1 Samuel 2:35

2:35 Then I will raise up for myself a faithful priest. He will do what is in my heart and soul. I will build for him a secure dynasty ¹  and he will serve my chosen one for all time. ² 

1 Samuel 2:2

2:2 No one is holy ³  like the Lord!

There is no one other than you!

There is no rock ⁴  like our God!

1 Samuel 5:3-5

5:3 When the residents of Ashdod got up early the next day, ⁵  Dagon was lying on the ground before the ark of the Lord. So they took Dagon and set him back in his place. 5:4 But when they got up early the following day, Dagon was again lying on the ground before the ark of the Lord. The head of Dagon and his two hands were sheared off and were lying at the threshold. Only Dagon’s body was left intact. ⁶  5:5 (For this reason, to this very day, neither Dagon’s priests nor anyone else who enters Dagon’s temple step on Dagon’s threshold in Ashdod.)

1 Samuel 5:1

The Ark Causes Trouble for the Philistines

5:1 Now the Philistines had captured the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod.

1 Tawarikh 12:23-40

Support for David in Hebron

12:23 The following is a record of the armed warriors who came with their leaders and joined David in Hebron in order to make David king in Saul’s place, in accordance with the Lord’s decree: ⁷ 

12:24 From Judah came 6,800 trained warriors carrying shields and spears. ⁸ 

12:25 From Simeon there were 7,100 warriors.

12:26 From Levi there were 4,600. 12:27 Jehoiada, the leader of Aaron’s descendants, brought 3,700 men with him, 12:28 along with Zadok, a young warrior, and twenty-two leaders from his family.

12:29 From Benjamin, Saul’s tribe, ⁹  there were 3,000, most of whom, up to that time, had been loyal to Saul. ¹⁰ 

12:30 From Ephraim there were 20,800 warriors, who had brought fame to their families. ¹¹ 

12:31 From the half tribe of Manasseh there were 18,000 who had been designated by name to come and make David king.

12:32 From Issachar there were 200 leaders and all their relatives at their command – they understood the times and knew what Israel should do. ¹² 

12:33 From Zebulun there were 50,000 warriors who were prepared for battle, equipped with all kinds of weapons, and ready to give their undivided loyalty. ¹³ 

12:34 From Naphtali there were 1,000 officers, along with 37,000 men carrying shields and spears.

12:35 From Dan there were 28,600 men prepared for battle.

12:36 From Asher there were 40,000 warriors prepared for battle.

12:37 From the other side of the Jordan, from Reuben, Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh, there were 120,000 men armed with all kinds of weapons.

12:38 All these men were warriors who were ready to march. ¹⁴  They came to Hebron to make David king over all Israel by acclamation; ¹⁵  all the rest of the Israelites also were in agreement that David should become king. ¹⁶  12:39 They spent three days feasting ¹⁷  there with David, for their relatives had given them provisions. 12:40 Also their neighbors, from as far away as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali, were bringing food on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen. There were large supplies of flour, fig cakes, raisins, wine, olive oil, beef, and lamb, ¹⁸  for Israel was celebrating. ¹⁹ 

[2:35]  ¹ tn Heb “house.”

[2:35]  ² tn Heb “and he will walk about before my anointed one all the days.”

[2:2]  ³ sn In this context God’s holiness refers primarily to his sovereignty and incomparability. He is unique and distinct from all other so-called gods.

[2:2]  ⁴ tn The LXX has “and there is none righteous like our God.” The Hebrew term translated “rock” refers to a rocky cliff where one can seek refuge from enemies. Here the metaphor depicts God as a protector of his people. Cf. TEV “no protector like our God”; CEV “We’re safer with you than on a high mountain.”

[5:3]  ⁵ tc The LXX adds “they entered the temple of Dagon and saw.”

[5:4]  ⁶ tc Heb “only Dagon was left.” We should probably read the word גֵּו (gev, “back”) before Dagon, understanding it to have the sense of the similar word גְּוִיָּה (gÿviyyah, “body”). This variant is supported by the following evidence: The LXX has ἡ ῥάχις (Jh rJacis, “the back” or “trunk”); the Syriac Peshitta has wegusmeh (“and the body of”); the Targum has gupyeh (“the body of”); the Vulgate has truncus (“the trunk of,” cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV, NLT). On the strength of this evidence the present translation employs the phrase “Dagon’s body.”

[12:23]  ⁷ tn Heb “these are the numbers of the heads of the forces armed for battle [who] came to David in Hebron to turn over the kingdom of Saul to him according to the mouth of the Lord.”

[12:24]  ⁸ tn Heb “the sons of Judah, carrying shield and spear, [were] 6,800 armed for battle.”

[12:29]  ⁹ tn Heb “from the sons of Benjamin, the brothers of Saul.”

[12:29]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and until then, the majority of them were keeping the charge of the house of Saul.”

[12:30]  ¹¹ tn Heb “men of names for the house of their fathers.”

[12:32]  ¹² tn Heb “from the sons of Issachar, knowers of understanding for times to know what Israel should do, their heads [were] 200, and all their brothers according to their mouth.”

[12:33]  ¹³ tn Heb “from Zebulun, those going out for battle, prepared for war with all weapons of war, 50,000, and to help without a heart and a heart.”

[12:38]  ¹⁴ tc Heb “all these [were] men of war, helpers of the battle line.” The present translation assumes an emendation of עֹדְרֵי (’odÿrey, “helpers of”) to עֹרְכֵי, (’orÿkhey, “prepared for”).

[12:38]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “with a complete heart they came to Hebron to make David king over all Israel.”

[12:38]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “and also all the rest of Israel [was of] one mind to make David king.”

[12:39]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “eating and drinking.”

[12:40]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “cattle and sheep.”

[12:40]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “for there was joy in Israel.”