1 Samuel 2:3

2:3 Don’t keep speaking so arrogantly, ¹ 

letting proud talk come out of your mouth!

For the Lord is a God who knows;

he ²  evaluates what people do.

1 Samuel 12:20

12:20 Then Samuel said to the people, “Don’t be afraid. You have indeed sinned. ³  However, don’t turn aside from the Lord. Serve the Lord with all your heart.

1 Samuel 2:24

2:24 This ought not to be, ⁴  my sons! For the report that I hear circulating among the Lord’s people is not good.

1 Samuel 1:16

1:16 Don’t consider your servant a wicked woman, ⁵  for until now I have spoken from my deep pain and anguish.”

1 Samuel 20:38

20:38 Jonathan called out to the servant, “Hurry! Go faster! Don’t delay!” Jonathan’s servant retrieved the arrow and came back to his master.

1 Samuel 28:13

28:13 The king said to her, “Don’t be afraid! What have you seen?” The woman replied to Saul, “I have seen one like a god ⁶  coming up from the ground!”

1 Samuel 17:32

17:32 David said to Saul, “Don’t let anyone be discouraged. ⁷  Your servant will go and fight this Philistine!”

1 Samuel 29:7

29:7 So turn and leave ⁸  in peace. You must not do anything that the leaders of the Philistines consider improper!” ⁹ 

1 Samuel 22:23

22:23 Stay with me. Don’t be afraid! Whoever ¹⁰  seeks my life is seeking your life as well. You are secure with me.”

1 Samuel 12:21

12:21 You should not turn aside after empty things that can’t profit and can’t deliver, since they are empty. ¹¹ 

1 Samuel 7:8

7:8 The Israelites said to Samuel, “Keep ¹²  crying out to the Lord our ¹³  God so that he may save us ¹⁴  from the hand of the Philistines!”

1 Samuel 26:9

26:9 But David said to Abishai, “Don’t kill him! Who can extend his hand against the Lord’s chosen one ¹⁵  and remain guiltless?”

1 Samuel 20:16

20:16 and called David’s enemies to account.” So Jonathan made a covenant ¹⁶  with the house of David. ¹⁷ 

1 Samuel 20:14

20:14 While I am still alive, extend to me the loyalty of the Lord, or else I will die!

1 Samuel 4:9

4:9 Be strong and act like men, you Philistines, or else you will wind up serving the Hebrews the way they have served you! Act like men and fight!”

1 Samuel 4:20

4:20 As she was dying, the women who were there with her said, “Don’t be afraid! You have given birth to a son!” But she did not reply or pay any attention. ¹⁸ 

1 Samuel 22:5

22:5 Then Gad the prophet said to David, “Don’t stay in the stronghold. Go to the land of Judah.” So David left and went to the forest of Hereth.

1 Samuel 29:4

29:4 But the leaders of the Philistines became angry with him and said ¹⁹  to him, “Send the man back! Let him return to the place that you assigned him! Don’t let him go down with us into the battle, for he might become ²⁰  our adversary in the battle. What better way to please his lord than with the heads of these men? ²¹ 

1 Samuel 16:7

16:7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t be impressed by ²²  his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. God does not view things the way men do. ²³  People look on the outward appearance, ²⁴  but the Lord looks at the heart.”

1 Samuel 19:4

19:4 So Jonathan spoke on David’s behalf ²⁵  to his father Saul. He said to him, “The king should not sin against his servant David, for he has not sinned against you. On the contrary, his actions have been very beneficial ²⁶  for you.

1 Samuel 30:23

30:23 But David said, “No! You shouldn’t do this, my brothers. Look at what the Lord has given us! ²⁷  He has protected us and has delivered into our hands the raiding party that came against us.

1 Samuel 8:7

8:7 The Lord said to Samuel, “Do everything the people request of you. ²⁸  For it is not you that they have rejected, but it is me that they have rejected as their king.

1 Samuel 13:19

13:19 A blacksmith could not be found in all the land of Israel, for the Philistines had said, “This will prevent the Hebrews from making swords and spears.”

1 Samuel 26:20

26:20 Now don’t let my blood fall to the ground away from the Lord’s presence, for the king of Israel has gone out to look for a flea the way one looks for a partridge ²⁹  in the hill country.”

1 Samuel 25:25

25:25 My lord should not pay attention to this wicked man Nabal. He simply lives up to his name! His name means ‘fool,’ and he is indeed foolish! ³⁰  But I, your servant, did not see the servants my lord sent. ³¹ 

1 Samuel 29:9

29:9 Achish replied to David, “I am convinced that you are as reliable ³²  as the angel of God! However, the leaders of the Philistines have said, ‘He must not go up with us in the battle.’

1 Samuel 23:17

23:17 He said to him, “Don’t be afraid! For the hand of my father Saul cannot find you. You will rule over Israel, and I will be your second in command. Even my father Saul realizes this.”

1 Samuel 5:7

5:7 When the people ³³  of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel should not remain with us, for he has attacked ³⁴  both us and our god Dagon!”

1 Samuel 5:11

5:11 So they assembled ³⁵  all the leaders of the Philistines and said, “Get the ark of the God of Israel out of here! Let it go back to its own place so that it won’t kill us ³⁶  and our ³⁷  people!” The terror ³⁸  of death was throughout the entire city; God was attacking them very severely there. ³⁹ 

1 Samuel 9:20

9:20 Don’t be concerned ⁴⁰  about the donkeys that you lost three days ago, for they have been found. Whom does all Israel desire? Is it not you, and all your father’s family?” ⁴¹ 

1 Samuel 22:15

22:15 Was it just today that I began to inquire of God on his behalf? Far be it from me! The king should not accuse ⁴²  his servant or any of my father’s house. For your servant is not aware of all this – not in whole or in part!” ⁴³ 

1 Samuel 27:11

27:11 Neither man nor woman would David leave alive so as to bring them back to Gath. He was thinking, “This way they can’t tell on us, saying, ‘This is what David did.’” Such was his practice the entire time ⁴⁴  that he lived in the country of the Philistines.

1 Samuel 31:4

31:4 Saul said to his armor bearer, “Draw your sword and stab me with it! Otherwise these uncircumcised people will come, stab me, and torture me.” But his armor bearer refused to do it, because he was very afraid. So Saul took his sword and fell on it.

1 Samuel 1:15

1:15 But Hannah replied, “That’s not the way it is, ⁴⁵  my lord! I am under a great deal of stress. ⁴⁶  I have drunk neither wine nor beer. Rather, I have poured out my soul to ⁴⁷  the Lord.

1 Samuel 12:12

12:12 “When you saw that King Nahash of the Ammonites was advancing against you, you said to me, ‘No! A king will rule over us’ – even though the Lord your God is your king!

1 Samuel 12:19

12:19 All the people said to Samuel, “Pray to the Lord your God on behalf of us – your servants – so we won’t die, for we have added to all our sins by asking for a king.” ⁴⁸ 

1 Samuel 20:3

20:3 Taking an oath, David again ⁴⁹  said, “Your father is very much aware of the fact ⁵⁰  that I have found favor with you, and he has thought, ⁵¹  ‘Don’t let Jonathan know about this, or he will be upset.’ But as surely as the Lord lives and you live, there is about one step between me and death!”

1 Samuel 3:17

3:17 Eli ⁵²  said, “What message did he speak to you? Don’t conceal it from me. God will judge you severely ⁵³  if you conceal from me anything that he said to you!”

1 Samuel 21:2

21:2 David replied to Ahimelech the priest, “The king instructed me to do something, but he said to me, ‘Don’t let anyone know the reason I am sending you or the instructions I have given you.’ ⁵⁴  I have told my soldiers ⁵⁵  to wait at a certain place. ⁵⁶ 

1 Samuel 14:36

14:36 Saul said, “Let’s go down after the Philistines at night; we will rout ⁵⁷  them until the break of day. ⁵⁸  We won’t leave any of them alive!” ⁵⁹  They replied, “Do whatever seems best to you.” ⁶⁰  But the priest said, “Let’s approach God here.”

1 Samuel 18:17

18:17 ⁶¹ Then Saul said to David, “Here’s my oldest daughter, Merab. I want to give her to you in marriage. Only be a brave warrior ⁶²  for me and fight the battles of the Lord.” For Saul thought, “There’s no need for me to raise my hand against him. Let it be the hand of the Philistines!”

1 Samuel 24:6

24:6 He said to his men, “May the Lord keep me far away from doing such a thing to my lord, who is the Lord’s chosen one, ⁶³  by extending my hand against him. After all, ⁶⁴  he is the Lord’s chosen one.” ⁶⁵ 

1 Samuel 25:31

25:31 Your conscience will not be overwhelmed with guilt ⁶⁶  for having poured out innocent blood and for having taken matters into your own hands. When the Lord has granted my lord success, ⁶⁷  please remember your servant.”

1 Samuel 30:22

30:22 But all the evil and worthless men among those who had gone with David said, “Since they didn’t go with us, ⁶⁸  we won’t give them any of the loot we retrieved! They may take only their wives and children. Let them lead them away and be gone!”

1 Samuel 20:15

20:15 Don’t ever cut off your loyalty to my family, not even when the Lord has cut off every one of David’s enemies from the face of the earth

1 Samuel 25:26

25:26 “Now, my lord, as surely as the Lord lives and as surely as you live, it is the Lord who has kept you from shedding blood and taking matters into your own hands. Now may your enemies and those who seek to harm my lord be like Nabal.

1 Samuel 9:5

9:5 When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant who was with him, “Come on, let’s head back before my father quits worrying about the donkeys and becomes anxious about us!”

1 Samuel 6:3

6:3 They replied, “If you are going to send the ark of ⁶⁹  the God of Israel back, don’t send it away empty. Be sure to return it with a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and you will understand why his hand is not removed from you.”

1 Samuel 15:3

15:3 So go now and strike down the Amalekites. Destroy everything that they have. Don’t spare ⁷⁰  them. Put them to death – man, woman, child, infant, ox, sheep, camel, and donkey alike.’”

1 Samuel 15:6

15:6 Saul said to the Kenites, “Go on and leave! Go down from among the Amalekites! Otherwise I will sweep you away ⁷¹  with them! After all, you were kind to all the Israelites when they came up from Egypt.” So the Kenites withdrew from among the Amalekites.

1 Samuel 6:6

6:6 Why harden your hearts like the Egyptians and Pharaoh did? ⁷²  When God ⁷³  treated them harshly, didn’t the Egyptians send the Israelites on their way? ⁷⁴ 

1 Samuel 12:23

12:23 As far as I am concerned, far be it from me to sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you! I will instruct you in the way that is good and upright.

1 Samuel 14:9

14:9 If they say to us, ‘Stay put until we approach you,’ we will stay ⁷⁵  right there and not go up to them.

1 Samuel 15:23

15:23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination,

and presumption is like the evil of idolatry.

Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,

he has rejected you as ⁷⁶  king.”

1 Samuel 15:26

15:26 Samuel said to Saul, “I will not go back with you, for you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel!”

1 Samuel 17:33

17:33 But Saul replied to David, “You aren’t able to go against this Philistine and fight him! You’re just a boy! He has been a warrior from his youth!”

1 Samuel 1:14

1:14 So he ⁷⁷  said to her, “How often do you intend to get drunk? Put away your wine!”

1 Samuel 14:34

14:34 Then Saul said, “Scatter out among the army and say to them, ‘Each of you bring to me your ox and sheep and slaughter them in this spot and eat. But don’t sin against the Lord by eating the blood.” So that night each one brought his ox and slaughtered it there. ⁷⁸ 

1 Samuel 22:16

22:16 But the king said, “You will surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s house!

1 Samuel 11:13

11:13 But Saul said, “No one will be killed on this day. For today the Lord has given Israel a victory!”

1 Samuel 14:44

14:44 Saul said, “God will punish me severely if Jonathan doesn’t die!” ⁷⁹ 

1 Samuel 16:1

Samuel Anoints David as King

16:1 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long do you intend to mourn for Saul? I have rejected him as king over Israel. ⁸⁰  Fill your horn with olive oil and go! I am sending you to Jesse in Bethlehem, ⁸¹  for I have selected a king for myself from among his sons.” ⁸² 

1 Samuel 20:8

20:8 You must be loyal ⁸³  to your servant, for you have made a covenant with your servant in the Lord’s name. ⁸⁴  If I am guilty, ⁸⁵  you yourself kill me! Why bother taking me to your father?”

1 Samuel 11:1

Saul Comes to the Aid of Jabesh

11:1 ⁸⁶ Nahash ⁸⁷  the Ammonite marched ⁸⁸  against Jabesh Gilead. All the men of Jabesh Gilead said to Nahash, “Make a treaty with us and we will serve you.”

1 Samuel 12:7

12:7 Now take your positions, so I may confront you ⁸⁹  before the Lord regarding all the Lord’s just actions toward you and your ancestors. ⁹⁰ 

1 Samuel 13:12

13:12 I thought, ⁹¹  ‘Now the Philistines will come down on me at Gilgal and I have not sought the Lord’s favor.’ So I felt obligated ⁹²  to offer the burnt offering.”

1 Samuel 15:18

15:18 The Lord sent you on a campaign ⁹³  saying, ‘Go and exterminate those sinful Amalekites! Fight against them until you ⁹⁴  have destroyed them.’

1 Samuel 18:8

18:8 This made Saul very angry. The statement displeased him and he thought, ⁹⁵  “They have attributed to David tens of thousands, but to me they have attributed only thousands. What does he lack, except the kingdom?”

1 Samuel 20:9

20:9 Jonathan said, “Far be it from you to suggest this! If I were at all aware that my father had decided to harm you, wouldn’t I tell you about it?”

1 Samuel 23:4

23:4 So David asked the Lord once again. But again the Lord replied, “Arise, go down to Keilah, for I will give the Philistines into your hand.”

1 Samuel 25:35

25:35 Then David took from her hand what she had brought to him. He said to her, “Go back ⁹⁶  to your home in peace. Be assured that I have listened to you ⁹⁷  and responded favorably.” ⁹⁸ 

1 Samuel 26:10

26:10 David went on to say, “As the Lord lives, the Lord himself will strike him down. Either his day will come and he will die, or he will go down into battle and be swept away.

1 Samuel 2:30

2:30 Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘I really did say ⁹⁹  that your house and your ancestor’s house would serve ¹⁰⁰  me forever.’ But now the Lord says, ‘May it never be! ¹⁰¹  For I will honor those who honor me, but those who despise me will be cursed!

1 Samuel 6:7

6:7 So now go and make a new cart. Get two cows that have calves and that have never had a yoke placed on them. Harness the cows to the cart and take their calves from them back to their stalls.

1 Samuel 12:14

12:14 If you fear the Lord, serving him and obeying him ¹⁰²  and not rebelling against what he says, ¹⁰³  and if both you and the king who rules over you follow the Lord your God, all will be well. ¹⁰⁴ 

1 Samuel 20:2

20:2 Jonathan ¹⁰⁵  said to him, “By no means are you going to die! My father does nothing ¹⁰⁶  large or small without making me aware of it. ¹⁰⁷  Why would my father hide this matter from me? It just won’t happen!”

1 Samuel 28:1

The Witch of Endor

28:1 In those days the Philistines gathered their troops ¹⁰⁸  for war in order to fight Israel. Achish said to David, “You should fully understand that you and your men must go with me into the battle.” ¹⁰⁹ 

1 Samuel 1:11

1:11 She made a vow saying, “O Lord of hosts, if you will look with compassion ¹¹⁰  on the suffering of your female servant, ¹¹¹  remembering me and not forgetting your servant, and give a male child ¹¹²  to your servant, then I will dedicate him to the Lord all the days of his life. His hair will never be cut.” ¹¹³ 

1 Samuel 14:45

14:45 But the army said to Saul, “Should Jonathan, who won this great victory in Israel, die? May it never be! As surely as the Lord lives, not a single hair of his head will fall to the ground! For it is with the help of God that he has acted today.” So the army rescued Jonathan from death. ¹¹⁴ 

[2:3]  ¹ tn Heb “proudly, proudly.” If MT is original, the repetition of the word is for emphasis, stressing the arrogance of those addressed. However, a few medieval Hebrew manuscripts and some other textual witnesses do not reflect the repetition, suggesting that the Hebrew text may be dittographic.

[2:3]  ² tc The MT (Qere) reads “and by him actions are weighed.” The translation assumes that reading of the Qere וְלוֹ (vÿlo, “and by him”), which is supported by many medieval Hebrew mss, is correct, rather than the reading of the Kethib וְלוֹא (vÿlo’, “and not”).

[12:20]  ³ tn Heb “you have done all this evil.”

[2:24]  ⁴ tn Heb “no.”

[1:16]  ⁵ tn Heb “daughter of worthlessness.”

[28:13]  ⁶ tn Heb “gods.” The modifying participle (translated “coming up”) is plural, suggesting that underworld spirits are the referent. But in the following verse Saul understands the plural word to refer to a singular being. The reference is to the spirit of Samuel.

[17:32]  ⁷ tn Heb “Let not the heart of a man fall upon him.” The LXX reads “my lord,” instead of “a man.”

[29:7]  ⁸ tn Heb “go.”

[29:7]  ⁹ tn Heb “and you must not do evil in the eyes of the leaders of the Philistines.”

[22:23]  ¹⁰ tn Or “the one who.” This may refer specifically to Saul, in which case David acknowledges that Abiathar’s life is endangered because of his allegiance to David. The translation assumes that the statement is more generalized, meaning that any enemy of Abiathar is an enemy of David. In other words, David promises that he will protect Abiathar with his very own life.

[12:21]  ¹¹ tn Or “useless” (so NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “nothing”; NASB “futile”; TEV “are not real.”

[7:8]  ¹² tn Heb “don’t stop.”

[7:8]  ¹³ tc The LXX reads “your God” rather than the MT’s “our God.”

[7:8]  ¹⁴ tn After the negated jussive, the prefixed verbal form with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose/result.

[26:9]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “anointed” (also in vv. 11, 16, 23).

[20:16]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “cut.” The object of the verb (“covenant”) must be supplied.

[20:16]  ¹⁷ tn The word order is different in the Hebrew text, which reads “and Jonathan cut with the house of David, and the Lord will seek from the hand of the enemies of David.” The translation assumes that the main clauses of the verse have been accidentally transposed in the course of transmission. The first part of the verse (as it stands in MT) belongs with v. 17, while the second part of the verse actually continues v. 15.

[4:20]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “and she did not set her heart.”

[29:4]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “and the leaders of the Philistines said.”

[29:4]  ²⁰ tn Heb “so that he might not become.”

[29:4]  ²¹ tn Or perhaps, “our men.” On this use of the demonstrative pronoun see Joüon 2:532 §143.e.

[16:7]  ²² tn Heb “don’t look toward.”

[16:7]  ²³ tn Heb “for not that which the man sees.” The translation follows the LXX, which reads, “for not as man sees does God see.” The MT has suffered from homoioteleuton or homoioarcton. See P. K. McCarter, I Samuel (AB), 274.

[16:7]  ²⁴ tn Heb “to the eyes.”

[19:4]  ²⁵ tn Heb “spoke good with respect to David.”

[19:4]  ²⁶ tn Heb “good.”

[30:23]  ²⁷ tc This clause is difficult in the MT. The present translation accepts the text as found in the MT and understands this clause to be elliptical, with an understood verb such as “look” or “consider.” On the other hand, the LXX seems to reflect a slightly different Hebrew text, reading “after” where the MT has “my brothers.” The Greek translation yields the following translation: “You should not do this after the Lord has delivered us.” Although the Greek reading should be taken seriously, it seems better to follow the MT here.

[8:7]  ²⁸ tn Heb “Listen to the voice of the people, to all which they say to you.”

[26:20]  ²⁹ tn Heb “the calling [one],” which apparently refers to a partridge.

[25:25]  ³⁰ tn Heb “and foolishness is with him.”

[25:25]  ³¹ tn Heb “my lord’s servants, whom you sent.”

[29:9]  ³² tn Heb “I know that you are good in my eyes.”

[5:7]  ³³ tn Heb “men.”

[5:7]  ³⁴ tn Heb “for his hand is severe upon.”

[5:11]  ³⁵ tn Heb “and they sent and gathered.”

[5:11]  ³⁶ tn Heb “me.”

[5:11]  ³⁷ tn Heb “my.”

[5:11]  ³⁸ tn Or “panic.”

[5:11]  ³⁹ tn Heb “the hand of God was very heavy there.”

[9:20]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “do not fix your heart.”

[9:20]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “and all the house of your father.”

[22:15]  ⁴² tn Heb “set a matter against.”

[22:15]  ⁴³ tn Heb “small or great.”

[27:11]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “all the days.”

[1:15]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “No.”

[1:15]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “I am a woman difficult of spirit.” The LXX has “for whom the day is difficult,” apparently mistaking the Hebrew word for “spirit” רוּחַ (ruakh) to be the word for “day” יוֹם (yom).

[1:15]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “before.”

[12:19]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “for we have added to all our sins an evil [thing] by asking for ourselves a king.”

[20:3]  ⁴⁹ tc The LXX and the Syriac Peshitta lack the word “again.”

[20:3]  ⁵⁰ tn The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis.

[20:3]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “said,” that is, to himself. So also in v. 25.

[3:17]  ⁵² tn Heb “he”; the referent (Eli) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:17]  ⁵³ tn Heb “So God will do to you and thus he will add.” The verbal forms in this pronouncement are imperfects, not jussives, but the statement has the force of a curse or warning. One could translate, “May God do to you and thus may he add.”

[21:2]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “let not a man know anything about the matter [for] which I am sending you and [about] which I commanded you.”

[21:2]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “servants.”

[21:2]  ⁵⁶ tn The Hebrew expression here refers to a particular, but unnamed, place. It occurs in the OT only here, in 2 Kgs 6:8, and in Ruth 4:1, where Boaz uses it to refer to Naomi’s unnamed kinsman-redeemer. A contracted form of the expression appears in Dan 8:13.

[14:36]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “plunder.”

[14:36]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “until the light of the morning.”

[14:36]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “and there will not be left among them a man.”

[14:36]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “all that is good in your eyes.” So also in v. 40.

[18:17]  ⁶¹ tc Much of the ms evidence for the LXX lacks vv. 17-19.

[18:17]  ⁶² tn Heb “son of valor.”

[24:6]  ⁶³ tn Heb “anointed.”

[24:6]  ⁶⁴ tn Or “for.”

[24:6]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “anointed.”

[25:31]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “and this will not be for you for staggering and for stumbling of the heart of my lord.”

[25:31]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “and the Lord will do well for my lord.”

[30:22]  ⁶⁸ tc Heb “with me.” The singular is used rather than the plural because the group is being treated as a singular entity, in keeping with Hebrew idiom. It is not necessary to read “with us,” rather than the MT “with me,” although the plural can be found here in a few medieval Hebrew mss. See also the LXX, Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate, although these versions may simply reflect an understanding of the idiom as found in the MT rather than a different textual reading.

[6:3]  ⁶⁹ tc The LXX and a Qumran ms add “the covenant of the Lord.”

[15:3]  ⁷⁰ tn Or perhaps “don’t take pity on” (cf. CEV).

[15:6]  ⁷¹ tc The translation follows the Syriac Peshitta and Vulgate which assume a reading אֶסִפְךָ (’esfÿka, “I sweep you away,” from the root ספה [sfh]) rather than the MT אֹסִפְךָ (’osifÿka, “I am gathering you,” from the root אסף[’sf]).

[6:6]  ⁷² tn Heb “like Egypt and Pharaoh hardened their heart.”

[6:6]  ⁷³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:6]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “and they sent them away and they went.”

[14:9]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “stand.”

[15:23]  ⁷⁶ tn Or “from [being].”

[1:14]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “Eli.” The pronoun (“he”) has been used in the translation in keeping with contemporary English style.

[14:34]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “and all the army brought near, each his ox by his hand, and they slaughtered there.”

[14:44]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “So God will do and so he will add, surely you will certainly die, Jonathan.”

[16:1]  ⁸⁰ tc The Lucianic recension of the Old Greek translation includes the following words: “And the Lord said to Samuel.”

[16:1]  ⁸¹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

[16:1]  ⁸² tn Heb “for I have seen among his sons for me a king.”

[20:8]  ⁸³ tn Heb “and you must do loyalty.”

[20:8]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “for into a covenant of the Lord you have brought your servant with you.”

[20:8]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “and if there is in me guilt.”

[11:1]  ⁸⁶ tc 4QSam^a and Josephus (Ant. 6.68-71) attest to a longer form of text at this point. The addition explains Nahash’s practice of enemy mutilation, and by so doing provides a smoother transition to the following paragraph than is found in the MT. The NRSV adopts this reading, with the following English translation: “Now Nahash, king of the Ammonites, had been grievously oppressing the Gadites and the Reubenites. He would gouge out the right eye of each of them and would not grant Israel a deliverer. No one was left of the Israelites across the Jordan whose right eye Nahash, king of the Ammonites, had not gouged out. But there were seven thousand men who had escaped from the Ammonites and had entered Jabesh-gilead.” This reading should not be lightly dismissed; it may in fact provide a text superior to that of the MT and the ancient versions. But the external evidence for it is so limited as to induce caution; the present translation instead follows the MT. However, for a reasonable case for including this reading in the text see the discussions in P. K. McCarter, I Samuel (AB), 199, and R. W. Klein, 1 Samuel (WBC), 103.

[11:1]  ⁸⁷ sn The name “Nahash” means “serpent” in Hebrew.

[11:1]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “went up and camped”; NIV, NRSV “went up and besieged.”

[12:7]  ⁸⁹ tn Heb “and I will enter into judgment with you” (NRSV similar); NAB “and I shall arraign you.”

[12:7]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “all the just actions which he has done with you and with your fathers.”

[13:12]  ⁹¹ tn Heb “said.”

[13:12]  ⁹² tn Or “I forced myself” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV, CEV); NAB “So in my anxiety I offered”; NIV “I felt compelled.”

[15:18]  ⁹³ tn Heb “journey.”

[15:18]  ⁹⁴ tc The translation follows the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and the Targum in reading the second person singular suffix (“you”) rather than the third person plural suffix of the MT (“they”).

[18:8]  ⁹⁵ tn Heb “said.” So also in vv. 11, 17.

[25:35]  ⁹⁶ tn Heb “up.”

[25:35]  ⁹⁷ tn Heb “your voice.”

[25:35]  ⁹⁸ tn Heb “I have lifted up your face.”

[2:30]  ⁹⁹ tn The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis.

[2:30]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Heb “walk about before.”

[2:30]  ¹⁰¹ tn Heb “may it be far removed from me.”

[12:14]  ¹⁰² tn Heb “and you listen to his voice.”

[12:14]  ¹⁰³ tn Heb “the mouth of the Lord.” So also in v. 15.

[12:14]  ¹⁰⁴ tn The words “all will be well” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[20:2]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jonathan) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:2]  ¹⁰⁶ tc The translation follows the Qere, many medieval Hebrew mss, and the ancient versions in reading “he will not do,” rather than the Kethib of the MT (“do to him”).

[20:2]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Heb “without uncovering my ear.”

[28:1]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Heb “their camps.”

[28:1]  ¹⁰⁹ tc The translation follows the LXX (εἰς πόλεμον, eis polemon) and a Qumran ms מלחמה במלחמה ([m]lkhmh) bammilkhamah (“in the battle”) rather than the MT’s בַמַּחֲנֶה (bammakhaneh, “in the camp”; cf. NASB). While the MT reading is not impossible here, and although admittedly it is the harder reading, the variant fits the context better. The MT can be explained as a scribal error caused in part by the earlier occurrence of “camp” in this verse.

[1:11]  ¹¹⁰ tn Heb “if looking you look.” The expression can refer, as here, to looking favorably upon another, in this case with compassion.

[1:11]  ¹¹¹ tn Heb “handmaid.” The use of this term (translated two more times in this verse and once each in vv. 16, 17 simply as “servant” for stylistic reasons) is an expression of humility.

[1:11]  ¹¹² tn Heb “seed of men.”

[1:11]  ¹¹³ tn Heb “a razor will not go up upon his head.”

[14:45]  ¹¹⁴ tn Heb “and he did not die.”