1 Samuel 2:11

2:11 Then Elkanah went back home to Ramah. But the boy was serving the Lord under the supervision of ¹  Eli the priest.

1 Samuel 4:5

4:5 When the ark of the covenant of the Lord arrived at the camp, all Israel shouted so loudly ²  that the ground shook.

1 Samuel 5:12

5:12 The people ³  who did not die were struck with sores; the city’s cry for help went all the way up to heaven.

1 Samuel 7:5

7:5 Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord on your behalf.”

1 Samuel 13:9

13:9 So Saul said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings.” Then he offered a burnt offering.

1 Samuel 13:20

13:20 So all Israel had to go down to the Philistines in order to get their plowshares, cutting instruments, axes, and sickles ⁴  sharpened.

1 Samuel 14:26

14:26 When the army entered the forest, they saw ⁵  the honey flowing, but no one ate any of it, ⁶  for the army was afraid of the oath.

1 Samuel 15:7

15:7 Then Saul struck down the Amalekites all the way from Havilah to ⁷  Shur, which is next to Egypt.

1 Samuel 17:16

17:16 Meanwhile for forty days the Philistine approached every morning and evening and took his position.

1 Samuel 17:31

17:31 When David’s words were overheard and reported to Saul, he called for him. ⁸ 

1 Samuel 19:7

19:7 Then Jonathan called David and told him all these things. Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he served him as he had done formerly. ⁹ 

1 Samuel 20:18

20:18 Jonathan said to him, “Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed, for your seat will be empty.

1 Samuel 20:35

20:35 The next morning Jonathan, along with a young servant, went out to the field to meet David.

1 Samuel 24:22

24:22 David promised Saul this on oath. ¹⁰  Then Saul went to his house, and David and his men went up to the stronghold.

1 Samuel 25:6

25:6 Then you will say to my brother, ¹¹  “Peace to you and your house! Peace to all that is yours!

1 Samuel 25:22

25:22 God will severely punish David, ¹²  if I leave alive until morning even one male ¹³  from all those who belong to him!”

1 Samuel 29:1

David Is Rejected by the Philistine Leaders

29:1 The Philistines assembled all their troops ¹⁴  at Aphek, while Israel camped at the spring that is in Jezreel.

1 Samuel 30:18

30:18 David retrieved everything the Amalekites had taken; he ¹⁵  also rescued his two wives.

1 Samuel 31:2

31:2 The Philistines stayed right on the heels ¹⁶  of Saul and his sons. They ¹⁷  struck down Saul’s sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malki-Shua.

[2:11]  ¹ tn Heb “with [or “before”] the face of.”

[4:5]  ² tn Heb “shouted [with] a great shout.”

[5:12]  ³ tn Heb “men.”

[13:20]  ⁴ tc The translation follows the LXX (“their sickle”) here, rather than the MT “plowshares,” which is due to dittography from the word earlier in the verse.

[14:26]  ⁵ tn Heb “and the army entered the forest, and look!”

[14:26]  ⁶ tn Heb “and there was no one putting his hand to his mouth.”

[15:7]  ⁷ tn Heb “[as] you enter.”

[17:31]  ⁸ tn Heb “he took him.”

[19:7]  ⁹ tn Heb “and he was before him as before.”

[24:22]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and David swore an oath to Saul.”

[25:6]  ¹¹ tc The text is difficult here. The MT and most of the early versions support the reading לֶחָי (lekhai, “to life,” or “to the one who lives”). Some of the older English versions (KJV, ASV; cf. NKJV) took the expression to mean “to him who lives (in prosperity),” but this translation requires reading a good deal into the words. While the expression could have the sense of “Long life to you!” (cf. NIV, NJPS) or perhaps “Good luck to you!” this seems somewhat redundant in light of the salutation that follows in the context. The Latin Vulgate has fratribus meis (“to my brothers”), which suggests that Jerome understood the Hebrew word to have an alef that is absent in the MT (i.e., לֶאֱחָי, le’ekhay). Jerome’s plural, however, remains a problem, since in the context David is addressing a single individual, namely Nabal, and not a group. However, it is likely that the Vulgate witnesses to a consonantal Hebrew text that is to be preferred here, especially if the word were to be revocalized as a singular rather than a plural. While it is impossible to be certain about this reading, the present translation essentially follows the Vulgate in reading “my brother” (so also NJB; cf. NAB, RSV, NRSV).

[25:22]  ¹² tc Heb “Thus God will do to the enemies of David and thus he will add.” Most of the Old Greek ms tradition has simply “David,” with no reference to his enemies. In OT imprecations such as the one found in v. 22 it is common for the speaker to direct malediction toward himself as an indication of the seriousness with which he regards the matter at hand. In other words, the speaker invites on himself dire consequences if he fails to fulfill the matter expressed in the oath. However, in the situation alluded to in v. 22 the threat actually does not come to fruition due to the effectiveness of Abigail’s appeal to David in behalf of her husband Nabal. Instead, David is placated through Abigail’s intervention. It therefore seems likely that the reference to “the enemies of David” in the MT of v. 22 is the result of a scribal attempt to deliver David from the implied consequences of this oath. The present translation follows the LXX rather than the MT here.

[25:22]  ¹³ tn Heb “one who urinates against a wall” (also in v. 34); KJV “any that pisseth against the wall.”

[29:1]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “camps.”

[30:18]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “David.” The pronoun (“he”) has been substituted for the proper name in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[31:2]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “stuck close after.”

[31:2]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “the Philistines.”