went up to wage war against * Israel.

* This word is used in the Septuagint as a distinct reference to “Philistines”, but is literally translated as “foreigners”, or “those of another people or tribe”.

* Codex Vatucanus, according to Alfred Rahlfs’ Septuaginta, reads: “Aeddon”, Origen’s LXX recesion reads: “Aedon”, and Lucian’s LXX recesion reads: “Ain”. However, Brenton’s Codex Vaticanus reads: “Aendor”.

* Codex Vatucanus, according to Alfred Rahlfs’ Septuaginta, reads: “Israel”. Codex Alexandrinus reads: “Jzrael”, and Origen’s LXX recesion reads: “Jzapael”. However, Brenton’s Codex Vaticanus reads: “Jezrael”.

* Literally: “Satraps”.

* Origen’s LXX recesion, according to Alfred Rahlfs’ Septuaginta, adds the phrase: “in the morning”.

* Codex Vaticanus reads: “Jezrael”.

[Panayioti]

I Kingdoms (LXX)

Chapter 30

And it came to pass when David and his men had entered Sekelak on the third day that Amalek had made a raid upon the south and upon Sekelak, and struck Sekelak, and burned it with fire. 2 And as to the women and all things that were in it, from small unto great, they did not put to death neither man nor woman, but took them captives, and went on their way. 3 And David and his men came into the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters were taken captive. 4 And David and his men raised their voice, and wept until they had no more strength within them to weep. 5 And both the wives of David were taken captive, * Ahinoom, the Jezraelitis, and Avigaia the wife of Naval the Carmeliou. 6 And David was greatly distressed, because the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, each for his sons and for his daughters; and David was strengthened in the Lord his God. 7 And David said to Aviathar the priest the son of * Avimelech, Bring forward the ephod *. 8 And David asked of the Lord, saying, Shall I pursue after this band of men? Shall I overtake them? And he said to him, Pursue, for in overtaking thou shall surely overtake them, and in rescuing thou shall surely rescue them. 9 And David went, he and the six hundred men with him, and they came unto the rushing stream of Bosor, and the reserves stayed. 10 And he with four hundred men pursued; and there remained behind two hundred men, who stayed on the other side of the rushing stream of Bosor. 11 And they found an Egyptian in the field, and they took him, and brought him to David; 12 and they gave him bread and he ate, and they caused him to drink water; and they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and he ate, and his spirit was revived in him; for he had not eaten bread, and had not drunk water for three days and three nights. 13 And David said to him, Who art thou? And from whence art thou? And the young Egyptian servant boy said, I am the slave of an Amalekitou man; and my lord left me, because I was taken ill three days ago. 14 And we made a raid on the south of the Holthi, and on some of the parts of Judea, and on the south of Heloub, and we burned Sekelak with fire. 15 And David said to him, Will thou take me down to this band of men? And he said, Swear indeed to me by God, that thou will not put me to death, and that thou will not deliver me into the hands of my lord, and I will take thee down to this band of men? 16 And he brought him down thither, and behold, they were scattered abroad upon the face of all the land, eating and drinking, and celebrating in all the great spoils which they had taken out of the land of the * Philistines, and out of the land of Judah. 17 And David came upon them, and struck them down from the morning star until the evening, and on the next day; and not a man escaped, except four hundred young boys, who had mounted on camels, and fled. 18 And David recovered all that the Amalekitai had taken, and he rescued both his wives. 19 And nothing was wanting to them, from small to great and from the spoils even up to the sons and daughters and up to all that they had taken of theirs; and David returned with all. 20 And he took all the flocks, and the herds, and led them away before the spoils: and it was said concerning those spoils, These are the spoils of David. 21 And David came to the two hundred men, who were left behind that went after David, and he had caused them to remain by the rushing stream of Bosor; and they came forth to meet David, and to meet his people with him: and David drew near to the people, and they asked him concerning the matters for peace. 22 And there answered every ill-disposed and wicked man of the men, the warriors, who had gone with David, and they said, Because they did not pursue together with us, we will not give them any of the spoils which we have recovered, except let each one takeaway his wife and his children, and let them return home. 23 And David said, Ye shall not do so, after the Lord has delivered the enemy to us, and guarded us, and the Lord has delivered into our hands the band of men that came against us. 24 And who will hearken to these your words? For they are not an inferior thing to us; for according to the portion of him that went down to war, so shall be the portion of him that abides with the equipment; according to this they shall be apportioned. 25 And it came to pass from that day and onward, that it became for a statute and for an ordinance for Israel until this day. 26 And David came to Sekelak, and sent of the spoils to the elders of Judah, and to his friends, saying, * Behold from the spoils of the enemies of the Lord; 27 to those in * Baithsour, and to those in * Rama of the south, and to those in * Jeththor. 28 And to those in Aroer, and to those in Ammadi, and to those in Saphi, and to those in Esthie, 29 and to those in Geth, and to those in * Kinan, and to those in Saphek, and to those in Themath, and to those in Carmelou, and to those in the cities of * Jeremeli, and to those in the cities of the Kenezi; 30 and to those in Jerimuth, and to those in Bersabee, and to those in Nomve, 31 and to those in Hebron, and to all the places which David and his men had passed through.

* Origen’s LXX recesion and Lucian’s LXX recesion read: “Ahinaam”. Alfred Rahlfs’ Septuaginta states that Codex Vaticanus reads: “Ahinoom”. However, Brenton’s Codex Vaticanus reads: “Ahinaam”.

* Codex Vaticanus reads: “Ahimelech”.

* Codex Alexandrinus, Origen’s LXX recesion and Lucian’s LXX recesion add: “and Aviathar brought forward the ephod to David”.

* This word is used in the Septuagint as a distinct reference to “Philistines”, but is literally translated as “foreigners”, or “those of another people or tribe”.

* Codex Alexandrinus and Lucian’s LXX recesion read: “Behold, a blessing to you from the spoils of the enemies of the Lord”. Origen’s LXX recesion and Codex Coislinianus read: “Behold, to you a blessing from the spoils of the enemies of the Lord”.

* Codex Alexandrinus, Origen’s LXX recesion and Lucian’s LXX recesion read: “Baithel”.

* Origen’s LXX recesion reads: “Ramath”.

* Among the various copies of Codex Vaticanus the following reads either as “Gethor” or as “Geththor”. Origen’s LXX recesion and Lucian’s LXX recesion read: “Jether”.

* Among the various copies of Codex Vaticanus the following reads either as “Kimath” or as “Keimath”.

* Codex Vaticanus reads: “Jeremeil”.